Mousterpiece Cinema

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Episode 242: Walt Disney Treasures: Disneyland, USA Apr 02, 2016

Show notes

Hey, friends! On this episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe are going back in history with one of the Walt Disney Treasures box sets. Specifically, Josh and Gabe are going to learn about the early history of the first Disney theme park with their discussion of the 2-disc Disneyland, USA DVD set, covering four different episodes of the Walt Disney anthology TV show from the 1950s and 1960s. Just as you might expect with an anthology TV show, there's plenty of grab-bag topics to discuss here, from the placement of Song of the South in the first episode to how white audiences contrast with black performers and employees to...a rendition from "Bye Bye Birdie." But most importantly: Josh and Gabe talk more about the idea for Disney to have a streaming service encompassing its decades of films, shorts, and TV shows, and they need your help to get Disney's attention! Find out how in this episode!

Episode 241: Shipwrecked Mar 26, 2016

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Avast, buckoes! This week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe are headed to the high seas with a discussion of the 1991 Norwegian-American production of Shipwrecked, a kinda/sorta adaptation of Daniel Defoe's iconic novel Robinson Crusoe, starring Gabriel Byrne as an avaricious pirate and...lots of Norwegian people. Did we mention this was a Norwegian film? Yet it was released by Disney in the spring of 1991, and soon became one of Gabe's favorite movies of all time. Does it impress Josh? Was Gabe able to look at the film as an adult without wearing rose-colored glasses? Will an Irish accent be unveiled? (You know the answer is yes.) Listen to find out the answers to these and many more questions.

Episode 240: The Gnome-Mobile Mar 19, 2016

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Why, y'er sittin' on a gold-mine, folks! Hee-hee-hee-hee! Oh, come on now, why shouldn't we be unveiling our best impression of one of the iconic deliverers of frontier gibberish, Walter Brennan? He's only the star of this week's film on Mousterpiece Cinema, The Gnome-Mobile. Brennan's actually playing two characters here: an eccentric modern businessman as well as an irascible old gnome who the businessman's grandchildren (played by the same precocious kids from Mary Poppins) discover in the redwood forests of California. This 1967 film holds a special place in Gabe's heart--or, it did when he was a kid. Does it hold up to the test of time? Or is the whole film as painful as its faux-"Bachelor" finale? Listen to find out--and prepare yourself for maybe Josh's worst groaner of a pun in a very long time.

Episode 239: Zootopia Mar 12, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode of Mousterpiece Cinema might get a bit hairy, folks. Josh and Gabe are settling in to talk about the newest film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Zootopia, featuring the voices of Jason Bateman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons, Jenny Slate, and more. Is this film truly like nothing we've ever seen be-fur? (Remember that pun from the teaser?) Your hosts are joined by friend of the show Scott Mendelson of Forbes to debate the merits of Zootopia--or, more accurately, to celebrate the film. (Like pretty much everyone else, we liked it! A lot!) We're covering a lot on this episode, from Zootopia's place in the WDAS canon to comparing it to Wreck-It Ralph (per Josh's recent essay at The A.V. Club on the topic) to the film's commentary on racial stereotyping. Check it out now!

Episode 238: The Adventures of Huck Finn Mar 04, 2016

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Last week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe had a lengthy discussion about race in Disney films, specifically thanks to the glaring racism in Savage Sam towards Native Americans. Can they keep up the streak on this week's episode? Well, considering the film of the week is the 1993 adaptation The Adventures of Huck Finn, based on the iconic novel by Mark Twain, you can rest assured that this episode does include another patent-pending segment of Gabe 'n' Josh: Two White Dudes Talkin' 'Bout Race! But does this film, starring a young Elijah Wood and a fairly-new-to-movies Courtney B. Vance as Huck and his friend Jim, step right where other Disney films step wrong? Is it the best film from director Stephen Sommers? And will Gabe and Josh go on a tangent about...shudder..."Fuller House"? Find out now!

