Episodes
It's the Men who Stare at Movies' first review of a new movie in almost a year! Wonder Woman 1984 is the long-awaited and long-delayed sequel to 2017's Wonder Woman. Does the new movie live up to the high expectations set by its predecessor? Will Quirky let Jack have a word in edgeways during his rants? Does the whole body possession subplot actually mean anything? Some, but not all, of these questions will be answered by the end of this podcast. As this is technically a new movie still in...
Published 01/22/21
The Men Who Stare at Movies return once more to cover the first Wonder Woman movie in anticipation for the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984. The movie was a groundbreaker at the time for female-led action, and marked the cinematic solo debut of the most famous female superhero in the history of comic books. Does the first major female-led and directed superhero movie of the modern era still hold up? Listener discretion advised, full spoilers for the whole thing.
Published 12/22/20
It's October, and you know what that means: we have to watch at least one horror movie. Unfortunately, we already watched Cats last month, so The Men who Stare at Movies decided to go back and watch John Carpenter's The Thing instead, something that is not nearly as terrifying. That said, in this episode, we ask and answer the question of if The Thing's impressive practical effects still hold up, and the extent to which it holds up in 2020.
Published 10/19/20
This week, after a long hiatus, the Men who Stare at Movies return to watch the Cats movie from last year for some reason. All faith in humankind, and catkind, was lost as a result. It remains as a reminder that some things are already in the appropriate medium and shouldn't be adapted into film, and also that good special effects are important. No spoiler tags for this one, as a film generally requires a plot in order to be spoiled. Enjoy!
Published 09/29/20
As usual with these kinds of episodes, full spoilers ahoy, so listener discretion is advised. Two years after it's release, Quirky finally got Jack to watch Solo: A Star Wars Story. Has the only theatrically released Star Wars film to lose money aged gracefully, or is Disney's attempt at providing an origin story for Han Solo best left forgotten? All we can conclude is that L337 is clearly the best droid in the Star Wars universe.
Published 08/09/20
In this episode, Quirky and Jack explore the Crime Comedy. Following the hitman, Ray, as he reconciles his mistakes in the Belgium city of Bruges. This film is an interesting take on the Crime film genre with a heavy part of dark comedy. This episode is full spoilers.
Published 07/25/20
Also, we are going full spoilers, so listener discretion advised if you were one of the majority of people who didn't watch it in cinemas when it came out. This time, the Men who Stare at Movies delve back into the 2010 Edgar Wright cult classic adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's comic series Scott Pilgrim vs The World. Is is as good as they remember it? Or has time not been as kind to it as they thought. All we know is that Michael Cera certainly punches a bunch of people until they explode...
Published 07/06/20
As with many of our other retro reviews, we will not be having a separate section for spoilers; this one is discussing the ending and other important plot points from the very beginning, so listener discretion is advised. Another retro review today, this time, the Men who Stare at Movies are going way back to Francis Ford Coppola's original gangster epic, The Godfather. Does it still stand up compared to the films and shows that it has inspired? And how does it fare from a modern lens?
Published 06/21/20
In this episode, the Men who Stare at Movies decided to go back and rewatch Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, because Tenet might very well be one of the first movies to revive the cinema industry, and therefore it seemed like a good a time as any to go back and revisit one of Nolan's greatest films. We go fairly spoiler-heavy from 8:55, so go back and see the film before listening to this podcast.
Published 06/08/20
Episode 59: Snowpiercer (2013) The pandemic continues and cinemas and new movies are closed for now, so the Men who Stare at Movies went back to streaming to re-watch a great movie from a few years ago whose director is super successful right now, Snowpiercer. Does the train-bound science-fiction action film remain on a steady track in the modern era? Or has it de-railed compared to Bong Joon Ho's more recent movies? Listen to the review and find out! Also, if you would like to skip to the...
Published 05/17/20
The Men who Stare at Movies are stuck at their respective homes and all the cinemas have closed, leaving only the movies studios have dumped on streaming to watch for entertainment. In their long-delayed latest episode, the Men review Onward, the latest Pixar film about fantasy creatures and family. The spoiler section begins at 19:00 on the time code if you are mindful of that.
Published 05/02/20
This episode sees the Men who Stare at Movies take on the movie adaptation of 'Sonic the Hedgehog'. Does the blue blur's film debut finish in first place? Will we ever see any more of the original design from last year's trailer? Listen and find out! For spoiler discussion, skip to 21:00.
