The Usual Suspects (1995) - Brains on the wall

In honor of the director's Best Picture nomination and Brian's curiosity about the filmmaker, Dan and Brian consider the surreal and dark comedy-drama The Lobster by Yorgos Lanthimos. Join as they discuss St. Patrick's Day, the Oscars, menacing names, vibes-based filmmaking, expectations about on-screen transformation effects, the pros and cons of big storytelling swings, and tantalizing ambiguity. They end with an uncommonly big gap in their Is It Good? evaluation. Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/ Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Dan and Brian wrap Musical Decades Month with a look at a movie from the '80s and the '90s -- the start and the end of the Disney Renaissance. Join as they discuss the history and significance of Disney's rebound in the late '80s, the surprising role of Steven Spielberg, CAPS, the tight script of The Little Mermaid, the different coming-of-age readings of the 1989 film, the different approach to music in Tarzan, Deep Canvas, the adult themes of the 1999 film, and what comes next for the podcast. Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/ Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Dan and Brian continue Musical Decades Month with a look at two musicals written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Join as they discuss the influential and divisive career of Webber, his style and cinematic approach to stage production, and his legacy. Then, they discuss their own relationships with Phantom of the Opera, its contradictory view of romance, its high and low points as a story, and whether we'd want to live in a subterranean cave. Lastly, they give themselves a headache trying to make head or tail of the upsetting nonsense of the much-maligned Cats from 2019; Dan explains his philosophy on pets while Brian reveals a formative Cats-related moment in his life. Jellicle podcast episode for Jellicle movies. Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/ Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Dan and Brian continue Musical Decades Month and also honor Black History Month by looking at two films depicting the Black experience with Black casts: the groundbreaking Faustian musical Cabin in the Sky from 1943 and the bold musical take on The Color Purple from 2023. Join as Dan and Brian discuss the ways they consider representation when watching movies, the charming casts and productions of each film, Louis Armstrong, hair horns, the complicated history of The Color Purple, what kind of stories should be made into musicals, and the self-cannibalizing IP-to-musical pipleine. Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/ Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Dan and Brian continue their Musical Decades theme month with a look at two Disney live action-animation hybrid films, the beloved Julie Andrews-starring Oscar winner and its less heralded (but adored-by-Brian) follow up. Join as they discuss Walt Disney's later career and his obsession with Disney Land, the film's multifaceted look at living your life with a "spoonful of sugar," Dick Van Dyke and his cockney accent, Mary Poppins' unexpected protagonist and peculiar structure, the curious choice of setting a whimsical family musical during World War 2, the traits of a '60s and '70s musicals depicted in the pair, and, of course, the battle of Nazis vs. animated suits of armor. Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/ Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Dan and Brian invite film critic and musical cinema lover Hunter Allen from Kinemalogue to join as they kick off a new theme month: Musical Decades Month, where they plan to discuss 100 years of musicals in five weeks. To kick things off with the 1930s and 1950s, they discuss two strands of early musical technique: the Busby Berkley style of geometric chorus numbers pioneered in 42nd Street versus the Fred Astaire style of integrated character tunes brought to its apex in (the Astaire-less) An American in Paris. Join as they discuss the very early history of musicals, the back-loaded structure of each film, pre-Code sexual frankness, Hitler's painting style, problematic relationships, bravura musical production, the Freed Unit, soundstage Paris, and Gene Kelly's directorial career. Hunter's reviews on Kinemalogue: https://www.kinemalogue.net/ Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/ Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

To celebrate Brian's birthday, he and Dan invite Brian's brother Andrew to join the podcast and discuss the 2001 animated film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. Join as they ponder the ravages of age, the podcast's history of birthday episodes, their most-watched movies, the various influences informing the film, its overabundance of chicken jokes, its unusual format of serving as a TV show pilot, why Brian loves Jimmy's dad, and many unrelated topics in this rather "chopped" episode. Cake and candes, my brother. Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/ Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Dan and Brian count down their top 10 movie endings, with the proviso that 5 of them must be movies they've discussed on The Goods and 5 of them must be movies they have not discussed previously. Join this joyous (spoilery) celebration of our favorite finales in cinema. Also check out Part 1 of this discussion, a review of The Usual Suspects. Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/ Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Dan and Brian discuss The Usual Suspects, that famous purveyor of narrative misdirection. Join as they debate the extent to which the film's famous ending revelations enhance everything leading up to it, the tarnished legacy of some of the talent behind the film, the tug-of-war between heist procedure and noir murkiness, and which Oscars the film deserved. Check back in soon for Part 2 of this episode, when they countdown their Top 10 Movie Endings. Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/ Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Dan and Brian are joined by Stephanie Bendoraitis to discuss the delightful fantasy comedy The Princess Bride. Join as they discuss Rob Reiner's remarkable life and tragic death, William Goldman's distinctive personality, the film's nostalgic pull, the outstanding and immersive production, the bifurcated structure, the perfect casting, the quotable script, and the powerful theme of passing down stories to the next generation. Thanks, Stephanie, for stopping by... as we wished! You can find Stephanie various places online, including Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephanie_bendoraitis Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/ Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/