Hold Up

Spaceballs

Welcome to Spaceballs, the writeup. As you have likely noticed, this week we are bringing you another silly flick and the first of two Mel Brooks movies that we’ll be doing this December. This one stars Bill Pullman, John Candy, Mel Brooks, and Rick Moranis in a spoof of Star Wars that became an all-time classic and one of the most quotable movies ever on top of making a decent amount of dough. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate who’s schwartz is bigger as we try to figure out if if we still have a taste for Spaceballs. 

Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle

In 2004 we got royally baked with Danny Leiner’s 2004 stoner comedy, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. This silly flick stars John Cho and Kal Penn as the title duo who find themselves on an epic quest for the perfect high meal which leads to hijinx, a pile of great cameos, and a couple of sequels. Harold & Kumar brought in $23 million from the $9 million budget, made a couple of careers and brought one back. But does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate the rules of battleshit and Katie Holmes' boobies as we try to see if this joint is lit, or half-baked.

Airplane!

In 1980, we were flying high with the directorial debut of the trio known as ZAZ when their careers took off with the hit Airplane!. This silly slapstick flick stars Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty alongside the comedic debut of Leslie Nielson as we watch a relationship explode amidst bad fish and faulty autopilots. This movie made a silly amount of money, turning its $3.5 million budget into a $175 million payday and has been the most quoted movie since 1980, source missing. But does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss unloading in the white zone and the first time we saw a grown man naked as we try to see why this flick took off and if it landed safely or crashed and burned.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

This glorious Sunday the gang got down with alliteration and gossip when we watched What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Lasse Hallström’s ’93 family drama. Starring Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, and Leonardo DiCaprio in a role that secured him his first Oscar loss and a ton of confused first interactions afterwards. This flick brought in a whopping $1 million at the box office but still resonates in the cinema sphere due to the sincerity of the performances and the dramatic setting. But does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate ladder safety and building codes as we do the heavy lifting and find out if this film is still fire, or too heavy to move. 

Step Brothers

Back in 2008 we learned the value of family when Adam McKay introduced us to his Step Brothers, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.  This flick brings us the trials of two adult men trapped in mental adolescence who are forced to take care of themselves when their newlywed parents have enough of their antics after the two crash a boat load of hoes. Step Brothers brought in a good payday and became a cult classic despite the critics overall distaste for the film. But does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss nutty drums and the goddamn Catalina wine mixer as we do our best to see if we just became best friends with Step Brothers. 

Behind the Candelabra

Today, we are sneaking in with a Steven Soderbergh flick that did not have a theatrical release but rather premiered on TV. The film? Behind the Candelabra starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon as Liberace and the jaded lover who wrote the book from which the movie was based. Speaking of based, HBO was the only company based enough to make a movie deemed “too gay” by the smooth brains at various studios. The result was two great actors getting what might be the best roles of their lives. But, does this hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate diamond-studded assholes and cheeky fuckboys as we do our best to decide if this flick still catches our eye or if we’d prefer something a little younger and prettier.

Evil Dead (2013)

It’s that groovy time of year when the dead come back to life as we watch Evil Dead rise from the grave for Fede Álvarez’s 2013 remake of Sam Raimi’s cult classic. This flick brought a complete reimagining of the original with a number of nods to the flick that started as a proof of concept from two friends and refused to die, bringing us 5 films so far and a spin-off TV series starring the original Ash himself. This flick made its original proud by bringing in about 5x the budget at the box office and revitalizing the series. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent walk through the eye of the needle and get stuck in the woods, but never the weeds, as see if this blood-fest was fun-filled gore, or undead snore. 

The Cell

Welcome to The Cell, Tarsem Singh's beautiful and haunting vision brought to the big screen in this awe-inspiring SciFi-horror. Starring Jenny from the block and a couple of Vinces we are brought into the mind of a twisted serial killer in a desperate attempt to find and free his final victim from certain death. This film performed very well at the box office but was split in the critical realm where some found it to wander while others saw a careful balance between the various plots, characters, and locations. But does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate techno handkerchiefs and kink-shaming as we dive deep into each other's brain holes in an attempt to find if The Cell is surrealist hell, or surreally swell.  

Zodiac

In 2007, David Fincher brought us his aptly named gritty true-crime thriller based on the Zodiac killer, Zodiac. Fincher is joined by Jake Gyllenhall, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr., alongside several other familiar faces for this murderous journey down memory lane as we watch the case unfold from various perspectives. Zodiac was nominated for multiple awards and was well-reviewed overall (the movie, not the killer), but bad timing meant it just couldn’t perform at the box office competing against such a blockbuster comedy as Wild Hogs?…seriously, what’s the matter with you people? Anywho, does this Fincher classic hold-up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate bad marriages and cartoon detectives as we try to decide if Zodiac is guilty of killing people or our time.

As Above, So Below

In 2014 John Erick Dowdle directed a little horror flick he and his brother wrote called As Above, So Below. Taken from some ancient religious and alchemical source material, this flick takes us on a ride through the Paris catacombs in search of The Philosopher Stone, pre-Hogwarts era, and finds us trapped in the depths of hell with cool cults and bloody fingers. This flick has a few recognizable yet lesser-known faces but managed to make $40 Mil on a budget of $5 Million and pee in the pants of many. But does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate topless worship and taking directions from ghosts as we figure out if this was redemption or condemnation.