Episode 84: Return to Oz

What child doesn't have the distinct memory of sitting down with their family at the holidays to watch that old perennial favorite about Dorothy Gale traveling with an animal friend to the magical land of Oz? And what child doesn't remember how that film began, with Dorothy sent to a mental institution to get electroshock therapy? Wait, what? Yes, that's really the set-up to a film about Dorothy and Oz, but not the Judy Garland film. No, this week on Mousterpiece Cinema, your intrepid trio of hosts are talking about the 1985 film Return to Oz, starring a young Fairuza Balk. They're joined by The AV Club's Zack Handlen to revel in the glorious weirdness of Dorothy interacting with a person made of branches and a pumpkin, a talking chicken, a mechanical man, and a witch who exchanges her head at will. And, believe it or not, Gabe out-crazies Mike for the first time on the podcast! You'll have to wait a bit, but it's true! So check out the new show to find out what magic lurks in Oz!

Episode 83: 101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians

Well, you're really in the doghouse this week, folks. Get ready for a howling good time as Josh and Mike cover not one, but two films on the new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema! You can probably spot the trend in this description, but in case you can't, your hosts are reviewing the live-action version of 101 Dalmatians and its 2000 sequel, 102 Dalmatians! Don't turn your tail and run, because this is bound to be a very special episode, in which Josh and Mike debate bad rap music, Hugh Laurie's career, Glenn Close, the value of animation, and whether or not a movie can get away with copying a scene from a better film. It gets pretty rough this week, but don't be scared--the movies might've been real dogs, but this episode isn't!

Episode 82: Saludos Amigos

Ole! You better be ready for some south-of-the-border discussion this week, because Josh, Mike, and Gabe are bringing it! (The discussion, that is.) In the new Mousterpiece Cinema, the trio tackle the 1942 film that preceded The Three Caballeros, Saludos Amigos! And once again, they're joined by Jeff Heimbuch of Communicore Weekly and MiceChat.com to delve into this truly short feature film. They discuss race, identity, and what The Birds would look like with Jose Carioca and Donald Duck as the attackers, among many other salient, insightful, and silly topics. Check out the new show!

Episode 81: The Rescuers Down Under

In this week's all-new Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh, Gabe, and Mike not only return to the land of the little, but they do some surprising box-office fact-hunting. All in the name of two little mice from the Rescue Aid Society, too! Yes, it's time to discuss the 1990 sequel to The Rescuers, better known as The Rescuers Down Under. Does this forgotten film deserve a second chance? And why did it do so poorly at the box office back at the beginning of the Disney Renaissance? Your hosts delve into these issues and find some time to rant about Disney's questionable decision to remove the Little Mermaid 3D re-release from their schedule in this brand new show. Check it out, mate! And have a g'day! (It was just too silly to pass up, sorry.)

Episode 80: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Yarr, mateys! If ye dare, climb aboard the damned ship Mousterpiece as your captain Josh, first mate Mike, and bosun Gabe raid the shores of Tortuga on a new episode of this here podcast, reviewing the 2003 blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The motley Mousterpiece crew tackle the most fearsome, feared pirate of all: Cap'n Jack Sparrow! (Some of ye buckos may know him as Johnny Depp.) Yer beloved captain and 'is fellow buccaneers debate, in this week's show, which of the Pirates films be the greatest, and how much they dread revisiting some of the sequels. They dread it even more than Davy Jones' locker, but no challenge be too great for this trio of pirates! Make sure to download this new episode to hear all the fun, and decide which of yer pirate podcasters' voices be most believable! (Or least!)

Episode 79: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

On this week's new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, Gabe and Josh are joined once again by prolific pop-culture critic Keith Phipps to talk about a film focused on a boy whose life you might call quirky. You might call it strange. In fact, you could even call it...odd. (On that pun, we have no regrets.) Yes, this week, the show rights a wrong and finally discusses the late-summer family drama The Odd Life of Timothy Green, starring Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Garner, CJ Adams, and a slew of exceptionally talented character actors such as Dianne Wiest and James Rebhorn. Cast aside, did Gabe, Josh, and Keith actually enjoy this whimsical tale of how a married couple learns life lessons through their magical new son, or were they left cold by its attempted charms? And which of the three guys actually makes the "odd"-based pun on the show? (It's not who you might think!) Check out the new podcast today to find out!

Episode 78: Monsters, Inc.

It's time to ring in a happy new year at Mousterpiece Cinema HQ! To kick off 2013, Josh and Mike travel to a whole new world: Monstropolis, where monsters work hard at scaring the bejeezus out of children. Yes, let's all travel to Monsters, Inc., the 2001 film from Pixar Animation Studios that was re-released in 3D into theaters over the 2012 holiday season. Did Mike and Josh like the 3D upconversion? Are they excited for the upcoming prequel, Monsters University? And hey, what about the movie itself? All of these questions are answered, plus a debate about the quality of The Flintstones, of all things, on the first new Mousterpiece Cinema of 2013!