The Weekly Movie Throwdown – Details, episodes & analysis

This week, we kick off Stephen King Big Screen Adaptation Month with one of the writer's stories that doesn't get as much love as some of the others. 1983's The Dead Zone, directed by David Cronenberg, is a psychic thriller that stars the great Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen. Joining us to break it all down is author Laura Carney, whose literary insights really class up the show and give us some directions we might not have otherwise gone down.

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STILL TO COME THIS MONTH:

10/14: Doctor Sleep

10/21: Salem's Lot (2024)

10/28: Maximum Overdrive

If you'd like to follow along with what we're doing this month, check out this Letterboxd list: https://boxd.it/zgUKi

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Pick up Laura Carney's memoir My Father's List here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637586388/

Visit her online at bylauracarney.com and on Instagram at @myfatherslist.

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WE'D LOVE TO CONNECT!

Please drop us a line at moviethrowdownpod@gmail.com, and follow us on social media:

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In this episode, we put a bow on Clooney/Pitt Fixer Month with Wolfs, the streaming double-team they put out this week through Apple TV+. This is our first film in the series that features both of the stars, for better or worse. Does it reach the high bar we set last week with Michael Clayton? Listen to find out. But be warned: this is spoiler-adjacent, so if you don't want to hear any of the actual details before getting a chance to check out the film, maybe listen after you have.

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You can find everything we're discussing this month at this fun Letterboxd list page.

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Next month: STEPHEN KING ADAPTATIONS!

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Thoughts on the show? Drop us a line at moviethrowdownpod@gmail.com!

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In this episode, we wrap up Summer Blockbusters month with Twisters, the tentpole studio film of 2024. Currently, it's grossed north of $200 million, making it an undeniable candidate for our theme. Mike and Steven break down the expectations of the film, its highs and lows, and there's some big-time tornado talk.

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And if you’d like to log as you go you can find everything we discuss this month on our Letterboxd list page here.

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Send your thoughts on Twisters and the show to moviethrowdownpod@gmail.com.

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This week Steven and Mike welcome a special guest onto the show. Gerik Gooch is a filmmaker and cinephile who brings with him the holy grail of modern summer blockbusters: 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day. This contemporary classic from director James Cameron was the first film with a $100 million budget and the first to break $300 million at the international box office, so its status as a smash hit is undeniable. The guys discuss its groundbreaking special effects, casting what-ifs, and much more.

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And if you’d like to log as you go you can find everything we discuss this month on our Letterboxd list page here.

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Still to come during Summer Blockbuster month:

7/29 Twisters

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Send your thoughts on Terminator 2: Judgment Day and the show to moviethrowdownpod@gmail.com.

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This week we're doing something a little different on the Weekly Movie Throwdown. When there are five-week months we'll post four films inside our topic for that month, and then we're going to offer up a bonus episode where either Mike or Steven brings a bad film to the show that they love and it's discussed . . . for better or worse.

The series is called Rewatch & Reconsider, and it kicks off with 1992's Class Act, a film that Mike loves. Steven, not so much. But the two discuss its odd existence at great length in the episode and share some interesting insights and facts about how it came to be.

Next week we return to Summer Blockbusters Month with Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

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And if you’d like to log as you go you can find everything we discuss this month on our Letterboxd list page here.

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Still to come during Summer Blockbuster month:

7/22: Terminator 2

7/29 Twisters

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Send your thoughts on Ghost and the show to moviethrowdownpod@gmail.com.

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In a world where action and comedy ruled the summer, one film defied all expectations. 1990's Ghost—a romance/thriller/comedy—took the box office not only through the summer, but it was the highest-grossing film of the year. It won Oscars, it revived classic songs, it relaunched the pixie haircut. And despite a lot of hurdles to getting made, it came out with the exact ingredients it needed to become a modern classic. Here at the Weekly Movie Throwdown, we're big fans and when you listen you'll be able to tell that we were really excited to discuss this one.

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And if you’d like to log as you go you can find everything we discuss this month on our Letterboxd list page here.

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Still to come during Summer Blockbuster month:

7/15: BONUS EPISODE: REWATCH AND RETHINK: Class Act

7/22: Terminator 2

7/29 Twisters

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Send your thoughts on Ghost and the show to moviethrowdownpod@gmail.com.

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This week Mike and Steven kick off Summer Blockbuster month with 1989's Batman. This Tim Burton classic had a huge impact on Mike as a kid, and he wasn't alone. The film started a craze of Batmania due to its marketing and merchandising. With Michael Keaton in the title role and Jack Nicholson as The Joker, it became beloved and set the bar for just how big summer blockbusters in the nineties could get.

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And if you’d like to log as you go you can find everything we discuss this month on our Letterboxd list page here.

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Still to come during Summer Blockbuster month:

7/8: Ghost

7/15: BONUS EPISODE: REWATCH AND RETHINK: Class Act

7/22: Terminator 2

7/29 Twisters

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Send your thoughts on Batman and the show to moviethrowdownpod@gmail.com.

Follow us at @moviethrowdownpod on all your favorite social media platforms.

Subscribe to the Weekly Movie Throwdown on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

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In this episode, Mike and Steven round out Hitman Month with a real gem: Grosse Pointe Blank. This George Armitage-directed rom-com is a beloved story of getting a second chance in life and, well, leaving your career as an assassin behind. It explores regret, existentialism, FOMO, and . . . unions. With great performances from John Cusak, Minnie Driver, Dan Aykroyd, and a whole slate of other actors, this is a film for the ages.

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And if you’d like to log as you go you can find everything we discuss this month on our Letterboxd list page here.

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Next week we begin Summer Blockbuster Month with 1989's comic book classic, Batman!

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Send your thoughts on Grosse Pointe Blank and the show to moviethrowdownpod@gmail.com.

Follow us at @moviethrowdownpod on all your favorite social media platforms.

Subscribe to the Weekly Movie Throwdown on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

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Hitman Month continues this week with David Fincher's Netflix film The Killer. He is a director around whom there is a lot of conversation, primarily because of his meticulousness. Mike and Steven get deep into that in this episode and their different interpretations of the film. They also close out the show with a familiar topic: the state of movie theaters.

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And if you’d like to log as you go you can find everything we discuss this month on our Letterboxd list page here.

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Still to come during hitman month:

6/24: Grosse Pointe Blank

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Send your thoughts on Hit Man and the show to moviethrowdownpod@gmail.com.

Follow us at @moviethrowdownpod on all your favorite social media platforms.

Subscribe to the Weekly Movie Throwdown on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Mike and Steven talk in-depth about Richard Linklater's new film Hit Man and how it fits into this month's theme of . . . hitmen. They also discuss Netflix's baffling release strategy of putting these films into a very small number of theaters for a short period of time.

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And if you’d like to log as you go you can find everything we discuss this month on our Letterboxd list page here.

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Still to come during hitman month:

6/17: The Killer

6/24: Grosse Pointe Blank

__________________________________________

Send your thoughts on Hit Man and the show to moviethrowdownpod@gmail.com.

Follow us at @moviethrowdownpod on all your favorite social media platforms.

Subscribe to the Weekly Movie Throwdown on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.