Hold Up

Star Wars - Return of the Jedi

A long time ago...1983 in fact...in a galaxy...that was the Milky Way, the final film in the original Star Wars saga, Return of the Jedi, took the world by storm. Donned in plaid, filmmaker George Lucas did his best to bring his three-film vision to a satisfying conclusion as men, women, scoundrels, wookies, worms, robots, and fuzzy dwarfs duke it out for the fate of the galaxy. Starring the immortal cast of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, and Frank Oz, ROTJ made nearly $500M on a $40M budget and was felt by some to not quite live up to the previous two movies, while others praised it as a satisfying end to a space opera the likes of which nobody had seen before. But 40 years and six Star Wars movies later, does it hold up? Listen as Jon, Colin, and the glowing ghost of Brent discuss overconfident slugs, amazingly well-planned rescue operations, and the emperor's lack of risk assessments in his traps as we determine if the Jedi should return in full, or suffocate from the toxic fumes that come from Vader's body BBQ.

Death to Smoochy

In 2002 Danny DeVito brought us his dark comedy, Death to Smoochy, a view into the savage underside of children’s shows. Death to Smoochy opens with Rainbow Randolph, a celebrated children's show host who is disgraced and fired after being caught taking bribes. As a result, the network hires Smoochy to replace him but Randolph works to sabotage him in the background. This flick has a great cast starring: Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Catherine Keener, Danny DeVito, and Jon Stewart. DtS was made for $50 million but only made $8 million and wasn’t received well critically. Why are we doing it? Because we liked it and we wanted to see if we still do, so…does this hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate children's show ethics and stepfathers as we try to determine if this one is worth signing for a year, or if we too want death for Smoochy.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

In 1988 Robert Zemeckis broke ground with his unique comedy whodunnit, Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Roger Rabbit tells the story of the star of toon films who is suddenly implicated in the murder of the man who was playing Patty-Cake with his buxom wife, Jessica. To solve the case we are introduced to Eddie Valiant, an alcoholic P.I. who has a grudge against toons since his brother was murdered by one. Starring Christopher Lloyd and Bob Hoskins, WFRR broke ground with the level of animation it tied into the live-action and the movie was a critical and financial hit. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate the ethics of cartoon/human relations as we decide; are toons in, or you should tune out.

Full Metal Jacket

In 1987, Stanley Kubrick released his war classic, Full Metal Jacket. FMJ details the story surrounding the cadet, Private Joker,  as he first attends boot camp, and then moves on to his assignment with Stars and Stripes. Before long, Joker's big mouth gets him embedded with a fellow recruit's squad in a very hot zone where the men find their toughest test yet. Made for somewhere between $16 and $30 million, Full Metal Jacket featured a great cast of young promising actors including Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio and the debut of Lee Ermey, the iconic drill sergeant. The whole package brought in $120 million at the box office, and the film was nominated for a handful of awards and established this movie as an instant classic. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss how high you can pile shit as we try to figure out if this one talks the talk or walks the walk.

Almost Famous

In the mighty year 2000, Cameron Crowe released the semi-autobiographical, Almost Famous. Crowe tells the story of a gifted boy, William, in his early teens who is an aspiring rock journalist and gets a shot at writing a Rolling Stone cover piece after some misunderstanding of his identity. He’s told by his idol not to get too close to maintain journalistic integrity, but as the band and their entourage suck him into their circus, the water gets muddy and William must decide where his allegiances lie. We aren’t even going to name all the stars in this flick, but everyone is in here including a little surprise Mitch Hedberg sighting. This flick may have lost money, but it won huge critical acclaim including an Oscar for best original screenplay. But, does it hold up? So, skip Easter and listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate the true cost of rock as we determine if this one laid an egg or wakes the dead.

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

In 2002, Peter Jackson released the second of his trilogy of the Lord of The Rings films with The Two Towers. The second installment has the fellowship separated and continuing their voyage as Frodo and Sam make their way to Mordor while the remainder of the group does their best not to think of them at all. Starring way too many people to list here this film is packed with potential and made quite a few pennies at the box office. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, Brent, and returning guest Dave debate hobbit’s holes and which wizard has the biggest staff as we try to see if this flick is still our precious, or if it should be cast back into the fire from whence it came.

The Godfather Part II

The Godfather Part II is Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 follow-up to the appropriately named, The Godfather. Unlike many sequels, but like many actors, this one goes both ways - acting as a prequel and a sequel to the first by showing us both the origin story of Vito Corleone intercut with Michael trying to lead the family to legitimacy post-Vito. Starring the same old faces from the first, in addition to some new mugs, this flick won a pile of awards, made its money back a few times over, and is often heralded as one of the best sequels ever made. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent, debate fratricide and swimming with the fishes as we try to figure out if Part II is a classy sequel or part poo.

Fargo

Oh hey there, yah, we're gonna go all the way back there to '96, ya know, for the Coen brother's dark comedy classic, Fargo. This unique flick tells the story of Jerry, a career loser who hires a loudmouth and a mute to abduct his wife so he can get a large ransom from his prick, Gopher-loving father-in-law. However, once set into motion, Jerry loses control and things start to unravel in hilarious and tragic ways. Fargo made $60 million from a $7 million budget and won a number of awards and accolades, including two Oscars. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent, debate sex work in the mid-West as we try to figure out if this holds up to Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, or flees the interview.

The Fugitive

Today we're on the run in 1993 with The Fugitive, directed by Andrew Davis and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Harrison Ford, Sela Ward, and Julianne Moore. The Fugitive tells the story of a man wrongly charged with murdering his wife so when his prison convoy crashes, he escapes looking for the one-armed killer. Unfortunately, the US Marshals are close on his tail and he must find this man before they do. This flick secured Tommy Lee Jones the Oscar for supporting actor and was nominated for a number of other awards as well as making $368 million from the initial $44 million budget. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate equal opportunity for assassins as we deliberate whether this flick has been cleared of all charges or if it should go back on the run. 

Spy Game

Today the secret password is Spy Game because we’re going to be diving back to the early millennium for Tony Scott’s 2001 espionage thriller. Spy Game tells the story of a retiring caseworker who finds out a friend and asset has been captured and is going to be disavowed by the US and executed by the Chinese unless he can outsmart both governments. Starring Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack, Stephen Dillane, and Larry Bryggman, Spy Game made a very modest $143 million from a $115 million budget but captured the audience's attention with its quick style and clever pacing. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent, try to uncover the truth as we determine if this one holds up or if it’s a secret that should be kept.