Matt's Movie Lodgecast

You ain't never had a friend like Will Smith as a motion-captured genie! The Disney IP machine is at it again with Guy Ritchie's Aladdin. While we were all big fans Aladdin (1992), the only reason we came out for this live action edition was Will Smith. And Will Smith does deliver, adding a hip hop homage to Robin Williams' ultimate voiceover performance. The music in this film is incredible with hits like "Prince Ali", "A Whole New World", and the new Princess Jasmine tune "Speechless". We'll give you the low down on what you probably missed in this Disney children's film. Next up: The Lion King!

Master of the Macabre Brian De Palma is back with a new direct-to-video film called Domino. The movie was produced at a low cost by Saban Films (the masterminds behind Dark Crimes and Speed Kills). At age 78, De Palma wants to go out with a bang as he tackles ISIS in Europe killing people on the red carpet of a film festival. That really happens in the movie Domino, along with some other unbelievable Salad Dragons scored to the strings of maestro Pino Donaggio. The film stars some Game of Thrones actors. Is it better than Tony Scott's Domino (2005)? We'll let you know!

Director Dexter Fletcher is back! After ghost-directing last year's smash hit Bohemian Rhapsody, Dexter Fletcher has officially directed this year's smash hit Rocketman! And it's all about one of the greatest rock musicians ever, Sir Elton John. The film combines two genres that are troublesome to some Lodgers: the music biopic and the contemporary musical. All this adds up to some groans and eye rolls, but we are definitely in the minority! Critics and audiences love this movie! Did we like Taron Egerton singing Elton John? Are the musical numbers magical or aggressive? And how about that "too hot for Russia" sex scene? We'll give you our very hawt and spicy take on Dexter Fletcher's Rocketman!

Don't make me drink alone! The Lodgecast reaches its 50th episode with a special MA-di Gras Celebration at the AMC DINE-IN Marina 6 in Marina Del Rey. We drink, we eat, and we take in the pleasures of Octavia Spencer as Ma! This highly anticipated psychological horror movie had us buzzing since we first saw the trailer and while our reaction is a little mixed there's still some fun to be had. Tune in to our evaluation of a lonely middle-aged woman terrorizing teenagers!

The Lodgecast Boyzzz rejoin with the Sinisisters, as we head to beautiful Santa Monica to experience the spiritual sequel to last year's Eighth Grade. This year we talk 12th grade and our senior year of high school before we head into Olivia Wilde's delightful coming-of-age comedy Booksmart starring Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever. Does the film live up to its universal critical acclaim? Is it better than Superbad (2007)? All this and more will be explored in our Lodgecast analysis of Booksmart.

We venture way outside of our demographic comfort zone for a little pom-pom cheerleader love from some senior citizens including Diane Keaton, Jacki Weaver, Pam Grier, and Rhea Perlman. Life is too short and being elderly is too depressing, so break out your cheerleader uniforms and bust a move! As the poster promised, one of the old ladies in this movie does the splits! Nice to see Diane Keaton again after not seeing a movie of hers for decades. It's never too late to chase a dream!

Join us as we re-enter the John Wick Cinematic Universe and travel deep inside the Parabellum. Actually Parabellum means a type of semiautomatic pistol or machine gun. Keanu Reeves is back kicking butt and taking no names until the plot kicks in and we have to wander aimlessly in the desert until the next action sequence. The audience is there for Keanu, but the movie also has Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Anjelica Huston, and some others. While it's no Replicas (2019), John Wick: Chapter 3 has its moments and we talk about them in this hawt take!

Do you like pain? Do you enjoy suffering? Then watch the new film Loqueesha on Amazon Prime. The Lodgecast called for an emergency VOD screening after viewing the trailer in disbelief. But we were not prepared for what writer/director/producer Jeremy Saville had cooked up. Arguably the most painful movie we have watched on this podcast, Loqueesha is sure to unite all races and genders in universal hatred for this movie. We report back to you our experience so you never have to watch it. The Loqueesha Line has been crossed! Ouch!

Four Lodgers entered the AMC Century City 15 as skeptics about the movie The Intruder, which we expected was going to be a ho-hum home invasion thriller. But we left the theater as true believers in the power of Dennis Quaid! Pumped full of human growth hormone and grinning like a true psychopath, Dennis Quaid carries the movie with hilarious bravado as he encroaches upon the lives of the couple that buy his house played by Michael Ealy and Meagan Good. The movie is Tyler Perryesque in its ridiculous plotting and editing, but Dennis Quaid deserves some kind of reward for his efforts. A fun night at the movies!

We had no idea what the heck we were getting into when we hit up the AMC Burbank Town Center 8 for a late night screening of Claire Denis' High Life. All we knew was the film stars Robert Pattinson in space. After a slow start the movie kicks into overdrive when we flashback to a full spaceship of prisoners being sexually experimented on by Juliette Binoche. And then we enter the $%#* box for the Salad Dragon of the Year! If this sounds intriguing, then give a listen to our Claire Denis Super Hawt Take of High Life.

You might be wondering, "What happened to Neil Jordan?" The Irish film director, who brought us The Crying Game (1992) and Interview with the Vampire (1994), has been steadily working through the 21st century on movies and TV. When we saw he was joining forces with the great French actress Isabelle Huppert for a thriller movie called Greta, we had to see what the result was. We hit up the AMC Sunset 5 and recorded this podcast Live on the Sunset Strip. One Lodger was unable to complete the entirety of the film, but the rest of us remained for a pretty basic psychological thriller. The movie also stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Colm Feore, and Neil Jordan's muse Stephen Rea.

