Movies That Make Us

On this week’s episode Jake and Tracy are missing Val, but they have two special guests stepping in and trying to fill in for her. But those guests are Collin and Zach from Stolendroids Podcast, so they are poor substitutes for Val. But we’ll work with what we’ve got. The really good news is that we are discussing Jojo Rabbit, one of the best movies from 2019. And we all loved it.  We discuss...

On this week’s episode, the team welcomes special guest, Larry Curtis, as we discuss our first documentary on the show: Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. Larry, Tracy, and Jake are big Rush fans, so Val is taking the moderator’s seat. So, she’s asking all the questions. The documentary came out in 2010, and helped to push Rush more and more in to the mainstream limelight.  The team is covering...

We are finally talking Star Wars! Again! This is it, our 50th episode. That means we have been around for a year now, and there is no better way to celebrate our first anniversary than to talk Star Wars, like the whole enchilada. The whole enchilada. And all of our friends from episode 49 are back, and we are so excited to have them here. And we are still at Megaplex Theatres in Jordan Commons, an...

We are finally talking Star Wars! This is the first episode of our back to back two episode Star Wars spectacular. In this episode we are talking all about The Rise of Skywalker, and only the Rise of Skywalker. We didn’t hate it, but we recognize there were some issues. But it’s still Star Wars and we still loved it. Mostly. But this episode, these two episodes were so huge, there was no way we co...

In this week’s episode our team is taking a look at the 2008 period epic Australia starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman and every other Australian actor not named Hemsworth. The film was beautiful and told an intriguing story and in every way it looked like a for sure Oscar best picture nominee- but it didn’t get nominated. Why? Our team will discuss. The story in this film could have come stra...

Before anything else, we want to thank Holly for this awesome suggestion. This week we are talking about the 90s classic, Titanic. This film was huge when it came out, having a long successful run at the theater. It was the largest grossing film of all time until Avatar (another James Cameron film). It won 11 Academy Awards out of the 14 it was nominated for (eat your heart out Joker ).  We s...

The Oscar Nominations are out, as of January 13. There were 9 films nominated for best picture. And no women nominated for best director. Again. There were surprises and there were snubs. So it was just like any other year. And we are here to talk about it.  We start the episode by discussing our apparel store, and we are going to remind you about it here. Please check it out, and pick y...

It’s our year in review episode! What were the top ten grossing films of 2019? Were they the ten best films of 2019? Probably not. In this week’s episode we compare the list of the top ten grossing films from the year with what our favorite films from the year were.  This episode was recorded right before last week’s episode, and we had intended to release it before, but Jake made a decision...

It is January 6, and the 77th Golden Globes are in the books. But when we recorded this episode, they hadn’t happened yet, and we just had the nominees. And we had our thoughts on the nominations and decided to share them here. Maybe we picked some of the winners, and maybe we got them all wrong. You get to check our guesses against the actual winners and see how we did. We also talk some slights-...

Have you ever wondered what we all thought about Rise of Skywalker? Well, now is your chance to find out. We welcome our friends Collin and Zach to the show as we share our reactions. And, for the first time in the history of our show, we are even keeping it spoiler free. With Star Wars being what it is now, and the fandom being what it is right now, this film is another polarizing installment, or...

’Tis the season to talk about Christmas movies! “tis the season to be super busy as well, and to have family commitments and things like that, so unfortunately we a re a host down as Tracy and Jake try to sit down and tackle Christmas movies without Val. We promise it went better than our Pacific Rim episode, but we still missed Val a ton. We try to talk about all the classics. The movies that mak...

On this episode of our show, we welcome special guest Blake Casselman. Blake is a local film maker. You can purchase or rent his film, Adopting Trouble, on Amazon now. He also heads up a local screenwriting group in Salt Lake City. Blake also works with the programming at FanX. We are so excited to have him on the show. The film we are discussing is the 1986 film The Mission. The film has a cast c...

Happy Thanksgiving! We are talking about the classic Planes, T🛩 rains, and Automobiles, starring John Candy and Steve Martin. This film has become a staple for families across the country this time of year. It was even featured in this year’s Thanksgiving episode of The Goldbergs. It’s that classic. And let’s face it, there aren’t a lot of other Thanksgiving movies to choose from. Join Tracy, Val,...

