Hold Up

The Shawshank Redemption

1994 was a good year for movies, which included Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, The Lion King, True Lies, Speed, Ed Wood, three Jim Carrey movies...oh and the Shawshank Redemption.  Nominated for 6 Academy Awards, this movie was considered but overshadowed by its fellow films that year in every category.  Nearly 25 years later, it is regarded as a timeless classic and constantly makes top 10 lists all over the world.  We feel silly even asking, but does this prison movie with a 99% male cast hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul revisit Shawshank prison and find out if they throw their hands up in triumph after a successful escape, or if the movie's shit don't stink and it proves too obtuse to warrant parole, destined to suffer the same fate as Brooks.

Iron Man

In 2008, Marvel launched its most recent version of the MCU with Iron Man, setting the stage for some of the most popular, positively reviewed, and profitable superhero movies ever.  Taking chances on everything from the selection of Iron Man as the first superhero to be featured, to using Robert Downey Jr. as the star, and bringing on Jon Favreau as the director, Iron Man had several hills to climb.  But it not only climbed these hills, it built a super suit and flew over Mount Everest.  But does it hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul discuss the finer points of this billion-dollar franchise and see if this movie is as fine as American cheeseburgers, or if it’s a pile of outdated tech worthy of a recycling depo bin.

The Sixth Sense

1999 was an amazing year for movies, and M. Night Shyamalan hit the scene with his first and best movie, The Sixth Sense.  Boasting an all-star cast, this drama/thriller/horror movie had a great box office take thanks to the surprise twist ending that had people talking for months afterwards.  But 20 years later, does it hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul see dead people bullying a young boy in a makeshift tent to figure out if the ghosts are worth saving, or if we'd rather just be dead from the start.

The Matrix

In 1999, minds were blown, realities were questioned, and leather trench coats were all the rage when The Matrix was unleashed on the world.  This movie introduced new technologies with bullet time and combined sci fi, kung fu, and guns...lots of guns, resulting in an action-packed adventure that launched Keanu Reeves into superstardom and put Hugo Weaving on the map.  But does this movie hold up 20 years later?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul jack in and see if they cut the hard line or reach Zion to party with all of the other copper tops while wearing sunglasses and talking on their Nokia phones.  Woah.

Armageddon

In 1998, audiences were fascinated by the end of the world, and Armageddon brought them as much destruction porn as they could handle.  Fighting against a very similar concept from Deep Impact, Armageddon took the box office by storm and eventually won the battle of the asteroids with its star studded cast, explosions, special effects, Aerosmith and way more explosions.  But does this movie hold up? Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul revisit this over the top love story and see if the world is worth saving, or if Steve Buscemi had it right with his front row seat for the end of the world (and space dimentia!).

Point Break

1991's Point Break answers the burning question we all had as young adults.  How can we combine undercover FBI agents, bank robberies, surfing in the dark, skydiving with no parachute, Tank Girl, Gary Busey's teeth, and a Canoe?  Not to be mistaken with the giant turd that is 2015's Point Break, the real Point Break caused more teenage erections than Kathy Ireland.  But does this movie hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul take an adrenalin fueled journey and see if they find their spirit animals, or if they are only living to get radical (which is a bad thing apparently).

Billy Elliot

In 2000, computers did not explode, a new millennium started, and the world was given Billy Elliot, a movie that inspired audiences across the globe to drop their boxing gloves and put on tutu's.  Spawning a musical that hit stages all over the world, Billy Elliot gained renown for its uplifting story of a young boy overcoming adversity and dancing his ass off.  But does the movie hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul revisit this film to see if they strike with the miners, or shed tears for Billy as he takes the stage.

The Dark Knight

Following up on the very well received Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan brought us The Dark Knight in 2008.  The Caped Crusader takes on the mob and faces his toughest challenge yet with the Joker in this moody comic book adaptation that proved to be Heath Ledger's sendoff.  But does this movie hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul discuss the finer and no so finer points of the second Nolan Batman movie and see if Batman saves the day, or if this brooding movie leaves us too sad and depressed to watch again.

Fight Club

1999 was an amazing year for movies, but few were as controversial as Fight Club.  David Fincher's fourth major film was chastised for its violence and anarchy while simultaneously being praised for its bold vision and unflinching take on consumerism and society.  But does it hold up 19 years later?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul break the first and second rule by talking about Fight Club to find out if the movie scores a KO or becomes a victim of project mayhem and topples to the ground.

Robocop

In 1987, Paul Verhoevn released Robocop, an ultra-violent action movie that is about as far from a family flick as you can get.  Spawning two sequels, a remake, and a television show, Robocop's prime directives were killing bad guys, violence, melting flesh, dismemberment, and surviving in a dystopian future in Detroit, but does the original film hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul dive into this movie and find it is dead like Dick Jones, or very much alive like Murphy's brain.