A podcast about how older films were made, received and whether or not they still hold up, from two dudes who studied film and work in the biz!
…
continue reading
Retro Graders is your essential podcast where we dive into the best of past Films that have new relevance with the context of recently-released media. Basically: We talk about old stuff when new stuff that is related comes out. In our main show, we discuss the media we've experienced lately, dissect our main Film in a spoiler-filled discussion and then assign a Retro Grade and a Modern Grade at the end of the episode. Listeners are encouraged to watch each week's film to get the most out of ...
…
continue reading
“WHY’S EVERYTHING SO BLACK, TOOT?“ (CONTENT WARNING: Although this movie was very good, we do have to warn you that it might not be for everyone. The subject matter is difficult and might be triggering for some, as it deals with domestic violence, sexual assault and suicide.) On this episode, we explore mid 90’s New Zealand Maori cinema in the crit…
…
continue reading
“AND IT WAS HERE, IN THIS BLIGHTED PLACE, THAT HE LEARNED TO LIVE AGAIN.“ On this episode of the podcast we talk about one of the most influential post-apocalypse films of all time. One that’s legacy has just been extended in an incredible prequel film that hit theaters on this year’s Memorial Day weekend. We are talking about Mad Max 2, also known…
…
continue reading
“YOU BETTER HOLD ON TIGHT SPIDER MONKEY.“ On this Valentine’s Day, we decided to cover a romance movie that captured the attention of an entire generation of girls, contributed to the YA adaptation craze, and gave us vampire baseball. Today, we are talking about 2008’s Twilight, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert P…
…
continue reading
“KEEP THE CHANGE, YA FILTHY ANIMAL.“ On this episode, we are going to be talking about one of the most popular and beloved Christmas films of all time. We will be talking about 1990’s Home Alone, directed by Chris Columbus, starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, and Catherine O’Hara. It is the first movie we have covered that was writte…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
080 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
1:56:44
1:56:44
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:56:44
“UNTIL THE BREAK OF DAWN..” On this Halloween, we decided to cover one of the first horror films ever made. We cover the famous, German Expressionist film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, directed by Robert Wiene from 1920. If you would like to watch the film before listening to us, the film is available for free on various sites, but we recommend wat…
…
continue reading
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Due to recent events in the film industry, Retro Grade Podcast decided to take a different approach to the movies we will cover on the podcast until the strikes are over in support of the unions. We will be covering films that are not under the companies being struck, starting with one of the greatest anime films of all time: Akir…
…
continue reading
“YOU CAME HERE PREPARED TO FIGHT A MAD MAN, AND INSTEAD YOU FOUND A GOD?“ On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we talk about an adaptation to one of the most beloved video game series of all time. One of Hollywood’s earliest attempts at adapting a video game movie, and the first financially successful one. We are talking about 1994’s Street Figh…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
077 Zu Warriors From the Magic Mountain
2:32:12
2:32:12
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
2:32:12
“THEY ARE THE BAD GUYS, WE ARE THE GOOD GUYS. UNDERSTAND?“ On this week’s episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we talk about a film from a genre we have never covered before. We talk about the 1983 Hong Kong Wuxia classic Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, directed by Hong Kong New Wave filmmaker Tsui Hark, starring Yuen Biao, Adam Cheng, Corey Yuen, …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
076 Sequel Speed Pitch Special: A Patreon Preview
47:23
47:23
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
47:23
On this special episode, we give a FREE preview of all the fun we have over at on the Retro Grade Podcast Patreon! We have our Modern Grade series where we review newer movies, our This Month In Movies series where we talk about current events in the industry, our Tier List Special where we make up tier lists for movie topics, and finally our Seque…
…
continue reading
“IN SHORT THERE’S SIMPLY NOT, A MORE CONGENIAL SPOT.“ On this episode, we return to the 1960’s to catch the beginning of the end of the big budget musical era. We watch the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, Camelot, starring Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, and David Hemmings. Although this was the 10th highest grossing movie o…
…
continue reading
“IT WON’T LET US LEAVE!“ On this week’s episode, we go back to another horror classic from the 1980s independent scene: The Evil Dead! Directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManicor, Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly. Already having spoken about Sam Raimi in our Spider-Man episode, we were excited to re-watch the fil…
…
continue reading
“HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU, KID.” On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we talk about one of the “greatest films of all time,” 1942’s Casablanca, directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains. What makes this film so good? Is it still that good 80 years later? Is this movie just for movie nerds, or does this fi…
…
continue reading
Continuing from out last episode, we go in the Behind the Scenes and making of for the 1996 classic, Scream, directed by Wes Craven. In the first part, we discussed our history with the film, how we familiar with the franchise and upon rewatching the film, how we felt about it now. We went over the writing, characters, structure, and reception of t…
…
continue reading
“DO YOU LIKE SCARY MOVIES?“ On this week’s episode, we talk about the 1996 horror classic, Scream. Directed by the legendary Wes Craven, starring Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Drew Barrymore, Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy, and last but definitely not least, Matthew Lillard. In this first part, we get into our history with…
…
continue reading
“YOU THERE, OGRE!“ On this episode, we cover the first film to ever take home the Best Animated Picture at the Oscars. We talk about the first film in the Dreamworks tent-pole franchise, Shrek, directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow. What was it about Shrek that permeated throug…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
069 The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
2:13:04
2:13:04
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
2:13:04
“LET THE DREAM BEGIN, LET YOUR DARKER SIDE GIVE IN“ On this Valentine’s Day, we decided to cover a romantic film for Retro Grade Podcast. Upon a listener’s birthday request, we are going back to 2004’s critically panned, audience adored, movie adaptation of the longest running show in Broadway history.. The Phantom of the Opera, starring Gerard But…
…
continue reading
“TREES AND PEOPLE USED TO BE GOOD FRIENDS.“ On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we cover our first 2D animated film, Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki from 1988. Although we both know Totoro from seeing that fluffy, grey creature, neither of us have seen the movie he comes from. We only know him as the m…
…
continue reading
On this week’s episode, we finish our retrospective on James Cameron 1997 classic, Titanic. In the previous episode, we summarized the entire story, going through Jack and Rose’s blossoming romance to the Titanic crashing into the iceberg and the aftermath of it all. We talked about our initial thoughts, what worked and what didn’t, mainly how some…
…
continue reading
“ITS BEEN 84 YEARS..” On this week’s episode, we go back and revisit one of the highest grossing films of all time. The behemoth of a movie about the “unsinkable ship,“ Titanic. Written and directed by James Cameron, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, and the late great Bill Paxton. We talk about our early memories o…
…
continue reading
“YOU CROSSED THE LINE“ On this episode, we return to Pandora before the long awaited sequel of the highest grossing film “everybody forgot about.” We are talking about James Cameron’s Avatar, from 2009! We talk about how we weren’t super impressed first time we saw this movie, and how that may have changed 13 years later. We talk about the new tech…
…
continue reading
“I HAVE CROSSED OCEANS OF TIME TO FIND YOU” On this week’s episode, we talk about the classic 1992 film, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, and Keanu Reeves. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, we revisit the film to see if what many people consider to be one of the d…
…
continue reading
“IT’LL FIGHT IF IT HAS TO, BUT IT’S VULNERABLE OUT IN THE OPEN.“ On this Halloween episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we cover one of the best movies from one of the best horror filmmakers of all time, 1982’s The Thing, directed by John Carpenter. Although the film is referred to as a remake of the 1951 RKO Pictures production, The Thing from Another …
…
continue reading
“INTO THE LIGHT, I COMMAND THEE!“ Continuing our spooky movie themed month, we decided to cover a movie about the world’s grumpiest exorcist, Constantine! Although the Vertigo Comics character comes from the Hellblazer series, is blonde and British, certain liberties were taken in the American film adaptation starring Keanu Reeves as the titular ch…
…
continue reading
WE’LL TEAR YOUR SOUL APART!” On this week’s episode, we continue our month of spooky movies by revisiting Hellraiser, 1987 horror classic directed by Clive Barker starring Ashley Laurence, Clare Higgins, Andrew Robinson, and Doug Bradley as the famous Cenobite, Pinhead. We talk about how this film differs very much from how it was conveyed to us wh…
…
continue reading
“YOU KNOW, I’VE ALWAYS WANTED A CHILD. AND NOW I THINK I’LL HAVE ONE ON TOAST!” On this week’s episode, we are officially leaving behind summer and getting ready for Halloween. We start this season with revisiting a childhood classic, Hocus Pocus, directed by Kenny Ortega starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, Thora B…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
059 Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2:33:24
