Wheel of Film!

This week, we're hopping aboard the world's most chaotic prison transport because we're talking Con Air —the 1997 action movie that asked, "What if every insane character actor in Hollywood got locked on the same plane with Nicolas Cage's accent?" Nicolas Cage stars as Cameron Poe, an Army Ranger who survives prison only to survive something even more dangerous: John...

Tonight we're talking about One Hour Photo , the movie that single-handedly made an entire generation uncomfortable picking up pictures from CVS. In just 90 minutes, Robin Williams takes every ounce of goodwill he built from Mrs. Doubtfire , Aladdin , and Jumanji and uses it to make your skin crawl. He plays Sy Parrish, a lonely photo technician who develops pictures for a suburban family and...

Alright, today we’re spinning the wheel and landing on one of the weirdest, horniest, most stoner-coded horror comedies of the late ‘90s… Idle Hands . Devon Sawa plays Anton, a burnout teen whose right hand gets possessed by a demonic force and starts murdering people—casually, efficiently, and with zero regard for Anton’s general laziness. After accidentally killing his own friends (who come back...

Welcome back to Wheel of Film , the podcast where we spin the wheel, hit play, and ask the important questions—like: how did a movie this insane get made by this many talented people? Today we’re talking about Showgirls , the most expensive NC-17 movie ever made, a film that was marketed like prestige trash, received like a cultural crime scene, and then somehow circled all the way back around to...

This week on Wheel of Film, we’re stepping into one of the most influential martial arts films of all time… Released in 1978 and directed by Lau Kar-leung, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin follows the journey of a young man named Liu Yude—played by Gordon Liu—who escapes the ظلم of the Manchu government after his village is destroyed. Seeking revenge and justice, he enters the legendary Shaolin Temple,...

Today on Wheel of Film , we’re diving into The Barbarians , the 1987 sword-and-sorcery cult oddity directed by Ruggero Deodato and starring bodybuilding twins Peter and David Paul —better known as the Barbarian Brothers. The movie follows twin brothers Kutchek and Gore , who go from enslaved performers to revenge-fueled warriors after a ruthless tyrant destroys their family and terrorizes their wo...

This week the wheel takes us to 1987’s RoboCop — Paul Verhoeven’s ultra-violent, darkly satirical sci-fi action classic that somehow manages to be both a brutal action movie and a razor-sharp critique of corporate America. Set in a dystopian near-future Detroit where crime is out of control, the powerful mega-corporation Omni Consumer Products wins a contract to privatize the police force. After i...

This week on Wheel of Film , we’re hacking satellites, strapping lasers to gorillas, and heading deep into the lost city of Zinj. That’s right — we’re talking about Congo , the 1995 jungle-adventure spectacle directed by Frank Marshall and based on the novel by Michael Crichton. Released in the post- Jurassic Park Crichton gold rush, Congo follows a high-tech expedition into the African jungle to...

This week, the Wheel spins us back to 1992 for a cult classic that every ’90s kid either quoted endlessly or got in trouble for watching — Bébé’s Kids . Directed by Bruce W. Smith and based on the stand-up routine of the late, great Robin Harris, this animated comedy follows Robin as he tries to impress Jamika on a first date… only to get stuck babysitting her friend Bébé’s three absolutely unhing...

In space, no one can hear you scream… but down here, Alien has been haunting audiences for nearly 50 years. Released in 1979 and directed by Ridley Scott, Alien didn’t just blend science fiction and horror — it redefined both , creating one of the most iconic monsters, heroines, and taglines in movie history. The crew of the commercial space tug Nostromo responds to a mysterious distress signal on...

We're back! This week's film is  Big Fish —a movie that asks a deceptively simple question: does it matter if a story is true, as long as it’s meaningful? Directed by Tim Burton but stripped of his usual gothic edge, Big Fish tells the story of a son trying to understand his dying father, a man whose life has always been told through impossible tales, towering characters, and magical exa...

Tonight’s movie is Willie Dynamite , a vivid, stylish, and surprisingly sharp entry in the Blaxploitation era — one that balances outrageous fashion and swagger with a surprisingly moralistic edge. 30-Second Plot Overview Set in 1970s New York, the film follows Willie Dynamite , a flamboyant, ambitious pimp played by Roscoe Orman (yes — future Gordon from Sesame Street ). Willie is determined to b...

