Mousterpiece Cinema

Hey, friends! It's time for a very...uh...unique episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, as Josh and Scott head out to the wilderness of Oregon to watch the exploits of two young runaways and the circus lion they keep as a pet. Yes, they're talking about the 1972 film Napoleon and Samantha on this week's show, and if you haven't seen this movie before, trust us: you are in for a doozy this week. Napoleon and Samantha is notable for a few reasons: it's the feature-film debut of Jodie Foster, it features one of the earliest lead performances from Michael Douglas, and it also asks the age-old question: "What do you do when you realize that the hippie/sheep-herder who you paid to help bury your grandfather has inadvertently left you alone in his shack in the woods with only an escaped patient from a mental institution as your babysitter?" ...Yeah. This is a weird one. Sit back, relax, and let Josh and Scott try to explain how Napoleon and Samantha reaches this strange point on the new show!

Hey, folks! It's time for a brand-new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, and we're heading down South for this one. The good news is that Josh and Scott are tackling another one of Joel and Ethan Coen's movies on this episode! The bad news is that they're discussing...The Ladykillers, the 2004 remake of the British dark comedy, this one featuring Tom Hanks, Irma P. Hall, J.K. Simmons, and more. Josh and Scott are joined by friend of the show (and Five-Timers' Club inductee!) Keith Phipps of Uproxx to talk about this oft-derided Coen film, to discuss whether or not it's getting a fair shake or if this might be a diamond in the rough. (Or, perhaps, a diamond in the floating trash island.) Have people inadvertently missed out on The Ladykillers or is this truly the worst film from Joel and Ethan Coen? Listen now to find out!

Hey, folks! It's time for Mousterpiece Cinema to have its first Revisited episode of 2018, and this one is a doozy. Josh and Scott are also opening up the doors to guests for the Revisited shows this year, so it's even bigger than before! To kick off the year, they're talking about the 2000 animated film The Emperor's New Groove, the underrated movie that has a lot of passionate fans, including our return guest Alexander Huls. But not all three of the people on today's episode are all fans of this movie, especially in light of recent real-world events. Is Josh going to be able to embrace the film with his heart? Or is he going to be "desperately wrong"? Does it matter if the lead character is annoying if the supporting cast is so much fun? Find out now!

Hey, friends! It's time for a brand-new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, and Scott and Josh are headed back, way back, a hundred years for this week's movie. In fact, they're heading to World War I to talk about Steven Spielberg's 2011 epic War Horse, all about the relationship between a boy and his horse in the United Kingdom as the war begins. It's only been six-plus years, but most people would say this is not one of Spielberg's finer films. And yet! Josh and Scott, along with our returning guest Corey Atad, might disagree! Does this movie get its fair shake, or does it have too many...naysayers? (#sorrynotsorry). We dive into all the important questions here, plus make at least one comparison to Equus, because how could we not. So check out the new show now!

Hey, friends! Happy New Year to everyone from the bottom to the top of the world! We're diving into a brand-new year of Mousterpiece Cinema this week by shaking things up with one of our Patreon donor request episodes. This time, Scott and Josh are on the hunt for a mysterious place of myth where whales supposedly travel to die after their long lives. Yes, that's right, we're discovering The Island at the Top of the World on this new episode of the show, the 1974 film directed by Disney stalwart Robert Stevenson, about a motley crew of explorers who go searching for a lost young man north of the Arctic. Does this 70s-era film remind your hosts of the cruddy Disney live-action films of the era? Would the movie have led to a great theme-park attraction? Does it matter that the movie doesn't know who it's about, or who the ideal audience is? Find out on the new episode!

Hey, folks! It's time for your hosts to close out 2017 on Mousterpiece Cinema, and what better way to do it than by returning to a land of fantasy and wonder, only to find that its denizens have been hardened and hollowed out to the point of losing their humanity? Yes, maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but that premise is kind of part of the focus of our film this week, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, in which the four Pevensie siblings return to the land of Narnia after a year away in real-world time and 1300 years away in Narnia time. The world they find is radically different, and Josh and Scott talk a lot about those differences, from a lack of Mr. Tumnus and Aslan, to the lifeless performances, and more. Also, stick around to hear your hosts talk about what the Disney/Fox merger means for the show (if it will impact the show at all). Check out the new show and have a happy new year!

