Just because a movie is set at Christmas doesn’t mean it is a “Christmas Movie.” So sayeth us. We drop some hot takes on all the holiday entertainment marketed to us every year as being very Christmas-y… and we say NOPE. Or at least we are confused as to why they are considered part of this Season of Joy. The rules are pretty arbitrary here, but the bottom line is - if it has Santa Claus in it that doesn’t give it a free pass. You gotta earn that Xmas Cheer, yo. Also, Die Hard is still not a Xmas movie. 0:00 - Intros 5:00 - Landman (Paramount) 9:25 - House (series) 13:15 - It’s Florida, Man (Max) 15:40 - The Umbrella Academy (Netflix, final season) SPOILERS 19:40 - Cyndi Lauper live 25:35 - Le Tigre 27:15 - Plum Tree 30:05 - Holly Jolly WTF?
Imagine a heartfelt, warm, comforting movie about Christmas. Get that idea locked in your head. Now, imagine that same movie, but all of the parts are played by cadavers - and half of those corpses are that of Tom Hanks. If that’s difficult for you to bend your mind around, have no fear, Robert Zemeckis has done all the work for you in Polar Express, our feature of the week! 0:00 - Intros 6:15 - Planes Trains and Automobiles (1987) 13:35 - Anthony Vincent 18:00 - Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) 27:30 - Brats (2024) 29:30 - Yacht Rock Documentary (Max, 2024) 38:20 - The Polar Express (2004) Check out Ten Second Songs on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm6r_b2K5jn1JGkwDcwJXrQ
This week, we’re diving headfirst into the icy wilderness with Hundreds of Beavers, the latest indie film that’s equal parts surreal slapstick, silent-era homage, and weird woodland fever dream. This black-and-white oddity defies explanation—so naturally, we spend a half-hour or so trying to explain it anyway. 0:00 - Intros 5:25 - The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979) 13:10 - Eric’s Dune Rabbit Hole: Dune (2021), Dune: Part Two (2024), Heretics of Dune, Chapterhouse: Dune (Frank Herbert), Hunters of Dune (Brian Herbert) 19:25 - Hysteria! (Peacock) 23:45 - Disco Show 26:45 - Sting and Billy Joel live 33:55 - Shell Game (podcast) 41:00 - Hundreds of Beavers (2024)
It’s all neon gloss and kinetic pacing in this peak 80s early outing from writer/direct Luc Besson (Fifth Element)! And it is French! We get a pre-Highlander Christopher Lambert as a lost soul on the run from both the cops and the mob, hiding out in the Paris subway tunnels among a community of social outcasts and petty thieves. There is not much more to it than that. But again, it looks terrific, which is all we really expected anyway from Monsieur Besson. 0:00 - Intros 5:50 - Rivals (Hulu) 13:00 - Amelie (2001) 18:40 - Jeff Lynne’s ELO 27:40 - The Penguin (Max) 34:20 - Whatever Bond movie is on 40:40 - Subway (1985)
The first in what might be an occasional series on films that deliberately scarred children - and we love them for it! Join us as we explore the dark fantasy classic Coraline (2009). We discuss how its unsettling visuals, eerie storytelling, and masterful animation left an indelible mark on young audiences, and why none of that worked on Chris or Eric who are old and dead inside and hadn't seen it before. 0:00 - Intros 7:25 - What We Do In The Shadows 9:30 - Addams Family Channel and Munsters Channel (Pluto TV) 17:30 - Joywave 19:30 - Funny Girl (touring) 25:35 - Coraline (2009)
Doctor Sleep is the sequel to the Stephen King horror classic, The Shining, and is one of the better King movie adaptations that you probably heard was crap and so you didn’t see it. The truth is, it’s pretty darned good - if you watch the right version (ie, the theatrical cut or Mike Flanagan’s director’s cut). This is a rare occasion where the director’s cut is actually worth it, and not just a chance to see boobs. But it also exists within the very long shadow cast by Stanley Kubrick’s original masterpiece, which Stephen King hates. It is a complicated situation, is what we are saying. But watch Doctor Sleep and you will be rewarded, we promise. 0:00 - Intros 10:45 - Billy Bragg (live) 20:25 - Midge Ure 22:30 - Stevie Nicks - The Lighthouse 26:00 - Ted Danson 30:50 - Cruel World 2025 lineup 35:00 - Doctor Sleep (SPOILER Discussion)
