Mousterpiece Cinema

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Episode 154: Planes: Fire and Rescue Jul 22, 2014

Show notes

Please sit back, with your tray tables in their upright and locked positions and your seat belts fastened. This episode of Mousterpiece Cinema will be a wild flight indeed. What's that? You think it's super-creepy to imagine yourself, a human, taking a ride in an anthropomorphic plane? OK, fine, it's weird, but is it weirder than one plane fearing that he'll suffocate? Or the possibility of a Trail of Tears in a world of planes? How about birds that are apparently made of wood? Yes, it's that time again: time for Josh to scratch his head in befuddlement over the "world of Cars." And this time, Gabe is back to join him in a discussion of the new DisneyToon Studios film Planes: Fire and Rescue. Along with return guest Scott Mendelson of Forbes, Josh and Gabe set out to answer the important questions. Is Planes: Fire and Rescue better than its predecessor? Is it a good movie? Is "George Lexus" a good pun-style version of George Lucas? Lots of laughs in this discussion--so it's funnier than the movie, you might say. Take a listen!

Episode 153: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Jul 16, 2014

Show notes

Hold on to your hats (and other necessary items), folks. We're getting small on this week's episode of Mousterpiece Cinema as we tackle a genre classic from June of 1989. No, it's not Batman; it's Disney's try at B-movie science-fiction, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Remember? The days when Rick Moranis could headline a movie of his own? Ah, those were the good times. Anyway, on this episode, Josh and Gabe debate whether Moranis is enough to make this hold up after a quarter-century. Are the effects any good? Were they ever? (The answer, as Buzzfeed would say, may surprise you.) And will Gabe reveal another Disney-related crush in this week's show? What's more, how the hell does a series of chintzy dinosaur movies called Prehysteria! figure into this discussion? Things get crazy pretty quickly on this one, so get ready for a wild and weird episode of Mousterpiece Cinema!

Episode 152: Aladdin Jul 09, 2014

Show notes

It's time for a new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, friends. And this week, we can open your eyes and show you a whole new world. Scratch that, we will open your eyes regarding a little film called Aladdin. Josh and Gabe are joined on the show this week by past guest Marc Vibbert of the Animation Fascination podcast to discuss the 1992 film that one of these three folks considers the best Disney animated film ever made. That's high praise, and someone else in the discussion doesn't think it's merited. But more to the point: is Robin Williams still funny? ...In this movie, that is. From Williams to Howard Ashman to the depiction of Middle Eastern culture all the way to watching a movie on VHS in 2014, this episode of Mousterpiece Cinema careens from one topic to another, almost like a comedian's endless, improv-heavy riffs. So jump on your magic carpet and take a listen!

Episode 151: Pulp Fiction Jul 02, 2014

Show notes

Don't worry, friends, you haven't broken your concentration. Yes, this is a new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. And yes, this week, Josh and Gabe are talking about one of the most influential and iconic films of the 1990s, the decidedly family-unfriendly Quentin Tarantino epic Pulp Fiction. Why does Pulp Fiction count for this podcast? Well, Josh will explain everything in due time. And who better to join your very own Jules and Vincent on the show this week than Jason Bailey, film editor of Flavorwire and author of a book on a certain film called Pulp Fiction? And in case you're concerned that a few guys talking about how much they love Pulp Fiction would get boring, you might be happy to learn that one of the participants...well, he's not so enamored anymore. Who doesn't love Pulp Fiction? You'll have to listen to the show to find out!

Episode 150: The Hunchback of Notre Dame Jun 22, 2014

Show notes

It's a big day here at Mousterpiece Cinema HQ, as we're celebrating our third anniversary with our 150th episode! Yes, friends, it's really been three years since Josh started a podcast about Disney movies all on his own by ranting about Cars 2. Things have changed a ton, of course, since those halcyon days, and today, we've got a corker of a show for you. Josh and Gabe couldn't help but ring the bell for the 1996 animated adaptation of Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which might be the most underrated film of the Disney Renaissance. And they're joined in their conversation by Grantland/Entertainment Weekly writer Mark Harris, who's also the author of the new film history book Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and The Second World War. Come for the discussion about Quasimodo's struggle for acceptance as being an encoded gay story, and stay for Josh's mini-interview with Mark during the Audible section of the show. This episode's a big one, so check it out!

