254: "Back to the Now" w/ A STAR IS BORN, FIRST MAN, and BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE

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We’ve spent the last couple of months focusing on some of our different “spinoff” series… Matt was out of the country for a bit… and we had to work out some technical glitches as we get all of our domain materials consolidated under one roof…
But [!], now we’re back, jazzed about awards season, and ready to talk about the here, the now, and what’s going on at your local cineplex. Let’s get contemporary, shall we?
00:12:27 - A STAR IS BORN
00:36:36 - FIRST MAN
00:52:10 - BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE

252: AFI #75 - IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT [1967] (w/special guest Ben Goff!)

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Sydney Poitier historian and all-around cinematic raconteur Ben Goff (@benjaminygoff) joins us on a very special episode of our AFI Countdown Series to discuss the 1960s, race relations, and how Norman Jewison's IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT factored into both.

248: The MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT Praise-a-thon

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The Mission: Impossible film series is without peer or equal in its unprecedented ability to improve with each subsequent installment since J.J. Abrams’ soft reboot three films ago. As such, it should come as no surprise that MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, the 6th entry in this 22 year old franchise is not only quite possibly the creative peak of the series but also one of the greatest action films in recent memory.

Join us as we work our way through all 5 previous installments before leaping headfirst into a gushfest about Christopher McQuarrie’s summertime gift to cineplexes, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT. We talk about it ALL and spoil pretty much everything so be forewarned!

245: Contextualizing ANT MAN AND THE WASP, the 20th Marvel Film

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On the occasion of Marvel Studios' 20th (twentieth!) release in the official MCU, we get together for a conversation that includes an unexpectedly glowing review of said release, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP, a loving retrospective on the career of Michael Douglas, aggressive overuse of the term "mumbo-jumbo", and a brisk run-through of our respective Marvel movie top 10 rankings.
Be advised that if you're one of the half dozen people on the planet who still haven't seen INFINITY WAR you may wanna sit this episode out until you do... 

244: A Summertime Double-Header Featuring INCREDIBLES 2 and JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM

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On this week's episode we get to talk about Brad Bird's INCREDIBLES 2 and we have to talk about JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINDOM. This compromise lands us in a bit of a "push", critically speaking... but a brisk and entertaining push at the very very least!
We appreciate you listening in. After all, we are your biggest fan...

243: OCEAN'S 8 Bloviation, Fantasy Film Draft Hand-wringing, and Embracing HEREDITARY Trauma

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On the eve of our sixth official Fantasy Film League draft we engage in a discussion about the futility of early awards predictions, talk Toni Collette's big weekend and her nerve-shearing, barn-burner horror odyssey HEREDITARY, and still find time for a spirited disagreement about the fourth film in the seventeen year old OCEAN'S franchise. To avoid fainting keep repeating "It's only a podcast, only a podcast, only a podcast..."

241: SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY and the bitter taste of inevitable franchise fatigue

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It's been less than 6 months since we last discussed a new STAR WARS movie. But where THE LAST JEDI was controversial and divisive, SOLO is already proving to be sobering and disappointing (critically and financially). 10 movies into the 41 year old franchise (no, we're not counting the theatrically-released CLONE WARS feature), is it finally time to step back and take stock of this juggernaut, lest it lose its cinematic soul? Or is this just a middling installment in a series that was overdue for a legitimate clunker?
We dig into all of that and more in this week's [mostly] spoiler-flirting, deep-dive into the newest Lord-Miller-Howard joint, S:ASWS. 

240: DEADPOOL 2 rears its ugly head, WILLOW turns 30, and Cannes 2018 passes out prizes

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This week on the We Like Movies Podcast we're excited to bring you a really great episode about a really dreadful movie.
Yes, we got downright curmudgeonly during our discussion about DEADPOOL 2 but that's okay because it was cathartic (and SPOILERY, so consider yourself fore-warned!).
On the other end of the spectrum we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Ron Howard's WILLOW and quickly run down the most publicized take-away lessons from all of the Cannes coverage we ingested, second-hand.
It took maximum effort to get through this week's movie. But the podcast about it goes down like a silky-smooth chablis.
You can trust us. We've been doing this for 216 episodes!

239: Affectionately Disassembling AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

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There's a new Marvel movie out. It's called AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. About 900 million dollars at the box office in less than a week suggests that perhaps you might have seen it by now. If, by some chance you haven't yet, then perhaps consider coming back to this episode after you have because we dive into SPOILERS face first and from the word GO. Fair warning, nearest and dearest.

237: Our Spring-Cleaning Episode - Cannes Lineup, Netflix Controversy, BLOCKERS, and [finally] READY PLAYER ONE

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The snow has melted, the April showers are washing the detritus from the sidewalk, and the sunny specter of the summer movie season is visible in the distance. It's time to throw open the shutters, get out the broom, and do a little spring-cleaning-catchup. The discussion will include, but is not limited to, a brief look at the more high-profile films coming to the Cannes Film Festival, the ongoing feud between said soirée and its deep-pocketed nemesis Netflix, a quick endorsement of BLOCKERS, and a long-overdue reaction to Steven Spielberg's controversial, literary adaptation READY PLAYER ONE. Tune-in, turn-on, drop-out, catch-up... man.

236: The Delightful ISLE OF DOGS Lands in a Kennel of Controversy

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We love Wes Anderson here on the We Like Movies Podcast. We've never made a secret about that. So it comes as no surprise that we were quite taken with his most recent stop-motion endeavor. That being said there is dissent in both artistic and sociopolitical arenas to consider when it comes to ISLE OF DOGS. We do our best to address those concerns in this week's episode while also positioning the film in the annuls of our individual Anderson rankings. Join us, won't you? (Karina Longworth-style)