Episode 257: Chicken Little

It's time for a big, monumental episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, friends. Finally, after months of teasing, Gabe and Josh are talking about the 2005 film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Chicken Little. You remember this adaptation of Chicken Little, don't you? The adaptation from the director of The Emperor's New Groove? Disney's first fully computer animated feature film? Possibly the very worst movie that Disney's animation studio has made in nearly 80 years? Yes, it's true: this movie might be the pits for Disney, at least as Gabe and Josh see it. Is it the actual worst, though? And how many Earwolf references can Josh squeeze into the show to confound Gabe? Find out now!

Episode 256: The BFG

Welcome to all human beans, near and far, to this scrum-diddly-umptious poddin' cast of Mousterpiece Cinema. OK, talking like a giant is kind of difficult for more than one sentence, so let's get back to human-style talk. On this episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe talk about the newest movie from Walt Disney Pictures, a Steven Spielberg adaptation of Roald Dahl's The BFG, with Mark Rylance as the Big Friendly Giant himself. Josh and Gabe are joined by friend of the show Alex Dowd of The A.V. Club to discuss the film, its placement in Spielberg's career, and why on Earth it performed so weakly at the box office over the Fourth of July weekend. And they face an important question: is this Spielberg's weakest film in decades? It just might be! You'll have to listen to find out.

Episode 255: Phenomenon

Hey, folks! It's time for Josh and Gabe to begin a sixth year of podcasting as the hosts of Mousterpiece Cinema, and they're starting with one of their punchiest, goofiest episodes yet. It starts with the longest housekeeping segment to date, centered around a very exciting development: Mousterpiece Cinema is now on Patreon! Become a patron of the podcast and you might even get to tell us what to discuss on a future episode!

The current episode is another patented entry of Mousterpiece Cinema After Dark--make sure to say that in your deepest voice possible--as your hosts talk about the 1996 drama Phenomenon, starring John Travolta, Forest Whitaker, Kyra Sedgwick, and Robert Duvall. Remember Phenomenon? A film that made more money than either Space Jam or Scream in 1996! It's true, but does the movie hold up as we approach its 20th anniversary? Or is it super-duper creepy? Find out now!

Episode 254: Finding Dory

It's a banner day for Mousterpiece Cinema, friends. Why's that? This episode marks the fifth anniversary of the podcast! Back in June 2011, Josh sat down to record the first show solo, talking about Pixar's then-new sequel Cars 2. So it's only fitting that the best way to ring in five years of podcasting is Josh and Gabe sitting down to talk about Pixar's latest sequel: the monster hit Finding Dory, a follow-up to 2003's Finding Nemo. Has absence made our hearts grow fonder? Or was it an unwise decision for Pixar to take another sidekick and turn them into the lead character? Josh and Gabe are joined by friend of the show Monica Castillo of The New York Times to discuss our new lead character, the new world and characters of the sequel, the meta-narrative regarding director Andrew Stanton, how meta-narratives are NOT the same as fan theories, and more! Check it out, and remember to just keep listening, just keep listening, just keep listening, listening, listening...

Episode 253: The Rock

San Francisco. A beautiful city, but with a criminal element as well, who are led to Alcatraz. Listen to the bell from the trolley--it's alerting them that prisoners are coming. "Prisoners coming. Prisoners coming. Coming, coming--"

OK, not really. (Apologies to Eddie Izzard.) But though no prisoners are coming your way, there is a new Mousterpiece Cinema headed your way, and it's all about Alcatraz. Yes, this week, Gabe and Josh are talking about the 1996 action film The Rock, starring Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris, and more. And your hosts are joined by return guest Mark Harris of New York Magazine to talk about all things The Rock and, of course, all things Michael Bay, AKA King of the Vulgar Auteurs, seeing as he directed the film. It's been 20 years, so does The Rock maintain its status as his best-ever film? Does that even mean it's...a good movie? Is Nicolas Cage hamming it up in this one? Find out now!

Episode 252: Gus

Hey, friends! We hope you're in a sporting mood, because we have a perfect summer movie to talk about on this episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. It's the 1976 comedy Gus, all about a Yugoslavian mule who plays on an NFL team! OK, fine, so maybe it's not the right time of year to talk about an NFL movie, but then, Gus is as much an accurate portrayal of NFL as it is of how to manage a supermarket in the 1970s. (If you've seen this movie, you will probably get that reference.) Gabe and Josh are joined by return guest Mark Pfeiffer of Reel Times to talk about Gus, Don Knotts, unending slapstick scenes, and, of course, our #openthedisneyvault hashtag this week, so check it out now!

Episode 251: Alice Through the Looking Glass

Oh, frabjous day, dear friends. Callooh. Callay. Yes, there's only one reason for us to bust out the Lewis Carroll-ese, and that's because we are going back to Wonderland on this episode of Mousterpiece Cinema! Oooh, sorry, hang on, we're going to Underland, because that's what it's called in the live-action films from Walt Disney Pictures. And yes, that word is plural now, because the 2010 Alice in Wonderland now has a sequel: Alice Through the Looking Glass. It's got the whole gang back: Mia Wasikowska! Anne Hathaway! Alleged garbage fire Johnny Depp! (Were you wondering if we'd talk about Johnny Depp being an alleged piece of wife-beating trash? WONDER NO MORE.) So Gabe and Josh brought back Scott Meslow of GQ to talk about this sequel and its many, many problems. But maybe this movie's an improvement on its predecessor? Is it possible? Find out now!