In this episode of 'My Favorite Movie,' you join us for a deep dive into 'Dark City'’ a peculiar sci-fi noir from the late 1990s. You'll hear our diverse takes, examining the film's shortcomings and high points. We discuss its pacing issues and lack of chemistry among the characters but acknowledge the film's longer-lasting impact in influencing fu…

Discussing the Rich Multiverse of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” In this episode, we explore the complex and multifaceted film '“Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The three of us appreciate how the film blends various genres, styles, and narratives seamlessly, highlighting its rich multiverse concept. We reflect on the in-depth and emotional…

In this episode of My Favorite Movie Podcast, we dive into the newly released Disney Plus original film Peter Pan and Wendy. We discuss the unique twists and turns this adaptation takes from the original source material, the representation of diverse characters, the character development of Wendy and Tinkerbell, and the complex relationship between…

By Daniel Levain

In this episode, we discuss the 1991 film Hook, a sequel to Peter Pan starring Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and Julia Roberts. The three of us praise the film's visuals and cast but criticize its uneven tone and some of its more cartoonish elements. Key points: The film is a visually stunning spectacle, with Spielberg's trademark sense of wonder…

In this episode of our podcast, we discuss Disney's animated classic Peter Pan (1953). We start by acknowledging the film's problematic depiction of Native Americans and discuss the importance of being critical of the media we consume. However, we also argue that Peter Pan is still a worthwhile film, and we explore why it has remained so popular fo…

In this week’s My Favorite Movie Podcast, we discussed the Disney Plus streaming series Muppets Mayhem featuring Muppets, Electric Mayhem. The podcast hosts discussed the premise of the show, which is about a young employee at a record label who wants to get ahead and figures that if she sells herself as a producer, she can be a producer. She reali…

In this episode, we discuss Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. Eric and Daniel have been waiting to talk about this movie, and Ian finally got to see it. Eric and Daniel loved it, and they think it's the best of the three Guardians movies. The movie has excellent adventure, comedy, and heart. The villain, the High Evolutionary, is the most menacing …

This podcast episode discusses the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. We talk about how the film felt like a chapter in a longer story and how the villain, Kang the Conqueror, was not well-developed. We also discuss how the movie had a different emotional impact than other MCU movies. We agreed that the movie was not…

If you are a fan of Dungeons & Dragons, then you will be excited to watch the new movie, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. The movie captures the feel of sitting at a table and playing the almost 50-year-old role-playing game. We all especially enjoyed the fat dragon, which is both deadly and adorable. The movie is a faithful adaptation of t…

In this episode of the podcast, we discuss some of the shows that we've been watching lately. The Smuggler's Room is a YouTube channel created by Brian, who lives in Texas. He's built his own basement to be like the Millennium Falcon, and he also creates costumes, lightsabers, and other Star Wars-themed items. Modern Family is a multi-generational …

In this episode, we discuss the animated film Wolfwalkers. We were particularly impressed by the beautiful hand-drawn animation, which reminded us of a storybook or illustrated tapestry. We also enjoyed the story, which was both heartwarming and suspenseful. We believe that Wolfwalkers is a timeless film that will continue to be enjoyed for years. …

SpongeBob Squarepants the Musical: A Fun and Surprising Show You're probably thinking, "A Broadway musical based on SpongeBob Squarepants? That sounds like it could be terrible." But I'm here to tell you that it's actually a lot of fun! The show opened on Broadway in 2017 and ran for over two years. It won two Tony Awards, including Best Musical. T…

You're listening to My Favorite Musical podcast. This week, we’re talking about Shrek the Musical, a hilarious and heartwarming adaptation of the popular DreamWorks animated film. The show stars Brian Darcy James as Shrek, Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona, and John Tartaglia as Pinocchio. If you're looking for a fun and family-friendly musical, Shre…

In a complete departure from our norm, this week we take the opportunity to discuss a Broadway show, as Daniel and Eric recently got to see a tour company’s performance of this popular musical. Wicked. Listen as we really get in-depth on the theatrical experience of seeing this modern classic live. Hosts: Daniel Levain, Ian Sweetman and Eric Sweetm…

This week, we're discussing the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The movie picks up after the events of Avengers: Endgame. The movie explores themes of grief, loss, and legacy. It also introduces new characters and villains to the MCU. Overall, we enjoyed the movie. We thought it was a worthy sequel to the first Black Panther. Here are some of…

Welcome to My Favorite Movie Podcast! In today's episode, we'll discuss the modern classic, "Glass Onion." Of course, we weren't expecting to find it so entertaining and delightful, but that's what happens with Ryan Johnson movies. So, what are you waiting for? Go watch "Glass Onion" today, and then come back and listen to the podcast. The Glass On…

