The Movie Breakdown

It is the final traditional The Movie Breakdown episode before we march our way into our annual year-end specials. We wrap it up with four movie reviews including a picture we've been anticipating all year in David Fincher's tale about the screenwriter of Citizen Kane in the ambitious drama Mank. We also have another based on true events drama in the Josh Trank comeback movie starring Tom Hardy in Capone. We have some real-life drama in the documentary about a two-decade battle to free a man who was convicted for 60 years for an armed robbery in Time. If you ask my kids, then this family fantasy adventure is true too in Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn playing the famous Claus couple trying to save Christmas in Christmas Chronicles 2. We also weigh-in on the recent controversy surrounding if The Crown needs a fiction disclaimer. We had a blast recording this week's show and we really hope you love it too. If you do, then please do us a huge favour by spreading the word to other movie fans on social media. Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox, Amazon Music and Apple Podcast. The Movies' Four-Star RatingChristmas Chronicles 2 **½ (CS & SM)Mank ***½ (CS & SM) Time ***½ (CS & SM) Capone* (CS) & *½ (SM)

It is a wild episode of The Movie Breakdown podcast with some very different movies getting reviewed this week. We go all the way back to the 1970s to review two exploitation movies in Wes Craven's controversial feature debut in The Last House on the Left and the very influential vigilante picture, Death Wish. We cheer things up with a fantasy holiday musical in Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. Then we review a 2020 picture that is set in the 1970s exploring a closeted gay man and his family in Uncle Frank. Finally, we wrap-up the episode with a look at Warner Brothers revealing all their 2021 pictures will be released on HBO Max and we discuss what will be the long-term ramifications of this move. As always, we had a great time recording this episode and we really hope you love it too. If you do, please do us a huge favour of sharing us on social media, so other movie fans can discover us.  Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox, Amazon Music and Apple Podcast. The Movies' Four-Star RatingThe Last House on the Left *** (CS & SM)Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey *** (CS) & ***½ (SM) Death Wish * (CS & SM) Uncle Frank *** (CS) & ***½ (SM)

The latest episode of The Movie Breakdown is saying good-bye to November in the form of four movie reviews. We have three Netflix originals for you, and at least one of them we consider a best of the year contender. We have Ron Howard's latest picture in the adaptation of a best-selling book in Hillbilly Elegy. We also have a gothic romance that is both an adaptation of a best-seller and a remake of a Best Picture winner in Rebecca. The final original is the directorial debut of Radha Blank in a feature that she also wrote, produced and stars in The 40-Year-Old Version. Then we review a movie held up as a comedy classic and a sequel to a picture we discussed last week in the Peter Sellers starring A Shot in the Dark. After all that, we look at the movie Freaky and we point out key aspects of it that studios should learn for future movies. As always, we had a great time recording the episode. We really hope you love it too, and if you do, then please spread the word on social media to other movie fans. Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox, Amazon Music and Apple Podcast. The Movies' Four-Star RatingThe 40-Year-Old Version **** (CS & SM)Hillbilly Elegy * (CS) & ** (SM) Rebecca ** (CS) & *½ (SM) A Shot in the Dark ***½ (CS & SM)

This week we've got four piping hot movie reviews for you. We're reviewing a sequel that took almost three decades to get here in the time travelling comedy. Bill and Ted Face the Music. Then it is the movie that kicked off a series that launched an iconic comedic character in The Pink Panther. There is also a sweeping animated adventure that explore some mythology behind a popular Chinese holiday in Over the Moon. Then we top it off with a horror thriller called Evil Eye. After that we look at some of the major events that will continue to change how movies are released. As always, we had a blast recording the episode, and we really hope you love it too. If you do, please help us out by spreading the word on social media so other movie fans can discover us. Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox, Amazon Music and Apple Podcast. The Movies' Four-Star RatingBill and Ted Face the Music **½ (CS) & *** (SM)Over the Moon **½ (CS & SM) The Pink Panther ***½ (CS & SM) Evil Eye * (CS & SM)

For the first time in awhile, we are reviewing all 2020 releases and two of them came straight from the theatre. Friday the 13th just passed and so we appropriately have ourselves a slasher film, but it is directed by Christopher Landon, so it mixes itself with a comedy subgenre with this time being the body swap in Freaky. We have another mash up with a family drama mixed with bloody western in the Kevin Costner and Diane Lane starring Let Him Go. You can't review modern movies without a sequel getting thrown in there, so this time we have Sacha Baron Cohen's follow-up to a huge hit in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Speaking of pictures common in modern times, we also review a comic book action movie in the Vin Diesel starring Bloodshot. After all that, we look at some events over the last few weeks that point to the movie theatres still being very important to movie studios even if they aren't open in many areas. As always, we had a terrific time recording this week's episode and we really hope you love it. If you do, please help us out by spreading the word on social media, so other movie buffs can find us.Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox, Amazon Music and Apple Podcast. The Movies' Four-Star RatingFreaky ***½ (CS)Borat Subsequent Moviefilm *** (CS) & ***½ (SM) Let Him Go ***½ (CS) Bloodshot * (CS & SM)