Published 02/20/20
In this episode, the Men check out 'Birds of Prey: and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn'. It's DC's second attempt at a feminist empowerment superhero film. Will these Birds of Prey soar, or will they crash and burn? For those who have seen the film already and just want the spoiler talk, spoiler discuss begins at 18:30
Published 02/13/20
It's the January dead zone. There's not much on. Quirky and Jack are starting the year by looking back on the decade. They will discuss some of the films that have had the most significant impact on movie culture, and the film industry over the past ten years. Full Spoilers for: • Avenger's Infinity War • Avenger's Endgame • Spotlight (2015) • Mad Max Fury Road • Star Wars - The Last Jedi • Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker • Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald • Marriage Story ...
Published 01/30/20
In the final episode of the year, Quirky and Jack review a Boxing Day latecomer, Taika Waititi's quirky comedy about Nazi Germany, Jojo Rabbit. No references to Jojo's Bizarre Adventure are made. Still, it is a story about the life of a young boy in the waning days of the second world war with all the horrid and beautiful things that happen. For the spoiler section of the review, listeners can skip to 15:55 if they like.
Published 12/31/19
In a galaxy far, far away, QUIRKY and JACK team up as THE MEN WHO STARE AT MOVIES to review the final film in the SKYWALKER SAGA, STAR WARS EPISODE IX: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. Does the final adventure of FINN, POE DAMERON and REY end in triumph or will the sequel trilogy's fall to the DARK SIDE be complete? 24:56 - For spoiler talk.
Published 12/21/19
This episode, The Men review Knives Out directed by The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. It is his take on the whodunnit detective mystery genre as we explore the murder of murder-mystery author Harlen Thromby, played by Christopher Plummer, with Detective Blanc, played by Daniel Craig. Let's hope the internet doesn't explode at Johnson like it did last time he made a movie. If you have already seen it and want to skip to the spoiler-filled discussion, skip to 13:39.
Published 12/01/19
The Men Who Stare at Movies return to review 'The King', Netflix's semi-biographical film about King Henry V starring Timothee Chalamet. Has Netflix produced the historical blockbuster to put Hollywood to shame? Listen to the review and find out! For those who have seen the film and don't mind spoilers, the spoiler discussion section begins at 22:50.
Published 11/03/19
The Men Who Stare at Movies return with a new recording studio and mic setup. This episode, our 50th, we review Joker, DC's dark and gritty reimagining of the classic Batman villain that may not be as smart as it thinks it is. Spoiler discussion begins at 17:56, folks!
Published 10/06/19
The Men Who Stare at Movies are back once again to dive into the two-part adaptation to Stephen King's famous 1986 novel IT. Andy Muschietti is bringing back Coulrophobia to the masses in a big way. Is IT: Chapter Two, a worthy follow-up to the fantastic first chapter? Listen and find out! The first chapter from 2017 will be discussed in full spoilers, but there will be a non-spoiler section for IT: Chapter 2 starting at 7:50, and a spoiler-filled review starting at 19:21.
Published 09/14/19
This episode, the Men who stare at Movies hop in the driver's seat, or lack thereof, of the Fast and Furious spin-off, Hobbs and Shaw. Is this the dumbest, slowmo-est, gun shooting movie that has hit cinemas this year? It might be close.  Our spoiler discussion begins at 22:05, so feel free to skip to there if you have already seen the movie.
Published 08/06/19
In commemoration for the announcement of a Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali, Quirky and Jack take a trip down memory lane to check out the original Blade from 1998, starring Wesley Snipes. Is the action still good? Is Wesley Snipes a charismatic actor? Do the special effects look like terrible graphics from the original Playstation? All this is examined and more. Also, full spoilers from about the word go, so be mindful of that when listening. Complete spoiler warning for Blade (1998)
Published 07/29/19
The Men who Stare at Movies return to the MCU with the second solo outing of Tom Holland's web-slinger. After the massive impact of Avengers: Endgame, how does this film fare? Listen to the review and find out. Plus, if you are interested in skipping to the spoiler discussion, the time-code for that is 19: 55
Published 07/10/19
The Men who Stare at Movies return to the MCU with the second solo outing of Tom Holland's web-slinger. After the massive impact of Avengers: Endgame, how does this film fare? Listen to the review and find out. Plus, if you are interested in skipping to the spoiler discussion, the time-code for that is 19: 55
Published 07/10/19