Movies That Make Us

Shazam! opened over the weekend to worldwide earnings of nearly $160 million (almost $57 million domestic) and a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Not too shabby for a movie about a superhero that nobody knows anything about. Unless of course they are either a comic book fan or were alive in the 1940s when Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel titles outsold even Superman books.Join Val, Tracy, Jake, and Zohner (who may never be given a microphone again) as they share their thoughts on DC's latest offering, Shazam! Listen as they discuss the good and the bad, but here's a hint: there was a whole lot more good than bad. Be warned, spoilers abound. Did you manage to see Shazam! over the weekend? If so, what did you think? Is this the movie that is going to correct DC's flailing cinematic universe? Let us know at podcast@moviesthatmakeus.com. Feel free to also send us any other feedback you have regarding the movie, the show, or and any suggestions for movies you would like us to discuss on an upcoming episo

It's hard to believe now, but in 1978, DC and Warner Bros. were on top of the comic book movie world. Superman was on its way to earning $166,200,000 at the global box office and turning its star, Christopher Reeve into a household name. Even after a few missteps in the 80s (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, The Return of Swamp Thing), thanks primarily to Batman, they were still king of the mountain well after the turn of the century.Somewhere along the way, things took a terrible turn with DC's comic book movies. Was it Batman's nipples in Batman and Robin? Maybe it was Catwoman? (Nothing specific. Just Catwoman.) Jonah Hex was a thing. So was Steel. Was it those? While any one of these could be to the exact moment when DC crapped the bed, the culprit might not be what you would expect. Listen as Val, Jake, and Tracy do their best to decide what film, or actor, deserves the blame for DC's fall from grace.What is your favorite comic book movie based on a DC character? What are your th

What if mankind had to leave Earth and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off? That is basically what happened to Wall-E, the hero of Pixar's first sci-fi adventure. We meet everyone's favorite robot garbage man doing what he was built for - cleaning up a planet that humans had long since abandoned. However, when he meets a sleek robot named EVE, he discovers a new purpose. EVE meanwhile comes to discover that Wall-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to Earth's future and races back to space to report this to the humans with a smitten Wall-E chasing after. This sets into motion one of the most imaginative adventures ever brought to the big screen.At the time, Roger Ebert said that Wall-E "succeeds at being three things at once: an enthralling animated film, a visual wonderment, and a decent science-fiction story." He's one hundred percent correct. In fact, there's not much more to say that would describe what a masterpiece Wall-E is. What kind of a podcast would we be though if we didn't at least tr

Can you believe that it's been fifteen years since Tina Fey's first screenplay, Mean Girls hit theaters? Fifteen years since the world was first introduced to Cady Heron and Regina George. It's been fifteen years since Gretchen Wieners tried to make "fetch" happen. It didn't happen. (At least I don't think it happened.) And it's been fifteen years since Glen Coco received four candy canes!Mean Girls is a timeless film. There's really no other way to describe it. It's timeless, not because it reminds us of better times, but because it reminds us of real times. Everybody can relate to something in this movie. We all knew a Regina George; "the Plastics" were in each of our schools. Heck, they may even be in our offices today. The situations are real. Even as horrible and as awkward as they are, we've all been there, or at least we know someone who has. We have all lived it.Mean Girls is a piece of each of us which is why it is so universally loved. It is also why it's the next movie that Val, Tracy, an

In its opening weekend, Captain Marvel managed to exceed expectations by bringing in $153 million domestically and $455 worldwide. This all happened despite a large number of mixed reviews and even trolls who tried to sink the audience review scores on Rotten Tomatoes.To add a little perspective to these numbers, Captain Marvel now ranks as the sixth largest worldwide opening in history. It's seventh on the list of US openings. Also, in the US, Captain Marvel scored Marvel’s second-largest domestic opening weekend for a film that isn’t either a sequel or an Avengers team-up. (Black Panther is the largest with $202 million in 2018.)It's pretty safe to say that Captain Marvel is a success. At least it's a success in terms of finances. But what about in terms of how good of a movie it is?Join Val, Tracy, Jake, and two special guests as they share their thoughts on Captain Marvel. What was good, what was bad, and what was just okay. Be warned, spoilers will be plentiful. And here's a small spo

Captain Marvel had a huge opening weekend and it's taking us a bit to wrap our heads around it all. As such, we need a few extra days to finish up our next episode in which we will be discussing our thoughts, the good and the bad, about the latest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but don't go anywhere because the wait will be worth it. Thanks for your support! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Raiders of the Lost Ark exploded onto theaters on June 12, 1981. Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, it became an instant hit grossing $8,305,823 during its opening weekend. That opening weekend would set the stage for one prequel and two sequels (with one more in development). It also created a cinematic legacy that would last for decades.In the first installment in the Indiana Jones movie franchise, Harrison Ford stars as Indiana Jones, an archaeologist who fights Nazis in a race to discover the location of the Ark of the Covenant. During the film, we see Indy reunited with an old flame, get captured multiple times, and ultimately save the day. It's a film that has everything: action, adventure, romance, comedy, and terror. As Roger Ebert originally wrote:Raiders of the Lost Ark is an out-of-body experience, a movie of glorious imagination and breakneck speed that grabs you in the first shot, hurtles you through a series of incredible adventures, and deposits you back in reality two

Do you have favorite movies you remember from growing up? The kind that you watched so many timesyou wore out the tape? Do you love talking about those movies, or quoting those movies? Are they partof the very fiber of your being? This podcast is the home of those movies. Join Val, Tracy, and Jake asthey discuss a different classic movie each episode, and some new ones. It’s like book club, but formovies.Have a movie you would like us to discuss? Email your suggestion topodcast@moviesthatmakeus.com. So, movie geeks unite, these are the movies that make us! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.