  This week it is The Breakdown of Sean Connery as we review five movies starring this Hollywood icon. We look at the movie that earned him an Academy Award in the gangster drama directed by Brian DePalma, The Untouchables. We also have Connery as a crook in the ambitious heist picture The Great Train Robbery. Speaking of crimes, he is a suspect in the murder mystery film, Murder on the Orient Express. We look at a sweeping fantasy adventure where Connery plays an immortal Spanish Egyptian in Highlander. Connery also plays noble and just as King Arthur in First Knight. You can also check out my tribute to Connery's career with my write-up on the site.As always, recording the latest episode for you was a highlight of our week. We really hope you love it, and if you do, please spread the word on social media to more movie fans. Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox, Amazon Music and Apple Podcast. The Movies' Four-Star RatingHighlander **½ (CS) & *** (SM)The Untouchables *** (CS) & ***½ (SM) The Great Train Robbery**½ (CS) & ***½ (SM) Murder on the Orient Express *** (CS) & ***½ (SM)First Knight *** (CS) & * (SM)

It is time for our yearly Halloween special, The Breakdown of Horror, because nothing is scarier than a holiday episode released after the day it is celebrating. We are reviewing a diverse array of five pictures that fall under the broad horror genre. If you like a song and dance number before your kills, then we have the Tim Burton directed and Johnny Depp starring Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Or maybe a creature feature is more your thing, so we have carnivorous worms in Tremors. We also have a kids battling classic monsters adventure with The Monster Squad. Trying to figure out a David Lynch movie can sure be terrifying, and we do that with his debut feature, Eraserhead. For some, nothing is scarier than daring to go out in public during a pandemic, so we also review a new theatrical release in Come Play. As always, recording the latest episode for you was a highlight of our week. We really hope you love it, and if you do, please spread the word on social media to more movie fans. Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox, Amazon Music and Apple Podcast. The Movies' Four-Star RatingSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street **½ (CS) & *** (SM)Tremors **½ (CS) & ***½ (SM) The Monster Squad ** (CS & SM) Eraserhead **** (CS & SM)Come Play ** (CS)

It is a huge episode this week as we have five movie reviews for you, and we are dipping into all kinds of genres. Halloween is almost here, so it seemed appropriate to look at two pictures about ghosts. One of them is the appropriately named Ghost, which was a massive blockbuster smash hit in 1990 and a huge career boost for Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg who became major box office names in the 1990s. We also have the 1995 family picture about a friendly ghost in Casper. We also discuss Aaron Sorkin's latest directed and written picture in the based on true events picture, The Trial of the Chicago 7. As well, we have a true crime doc that use social media and home video to tell the story in American Murder: The Family Next Door. Finally, we go on the roller coaster ride that is Zack Snyder's fantasy action picture. Sucker Punch. It is another doozey of an episode and we had a blast recording it. We really hope you love it too, and if you do, please spread the word on social media, so other movie buffs can find us. Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox, Amazon Music and Apple Podcast.   The Movies' Four-Star RatingThe Trial of the Chicago 7 ***½ (CS & SM)Ghost **** (CS) & *** (SM) American Murder: The Family Next Dorr *** (CS) & ***½ (SM) Casper *** (CS & SM)Sucker Punch * (CS & SM)

We are approaching Halloween season, which means we are building towards our annual scary movie episode. That also means we want to see some horror movies on the way, and this week, we're discussing what is one of the most influential horror thrillers of all-time in The Silence of the Lambs. We go deep on this one as we discuss it for well over a half hour, as we really look at its impact and what made it the template for serial killer thrillers going forward. But we also argue that it is much more than just a scary and chilling movie, and we analyze some of the deeper themes of the picture. While we're discussing movies, we have three other reviews including Adam Sandler's latest in Hubie Halloween, an Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn war drama from 1940 in Santa Fe Trail and an animated feature with talking animals and robots in Pets United. We also look at how we think the big studio movie and tentpole will need to change over the next few years. As always, we had a great time recording and we hope you love listening to the show this week. If you do, please pass the word on to other movie fans. Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox, Amazon Music and Apple Podcast. The Movies' Four-Star RatingPets United * (CS) & ½* (SM)The Silence of the Lambs **** (CS & SM) Santa Fe Trail **½ (CS) & ** (SM) Hubie Halloween ** (CS) & ½* (SM)

Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian listeners and readers, and for everyone else, I hope you're having a wonderful Monday. Since our show is recorded in Canada, we've decided to have a special Thanksgiving episode called The Breakdown of Things We Are Thankful for in Movies. The title is self-explanatory, but it is over an hour of us celebrating some of the many things we appreciate about movies. I take the chance to once again praise Roger Ebert who is a major influence on my writing career and especially this podcast. We also discuss things like the immersive quality of movies and how it allows us to connect with characters and experiences that we'd never have in our own lives.  We had a great time recording the episode, and we really hope you love it. If you do, then please help us out by sharing us on social media, so other movie fans can discover us. Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox, Amazon Music and Apple Podcast.

