The Screen Companion

Go back to a time when superhero flicks weren't as well regarded and audience confidence was dubious. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man beat the odds back in 2002 and is still highly regarded dozens of superhero films later. Compare that pre-MCU triumph with Iron Man, released only a year after Raimi's final outing with the Wall Crawler. Guest: Jon.

For anyone that needs an emotional release and isn't afraid to well up, here are two films to test your empathy; just try to get all the way through without wanting to shed a tear! Through Dumbo and Beautiful Girls, explore this genre of “movies that make us cry”. Get that tissue ready, it's time for a good crymax! Guest: Andrew.

Is this the dramatic peak of the series (sans the finale)? Highlighting the Doctor's demons. Getting into Rose's painful family history. Tons of...fun? There's a trash companion that gets "open head" surgery. What else would you call it?! Co-host: Jon.

Using "Trials and Tribble-ations" and "Children of Time" from the fifth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, we examine the plot device of time travel. Are these types of stories a good thing for sci-fi stories and Trek in general? Guest: Jon.

How well does the third Doctor Who (2005) episode carry the momentum of the previous installments? And is the subsequent two-parter a sophomore slump? Possibly even the lowest point of the Ninth Doctor's onscreen stories?! Makes one say, "Doctor, who thought this was a good idea?" Co-Host: Jon.

Before we jump into Christopher Eccleston's single season as the Doctor, let's examine the very first episode from 1963. How much DNA does the Revival's Ninth Doctor introduction—more than forty years later—share with the First Doctor's? And how well do the initial episodes of Eccleston's run re-establish the Doctor Who franchise? Co-Host: Jon.

We'll help newcomers to the James Bond films pick an entry point that's right for them. Looking for a middle-of-the-road example? Tomorrow Never Dies. A solid espionage story? From Russia With Love. Want a Bond that's likable and less sexist? Go with The Living Daylights. We got you covered, new 007 viewer! Guests: Max & Andrew.

Sitcoms hit their zenith in the '90s. It was peak comedy with many of the biggest network shows providing weekly yucks. Reigning supreme was NBC with a laundry list of memorable offerings. We look back on the Peacock Decade through Frasier, Wings, and NewsRadio, shows that made us laugh--and occasionally--made us feel. Guests: Andrew & Jon.

He's possibly the last movie star and has produced / starred in one of the greatest action film series of the last three decades: Tom Cruise! But go back far enough, those action roles are replaced by dramatic turns. Is Cruise a real thespian that just went where the currents took him, or was he always better suited to big stunts over deep acting? Let's delve in by comparing an earlier role to a later offering. Guests: Andrew & Jon.

A special guest returns to discuss his time in the U.S. Army, part of which was spent in South Korea. That experience will come into play as we get knee-deep into gochujang with Microhabitat (2017), an example of Korean cinema. Guest: The Dad.

Relationships can be messy, dysfunctional, and far more complicated than lovey-dovey Hollywood romance flicks will show. What better way can we get out of that often times disingenuous portrayal than to go across the oceans on either side of the U.S.? Through French, Hong Kong, and Italian lenses--I Love You, I Don't, In The Mood for Love, and The Night Porter--we'll catch some real talk on the subject of relationships. Guest: Jon.

Urban decay? Crime? Plop down, turn on that screen, and travel back in time to New York City in the '70s. Sleazy? Depressing? Or just incredibly atmospheric? With a wide range of genres in today's picks, we'll see how much of a boost the disco era Big Apple setting gave them. Guest: Andrew.

It's rare that a movie captures a time, place, and culture all in one go like the Ice Cube classic Friday (1995). It represents South Central, the '90s, and black culture for many. When you want to see a different perspective, watch this comedy and get immersed! Guest: Stacey.

Mind screw movies keep viewers off guard and constantly wondering. Fake reality plots involving protagonists searching for what's “real” are particularly effective at this. Let's scrutinize the hidden seams in Dark City, The Matrix, and The Thirteenth Floor—who knows what broader existential questions we'll find! Guest: Jon.

Do you find subtitles awkward or daunting? Would you like to branch out and get some culture through foreign flicks? City of God, Let the Right One In, and The Raid: Redemption are awesome options to start with. Guests: Jon & Andrew.

Spotlighting Jean-Claude Van Damme! Is the Muscles From Brussels a second-rate Austrian Oak? Is he not as sly as Stallone? Or is JCVD an underappreciated action star that was stuck between those other guys as they sucked all the air out of the room? Via Double Impact, Hard Target, and Sudden Death, we poke fun at the splits, dissect the career, and compliment a guy that embodies the American Dream. Guests: Rob, Jon & Pat.

The Atomic Age was ushered in with an unfortunate bang in World War II and continued into the Cold War with Soviet Russia and the United States at the forefront. Using Five, Godzilla (1954), and On the Beach as time capsules, let us delve into the anxiety of the postwar era when nuclear weapons presented a new threat to the world. Guest: Jon.

Sometimes you've spent all day thinking hard and just want something ridiculous to watch—a movie you can latch onto in a few respects and ignore the rest of it in favor of pure entertainment. Baywatch,Road House, andDie Hard 2 didn't win Best Picture, but who cares? They're fun!Guests: Pat & Andrew.

Everyone has those genres that do nothing for them. For the Host, the viewing equivalent of kryptonite is all things anime. Well, it's not possible to hate everything in a genre, is it? In Part One, the shows Paranoia Agent and Highschool of the Dead (and the Host hopes it amounts to more than torturous exposure therapy). Guest: Stacey.

Classic black and white movies are a turn off for some people, so what can we offer up to bust through that film phobia? How about a comedy and a tragedy? Some Like It Hot and King Rat are colorless celluloid that prove a picture can be vibrant and still achromatic all at once. Join us in an achromatic blast from the past. Guest: Andrew.

Sports! Not all of us can geek out over it, but how about when it merges with film? In Field of Dreams and The Sandlot, not only is there a strong baseball component, but also fathers and sons; for when you miss playing catch with the old man. Guests: Pat & Jon.

Anime movies! Argh. Why does the guest like it so much? Why does the Host dislike it so much? Will Andrew help the Host become a Japanese animated film fan? Find out via Perfect Blue and Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade! Even if you don't like anime, you might get to know the genre enemy better by listening to this episode. Guest: Andrew.

Another foreign film dive: West German cinema! The insightful guest--an Army veteran who was actually stationed in the Federal Republic of Germany at the same time the film, Lola (1981), was being made--recounts his time overseas and his impressions of the people and politics of the region. Guest: The Dad!

Are all movies with a strong romance angle lovey dovey, clunky affairs? Are there love stories that aren't just emotionally manipulative bear traps to be set on Valentine's Day? The Host and Jon would say two films that rise above overly simple romance plots are Witness and A Very Long Engagement. Guest: Jon.

How well do '90s animated kid's shows hold up? Were they much smarter than comedy cartoons aimed at kids today? We'll try to keep one eye free of the nostalgia glasses and see what—if anything—has changed in over two decades as we revisit Recess, Hey Arnold!, The Ren & Stimpy Show, and Johnny Bravo. How subversive were these shows really? Today's guest provides the dual perspective of a parent and child educator. Guest: Laura.