Original Montana Film Guide

Do you feel empathy for lost objects? Can you only thrive in the modern era? Do you own a stuffed raccoon? If you said yes to any of these questions, we have a movie + podcast companion for you. OMFG — Original Montana Film Guide — reviews the 1961 masterpiece The Misfits . Marilyn. Gable. Huston. Arthur Miller. All the stars are here, so follow the North Star to the nearest listening station and...

In Edward Yang’s Yi Yi , loneliness, family duty, regret, and the limits of understanding one another drift through the unraveling — and quiet reconnection — of a middle-class Taipei family. Sometimes people can see the same life from different angles and still both be right. That does not always mean someone has to be wrong. Listen in as Larkin and Courtney discuss Yi Yi , share their own thought...

As I sit here writing this, consuming all the Tootsie Rolls from the office break room and considering my options if confronted—probably a lie of some sort—I’m also meditating on the Montana-filmed Sweetgrass , a quiet yet meditative ride near Red Lodge, Montana. Think Brokeback Mountain without the passionate lovemaking. This life of herding sheep in this particular area is coming to an end, and...

On this OMFG Quickie, Larkin and Josh subject themselves to Invasion U.S.A. , a strange Cold War fever dream about what grown men in America apparently wanted to become: karate experts with zero conversational skills, corny one-liners, and weapons that do impossible shit like hit targets without aiming and never run out of bullets. Faceless casual bad guys meet their fates in an insane festival of...

Excelsior, my fellow OMF'ers! In this episode of Original Montana Film Guide, we uncover one of Montana's cinematic gems—or maybe it's more of a crystal. Actually, let's call it a river rock: The Ballad of Lefty Brown. Do we talk about the movie? Absolutely. Do we wander into a few other topics along the way? You betcha. Join us as we explore the story of the ultimate sidekick, a m...

Is it possible to make a convincing live-action film about children orphaned during the Pacific War, wandering through a devastated landscape? Probably not. That's where Grave of the Fireflies succeeds. Rather than chasing realism through live action, Studio Ghibli delivers one of the most heartbreaking and unforgettable war films ever made through animation. Larkin and Courtney join Josh to d...

A fighter probably knows when to get up or stay down — but what happens when you’re fighting yourself? The match could last forever or end in a minute. It’s all duration, endurance, bad decisions, and smashing your own face with a bottle of Black Velvet while chasing some version of “the good life.” Hell yeah, baby. Get out there and be somebody. The OMFG crew (Original Montana Film Guide) took a...

Welcome back to the nest, my beautiful birdies. Sorry we had to kick you out for a bit, but you know mom and dad needed some special time. What’s that? You’ve got five hours to kill? Hmmm… have you considered watching a sweeping anti-fascist Italian epic? Better yet — how about listening to us talk about it so you can decide if you’re emotionally prepared first? Join the OMFG (Original Montana Fil...

Mike and Kyle are old buds — fixtures in each other’s lives — and like everything in life, their friendship moves through peaks and valleys. In The Climb, they take us on a ride through quiet yet eerie emotional terrain, in a film that Larkin felt was important for the OMFG crew to experience. Safe to say the OMFG (Original Montana Film Guide) warrior gang enjoyed it a great deal. Join us as we di...

Drug-fueled, crime-ridden days chasing the big score. All I wanted was a new Mercedes—lord knows I got it. But there’s always a bigger fish in a small pond… and when you owe that fish money, let’s just say—you’re gonna have to make some bold moves to get square. And speaking of not being squares… the OMFG ( Original Montana Film Guide ) crew stays mysterious and exotic. In this backlog episode, Da...

River Phoenix was so young—man, what could’ve been. On a long enough timeline, maybe he ends up in some questionable projects… or worse, an experimental playwright film where everyone just riffs their lines into oblivion. Hollywood’s a seductive whale—swallowing ships and spitting out shimmering debris. Beautiful, chaotic wreckage glistening in the moonlight. This week, OMFG (Original Montana Film...

A Quickies mini episode with Matoon and Quick. In this one, we dive into the chaotic world of Street Kings—where alcoholism is just a minor inconvenience when there are two bodies half-buried in your backyard. Who you gonna call? Keanu… and Captain America, of course. It’s a wild ride from the jump— Man on Fire -level saturation, relentless violence, and some surprisingly fun detective work. Plus,...

