Mousterpiece Cinema

Hey, friends! On this episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe are going back in history with one of the Walt Disney Treasures box sets. Specifically, Josh and Gabe are going to learn about the early history of the first Disney theme park with their discussion of the 2-disc Disneyland, USA DVD set, covering four different episodes of the Walt Disney anthology TV show from the 1950s and 1960s. Just as you might expect with an anthology TV show, there's plenty of grab-bag topics to discuss here, from the placement of Song of the South in the first episode to how white audiences contrast with black performers and employees to...a rendition from "Bye Bye Birdie." But most importantly: Josh and Gabe talk more about the idea for Disney to have a streaming service encompassing its decades of films, shorts, and TV shows, and they need your help to get Disney's attention! Find out how in this episode!

Avast, buckoes! This week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe are headed to the high seas with a discussion of the 1991 Norwegian-American production of Shipwrecked, a kinda/sorta adaptation of Daniel Defoe's iconic novel Robinson Crusoe, starring Gabriel Byrne as an avaricious pirate and...lots of Norwegian people. Did we mention this was a Norwegian film? Yet it was released by Disney in the spring of 1991, and soon became one of Gabe's favorite movies of all time. Does it impress Josh? Was Gabe able to look at the film as an adult without wearing rose-colored glasses? Will an Irish accent be unveiled? (You know the answer is yes.) Listen to find out the answers to these and many more questions.

Why, y'er sittin' on a gold-mine, folks! Hee-hee-hee-hee! Oh, come on now, why shouldn't we be unveiling our best impression of one of the iconic deliverers of frontier gibberish, Walter Brennan? He's only the star of this week's film on Mousterpiece Cinema, The Gnome-Mobile. Brennan's actually playing two characters here: an eccentric modern businessman as well as an irascible old gnome who the businessman's grandchildren (played by the same precocious kids from Mary Poppins) discover in the redwood forests of California. This 1967 film holds a special place in Gabe's heart--or, it did when he was a kid. Does it hold up to the test of time? Or is the whole film as painful as its faux-"Bachelor" finale? Listen to find out--and prepare yourself for maybe Josh's worst groaner of a pun in a very long time.

This week's episode of Mousterpiece Cinema might get a bit hairy, folks. Josh and Gabe are settling in to talk about the newest film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Zootopia, featuring the voices of Jason Bateman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons, Jenny Slate, and more. Is this film truly like nothing we've ever seen be-fur? (Remember that pun from the teaser?) Your hosts are joined by friend of the show Scott Mendelson of Forbes to debate the merits of Zootopia--or, more accurately, to celebrate the film. (Like pretty much everyone else, we liked it! A lot!) We're covering a lot on this episode, from Zootopia's place in the WDAS canon to comparing it to Wreck-It Ralph (per Josh's recent essay at The A.V. Club on the topic) to the film's commentary on racial stereotyping. Check it out now!  

Last week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe had a lengthy discussion about race in Disney films, specifically thanks to the glaring racism in Savage Sam towards Native Americans. Can they keep up the streak on this week's episode? Well, considering the film of the week is the 1993 adaptation The Adventures of Huck Finn, based on the iconic novel by Mark Twain, you can rest assured that this episode does include another patent-pending segment of Gabe 'n' Josh: Two White Dudes Talkin' 'Bout Race! But does this film, starring a young Elijah Wood and a fairly-new-to-movies Courtney B. Vance as Huck and his friend Jim, step right where other Disney films step wrong? Is it the best film from director Stephen Sommers? And will Gabe and Josh go on a tangent about...shudder..."Fuller House"?  Find out now!

Bust out the Kleenex once more, everyone, because it's time to prepare yourselves for a big ol' bawl-a-thon. That has to be the case, right? See, this week's Mousterpiece Cinema is all about the 1963 sequel to one of Disney's most famously tragic live-action films, Old Yeller. What's that? You didn't know there was a sequel to Old Yeller, called Savage Sam? Hmm, that's odd. You'd think a sequel to such a beloved and iconic film would be more commonly remembered and recognized. Well, maybe it's because, as Gabe and Josh discover this week, Savage Sam is not only outrageously racist, but legitimately one of the worst films they've ever seen for the podcast. We ain't lyin', folks: as much fun as it was to take this one down a peg, there's little doubt that the film of the week is...ahem...a real dog. (Get ready for more dad jokes.) Either way, you should check the show out now!

On today's episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe are going under the sea to spend time with a beautiful mermaid who falls in love with a dashing young man from the world above water. No, not the story of Ariel, the little mermaid. No, this week on the show, we're talking about Splash, the 1984 film starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah that has the distinct honor of being the first film from Touchstone Pictures. Now that it's been over 30 years, is it really the case that Splash was too adult to be released by Walt Disney Pictures proper? Or were they too gunshy? Or, on the flip side, is this movie too adult that Disney shouldn't have released it all? And does it remain charming and Oscar-worthy now? (Oh, yeah, this movie got a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nod. Really.) And how does Paul Lynde factor into the discussion? Find out now!

