Mousterpiece Cinema

Latest Episodes:

Lucasfilm Bonus Episode Seven: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Aug 15, 2016

Show notes

Hey, friends! Are you ready for another very special b-b-b-b-b-b-bonus episode of Mousterpiece Cinema? It's been a little while since Gabe and Josh got together for a bonus recording, but they did so last month--in fact, they recorded this episode in the same place for the first time in the show's history. And this Lucasfilm-centric bonus episode is all about the last film that George Lucas had any direct say over in the Star Wars franchise, the 2008 animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Christopher Lee, among others. (Really!) But even though the TV show of the same name has garnered praise, this movie that kickstarted the Cartoon Network program isn't so hot, at least to Josh and Gabe. Listen for more details on just how surprising this movie is!

Episode 261: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Aug 13, 2016

Show notes

It's time for a new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, friends! This week, Josh and Gabe are going back to the beginning of the era of Studio Ghibli. In fact, they're going back before the beginning, to the film that led to the creation of Studio Ghibli, from director Hayao Miyazaki: it's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Josh and Gabe are joined by Justine Smith of Vague Visages to talk about this early Miyazaki effort, and whether or not it might be his very best film. Or is this movie not as emotionally engaging as films like Princess Mononoke or Kiki's Delivery Service? Did this movie set the foundation or raise the bar so high nothing else could clear it? Only one way to find out now--listen to the show!

Episode 260: Jack Aug 06, 2016

Show notes

Hey, friends! It's time for a new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, and boy, do we have a corker for you this week. There's good news and bad news, too. Good news: this episode is all about a film from Francis Ford Coppola, director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now! Bad news: those movies aren't from Disney, but his 1996 film Jack...is. And this Robin Williams-led film about a boy who looks like he's 40 is the subject of this week's podcast. Josh and Gabe are joined by friend of the show and soon-to-be co-star of the Amazon revival of The Tick, Griffin Newman. Josh, Gabe, and Griffin debate the important issues, like: how bad is this movie? No, really...how bad is this movie? Plus, Griffin talks a bit about working on the pilot for The Tick, and reveals one of the all-time great stories of working with a peer of Coppola. This is a long episode, so strap in and check it out now!

Episode 259: Follow Me, Boys! Jul 30, 2016

Show notes

Hey, folks! We've got a brand-new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema available for your listening pleasure today, but there's a very important way for you to access it. Do you know the Oath of the Boy Scouts? What's their motto? Are you prepared to...be prepared? Yes, this week on the show, Gabe and Josh are talking about the Boy-Scout-centric 1966 live-action film Follow Me, Boys!, starring Fred MacMurray, Lillian Gish, Vera Miles, and a little boy who would grow into the big boy Kurt Russell. And for once, Gabe hasn't seen an old-school Disney live-action film before; was he sufficiently inspired by this would-be Goodbye, Mr. Chips? Were Gabe and Josh both ready to become Scoutmasters in real life? Or was this a colossal letdown? Only one way to find out: check out the show now! Scout's honor.

Episode 258: Trainspotting Jul 23, 2016

Show notes

After last week's discussion of Chicken Little, Josh and Gabe are in the mood for a palate cleanser on this week's new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. And there may be no better choice for palate cleanser--no more wildly different film, really--than the 1996 film from Danny Boyle, Trainspotting. (If you're wondering how on Earth that counts for this podcast: Miramax distributed Trainspotting, and guess who owned Miramax in 1996? Disney!) Josh and Gabe are joined by another Danny B., Danny Bowes of Film School Rejects, to discuss whether or not Trainspotting holds up 20 years after its U.S. release, whether or not its main character is nothing more than a cipher, and, of course, whether or not The Social Network is a better film than Steve Jobs. (One of your hosts thinks so. The other is crazy--er, thinks otherwise.) Check out the new show now!