There has been a lot written and said about how modern comedies aren't as good as those made decades ago. This doesn't mean that there haven't been some great and even classic comedies that have been released in the 2010s. This week we want to celebrate the best comedies of the last decade. We do that by both of us revealing our top ten favourite movies of the 2010s. We had a blast recording this week's show and we really hope you love it. If you do, then please share us on social media so other movie fans can find us. Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox, Amazon Music and iTunes. Top Ten Favourite 2010s Comedies: Christopher: 10. The Muppets9. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World8. Young Adult7. The Favourite6. Deadpool5. The Grand Budapest Hotel4. Inside Out3. The Big Sick2. Jojo Rabbit1. The Nice Guys Scott: 10. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle9/ The Trip8. One Cut of the Dead7. The Grand Budapest Hotel6. What We Do in the Shadows5. The Nice Guys4. Game Night3. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World2. Spy1. Death of Stalin

We are serving up four movie reviews this week on The Movie Breakdown, including two movies that are really beloved comedies. We discuss the movie that not only was the likely inspiration for a slew of comedies in the 1990s but also gave Leslie Nielsen a second career in the cop parody picture, The Naked Gun. We also have what is a Canada cult classic in the mockumentary about two headbangers in FUBAR. We also review another romantic comedy coming out of Netflix in Love Guaranteed. Speaking of Netflix, a star from one of their hit series is getting her first chance at a leading role as Millie Bobby Brown stars in the family adventure, Enola Holmes. After the movie reviews, we discuss if Disney botched their handling of Star Wars. As always, we really appreciate you listening to the show and if you love it, please spread the word on social media, so other movie fans can find us.Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox, Amazon Music and iTunes. The Movies' Four-Star RatingEnola Holmes ***½ (CS & SM)Love Guaranteed ** (CS) & *½ (SM) The Naked Gun ***½ (CS) & **** (SM) FUBAR ***½ (CS & SM)

It is another big week of The Movie Breakdown as we have four movie reviews for you with some of the pictures considered beloved classics. We discuss the buddy comedy that showed Arnold Schwarzenegger can do the funny and teams up with the always great Danny DeVito in Twins. Thrillers based on John Grisham novels were huge in the 1990s, so we look at one of the big ones in the Tom Cruise starring The Firm. We also have a star-powers period piece dramatic thriller in the Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson starring The Devil All the Time. We also have a zany kids go on an adventure movie in The Sleepover. Plus, we revisit I'm Thinking of Ending Things and look at the things we can learn from the movie and what other studios or filmmakers should follow. As always, we had an absolute blast recording this show for you. We really hope you love it and if you do, please spread the word about us on social media, so other movie fans can find us. Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox, Amazon Music and iTunes. The Movies' Four-Star RatingThe Sleepover **½ (CS) & ** (SM)The Devil All the Time ** (CS & SM) Twins *** (CS & SM) The Firm **½ (CS) & ***½ (SM)

It has been a few weeks since movie theatres opened up back here in Ontario, but it looks like it will be months before the big studios start delivering most of their major pictures. It is allowing for some smaller films time on the big screen and this week we look at the romantic comedy starring Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers, The Package) and Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things) in The Broken Heart Gallery. We also look at a movie that many believe is one of the great teen comedies in the Tina Fey written and Lindsay Lohan starring Mean Girls. Do you want more comedies to be reviewed? Well too bad, because we review White Chicks instead. We also discuss a movie that you may say had comedy and also some drama and maybe a little romance, but it really is entirely its own thing in Charlie Kaufman's I'm Thinking About Ending Things. As well, we look at Oscar's new criteria for Best Picture nominations that they hope will bring more diversity to movies, and we will analyze if we think it will work and if their strategy is even the right thing. As always, we had a blast recording this for you, and we really do appreciate you listening to us each week. If you love this episode then please help us out by spreading the word on social media, Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox and iTunes. The Movies' Four-Star RatingI'm Thinking About Ending Thing **** (CS) & ***½ (SM)Mean Girls **** (CS) & ***½ (SM)White Chicks 0 stars (CS) & ½ * (SM)The Broken Hearts Gallery **½ (CS)

The movie theatres have been open for a few weeks in most of Canada, but the real movie studio tentpoles have finally arrived. We have one of the biggest and most anticipated movies to review this week in Christopher Nolan's twisty sci-fi spy thriller, Tenet. Speaking of anticipating, it has been three years since we originally were expecting to see it on the big screen but the coming-of-age superhero horror picture in The New Mutants will be discussed this week. We also look at a movie that may be one of the most influential and well-known Westerns ever in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. We also have Amazon Prime's latest movie in the dark comedy, Get Duked! that we will review. We also celebrate the life and career of a movie star that we lost way too soon in the great Chadwick Boseman. We had a great time recording this episode and we really hope you love it as well. If you do, please help us out by spreading the word on social media, so other movie buffs can find us. Reminder that you can subscribe either to The Movie Breakdown feed (a subscription link is at the top right hand of this site), or subscribe on sites like Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, CastBox and iTunes. The Four-Star Movie Rating Tenet ***½ (CS) The Good, the Bad and Ugly **** (CS & SM) The New Mutants ** (CS) Get Duked! *** (CS) & **½ (SM)