The Goods: A Film Podcast

Dan and Brian are joined by their friend and co-host of The Movie Call Podcast, Mitch, to discuss Paul Thomas Anderson's rich and beguiling filmography, including a detailed look at PTA's debut Hard Eight. Join as they discuss PTA's distinct filmmaking characteristics, the wonderful John C. Reilly, the appeal of gambling movies, the secret keys to unlocking PTA films, paternal affection, emotional...

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all! Join as Dan and Brian together celebrate Brian's wholesome holiday tradition of watching Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd film. Join as they discuss their history with the story, attending stage musicals, the pros and cons of sung-through musicals, Burton's approach to the tonally complicated story, the joys of the all-time goon, the impacts of some adaptation choices, th...

Dan and Brian tackle a recent release in James Sweeney's Twinless. Join as they discuss spoiler warnings, sudden grief, mid-film title cards, suspense vs. surprise, dolly zooms, Hitchcock tropes, a remarkable split screen shot, unexpected sex scenes, and ambiguous endings. Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/ Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpo...

Old friend-of-the-pod Gargus joins Brian and Dan to discuss lost films, particularly the Tod Browning-Lon Chaney pairing London After Midnight, reconstructed with stills, and its talkie remake Mark of the Vampire. Join as they discuss some notable lost films (and some recovered ones), they complicated legacy of lost films, Tod Browning and Lon Chaney's collaboration, the long horror legacy of Drac...

Dan and Brian dig deeper into spooky season with a Don Knotts comedy. First, they recount movie and TV moments that scared them when they were kids as well as some early nightmares. Then, they honor Don Knotts and "Greatest Generation" comedy through the slightly-spooky comedy film. Join as they discuss the film's remarkably over-staffed newspaper, convoluted criminal conspiracies, obvious pranks,...

Dan and Brian continue their annual tradition of watching a late '90s teen horror movie in October with Disturbing Behavior, a largely panned and forgotten film starring James Marsden, Katie Holmes, and Nick Stahl. Join as they debate the general appeal of horror movies and the spooky season spirit, then dig into the movie of the week. They discuss the film's controversial editing history, its sli...

Religious scholar and recurring guest Gavin joins Dan and Brian to discuss the long-running Brazilian series of horror films directed by, written by, and starring José Mojica Marins as "Coffin Joe" -- the monstrous, atheist, libertine undertaker. Join as they discuss Coffin Joe's persona, the religious and political context of the film, the shifting tone in the series, Marins' three-pronged approa...

Longtime friend-of-the-pod Colton joins Brian and Dan to briefly discuss a foundational romantic comedy, then dig into the divisive 2009 ensemble film. Just what everyone was asking for -- an extended conversation about dating from three straight guys in their 30s. Join as they discuss Nora Ephron, Sex and the City, gender roles in romantic storytelling, the legitimacy of the respective film's the...

Dan and Brian lean into fall nostalgia by looking at a high school football comedy that stuck with Dan when he was a teen. Join as they discuss the Jon Voight dilemma, James Van Der Beek's career and sad diagnosis, their injured high school QB buddy, problematic story elements that have aged strangely, whipped cream-inis, erection slang, and not wanting your life. Dan's movie reviews: http://thego...

In the spirit of autumnal decay and ren faire dress-up, Brian shares with Dan a formative TV movie, the two-part Merlin starring Sam Neill. Join as they discuss the film's odd place in a movie history, surprisingly stacked cast, dubious Arthurian authenticity, outstanding score, and cyclic reflections on power. Brian also gives Dan a quick rundown of the shoddy but twisty sequel, Merlin's Apprenti...

Dan and Brian discuss a film Dan was surprised to adore during his Tom Hanks binge a couple of years ago, the Joe Dante-directed comedy tinged with horror The 'Burbs. Join as they discuss the film's production and writing history, including its Hitchcock connections, the young Tom Hanks shtick, the film's suburban satire and cartoon energy, and their love of the film's divisive ending. Dan also sh...

Dan and Brian wrap Maxi-Month and Mini-Month with the series that got Brian on the big-small kick as a kid in the first place. They review all three movies in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids trilogy, plus the spinoff TV show. Join as Dan and Brian discuss other possible Maxi-Month and Mini-Month selections, the strange history and astounding production of the original film, the bizarre family dynamics...

Dan and Brian continue Maxi-Month with a look at a variety of films featuring growing things: two early cinema trick films, a classic cartoon short, and the two Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs films. Join as they discuss the novelty of early size-shifting films, their hangups with height, breaking the fourth wall, the Lord and Miller directing duo, the fine line between postmodernism and parody,...

