Hold Up

Today we hop in the way back machine to witness the birth of one of filmmaking's greatest pairings with PT Anderson's 2007 oil drama, There Will Be Blood. This story is one of a single-minded oil man and the depths he'll go to win in his pursuits of riches and conquest. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead, supported by Paul Dono, Kevin J. O'Connor, and Ciaran Hinds, There Will be Blood doesn't want for talent, and being that it was written and directed by PTA, it is dripping with auteur potential and received a ton of nominations, including securing an Oscar win for Day-Lewis for best actor. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent, discuss milkshakes and straws as we see if this well is dry or if this flick strikes oil.

We’re back with film three in our Paul Thomas Anderson month with 2002’s Punch Drunk Love. Starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Gail the Snail, and who favourite Luis Guzman. Punch Drunk Love is a love story between two broken people who find acceptance through the open love they find in each other amidst the chaotic background of sex phone extortion, novelty plungers, and pudding coupon air-miles. PTA had sky-high hype surrounding him following his previous two movies and won awards and recognition for this film. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss CTE and bathroom self defense as we see if this one stands-up or is out for the count.

In 1999, Paul Thomas Anderson released Magnolia, his character-driven and less porn-focused follow-up to Boogie Nights. Magnolia follows 9 main storylines that interconnect in ways that become more obvious as this 3+hour epic progresses, and each character struggles with their past, regret, guilt, forgiveness, and meaning in life. An insanely deep and talented ensemble cast shares nearly equal screen time, including: Jeremy Blackman, Tom Cruise, Melinda Dillon, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ricky Jay, William H. Macy, Alfred Molina, Julianne Moore, Michael Murphy, John C. Reilly, Jason Robards and Melora Walters. Made for $37M, Magnolia brought in a mediocre $48M and received a lot of praise and critical acclaim, including Oscar nominations for best-supporting actor, best original screenplay, and best original song. But does it hold up? Listen as Jon, Colin and Brent discuss the end result when a writer/director gets a blank cheque and final cut to see if Magnolia dies a loooooooooooooooong death

In 1997 everyone got their dicks out for Paul Thomas Anderson and his epic story of porn’s highs and lows when he released Boogie Nights. PTA’s film tells the story of Eddie Adams, a young horse cocked fella who is lured into the sexy world of porn and ends up becoming its biggest star, Dirk Diggler. But drugs and ego get the best of him and his world falls apart. Can Dirk and his new family cum together to save themselves and each other? I dunno, maybe? Starring Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heather Graham, Boogie Night’s had as much talent as it had length. But does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent, discuss how much cock could a Wahlberg chuck if a Wahlberg could chuck cock as we try to decide if this one get’s hard or is hard to get. 

In 1989 a movie finally brought DC comics biggest superhero to the big screen with the blockbuster hit Batman. Staring Micheal Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Billy Dee Williams and possibly the worst performance of Jack Palance’s long career, the Bat movie made more than 400 million dollars at the box office (back when 400 million was a lot of money). The adaptation of the comic follows what has now become a cookie-cutter formula of the Batman story about a guy who watched his parents get murdered and then took their disgusting wealth and transformed into a winged vigilante. Jack Nicholson’s wild and over-the-top performance as The Joker was praised as one of the best of his career, and director Tim Burton cemented himself as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after directors. But… does it Hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin and Brent discuss the first of many Batman movies to see if you should fire up the bat signal after 33 years, or skip this relic and go straight to Christian Bale.

In 2012 celebrated director Kathryn Bigelow brought an important story to the screen when she released Zero Dark Thirty. This film tells the familiar story of the hunt and eventual assassination of Osama Bin Laden, but told through Maya, a CIA operative tasked with finding Bin Laden, as she navigates the path through torture camps and bureaucracy. Starring Jessica Chastain as Maya, alongside Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Mark Strong, James Gandolfini, Chris Pratt, and a pile of other great cast members, this film doesn't want for talent and made its money back over double while garnering some Oscar buzz. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss polite ways to decline torture as we see if this film gets the green light or misses its target.

