Episode 197: Monkeys, Go Home!

To quote a line from Rainier Wolfcastle's McBain (two weeks in a row referencing that character!), this episode of Mousterpiece Cinema is Josh and Gabe: Let's Get Silly. In discussing the final monkey-themed movie of the year (for now), Josh and Gabe got very weird in this episode of the podcast. But you can't blame them for indulging in French accents, laughing fits, and more, because Monkeys, Go Home! is a very, very weird movie. Or it's a bad movie. Or it's so bad, it's good. WHICH IS IT? Find out now!

Episode 196: Walt Disney Treasures: Tomorrow Land

For this week's episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, we're requiring all listeners to get their space gear in check, test their oxygen tanks, and prepare for a trip beyond Earth, beyond space, and maybe even beyond our solar system! But in case you're not ready for space travel just yet, you can still listen to the episode. This week, Josh and Gabe dig into another of the two-disc Walt Disney Treasures DVD sets, specifically the Tomorrow Land set, focusing on the way our 1950s society portrayed the future of space travel and science. Are Josh and Gabe able to embrace the optimistic futurism of this set or do they find it too quaint and dated? In short, are they ready to travel up (and at them/atom)? Or do they want to ponder their place in the dirt instead? Find out now!

Episode 195: Avengers: Age of Ultron

It's time to assemble your team, friends, because this week, Gabe and Josh are facing off against a terrifying prospect, something more fearsome than what they've faced before: another big-budget superhero movie. Yes, of course, like everyone else in the Western world, we're discussing Avengers: Age of Ultron today. Gabe and Josh are joined in this titanic quest by friend of the show Tim Grierson, author of Public Enemy: Inside the Terrordome. The trio answer some important questions this week: is superhero-movie fatigue real? Does this movie improve on the 2012 Joss Whedon film? Are the female characters multi-dimensional and complex, or are they closer to a certain s-word Jeremy Renner's been using lately? And how is Ant-Man like Cars 2? Find out on the new show!

Lucasfilm Bonus Episode Five: The Original Star Wars Trilogy

May the Third be with you! No, wait, hang on, that's not right. May the Fifth be with you! Hmm...still sounds funky. Oh, right, May the Fourth be with you! And what better way to celebrate this day than a two-hour discussion of the trilogy that started it all? There is no better way, trust us. Yes, for this bonus episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe spend entirely too much time talking about Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Plus, because of our recording date, Gabe and Josh are able to dredge up the debate they tabled in the last bonus show: are they excited for The Force Awakens? Did the new teaser rouse them with interest or bore them? Or is it just Gabe who's a Debbie Downer? And, of course, what of the original trilogy? Did George Lucas make good films or did he just fool our childhood selves? And will there be cursing? (Yes. Earmuffs, children.) Fuzzballs, get ready to laugh it up--and listen!

Episode 194: The Monkey's Uncle

Hey, bros! Get ready for a full-on Brodown Hoedown on this week's Bro-sterpiece--OK, fine, Mousterpiece Cinema. This week, your top bros Josh and Gabe are getting ready to go back to college to talk about the important things about higher learning: beer, football, frat parties, and--and--AND TWINS! Maybe we're exaggerating a wee bit, but boy oh boy, does this week's movie, the 1965 film The Monkey's Uncle, feel super bro-y and misogynistic. It's so hard to avoid that Josh and Gabe go deep on this one, musing on the conservative streak in old-school Disney films, the way Walt Disney and his executives treated lead actor Tommy Kirk after his homosexuality became a flashpoint of controversy, and whether NCAA football players should be paid. Plus, Gabe brings back his Serial-esque cold-case podcast! And a bit of swearing! And Josh does a Beach Boys impression! No more talk--get to listening!

Episode 193: Monkey Kingdom

In the face of the brand-new Disneynature documentary Monkey Kingdom, here's a painful admission: I hate every ape I see, from Chimpan-A to Chimpan-Z. No, you'll never make a monkey out of me. OK, fine, this may not be that specifically related to Planet of the Apes (the movie, not the planet), or any musicals about said environment, but can you resist a good Simpsons reference. Neither can we! Anyway, on this week's episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe go up against this new, Tina Fey-narrated nature film, along with their guest, Genevieve Koski of The Dissolve. Does Monkey Kingdom play fast and loose with the facts? Is it unethical to have monkeys destroy a child's birthday party? Basically, is it actually about ethics in documentary journalism? You'll have to listen to find out!

Episode 192: Castle in the Sky

On today's episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, we're making specific and loud declarations. Such as "I DON'T WANT YOUR LIFE." Yes, that's right, you're going to get to hear Josh's impression of James van der Beek in the true classic Varsity Blues. Why, you may ask? Well, this week's movie is the Hayao Miyazaki film Castle in the Sky! (van der Beek provides a voice in the English dub, of course. But you knew that.) One of your hosts, in fact, loves the movie so much that it might be their favorite Studio Ghibli film overall. And the other host...well, he DON'T WANT YOUR LIFE. (That might spoil which of us loved the movie more.) Take a listen for more Ghibli/Dawson-cry-face talk!