Pubcast

Pubcast 93: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Brendan is joined by Allison and Eric to break down Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery -- an underrated comedy classic from 1997. It's certainly memorable with all of its quotes and pop culture influences, but almost 30 years later, it somehow feels underappreciated. I particularly like all of the references to the 1960s James Bond movies, and it really shows off Mike Myers' particular brand of comedy that seemed to dominate the late 90s.

Pubcast 92: Kill Bill: vol. 1

Brendan is joined by Allison and Eric to break down this 2003 kung fu revenge classic from director Quentin Tarantino. This amazing, action-packed fight-fest of a movie is stuffed with dozens of references, homages and outright thefts of shots from 1970s kung fu movies and spaghetti westerns. It's great; it's fun; it's...seriously underrated.

Pubcast 91: Elf

Brendan is joined by Allison and Eric to break down this 2003 Christmas classic from John Favreau and Will Ferrell on its 20th anniversary. This comedy has all the hallmarks of those Rankin/Bass stop-motion movies with the comedy flavor of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The first time I saw it, I knew it would be a classic that we’d watch every year.

Pubcast 90: Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade

In a very special episode of the Pubcast, Allison and Eric join me to break down the two sequels to Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Temple of Doom from 1984 and 1989’s The Last Crusade. (No, we don’t even recognize Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.)
Since we covered it in the Raiders of the Lost Ark episode, we don't do "Recasterbate" and the "How Much Are They Worth?" game, but we do break down the best and worst bit of these 80s classics.

Pubcast 89: Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Brendan is joined by Allison and Eric to break down this 1977 classic from Steven Spielberg. It's a great personal, sci-fi movie filled with nostalgia for those of us who grew up in the 1970s and 80s. The depiction of that era plus the United States' potential for paranoia and fear of government cover-ups makes for a timeless classic.

Pubcast 88: Striking Distance

Allison, Rob and Pauly join me to break down a movie we held in high regard for some reason...Striking Distance. This 1993 crime drama features Bruce Willis as a river cop in Pittsburgh and provides some of the worst performances from actors you like in other stuff (Bruce Willis, Tom Sizemore, Dennis Farina, Sarah Jessica Parker, etc.). So, despite the recommendations from our younger selves, we rip Striking Distances to shreds in this very special episode of the Pubcast.

Pubcast 87: Groundhog Day

Allison and Eric join me to break down one of our favorite movies, Groundhog Day. This is a classic that bears watching and rewatching in late January or early February (around Groundhog Day), but honestly, it's a movie for any season and one of Bill Murray's best performances. This 1993 classic from director Harold Ramis is packed with the funny lines you'd expect, but it goes a few layers deeper if you're paying attention.

Pubcast 86: Undercover Brother

Allison and Eric join me to break down this amazing and overlooked comedy from 2002. Undercover Brother spoofs the Blaxploitation movies…Shaft, Superfly, Coffy, Foxy Brown…but does it with a wink and a nod to the audience. Eddie Griffin provides an amazing performance in this hilarious, fast-paced comedy.

Pubcast 85: Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Brendan O'Neill is joined by Allison and Eric to break down this Thanksgiving classic from 80s icon, director John Hughes. Steve Martin and John Candy perfect (or maybe invent) the modern road trip comedy genre and create a rough template for another one of my favorites, Tommy Boy.

Pubcast 84: Heat

Brendan O'Neill is joined by Allison and Rob to break down this great 1995 classic from director Michael Mann. This is the first time DeNiro and Pacino appeared in the same scene together - they were both in Godfather 2, but never in the same scene.
Heat might be the pinnacle of Mann’s gritty 80s aesthetic and features one of the greatest shootouts in film history.