Sometimes you just have to eat all the butter—even if your cholesterol says otherwise. Marlon Brando, one of the greatest actors of a generation, was no stranger to indulgence. But with greatness comes pressure… and maybe a little cortisol-fueled chaos along the way. And then there’s Jack Nicholson—absolutely at the top of his game in The Missouri Breaks. A strange, sensitive, almost sensual outla...

Courtney Blazon is taking a French class—she’s 90% French, after all (and yes, the beret checks out). Her influence has been a great addition to the pod, bringing in a different lens—one that leans into street life, melancholy, chaos, and the strange beauty of being alive, falling in love, and maybe biting someone along the way. Today we’re diving into Mauvais Sang (1986) in a Quickies episode. Th...

The OMFG (Original Montana Film Guide) crew is at it again, heading down the only road they’ve ever known—cheap thrills, empty threats, and plenty of lost threads. Our special guest, Tony Gregori—professional comic book artist and good bud—joins us for the ride as we peer into Steven Seagal’s widow’s peak and somehow see ourselves staring back. Beware The Glimmer Man : an unintentional comedy with...

If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would you choose? Tough call. Unless you’re Courtney Blazon, who would go peanut butter every time. I’m picking ground beef tacos. Larkin is a turkey bacon sandwich guy. Daniel would absolutely demolish fruit pies. The entertainment version of this question always gets me. There’s something mildly terrifying about choosing the same book or...

I’ve always believed talent isn’t just some God-given lightning bolt — it’s built. Hard work and dedication matter. Now, I haven’t personally gone down any random Steven Seagal in Russia YouTube rabbit holes (a friend mentioned it, obviously). But you have to admire the confidence. Not exactly an Olympic specimen, yet somehow he always emerges victorious against a dozen attackers. A true master of...

It’s hard to get a tan in the winter — especially in the mountainous Old West. Skin toughens, dries out, and starts to map every contour of a hard life. Scars stand out sharper in the cold air. And Old Cutthroat Bill? She’s not afraid to show us her pain — physical or otherwise. Being an outlaw is a tricky business. When companionship comes through kidnapping, gambling, or whatever dirty hustle ge...

I was recently given a telescope by my dad—he didn’t need it anymore, and I was grateful in a way that surprised me. Lately, the cosmos has been quietly working its way into my consciousness. I’ve always loved stars, planets—even space junk—but there’s something especially compelling about encountering objects with their own origin stories, not unlike movies themselves. That feeling carried over i...

The world is a little unhinged right now, and you might be wondering why you’d spend some time with the OMFG (Original Montana Film Guide) crew today. There’s always something pulling at us—checking the news, running errands, pretending everything’s fine. So step into our small, friendly bubble for a bit. We’ll help take your mind off the noise. This week, we’re counting down our Top 10 Movies of...

A flop isn’t always a bad thing in the movie business. Showgirls bombed on arrival and somehow became one of the most beloved camp classics of all time. Battlefield Earth isn’t so lucky—but it is fascinating. Yes, the dialogue is dull. Yes, the plot barely makes sense. Yes, the leading man has zero charisma. And yes, John Travolta plays his alien overlord like a petulant child throwing a tantrum i...

Just prior to Christmas, the gang sat down (minus Daniel), joined by guest Violet, and watched Arrival . You remember — back when aliens showed up, taught us something profound, and suddenly humanity found peace? No strife, no genocides, no political upheaval. Just love, understanding, and interstellar wisdom. So… can someone remind me where I parked my flying car? Oooooh — right. It was a blockbu...

Some say snow is just a shroud on the mountain. Snow—an element that defeats invading armies. Snow—a force that separates creatures from one another. And there you are: isolated with your family, intrusive thoughts, specters, and an impossibly built hotel. Sure, Jack’s a rascal—wandering the halls with a head full of Agent Orange and a growing certainty that the solution to his problems is family...

Susan Reikhart’s Showing Up is a humdrum heck of a good time. It’s not about art-making so much as the weird, tender, maddening moments in between. Enter Lizzy — a misanthrope fueled by the rage-fire of a thousand suns. She’s a brilliant artist, but the business side of things? Not her medium. She lives in a little space attached to her landlord/frenemy Jo — a whirlwind of vigor, spontaneity, and...

You ever have a dream where you have to choose life or death for a loved one? Have you ever reached your Vertical Limit ? In the game of high-alpine trekking, folks are playing on an ice-axe edge of truth or consequences. Nature doesn’t care if you live or die, so hold your butts—because this is a thrill ride of epic proportions. Join the OMFG (Original Montana Film Guide) crew as we dive into thi...