Late Fee Files

This week on Late Fee Files , we're joined by Dan, aka Reel Takes, to discuss two certified cult classics. First, we head to suburbia with The 'Burbs , where Tom Hanks leads a pitch-perfect dark comedy about paranoid neighbors convinced the strange family next door is hiding a deadly secret. Then we jump into the colorful chaos of Death to Smoochy , Danny DeVito's outrageous black come...

This week on Late Fee Files , we’re diving into the neon-soaked, muscle-bound world of late ‘80s action movies with two VHS-era fever dreams: Cobra and Cyborg . First up, Sylvester Stallone brings the sunglasses, one-liners, and exploding bad guys in Cobra  a movie where subtlety takes a backseat to leather jackets, giant knives, and a hero who solves every problem with a combination of intimidati...

Adam and Brian head into the weird, wild world of Dan Aykroyd with a double feature that's equal parts cult classic and cinematic fever dream: Coneheads and Nothing But Trouble . Joining them for the ride is special guest Kevin from the Reel for Real Podcast. First, the crew beams up to suburbia with Coneheads , the 1993 comedy based on the beloved Saturday Night Live sketch. Starring Dan Aykr...

In this episode of Late Fee Files, Adam and Brian lock in for a double feature of Jean-Claude Van Damme at peak ‘90s action glory with Timecop and Sudden Death. First up, we head to a packed hockey arena for Sudden Death, a Die Hard-inspired thriller that turns Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals into total chaos. Hyams throws Van Damme into a hostage situation filled with explosions, mascots, terror...

Adam and Brian hit the hardwood with Above the Rim and Celtic Pride. First up, we head to the streets and courts of New York City with Above the Rim , a basketball drama directed by Jeff Pollack. Starring Duane Martin, Tupac Shakur, and Marlon Wayans, the film follows a promising high school basketball star caught between opportunity, loyalty, and the dangerous influences surrounding him. We get i...

Adam and Brian take us out to the all-ballgame with The Fan and Major League. First up, we step into the darker side of fandom with The Fan, a psychological sports thriller directed by Tony Scott. Starring Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes, the film follows a lonely, unhinged superfan whose fixation on his favorite player begins to spiral into something far more dangerous. We get into the film’s in...

In this episode of Late Fee Files, we dive into a double feature fueled by heat, tension, and Los Angeles on the brink: Colors and Falling Down . First up, we hit the streets with Colors, Dennis Hopper’s gritty look at gang culture and the cops caught in the middle of it. Starring Robert Duvall and Sean Penn, the film follows a veteran officer and his impulsive rookie partner as they navigate a wo...

In this episode of Adam and Brian pour a double feature that drips with sun, sweat, and trouble: Tequila Sunrise and Body Heat . First up, we head to Southern California with Robert Towne’s glossy crime romance, where friendship, loyalty, and love collide. Starring Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell, and Michelle Pfeiffer, Tequila Sunrise blends laid-back vibes with undercover tension as a drug dealer tryin...

This week on Late Fee Files, we’re turning up the thermostat with Jungle Fever , a film that is as sweaty, stylish, and chaotic as its title promises. Spike Lee drops us into a romance that has everyone in the neighborhood talking, and we’re here for every side-eye, every family dinner blow-up, and every perfectly curated needle drop. It’s bold, messy, funny, uncomfortable, and completely alive, t...

This week on Late Fee Files, Adam and Brian start with the early-2000s comedy about three professional students who’ve mastered the art of doing absolutely nothing and somehow getting away with it. We break down the film’s shameless slacker philosophy, its cartoonishly intense antagonist, and why it could never be made today. It’s a movie that could only exist in a moment when disappearing into co...

On this episode of Late Fee Files, we jack into the mid-’90s internet panic with a double feature that helped define Hollywood’s idea of hacking: The Net and Hackers . Two films released just a few weeks apart, both obsessed with dial-up modems and cyber paranoia. We start with The Net , a sleek, paranoid thriller that turns everyday computer use into a nightmare. Sandra Bullock plays an ordinary...

On this episode of Late Fee Files, we crack open one of the strangest double features imaginable, two late 90s studio films that couldn’t look more different on the surface but quietly reflect the same era of shifting identities, relationships, and urban fantasy. Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut takes us on a chilly, dreamlike odyssey through jealousy, desire, and power, using New York as a haunti...