Likely your parents told you to never pick up hitchhikers. But did C. Thomas Howell follow that advice back in 1986? Of course not! He stopped for Rutger Hauer on an empty desert highway in West Texas, and let’s just say he learned his lesson but good. It’s a B-movie grindhouse game of cat-and-mouse that has managed to gain a cult following over the years, but one that probably wouldn’t work as well in 2024, what with all our newfangled phone technology and freeways and such. Bottom line, they don’t make ‘em like this anymore…or do they? 0:00 - Intros 8:10 - Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix) 15:40 - I Feel Love cover by Colin Benders & Cato van Dijck (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9S2iDh1je4) 18:00 - Solar Opposites (Hulu) 22:15 - Love Death and Robots (Netflix) 23:45 - Hacks (season 1) (Max) 29:20 - Kite Man, Hell Yeah! (Max) 35:05 - The Hitcher (1986)
Another Stephen King adaptation? In a word - yes. Full of vampire lore and 70s fashion, “‘Salem’s Lot” is actually a slightly better than average Stephen King adaptation. Want proof? Listen to the episode! 0:00 - Intros 7:30 - Megalopolis (2024) 18:50 - Surely You Can’t Be Serious (Book) 22:15 - Civil War (2024) 29:38 - Minnie Riperton - Come Into My Garden 31:15 - Salem’s Lot (2024) - SPOILER DISCUSSION
This week, we take a look at the 1991 thriller “Silence of the Lambs.” Aside from having some of the best performances, writing, directing and catering, this Jonathan Demme classic is one of the most eminently quotable films of all time. Look at that - for once we discuss a film that’s good? Are we evolving? We also talk about other pop culture stuff, because that’s how we roll. 0:00 - Intros and the 2024 Election 13:00 - The Decameron (Netflix) 17:45 - The Renaissance Unchained (Amazon) 20:25 - How the States Got Their Shapes 25:00 - Peter Hook & The Light 30:00 - Green Day Saviors Tour 42:50 - The Devotees 43:37 - The Silence of the Lambs For more on Waldemar Januszczak go to https://waldemar.tv/
There is no better way to enjoy all the fun of an election year than by watching a political satire mockumentary film from 1992 called Bob Roberts. Written by, directed by, and starring a young Tim Robbins, this one swings for the fences to skewer American political dysfunction. The film follows a rich, white businessman with no moral compass who is running for the Senate, a man who uses the extreme right wing demagogue playbook to steamroll his way into the hearts and minds of a feeble-minded electorate eager to go back to family values, no drugs, and no freeloaders… or something. Plus, he sings some bouncy folk music about how the leftists are destroying our country. Was Bob Roberts a scarily prescient film? Or have we always been stuck in this doom loop? You be the judge. Watch the full movie here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iZbT_izZ20 Some More News explaining why right wing comedy isn’t very good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSXKzPOcYDU&pp=ygUgc29tZSBtb3JlIG5ld3MgcmlnaHQgd2luZyBjb21lZHk%3D And here’s the movie “Feed”! We found it!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjd-A2HNnNw 0:00 - Intros 6:45 - Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War (Netflix) 10:40 - Watching YouTube without ads (PC + VPN + AdBlock Pro) 15:45 - Bands that have Songs named after them on Albums named after them: Talk Talk, Big Country, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Bad Company, Tin Machine, Living In A Box, Bo Diddley, Porno for Pyros, New Kids On The Block, Icehouse, Meat Puppets, Dog Police 24:49 - Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) 38:30 - Mrs. Doubtfire (Broadway touring company) 49:00 - Bob Roberts
Gattaca (1997) is one of those BIG IDEA sci-fi movies that is more interested in making you go hmmmm than it is in much else. So if you are into glacially-paced cautionary tales about the societal dangers of genetically engineering humans as the only way to achieve success in life, then this is the movie for you! Plus, it has identity theft! And a murder mystery! And a vaguely familiar retro-futuro design that has been used in countless other, better cautionary sci-fi movies about BIG IDEAS! With Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law! We have seen the future (again), and it is Gattaca. 0:00 - Intros 4:30 - David Bowie’s first albums 10:10 - Steve Miller Band (live) 17:00 - Journey and Def Leppard (live) 21:15 - John Wick (1, 2 and 3) 27:30 - Jack Ryan (Amazon/Freevee) 37:25 - Gattaca
