No Excuses

Mike and Jenny are joined by Ryan Oliver from The Playlist Podcast to reminisce about the year that was 2018 in cinema, as they give their nominees and winners for the best of the year. From performance to cinematography to music, 2018 gave us so much cinematic excellence that is only right to present this excellence with what we dub the "Scusies". Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33, @RyOllie90 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny arrive at what Mike considers the best film of the 2010s, Joel and Ethan Coen's tragicomedy masterpiece Inside Llewyn Davis. The discuss Oscar Isaac's brilliant performance, Bruno Delbonnel's stunning cinematography, whether or not the Coens are cruel to their characters, and how terrific all the music is. They also give you their first impressions on this year's Academy Award nominations. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny go back to the turn of the millennium (whether you consider it 2000 or 2001) to discuss Hou Hsiao-hsien's Millennium Mambo. They discuss their admiration of lead actress Shu Qi, the film's memory structure, the authenticity of an abusive relationship, and exciting camera framing. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny take a trip to 1885 to talk about Mike Leigh's Gilbert and Sullivan biopic Topsy-Turvy. They discuss Leigh's insane but brilliant creative process, the joy of period specific dialogue, the racism of The Mikado, and how well the film depicts how a piece of entertainment comes together. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny ring in the new year with their first episode of 2019 by looking back at a couple of new releases from December of 2018, Rob Marshall's musical sequel Mary Poppins Returns and Pawel Pawlikoowski's forbidden romance Cold War. They discuss the brilliance of Emily Blunt, the benefits and hinderances to holding back information from the audience, the wacky Golden Globe winners, and heap praise on the charming new Broadway musical The Prom. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny started this podcast in order to fill in the blindspots of their film and television watching by forcing themselves to watch the films they need to see. In this episode, they each reveal ten (or really eleven) films they are most embarrassed to have never seen, with titles ranging from directors like Akira Kurosawa to Steven Spielberg. What is the biggest impediment to Mike watching a film? What film of Jenny's makes Mike gasp in surprise? Listen and find out. Leave us reviews on iTunes!

Mike and Jenny travel back to a couple of years ago to discuss Céline Sciamma's 2014 French coming age film Girlhood. They discuss whether the film's two distinct halves gel together, gender performance, female friendship, Rihanna, and how the film's white director handles its black characters. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny are back to discuss Christopher Guest's first mockumentary as a director, Waiting for Guffman. They discuss their fondness for the mockumentary form, different kinds of improvisation, photoshopped photos in movies, and the quick-witted genius of Fred Willard. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny had to take a week off, but they are still watching movies, discussing two films released this November. They discuss the new anthology Western from Joel and Ethan Coen, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and the new film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Ralph Breaks the Internet. They also spotlight the skating documentary Minding the Gap, available on Hulu, and the new season of Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny clash on a discussion of Carl Theodore Dreyer's final film Gertrud. They debate whether or not the film wants us to be sympathetic to its titular character, how the film's presentational style helps or hurts its story, and how aging has changed for future generations. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny tip their cap to #Noirvember to discuss a classic of the film noir genre, Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity. They discuss the Hayes Code, the amazing dialogue, Wilder and Raymond Chandler's contentious relationship, and whether or not this is good film to start with to get into film noir. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny are joined this week by the wonderful Ariel Fisher from the After All Podcast and Fangoria to discuss Wong Kar-wai's 1994 diptych film Chungking Express. They discuss whether or not one character is a manic pixie dream girl, the heavy French New Wave influences, the pathetic nature of the two male leads, the westernization of Hong Kong, Ariel's list for the Top Ten Foreign Language Films for the recent BBC ranking, and much, much more. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33, @Afis8 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny wrap up October by heading off to the theaters to see what is playing, discussing David Lowery's The Old Man and the Gun and Luca Guadanino's Suspiria. They discuss the pleasantness of a twilight years romance, the complicated ambition of Guadanino's remake, and the sad end to FilmStruck. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny delve into Frank Oz's film of the Off-Broadway monster musical comedy hit Little Shop of Horrors for Spooky Season. They discuss the tremendous technical feat of Audrey II, the mixing of genuine stakes with cartoonish characters, weird lyric changes, and what their favorite musical numbers are. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Ryan Oliver from The Playlist Podcast joins Mike and Jenny to discuss Ti West's homage to 1980s satanic panic horror films The House of the Devil. They discuss the accuracy of the film's retro aesthetic, how effective the film is at having its own voice, and whether or not the satanic cult's plan is far too complicated for their own benefit. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33, @RyOllie90 E-Mail Us: noexcuespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny continue on with spooky season to discuss Henri-Georges Clouzot's incredibly influential horror thriller Diabolique. They discuss whether this qualifies as a horror film, what makes an effective twist, the change's from the novel, and whether or not one of the kids in the film is unusually ripped for his age. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

It is October, which means it is time for Mike and Jenny to start spooky season here on No Excuses, starting with Tom Holland's 1985 vampire film Fright Night. They discuss the film's balance of comedy and horror, the gay subtext, whether or not Chris Sarandon is alluring, and their experiences at this year's Fantastic Fest and New York Film Festival. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcuesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny dig deep into one of the most profound and important films of the 21st Century, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. They discuss John C. Reilly's committed performance, the tropes of the music biopic, what makes a successful parody, and whether or not notorious non-laugher during a movie Jenny actually laughed. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny are back from their unforeseen hiatus to their first episode as cross-country podcasters for a discussion of Mira Nair's 2001 ensemble romance film Monsoon Wedding. They discuss familial relationships, the film's vibrant colors, the joys of watching people dance, and whether or not it is gross to watch people eat flowers. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com

Mike and Jenny in preparation for the upcoming sequel go back to the far past of 2015 to discuss Mike's favorite American action film of the 2010s, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. They discuss the entertaining madman that is Tom Cruise, the badassness of Rebecca Ferguson, how to tell a story through action, and their love of practical stunts and effects. Leave us reviews on iTunes! Follow Us: @NoExcusesPod, @MikeShutt15, @JennyLeighx33 E-Mail Us: noexcusespodcast@gmail.com