Episode 149: George of the Jungle Jun 17, 2014

Show notes

This week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe are going back to the jungle with one of the most iconic vine-swingers of all. He's daring, he's brave, and he's...probably about to hit some tree that's in his way. Yes, we're not talking about Tarzan this week, but his goofier counterpart, George of the Jungle. Specifically, we're talking about the agreeably silly live-action adaptation of this Jay Ward creation from Walt Disney Pictures, starring a young Brendan Fraser, a young Leslie Mann, a young Thomas Haden Church, and a...well, not-young John Cleese, among others. And to add to the fun, Josh and Gabe are joined by IGN TV Executive Editor Eric Goldman in a typically free-form discussion that covers the ins and outs of proper physical comedy, the consistency of various poop jokes, widescreen vs. pan-and-scan DVDs, and, of course, the Cheers spin-off Wings. Don't worry, it all ties into George of the Jungle, so check it out! But...oh, no, watch out for that tree!

Episode 148: Flubber Jun 10, 2014

Show notes

We've finally reached our conclusion of the not-so-esteemed franchise all about an absent-minded professor, his bouncy green creation, and all of the sports games he rigs so he can secretly take home a ton of cash from gambling. (OK, maybe that last part isn't entirely true.) Yes, on this week's Mousterpiece Cinema, Gabe and Josh--sans guest--tackle the 1997 remake of The Absent-Minded Professor known as Flubber. (If you're a new listener, don't worry: we've already discussed the 1960s movies about Professor Brainerd. Just closing things out!) And, as you might expect, Flubber isn't exactly the best of the series. Josh uses this film as a chance to discuss his opinion of the John Hughes oeuvre/alienate pretty much everyone in the living world, and Gabe uses it as a way to figure out the logic of getting married on a college campus during the middle of the week. In short, it's a good, old-fashioned episode of the podcast, so check it out now!

Episode 147: Maleficent Jun 03, 2014

Show notes

Listen well, all of you! OK, maybe that's a bit of a rude welcome, but it does fit with the film in question on today's new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. For our first episode here at Movie Mezzanine, hosts Josh Spiegel and Gabe Bucsko traveled to a world of magic, fantasy, and extraordinary cheekbones by discussing the newest film from Walt Disney Pictures, Maleficent. Josh and Gabe invited two of The Dissolve's senior editors, Tasha Robinson and Genevieve Koski, onto the show to debate the merits of this reinvention of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale featuring Angelina Jolie as the self-proclaimed Mistress of All Evil. Were they impressed by the CGI backgrounds, the fantasy, and the romance? Or were they terrified by Jolie or the truest terror of all, Sharlto Copley and his Scottish accent? Don't wait any longer to find out--check out the show pronto!

Episode 146: The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story May 28, 2014

Show notes

It's a big week here on Mousterpiece Cinema, as Gabe and Josh take a look back at the shared and separate lives of Richard and Robert Sherman, the two men responsible for some of the most memorable pieces of music in the Walt Disney Company. If you've ever had "It's a Small World" stuck in your head (and you probably do now; sorry for that), you can thank the Shermans. If you love the music in Mary Poppins, that the Shermans, too. But you may not know that the two men had a fractious and contentious relationship as brothers from almost the very beginning. Gabe and Josh tackle their lives and the documentary, but leave with a song in their heart. And speaking of leaving, you'll want to stick around to the end of the episode to hear about where Mousterpiece Cinema is headed starting in June. Listen and find out!

Episode 145: Million Dollar Arm May 21, 2014

Show notes

There are few things more associated with summer in America than our national pastime of baseball. So there's no better time for Walt Disney Pictures to release a baseball drama based on a true story, right? Well, while that may be true in theory, in execution, their latest film, Million Dollar Arm, is missing the right stuff. At least, according to Josh and Gabe as well as this week's guest, Scott Tobias of The Dissolve. In fact, this trio spent far more time wondering what could have been. Would a story about the two young Indian men Jon Hamm's J.B. Bernstein finds to play American baseball have worked? Or what about a story featuring their coach, played here by Bill Paxton? How about a loose romantic comedy with Hamm and Lake Bell? Ah, perchance to dream. But even if you haven't seen Million Dollar Arm, you should check out this week's episode. Come for the Mad Men references and stay for the in-depth Jerry Maguire discussion!

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