Hey, friends! We hope that as the Christmas holiday approaches, the Force is with you because we've got a big new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema coming your way. And yes, we're talking about the biggest movie of the end of the year this week, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the eighth episode in the Lucasfilm franchise. Josh and Scott are joined by return guest Emma Stefansky of Vanity Fair and ScreenCrush to talk about the new adventures of Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren, and Luke Skywalker on the new podcast. Does The Last Jedi feel like a Rian Johnson movie as much as it feels like a Lucasfilm brand deposit? Is the movie too long? Does it feel like a true Star Wars film? (Spoiler alert: all three people on the podcast liked this movie, so...y'know.) Listen to the new episode now to get into a Force-ful mood!

Hey, friends! We hope you're in the Christmas spirit, because this episode of Mousterpiece Cinema will go nicely with the holiday season. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Scott and Josh are revisiting an old favorite, the 1992 film The Muppet Christmas Carol. After a quarter-century, how does this take on the iconic story of Ebenezer Scrooge hold up? Does it hold up that well at all? Is it possible that Scott and Josh have not-nice things to say about the Muppets? Yes, it is possible, so prepare yourself to hear a couple of slightly Scrooge-y hosts this week, even though they do take out time to talk about a certain moment in the film that Josh loves so dearly that he's used it in GIF form maybe a thousand times. You know which moment. Anyway, check out the episode now!

Hey, friends! It may be December, but we're not exactly getting in the spirit of the holiday with this big new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. Instead, Scott and Josh are headed back to the early part of the 20th century to talk about the 2007 epic There Will Be Blood, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as an ambitious oil man in California. Your hosts are joined by two guests this week: returning favorite Tim Grierson of Paste Magazine and Screen International, and Vadim Rizov of Filmmaker Magazine. This quartet digs deep into Paul Thomas Anderson's singular character study, the memorably iconic Daniel Day-Lewis performance, that instantly discordant Jonny Greenwood score, and more. We hope you've got your milkshakes handy, so get ready to drink them and listen to the new show!

Hey, friends! It's time for a big new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, so strap yourself in (preferably with a guitar strap) and start listening! Josh and Scott are ready to talk about Pixar Animation Studios' new film Coco, all about a little boy who travels to the Land of the Dead during the Mexican celebration of Dia de los Muertos. They're joined by longtime friend of the show Griffin Newman, who enters the Five-Timers' Club on this episode, and boy, is it a doozy. Fair warning: before digging into Coco, Josh, Scott, and Griffin talk about the recent allegations surrounding Disney/Pixar leader John Lasseter. After that discussion, they talk about Pixar's new film, the value of original filmmaking, the beauty of Coco's animation, music, Olaf's Frozen Adventure, and more! Don't wait any longer--start listening now!

Hey, friends! We're closing out November 2017 with another of our patented b-b-b-b-b-b-bonus episodes here at Mousterpiece Cinema HQ! As we did hit the 800-Like threshold on Facebook this month, Scott and Josh are getting together to talk about one of this year's most acclaimed new films: The Florida Project, from director Sean Baker. Don't let that title fool you, though: this movie isn't about the making of Walt Disney World. Instead, The Florida Project focuses on a group of little kids growing up in relative poverty a few miles away from the Happiest Place on Earth, and how they try to have fun one crazy summer. Scott and Josh are joined by return guest Monica Castillo of The New York Times to discuss The Florida Project, getting the local details right, child performers, Willem Dafoe's performance as a kindly hotel manager, and more. If you haven't seen this movie yet, there may be spoilers in the final section of the episode, but otherwise, dig in!

Hey, friends! We hope you all had a fun Thanksgiving, which means only one thing: Christmas is right around the corner! While Scott and Josh hold off on their Coco discussion until next week, they're getting in the holiday mood appropriately! Because what better way to start off the Christmas season than with a movie adapted from a book with the word "Christmas" in the title, right? There's no way that movie...wouldn't have anything to do with Christmas, right? Well, it turns out that's the case, as Scott and Josh head back to the 1970s with Candleshoe, starring a young Jodie Foster, David Niven, and Helen Hayes. Though it's based on a book called Christmas at Candleshoe, this British-set scavenger hunt adventure has nothing to do with the holiday. But is it one of the rare Disney live-action films of the 1970s that isn't horrendous? Does this movie have a more tender heart than either Scott or Josh would have thought? Would kids from the 1970s ever have referenced Rudolph Valentino when they spoke? Find out

Hey, friends! We hope you're in the mood for a happy working podcast, because that's exactly what we're giving you this week on a new Mousterpiece Cinema! As you might be able to tell, Scott and Josh are revisiting a decade-old Disney live-action/animated film, Enchanted, starring Amy Adams, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, and Timothy Spall. OK, yes, fine, Patrick Dempsey is also in this film, but his performance as the fairly unexciting love interest is one of the key points on which Josh and Scott agree, even if Scott's a bit warmer on the film overall. Does this movie, though, hold up after a decade? Has Josh softened towards what he saw as its flaws before? Do either of your co-hosts have interest in a purported sequel to the world of Princess Giselle and Andalasia? Find out now!