Happy Gilmore was likely the most quoted movie of 1996 and Director Dennis Dugan would find himself a career in partnering with Sandler to direct many of his films moving forward. Happy Gilmore is a movie about a failed hockey player who finds out he has a knack for the long drive so he reluctantly joins the pro golf tour in hopes he can win enough money to save his grandmother's house. This flick has a number of old familiar faces and memorable scenes becoming a classic of its time, including Happy's tussle with Bob Barker. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent, discuss how easy it is to learn golf as we figure out if Happy makes us sad, or if Chubbs makes Happy. 

In 1995 society’s lack of technological understanding was on full display when Iain Softley debuted Hackers, starring Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie, Jesse Bradford, Matthew Lillard, Laurence Mason, Renoly Santiago, Lorraine Bracco, and Fisher Stevens. Hackers tells the fictional story of a group of attractive young computer hackers/rollerbladers who are framed in a plot to funnel money from a mining company and now must find a way to clear their names while also exploring young hormones. This flick did not do well and wasn’t particularly well-loved. Why are we doing it? Because it was requested, that’s why. So…does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss the finer points of tech ignorance as we try to decide if this flick got good, or if it has zero cool.

In 1993 the world had a sombre reminder of a dark time in our not-so-distant memories when Steven Spielberg brought his story of Schindler’s List to life. This film tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a war profiteer who finds a bigger purpose amidst the horrifying backdrop of the holocaust and turns his attention from making money to saving lives. Based on a true story, this film was brought to life with the superb acting of Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes, paired with Spielberg’s directing. The Schindler flick made $322 million from its budget of $22 million and was nominated for 12 Oscars, winning 7. But does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss the importance of telling tough stories as we decide if this movie makes our list or leaves us shocked.

In 2004 everyone was Kung-Fu fighting when Stephen Chow wrote, directed, produced, and starred in, Kung Fu Hustle. This flick tells the story of the murderous Axe gang and an unlikely hero amidst a world of hidden kung fu masters who have otherworldly abilities. Starring Stephen Chow, Danny Chan, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu, Eva Huang, and Leung Siu-lung this flick has no shortage of skilled actors and brought in over $100 million from a budget of $20 million and wowed audiences globally. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss powerful breasts and the dangers of stringed instruments as we try to see if this one is a master or a hustler. 

A long time ago...1983 in fact...in a galaxy...that was the Milky Way, the final film in the original Star Wars saga, Return of the Jedi, took the world by storm. Donned in plaid, filmmaker George Lucas did his best to bring his three-film vision to a satisfying conclusion as men, women, scoundrels, wookies, worms, robots, and fuzzy dwarfs duke it out for the fate of the galaxy. Starring the immortal cast of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, and Frank Oz, ROTJ made nearly $500M on a $40M budget and was felt by some to not quite live up to the previous two movies, while others praised it as a satisfying end to a space opera the likes of which nobody had seen before. But 40 years and six Star Wars movies later, does it hold up? Listen as Jon, Colin, and the glowing ghost of Brent discuss overconfident slugs, amazingly well-planned rescue operations, and the emperor's lack of risk assessments in his traps as we determine if th

In 2002 Danny DeVito brought us his dark comedy, Death to Smoochy, a view into the savage underside of children’s shows. Death to Smoochy opens with Rainbow Randolph, a celebrated children's show host who is disgraced and fired after being caught taking bribes. As a result, the network hires Smoochy to replace him but Randolph works to sabotage him in the background. This flick has a great cast starring: Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Catherine Keener, Danny DeVito, and Jon Stewart. DtS was made for $50 million but only made $8 million and wasn’t received well critically. Why are we doing it? Because we liked it and we wanted to see if we still do, so…does this hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate children's show ethics and stepfathers as we try to determine if this one is worth signing for a year, or if we too want death for Smoochy.

In 1988 Robert Zemeckis broke ground with his unique comedy whodunnit, Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Roger Rabbit tells the story of the star of toon films who is suddenly implicated in the murder of the man who was playing Patty-Cake with his buxom wife, Jessica. To solve the case we are introduced to Eddie Valiant, an alcoholic P.I. who has a grudge against toons since his brother was murdered by one. Starring Christopher Lloyd and Bob Hoskins, WFRR broke ground with the level of animation it tied into the live-action and the movie was a critical and financial hit. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate the ethics of cartoon/human relations as we decide; are toons in, or you should tune out.

