CinemArcade

Rev up your Interceptor and get ready for a wild ride across the wasteland as we let loose with the first of our two-part retrospective on MAD MAX! This Australian indie film took the world by storm, becoming a surprise worldwide hit and ushering in a wave of post-apocalyptic knock-offs. While the 1979 original film doesn't much resemble the operatic madness that the series would embrace, it's sti...

A thriller? A comedy? Nope; apparently, 1990's ARACHNOPHOBIA is a "thrill-omedy." Whatever you may make of that branding, there's no denying that Frank Marshall's slick, funny monster movie is wildly entertaining, and, for at least one of our co-hosts, almost unbearably scary. We'll dig into this creepy-crawly cult classic before dusting off the lost 1991 home PC game, a side-scrolling shooter and...

Our STAR WARS saga concludes, at least for now, with RETURN OF THE JEDI, the 1983 classic that remains a little divisive amongst older fans. Kenny Madison of the Trek Wars podcast joins us to talk all things Jabba, Ewok, and uncomfortable gold bikini. Then, we're looking at three games, including the Atari 2600 jam DEATH STAR BATTLE, the 1984 isometric arcade game, and the conclusion of the SUPER...

We've arrived the darkest chapter of our STAR WARS trilogy, and almost inarguably the best: 1980's THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK! Originally criticized for being too serious and too heavy, time has been kind to EMPIRE, which is now seen as one of the canonical great American sci-fi films. We're discussing the movie with our good friend Katarin Nunez, then we're climbing onto our tauntauns for three EMPI...

How do we even begin to talk about STAR WARS? The massive, life-altering, cinema-changing, genre-defying epic masterpiece has gone beyond a mere fandom: it's an entire economy, an obsession, even a religion. We're going to attempt to capture all of our complex feelings about the series over the next three weeks, and we're starting with the original 1977 classic, STAR WARS! The great Tate Chitwood...

Follow the yellow brick road with us as we explore a true classic, 1939's WIZARD OF OZ! This timeless family gem has endured for close to a century now thanks to it's memorable songs, vibrant colors, and surprisingly dark undertone, and the smash success of WICKED has cast it back into the zeitgeist. We're joined by our buddy, the whip-smart Marissa Stubbe, to revisit the film, and check out it's...

Happy holidays everyone! We're celebrating the occasion by unwrapping that perennial Christmas favorite, RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER! This Rankin/Bass animated special from 1964 is the longest continually-airing TV special in history, so we made an exception from our film-heavy format to let Rudolph, Hermey, Yukon Cornelius and the gang make an appearance. After the film, we're playing the vide...

The beloved YA novel series becomes a feature film with 2004's dark gothic family film LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS! Jim Carrey leads an all-star ensemble as the evil Count Olaf, trying to steal the inheritance from three industrious orphans. Ailish Collins is back to provide some literary context before we spring into the surprisingly solid Gamecube adaptation, where the three...

We feel the need... the need for speed. This week, we're discussing a crucial piece of 80's iconography, the film that made Tom Cruise a megastar and sent everyone on a highway to the danger zone, TOP GUN! This hyper-masculine megahit may have a head full of rocks but it's undeniably great entertainment; can the same be said about the NES game adaptations, or are those better left grounded?  Hoste...

Is it a music video compilation? An experimental art film? A propaganda piece? Or just a glimpse into a deeply unusual mind? Whatever MOONWALKER is to you, there's no question that it's a fascinating artifact, capturing the peak of one of the biggest pop cultural forces of all time, Michael Jackson. We're talking about the cult classic film before talking about the acclaimed game adaptations for S...

The CARS series dumps the spy comedy in favor of a down-to-earth, weirdly poignant final entry, CARS 3! This 2017 film was largely overlooked and is one of Pixar's lowest-grossing films, but it has some interesting things to say and some of the most beautiful animation in the series to date. We're checking out the movie before playing CARS 3: DRIVEN TO WIN, which expands on the fun ideas of the CA...

Mater takes center stage this week for the oft-maligned spy parody CARS 2! While critics at the time may have relegated this to the bottom of the Pixar heap, the film may have finally found it's audience. It certainly has with our guest, certified CARS 2 superfan Hannah Mattes, who joins us to debate the finer points of this detour from the CARS formula. Then, we're playing the PS3/360 era game ad...

