Open Tabs

"People say I am the best boss." In season 1 this was debatable but one of the things we loved about Netflix in the early days was opening it up and seeing that clip before a binge however long or brief. Then along came NBC/Universal's streaming service, Peacock, and they stole the Office from us. Sure you could watch on Comedy Central or FreeForm, but another service to stream was a bit much....u...

Ladies and gentlemen #TheOpenTabsPodcast is at it's best when we have guests and on this episode we had the pleasure of having our dynamic and vivacious Spelman sister Heather Joy Thompson join us to discuss 1997's L.A. Confidential. Directed by Curtis Hanson and starring Kim Bassinger, Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, and Guy Pearce this film has lasted the test of time and holds up incredibly well....

This episode of #theopentabspodcast has been a long time coming. We cover a fan favorite Western that has lasted test of time. The epic story of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, directed (maybe) by George P Cosmatos and written by Kevin Jarre, the one and only Tombstone. We hit all the high points as well as a couple of low ones in our discussion of a true genre defining film. We hope you enjoy this o...

On this episode of #TheOpenTabsPodcast we are joined by our Morehouse Brother Wayne Davis '00 who brings the absolute heat as we discuss arguably the best film in the Star Wars film series, the Irvin Kershner directed 1980 blockbuster film, Star Wars Episode 5 The Empire Strikes Back. Among other things, we discuss if this is the greatest sequel of all time. We also give some well deserved love an...

We have returned ladies and gentlemen and not a moment too soon. Yeah we missed some major life events as life was happening around us but we've been consuming some new material and two projects on HBO in particular had us captivated. So we came back to discuss the HBO Limited Series We Own This City written by David Simon and George Pelecanos as well as Winning Time based on Jeff Pearlman's best...

Opulence is the theme of this episode of #TheOpenTabsPodcast as we cover Jon M Chu's 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians. We talk about it all from the casting to the setting and yes we even have our say on one Nora Lum aka Awkwafina. We hope you enjoy our take on this film and if you haven't seen it we encourage you to check it out. We think you'll be pleasantly suprised. As always we appreciate each and...

Busting makes us feel good!! Take a journey back with us to 1984 as we discuss Ivan Reitman's classic, Ghostbusters, starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson. We discuss all the highlights including some good discussion on Ray Parker Jr's classic theme vs. Bobby Brown's On Our Own. Also Joe gives out a homework assignment. Who knows what kind of prizes may lurk. Check us o...

Black History Month is still going you all and we know we promised Moonlight and Harlem Nights but things came up. But let not your hearts be troubled this episode on Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple" makes up for it. First of all we have our three time special guest Reese Hendrix from Surly Shirts, who had never seen the movie prior to our ask. We discussed why and he had a very good reason a...

That Shaft is a baaaaaad mutha....shut yo mouth....we just talking about Shaft! We can dig that! Man we are starting Black History Month off with a bang on #TheOpenTabsPodcast by covering the great Gordon Park's 1971 film Shaft, about the private dick who gets all the chicks. It still holds up y'all! From the cinematography to the locations to the performances to the music. MAN THE MUSIC! We reall...

On this bonus episode Joe and Calvin share their thoughts about an amazing pro football playoffs and the upcoming big game (man these lawyers got bots on bots, can't be too careful). We share big game memories and talk about our favorite moments of games past and yes, we each make a pick! Don't forget we will be covering Shaft (the original) on Thursday evening so be on the lookout for that! #TheO...

The year 1998 was a simpler time. When There's Something About Mary was released we were still using VCRs as our main mode of repeat viewing of films. Sure we had cable, but Blockbuster probably had it. There's Something About Mary was probably the last big Blockbuster Video movie. On this episode of #theopentabspodcast we discuss The Farrelly Brother's breakout hit starring Cameron Diaz, Ben Stil...

On this episode of #TheOpenTabsPodcast we discuss Trey Parker and Matt Stone's cartoon classic South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut. The musical we never expected, the epic tale of mischief, misadventure, betrayal, and war. Yes, all of those things take place in this cartoon set in the mountain town of South Park, Colorado. We talk about all of the things Brian Boitano did and will do. We even...