Occasionally you have to get lost in the adventure before you find the story's moral. After wondering over the past weeks, watching and at times getting the feeling of re-watching the same take on a story, you’re rewarded with a fresh take. This week we discuss the incredibly entertaining, visually stunning, unique vision of Guillermo del Toro as h…

After last week's conversation around Walt's second EVER animated feature, we visit the Disney Studios' latest attempt at re-telling this classic story. Sadly, this version failed to impress and create the long-lasting experience we all had with the original. Nevertheless, we dissect the good and the bad of this modern version. Disney’s Pinnochio i…

As we start the new year, we find ourselves intrigued by the sequence of events that leads very creative people to see themselves compelled to tell and re-tell Pinnochio's story. So this week, we go back to Walt Disney's first attempt at this story and discuss what worked for this movie and what didn't. Walt Disney’s Pinnochio is rated G and was re…

We take one last oportunity to get into the season’s spirits and talk about what against all odds will become a holiday staple for the three of us. Despite some of our host’s pre-consived biasis against one of the leads of this movie, the story and the music grabed us and made us really appreciate this spin on the clasic themes of The Christmas Cha…

We take the opportunity to sit down this week and chat about our recently departed Kevin Conroy. Out of all of the things Kevin has been a part of in his long career, none has touched us as much as Kevin’s performance as Batman. From the animated series, the movie Mask of the Phantasm, and many other projects, Kevin Conroy became the voice of Batma…

Animated or not, well acted or not, sometimes a movie doesn’t land with you when you watch it. So this week, Eric and Ian worked on convincing Daniel that this week’s movie is something he really should give another shot. The Bad Guys is rated PG and was released on April 22, 2022. This animated movie features the voice acting of Sam Rockwell as Wo…

We are at it again, getting stuck in an animated movie streak. But this one, well, it's special. This movie did what used to be the norm for Disney Animated movies IN THE 90s. Only a hand full of the newer Disney releases manage to be as popular as talked about and immediately become part of the pop-culture parlance. Oh, there's also a surprisingly…

We return this week with the culmination of our chat with Noel MacNeal. We cover how Bear in the Big Blue House became so special and how the landscape has changed so much for children’s television. The conversation also gets into Noel’s other performances, writing projects, and how much fun he’s having directing Sesame Street. Bear in the Big Blue…

We are so excited about this week’s show that we can’t contain it. Not only is the show that we are talking about this week deeply personal to all three of us, but it’s also the reason we met in the real world and formed the friendship that led to this podcast. But more exciting than our origin story, it’s the special guest that stops by to share S…

While Daniel takes a little time away from the podcast, Eric and Ian talk about Pixar’s Turning Red. True to the podcast, while discussing the movie, the subject meanders to Boy Bands, old theme park layout, controversy and Judy Blume books. Turning Red is rated PG and was released March 1, 2022. This weeks movie features the voice talents of Rosal…

This week we switch it up, and instead of a movie, we talk about a show that is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, movie adjacent. But how could we miss an opportunity to talk about a show that is SO faithful to its origins and yet seems so right for the streaming media market, all while being relevant to today’s audience… this show has bec…

Continuing last week’s conversation, we jump into another Disney Animated from the early 2000s that just got a harsh and unnecessarily lousy rap. Of course, 20-plus years later, we can recognize how much this movie tried to do and how little credit it gets. Atlantis: The Lost Empire is rated PG and was released June 15, 2001 This movie features the…

Sometimes a movie deserves a second chance. As one matures and life experiences expand our way of processing the world around us, a film that may have seemed flat and unnecessary becomes a movie that you enjoy so much that you feel a little guilty for having been so harsh the first time. When the movie is a Disney animated movie, it’s hard to come …

As the show that this week's movie inspired celebrates its 50th anniversary, we serendipitously decided to watch MASH and talk about it for this week's podcast. While this movie is far from one of our favorites, it certainly gave us plenary to speak about, lending itself to one of the most interesting conversations we've had about a movie that isn'…

We all enjoyed this movie enough that we thought we had already talked about it for the podcast. Forgive our feeble brains as we finally get around to talking about this entertaining story on mic. O Brother, Where Art Thou? is rated PG-13 and was released on October 19, 2000. This film features the talents of Gorge Clooney as Everett, John Turturro…

Daniel, like many of you, was skeptical about this movie. Eric and Ian were not. It turns out they were right, and this movie turned out to be a fun watch. But it’s far from a perfect film. The Batman is rated PG-13 and was released on March 1, 2022. This picture features Robert Pattinson as Batman, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright as Lt. James Gordon, …

This week we change things up a little. Ian and Eric are in the same room while I’m stuck in Florida, so we decided to chat about the shows we’ve been binging. Eric’s pick, The Sandman, is streaming on Netflix and is rated TV-MA. Daniel’s pick, Whose line is it anyway? is streaming on HBO MAX and is TV-PG. Ian’s pick, CSI, is streaming on Hulu. And…