Ka-chow! This week we're kicking off a new miniseries all about Pixar's CARS, which is not only a successful film franchise but is one of Disney's most successful toy lines ever! We're kicking off a look at all three films in the franchise, starting this week with the 2006 original CARS! Then, we're getting behind the wheel of the Xbox/PS2-era game adaptation, a slick, kid-friendly racer. Hosted b...

This week we're checking out the 2001 Disney adventure ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE! A box office disappointment upon release, the film has grown a steady following over the years, in part because of just how stinkin' hot all the characters are. At least that's the contention of our guest, comedian/writer/filmmaker Marissa Macy! Join us as we talk about the film and it's multiple game adaptations, in...

Shhhh! Spooky month concludes this week with one of our more recent movies, and definitely our most recent game. We're talking about John Krasinski's 2018 hit A QUIET PLACE, an effective, largely silent thriller that launched a new franchise. We unpack our complicated feelings about this film before switching over to A QUIET PLACE: THE ROAD AHEAD, a brand-spanking-new first-person survival horror...

One, two, Freddy's coming for you! Spooky month continues with the 1984 classic A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, Wes Craven's smash hit that introduced iconic killer Freddy Kruger to the zeitgeist. Jarrod Hornbeck of Puppet Masters / Castle Freaks returns to talk about one of the formative franchises of his budding horror obsession, before we talk about the NES side-scrolling action game!  Hosted by Ste...

This week, it's the movie that taunts us with it's house-ness... MONSTER HOUSE! This 2006 animated horror-comedy was an early project for Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab, and they bring a welcome amount of wit and energy to this rare horror film for kids. We're covering the flick before turning to the surprisingly enjoyable Gamecube adaptation! Hosted by Steve Guntli, Jennifer "JBan" Bannister, and Just...

This week, a podcast is the warmest place to hide...  We're kicking off a full month of horror movies and games, and we're starting with an absolute banger: John Carpenter's THE THING! Carpenter's film was looked at as a career killer when it debuted in 1982, but it's grown in estimation over the years and is now considered one of the canonical great horror films. We're joined by special guest Kei...

Ailish Collins fills in for Justin this week on what may be our most contentious film to date: 1985's THE GOONIES! Is the film a timeless family classic or is it a victim of nostalgia goggles? We enjoy a firey debate on the subject before covering the odd NES pseudo-sequel, THE GOONIES II, which introduces a mermaid to the mythology.  Hosted by Steve Guntli, Jennifer "JBan" Bannister, and Justin W...

Pup, pup and away!  This week we're looking at our most recent movie, the 2022 animated riff on the DC universe, LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS! Featuring a ridiculously stacked cast and a surprising fidelity to DC lore, the film is a fun if derivative riff on hits like SECRET LIFE OF PETS, only with superheroes. We're talking about the film and it's recent game adaptation, THE ADVENTURES OF ACE AND KRYPTO,...

Ki ki ki, ma ma ma...  That sound can only mean one thing: Jason's back in town! Or he will be at least, because this week we're talking about the original FRIDAY THE 13th, the slasher sensation that would spawn one of the most indelible horror icons on the 20th century. Austin improv great Mickey May joins us as we take a deep-dive into 1980 classic and it's sequels, before diving in to two of ou...

Get ready to scan your multipass and step into the audacious sci-fi future of THE FIFTH ELEMENT! This massive French production found a huge crossover audience here in the states, and remains a fascinating, funny bit of pulp filmmaking. We're joined this week by filmmaker, comedian, and musician Jer Moran, who checks out the movie and the ill-begotten PS1 game adaptation. Austin listeners! Check o...

The JUMANJI franchise came roaring back to theaters in a big way with 2017's surprise smash JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE! Starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillen as teenagers trapped in a video game, this fun and lighthearted romp became a runaway box office sensation, even with stiff competition from a STAR WARS movie. We're talking about the 2017 film as well as it's...

Get ready to blast off with the next (weirdly unofficial?) entry in the JUMANJI saga, the spacefaring spinoff ZATHURA! Starring future YA superstars Josh Hutcherson and Kristen Stewart and directed by Jon Favreau, this appealingly old-fashioned adventure was a box office flop but has been reappropriated by its young fans over the years. Ailish Collins is back for both the film and the PS2 game ada...

We're rolling the dice on a new miniseries! We're covering three films in the JUMANJI series, starting this week with the 1995 original! Based on the classic picture book, JUMANJI has been delighting and traumatizing kids for generations, but despite the obvious potential, the film never received a great video game. We discuss the lost JUMANJI Windows games alongside our friend Nick Desai!  Hosted...