2:33:24
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
2:33:24
“LOOKS LIKE MEAT’S BACK ON THE MENU!“ On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast we talk about the second Peter Jackson live-action adaptation of The Lord of the Rings series, We are joined once again by our resident LOTR expert Becky to help us talk about why this film series changed the fantasy genre forever. We talk about how this film splits the fe…
…
continue reading
“GET TO THE CHOPPER!“ On this week’s episode, we revisit the 1987 action/horror classic, Predator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by John McTiernan. This was an interesting film to revisit since both Austin and Jorge don’t really have a deep connection to the film, having only seen it a few times each. But it seems that they are both i…
…
continue reading
“IS IT POSSIBLE, THAT THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES.“ As the “family vs aliens" genre receives another entry in Jordan Peele’s Nope, we at Retro Grade Podcast decided to talk about a similarly themed movie that recently celebrated it’s 20th anniversary. We are talking about, M Night Shyamalan’s Signs, starring Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin a…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
056 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)
2:25:45
2:25:45
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
2:25:45
“WE’RE NEVER GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIS, OKAY?” On this week’s episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we talk about 2007’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, from Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu starring Anamaria Marinca and Laura Vasiliu. Over the past few weeks, the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, giving states the ability to make abortions illega…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
055 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
2:23:30
2:23:30
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
2:23:30
“IT’S NOT EASY HAVING A GOOD TIME.. EVEN SMILING MAKES MY FACE ACHE.“ This month, we at Retro Grade Podcast decided to cover one of the most beloved cult classics and recognizable LGBTQ+ themed movies of all time, The Rocky Horror Picture Show! Directed by Jim Sharman, written by Richard O’Brien, starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
054 Star Wars: A New Hope (The Making Of)
2:13:13
2:13:13
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
2:13:13
“FEAR IS THEIR GREATEST DEFENSE!“ On this episode of the podcast we take a look behind the scenes of Star Wars: A New Hope. We go back to before it was even called Star Wars. Before George Lucas was even interested in making films in the first place. On this journey through the creative process of not only one of the most profitable movies, but ent…
…
continue reading
“HOKEY RELIGIONS AND ANCIENT WEAPONS…"“ On this week’s episode, we finally get to talk the about the one that started it all: Star Wars (1977). Or rather: Star Wars: A New Hope. In 2022, the film is celebrating its 45th anniversary and we thought now would be the best time to revisit the film and see how it holds up. We begin by talking about our e…
…
continue reading
“OUT, AM I?“ On this week’s episode, we continue talking about Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man film, released in 2002. In the first episode we focused on the story and on the style, how Sam Raimi went about filming the web swinger in his first Hollywood outing. Now, we go back to the very beginning of Spider-Man, back to when he was created in 1962. W…
…
continue reading
“YOU MESS WITH ONE OF US, YOU MESS WITH ALL OF US!“ Just in time for the 20th anniversary of one of the greatest super hero (origin) movies from one of the greatest directors to ever tackle the genre, we at Retro Grade Podcast have decided to cover Spider-Man from 2002, directed by Sam Raimi, starring Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, and Kirsten Dunst.…
…
continue reading
“IT’S HARD BEING MEXICAN-AMERICAN.“ On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we go back to a movie that meant more to each of us than we realized. We take on 1997’s Selena, directed by Gregory Nava, starring Jennifer Lopez and Edward James Olmos. While both being 90’s babies and both having Hispanic heritage, Selena’s music was in our ears and heart…
…
continue reading
“THIS IS NOT ABOUT BLACK AND WHITE. THIS IS ABOUT MONEY. THIS IS ABOUT GREEN. YOU GOT THAT?“ On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we go back to the 90’s to cover a different basketball movie: White Men Can’t Jump, directed by Ron Shelton, starring Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes, and Rosie Perez. What was it about the 90’s and basketball? Is it j…
…
continue reading
On this week’s episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we go back 19 years ago to talk about Sofia Coppola’s Lost In Translation. This will be the first time that either of us have seen the film. Not knowing what to expect, we talk about Coppola’s first feature, The Virgin Suicides, and try to see what that film did well and whether Coppola can follow it u…
…
continue reading