Tonight’s movie is The Exorcist III — released in 1990, written and directed by William Peter Blatty, the same man who wrote the original Exorcist novel. Seventeen years after the first film, Blatty came back to reclaim the story, and what he made isn’t your typical possession sequel — it’s part psychological horror, part detective thriller, and way more about faith, guilt, and evil than pea soup...

Tonight’s film: Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) Directed by Terry Jones, written and performed by the entire Monty Python crew — Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Set in Roman-occupied Judea, it tells the story of Brian Cohen — a man born on the same day, in the house next door to Jesus — who’s repeatedly mistaken for the Messiah. What follo...

This week on Wheel of Film , we’re diving into American Beauty , the 1999 suburban drama directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. The film follows Lester Burnham, a disillusioned middle-aged father who rebels against his suffocating suburban life, quits his job, lusts after his daughter’s best friend, and clashes with his wife and teenage daughter—setting off a chain of tragic, darkly come...

Welcome back to Wheel of Film! This week, we’re stepping into the cage with Warrior (2011), Gavin O’Connor’s gritty sports drama that blends heart, family, and hard-hitting MMA action. The film follows estranged brothers—played by Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton—who find themselves on a collision course at a high-stakes mixed martial arts tournament, all while grappling with their fractured past and c...

Welcome back to Wheel of Film , where we spin through cinema’s most iconic, overlooked, or downright wild titles—and today, we’re diving deep into the animated darkness of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker . Released in 2000, this direct-to-video DC film bridges the brooding legacy of Bruce Wayne with the cyberpunk future of Terry McGinnis. When the Joker mysteriously resurfaces decades after his...

Welcome back to Wheel of Film, the podcast where we spin through cinema one reel at a time. This week, we’re diving headfirst into the eerie shimmer of Annihilation, the 2018 sci-fi thriller directed and written by Alex Garland, adapted from the novel by Jeff VanderMeer. Annihilation follows Lena, a biologist and former soldier played by Natalie Portman, who joins a team of scientists on a dangero...

This week on Wheel of Film , we're slicing into Little Italy —the 2018 romantic comedy directed by Donald Petrie, best known for How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days . Written by Steve Galluccio and Vinay Virmani, this film serves up a cheesy blend of love, rivalry, and family dysfunction. Set in Toronto’s Little Italy neighborhood, the story follows Nikki and Leo—played by Emma Roberts and Hayden Ch...

Welcome back to Wheel of Film—where the reels spin and the deep dives begin. This week, we’re taking on Snatch —Guy Ritchie’s slick, rapid-fire 2000 crime comedy. Written and directed by Ritchie himself, Snatch features an ensemble cast led by Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro, and Vinnie Jones. The plot? A diamond heist gone sideways, an underground boxing ring, and a whole lot of accent...

Welcome back to Wheel of Film , the podcast where we spin, land, and dive deep into cinema’s most compelling stories. This week’s pick: Do the Right Thing — Spike Lee’s explosive 1989 drama that unpacks race, heat, and humanity on one block in Brooklyn. Written, directed, and produced by Lee himself, the film stars Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez, and Lee as th...

Welcome back to WHEEL OF FILM! Today, we’re easing on down the road with The Wiz , the 1978 musical fantasy film that reimagined The Wizard of Oz through a dazzling, soulful lens. Music brought to you by Dixon Hill Beats

“If you ain’t first, you’re last”—today, we’re throwing it into high gear with the 2006 comedy classic Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby . Music brought to you by Dixon Hill Beats

Welcome back to WHEEL OF FILM!  Today, we're spotlighting "Challengers," a 2024 romantic sports drama directed by Luca Guadagnino and penned by Justin Kuritzkes. The film stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach, who transforms her husband, played by Mike Faist, into a champion. Their lives take a complex turn when he faces off against his former best frie...

Welcome back to another episode of WHEEL OF FILM! This week the wheel's landed us in the grimy underbelly of late-90s Boston, with the cult classic: The Boondock Saints . Music brought to you by Dixon Hill Beats