Episode 237: Savage Sam Feb 27, 2016

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Bust out the Kleenex once more, everyone, because it's time to prepare yourselves for a big ol' bawl-a-thon. That has to be the case, right? See, this week's Mousterpiece Cinema is all about the 1963 sequel to one of Disney's most famously tragic live-action films, Old Yeller. What's that? You didn't know there was a sequel to Old Yeller, called Savage Sam? Hmm, that's odd. You'd think a sequel to such a beloved and iconic film would be more commonly remembered and recognized. Well, maybe it's because, as Gabe and Josh discover this week, Savage Sam is not only outrageously racist, but legitimately one of the worst films they've ever seen for the podcast. We ain't lyin', folks: as much fun as it was to take this one down a peg, there's little doubt that the film of the week is...ahem...a real dog. (Get ready for more dad jokes.) Either way, you should check the show out now!

Episode 236: Splash Feb 20, 2016

Show notes

On today's episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe are going under the sea to spend time with a beautiful mermaid who falls in love with a dashing young man from the world above water. No, not the story of Ariel, the little mermaid. No, this week on the show, we're talking about Splash, the 1984 film starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah that has the distinct honor of being the first film from Touchstone Pictures. Now that it's been over 30 years, is it really the case that Splash was too adult to be released by Walt Disney Pictures proper? Or were they too gunshy? Or, on the flip side, is this movie too adult that Disney shouldn't have released it all? And does it remain charming and Oscar-worthy now? (Oh, yeah, this movie got a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nod. Really.) And how does Paul Lynde factor into the discussion? Find out now!

Episode 235: Freaky Friday (2003) Feb 13, 2016

Show notes

"Hold on a second," you're thinking to yourself. "I swear Josh and Gabe already talked about Freaky Friday on an episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. What the hell's going on here?" You're not losing your mind, friend. Back in January, we discussed the 1976 original, but now it's time to talk about the 2003 remake starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. Last month, Josh guaranteed that the remake would be an improvement on the outdated original, but was he right? Gabe returns from a weeklong absence to answer this question with Josh, as well as talk about Stephen Tobolowsky, regale us all with his Boston accent, and much, much more. Get to listening! And prepare for some Veronica Mars references! (It'll make sense, promise.)

Episode 234: The Finest Hours Feb 06, 2016

Show notes

Get on your rain gear, folks, because this episode's about to get plenty wet. This week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh is on his own for the first time in a while; with Gabe steering clear of dark water, he invites Todd VanDerWerff of Vox on the podcast to talk about Disney's first new film of 2016, The Finest Hours. You haven't forgotten about The Finest Hours already, have you? You know the film--it stars Chris Pine and Casey Affleck as dual heroes of a daring Coast Guard rescue in Massachusetts in the early 1950s. And it's in 3D for some reason! Josh and Todd talk about the woeful 3D postconversion, the surprising performances from Pine and Affleck, and you better believe they bust out an accent or two. (Listen closely, and you'll even hear some Australian, mate.) Head over the bar--sorry, the "baaaah"--and get ready to listen to the new show!

Bonus Episode: Walt Disney Jan 27, 2016

Show notes

Hey, friends! We hope you're having a good President's Day; what better way to celebrate than by listening to a bonus episode of Mousterpiece Cinema? There is none! So we hope you're excited to hear Josh and Gabe debate the ethics and expectations of documentary filmmaking. (Yes, really.) This time, the bonus show is all about the recent 4-hour documentary "Walt Disney: He Made Believe," which aired on PBS last fall as part of their "American Masters" program. Or..."American Experience"? (Yes, Josh confused them once again.) Does this documentary live up to your hosts' expectations? Could it ever have done so? Did Walt Disney really have conversations with Mickey Mouse? Or is it possible that some of the never-before-heard-of talking-heads in this documentary are talking...out of something aside from their mouths? You'd better listen to find out!

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