Podcast Like It's 1999

On a cold, dark February day, two podcasters (Phil Iscove and Kenny Neibart) and a special guest (Todd VanDerWerff of Vox.com) entered a podcasting studio to discuss the seminal found footage film, The Blair Witch Project. Their plan was to discuss how this film, made for only $35,000, grossed nearly $250 million and changed Hollywood forever, in a funny and insightful way.    But the three were never heard from again.    This is the audio footage they left behind. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In Part 2 of the Julia Roberts-Valentine’s day two-fer, Phil and Kenny are once again joined by Corinne Stikeman and Melissa Lora, though one or both of them might Runaway before the podcast is over, because that’s what women do, amiright Garry Marshall?   Also in this episode, the four give their picks for the top five romantic comedies of all time! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the first of a special two-part Julia Roberts-themed Valentine’s Day episode, Phil and Kenny are joined by rom-com aficionados Corinne Stikeman and Melissa Lora.  In Part 1, the foursome will take a stroll down Notting Hill. Perhaps they will wander into a Travel Book store. Or catch a matinee of Helix. Or maybe they’ll even taste the cuisine at Tony’s restaurant (though even if they do, it’ll probably be mostly cut out and what remains will just be confusing).  But please listen because, after all, we’re just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking you to love our podcast.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Six years ago, Phil and Kenny thought they recorded a podcast on Ashley Judd’s “Double Jeopardy”... but they later learned it was actually about “Kiss the Girls.”   Can Phil and Kenny record another podcast ostensibly about “Double Jeopardy” without breaking the law?    Can they again argue about Ashley Judd’s squandered potential without ending up in jail?   Can they re-litigate the believability of this film while also contextualizing it within the specific but oddly widespread genre of “shadowy poster thrillers” and still reunite with their long-lost son?    Download this episode to find out, and also be complicit in what may be a crime. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Get excited for discussions about fate, everybody, because Phil and Kenny are running along with Tom Tykwer’s fast-paced, frenetic film, Run, Lola, Run. Get excited for discussions about free will, everybody, because Phil and Kenny are running in whatever direction they want as they break down Tom Tykwer’s fast-paced, frenetic film, Run, Lola, Run. Get excited for discussions about gimmickry in film, everybody, because Phil and Kenny find out at the end that this podcast was all a dream. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s weird to say an $80 million movie, directed by Ron Howard and starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson could be the hidden gem of 1999, but Phil and Kenny seem to think that just may be the case. In this episode, the guys break down one of 1999s biggest flops, EdTV. Why did it flop? Did it deserve its fate? Does any big budget movie have a shorter Wikipedia page? And, on a scale of 0-99, how much will Phil be annoyed by Kenny’s extensive reality TV knowledge? Join us for the answers to these questions and more this week on Podcast Like It’s 1999. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

So. Uh. We recorded an episode on "American Beauty" before the allegations about its star came to light. We kinda had to. It was undeniably one of the most important movies of 1999. It influenced the style of every studio-backed Oscar play for 15 years. It basically has "this was made in 1999" scribbled into the corner of every frame. It won Best Picture, guys. So, here it is, our discussion on "American Beauty" directed by Sam Mendes, written by Alan Ball, starring Annette Bening, Chris Cooper, Thora Birch, Mena Suvari, Wes Bentley, Alison Janney, Scott Bakula and John Cho in one scene and no one else of note.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode Phil and Kenny dive into “Deep Blue Sea,” either the dumbest or most brilliant movie of 1999. Don’t believe us? This is a movie about a supermodel scientist (Saffron Burrows) who convinces a preppy billionaire (Samuel L. Jackson) that her team of genetical engineers (including Michael Rappaport) has found the cure for Alzheimer’s disease by genetically mutating sharks, which quickly turn against their creators. LL Cool J is a heroic chef. Thomas Jane is a heroic... good swimmer(?). And, for better or worse, Phil and Kenny are enraptured by this piece of movie magic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Join Phil and Kenny as they take you back to 1999, by way of 1950s Italy, in Anthony Minghella's "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Why does "Ripley" hold up better than most 1999 films? Is this Matt Damon's best performance ever? Why didn't Jude Law become the star he was destined to be? Why was this movie largely ignored, yet still endures in ways other 1999 films haven't? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Drugs! Raves! Ecstasy! Vegas! Amway! Let's go back to the go-go 90s in Doug Liman's "Go." In what ways did Liman and screenwriter John August go right and go wrong? Are we going to see a more 1999 movie than "Go?" How did go for the young stars of "Go" in "Go?" And where did all of those go-getters go after "Go?" Go with Phil and Kenny as they go ahead and discuss "Go!"  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, Phil and Kenny mosey on over to Barry Sonnenfeld's steampunk (?) Western (?) comedy (?)  "Wild Wild West." Was the film deserving of the wagon-load of Razzies it took home in 1999? Is Will Smith and Kevin Kline the worst on-screen pairing of the year? Was there a hidden brilliance to Kenneth Branagh's performance as a legless man obsessed with mechanical spiders? And what exactly was Salma Hayek even doing there? Mount up and well tell you the tale of the biggest bomb of 1999.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Phil and Kenny dive into the deep end to discuss and dissect Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut." Is this film a masterpiece or merely an excuse for a 20 minute masked orgy? Was the 400 day continuous shoot the reason Tom and Nicole's marriage ended, or was it the deeply troubling depiction of a marriage in crisis? And how just much psychological abuse is permittable? Are the rules different when it comes from a master? Phil and Kenny break it all down on Episode 1 of "Podcast like its 1999."  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.