Why This Movie?

We're back! In our Season 2 premiere, I'm taking a deep dive into the spiritual and meditative nature of Cast Away (2000) starring Tom Hanks.

How do we stay optimistic when it seems like civilization is collapsing around us? The environment presented to us in The American President - of a Washington, DC in which smart people argue with each other in order to solve the country's problems - may hold the key. My guest Jonathan Paula talks with me about his love for this movie and why he is "a hopeless optimist."

Comic and television personality Abbi Crutchfield joins me to talk about the zany, deadly, and hilarious So I Married an Axe Murderer! You can find Abbi at @curlycomedy on Instagram, X, and YouTube.

Beloved television character Lizzie McGuire finds herself in Rome, and we are all going along for the ride! In this conversation, hear what Lizzie has to teach us about relatability, self-expression, and what dreams are made of (Hey Now, Hey Now).

A Christmas movie in June?! What the actual frost...? Don't worry, we haven't completely lost our minds - Elf is the movie my guest (Tiffany Stafford) wanted to talk about, and guests rule the roost in the Why This Movie? Podcast Studio. Listen to our conversation about the role holiday movies play in grounding us and setting annual markers in our lives, and the hidden nuances within the story of Buddy the Elf.

In this conversation about Forrest Gump, Trent Ashcraft and I mourn the loss of the monoculture and the time when a character-driven movie could become a cultural phenomenon without being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"The Dude abides..." What does that mean? And how do we - throughout life's hurdles (even when our rugs are micturated upon) - continue to abide? The Big Lebowski presents a philosophy of relaxed indifference and a focus on life's little pleasures that we may do well to embrace. In this conversation with Matthew Rand, we uncover the Dude's outlook and what we can glean from it as we trudge through our troubled world.

In this episode of Why This Movie?, listen to my conversation with my ex-wife about Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese's epic from 1990 about the reality of life in the mob.

What is it about the horror genre that lends itself to deeper meaning and morality tales? Join filmmaker Stefan MacDonald-LaBelle and me for this conversation on the 1981 horror classic Scanners and how film is sometimes the best messenger for complex social issues.

Is there a hidden philosophy to Steve Martin's first movie? Or is it simply foolishness? See where Joe Reeves and I land in this conversation about his favorite film, 1979's The Jerk.

"His whole life was a million to one shot..." In this episode of WTM?, I'm speaking with my old pal and standup comedian Luke Thayer about his favorite movie - Rocky. We tackle talent, luck, and what it means to go the distance.

FIlmmaker and actor Nicole Matarese joins Why This Movie? to talk about her favorite movie, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me - a comedy from 1992 that you've probably never heard of. Listen to our conversation about Adrienne Shelly, underrated sequels, and why this movie reaches "a new high in low comedy."

After a brief hiatus, Why This Movie? is back! We welcome our first return guest, Candice Fanning, here to talk about 1959's Some Like It Hot. In this conversation, we cover VHS, Tony Curtis's Mid-Atlantic (or is it British?) accent, and how Marilyn Monroe remains one of the great misunderstood figures in popular culture.

In 1985, Universal released a time travel comedy called Back to the Future. Produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Robert Zemeckis, this film sees Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) accidentally wind up in his hometown thirty years in the past.Before helping his friend Dr. Emmett Brown with an experiment that sends him back in time, Marty lives a life that isn’t exactly inspired. Besides the bright spot of his girlfriend, his dad’s a loser, his mom has let herself go, and he has no reason to believe in himself.Once Marty lands in 1955 and gets in the way of fate by inadvertently interrupting the first time his parents meet, he has to make sure they meet and fall in love before he heads back to the future. Or else he will cease to exist and there will be no future.

Carpe diem.

On the occasion of Valentine's Day, we dive into 2017's romantic, devastating, and unforgettable Call Me By Your Name. We talk about Italy, the 1980s, the chemistry between Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer, and how sad movies are a safe place to process one's feelings.

It's been less than two years since Paul Reubens passed away, taking the indelible character of Pee-Wee Herman with him. In this conversation, we talk about the last movie Reubens made as Pee-Wee Herman and how this character has something to say about being oneself in a sometimes scary world.

Celebrate Groundhog Day with this conversation on Groundhog Day (1993). In this episode, we look at the deeper meaning behind what has been hailed by religious leaders as "the most spiritual film of all time."

Guest and fellow filmmaker Justin van Voorhis defends and celebrates Batman Forever, explaining its unique role in dealing with grief in his personal history.

In 1993, the landscape of filmmaking and visual effects changed forever with the release of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park. My guest Matthew Rand was 8 years old at the time, which made him part of the movie's target audience. Hear about the time his grandmother took him to see it in a now defunct shopping mall, and how even an enormous blockbuster like Jurassic Park can have a lasting personal resonance with an audience member.