In 1987, Stanley Kubrick released his war classic, Full Metal Jacket. FMJ details the story surrounding the cadet, Private Joker,  as he first attends boot camp, and then moves on to his assignment with Stars and Stripes. Before long, Joker's big mouth gets him embedded with a fellow recruit's squad in a very hot zone where the men find their toughest test yet. Made for somewhere between $16 and $30 million, Full Metal Jacket featured a great cast of young promising actors including Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio and the debut of Lee Ermey, the iconic drill sergeant. The whole package brought in $120 million at the box office, and the film was nominated for a handful of awards and established this movie as an instant classic. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss how high you can pile shit as we try to figure out if this one talks the talk or walks the walk.

In the mighty year 2000, Cameron Crowe released the semi-autobiographical, Almost Famous. Crowe tells the story of a gifted boy, William, in his early teens who is an aspiring rock journalist and gets a shot at writing a Rolling Stone cover piece after some misunderstanding of his identity. He’s told by his idol not to get too close to maintain journalistic integrity, but as the band and their entourage suck him into their circus, the water gets muddy and William must decide where his allegiances lie. We aren’t even going to name all the stars in this flick, but everyone is in here including a little surprise Mitch Hedberg sighting. This flick may have lost money, but it won huge critical acclaim including an Oscar for best original screenplay. But, does it hold up? So, skip Easter and listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate the true cost of rock as we determine if this one laid an egg or wakes the dead.

In 2002, Peter Jackson released the second of his trilogy of the Lord of The Rings films with The Two Towers. The second installment has the fellowship separated and continuing their voyage as Frodo and Sam make their way to Mordor while the remainder of the group does their best not to think of them at all. Starring way too many people to list here this film is packed with potential and made quite a few pennies at the box office. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, Brent, and returning guest Dave debate hobbit’s holes and which wizard has the biggest staff as we try to see if this flick is still our precious, or if it should be cast back into the fire from whence it came.

The Godfather Part II is Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 follow-up to the appropriately named, The Godfather. Unlike many sequels, but like many actors, this one goes both ways - acting as a prequel and a sequel to the first by showing us both the origin story of Vito Corleone intercut with Michael trying to lead the family to legitimacy post-Vito. Starring the same old faces from the first, in addition to some new mugs, this flick won a pile of awards, made its money back a few times over, and is often heralded as one of the best sequels ever made. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent, debate fratricide and swimming with the fishes as we try to figure out if Part II is a classy sequel or part poo.

Oh hey there, yah, we're gonna go all the way back there to '96, ya know, for the Coen brother's dark comedy classic, Fargo. This unique flick tells the story of Jerry, a career loser who hires a loudmouth and a mute to abduct his wife so he can get a large ransom from his prick, Gopher-loving father-in-law. However, once set into motion, Jerry loses control and things start to unravel in hilarious and tragic ways. Fargo made $60 million from a $7 million budget and won a number of awards and accolades, including two Oscars. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent, debate sex work in the mid-West as we try to figure out if this holds up to Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, or flees the interview.

Today we're on the run in 1993 with The Fugitive, directed by Andrew Davis and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Harrison Ford, Sela Ward, and Julianne Moore. The Fugitive tells the story of a man wrongly charged with murdering his wife so when his prison convoy crashes, he escapes looking for the one-armed killer. Unfortunately, the US Marshals are close on his tail and he must find this man before they do. This flick secured Tommy Lee Jones the Oscar for supporting actor and was nominated for a number of other awards as well as making $368 million from the initial $44 million budget. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate equal opportunity for assassins as we deliberate whether this flick has been cleared of all charges or if it should go back on the run. 

Today the secret password is Spy Game because we’re going to be diving back to the early millennium for Tony Scott’s 2001 espionage thriller. Spy Game tells the story of a retiring caseworker who finds out a friend and asset has been captured and is going to be disavowed by the US and executed by the Chinese unless he can outsmart both governments. Starring Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack, Stephen Dillane, and Larry Bryggman, Spy Game made a very modest $143 million from a $115 million budget but captured the audience's attention with its quick style and clever pacing. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent, try to uncover the truth as we determine if this one holds up or if it’s a secret that should be kept.