Back to the Balcony

Predator is like catnip to guys - it drives them crazy. Jimmy and Phil host Nik Duncan and surprise guest Ryan Sim to talk about the Sylvester Stallone macho-fest Predator and it turns into three guys wild about the movie while Jimmy rolls his eyes. There must be something to it because the podcast has never seen such enthusiasm. Lots of fun - mostly at Jimmy's expense.

Chris Jarvie and Mario Bernardi return to talk about the sequel to The Thin Man. After finding the original better than they expected, Jimmy pushed them to check out the sequel. Did they like it? Well, some real surprises on that front. It might just convince you to check out an old movie for yourself.

Our second special Christmas episode takes a look at The Muppet Christmas Carol with guests Chris Jarvie and Christine Kinahan. How does it compare to the classic 1951 version? And is a comparison even fair? Has it enhanced the original or just cashed in with Disneylike touches that blow up what Dickens was trying to say? Or is it just a light piece of fluff we all need at Christmas? A fun listen - especially about the song and the scene they left out.

Alistair Sim is easily the greatest Scrooge of all time in 1951's "A Christmas Carol" - or "Scrooge", as it's known in the UK. It's a movie that didn't have much success when released in North America but has gone on to become a beloved Christmas classic. Or is beloved to strong a word? Guest Ryan Sim doesn't think so - but then again he's related to Alistair Sim. It's a magical Christmas episode that's both funny and touching. Give it a listen.

Guest Bret Measor wanted to talk about the remake of True Grit, not the original with John Wayne. Jimmy said no so Bret watched the original and blew both his socks off. The result is a fun romp as Bret finds himself starry eyed over one of the great icons of western movies. If it's a trifle long it's because he just had so much he wanted to talk about and we couldn't shut him up. The result is a review full of passion and excitement - and lots and lots of laughs.

Mario Bernardi revisits his youth with the movie Diner, in some ways the life of every boy wrestling with adulthood and in some ways in a world all its own. Did it hold up with Mario, the man who notoriously doesn't like to revisit old movies? And Jimmy, the host who rarely finds something to love in a movie like this? Either way, it's a fascinating look at big stars who hadn't yet crossed that threshold yet.

They don't actually meet Frankenstein but they do meet a bevy of Universal's iconic creatures in this movie that's both funny and even a little chilling. Larry Smith takes us bacik to a different time when Abbott and Costello were the comedy kings of a generation and the way it works for a comedy team. Larry has a record of outstanding podcasts.

Chris Wuergler goes romantic - or is it action oriented? With Chris it's hard to tell. And so is the The Mask of Zorro - just one of the countless retellings of a story that's over a hundred years old that Jimmy insists can't decide what it wants to be. Despite its flaws its kinda fun, as is this podcast with guest engineer, Kristian Reimer.

It's hard to see Chris Wuergler as an action movie afficianato but she's brought us more action movies than anyone else. Trouble is, now she's brought us The Rock, a slam-bam action movie that makes no sense at all - at least according to Jim. Guest engineer Kristian Reimer tries to keep things on an even keel in this episode that's just about as crazy as the movie.

The movie Chris Jarvie has been begging us to talk about. Is it the gem Chris remembers or is he just all caught up in the car racing thing? A little of both maybe but Jimmy and guest engineer Ryan Sim are intrigued by his stories of the race car exerpience. Not just a good movie review but a fascinating look into racing car culture.

Ryan Sim joins Jimmy England to talk about the movie they think the other should watch. For Ryan Sim it's One Hour Photo with Robin Williams in a role that turns his comic persona on its head with a character who's both creepy and sympathetic.Jimmy makes the case for 1956's The Solid Gold Cadillac with Judy Holiday cutting s swath through 1950's big business and advertising that still resonates today. Will they agree or disagree they're both worth watching?

Personal favourite Bob Kerr returns to extoll the virtues of 1988's remake of The Blob. It was a time of either great creativity moving towards a new way of story telling or sanitized dreck. Take a guess where Jimmy stands on this. A totally fun episode and possibly the only good thing to come out of this movie.

Mario Bernardi saw it when it first came out - but will he still love it thirty-five years later when anything he had in common with it is long gone? And then there's the question of how much sensitive Robin Williams is enough? An episode of surprising depth.

A classic movie gets a surprising reaction from two people who aren't really into classic movies. Join guests Mario Bernardi and Chris Jarvie in an exploration of a movie that still influences movies and tv shows today and spawned four sequels that are still regarded as some of the best of their type ever. A lot of people have never seen any of them but after listening to this episode you may find yourself tempted to see what all the fuss is about - if you can even find them. A really fun and illuminating episdoe.

Again we bend the rules for Chris Wuergler to talk about 2001's A Knight's Tale. She has a professed interest in bad boys on motorcycles, does this mean that's how she sees knights on horseback? Some interesting performances in the movie, some great observations and another rollicking podcast from Chris, Jimmy and Phil. Also the kick-off episode to season 10 of Back to the Balcony - although, Jimmy forgets to acknowledge it.

Another podcast with just Phil and Jimmy sharing movies they think the other should watch. Phil's gung-ho on Saving Private Ryan for its gritty truth about war and the sacrifices. Jimmy's choice of Mr. Roberts hilights the reality of how war's waged and how its importance isn't always appreciated. Interesting observation about Jimmy's movies from Phil in this episode.

Jimmy says it's a movie within a movie but Chris Wuergler (aided and abetted by engineer Phil), says Cast Away is a full on love story. But no matter what the opinion everyone agrees it's another Tom Hanks landmark performance - although there are some concerns.

Manolis Zontanos extolls the virtues of Fast Times as a cautionary tale for teenagers. It's an interesting idea but is that what you thought when you saw it or did you see a cesspool of sex and bad decisions? Guess where Jimmy comes down on this argument. We're listing this as clean (no swearing) but there is some mature subject matter.

Despite the kind of crappy craftsmanship and plotting that separates the movie Charley Varrick from the films of Ed Woods by just a hair (okay, that may be hyperbole but this is a bad movie), comedian Greg Dobrowski finds it hilariously entertaining. Jimmy, not so much - and to add insult to injury, Jimmy rented it when it was available for free on YouTube. No wonder he hated this movie.

While Jimmy can't deny Alien's popularity - it made big bucks and spawned a slew of follow-ups of somethimes great, sometimes dubious quailtiy - it still strikes him as clumsy and eye-rollingly dumb. Comedian Ryan Sim begs to differ and does so with a spirited defense. Can he win Jimmy over? Listen to find out.