The Screen Companion

A special guest returns to discuss his time in the U.S. Army, part of which was spent in South Korea. That experience will come into play as we get knee-deep into gochujang--or kimchi, if you need to insert a more identifiable food item--with Microhabitat (2017), our serving of a Korean cinema recommendation. Guest: The Dad.

Relationships can be messy, dysfunctional, and far more complicated than lovey-dovey Hollywood romance flicks will show. What better way can we get out of that often times disingenuous portrayal than to go across the oceans on either side of the U.S.? Through French, Hong Kong, and Italian lenses—I Love You, I Don't, In The Mood for Love, and The Night Porter—we'll catch some real talk on the subj...

Feel like some urban decay? Crime? Plop down with us and travel back in time to New York City in the '70s. Sleazy? Depressing? Or just incredibly atmospheric? With Saturday Night Fever and Cruising representing two totally different genres, we'll see how much of a boost the disco era Big Apple setting provided. Guest: Andrew.

Mind screw movies keep viewers off guard and constantly wondering. Fake reality plots involving protagonists searching for what's “real” are particularly effective at this. Let's scrutinize the hidden seams in Dark City, The Matrix, and The Thirteenth Floor—who knows what broader existential questions we'll find! Guest: Jon.

Spotlighting Jean-Claude Van Damme! Is the Muscles From Brussels a second-rate Austrian Oak? Is he not as sly as Stallone? Or is JCVD an underappreciated action star that was stuck between those other guys as they sucked all the air out of the room? Via Double Impact, Hard Target, and Sudden Death, we poke fun at the splits, dissect the career, and compliment a guy that embodies the American Dream...

The Atomic Age was ushered in with an unfortunate bang in World War II and continued into the Cold War with Soviet Russia and the United States at the forefront. Using Five, Godzilla (1954), and On the Beach as time capsules, let us delve into the anxiety of the postwar era when nuclear weapons presented a new threat to the world. Guest: Jon.

Another foreign film dive: West German cinema! The insightful guest—an Army veteran who was actually stationed in the Federal Republic of Germany at the same time the film, Lola (1981), was being made—recounts his time overseas and his impressions of the people and politics of the region. Guest: The Dad!

How well do '90s animated kid's shows hold up? Were they much smarter than comedy cartoons aimed at kids today? We'll try to keep one eye free of the nostalgia glasses and see what—if anything—has changed in over two decades as we revisit Recess, Hey Arnold!, The Ren & Stimpy Show, and Johnny Bravo. How subversive were these shows really? Today's guest provides the dual perspective of a parent...

More Westerns! We had an okay time watching '90s Westerns, so how about a couple even older examples of the genre to help us decide if it's for us or not? Between The Kentuckian and Shoot the Sun Down, we're bound to figure out what's behind this enduring genre. Guest: Max.

A bunch of snot-nosed brats at a summer camp? The horror! Add a killer into the mix and you got something special. And it takes place in the '80s? Then we must be talking about Sleepaway Camp and The Burning! Will the Host—who notoriously is not a horror fanatic—have a good time watching slasher flicks? Maybe... Guests: Sarah & Stacey.

Action flicks can be measured by the speed of bullets, fists, and feet. But how about cars? Spectacular, supersonic car chases on busy metro streets may be unreasonable, but not when they're on a track. Racecars are meant to zoom and increase the adrenaline with every gear shift. Between Le Mans and Rush, we celebrate the cars and the drivers. Guests: Max & Jon. 

To usher in Season Four, the Host waxes commentary on obsolete home media: LaserDisc! Does he have some good points, or is he full of crap? If talking about a dead format isn't appealing, there are also short reviews on Nell and Philadelphia—both '90s dramas and, coincidentally, feature courtroom scenes (though Nell spends very little time before a judge).

A review within a few weeks of a film coming out?! Yup, that's how much the Host loves the Mission: Impossible franchise. In this episode, we do a minor spoiler discussion of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One. Hopefully, if you were on the fence, this'll convince you to see it before it leaves theaters. Keep an eye out for a spoiler filled recommendation for when (if) Part Two comes o...

Possibly the last word on the subject of musicals on TSC, let's make Stacey—an everyman who shrugs at musicals—go through a song and dance number filled aneurysm with Singin' in the Rain and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. One's old. One's new. Which movie did he like more? (The answer may surprise you!) Guests: Andrea, Jon & Stacey.

For some, musicals are the bee's knees and honey for the ears. For others, every time people break into song is not a moment to be celebrated. Are there musicals that can bust through the barriers of anti-musical audiences? Let's find out as Pat—an everyman who's apathetic toward musicals—gets pummeled by La La Land and Viva Las Vegas! Guests: Andrew, Max & Pat.

Every decade of cinema is known for particular highlights. In the '90s, one was kids' movies—the perfect blend of humor, heart, and danger. Flicks like Home Alone and Jumanji couldn't have come out in present day, so let's look back on what was special and perhaps incompatible with modern sensibilities. Guest: Stacey.

Celebrating paternity! Whether you have a great father, wish you did, or wish you were, there are flicks that give that warm, male parental figure feeling. Do Kramer vs. Kramer and Mrs. Doubtfire count? Perhaps! From comedy to drama, let's enjoy some films centered around dads. Guest: Max.

Martial arts and tournament fighting go hand in hand—or foot in ass! While never a mainstream subgenre of American action films, it's a setup that remains classic and a great fallback premise for low budget flicks that want to save on location shooting. Where does 99% of fighting take place in Enter the Dragon, Bloodsport, and Sidekicks? Why, in a ring! Guests: Pat & Jon.

Westerns may have peaked in the '50s, but the genre has never completely trotted off the big screen. With Tombstone and The Quick and the Dead, not only do we consider Westerns of the '90s, but also what is crucial to the genre and makes it worthwhile no matter the decade. Guests: Max & Stacey.

Films can have many different versions: Some are made in the editing room before the premiere, while others are born during the home market phase to squeeze a few more disc and streaming sales. They really can be hit or miss as to whether they are better than the originals. However, the director's cut of Legend and Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago are new spins on old favorites and shouldn't be skipped....

The Host spends this episode chastising his guest for not digging the first episode of Dead Like Me (2003-2004). Listen along, watch the show for yourself, and hopefully you'll enjoy it more than he did! Also, there's a funny yarn about an encounter with the show's creator Bryan Fuller. Guest: Stacey.

Movies are mostly entertainment, but some can help us understand the past a little better. Never heard of feudal Japan? Watch Yojimbo! Want to see how dangerous escaping East Germany was when it was behind the Iron Curtain? Then Balloon is for you. Both are a taste of history with more pop than a documentary. Guests: Jon & Max.

There are dozens of Bond flicks. If you're uninitiated and know you'll never want to watch all of the movies, does that mean you should ignore 007 completely? Heck no! There are plenty of mini arcs that can pare down the franchise into the essence of James Bond. Here are three truncated collections to enjoy. Guests: Jon & Andrew.

Exploitation films in the '70s were a playground for independents. When they were good, “explo's” challenged the Hollywood Establishment and put out some subversive food-for-thought. In Coffy and Switchblade Sisters, director Jack Hill “exploited” badass women and made them the center of attention. Guest: Andrew.

Many of us are fortunate to live even the most boring lives driving to work, getting take-out, and going on bike rides come the weekend. But for others, life is a series of daily challenges. This episode's picks (My Left Foot, Awakenings, and At First Sight) reflect a desire to practice empathy and rejoice in the pleasures often taken for granted. Guests: Pat & Jon.