Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics

For about a year, Mike has been evasive when asked about Benedict Cumberbatch.  In this short episode, he unburthens himself of his feelings about the man whom some regard as one of our greatest living actors.  Is Cumberbatch overrated?  Is his praise undeserved?  Is Mike wrong?  Don your Dr. Strange cape and your Sherlock hat and give it a listen!   Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever...

What's the difference between pornography and art--and where do the Bond films fall? Mike and Dan tackle No Time to Die (2021), Daniel Craig's farewell to the role. The guys break their usual rule of only discussing films they enjoy because, as Dan says in one of his many rants this week, No Time to Die is bad in a special way. They use Nicole Kidman's pre-show spot for AMC Theatres as a way into...

During this episode on Martin Scorsese's THE DEPARTED (2006). Dan quotes a friend of his who once asked, "Why would anyone ever make movies about anything other than criminals?" Good question. Mike and Dan talk about what Mike calls a "high-performance machine" of a film in which everyone is at peak performance. They discuss the film's father figures, how it resembles a Shakespearean tragedy, and...

Do we really need a Buzz Lightyear origin story?  Mike and Dan talk about this depressing revelation, why most reboots and origin stories don't work, and why a few of them might.  To the Marketing Reports--and Beyond!  Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and on Twitter @15MinFilm and Facebook at Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics.  You can also contact us at FifteenMinu...

What's the last film you watched during which you had a good time feeling bad?  Mike and Dan discuss John Huston's Fat City (1972), a film that feels like a steady drunk and which makes the viewer awaken with a sadness hangover. But they also love the movie and talk about how Huston never allows it to veer into a romantic tale of lost souls but, instead, offers his viewers a portrait of people who...

On November 11, the director's cut of Rocky IV will play in theatres for one night.  Dan and Mike talk about Rocky vs. Drago for two minutes before one of them pulls the plug.  This is not their finest hour. Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and on Twitter @15MinFilm and Facebook at Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics.  You can also contact us at FifteenMinuteFilm@gmai...

At a listener's request, Mike and Dan talk about two of our greatest living actors playing the Prince of Darkness: Robert De Niro in Angel Heart (1987) and Al Pacino in The Devil's Advocate (1997). How does this diabolical duo fare in their Satanic portrayals? Not well: as Mike says, "When you have the big guns, I expect a big gun result." But all's not gloom and doom, since both films help us bet...

Dan isn't crazy about Frank Herbert's novel, but Mike likes it enough that he's already seen Dune--twice.  In this one shot, Mike offers some ideas about Denis Villeneuve's much-awaited (and hyped) adaptation.  So enjoy some spice while you give it a listen! Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and on Twitter @15MinFilm and Facebook at Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics....

Dan mentioned to Mike that he could never understand the hype over Jurassic Park because "dinosaurs just aren't scary."  In this mini-episode, Mike talks to Dan about how his lack of interest in dinosaurs--and love of Jaws--reveals something about movie monsters and the effects of their being perfectly rendered on a screen.  The Xenomorph from Alien makes an appearance, too. Please follow or subsc...

Just in time for Halloween, Mike and Dan talk about a favorite: James Whale's 1935 sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein. Topics include the sins of Dr. Praetorius, how the film anticipates the sequels to which we've become accustomed, and why (according to Mike), this sequel is better than its predecessor--kind of like how many people feel about The Godfather, Part II.  Other films mentioned include ...

In preparation for No Time to Die, Mike and Dan do a short episode on Casino Royale, the 2006 film in which Daniel Craig first appeared as 007.  What makes Daniel Craig a terrific Bond and Casino Royale on of the top films in the franchise?  Push in those chips and give us a listen!  Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and on Twitter @15MinFilm and Facebook at Fif...

In the wake of the excitement over No Time to Die, Mike and Dan take a look at a much different kind of spy thriller, Tomas Alfredson's "infuriatingly brilliant" 2011 adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.  After acknowledging the film's complexity and the idea that "many first dates must have been ruined by this movie," Mike and Dan explain how the film teaches its viewers to think like a spy,...

