Episode 181: Strange Magic

Wise men say only fools rush in. But I gotta feelin' that tonight's gonna be a good night. So come on, Marianne! OK, enough singing (for now). Time to get down to business, and on this week's episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, business equals talking about the brand-new film from the Walt Disney Company. Yes, they just released a new animated film! From George Lucas! It's got tons of songs! You may have skipped out on Strange Magic, but Josh and Gabe can definitely attest to the fact that it exists, because they both paid to see it. And so did their guest, friend of the show Keith Phipps of The Dissolve. And now, they're here to commiserate over the film, which is unique! (Uniquely bad, that is.) From the current state of computer animation to the novels of James Ellroy to Beyonce's recent surprise album, everything--really--is up for discussion this week, as these three try to wash the taste of Strange Magic away. The movie might've been a pain, but this episode's (thankfully) not. Check it out!

Episode 180: Treasure Planet

Avast, buckoes! It's time for Mousterpiece Cinema to start plundering some booty on this week's episode, but we're not going to be traveling for some island in the middle of the sea. Instead, we're heading for outer...space! (No more Inside Llewyn Davis references, sorry.) Josh and Gabe are traveling straight to Treasure Planet this week, discussing the 2002 effort from John Musker and Ron Clements, the same men who directed Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. But they also directed this film, arguably the biggest flop in Walt Disney Animation Studios history. What happened? Was this film worthy of such an unfortunate plight? Is it better than people might assume? And, in the words of The Goo Goo Dolls' John Rzeznik, "can you help me be a man?" CAN YOU? First step: listen to the new episode!

Episode 179: Kiki's Delivery Service

Are you feeling flighty today? Perhaps a bit witchy? Well, at the very least, if you're ready to have an open mind and a bit of interest, you're the perfect audience for today's episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. Josh and Gabe take flight with the Hayao Miyazaki film Kiki's Delivery Service, and they're joined by friend of the show Dan Schindel to talk about this 1989 story of a girl spending a year in the city and practicing the craft and trade of being a witch. With the recent Blu-ray release in mind, Josh, Gabe, and Dan talk about the "dubtitle" controversy plaguing Disney's Studio Ghibli home media, episodic filmmaking, the beauty of Miyazaki's animation, and Phil Hartman. (We know. You're sad now. So are we. Sorry.) Get your broomsticks ready and check out the new show!

Episode 178: Aliens of the Deep

Happy New Year, folks! We're kicking things off at Mousterpiece Cinema right in 2015, with a film from the master himself, James Cameron. (Please, call him Jim.) Following up on our discussion of Ghosts of the Abyss last year, Gabe and Josh are going down below once more with the 2005 documentary Aliens of the Deep, in which Cameron explores the sea life burrowing miles below the surface of the planet. And, as anyone who's a longtime listener may know, this episode is a fine excuse for the dynamic duo to debate the legacy of James Cameron, as well as the future of the Avatar series. Does Aliens of the Deep hold the key to why Jim Cameron is so obsessed with the world of Pandora? Is Gabe one of those diehards who got so depressed that Pandora wasn't a real place? Should this movie have been longer? Shorter? So many questions and so little time to answer them! Find out on the new show!

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!