Trilogy in Theory

Horror adjacent but still a generous helping of black humor. That would be a description of TRILOGY IN THEORY but we suppose we can share some of that thinly veiled acclaim with Ralph Fiennes and company in THE MENU. One of the few adult-targeted movies to have some degree of financial success in the fall of 2022 we sit down for seconds of eating the rich and discuss just how weird looking Anya Ta...

We are experts on Cate Blanchett performances. Which is to say that we think they are mostly pretty good. Good job, Ms. Blanchett. Well... except for that TRUTH movie about Dan Rather. That one was pretty bad, CATE. But Tár is great! Well... one host thinks so. The other is greatly insulted at writer/director Todd Field's views on video game music. Insert Homer Simpson NERDDDDDS gif here. Or a You...

We present a resolution for the new year... ...and that is a simple request to find the little square on a streaming service (currently Amazon Prime, you're welcome) and enjoy the old-fashioned thrill of discovery as Mark Rylance schools us all in THE OUTFIT! Now granted we fully support you doing this only after you've had your fill of watching GLASS ONION on repeat, because Netflix needs all tha...

Rian Johnson Strikes Back... ...with another KNIVES OUT entry and OF COURSE it features the return of Ana de Armas as she finds yet another rich liberal family of condescending jerks and challenges them to a laser sword fight. Just as the Internet drew it up. Fortunately that is not the case as Daniel Craig is the lone returning character to GLASS ONION and this time the target is a Musky group of...

It's Christmas season which means we should be watching IN BRUGES. Or more likely IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. However we choose instead to continue our look back at our fandom for 2022 with a brand spanking new to HBO Max (though you should have watched this in theaters, jerk) THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN. Martin McDonagh reminds us all that time is limited... and yet here we are podcasting. And here you...

This Rian Johnson mockery will not stand... ...well, maybe for this episode. But just you wait until the end of the month, dear listeners! Just don't tell Netflix we actually watched a movie in theaters. ANYWAY we are back with our own version of a "requel" as it was just our last trilogy that featured the black sheep of the SCREAM franchise... and here we are with another entry. 2022 wa...

We accepted our punishment and have reached the end. Again. And again. Our reexamination of the black sheep of highly respected film trilogies (okay maybe not GHOSTBUSTERS) has reached its unnatural conclusion as we kick THE GODFATHER PART III, SCREAM 3 and GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) one last time while they are down... and have a pretty good time doing it. This may be our coldest take in a medium that d...

Answer the Call? The Female Ghostbusters? We got all the clickable comments. Two men who are decidedly not beholden to the original GHOSTBUSTERS film take on THE hot button issue of 2016... Paul Feig's GHOSTBUSTERS. Notice how we give all the credit to a man there? Does that help? DOES IT? Unfortunately it doesn't. As much as we want to root for Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig's cosplay this jus...

Jay and Silent Bob learned how to overstay their welcome from the SCREAM franchise. This seems like an appropriate lesson for TRILOGY IN THEORY as our little podcast just hit 100 episodes. Spoiler alert: we don't plan on stopping anytime soon because we have yet to make any money off of this crap. Unlike the SCREAM franchise which still is held in high regards by your hosts... though maybe not thi...

We question just how much Francis Ford Coppola values family... ...and how little he valued Al Pacino's hair in THE GODFATHER PART III. Or is it The GODFATHER CODA: THE DEATH OF MICHAEL CORLEONE? Take your pick for we remain decidedly unhappy. Or are we happy in our unhappiness with the finale to the Corleone family saga? Because of this and search engine optimization #ReleaseTheSnyderCut gets men...

Much like Albert Brooks... one host can't be happy with every version of cinematic heaven. As the host with the opposite opinion of THE MAJESTIC I'll take my cheap shots on my unwitting partner in podcasting. For I write the show notes. Which is clearly important. Maybe. With DEFENDING YOUR LIFE and THE DESCENDANTS joining us in our idyllic trilogy (in theory, of course) we debate the traumas of o...

George Clooney makes a flip-flops sprint of panic iconic. Among his other accomplishments. Such as losing a lover to one Matthew Lillard. Alexander Payne continues to bring darkly comic tragedies to life in his follow-up to SIDEWAYS and in doing so he may have peaked with one host. But not before said host hated THE DESCENDANTS initially. It's an episode of wild emotional swings and Robert Forster...

