Million Dollar Movies

Peg Haller joins Bob and Dan for a very special FINAL episode of the show to discuss their movie, Normal Life (1996). Called Luke Perry's finest performance on film, Normal Life follows two real life bank robbers from suburban Chicago. Other topics discussed: researching screenplays, how to write with your spouse, married life, crime, capitalism, and guns. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan discuss Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels (1941), a movie about a comedic film director who wants to say something big and important in his next picture so he tries to live like a poor person as inspiration. Other topics: privilege, comedy, drama, movies about movies, the Coen brothers, and the end of the podcast! Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan discuss Terry Gilliam's sci-fi thriller, 12 Monkeys (1995), a film about a convict sent into the past to investigate the outbreak of a diseas that forced humans to live underground. Other topics discussed: camp, the uncanny, terrorism, and Brad Pitt. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan discuss the 60s Rock & Roll satire Wild in the Streets (1968), directed by Barry Shear. The film follows a celebrity rock star who starts - gasp! - to influence politics in America. Other topics discussed: meth, music, mayhem, and how old people are completely crazy. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan discuss Antonioni's Blow-Up (1966). The film is about a fashion photographer in London who discovers he may have taken pictures of a crime scene. Other topics discussed: Blow Out, Rear Window, drugs, and pubic hair. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Dan and Bob discuss the action/comedy/western Rio Bravo (1959), starring John Wayne, Angie Dickinson, and Dean Martin. Other topics discussed: broad comedy in film, Attack on Precinct 13, the Alamo, and racism. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan discuss Le Samouraï (1967), a French neo-noir film directed by Jean-Pierre Melville about an assassin who doesn't seem to care if he lives or dies. Other topics discussed: offensive words, Pickpocket, subways, prostitutes, and the end of the world. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan discuss the South Korean Kaiju movie, The Host (2006). The movie follows one family's fight against a giant river monster created by Americans dumping toxic chemicals into the water. Other topics discussed: emotional alchemy, comedy, Godzilla, and pointing out the terrible things America has wrought. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

From the geniuses that brought you Suicide Squad... it's The Accountant (2016), starring Ben Affleck as an autistic criminal accountant who's also a trained killer for some reason. Bob and Dan discuss the merits of the movie, and argue about whether it's a good depiction of people with autism or if it's problematic or both! Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan discuss yet another Sam Fuller film, Underworld USA (1961). The movie follows a juvenile delinquent seeking revenge for his father's murder. Other topics include: the prison system, The Godfather, drugs, Fuller's view of America, and newspaper scoops. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan discuss the all-black produced, directed, and starring film Ten Minutes to Live (1932). It's difficult to say what the plot of the film is, and Bob and Dan argue over whether or not the movie succeeds in what it sets out to do. Other topics include: sound film versus talkies, blackface, and how to build suspense. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan talk about the original Japanese version of Godzilla (Gojira, 1954), a sci-fi film that clearly endeavors to show how the Japanese felt about the use of atomic weapons shortly after World War II. Other topics include: Pacific Rim, who is a victim, love triangles, and where it is safe to be a Jew. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Dan forces Bob to watch his all-time favorite film, Fellini's 8 1/2 (1963), and Bob can't wrap his head around why Dan likes it so much. 8 1/2 is an avante-garde Italian film about a director taking a hiatus from work at a spa and reflecting on how his dreamworld, films, and real life all meld together. Other topics discussed: movies within movies, Catholics, the male gaze, art, pretentiousness, and harems. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.  

Bob and Dan discuss Ray Milland's sci-fi survival movie, Panic in the Year Zero! (1962). Made on a shoestring budget as part of a double feature, Panic follows a family of four navigating California during nuclear fallout. Other topics discussed: The Martian, American families, war, murder, juvenile delinquents, a kid Bob hated in high school, and - yes - anti-semites. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan discuss the ultimate indictment of the military-industrial complex as told through a Hollywood action film: White House Down (2013). The White House is taken over by terrorists, some of whom want money, some of whom want revenge. What happens next won't surprise you if you've seen a lot of action movies, but the underlying themes are insane. Other topics discussed: race, Die Hard, great presidents, terrible presidents, setting it up and paying it off. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan discuss the artsy crime drama Point Blank (1967), and ask if it's worthy of being covered on this show as part of the ever-growing Bizarro Canon. Other topics discussed: Get Carter, actors who produce movies, who deserves to die, campy films, and Alcatraz. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan discuss Johnnie To's revenge tragedy Vengeance (2009), a film about a former-assassin-turned-chef who is losing his memory but still seeks revenge on the men who killed his daughter. Other topics discussed: great food, French film, primal storytelling, and Macbeth. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan discuss the terrifying and prescient Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), a sci-fi film about seedpods from space coming to Earth and replacing human beings with exact replicas. Other topics discussed: exploiting pathos for political gain, socialism, The Thing, The Truman Show, and living in the "snatched world."  Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan argue about Tim Burton's sci-fi tribute film Mars Attacks! (1996). Other topics discussed: Tarantino, comedy, racism, trading cards, and movies from the 50s we've covered on the show before! Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.

Bob and Dan discuss Stanley Kubrick's political satire Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964). Other topics discussed: Russia, Trump, nuclear annihilation, the Button, and funny things that can also be scary. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow Dan on Twitter.