Hold Up

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

In 1975 Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones directed the comedy classic, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This flick tells the story of Arthur of Camelot who, along with his knights of the round table, go on a quest from God searching for the holy grail, only to find many challenges along the way. Starring the Monty Python crew of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, The Holy Grail made $5 million from a $400 thousand dollar budget and is widely considered to be one of the best comedies of all time. But does it hold up? Listen in and Jon, Colin, and Brent debate the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow as we decide if this classic is the Grail or just a Grail-shaped beacon.

The Fisher King

In 1991, Terry Gilliam once again shared his special brain with us when he released The Fisher King. The Fisher King is a dramedy telling the story of a disgraced star radio shock-jock who goes on a quest to help repair the life of a man that he inadvertently ruined, and in the process, finds redemption for himself. This film made a humble $42 million on a $24 million budget, was nominated for various Academy Awards (including a win for Mercedes Ruehl), and utilized a stellar cast to bring it to life featuring: Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer, and Michael Jeter among other notable faces and names. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss the joys of insanity as we try to figure out if this is a worthy quest or a fool's errand.

A Time to Kill

In 1996 John Grisham’s novel, A Time to Kill, was brought to life by director Joel Schumacher. A Time to Kill tells the story of a black father on trial in the south after he takes vengeance on the two white men who brutally raped and attempted to kill his 10-year-old daughter. The town is divided as the trial commences, and the family of the murdered racist rapists pulls in the KKK, which further threatens to rip the community apart. A Time to Kill hit #1 in the box office making $152 million on a $40 million budget and is packed with talent featuring: Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt, Charles S. Dutton, Ashley Judd, Brenda Fricker, and Patrick McGoohan. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate morality as we see if this flick deserves a fair trial, or if it’s a time to watch a different movie.

Better Off Dead

In 1985, Savage Steve Holland brought to life his directorial debut with Better Off Dead. This flick is the story of a high school student who becomes distraught when his girlfriend dumps him for the captain of the ski team and he balances his attempts to get her back with attempts to take his own life. Better Off Dead stars John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Curtis Armstrong, and Diane Franklin, and maintains a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes on just under 30 reviews. However, it was not a commercial or critical success upon release, and it took many years to achieve cult classic status. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate better ways to deal with your problems as we discuss if this film is better off celebrated, or forgotten.

Sexy Beast

In 2000, Jonathan Glazer unbuttoned his directorial debut, Sexy Beast. Sexy Beast is a British crime comedy featuring the story of a retired career criminal who receives a visit from an old gangster acquaintance who is determined to force him out of retirement and disrupt his happy life. Sir Ben Kingsley stars as the dreaded Don Logan opposite Ray Winstone as Gal the retired robber and is joined by Ian McShane to round out this expertly acted piece of cinema. Made for $4.3 million, Sexy Beast made a humble $10 million at the box office but received critical praise, even securing an Oscar nod for Kingsley in the best supporting actor category. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent, debate spandex swimwear as we decide if we need to bring sexy back, or see if it never left. 

Down and Out In Beverly Hills

In 1986, Director Paul Mazursky released his off-beat comedy, Down and Out in Beverly Hills. Down and Out is the story of a wealthy Beverly Hills businessman, Dave Whiteman, who seeks to reconcile his nouveau-riche guilt by bringing the destitute Jerry Baskin into his home. But the lessons flow from the opposite direction as Jerry’s influence weighs supreme over Dave’s entire house and Dave finds himself at odds with his new guest. Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Bette Midler, and Nick Nolte, Down and Out in Beverly Hills was made for $14 million and brought home $62 million from the box office. But does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss the finer notes of eating garbage as we determine if this comedy is rich, down, or out.

Oldboy (2003)

In 2003, Park Chan-Wook released his family drama, Oldboy. Oldboy features the story of Oh Dae-su, a degenerate father and husband who is inexplicably kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years. Oh Dae-su is released and immediately sets off to find answers and vengeance but discovers some uncomfortable truths and learns some things about himself along the way. With a modest budget of $3 million Oldboy brought home $15 million from the box office and received a lot of critical acclaims, even winning the Grand Prix at 2004 Cannes. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss absent fathers and daddy’s little girl as we see if this one hammers it home or falls victim to age.

Payback

In 1999, Brian Helgeland wrote and directed his neo-noir action flick, Payback. Payback features the story of career criminal Porter and his pursuit to get back the seventy-thousand (or was it $130k?) dollars that was stolen from him by his old partner Val Resnick. In order to buy his way into the criminal organization, The Outfit, Val convinces Porter's wife to put two bullets in her hubby's back, and Porter will stop at nothing to get what he's owed. Starring Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, Lucy Liu, James Coburn, and Kris Kristofferson, Payback made a modest $161 million from a $90 million budget. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent, debate the severity of cold-blooded murder as we determine if we get our money's worth, or if we want revenge for wasting our time.

2001: A Space Odyssey

In 1968, Stanley Kubrick saw the future when he released 2001: A Space Odyssey. 2001 is a story featuring huge questions that explore evolution, existentialism, and AI, amongst other big ideas all viewed through the lens of 3 different periods of human development. 2001 initially struggled at the theatre but soon people came to see something more. Its groundbreaking effects and massive philosophical questions began to open people’s hearts and minds to it until eventually, it became regarded as culturally significant and has since been preserved in the National Film Registry. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent wax philosophical as we determine if 2001 was a vision of the future or has become a victim of the past.

Unbreakable

In 2000, M. Night Shyamalan was feeling tough when he released his mature superhero thriller, Unbreakable. Unbreakable tells the story of David Dunn who is the sole survivor of a train crash and begins discovering things about himself with the help of the mysterious Mr. Glass. Featuring top-notch performances by Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, and Robin Wright Penn, Unbreakable made $248 million from a $75 million budget, received positive praise and carries a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent, discuss brittle pelvises and memories of being sick as we try to figure out if this flick is unassailable or as fragile as glass.