Jim Carrey gets no respect... ...and Frank Darabont is told to get back to his Stephen King books as one host comes out swinging. This instinct for cruelty inspires the host with a heart to also turn to the dark side in what may be the most contentious (and yet joyful) conversation on THE MAJESTIC. For that matter it may be the only conversation that's currently taking place about THE MAJESTIC in...

We love everything about an Albert Brooks movie except for Albert Brooks! However a little bit of Meryl goes a long way as we kick off our paradise trilogy with this oddly charming movie about a man who gets hit by a bus and scores a date with The Greatest Actress of All Time. Ms. Streep gets a guy who terrorized Ryan Gosling in DRIVE and also made an appearance on THE SIMPSONS. She loses but we a...

We can only relate to the youth of movies with a reference to THE SIMPSONS. That's still hip right? We finish our tour of lying about sex in high school across cinematic generations by both justifying titillation (thank you, WILD THINGS) and condemning it (go kick rocks, ASSASSINATION NATION.) Which leaves us to say mostly nice things about the charms of EASY A while acknowledging that its setup o...

Two old guys are scared of young women. So just another movie podcast! Unfortunately for us (and you, dear listener) we come to our final entry in our look at modern-ish high school life with ASSASSINATION NATION. One host maintained hope that he would like this film (both times!) before the hate settles in. For fans of this film we plead ignorance immediately by trying to apply the STAR TREK good...

Patricia Clarkson becomes the official face of TiT... ...but Stanley Tucci isn't far behind. This duo of perhaps the greatest onscreen parents in EASY A allows two old men to discuss the sexual politics in a high school setting... and now that I'm looking at that sentence I should probably make clear that these show notes are a collaborative effort between hosts. Mike has very little oversight on...

A formative film in one man's youth. And a formative film in one man's middle age as well! WILD THINGS is everything to everyone! Especially if you are Matt Dillon. Somehow not reaching his apex of creep as he would later in 1998 with THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY... but he still does pretty well for himself here. We debate if Neve Campbell is white trash enough, how Denise Richards should have bee...

We come to the conclusion that we wouldn't have survived 1978. On the other hand we've come of age post 9/11, a recession and a global pandemic so 1978 had the simple amusements of Clint Eastwood and a monkey riding around in a truck; 1978 can go kick rocks. Enjoy! Support what we do with bonus content and early episodes on Patreon Twitter / Instagram / Facebook : @trilogyintheory Tweet at your ho...

One host just doesn't understand the blue collar desire for Clint Eastwood and a monkey. The simple pleasure of life. The greatest film of 1978. EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE. Theme song included. Enjoy! Support what we do with bonus content and early episodes on Patreon Twitter / Instagram / Facebook : @trilogyintheory Tweet at your hosts: @projectingfilm & @webistrying Letterboxd: @projectingfil...

We open the episode with no faith in the human race and end up with a passionate discussion on the musical GREASE. Somewhere in between we talk about possibly the first Academy Award Best Picture winner on TiT in Michal Cimino's THE DEER HUNTER. Giving it the proper respect it deserves. But that Rizzo, my goodness, that brings back awkward school memories... Support what we do with bonus content a...

A correction is issued by one host for fear of being tracked down by a venomous social club. Meanwhile the other host maintains his composure by doing what most white male film fans do when confronted with an international film he doesn't understand by citing a Tarantino movie that ripped it off. (This may also just be yet another excuse for him to think of Uma Thurman.) Regardless of the mistakes...

In which even a trilogy of threesomes isn't enough... what about a foursome? Emotional and sexual rumbles! Flashback to one host's love triangle! Another host proudly playing the part of the pervert! All of this and slightly more as we discuss the functions of threesomes in AS GOOD AS IT GETS, THE STATION AGENT and VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA. Support what we do with bonus content and early episodes...

In which Rebecca Hall gets her revenge. Maybe this was a little THE NIGHT HOUSE buzz talking (currently taking HBO Max by storm... probably) but after her appearance on our episode for THE TOWN last month she gets to enjoy the company of Scarlett Johannson, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz. And also two time featured player this month on TiT, the great Patricia Clarkson! (Notice how these show note...

A film so good that two DVD copies are needed just in case of divorce. We continue the least sexy threesome trilogy by going with the quiet, contemplative and platonic Tom McCarthy film THE STATION AGENT. Peter Dinklage and Patricia Clarkson don't contribute much to Bobby Cannavale's one man show of dialogue... which would normally set off two guys whose friendship is based on talking at great len...