Movie Nerds with Kyle and Russel

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel chat about the films and presence of Diane Keaton.   Using 1977's Annie Hall and 2003's Something's Gotta Give  as conversation starters, the hosts share their history with these films, what makes a "Diane Keaton film", how she impacted the movies she's been in, and so much more.  And of course, we wrap it all up with ou...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel chat about films about obsessing over your profession.   Using 2010's Black Swan and 2017's Phantom Thread as conversation starters, the hosts share their history with these films, how obsession can differ in movies, common traits, when it works and when it doesn't, and so much more.  And of course, we wrap it all up with our Starter K...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel chat about time loop movies and their value as a niche genre.   Using 2011's Source Code and 2017's Happy Death Day as conversation starters, the hosts share their history with these films, what we like and dislike about time loop movies, how it impacts storytelling, and so much more.  And of course, we wrap it all up with our Starter Kit Q...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss movie "best of" lists and their importance (or distraction) to movie watching.   Using regular listed attendees 1968's 2001: A Space Odyssey and 1941's Citizen Kane as conversation starters, the hosts share their history with these films, what lists we like, why lists are good or bad, and so much more.   And of course, we...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss movies where the city location is treated like its own character.   Using 1985's After Hours (New York) and To Live and Die in L.A . (Los Angeles) and 2002's City of God  (Rio De Janeiro) as conversation starters, they share their history with these films, what we liked and hated, the characteristics of the locations, what a city ch...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss movies where sports underdogs get the spotlight.    Using 1976's Bad News Bears and 1979's Breaking Away as conversation starters, they share their history with these underdog stories, what we liked and hated, what makes a great underdog movie , how these films have changed over the years, our top 3 favourites and movies that fail a...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss musical movies and how they've changed over the years.    Using 1952's Singing in the Rain and 2017's The Greatest Showman as conversation starters, they share their history with these musicals, what makes a musical, how they're different than musical bio pics, the differnce between stag shows adapted to film vs original m...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss movies we love to rewatch and what makes movie that way.    Using 1998's The Big Lebowski and 2010's Scott Pilgrim vs The WOrld as conversation starters, they share their history with these rewatchable films, the types of movies that demand rewatchability, what qualities do movies like these have that make you want to watch them aga...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss controversial films - what makes them so and how they change over time.    Using 1979's Life of Brian and 1971's Clockwork Orange as conversation starters, they share their history with these controversial films, what makes the so, if they earned their controversial title, how the idea of "controversial" has changed and mo...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss the work of film legend Gene Hackman.     Using 1975's Night Moves and 1992's Unforgiven as conversation starters, they share their history with watching Gene Hackman movies, what makes him standout and defines him as an actor, how his career changed over time, and some of our favs (and not so favs) of his films.     And of course,...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss movies that once everyone thought sucked but have since had a rethink.  Using 1982's The Thing and 1995's Showgirls as conversation starters, they share their history with these movies, why they might not have been liked back in the day, the factors that go into movie hate, why movies get a reappraisal and more.   And of course, we...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss the work of film director David Lynch  Using 1986's Blue Velvet and 2001's Mulholland Drive as conversation starters, they share their history with his filmography, what makes a "David Lynch" movie, why he's considered influential, and some of our favs (and not so favs) of his films.  And of course, we wrap it all up...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel are joined by a special guest - former owner of Pic-A-Flic Kent Bendall to dig into movies showcasing fake bands. Using 1996's That Thing You Do! and 2001's Josie and the Pussycats as conversation starters, they share the similarities between fake and real musical biopics, what we like/hate about them, the quality of the music, each of our...

A special spotlight episode of Movie Nerds sets its sights on a local movie nerd - Kent Bendall. He is a cherished figure in Victoria, British Columbia, renowned for his dedication to film culture and community engagement. As the former owner and operator of Pic-A-Flic Video , he played a pivotal role in sustaining one of Canada's last independent video rental stores.​ Kent shares his history...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss the movie roles of Nicole Kidman.  Using 1995's To Die For and 2002's The Hours as conversation starters, they share their history with these two films, what makes a "Nicole Kidman" character or movie, how her roles have changed over the years, and some of our favs (and not so favs). And of course, we wrap it all up with s...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel get a little niche - 70s Street Gang Action Films Using 1976's Assault on Precinct 13 and 1979's The Warriors as conversation starters, they share their history with these two films, what works and what doesn't, staples of the genre, how they were different than other decades and more! And of course, we wrap it all up with suggestions...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss Best Picture winners. Using 1969's Midnight Cowboy and 2016's Moonlight as conversation starters, they share their thoughts on these two films as Oscar winners, how the Oscars have changed over the years, what we like/don't like and the 2025 nominations.  And of course, we wrap it all up with an effort to try to convince a non-...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss 2000's Spielberg. Using 2001's AI: Artificial Intelligence and 2005's War of the Worlds as conversation starters, they share their thoughts on these two films, how the director's movies in the 2000s stood up to his other eras, common themes, what makes them watchable and more! And of course, we wrap it all up with suggesti...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss Xmas dark comedies. Using 1988's Scrooged and 2003's Bad Santa as conversation starters, they share their thoughts on these two films, the place of dark holiday during holiday cheer, what makes them watchable and more! And of course, we wrap it all up with suggestions for films we'd recommend if someone had never seen Xmas dark...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss movies about coming home from war. Using 1989's Born on the Fourth of July and 2016's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk as conversation tentpoles, they share their thoughts on these two films, what defines an anti-war movie, common cliches and the messages they try to portray. And of course, we wrap it all up with suggestions for...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, Kyle and Russel discuss horror sequels and the good and bad of them.  Using sequels to two iconic horror movies, 1983's Psycho 2 and 2019's Doctor Sleep, they share their thoughts on these two films, what horror sequels bring to the table, if they are necessary and when they aren't, and more.  And of course, we wrap it all up with sequels we'd re...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, we discuss the career and performances of Denzel Washington .  Using his two Oscar-winning performances as tentpoles - 1989's Glory and 2001's Training Day, they dig into our personal history with these films, what we love/don't love as much with his performances, our favourite scenes, the characteristics of a Denzel performance, other films of his we...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, hosts Kyle, and Russel dig into the cliches and traditions of musical biopics.  Using 1954's The Glenn Miller Story and 1986's Sid and Nancy as their tentpoles for the discussion, they discuss what defines a biopic, what they liked/hated about them, why we kinda hate them, the list of tropes and how these movies have changed over the years.  And of course,...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, hosts Kyle, and Russel blossom from prepubescence into adulthood as they discuss coming of age movies Using 1985's Better Off Dead and 2007's Superbad as their tentpoles for the discussion, we discuss what defines coming of age films, how these movie fit the theme, how they've changed over the years, how diverse they can be while still sticking to a f...

In this episode of Movie Nerds, hosts Kyle, Russel and special guest Page DeWolfe talk about the Bechdel Test, and how it impacts what we watch.   Using 1953's Hitch-Hiker and 1990's Goodfellas as their tentpoles for the discussion, we discuss the history of the Bechdel test, why this type of test is needed, the problems with it in determining representation, how movies hit or miss the m...