"Hold on a second," you're thinking to yourself. "I swear Josh and Gabe already talked about Freaky Friday on an episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. What the hell's going on here?" You're not losing your mind, friend. Back in January, we discussed the 1976 original, but now it's time to talk about the 2003 remake starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. Last month, Josh guaranteed that the remake would be an improvement on the outdated original, but was he right? Gabe returns from a weeklong absence to answer this question with Josh, as well as talk about Stephen Tobolowsky, regale us all with his Boston accent, and much, much more. Get to listening! And prepare for some Veronica Mars references! (It'll make sense, promise.)

Get on your rain gear, folks, because this episode's about to get plenty wet. This week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh is on his own for the first time in a while; with Gabe steering clear of dark water, he invites Todd VanDerWerff of Vox on the podcast to talk about Disney's first new film of 2016, The Finest Hours. You haven't forgotten about The Finest Hours already, have you? You know the film--it stars Chris Pine and Casey Affleck as dual heroes of a daring Coast Guard rescue in Massachusetts in the early 1950s. And it's in 3D for some reason! Josh and Todd talk about the woeful 3D postconversion, the surprising performances from Pine and Affleck, and you better believe they bust out an accent or two. (Listen closely, and you'll even hear some Australian, mate.) Head over the bar--sorry, the "baaaah"--and get ready to listen to the new show!

Hey, friends! We hope you're having a good President's Day; what better way to celebrate than by listening to a bonus episode of Mousterpiece Cinema? There is none! So we hope you're excited to hear Josh and Gabe debate the ethics and expectations of documentary filmmaking. (Yes, really.) This time, the bonus show is all about the recent 4-hour documentary "Walt Disney: He Made Believe," which aired on PBS last fall as part of their "American Masters" program. Or..."American Experience"? (Yes, Josh confused them once again.) Does this documentary live up to your hosts' expectations? Could it ever have done so? Did Walt Disney really have conversations with Mickey Mouse? Or is it possible that some of the never-before-heard-of talking-heads in this documentary are talking...out of something aside from their mouths? You'd better listen to find out!

How much do you loathe the evil Dr. Calico? Are you a friend of canines, or are you a deceptive feline-like minion? It's these questions that are up for debate in the new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, as Josh and Gabe talk about the 2008 animated film Bolt, starring John Travolta and a pre-close-cropped/Woody-Allen-ingenue Miley Cyrus, about a superheroic dog and his person. Except, of course, the lead character of Bolt doesn't realize that he's actually an actor playing a superheroic dog, which makes things pretty crazy when he's let loose on the real world. Josh and Gabe are joined by past guest Tasha Robinson of The Verge to talk about all things Bolt, from its rocky production to its voice cast to its rabid loathing of cats. Plus, a tease of next week's all-Boston-accented episode! Get excited, and get listening!

We're getting small on this week's episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. Tiny, you might say. As tiny as the size of an ant or some other kind of insect. Yes, we're talking about bugs this week because our movie is Pixar's A Bug's Life from 1998. Gabe and Josh are joined by friend of the show (and this week, thanks to Skype issues, a fairly echo-y friend) Griffin Newman to talk about all things ants...and Antz. You remember Antz, don't you? The first of two 1998 computer-animated films about quirky male ants who fall in love with the princesses of their respective colonies? The rivalry between Pixar and DreamWorks Animation is a hot topic in this episode, as are outtakes, voice work, and Gabe's daring suggestion that A Bug's Life may not even be as good as the first Cars. Prepare to be shocked throughout--check out the show now!

Are you ready to go back? Back...to the future? Well, OK, it's more like back...to the end of the beginning in this episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. That's because Josh and Gabe are talking about yet another direct-to-DVD sequel, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time. As you might expect from the subtitle, this Cinderella story isn't your average, run-of-the-mill princess movie, but it's got a dash of science fiction. See, when one of Cinderella's evil old stepsisters gets her hands on the Fairy Godmother's magic wand, she and her eviller stepmother are able to turn back the clock so Cinderella never had her happily ever after. Can good triumph over evil? Does Prince Charming need to be leeched? Is this movie better than the original? Are any direct-to-DVD sequels better than the original? Someone from Slate actually made that argument, and you best believe we're citing it this week. Now check out the show!