It's no secret that we love animated movies. Sadly, not all animated movies are made the same, and after being burned a few times by direct-to-streaming animated films, at least one of us was pretty hesitant to watch this week's movie. But did we all like the film in the end? The Sea Beast is rated PG and was released June 24, 2022 This film featur…

For this extraordinary episode, it is so essential that you experience the movie/theatrical presentation before listening to the podcast. The conversation captured here will hopefully mirror, frame, or propel your discussion about this transcendent experience. Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself is rated TV-MA. This experience is performed and written…

Good movies don’t always stay good movies. The test of time can brutally and drastically change the way a movie lands. One of us saw this movie in theaters, while the other two watched it recently. Has this movie stood the test of time, or has it aged itself out of the “Our favorite” category? Léon: The Professional is rated R and was released on N…

Sometimes you have to steer into the skid, or in the case of this week’s movie, into the Euro-pop sensibility of it all. Once you allow yourself to embrace the differences, you end up where all three of us did with this picture. We all had an immense amount of fun watching it when it originally came out and every time since. The Fifth Element is ra…

This week we finally move away from fantasy movies. Instead, we turn our attention to a comedy that is very much grounded in hyper-reality. This film makes some of us laugh hard, while it makes at least one of us still feel pretty cringy. Forgetting Sarah Marshal is rated R and was released on March 10, 2008 The movie features the talents of Jason …

This week’s movie was doomed before it was ever released. Not necessarily because of its subject matter, plot, or execution, but rather because a big film studio somehow lost its nerve and led this fun movie to become one of the worst box office bombs of the last two decades. John Carter is rated PG-13 and was released on February 22, 2012 The movi…

We continue our adventures in 80’s fantasy films by visiting a somewhat controversial movie. Ridley Scott is not a stranger to sci-fi and fantasy films. He’s also not a stranger to making changes upon changes, so you know that this movie has a Theatrical Release as well as a Director’s cut version. We focused on the Director’s cut, but any version …

This week we continue down the road of matinee favorites with a movie that captured our interest as youngsters but perplexed us as adults. Not to say that we don’t still find the charm that made the movie one of our favorites back in the day. The Beastmaster is rated PG and was released on August 20, 1982 The movie features Marc Singer as Dar, Tany…

Subjectivity can sometimes be difficult, if not down right impossible. This week’s movie reached deep into a different part of Daniel’s brain, bypassing the analytical side, and firmly implanting it self in that part of ones brain where subjectivity is impossible to achieve. Listen as Daniel explains why he can’t be objective about this 80’s cult “…

Remakes are an interesting and unfortunate part of a problematic subset of movies that have to justify their existence while somehow honoring the original film. This week's film certainly tries hard to atone for its original sins while devoting too much effort to being evocative of the original that it's trying to replace. West Side Story is rated …

Not all comic book movies are the same. Not all comic book characters need an origin story. Mainly, Warner Brothers need to pay more attention to what it does to its comic book properties. Not all of us “liked” this movie, but we all liked the conversation it led us to have. Joke is rated R and was released on September 28, 2019. The movie stars Jo…

The dark and Intriguing world that Guillermo Del Toro lays out for us in this week’s film is enough to make one stand up and take notice. We consider it’s simplicity, but also it’s complexity, all the while analyzing how well this movie delivers it’s ultimate message. Nightmare Alley is rated R and was released December 1, 2021 The film features th…

In this very special episode of the podcast, we turn the tables on our normal format, as one of us hasn’t seen the movie, but the other two explain why this movie is worth the watch. Noboydy is rated R and was released March 26 2021 The film stars Bob Odenkirk as Hutch Mansell, Alesksey Serabryakov as Yullan Kuznetsov, Connie Nielsen as Becca Manse…

For a movie as irreverent as this week’s film, our conversation about it gets just as irreverent. But don’t worry, we still think that this film is very relevant. The Mask is rated PG-13 and was released July 28, 1994. The movie features the talents of Jim Carry as Stanley Ipkiss, Cameron Diaz as Tina Carlyle, Peter Riegert as Lt. Mitch Kellaway, P…

Art is meant to challenge you sometimes. Make you see the world and our place in it a little differently. This week’s film does exactly that. Only one of us may consider it a favorite, but it sure made for an intense conversation. Vanilla Sky is rated R and was released on December 10, 2001. The film features terrific performances by Tom Cruise as …

Sometimes you need that movie that has a gazillion actors you know, doing stuff that seems improbable, all the while looking stunning in perfectly tailored costumes. Sometimes that movie turns out to also be good. Ocean’s Eleven is rated PG-13 and was released 2001 The movie stars every famous person in the late 90’s, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Jul…