Disney+ went live last week, and the internet has not stopped talking about it since. Yes it is another streaming service, and if you want to watch their original series then you have to get the service. But, is this streaming service worth it? Our team answers that question. To be fair, though, the three of us do drink the Disney Kool-Aid. Disney+ is the place to go and find almost anything you w...

In this episode of Movies That Make Us, Jake, Tracy, and Val are talking about the films this year that may be up for some awards. It’s the time of year when the studios are trying to get their Oscar nominees into theaters, so Val is busy almost every day with multiple screenings. In this episode we talk about what is coming up that you may not want to miss, as well as some films you may want to g...

Singin’ in the Rain is the iconic Musical. Released in 1952, this film has it all. Great singing, amazing dancing, a fun story and spectacle galore. The film stars Gene Kelly in the lead as Don Lockwood, as well as Debbie Reynolds in one of her earliest roles as Kathy Selden. The film also stars Donald O’Connor as Cosmo Brown and Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont. The story takes place in 1927, as films a...

Our spooky October wraps up with a look at the visionary Wes Craven. He is the director behind Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream. What made him such an influential director? He is a pioneer of the slasher genre of horror films and has created characters and franchises that have redefined the genre multiple times. This is a fun, perfect way to end our October. Beginning with The Hills Have Eyes, a...

Tim Burton has directed 19 feature length films, countless shorts, and even a couple of music videos. He has also produced several other films. He has established a signature style. When you watch a Tim Burton film, you know it’s his movie within minutes. In this episode we talk all about Tim Burton’s career and some of our favorite Tim Burton movies- films that fit perfectly with a Halloween-y mo...

On this week’s episode we have two very special guests to help us talk about the 1960 horror classic Psycho. Tracy, Val, and Jake welcome Brandon and Heather from Cancer Bites, SLC. If you hate walking but you also still hate Cancer, then Cancer Bites it the organization for you. They started as a 5K alternative. Each year around Halloween they host a screening of a favorite scary, spooky movie to...

Our spooky October marches on with Ghostbusters! This 1984 comedy has been a staple in our lives since it came out 35 years ago. What has allowed this film and this franchise to endure so long and stand the test of time? Great writing, great comedic timing, great special effects, and a fun story. And we break it all down on the show. Quick side note, Jake brings up the cartoon series and the Real...

A Quiet Place was released in 2018. It follows the story of a family in a dystopian future where people are being hunted by monsters that are alerted to any sound. How do you survive in a world where you can’t make sounds? How do you deal with even happy events like the birth of a child? How do you protect your kids, especially one who can’t hear the sounds they make? This is an edge of your seat...

This is a very special episode. This is part one of a three part episode spanning three days over multiple podcasts. Part two will be on Stolendroids on Tuesday, and part three will be on Cutscenes and Cupcakes on Wednesday. It was a lot of fun getting together with so many great podcasters to talk about Pirates of the Caribbean on “International Talk Like a Pirate Day.” Pirates of the Caribbean:...

30 episodes! Wow. We know that there are a lot of shows that have way more episodes, but we’re also proud of what we have put together so far for our little show. One week ago we found ourselves at FanX in Salt Lake City, and we thought it would be a lot of fun to bring together other podcasters and panelists and nerds to talk about Spider-Man to celebrate our 30th episode. And, wow, we got some r...

Superman II came out in 1980 as a follow up to the 1978 Superman. Christopher Reeve returns as Clark Kent / Superman along with Margot Kidder as Lois Lane and Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. Terrence Stamp is also back as the main baddy, General Zod. And all the side characters are back, like Jackie Cooper as Perry white and Ned Beatty as Otis. For this film, Richard Donner had left the production bec...

The Muppet Movie came out in 1979, which means it turns 40 this year. It is a movie that has been a staple in pop culture ever since. It is full of wit and humor and heart. For these reasons it has endured all this time. It starred the whole cast of the Muppets, from Kermit and Miss Piggy to Fozzie Bear and Gonzo. Every Muppet you know and love made an appearance in this film. The movie tells the...