Now And Then Movie Podcast

Mike C is finally convinced to watch an animated movie. And his reaction is not what you might think. We tackle the 2016 film Sing from Illumination. Big stars and big voices drive this movie and we break it all down, including why Mike doesn't typically like watching animated movies.

The Platform (2019) or El hoyo in its original Spanish release is a film where the prison system looks a little different from what we are used to... its two people to a cell, one cell per floor and 2 minutes a day to eat. We compare and contrast the vertical class systems the emerge to the horizontal class system on the train of Snowpiercer, another movie where food is scare and survival is hardest for those at the end of the line. We look at two bleak movies but have fun doing so...

Mike Bell joins us to discuss the last two installments of the Scream movie franchise. If you thought Scream was groundbreaking and all the other movies were trash, you might be surprised by this episode.

After mentioning it in the most recent Christmas film episode, Brian Wadsworth returns for an in-depth  (Deep Dig) discussion of the 2010 Finnish fantasy film Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. It explores an unpredictable alternative take on Santa Claus viewed through an untraditional genre lens. Which genre we try to figure that out.    

2020 was a little different, so we are wrapping up the year with a Christmas movie watch list that is a little off of the beaten path. We get into some of the better watches at this time of year that might not be in your rotation. Mike, Mike, and Chris bring you the definitive definition of what is a  Christmas movie. (Die Hard enters the chat). Enjoy.

Mike, Mike and Chris get into another discussion on movie sequels, when they work, when they don't and why audiences have to wait around forever for a sequel to a movie that they love only to lose interest  once the thing finally comes out. 

We discuss the first 2 movies in the Scream franchise with guest writer, musician and horror movie enthusiast Mike Bell. 

Mike and Mike talk independent films and then are joined by the director of Forbidden Power Paul Kyriazi. Paul talks a lot about the behind the scenes of making movies from financing to picking collaborators and why even though the barriers to making a movie are more manageable than they have ever been, you'd still better love the movie that you are trying to make! Check out Forbidden Power on Amazon

We look at movies that take place in the future and discuss what the future of movies could look like and who we want to see more of in that future. We try out and official 3rd co-host and have a good guest.

Robots come in many forms in movies... but are they friend or foe? Are they here because we built them or because they wanted us to build them? If that is confusing, you have some idea of what you are getting into on this episode as we debate discuss and dissect robots in movies. 

Reboots. Only a select few come out better than the original. Still, they are common and we look at some that workout and some that really missed the mark.  We are joined by guest Brian Wadsworth and he highly endorses the Kinky Ladies Book Club. It's fun. Give it a listen.

Kwab Agyemang from A Brotha's Got Next comes on to help us with the perfect Heist Movie conversation, or at least, it started out that way... We scouted some of the best heist movies in the game, went over the ins and outs of their plans. Ultimately, our guys decide that its the crew that makes or breaks a good heist movie.  You need a great crew and that what we had on this episode.    Check out Kwab's podcast: A Brotha's Got Next  

Mickey Welde joins us and turns us into positive thinkers! We discuss movies that make us feel happy. We each had our own reasons for each movie on our lists and a good time was had by all. This one was recorded a ways back but it all still holds true. Except for the going places part, and the kids are older... anyway ALL of these movies are recommended and should be watched! Negativity was at an all time low during this one, so buckle up and be read to smile. We all need that.  Check out more of Mickey on the Mickey Welde Podcast.

Hartman joins us to figure out the best and worst of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We discuss our favorites in the MCU. Talking about the Marvel Cinematic Universe....Wow.

We are joined by Brian Kulak, author, former English teacher and current K-5 principal and more importantly, mentor to one of our two Mikes! We discuss the roles of mentors in films and in real life as well as how educators and writers are portrayed in movies. You can find Brian's book  LEVEL UP LEADERSHIP: ADVANCE YOUR EDUGAME  at https://leveluplead.com  

We are back for Season 4 and predict what movies will look like in a post-Covid world. We also go over some of our old, bad, movie takes.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is a fun, light-hearted story of a teenager trying to find his place in the world.  He has to navigate high-school, relationships, responsibilities and being a super-hero. He wants to keep his city safe from criminals and villains but he also wants to go to a dance in his high-school gymnasium.  Its a nice departure from the norm while still fitting firmly in the MCU. It also has a real John Hughes thing going on which totally works. We compare that to Suicide Squad which had all the potential in the world of being a fun anti-hero movie.  It wasn't.  It missed the mark in a lot of ways. It was a bummer to think of what might have been...

Mike and Mike offer movie suggestions to each other based on movies that they think the other hasn't seen.  But they watch a lot of movies so these recommendations are a little off of the beaten path.

We all loved certain movies as kids that maybe don't stand the test of time.  But we love them anyway.  We can't even tell they were bad some times. Those movies are a blind spot for us, in a fog of nostalgia. We dive deep and list five or so of the movies that are on our list of movies that we just don't know if they are any good.  But our lists are good, we think.

Two films that are more than they seem on the surface are the focus of this episode. Groundhog Day (1993) almost needs no introduction, but it does need repeat viewings to let the viewer in on how deep the movie runs. About Time (2013) is billed as a comedy but offers s much more than laughs. Get ready to think about life and all the choices that you may regret because these movies are time travel adjacent.