Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr.

The holiday season is still a few months away, but we're definitely not above breaking out the tinsel and candy canes a bit earlier than usual. Last year, we released our White Christmas episode perfectly timed to Christmas Eve, but this time around, we're taking a closer look at the 1945 release Christmas in Connecticut starring Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan and Sydney Greenstreet.  Lori London...

A year after helping us break down our favorite movies of 1998 , Kai Yaniz of BeBold-BeBrave.com returns to take aim at one of the most important years in cinema: 1999. Twenty years ago, so many bold, risk-taking movies hit the big screen, and while we may not necessarily be fans of all those iconic releases, this milestone felt like a great opportunity to pay tribute to what many have considered...

In our first-ever Crooked Takeover, we extend our time with Justin Beck of the Ditsy Comic Podcast . Whereas last week Justin showed up on the Crooked Table Podcast to discuss 1997 sci-fi comedy Men in Black , this episode sees Rob pay a visit to the Ditsy Comic Podcast. Listen in as Justin and Rob discuss the origins of Crooked Table, play silly games and test Rob's ability to pull off a convinci...

More than 20 years ago, Men in Black cemented Will Smith's status as an A-list star. Moreover, director Barry Sonnenfeld's film kicked off a franchise that has been, creatively and financially, much like a starship crashlanding into a farm. Now, with the recent failure of Men in Black International in our wake, we take a closer look at what made that original film such a classic and explore why it...

In the fourth installment of our retrospective on the Star Wars saga,  we turn to the film that first introduced the world to the "galaxy far, far away." When Star Wars — excuse us, Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope — hit theaters in 1977,  it cemented the concept of the summer blockbuster and has inspired generations of fans and filmmakers alike. Kim Stock Foster joins us to discuss the film's e...

Rule-breakers unite! This week, we're going to be talking lots and lots of Fight Club. Director David Fincher's 1999 film didn't exactly set the world on fire during its theatrical run but has emerged as one of that year's most-talked-about releases ever since. Featuring Edward Norton as the unnamed narrator, Brad Pitt as the wily Tyler Durden and Helena Bonham Carter as the woman who gets between...

Can't get a res at Dorsia? Well, you can always settle in with our analysis of director Mary Harron's killer satire American Psycho. Based on the 1991 Bret Easton Ellis novel, the film stars Christian Bale in his breakthrough role as investment banker Patrick Bateman, whose career amidst the excess of the late 1980s may have pushed him to engage in a murderous rampage. Bianca Garner — aka The Film...

Nowadays, Peter Dinklage may be known as the wily, heavy-drinking Tyrion Lannister he played for eight seasons on Game of Thrones. However, his breakthrough film role — 2003's comedy/drama The Station Agent — showcases a very different side of the actor who "drinks and knows things" throughout Westeros. Written and directed by Tom McCarthy (Spotlight, The Visitor), the film sees Dinklage as a curm...

In the third installment of our retrospective on the Star Wars saga,  Jackson Smith of Screen Fever  helps out close out our look back at the prequel trilogy with an epic-length conversation about Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith. After two films filled with cringe-inducing moments and misguided creative decisions, George Lucas finally explores the immediate events that transformed Ana...

Let's travel back to the late 1990s. Think of a sci-fi thriller that expertly wraps big ideas like the nature of reality, identity and human nature into a hyper-stylized environment heavily influenced by film noir. Now set aside your love for The Matrix because this episode we're talking all about Dark City. The 1998 film from director Alex Proyas (The Crow, I, Robot) — which shares some aesthetic...

Every generation has its Bond, and for today's moviegoers, Daniel Craig bears the iconic 007 code name. Although his four-film tenure  (so far) has certainly been a rocky one, there's no denying that Craig's appearance as James Bond in director Sam Mendes' 2012 entry, Skyfall, is among the series' finest moments. From its stirring Adele-performed theme song to Javier Bardem's chilling villain to R...

It's been a long while since Rob got the chance to take the reins of the Crooked Table Podcast (ever since the new format debuted in December 2018 with our Ace Ventura: Pet Detective episode). Now, with his birthday upon us, Rob — and returning guest Jeannine Yaniz — talk about one of his all-time favorite films, 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Director Robert Zemeckis's live-action/animated hybri...