On this episode of #TheOpenTabsPodcast we rejoin the crew from the 1999 hit film, The Best Man as they reconvene for Christmas at the Sullivan home. The whole crew made it back for this sequel and it literally has something for everyone. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll question the believability of what you just saw, but moreover you will watch it over and over and love it every time. Give us a l...

"It's that time, Christmas time is here...." We hope that you are enjoying your holidays. A big part of the holidays for us as movie buffs is talking about the films we enjoy the most. This year our first Christmas film is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Directed by Jeremiah Chechik and written by John Hughes. Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Gelecki, and the g...

Let's cut to the chase. This episode is worth it for Joe's rendition of "the Speech" alone. Then again I don't want to sell the episode or the movie itself short. We discuss all of the high points of Oliver Stone's vision of pro football. With a star studded cast and some of the most realistic portrayals of gridiron action, this is a must see movie, and a must listen episode. Like, comment, subscr...

In 2007 Eddie Murphy was on top of the world. His role in Dreamgirls had garnered him critical acclaim and he was nominated for an Academy Award as James "Thunder" Early and then....he released the film we discuss tonight. The critics hated it. It offends literally EVERYONE...but...it's actually VERY FUNNY. We have a pretty good, nuanced discussion about Eddie's 14th film to open number 1 at the b...

We are back! #TheOpenTabsPodcast has returned after a needed hiatus and man are we coming back with a bang. On this episode Joe and Calvin discuss 2008's Step Brothers starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and a host of others. We talk about comedies getting their due from the oscars and the absolutely timeless moments in this film. The magic happens in this film and whether it's Prestige Worldwi...

This episode is different. How? Well for starters we are TOGETHER. Like in the same room. Like on the same couch. And we are not discussing Robert Altman's The Player, but that's coming. A lot has happened since we last spoke and unfortunately the world of film and television lost a GIANT in Michael K Williams. We would be remiss if did not give him his due in the way that only #theOpenTabsPodcast...

This episode of #TheOpenTabsPodcast features Christopher Nolan's 2006 film The Prestige featuring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, and Rebecca Hall. Revenge and rivalry are at the heart of this film, but the film making tricks and techniques make every viewing just as good as the first. It's an amazing film and so is the discussion on it. Check it out. Follow us on...

On this episode of #theopentabspodcast we take it WAY back to 1975 to cover a classic. Let's Do It Again was released in 1975 and was the fourth film directed by the legendary Sidney Poitier. Starring Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, John Amos, Denise Nicholas, Lee Chamberlain, Jimmie Walker, Calvin Lockhart and a host of others. Recent events have tarnished the image of the film but we urge you to rev...

Our minds have been enabled....On this episode of #TheOpenTabsPodcast we discuss HBO's 2004 series Entourage, loosely based on the real life escapades of Mark Wahlberg's crew (with some Leo thrown in). This show blurred the lines between reality and scripted comedy and drama. It redefined the meta and in the process also revolutionized what a TV show could do. Full of great, one of a kind characte...

This one has been circled on our calendar for awhile now. We welcome The Root dot com's favorite Auntie Unfiltered, the fantastic Monique Judge who discusses Boogie Nights (1997) with Calvin (Joe is on a well earned vacation). We discuss Paul Thomas Anderson's award winning second film at length and give it #theopentabspodcast treatment in full! The film is chock full of character studies and grea...

It's been a long time, but we left you with a lot of dope material in the interim. Nonetheless we are back with a GREAT summer flick. A cult classic, an HBO mainstay, you can stream it on STARZ right now. We are discussing John Carpenter's Big Trouble In Little China starring Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrell, Dennis Dun, Victor Wong, and a host of others. You want some good action featuring a healthy do...

We are back after a 2 week hiatus and man did we choose a monster to come back with. David Fincher's 2010 instant classic film, scripted by Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network. It's a fantastic film which while nominated for many awards somehow didn't win the big ones. The acting performances are stellar and the story is literally rooted in life altering and timely material. Facebook permeates everyt...

It was only a matter of time before #TheOpenTabsPodcast would cover the greatest movie ever made. This is not a hot take and we will defer the argument to purists who decide that One is the best. That's fine. For us though....Two is number one. It's a sequel and a prequel, it's everything you love about the original with stronger acting performances. Wait til you get to our discussion about the be...