Peak Viewing

The Coen brothers continue their trend of doing something completely different each movie with their third outing Miller’s Crossing. This week we’re giving you plenty of rumpus, but don’t worry, there ain’t no hi-hat! (Unless you count Tom’s hat.) Topics covered include what that kid did with the toupee, why Henry relates to Steve Buscemi’s Mink character, and how the big guy was definitely Tic-Tac.

We’re coming in hot this week like a biker from hell, it’s 1987’s Raising Arizona! This podcast has everything you could possibly want to hear. We’ve got speculation about parenting from two guys who know nothing on the subject, theories about this and Blood Simple being the “templates” that shape the rest of the Coen brothers careers, and also: is Hi GOD?

It’s time for a new miniseries! We’re going through the first half of the Coen Brothers collaborative career and we’re starting things off HOT with the western-infused noir Blood Simple. Join us as we get into all the important context surrounding this confident and stylish debut, including what makes the Coens “American” filmmakers, the airtight writing of Chekov’s three bullets (no more, no less!), what animals can crawl around without their heads, and why Ethan Coen needed to be buried alive.

What a wonderful day! We’re entering the kingdom this week with Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the follow-up to the iconic prequel trilogy. We discuss how it stacks up to all the other Apes films, and how we might be too close to this franchise now to fully discern what is even good anymore. Plus: praise for the more adventurous tone of the film, questions about the pants-wearing humans, and the announcement of our next miniseries!

War for the Planet of the Apes marks the end of Caesar’s reboot prequel trilogy, and while Henry appreciates the Paul Dehn-esque nihilism, Samuel thinks it’s the worst of the trilogy. In between covering the plot of this bizarre movie we also coin a new term, discuss Woody Harrelson’s pretty mid performance, and learn about the depressing reality of gorillas riding horses.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes seems to be the most generally liked of the prequel trilogy, but how does it hold up? Turns out mostly pretty well, but we still don’t care about these dang dirty humans! Topics discussed include alternate titles (Armory of the Planet of the Apes?) and other “o” words Caesar could shout.

We’ve made it to the modern era of Ape films with 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It may not be as punchy as those original films, but there’s still plenty of meat on this bone! We’ve got James Franco’s crazy room, Draco Malfoy’s sadistic tendencies, and at the center of it all, a brilliant ape named Caesar. Plus: Samuel’s insights into how accurate all the science-y stuff is!

We’re jumping through the electromagnetic storm this week and covering Tim Burton’s single attempt at reviving the Planet of the Apes franchise. Is it good? No! Is it bad? Kind of, but it’s mostly boring! In between tangents where we clearly avoid talking about this stinker of a movie, we get into Paul Giamatti’s committed performance, Mark Wahlberg’s complete lack of one, and marvel over how far ape makeup and prosthetics has come since the 1970s.

We’re finally closing the book on these Paul Dehn sequels with Battle for the Planet of the Apes, but we’re still asking the hard-hitting questions. Is this the worst of the sequels? When does this movie take place, let alone WHERE does it take place? Would the apes be better if they wrote down “ape should not kill ape self”? All this and more!

Conquest is crazy! Henry and Samuel are unpacking what is maybe the most overt and unsubtle Apes movie yet, but it’s actually still pretty damn good. We recap the plot and cover Caesar’s rise to power, the brilliant (if melodramatic) script, and all the real-world parallels in this science fiction spectacle.

By the time you get to Escape from the Planet of the Apes, the third entry in a franchise that you would think stopped after the entire planet blew up, you’re either doubling down on your investment, or you’re getting ready to cash out. Our co-hosts are divided on this point, but even with our different opinions there’s still plenty to talk about, including the chimps in human clothing, the subtext which is now simply text, and the ending of this movie that leaves you shocked and confused. In other words, it’s a Planet of the Apes movie!

If the first movie was a shocking twist ending, then Beneath the Planet of the Apes truly takes shocking twist endings to the next level! Henry and Samuel discuss everything that makes this second entry unique, including the introduction of a second astronaut, the gorilla brutality, and the telepathic mutants who pray to a nuke (yes, this is a real movie). But first: how incredible is the Simpsons parody of the first movie?

How good is the original 1968 film Planet of the Apes? Henry and Samuel were both shocked to found out: it’s pretty good! Join us as we recap what makes this a special science fiction film, why the themes and subtext are so rich, and how to get the most out of the moviegoing snacking experience.

It’s time to ride the sandworms! Dune: Part 2 has graced us with its presence and we’ve got some thoughts. Join us as we drink the water of life and go through everything we liked about the movie, the changes from the book that we have some questions about, and also come up with some fun alternative uses for the infamous popcorn bucket.

Coming March 4th...