The Lodgecast reviews the final Marvel Cinematic Universe movie it will be reviewing on this podcast. The 3 Hrs. 2 Min. Avengers: Endgame is a fitting end to a decade-long journey that had us both exhilarated and fatigued. For this final Marvel film we laughed a little, we cried a lot, and we sat in somber reflection at this $356 million spectacle. In this episode we break the movie down for you hour-by-hour as we try to recall all that we witnessed. As you already know, the movie has a large cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Brolin, and Jon Favreau as Harold "Happy" Hogan. Will this weepy superhero drama become the highest grossing film of all time? Probably. Farewell Marvel movies! Thanks for the memories!

We’re deeply divided in the heart of the Prius over the new movie Under the Silver Lake by director David Robert Mitchell. Is it the ultimate L.A. hipster epic or is it a tale signifying nothing as one Lodger contends? Buried by distributor A24, we hit the Hollywood Arclight for the only theater playing this 2 Hrs. 20 Min. indie saga. Actor Andrew Garfield seeks to unravel the vast Los Angeles conspiracy as he encounters much along the way. This neo-noir film is dividing both audiences and critics and really needs to be contended with. Watch it on VOD today!

The Beach Bum is mandatory viewing for all Lodgers. After dazzling us with the dark depths of Spring Breakers, Harmony Korine shows off his lighter side with the stoner comedy The Beach Bum, starring Matthew McConaughey as Moondog. After dining on Mai Tais at Damon's Steak House, four Lodgers hit the relatively new Laemmle Glendale theater for a late show. We all agreed that the McConaughassaince is back in full force as McConaughey stumbles around the Florida Keys spouting hedonistic poetry as he smokes tons of weed with his friends including Snoop Dogg, Isla Fisher, Zac Efron, Jimmy Buffett, Martin Lawrence, and Jonah Hill. There are endless surprises jam packed into this 95-minute celebration of having fun and a barrel of laughs too. Smoke as much marijuana and drink as much beer as you are comfortable with and then see The Beach Bum. We did and we are happy to tell you about it. Long live the Moondog!

For the 20th Anniversary of the classic horror film Pet Sematary (1989), Paramount Pictures released a remake of the film called Pet Sematary (2019). Lodgemaster demanded we revisit this classic Stephen King tale. For the most part if follows the original movie with some slight twists and violent turns. Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, and John Lithgow try to bring out the creepiness, but there were some qualms about the inability to carbon copy the horrors of the original. Anyway, we’ll bury you with our knowledge of Pet Sematary!

Trading Paint is the third John Travolta movie in a row to receive 0% on Rotten Tomatoes! The movie played at one theater in the entire Los Angeles metro area and you better believe we drove to it! We cruised down the 110 Freeway at 75 mph to the AMC Rolling Hills 20 in the remote town of Lomita, CA. The movie stars Johnnie T as a Talladega dirt car racer whose arch nemesis is Michael Madsen and whose love interest is Shania Twain. While probably the least interesting film of the Travolta Zero Percent Trilogy, we are proud to have seen it and to have reported back our findings. And we got to eat at Chili's Grill & Bar afterwards!

Three Lodge Dumbos somehow found themselves watching Tim Burton's Dumbo in 4DX at the Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE 14. The 4DX shenanigans were a bit subdued and we have our theories as to why. As for Disney's Tim Burton's Dumbo, it was rough ride that required some serious self-medicating with alcohol and drugs beforehand. We try our darnedest to stay positive through this review and the cast gets some praise including Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, and Alan Arkin. But the gleam in the eye of CG Dumbo didn't quite have the charm of the animated original Dumbo (1941). Next Disney trip: Aladdin!

The most hyped movie of the year has arrived! After Jordan Peele's breakout horror directorial debut with the acclaimed Get Out (2017), the entire globe stood in hushed anticipation for what would emerge next from the mind of Jordan Peele. Does the film stand among the greatest horror movies of all time, or does Jordan Peele's sophomore effort fall short? Five Lodgers see it opening night in a packed house in Burbank and we will let you know exactly how the film stands in the canon of horror cinema. Exceptional performances are contributed by Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Elisabeth Moss, and America's funnyman Tim Heidecker.

When we arrived to see Gaspar Noé's Climax at the Arclight Hollywood, we were already in a weird headspace for reasons which you will find out early on in the podcast. The only possible cure for our sickness was Gaspar Noé's Climax and boy did it deliver. Noé took his time early on before the psychedelic sangria kicked in. Halfway through the movie, the opening credits roll and the bad trip commences and it does not stop. Our minds were wiped clean as we experienced a catharsis of bad trip vibes. Ultimately we walked away into a richer universe thanks to Gaspar. An ensemble cast of dancers is joined by Sofia Boutella who gives one of the greatest drug trip performances of all time.

It's back to the Cinemark Baldwin Hills for another helping of Tyler Perry! While our hero Tyler Perry says A Madea Family Funeral will be his last Madea film, we call B.S. on that. After loving on Tyler Perry during the intro we head into a packed house for a Tyler Perry fiesta platter! Tyler Perry treats us not only to massive helpings of Madea, but also serves us tasty sides of his characters Joe, Brian, and Heathrow. We laughed and cried and hurled and cried and laughed some more. Needless to say, Tyler Perry you are an American hero and we salute you!