On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we find even more to talk about The Godfather. Behind every great movie, is a great story of how it was made, and the impact it had when it was released. Have you ever wondered why The Godfather was such a big deal? Well, on this episode we might have some answers for you! We talk about where Mario Puzo got t…
…
continue reading
“IT’S NOT PERSONAL. IT’S STRICTLY BUSINESS.“ On this week’s episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we talk about what’s considered to be one of the greatest films of all time: the 1972 classic, The Godfather. Because the film is so massive in runtime and story, we are going to be breaking up the episode into two parts, similar to the original Godfather tr…
…
continue reading
On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we talk about a movie over 100 years old. We talk about the oldest surviving film from a Black director. The movie is Oscar Micheaux’s Within Out Gates from 1920. This is the first silent film we’ve done on the podcast, and also a film neither of the hosts had even heard about until visiting the Academy Museu…
…
continue reading
FEEL THE RHYTHM! FEEL THE RHYME! GET ON UP, IT’S BOBSLED TIME! On this week’s episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we wanted to commemorate both the Winter Olympics happening in Beijing, and Black History Month. And there’s only one film that we can think of that fits the bill: Cool Runnings, the 1993 Disney Classic. It’s loosely based on the Jamaican B…
…
continue reading
“PULLING A TRIGGER IS LIKE ORDERING TAKE OUT.“ Hello listeners! We are BACK from our winter recess with an adrenaline pumping action movie in 2011’s, The Raid: Redemption directed by Gareth Evans. We talked a lot about action movies in our last episode, so we figured we’d kick the new year off with a classic. A martial arts action movie so good, Ne…
…
continue reading
HAPPY NEW YEAR! We normally like to talk about older movies, but on this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we look back at movies that came out in 2021, and give our SPOILER FREE thoughts about what we liked and did not like during the past year. We talk about the big blockbusters like Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Suicide Squad, Fast 9, and The Matri…
…
continue reading
“DEAR GEORGE, REMEMBER NO MAN IS A FAILURE WHO HAS FRIENDS.“ On this episode, we revisit a Christmas Classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra, and starring James Stewart. Released in the winter of 1946, this holiday classic has been adored by critics and audiences for decades, almost becoming an essential viewing during the holidays.…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
040 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
2:22:16
2:22:16
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
2:22:16
“EVEN THE SMALLEST PERSON CAN CHANGE THE COURSE OF THE FUTURE.“ On this episode, we cover the one high fantasy film franchise to rule them all, The Lord of the Rings. Specifically, The Fellowship of the Ring, directed by Peter Jackson released in December of 2001. Yeah, this movie came out 20 years ago (feel old yet?) We talk about how we both like…
…
continue reading
“THERE IS NO SPOON.“ On this episode we cover one of the most influential sci-fi action films of all time: The Matrix (1999,) written and directed by the Wachowski sisters, starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Lawrence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving. Most likely, there is not a person reading this blog post that hasn’t experienced The Matrix in som…
…
continue reading
“I AM A ROCKER, I AM A ROLLER, I’M AN OUT-OF-CONTROLLER!” On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we talk about the most prestigious high-octane, post-apocalyptic film franchise in cinema history. We are talking about where is all began in Mad Max, from 1979, directed by George Miller, produced by the late Byron Kennedy, and starring the infamous M…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
037 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
2:13:30
2:13:30
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
2:13:30
“YOU’RE A WIZARD HARRY.” On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we talk about the most famous wizarding world in cinematic history. We are talking about Harry Potter! Specifically, we are talking about where it all began with 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone directed by Chris Colombus, based off of the book series by the world’s first …
…
continue reading
“THE WORST THING THAT’S HAPPENED TO YOU HAS ALREADY HAPPENED AND YOU’RE STILL HERE.“ On this week’s episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we talk about a horror gem from the mid 2000’s, The Descent. Directed by Neil Marshall, the film is about a group of women who go exploring remote underground caves, and find that they are not the only ones there. We g…
…
continue reading
“OH MY GOD! WE HIT A BOOT!“ On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we take a look at a movie that meant a lot to the theater-going audiences of 2000. A movie that also meant a lot to Jorge’s childhood. A movie that revived the spoof genre itself. We are talking about none other than, Scary Movie, directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans. This movie was one…
…
continue reading