In 2016, Jerry Lewis was interviewed for the millionth time--but this one became legendary for the actor's one-word answers, obvious anger, and refusal to entertain the most innocuous questions.  It's fascinating.  Mike and Dan talk about this trainwreck in terms of its high drama.  They compare it to a Beckett play and Hemingway story in their attempts to describe what makes it so compelling.  Yo...

In one of his cries to the crowd, Maximus yells, "Are you not entertained? Is that not why you are here?" Mike and Dan talk about how Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000) asks its viewers the same questions. Mike lovingly calls this the "best worst movie" (as opposed to a different Ridley Scott film that he contends is the "worst best movie"); Dan praises the film's lack of irony, and Mike argues that...

Dan doesn't follow the NFL but Mike does--and when he said for the thousandth time how much he hates Joe Buck, Dan said, "Let's do a one-shot on why."  So here's Mike in a three-minute speech about why Joe Buck irritates him so much.  Believe it or not, DIary of a Wimpy Kid and 1984 also come up in the conversation.  Go Giants! Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts...

Sean Connery and Michael Caine both called THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (1975) their personal favorite. Mike and Dan talk about John Huston's "romp with ideas" and how the film looks into the heart of darkness--but in a way wholly different from that which a viewer might expect. George Orwell, Socrates, Moby-Dick, and Apocalypse Now all come up in a conversation about what one of the guys calls a "co...

In their previous episode on I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG and THE LIFE OF LOUIS PASTEUR, Mike and Dan mention the great Twitter feed, @MrPaulMuni.  Join the guys in this short episode as they talk to Liz, the feed's curator and ultimate Muni fan.  What makes him such a great actor?  What are his best films?  And how did Liz become so devoted?  Give it a listen and be sure to check out @MrPaul...

In their first Double Feature episode, Mike and Dan discuss two terrific films starring Paul Muni: I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG (1932) and THE STORY OF LOUIS PASTEUR (1936). One concerns a man in the wrong place at the wrong time; the other celebrates the right man at the right time. So find the microbe, kill the microbe, and give this extended edition a listen!   Please subscribe to the show...

Dan and Mike try to capture what made Norm the funniest person on the planet.  It's not easy, but they get as close as they can to an answer concerning the "aura of Normness" that he created in his carefully-crafted persona.   Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and on Twitter @15MinFilm and Facebook at Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics.   You can also contact us at Fi...

"What do you wanna do tonight?" Listen to Dan and Mike talk about Marty, of course! In this special episode dedicated to Jeffrey Tambor, Dan tells the story of how a phone call from the great actor led to this show in which the guys talk about Ernest Borgnine's 1955 performance as shedding light on just what an actor can do. They also talk about the film's economy, its use of "the right ninety min...

In this mini-episode, Mike and Dan talk about Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and why it doesn't really work--despite Dan's being revved up and ready for raucous, ravaging reptiles.  They also raise an old, off-the-air argument about Baby's Day Out and why good actors appear in bad movies.  Caution: Dan sings several times. Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and on Twit...

After Body Heat, Mike and Dan discuss another film filled with sweaty Floridians trying to kill each other. They talk about the sadness that runs through John Huston's Key Largo (1948), a film Mike describes as "Agatha Christie by Americans" and Dan retitles Waiting for Ziggy.  Hemingway, Gordon Gekko, and Huston's first film, The Maltese Falcon, all come into the conversation. So sing for your dr...

Season 6 begins in the sweltering Florida sun as Mike and Dan talk about Lawrence Kasdan's 1981 thriller Body Heat.  They are as hot for this film's nods to noir as the characters are for each other. Of course, they compare the film to its artistic ancestor, Double Indemnity, and examine how one space in the film is from 1981 while the rest of them seem from 1944. They also work in an allusion to ...

Mike went through a period when he watched The Verdict (1982) on a loop and has now urged Dan to rewatch it for the good of the show. Join them for a conversation about what makes The Verdict great for any viewer, the decisions that great writers and directors make, and a surprise question about courtroom drama. Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on YouTube, ...

After having such a great time with The Last Detail, Mike and Dan talk about another film written by Robert Towne: Brian DePalma's Mission: Impossible (1996). After Dan opens up about his longstanding admiration for Tom Cruise's acting chops, the guys talk about how Ethan Hunt is the American James Bond, the one moment in the film where Brian DePalma calls attention to himself, and what they imagi...