The Film With Three Brains

While the directing credit goes to Tobe Hooper, it was Producer Steven Spielberg who had the Midas touch in the 1980's, but does a zero-body count horror movie that has been endlessly parodied and imitated still deliver the scares? Or has this become a shocker documentary explaining why home-buying disclosure packets are now three inches thick? Catch a steak and take a break with the Brains. We're...

Steve Martin steps out of character and into a sophisticated, straitlaced con man in this David Mamet heist flick. Long before spoofing, fake relatives, bogus tax payments, and overdue traffic violations ad nauseum, the con job was an art. Is this movie? Swipe right to let the Brains steal some of your time.   You can also watch this episode, and many more, in full video on our YouTube channel:  ...

Alright, alright, alright — Dazed and Confused rolls up a fat slice of 1976. It’s the last day of school, and everyone’s lighting up and ditching rules. From open field keg parties to 50-yard line philosophizing, this cult classic is one big, slow-burning vibe with a killer soundtrack. So spark it up, sit back, and enjoy Richard Linklater’s celluloid trip —because growing up is, like… a total buzz...

Is there any better way to sum up 80’s tween horror than to send mom and dad away for the very weekend two boys accidentally open the doorway to hell in the backyard?  Stop-motion animation monsters, heavy metal, and squealing teenage girls round out expectations leaving the Brains to wonder about stranger things. The gate’s open, step inside our podcast. You can also watch our handsome mugs discu...

Creepy Carrie epitomizes the sage advice: Don’t mess with a telekinetic teenager on prom night.  Do people ever learn? Did Stephen King really say the movie is better than his book? Did the Brains even go to prom? Are you going to tune in or what? Carrie (1976), wherever you listen to podcasts.   You can also watch this episode with video on our YouTube channel and see our gorgeous mugs chatting a...

This much anticipated cops and robbers showdown from movie maven Michael Mann featured a film first: DeNiro and Pacino sharing a scene. Criminals found it inspiring, but is it still worth the hype? Cool off during this Heat wave with the Brains. You can also watch this episode with full video at our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFilmWithThreeBrains

What if the bank robbers got lost on their way to the airport after the robbery? This premise was not only Bill Murray’s brand of comedy, but his directorial debut (and swan song).  Was it a score? Or just clownin’ around? Join the Brains for a fresh blast of hot air. You can also watch this episode with video at our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/EBixNmMJbOQ

Holy Schnikes! Saturday Night Live alumni have crafted some of the best and worst comedies. Their success boils down to whether sketch bit actors can stretch their skills into a full-length feature. So where do Chris Farley and David Spade fall in line with this not-your-buddy salesmen’s roadtrip shtick? Listen up, this’ll only take a second…with the Brains.   You can also watch this episode with...

When Nicky the narcissist gets a contract on his head for ripping off the gang’s boss, he calls childhood pal and gang co-member, Mikey, for help. As the night unravels, Mikey is faced with the years of rights and wrongs Nicky did to him and has to choose Nicky’s fate as friend, frenemy, or foe. This rough-around-the-edges, indie-esque sleeper has all the ingredients of greatness, so is it? The Br...

Action, mystery and drama adorn an updated story appreciated by audiences and critics alike.  Using the plot from a 60's black-and-white TV show (and a slew of writers and editors), Chicago native Andrew Davis directs Tommy Lee Jones chasing a not-presumed-innocent Harrison Ford through his hometown.  Don't miss this extra-special episode with a guest Brain! The Fugitive (1993), wherever you liste...

Possibly the ultimate parody - or parody of the ultimate movie - this spoof was just what the universe needed, back when then was now. Star Wars remains ubiquitous, so should we return to Yogurt, Pizza the Hut and Barf? Or are those days as outdated as Dot Matrix? May the Schwartz be with you in deciding if you'll listen to the brains, bleeps, sweeps and creeps! You can also check out this episode...

Cameron Crowe scores the assignment of a lifetime - follow the rock 'n roll lifestyle of a rising band on the brink of stardom. Heartbreak ensues when like a rolling stone, he (journalist) falls for groupie, or rather, Band Aid - Kate Hudson. Does this bittersweet symphony still hit the high notes or has it gone out of tune with age? Come together with the Brains as they ramble on. Watch the video...