It’s genre fiction at its most capitalistic! Join us as we discuss the history of Star Trek, Part 2 - the latter half where, like Marvel and Star Wars and Indiana Jones and anything else that was ever geek culture blockbuster fodder, the suits ruined everything. Will we finally get Chris to become a fan of Star Trek? Will Alex Kurtzman learn to create a coherent story? Will we ever learn how to not talk all over each other? And why is the answer to all of these questions, “no?” Find out this week! 0:00 - Intros 6:30 - The Rocketman Show (Rus Anderson) 13:00 - Atlians (Outkast) 18:30 - Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Zulu (1964) 23:30 - Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam (Netflix, 2024) 29:00 - Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 (2024) 36:00 - Star Trek for Noobs Beyond! 39:05 - Enterprise 49:30 - JJ Abrams Star Trek (2009) 52:50 - Star Trek Into Darkness (2011) 57:10 - Star Trek Discovery (2017) 1:01:40 - Lower Decks (2020) 1:03:34 - Prodigy (2021) 1:04:45 - Strange New Worlds (2022) Here's our minimal list of Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes you should watch Encounter at Farpoint (Season 1, episodes 1 & 2) The Measure of A Man (Season 2, episode 9) Q Who (Season 2, episode 16) The Defector (Season 3, episode 10) Yesterday’s Enterprise (Season 3, episode 15) The Offspring (Season 3, episode 16) The Best of Both Worlds, parts 1 and 2 (Season 3, episode 26 & Season 4, episode 1) Family (Season 4, episode 2) The Drumhead (Season 4, episode 21) Darmok (Season 5, episode 2) Ensign Ro (Season 5, episode 3) Conundrum (Season 5, episode 14) The Inner Light (Season 5, episode 25) Time’s Arrow (Seasons 5 & 6, episodes 26 & 1) Chain of Command, Parts 1 & 2 (Season 6, episodes 10 & 11) The Chase (Season 6, episode 20) All Good Things… (Season 7, episodes 25 & 26)
Curious about Star Trek, but don’t know where to start? Have we got a show for you! Because while all of us here at MagHuge know the Original Series stuff, some of us (cough… Chris… cough) never really got into anything else Trek in the last 37 years. So there are many questions for noobs who are maybe Trek-curious, but need some wizened guidance on where to begin in this vast, complicated universe of TV shows and movies…. which hardcore Star Trek fans are apparently only too happy to talk about. So sit back and enjoy our irreverent, warp speed overview of as much Trek as we could fit into this Part 1 discussion to try and make Star Trek happen. Again. And remember, the first taste is always free. 0:00 - Intros 4:00 - Childhood’s End (Clarke, 1953) 6:30 - American Gods (Gaiman, 2001) 15:00 - The Stars My Destination (Bester, 1956) 17:40 - Rapture-Palooza (2013) 23:00 - UB40 26:40 - Bowfinger (1999) 32:30 - Star Trek for Beginners 37:00 - The Original Series vs Star Wars 40:30 - Star Trek: The Next Generation 59:20 - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 1:13:00 - Star Trek: Voyager and Enterprise
This week we discuss one of the greatest films ever made - apparently. It’s not entirely clear why The French Connection is considered one of the greatest movies ever made, but then all we did was watch it. Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider star in the filthiest depiction of filthy early-1970s New York City, with the famous car chase that will make you say, “meh.” But it’s us talking about it, so we make it all much more entertaining! Here’s a link to the Patrick (H) Willems video about car chases and Grand Prix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPnTm8C_OfY 0:00 - Intros 4:50 - Conan O’Brien needs a Friend / Beastie Boys 14:30 - Wicked Little Letters (2023) 18:30 - Borderlands (2024) 24:05 - The Serpent Queen (Starz, 2022) 29:40 - The French Connection (1971)
