Hold Up

Black Swan

In 2010 Darren Aronofsky unleashed the ballet hellscape upon us with his award-winning, Black Swan. Featuring Natalie Portman as a ballet dancer driven mad with ambitions drive and paranoid vigor as she tries to be crowned Swan Queen. However, her anxiety gets the best of her when Mila Kunis appears as the dancer who could challenge her throne. This film was an award-winning thriller that brought Portman the best-actress Oscar, but does it hold up? Listen as Jon, Colin, and Brent ask why sex scenes are so short and how multiple personalities can help as we try to figure out if this is a beautiful swan or an ugly duckling.

The Game

In 1997 we received David Fincher’s follow-up to Se7en with, The Game, a sleek action-filled drama starring Michael Douglas, Deborah Kara Unger, Sean Penn, and James Rebhorn. Douglas takes point as Nicholas Van Orton, a man with everything who has lost the love for life, and so his brother gives him a very unique birthday gift, an immersive game that will force him to face his demons. However, the lines between ruse and reality are blurred and Nick must kill himself so everyone can party! Sound intriguing? Sure. Does it Hold up? Maybe. Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate splitting the cheque and suicide-themed parties as we try to figure out if The Game wins or we lose.

Miller’s Crossing

The Coen brothers broke into the ‘90s with the noir-styled gangster flick, Miller’s Crossing, starring Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, John Turturro, and Albert Finney. This film details the story of the second in charge of an Irish mob gang who is exiled from his family in an attempt to save them from themselves but finds himself in even more trouble when he gets involved with the rival family and tensions flare. This flick was a box office failure, but has seen critical praise and is a memorable component of the Coen’s amazing catalogue. But does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss banging the boss’s wife and how alcohol can fix your problems as we figure out if you should visit Miller’s crossing or take a detour.

Blue Velvet

In 1986 a strange thing happened—filmmaker David Lynch released a little movie called Blue Velvet and everyone who watched it...well, their brain exploded. What happened? What did they see? What did it mean? And why is Dennis Hopper so obsessed with it being dark all the time? No one knew then, and we're going to guess that in 2022, nobody still knows. The story follows our hero Jeffery Beaumont, a young clean-cut, straight arrow who comes home from college after his father suffers from a stroke and then he decides to become an amateur detective/pervert to solve the mystery of an ear he finds in a field. It’s not long before Jeffery finds himself embroiled in a cat-and-mouse game with a dangerous man named Frank (Dennis Hopper) and his crew. He also becomes involved in a sexual relationship with Dorthy, a singer who wants him to beat her, and at the same time starts wooing Sandy, the daughter of a police detective. Things escalate from there and this culminates with some of the most bizarre and mind-bending scenes in cinematic history… but does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss the critically acclaimed film to see if we still want David Lynch to “put his disease in us” or if we would rather this be the last time we watch Dorthy sing Blue Velvet.

The King’s Speech

In 2010, writer David Seidler and Director Tom Hooper felt that there was not enough drama when England went to war with Germany in 1939. So, they decided to take a different spin on the familiar story of King Edwards VIII's abdication from the Throne, paving way for stammering King George VI to take the throne and give huge public wartime speeches in, The King's Speech. Nominated for 12 Oscars, TKS brings together a great cast consisting of Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pierce, Timothy Spall, Michael Gambon, and many other familiar and talented faces. Raking in over $400M on a budget of $15M, The King's Speech puts a lens on the psychological roots of stammering while humanizing individuals within the monarchy, leaving the audience with huge stakes to overcome and giant character arcs. But does it hold up? Listen as Jon, Colin and Brent discuss the effectiveness of singing your traumas aloud and sitting in forbidden chairs as we see if this one has a voice fit for a king, or if it is a king-sized piece of shit. 

The Wedding Singer

In 1998 Frank Coraci brought us the Adam Sandler romcom, The Wedding Singer. Sandler brings Robbie Hart to life as a romantic wedding singer who is about to get married himself. However, when he’s stood up at the altar, his life and career begin to unravel until he befriends Julia and together, they discover what love is, or not, I’m not spoiling it for you. Drew Barrymore joins Sandler and a handful of great cameos along with the usual Sandler pals for this flick which also features a soundtrack that went platinum around the globe. But does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent discuss the sacred institution of marriage and the best way to get around it as we pass the dutchie and decide if this movie is a White Wedding or a Blue Monday.

Romeo + Juliet (1996)

In 1996 we got a modernized look at one of the all-time classics with Baz Luhrmann’s William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. Luhrmann takes us through the old familiar story word for word with a unique and modernized visual interpretation as the setting, so you have something to look at while you pretend to understand what they’re saying. This flick is loaded with talent featuring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo, Harold Perrineau, Pete Postlethwaite, Paul Sorvino and Diane Venora, and was reviewed fairly well considering the large swing taken by Luhrmann. But, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate how soon is too soon to introduce the poison and the risks of leaving children with priests as we try to figure out if this is true romance, or if we should just all kill ourselves.

The Cabin in the Woods

To finish off the spooky month we are going to one of the oldest cliches in the Horror genre with Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard’s, The Cabin in the Woods. The Cabin in the Woods is a horror/comedy but takes a different twist to the genre by telling the familiar story of a group of teens who think they are heading for a weekend of sexy fun but find themselves posed with a deadly choice that will ultimately affect the safety of the world as we know it. This flick doubled it’s money at the box office and became an instant genre-bending classic but, does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate the best way to die and how to prevent wolf gingivitis as we try to figure out if this flick is haunting or hokie. 

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

Hey college kids! Today we’re doing Eli Craig’s 2010 horror comedy, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. T&DvE tells the story of a couple of simple and loveable hillbillies who are off on a vacation to fix their new shitty little shack on the lake. But when they save a college kid from drowning, their good intentions are confused, and they become the target of a misdirected rescue plot with horrible, and hilarious results. This flick is a cult classic for Halloween. It made its money back at the box office (barely), but did not garner big headlines despite overall good reviews and the love of its adoring fanbase. But does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate the best treatment for hornet stings and what constitutes overacting as we try to determine if this one defeats evil or becomes it.

Poltergeist (1982)

They’re heeeeeeeerrrre! Ghosts that is. Or, more specifically, Poltergeists, or even more specifically, Tobe Hooper’s (Spielberg’s?) 1982 horror classic, Poltergeist. This spooky little diddy tells the story of a perfect little nuclear family just doing family stuff when suddenly strange, but harmless, things start happening. But after while, that all changes and they realize the house presents a very clear and present danger. Will they leave? No, they don’t seem to be that smart, so they are probably gonna hire an odd dwarfish little woman with bad hair to clean their house. Anywho, this thing stars Coach, was nominated for 3 Oscars, and was co-written, and possibly co-directed by, Steven Spielberg. Not bad. But does it hold up? Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent debate ghastly emissions and magical little people as we try to figure out if this house is clean, or if it’s actually just a nice façade crudely placed on a pile of bodies.