Brian, Dan, and Gavin continue their discussion of the Maxi-Mini-Month slate of Kerwin Matthews-starring adventure films. In Part 2 of their conversation, they discuss the knockoff Harryhausen film Jack the Giant Killer. Join as they discuss Brian's connection to the film and the inspiration it brings to his own work, the TV flavor (one childhood favorite show of Dan's in particular), the historic...

Maxi/Mini-Month continues with us welcoming back our good friend Gavin to discuss three adventure films starring Kerwin Mathews. In Part 1, they discuss The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and 3 Worlds of Gulliver, two films featuring stop-motion effects from Ray Harryhausen and giant and/or small people. Join as they discuss their history with Harryhausen, swashbuckling films, genie rules, the Star Wars pre...

Dan and Brian continue their theme month of particularly big or small stuff with a look at one of the great "atomic monster" movies of the '50s: Them! (Don't forget the exclamation point.) Join as they discuss their thoughts on ants, the cube-square law, the draw of tiny elephants and giant beans, the sturdy craftsmanship of Gordon Douglas, and comparisons to Godzilla. Dan's movie reviews: http://...

To kick off a new theme month, Dan and Brian welcome back their old friends Teddy and Matt, hosts of the Buzzed on Movies podcast that heavily inspired Brian. Join as they discuss the appeal of big and small effects in movies, Brian and Teddy's friendship origin story, a proposed protagonist-antagonist swap, the astonishing gnome mating ritual climax, and our ideas for a hypothetical Gnome-Mobile...

Dan, Brian, and Will continue their discussion of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films, culminating with a tense Is It Good? rating session and Star Wars vs. LotR throwdown. Join as they discuss the nature of male bonding and positive masculinity in Lord of the Rings, their favorite casting, the epic finale, and some of the wackier bits of lore. Stay to the end for sendoff more fulfilling than...

One podcast episode to rule them all. Dan's brother Will joins Brian to hunker down and dig deep into Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. In this part 1, they give some background context on the info, then dive into Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. Dan, outed as a Tolkien skeptic in the podcast's previous episode of adaptations of the author's work (look up Animated Tolkien in our...

We got a real jam goin' down at The Goods: A Film Podcast. Dan and Brian review the '90s cartoon and its legacy COVID-dumped sequel starring two of the greatest NBA players. Join as they discuss the phenomenon of Space Jam nostalgia, the semi-viral Space Jam mashup fad, Michael Jordan's competitive mindset, the earliest movies we were aware of from advertising and peer discourse, and the self-crit...

Brian dusts off the old "Violent Ends" episode format, comparing two films with similar premises but different tenors of outcome -- one happy, one bloody. Here, they consider the 1975 John Huston epic about Sean Connery and Michael Caine infiltrating a native tribe and the 2000 DreamWorks musical comedy. Join as they discuss the depiction of imperialism and Indigenous cultures in movies like these...

Happy birthday, Dan! In honor of his 37th, Dan and Brian go deep on Dan's first favorite movie, a film he holds reverent for many reasons. Join as they discuss Notre Dame's important place in Dan's life despite going to college elsewhere, movies that make them each cry, movie trailer music, "anti-American Movie" energy, and where Rudy falls in Dan's all-time pantheon. Dan's movie reviews: http://t...

Dan and Brian discuss review notorious Best Picture nominee Doctor Dolittle from 1967, one of Brian's nostalgic favorites. And, for good measure, they discuss just about every other Dr. Dolittle adaptation in cinema join. Join as they ponder what makes the Dr. Dolittle story something that Hollywood comes back to over and over, the coverage of the catastrophic 1960s production in the book Pictures...

Friend, fellow critic, and science fiction author Andrew Milne returns to The Goods to discuss two movies about travel to the moon -- the Fritz Lang silent film Woman in the Moon and the James Gray epic Ad Astra. Join as they discuss the romantic pull of space travel, German Expressionism as a mirror of Weimar Republic societal values, Fritz Lang's serial-related pacing issues, the tussle between...

Dan and Brian watch and discuss the 2012 found footage comedy Project X. Join as they review the found footage fad of the 2000s and 2010s, consider the role of smart phones in documenting and sharing teen memories, discuss their own experiences with epic parties, relive a few of the film's funniest moments, admire its ever-escalating scope, and ponder how the aftermath of a party like this. Dan's...