Episode 257: Chicken Little Jul 16, 2016

Show notes

It's time for a big, monumental episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, friends. Finally, after months of teasing, Gabe and Josh are talking about the 2005 film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Chicken Little. You remember this adaptation of Chicken Little, don't you? The adaptation from the director of The Emperor's New Groove? Disney's first fully computer animated feature film? Possibly the very worst movie that Disney's animation studio has made in nearly 80 years? Yes, it's true: this movie might be the pits for Disney, at least as Gabe and Josh see it. Is it the actual worst, though? And how many Earwolf references can Josh squeeze into the show to confound Gabe? Find out now!

Episode 256: The BFG Jul 09, 2016

Show notes

Welcome to all human beans, near and far, to this scrum-diddly-umptious poddin' cast of Mousterpiece Cinema. OK, talking like a giant is kind of difficult for more than one sentence, so let's get back to human-style talk. On this episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe talk about the newest movie from Walt Disney Pictures, a Steven Spielberg adaptation of Roald Dahl's The BFG, with Mark Rylance as the Big Friendly Giant himself. Josh and Gabe are joined by friend of the show Alex Dowd of The A.V. Club to discuss the film, its placement in Spielberg's career, and why on Earth it performed so weakly at the box office over the Fourth of July weekend. And they face an important question: is this Spielberg's weakest film in decades? It just might be! You'll have to listen to find out.

Episode 255: Phenomenon Jul 02, 2016

Show notes

Hey, folks! It's time for Josh and Gabe to begin a sixth year of podcasting as the hosts of Mousterpiece Cinema, and they're starting with one of their punchiest, goofiest episodes yet. It starts with the longest housekeeping segment to date, centered around a very exciting development: Mousterpiece Cinema is now on Patreon! Become a patron of the podcast and you might even get to tell us what to discuss on a future episode! The current episode is another patented entry of Mousterpiece Cinema After Dark--make sure to say that in your deepest voice possible--as your hosts talk about the 1996 drama Phenomenon, starring John Travolta, Forest Whitaker, Kyra Sedgwick, and Robert Duvall. Remember Phenomenon? A film that made more money than either Space Jam or Scream in 1996! It's true, but does the movie hold up as we approach its 20th anniversary? Or is it super-duper creepy? Find out now!

Episode 254: Finding Dory Jun 25, 2016

Show notes

It's a banner day for Mousterpiece Cinema, friends. Why's that? This episode marks the fifth anniversary of the podcast! Back in June 2011, Josh sat down to record the first show solo, talking about Pixar's then-new sequel Cars 2. So it's only fitting that the best way to ring in five years of podcasting is Josh and Gabe sitting down to talk about Pixar's latest sequel: the monster hit Finding Dory, a follow-up to 2003's Finding Nemo. Has absence made our hearts grow fonder? Or was it an unwise decision for Pixar to take another sidekick and turn them into the lead character? Josh and Gabe are joined by friend of the show Monica Castillo of The New York Times to discuss our new lead character, the new world and characters of the sequel, the meta-narrative regarding director Andrew Stanton, how meta-narratives are NOT the same as fan theories, and more! Check it out, and remember to just keep listening, just keep listening, just keep listening, listening, listening...

Episode 253: The Rock Jun 18, 2016

Show notes

San Francisco. A beautiful city, but with a criminal element as well, who are led to Alcatraz. Listen to the bell from the trolley--it's alerting them that prisoners are coming. "Prisoners coming. Prisoners coming. Coming, coming--" OK, not really. (Apologies to Eddie Izzard.) But though no prisoners are coming your way, there is a new Mousterpiece Cinema headed your way, and it's all about Alcatraz. Yes, this week, Gabe and Josh are talking about the 1996 action film The Rock, starring Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris, and more. And your hosts are joined by return guest Mark Harris of New York Magazine to talk about all things The Rock and, of course, all things Michael Bay, AKA King of the Vulgar Auteurs, seeing as he directed the film. It's been 20 years, so does The Rock maintain its status as his best-ever film? Does that even mean it's...a good movie? Is Nicolas Cage hamming it up in this one? Find out now!

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