Hey edgelordz! If U think Crank isn’t the shiznit then ur dum. Quit dl that boy band trash from Napster and get with the kewl kidz. It’s like GTA but it’s a movie, yo! It’s L337! 0:00 - Intros 4:15 - Mythic Quest 5:00 - From 5:22 - Lolita (book) 7:25 - Deadpool & Wolverine 9:15 - Beverly Hills Cop and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F 24:00 - Crank and Crank: High Voltage
SNL movies were the entertainment vehicle we didn’t know we wanted, and then we found out why. The 90s were the heyday for movies based on popular characters from the sketch comedy juggernaut Saturday Night Live, so let’s talk about that. It’s the podcast episode you didn’t know you wanted, and then… are we repeating the joke here? Sorry, getting into the SNL mood. It’s a theme. The theme you didn’t know you wanted… 0:00 - Intros 3:10 - The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live 7:50 - Totally Tubular Festival 12:40 - Thelma (2024) 19:20 - Rock Hudson / Doris Day 29:15 - Saturday Night Live movies
Ever see a movie for the first time and feel like you’ve seen it all before? Well that is Doomsday, kids, the 2008 magnum opus of future-dystopia action-adventure from writer/director Neill Marshall (Dog Soldiers, Hellboy 2019). It is allegedly an homage to much better classic genre fare, but really what you get is a lazy story that lifts whole tropes & scenes & characters from those better classic genre flicks in a very obvious and tedious manner. From 28 Days Later to Escape From New York to Mad Max to Aliens and beyond, Doomsday is a kitchen-sink movie that isn’t so much concerned with reinventing the wheel as it is with reminding us all what was so great about the stuff it is stealing from. With more cannibalism and explosions! 3:12 - Kamala Harris flips the script 24:55 - Avengers: Doomsday 27:15 - Doomsday (2008)
In 1981, the creators of the uber midnight-movie classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show decided to press their luck and attempted to bottle lightning one more time…in a musical non-sequel sequel called Shock Treatment. Brad & Janet return in this messy media satire about reality television and our corporate overlords that was about 20 years ahead of its time…but arriving about 5 years too late. With no really memorable numbers ala Time Warp to speak of, what’s left is a shallow spiritual sequel to Rocky Horror that is utterly devoid of that predecessor’s weird glam-rock, gender-fluid charm. It looks great, but there ain’t much underneath, which makes it about as 1980’s as it gets. Yea verily. 0:00 - Intros 4:05 - Late Night With The Devil 5:05 - Interview With The Vampire (AMC) 11:10 - The Boys (Season 4) 13:15 - Jane Weidlin (live) 15:35 - How Music Got Free (1622 napster bad) 21:40 - Ren Faire (Max) 25:40 - The Green Planet 33:20 - Shock Treatment
The Last Starfighter is one of the most fun, mostly forgotten unsung heroes from the stacked roster of summer movies in 1984. A kid who dreams of escaping his dead-end life in a trailer park gets the high score on a video game, which ends up being a recruitment test for a fight against tyranny in a galaxy far, far away. Derivative? Yes. Dated effects? Sure. But fun? Most definitely! With (at the time) burgeoning state-of-the-art CGI, plus a breezy runtime and relatable characters, The Last Starfighter still wasn’t a huge hit - which is a shame. But it found new life on cable TV and at the video store well into the early 90s, until it just kinda disappeared into cult-filmdom. And now that it has turned 40, it is the perfect time to revisit one of our favorites and see if it still holds up. 0:00 - Intros 6:10 - Godzilla Minus One (2023) 15:20 - Superstar: Dare To Dream (1999) 21:10 - Peter Pan (touring) 24:50 - Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. (HBO / Hulu) 34:40 - The Last Fighter (1984)
This round we take aim at movie genres that have run their course. They make for cliche, uninteresting slop, where the preview tells you everything you need to know about what’s going to happen: This person will get laid, that person will get killed, that other person will overcome their whatever. Why? Because that’s how things work in this collection of tired movie genres that must end… or at least take a nice long break. 2:45 - 34 Felony Convictions 8:15 - Matt Rife vs Nikki Glaser 14:45 - Doctor Who 24:10 - Ghostbusters Frozen Empire 30:25 - Game of Thrones 41:15 - Genres that need to go away