The Truman Show is astoundingly great cinema, in part because it’s so much weirder than it needs to be. The premise alone, of a man’s entire life filmed and broadcast to millions from birth without his knowledge, is a tremendous hook to get you in the door, but a wide open one. It would be…
Stanley Donen’s 1963 film Charade has been described as “the best Hitchcock film Hitchcock never made,” and it would be tough to put it more elegantly than that. It’s a glossy, gender-flipped North by Northwest, with a healthy squeeze from the screwball comedy lemon. The result is a slick and silly spy story set in…
Home Alone is forever a fan favorite and often listed among the all-time great Christmas comedies. I hate to be a Grinch, but Chris Columbus’s film is no masterpiece, though it has charm to spare by the end. Oddly, the film’s opening act is its best and most adventurous even though people mostly remember the…
Hey Earn This friends and readers… Back in 2009, a group of us started this blog during our senior year of college. 13 years, 22 writers, 900 articles, and 1.2 million readers later, we’ve entered adulthood and have all moved to bigger and (debatably) better endeavors. I’m excited to share with you one such effort,…
Welcome Interstate Managers is a perfect and great album. Every song is necessary and loved. Some of the songs are serious, some are lighthearted, but even the trifles are brilliant. That said: this album has 17 tracks (including the bonus). Some of these great songs are greater than the other great songs. I’m here to…
It’s too bad that basically any positive review of this film in 2024 needs to go on the defensive about the film’s premise, which would seem from a logline level to be “problematic” at best and “gruesome” at worst, because this is a really marvelous example of classic Hollywood musical. But, I’ll start with defending…
This documentary about the history of ska music is a deliriously happy film that I personally connected to, so it’s very possible, even probable, that I’m overrating it. But this thing is a joy machine and a fastidious historical document, and I don’t just say that as an ex-marching band geek who loves music and…
Join the hosts of The Goods as they a dive into the dreamlike Seussian curio, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. Brian expresses his longstanding admiration for film’s set and costume design as Dan sings the praises of August Zabladowski. From the wild dungeon ride to the “Do-Mi-Do Duds” to the apocalyptic ending, Dan and…
It’s an extra special episode of The Goods as Dan and Brian celebrate Dan’s birthday with an in-person private screening and episode recording. Join as they revisit the 1999 animated classic, The Iron Giant, directed and co-written by Brad Bird. Dan discusses his long-thriving fascination (borderline obsession) with animation, and Brian notes the film’s connections…
Dan’s brother Will phones in from Japan to discuss the outrageous B-movie Tokyo Drifter. Dan, Brian, and Will discuss the film’s off-kilter storytelling and low-budget roots, breaking down both the stylistic chutzpah and thematic underbelly of the cult-hit Yakuza flick. Will revels in the film’s “bombastic” visuals and dark humor, while Brian and Dan draw…
Nothing spells summer fun quite like a road trip, and Brian has brought a Wonderful World of Disney TV movie on the topic that left an indelible impression on him as a youngster. Join as he recounts his journey to rediscover this movie while Dan shares his love of star Daniel Stern. Dan and Brian…
Summer is in the air, so Dan and Brian revisit the influential teen comedy American Graffiti, written and directed by a pre-Star Wars George Lucas. Join as they revel in the rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack, the wacky ’60s slang, Terry the Toad’s McLovin parallels, and a climactic drag race. Dan shares his own breakup drama,…
Netflix dominated the Oscars this year, so Dan and Brian sat down to review one of the streamer’s winners: My Octopus Teacher, the winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Join as they celebrate the glorious footage and break down Craig Foster’s mid-life crisis. Brian gives his definition of “dad music,” and Dan…
Oscar season came late in 2021, but Dan and Brian are using the occasion to revisit a classic Best Picture winner. Join as they consider the bus-bound romantic comedy that swept the Academy Awards 87 years ago. Brian hypothesizes a Bugs Bunny origin story, Dan suggests some heavy duty script revisions, and they both brainstorm…
Elaborate illusions! Fake identities! Bad CGI! It’s what magic is all about. Join as Dan and Brian review the 2013 magician heist thriller and its more comedic 2016 sequel, which has 100% more Lizzy Caplan quips (always a good thing in Dan’s eyes). Brian shares his 8-year brewing curiosity with these movies as he and…