Did the world need a third submarine movie?  Tony Scott thought so. He stuffed superstars Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington and their diametrically opposed opinions on leadership into a nuclear submarine and stuck them with a chain-of-command conundrum. Is it a floater or sinker? Submerge with the Brains and see if anything springs a leak. Crimson Tide (1995), wherever you listen to podcasts.   ...

The creation of a sentient A.I. humanoid to fill the emotional needs of a childless parents (or in this case, parents of a child in a coma) seems more relevant than ever, so does Spielberg provide a benchmark or omen in one of the only Sci-Fi-Drama-Adventures without the robots taking over? Also, why have the Brains moved their review dates into the future? Join us in 2001 to find out. Watch this...

Of course you'd want to see a movie starring Sam Rockwell, Steve Zahn, Mark Ruffalo and Paul Giamatti - so why haven't you seen Safe Men? The Brains pontificate how this indie crime comedy can simultaneously be too much and too little yet still be fun. Steal away with us on our heistiest review yet!   This episode can also be viewed in video form on our newly formed YouTube channel, The Film With...

A reckless, thrill-seeking federal cop whose partner is "getting too old for this 💩" is the focus of this 80's movie that somehow is NOT Lethal Weapon. Predating Riggs & Murtaugh by a couple years, this neo-noir Friedkin flick has an obsessed field agent (William Peterson) chasing a creepy counterfeiter (Willem Dafoe) through the dark alleys of L.A. Join The Brains on the wrong side of the hi...

One Brain can't get enough of amnesiac movies! This time it's Geena Davis suffering from the world's longest brain fart, with Samuel Jackson as her detective sidekick. Spoiler alert: she's a government assassin waking from 8 years as a small-town schoolteacher, just in time to save us from a "dangerously" underfunded CIA... how can you not remember it? Plot too forgettable? Have no fear - The Brai...

Eamonn Owens plays the charismatic only child of a troubled 60's family, courting disaster in his struggle with identity. His desperate search for connection and purpose is wryly funny but is this Neil Jordan dark comedy too bleak, even with a Sinead O'Connor cameo? Come take a wee nip of goofy, chaotic wisdom and judge which brains you find agreeable.

This is the movie that brought karate to every kid Bruce Lee missed. Audiences loved the teenage fish-out-of-water whose great mentor shows him it takes more than just going through the moves to break the mold. Just for kicks, tune in while the Brains wax poetic on whether Mr. Miyagi's still got his chops.

An amnesiac awakes from SLEEP to find something strange is at HAND where there's never RAIN and it's always dark. He finds his back against the WALL as reality warps, identities swap and mysteries unravel QUICK in this sci-fi flick that loosely inspired The Matrix, so why doesn't anybody remember it? BOOK your trip to Shell Beach... and Murdoch, we're coming to get you.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck kick off their careers with this Oscar-bait tale of an angry young genius who can't find his way in life. But what you really are left wondering is "can one dumbass line ruin a movie?" The Brains calculate and conclude: when life gives you apples, make cider.

Pre-too-cool-for-school, future Ferris starred as a gifted underachiever gamer who hacks (before it was a word!) his way into an Air Force supercomputer name WOPR. This "HAL" knockoff only plays high stakes and tries to trigger WWIII - in real life, unless Broderick and Ally Sheedy can save the world from the rogue AI and humans who keep upping the ante. Does this virtual premise hold up in the 21...

Ferocious fuzzballs from outer space descend upon a Midwest family farm for a feeding frenzy while morphologically-fluid alien bounty hunters give chase. Should you go watch this I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-A-Gremlins-Knockoff? Or just watch it go? Grab some food and the Brains and tuck in!

"Do you guys want to see a dead body?" Stephen King and Rob Reiner capture a weekend of 1950's boys being boys via future star-studded adventure. Can post-millennial viewers relate to a yarn sans video game, smart phone, and heli-parent? Ah, who cares... these Brains would never let today's youth get int the way of a boss review.

Despite its glut of stars, memorable scenes, and winning performances, Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette's wild ride often gets overlooked. Can anyone romanticize a Mexican standoff better than Tarantino, even when director Tony Scott is the one visualizing his script? Hit the road with the Brains to see if this Hollywood rollercoaster leaves you queasy or jonesing for more.