In this action-packed holiday double bill, Adam and Brian dig into two snowy thrill rides that pair yuletide cheer with bullets, brawls, and more amnesia than anyone asked for. First up is The Long Kiss Goodnight , where Geena Davis’s suburban mom discovers she’s actually a lethal government assassin, and we break down why this Shane Black scripted blast still rules. Then we pivot to Reindeer Game...

This week, Adam and Brian bring you a family-friendly double feature, Late Fee Files heads back to the ’90s for two comedies about reluctant father figures, messy road trips, and the awkward journey of bonding. First up is Dutch (1991), the John Hughes–penned tale of a well-meaning working-class guy who tries to connect with his girlfriend’s snobbish son on a disastrous cross-country trip. Then we...

Adam and Brian plop down on the couch and crack open a double-feature of John Ritter deep cuts, two movies that couldn’t be more different on paper yet somehow feel spiritually linked in their strange, scrappy, late-night-cable energy. First up is Stay Tuned , the warped TV-hell satire where Ritter and Pam Dawber literally battle for their souls through a gauntlet of twisted channel parodies. We d...

This week on Late Fee Files , we dive into two sides of John Carpenter’s cinematic evil: the cold, creeping apocalypse of Prince of Darkness and the sunburned savagery of John Carpenter’s Vampires . From the claustrophobic church basement where science meets the supernatural to the brutal desert battlegrounds of vampire hunters and sinners, we trace Carpenter’s shifting vision of faith, corruption...

It's Halloween season, so Adam and Brian venture into the shadowy tunnels of 1990s creature features . First up: The Relic (1997) — Peter Hyams’ Field Museum nightmare based on the Preston & Child novel — where a chimeric creature stalks the halls and the hosts unpack its practical effects, museum-set atmosphere, and how the film balances spectacle with a grim, pulpy heart. Then they dig i...

This week on Late Fee Files , we’re checking out two very different shades of L.A. crime noir. First up, Steven Soderbergh’s The Limey (1999), where Terence Stamp shows up in California looking for some sweet revenge. Then we go back in time to Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), where Denzel Washington plays Easy Rawlins, a man just trying to pay the mortgage who gets drawn into political scandals and...

Alright, this week’s double feature is a trip straight to the “yeah, we’ll rent it, why not” section of the store: If Looks Could Kill (1991) and National Lampoon’s Senior Trip (1995). First up, Richard Grieco—fresh off 21 Jump Street and apparently allergic to subtlety—plays a high schooler who accidentally becomes a spy in a Euro-thriller so overcooked it feels like Bond fan fiction written in d...

Some movies feel like they got left behind on the rental shelf, even though they had plenty to say. This week we’re talking about two of them: Angus (1995) and Better Off Dead (1985). Angus is one of those rare ‘90s teen movies that actually takes its main character seriously — smart, funny, painfully awkward, just trying to make it through high school without getting crushed. It’s heartfelt in wa...

In this episode of Late Fee Files , we rewind to the early ’90s and late ’80s for two cult classics that mix action, attitude, and unexpected heart. First up is Kuffs (1992), where Christian Slater breaks the fourth wall as a wisecracking drifter who inherits a private police district and gets in way over his head. Then, we dive into Gleaming the Cube (1989), the skateboarding mystery-thriller tha...

This week on Late Fee Files , Brian and Adam dial into two '90s hostage thrillers packed with tension, attitude, and A-list charisma: The Negotiator (1998) and Metro (1997). They break down Samuel L. Jackson’s masterclass in controlled chaos in The Negotiator , and Eddie Murphy’s underrated turn as a street-smart hostage negotiator in Metro — a rare dramatic outing that still packs laughs and fire...

Kicking down the doors of forgotten cinema, Adam and Brian launch Late Fee Files with a double feature of ‘90s adrenaline and chaos: Judgment Night (1993) and Trespass (1992). They dive into the grime-soaked tension, rooftop standoffs, and criminal underworlds of two cult thrillers that defined an era of urban warfare on VHS. From the genre-blending brilliance of Judgment Night ’s rap-rock soundtr...

In this action-packed holiday double bill, Adam and Brian dig into two snowy thrill rides that pair yuletide cheer with bullets, brawls, and a hint of amnesia. First up is The Long Kiss Goodnight , where Geena Davis’s suburban mom discovers she’s actually a lethal government assassin, and we break down why this Shane Black scripted blast still rules. Then we pivot to Reindeer Games , a chaotic Ben...