Episode 177: Into the Woods

As we say goodbye to 2014, friends, it's time to venture into the world of musicals on Mousterpiece Cinema once more. In fact, you might say Josh and Gabe are headed into the woods/it's time to go/we hate to leave/ we have to, though/Into the woods/it's time to go/we must begin/our journey. Whoa, sorry about that. Sondheim shows have this effect on the podcast. Seriously, though, for their last show of 2014, Josh and Gabe tackle Into the Woods, the long-awaited adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's fairy-tale musical, starring Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, and--because he is contractually obligated to appear in Disney movies once a year or something--Johnny Depp. Joining them is longtime friend of the show Chris Dole; does this trio embrace Rob Marshall's take on the material? Are they fans of soon-to-be CBS late-night host James Corden? Does it help matters that Marshall is from Pittsburgh? You'll have to go into the woods and listen to find out! (Then out of the woods, and home before dark.)

Episode 176: The Reluctant Dragon

With but one shopping day until Christmas, it's time for Josh and Gabe to open up their own gifts on this new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, as they travel back in time to the era when the Walt Disney Company was merely the Walt Disney Studios, back when live-action and animation didn't co-exist nearly as freely as they do today. On this new episode of the show, Josh and Gabe are joined by Noel Murray of The Dissolve to talk about The Reluctant Dragon, the 1941 hybrid of live-action and animation, of fiction and documentary, wherein Robert Benchley walks around the Disney studios to see how the animation process is completed, from sound effects to storyboards all the way to the finished product. Is this more than just a quaint relic? Is it a compelling look into the past? Is Robert Benchley annoying or hilarious? Or both? You can only find out by listening to the new show! (A warning/apology: due to issues on Josh's side of the recording, there is an echo that persists throughout the episode. It will sound like Josh is cutting in on either Noel or Gabe at various points, but he wasn't. Just a nasty echo/delay issue. Again, apologies!)

Episode 175: Inspector Gadget

Are you feeling brainy? We hope so, because matters of the mind are on tap for this week's episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. Josh and Gabe are ready to tackle the 1999 adaptation of the 1980s cartoon Inspector Gadget, starring Matthew Broderick and Rupert Everett as our intrepid hero and his nefarious nemesis Dr. Claw, respectively. And it turns out that their memories of the live-action take have held up pretty much entirely--which isn't a good thing. Everything under the sun comes up on this week's show, from Smash Mouth to Anthony Perkins to old American Express ads to...Playboy. Yes. Really. (Or, one might say, "Wowsers.") How do all of these things connect to Inspector Gadget? Go-go-download/listen to find out!

Episode 174: Rushmore

Hey, folks! We hope you've been preparing all of your extracurricular activities, from fencing to beekeeping to everything in between, because this week, we're going back to prep school. More specifically, Josh and Gabe are headed to Rushmore, the 1998 film from writer-director Wes Anderson, starring Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Williams and Garfield himself, Bill Murray. They're joined by return guest Dana Stevens of Slate.com to discuss the Anderson filmography, his signature aesthetic choices, the careers of this film's two leading men, and whether or not Rushmore was Anderson's first sign of greatness, or his only sign of greatness. Yes, it's not a huge love-in today, but there's plenty of spirited debate to listen to, so check it out!

Episode 173: Make Mine Music

With the holidays right around the corner, we hope you're in a musical mood this week, because that's ostensibly the theme of the new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. Josh and Gabe get in rhythm to talk about the 1946 package film Make Mine Music, which offers the viewer everything from Benny Goodman to opera to the Andrews Sisters. So, y'know, it's something for everyone. But is this package film any good? Does it hold up as a whole or are there merely parts that end up succeeding? Your hosts go all over the map this week, just like the movie in question, talking about everything from the new Star Wars trailer to the recent announcement that Disney is teaming up with Turner Classic Movies for programming and theme-park updates. So get in tune and start listening to the show!