Hey, friends! It's time for the main event, as Mousterpiece Cinema travels to a whole new world to talk about the latest adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: Ragnarok. On this episode, Josh and Scott are joined by friend of the show Angie Han of Mashable to talk about the latest entry in the world of the God of Thunder, specifically because it's so extremely different from the two previous Thor films. Does Chris Hemsworth have the comic chops to pull the shift off? Do we want to see a new Hulk film? Could this movie stand to have more Jeff Goldblum? (That's a trick question: the answer is always yes.) Check out the new show to find out the answers to some of these questions! (And stick around to the end to hear a fun tease for next week's episode.)

Hey, friend-o! It's time for a brand-new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, and listening to it will be as simple as calling a coin toss. Just call it. You have to call it. OK, we're in a mood this week, because Scott and Josh are celebrating the 10th anniversary of one of the great American neo-noirs, No Country for Old Men, written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, adapted from the iconic Cormac McCarthy novel. They're joined by author and editor Adam Sternbergh to talk about the 2007 thriller, the instantly memorable performance from Javier Bardem, the meaning of the implacable final scene, and whether or not Llewellyn Moss hooked up with the mysterious lady by the pool near the finale or not. Does No Country hold up after a decade? Is it the Coens' best film? Does the Mike Yanagita scene in Fargo make sense? (You know it does.) Find out the answers to these questions and more in the new episode!

Hey, friends! It's time for another spooktacular episode of Mousterpiece Cinema! Josh and Scott are getting in the Halloween mood once again by looking back at what may be Tim Burton's best film, the 1994 biopic Ed Wood, starring Johnny Depp, Patricia Arquette, Martin Landau, and more. Josh and Scott are joined by friend of the show Danny Bowes to talk about all things Ed Wood, from his angora sweaters to Plan 9 From Outer Space. Plus, you might well be wondering why we changed our minds and aren't talking about Scream 2 this week. Good news: we answer that question in great detail, and with...uh...a lot of profanity. Seriously: this episode has enough language in it that Josh recorded a brief intro to make sure you're not taken off-guard. But now that you know, if you dare, check out the new show!

Hey, friends! It's time for a spooktacular new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, and this week, Scott and Josh are headed to the Las Vegas Strip for a scarifying discussion all about the 2011 remake of Fright Night, starring Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Imogen Poots, David Tennant, and more. They're joined by friend of the show Louis Peitzman of Buzzfeed to talk all about the remake's presentation of toxic masculinity, why the movie struggled at the box office in the summer of 2011, the legacy of the late Anton Yelchin, and more! Is this better than the original? Is its faux-Children of Men car chase a successful stylistic choice? And what's so fun about Imogen Poots' name? Find out on the new episode!

Gooooooooooooooooood morning, podcast listeners! It's time for a brand-new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, and Josh and Scott are in the mood for some wacky comedy and rock 'n' roll. So it's a good thing they're discussing the 1987 film Good Morning, Vietnam on the new podcast. Josh and Scott are joined by friend of the show Kate Kulzick of The Televerse to talk about the Barry Levinson film, and its seminal Robin Williams performance. Does this movie still hold up after 30 years? Is it surprisingly tone-deaf? Can Barry Levinson actually direct worth a damn? Find out now!

Hey, folks! It's another October, which means it's time for a scare-ifying new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema! Josh and Scott are getting into the seasonal mood as they revisit the 1993 stop-motion animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas this week. It's been six years since Josh discussed the Henry Selick film on the podcast, and his opinion has indeed changed a little bit. Is this a film deserving of its cult status? Is it mystifying that a movie so slight never got turned into a Broadway show? Is Jack Skellington just kind of a whiner? All the answers to those questions, plus a little Blade Runner 2049 talk, in the new show!

Hey, folks! It's time for a very special new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. Scott and Josh are closing out the month of September with a first: our first episode title requested by one of our Patreon pledges! And yes, you read the title correct: we're talking about the 2003 feature film The Lizzie McGuire Movie, based on the Disney Channel show starring Hilary Duff. Would you believe that this movie inspires some of the more spirited debate between Scott and Josh? Who's on the side that argues this is a charming and light depiction of a tweenage girl falling in love with the experience of traveling to Rome? Who thinks the film's too light to even be a theatrical feature? And who thinks Skype is the true trickster here for the various audio issues at play during the episode? (Sorry, but fair warning.) Listen to the new show to find out the answers to these and more questions!