Welcome to 2016, everyone! Movie Mezzanine's got itself a new look for the whole site, and that has even affected Mousterpiece Cinema. Once upon a time, a long while ago, Josh and Gabe aired new episodes every Saturday; for the last year and a half, we've been releasing episodes on Wednesdays. Now, as you can see, we're back to our Saturday schedule! Maybe it's fitting--kind of--that the schedule shift begins as Josh and Gabe talk about a different day of the week, and a particularly odd one. In fact, it's Freaky Friday, the 1976 film starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris as a daughter and mother who inadvertently switch bodies with each other on one fine Friday and get into all sorts of madcap misadventures. Could it be that this film leans too hard on old-fashioned gender norms? Is its madcap style not something that's particularly funny? Is the 2003 remake better than this one? Find out now!

It's the end of 2015, friends, and to stave off the cold weather (as well as a cold that has besieged Josh's sinuses), Josh and Gabe want to flip the old Christmas-in-July concept and talk about summer in December. Specifically, they're talking about the 1963 Disney musical Summer Magic on this episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. You know Summer Magic, right? The one with songs from Richard and Robert Sherman? Songs like, uh, "Femininity"? (Bad news: the song is as bad as you might think based on its title.) Did Josh and Gabe enjoy another Hayley Mills-led live-action film from the 1960s, or is this not a Pollyanna-esque situation? And what does "The Music Man" have to do with this? (It does figure into the show.) Find out now!

Friends, the time has finally come. Anticipation has hit a fever pitch. Crowds are lining up around the block just to see the result of years of buildup. Yes, friends, you know what we're talking about. It's the battle to end all 2015 battles: is Gabe about to eat a heaping pile of crow, or did he hate the new Star Wars movie? That's right, as we approach the end of 2015, it's time for Josh and Gabe to face the biggest movie of the year, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As you may know, Josh has been looking forward to this one for a while, but Gabe's been obstinately against it. But now that the movie's out, did the movie surprise them? Did it win them over? They're joined by friend of the show Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly to talk the big issues: are the new characters fun? Did the movie do well by our old friends Han Solo, Leia Organa, and...R2-D2? Spoilers abound here, so be warned, but if you're ready and if the Force is with you, then check out the new show!

All you hosers, eh, listen up! We got a real corker of an episode of Mousterpiece Cinema coming your way, and this week, Gabe and Josh are facing off in a colder climate than usual: the ice rink. Yep, they're back in skates again, metaphorically speaking, because this episode's all about an underdog hockey team overcoming insurmountable odds to beat a European foe. No, it's not D2: The Mighty Ducks! We're talking about the 2004 film Miracle, starring Kurt Russell as the coach who would bring the U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the dreaded Soviet Union hockey team. But at least one of your hosts dares to prefer a Mighty Ducks movie to a Kurt Russell-led sports drama; hear who's bold enough to say so, plus impressions of Katharine Hepburn so good, we're going to get Cate Blanchett to hand over her Oscar. (Well, maybe not yet.) Check out the show now!

'Tis the season to be jolly, to make merry, to welcome friends into your home to celebrate the holidays. And on Mousterpiece Cinema, 'tis the season for holiday-themed episodes of the podcast! And now that we're all Santa Clause-d out on the show, it's time get a bit naughty. A bit...bad, you might say. So what better film to discuss this week than Bad Santa? Yes, this 2003 comedy starring Billy Bob Thornton as a low-down-and-dirty thief who dresses up as a mall Santa is from the Walt Disney Company, so it's on the docket this week. Josh and Gabe welcome Scott Tobias back to the program to debate...well, not that much! Spoiler alert: we're all big fans of this movie, just as we're not very big fans of the idea of the impending sequel. But hey, even when we're all agreeing, the spirit of the season demands that you listen. So...you know what to do!

It's a first this week on Mousterpiece Cinema, as Gabe and Josh talk about yet another Pixar movie; what's so special is that this is the first time in a single year when there have been two new Pixar movies. This summer, of course, we had the wonderful Inside Out; for the holidays, Pixar has given us The Good Dinosaur, wherein the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs...didn't wipe them out. In fact, the dinosaurs and humans coexist in this film, but does that lead to a good story? Josh and Gabe are joined by friend of the show Scott Renshaw of Salt Lake City Weekly to answer this burning question, as well as do our due diligence and insert at least one reference to The Big Lebowski into this discussion of a movie co-starring Sam Elliott. Plus, one of us calls the movie "disappointing"! A lot! It's not who you think! Check out the show to find out who said it!

Friends, we've got no time for preamble on this week's episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. We're off to the races, heading to...which mountain? Which one? Which--we have to figure that mystery out soon, because Josh and Gabe are talking about the last film in the infamous Witch Mountain franchise, the 2009 remake Race to Witch Mountain. Once more, they're joined by IGN TV editor Eric Goldman to talk about the important questions, such as...seriously, which mountain? OK, aside from that, there's time to debate the presence of a smaller-than-expected version of The Rock, a depiction of convention culture that's not terribly friendly, and the random appearance of Garry Marshall. (Please, call him Mr. Marshall!) If you're ready for a race, then check this episode out!