Looking California and Feeling Minnesota

On this combustible episode, Barry and Mike talk about the Barry Levinson produced Hulu mini-series Dopesick, which examines the opioid epidemic sparked by Purdue Pharma's alleged wonder drug Oxycontin.  Topics discussed include Michael Keaton's brilliance, Purdue Pharma's villainy, the scourge of government and corporate corruption and the hell that is addiction. Love him or loathe...

On this episode Barry and Mike volley back and forth over the new Will Smith movie King Richard, which tells the story of Richard Williams, the father of tennis prodigies Venus and Serena Williams. Topics discussed include the sorry state of cinema in the age of mediocrity, the perils of the biopic and the problem of Will Smith. Included is a brief bonus chat about the upcoming Spielberg movie Wes...

Who you gonna call? Well, Barry and Mike of course! On this episode our intrepid hosts bust some ghosts as they grapple with Ghostbusters: Afterlife.  Topics discussed include lessons on how not to restart a franchise, the magic of Paul Rudd and mini Stay-Puff Marshmellow Men, and the sheer genius of Bill Murray and Harold Ramis. 

On this episode, newly crowned B-listers Barry and Mike examine the Marvel monstrosity, Eternals, directed by Chloe Zhao. Topics discussed include Ms. Zhao's shortcomings, Marvel's misfires and its murky future going forward, as well as Mike lamenting "what happened to Harry Styles?" 

On this episode of everybody's favorite cinema podcast, Barry and Mike head to the post-apocalyptic world of Finch, the new Apple TV + movie starring Tom Hanks. Topics discussed include a Tom Hanks holiday, a list of his best movies, yearning for a Mel Gibson cameo, and lessons learned taking care of sick dogs. 

On this episode, Barry and Mike head to Arrakis to ponder Denis Villaneuve's sprawling space epic Dune. Topics touched upon include Villaneuve's appealing style but curious lack of brand, Jason Mamoa as a force of nature, and Barry's highly erotic and inappropriate man-crush on Timothee Chalamet. 

On this episode, Barry and Mike have a bizarre Freaky Friday transformation while they debate season 2 of the Apple TV + series Ted Lasso. Tune in to witness Barry's anger management problem, Mike's kind, gentle and forgiving heart, and to hear a celebration of the genius at NBC/Universal who came up with the marketing idea of Peacocktober. 

As the world suffers through a hellacious late summer drought of quality cinema, Barry and Mike give very diverse recommendations on their top choices for movies to stream on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon and Disney +. For the full written list, click here .

On this episode Barry and Mike reveal their mastery of sign language by discussing the Apple TV movie CODA, which stands for 'children of deaf adults'. The discussion hits such diverse topics as a Hallmark version of Good Will Hunting, the luxury of sleeping on a bus, deaf actors vs actors playing deaf, and how John McTiernan would make a great deaf heist movie.

On this episode Barry and Mike head back to the MCU and do battle with Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow. A wide array of topics are discussed including ScarJo's falling star, Florence Pugh's bright future, Marvel's few missteps and The Rock as Humphrey Bogart. On this episode Barry and Mike tackle the Marvel movie Black Widow starring Scarlett Johansson. A wide variety of topic...

Knock, knock. Who's there? Barry and Mike, that's who, and they're here to talk about comedy! On this episode the fellas start out by sparring over comedian Bo Burnham's Netflix special Inside, and then end the program by giving their somewhat dire State of the Comedy Union address.

On this unique episode Barry and Mike take a look at three Marvel series streaming on Disney Plus - WandaVision, The Falcon and Winger Soldier, and Loki. Topics discussed are the joys of Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Hiddleston's Loki long game, and Kevin Fiege as Marvel Timekeeper.

On this episode Barry and Mike try to make sense of director Steven Soderbergh's latest half-hearted effort No Sudden Move, and then shift gears for a wild discussion on their top 5 heist movies of all-time. Topics discussed include Frank Oz out in the cold in Montreal, the brilliance of Michael Mann, and an open invitation to John McTiernan.

In anticipation of the Pentagon releasing its UFO Report, Barry and Mike prepare for an alien close encounter by listing their top five alien/ufo movies. Tune in to find out if it's true that in space, no one can hear you scream!

On this episode Barry and Mike go back in time to try and make sense of Christopher Nolan's confounding Tenet. Then in the fiery second half of the show things get combative as they each share and compare their personal lists of Nolan's top five films. 

On this episode Barry and Mike get dressed up for their date with DISNEY's Cruella, starring Emma Stone. This barn burner of an episode contains discussions on topics as varied as wasting $200 million on CGI dogs, the lost opportunity of a lady Joker and the Disney classics The Great Locomotive Chase and The Mandalorian.

On this episode of everybody's favorite cinema podcast Barry and Mike talk as quietly as possible about John Krasinski's blockbuster A Quiet Place II. Topics discussed include the glory of Emily Blunt, the burden of high expectations and the perils of rushing to make a sequel. Also included are ruminations on Jaws, Jaws II, Jaws III and Jaws IV and the entire Jurassic Park franchise!

In this episode Barry and Mike head out to Skull Island to discuss 2021's first blockbuster, Godzilla v. Kong. The spirited conversation touches on an array of diverse topics, including but not limited to...God of the Old Testament, the Dark Knight trilogy, Robert Downey Jr., the hollow earth theory and how Raymond Burr ruins everything. 

On this episode Barry and Mike talk Emerald Fennell's Oscar winning feature film debut Promising Young Woman. Topics discussed include the pros and cons of girl power movies, the failings of revenge fantasy and the unabashed brilliance of Carey Mulligan.

On this episode of everybody's favorite cinema podcast, Barry and Mike get all dressed up and go to the Oscars. Tune in to listen to their Oscar predictions, Oscar dream scenarios and Oscar nightmares, as well as lamentations for the sorry state of the movie industry.

In this episode of Looking California and Feeling Minnesota, Barry and Mike talk the accessible art house gem The Sound of Metal. Topics discussed include the subtle brilliance of actors Riz Ahmed and Paul Raci as well as the testicular fortitude of first time feature director Darius Marder.

On this episode of everybody's favorite cinema podcast, Barry and Mike return to Zamunda for Coming 2 America, the Eddie Murphy led sequel to his 1988 classic Coming to America. Discussion topics include backyard skunks, Eddie Murphy's faded star and the trouble with today's comedy. As an added bonus this episode features a return of the insanely popular segment - "Let's P...

On this weeks episode of everybody's favorite cinema podcast, Looking California and Feeling Minnesota, Barry and Mike hop in a van and hit the road with Chloe Zhao's film Nomadland starring Frances McDormand. This episode contains discussions on grief and the meditative nature of the film, the required arthouse mindset, and the power of non-actors on-screen. Also featured are scintillat...

On this episode of Looking California and Feeling Minnesota, Barry and Mike cross the pond to bask in the warm glow of Ted Lasso, the Apple TV+ sitcom starring Jason Sudeikis. This episode gets surprisingly philosophical as it asks the Ted Lasso-esque question...can relentless optimism survive and thrive in a deeply cynical world? Also featured are discussions on Sudeikis' brilliance, navigat...

In this week's episode of everybody's favorite cinema podcast, Barry and Mike take a look at director Regina King's  One Night in Miami. This episode includes a discussion on the difficulty of turning plays into movies, Barry's bold recasting of the movie Airplane and Mike melting down over the current state of film criticism.