Comedy, as they say, is relative. So it takes a very special film to not only make an impact in its own time but also remain one of the most beloved comedies of all time. Yet, director Billy Wilder struck gold when he assembled Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon for his 1959 comedy hit, Some Like It Hot. Named the best comedy film by the American Film Institute in 2000, Wilder's classic h...

In the second installment of our retrospective on the Star Wars saga, Pete Langhelt of The Pete & Fran Podcast  helps us separate the pains and joys that lie within Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones. As the middle chapter in the divisive prequel trilogy, this entry remains one of the most polarizing among fans. But, aside from its romantic subplot, does George Lucas' 2002 space oper...

In recent years, few action film franchises have proven to be as intense or as fascinating as John Wick. Fifteen years after Keanu Reeves unplugged from  The Matrix , he found the role of a lifetime as an ex-assassin compelled back into an intricate criminal underworld governed by rules and consequence. We didn’t need a marker to lure  Jon Cohorn , writer for  Modern Horrors , on to the show to sh...

We've covered some HUGE films on the Crooked Table Podcast, but every once in a while, we like to shine the spotlight on those under-seen gems that have escaped the attention of mainstream audiences. And Sing Street is the perfect example of that. Written and directed by John Carney (Once), the film earned just over $3 million at the domestic box office but is still considered the best film of 201...

We all think we know what to expect from Hollywood biopics. But every once in a while, a film distinguishes itself enough to break out, at least in part, from the mold that this genre usually adheres to. One such release came in 1999 with the release of director Milos Forman's Man on the Moon. Starring Jim Carrey as divisive actor and performance artist Andy Kaufman, the film takes a look at Kaufm...

On the tail of the film's 20th anniversary, Kimberly Cook — social media editor and writer for Monkeys Fighting Robots and Pop Axiom , respectively — hyperspaces onto the show to discuss Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. Thanks in large part to young Jake Lloyd and a certain bumbling Gungan, the film remains one of the most divisive entries in the saga. We discuss the film in depth, marki...

This week on the show, Karen Peterson  — co-host of the  Citizen Dame Podcast  and  The Watch and Talk  — joins us to discuss director Sharon Maguire's Bridget Jones's Diary. The 2001 romantic comedy, based on Helen Fielding's best-selling book, not only made Renee Zellweger a bonafide leading lady but earned the actress her first Academy Award nomination.  We'll discuss what makes the titular cha...

If you haven’t seen Endgame yet, see it this weekend. The spoiler ban lifts on Monday! Check out @GMA for the full video... pic.twitter.com/gGrvUgLL6k — Russo Brothers (@Russo_Brothers) May 2, 2019 Well, who are we to argue with the directors of Avengers: Endgame? After seeing the latest Marvel Studios epic at Thursday night previews, Rob and guest Kai Yaniz  just had to share their in-depth — and...

For decades, Glenn Close has turned in one acclaimed performance after another, but Oscar has continually eluded her. At last year's Academy Awards, that nearly changed. Close narrowly lost the Best Actress statuette for her tour-de-force performance in The Wife. Although Close herself earned critical praise, the film itself fell beneath the radar, earning less than $10 million at the domestic box...

We're in the Endgame now. So, before we launch into our lengthy, spoiler-filled conversation about Avengers: Endgame, Rob briefly runs through his thoughts on the previous 21 films (!) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From the original Iron Man to the groundbreaking success of this year's Captain Marvel, the folks over at Marvel Studios have created a cinematic achievement like no other. Eleven y...

Listeners to the show — or, really, anyone within earshot — already know how much of an affinity Rob has for the Star Wars saga. The intergalactic battles and "space opera" melodrama of the Skywalker family have been attracting audiences for more than 40 years. So the fact that the franchise has long ranked among Rob's personal favorites  shouldn't be much of a surprise. Over more than 40 years, G...

Anyone who has ever worked in corporate America knows exactly the kind of gold that writer/director Mike Judge struck when he released his 1999 comedy Office Space on the world. But 1999 audiences (who loved films like American Beauty and The Matrix ) sure didn't, as the film was a box office flop. A lot has changed in the two decades since we all discovered TPS reports and suffered through the ag...

Just in time for the release of Shazam!, Freddy Yaniz joins us to talk about the state of the DC Extended Universe. After a rocky start marked by such divisive releases as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, DC's finest superheroes look to be finally getting their due. We'll dig into how James Wan's Aquaman fits into all this before launching into a full-on review of director Dav...