Episode 141: Miami Connection

Cold Open:
Matt’s votes for the SAG awards
The winners and losers he voted for were about half and half

Gift:
A grapefruit

Craig’s Background LP:
The Clash “Combat Rock”

Show Notes
• Craig ponders a possible link between the release of Miami Connection and the fall of the Berlin Wall
• Matt reveals that he had secret communications with Craig’s wife to determine his citrus preferences
• Matt attempts to crack the code of the “So bad it’s good” movie
• Craig contemplates a possible ninja career
• Matt recalls his junior high Tae Kwon Do classes and regrets giving up the clarinet

Seen It
On The Waterfront
Happiness
Hot Fuzz
Into The Woods

Closing Credits:
A Dragon Sound Sing-along

Ernesto Stinger:
“My father! I found my father!”

Episode 142: My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Cold Open:
Awards season likes and dislikes
The importance of The Oscars

Gift:
New Yorker cartoon cocktail napkins

Craig’s Background LP:
Todd Rundgren “Something/Anything?”

Show Notes
• Valentine’s Day is celebrated with a romantic movie – the longest running tradition on the show
• Craig is relieved to hear that the movie is a Romance, not a Bromance
• “They are co, cock…they are cock”
• This is Andrea Martin’s second appearance on the show (after Black Christmas)
• Craig reveals a twisted car fetish
• Matt charts the life journey of a “My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding” dvd
• Craig correctly predicts a Best Editing Oscar for Dunkirk

Seen It
(Theme: “Oscars 2018”)
Dunkirk
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
The Shape of Water
I, Tonya

Closing Credits:
“Frump Girl”

Ernesto Stinger:
“We’re gonna kill ya! Opaa!”

Episode 143: Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

Cold Open:
More Oscars speculation
Phantom Thread, Lady Bird and Mexican Oscars

Gift:
Ha Ha Mustache Game

Craig’s Background LP:
REM “Life’s Rich Pageant”

Show Notes
• Matt finally asks Craig to bring him someone’s head
• The second appearance of Warren Oates on the show (after Badlands)
• 1974: a bad year for Fredos
• The guys offer a Satanic interpretation of Benny’s journey through the movie
• Craig suspects that he is Matt’s “dopey friend” and then proves his own suspicion
• Matt requests the gift of a movie from Craig for his upcoming birthday. He gives him the choice of two years to choose from: 1937 or 2008

Seen It
(Theme: “Oscars 2018, Part 2)
Call Me By Your Name
The Disaster Artist
The Big Sick
Darkest Hour

Closing Credits:
Kris Kristofferson yammers about “Me and Bobby McGee”

Ernesto Stinger:
“You two guys are definitely on my shit list!”

Episode 144: A Star is Born

Cold Open:
Matt has an idea for a post-credits Samuel Jackson Nick Fury scene for every movie in 2019
Lady Bird as the newest Avenger

Gift:
Big Star “#1 Record” LP

Craig’s Background LP:
The Boomtown Rats

Show Notes
• Craig offers Matt a choice of movies from the two years that Matt selected. He opts for 1937. The movie he did not choose: Mamma Mia.
• Janet Gaynor’s second appearance on the show after Sunrise (Episode 49)
• Craig mispronounces “Lady Gaga”
• Craig continually mentions the presence of Communists and “Communisms” in 1930s Hollywood
• The background LP that Craig chose on a whim turned out to be weirdly prophetic
• The “Lost Weekend” bat makes one more appearance
• Craig observes the constant water torture of main character Norman Maine
• Matt’s frustration with the films of Noah Baumbach prompts him to coin the word “Losergencia: The learned and hapless sad sacks of New York City and their boundless incapacity to simply function as human beings.”

Seen It
Murder on the Orient Express
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Brigsby Bear
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

Closing Credits:
The notorious Andy Devine/Joseph Goebbels connection

Ernesto Stinger:
“Esther Victoria…BLODGETT”

Episode 145: Weekend

Cold Open:
John Malkovich and the “weird actors”
Steve Buscemi and the weird actor inverse paradigm

Gift:
Le Baseball French language game

Craig’s Background LP:
Plastic Bertrand “Ca Plane Pour Moi”

Show Notes
• Our first film of “The French New Wave.” Franju’s Eyes Without a Face is determined to be “proto new-wave.”
• Craig is disappointed in his choice of a French exclamation and chooses a worse one
• For the first time ever, Matt mutes the volume on the movie (during the traffic jam scene)
• Craig imagines that the movie would be improved if it were a first-person shooter video game. Later he gets his wish.
• Craig gives the movie “4 punches” (that is a bad review)
• Matt announces the theme for April: “Cats and Dogs.” He lets Craig choose a dog movie or cat movie to start with. He chooses dog.

Seen It
(Theme: Foreign Films)
Firemen’s Ball
Tampopo
Juliet of the Spirits
The Grey Fox

Closing Credits:
Craig expounds on African geo-politics while Matt eats bread

Ernesto Stinger:
(car honking)

Episode 146: Old Yeller

Cold Open:
Jacques Tati: Comedy for people who don’t like to laugh
A call for good French comedy

Gift:
Woody Wobbler bird marionette (“A neat new idea”)

Craig’s Background LP:
Rick Springfield “Working Class Dog”

Show Notes
• The episode was recorded on Cecil the cat’s third birthday
• The first film in April’s “Cats and Dogs” theme
• The reveal of the film prompts a “how dare you!” from Craig
• Craig has allergies
• Yeller’s inability to catch a rabbit leads him to be dubbed “The Elmer Fudd of dogs”
• Matt mis-identifies Mr. Searcy as “Mr. Sissy”
• Craig coins the term “Moo-terus” (cow uterus) and is promptly stabbed by Matt
• The presence of vultures prompts a Casablanca quote from Matt and a Looney Tunes quote from Craig
• Craig and Matt successfully resist crying during the movie (though Craig admits to “getting a little choked-up”
• Matt owns up to only recently realizing that “Yeller” meant “yellow”
• Craig realizes that the Old Yeller song and “The Ballad of Davey Crockett” are the same song
• Mystery Men: The slacker Watchmen
• We discuss Caveman for a second time
• Matt briefly transforms into a hound dog as he is trying to plug the website

Seen It
(Theme: At the Theater)
Gran Torino
Mystery Men
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Caveman

Closing Credits:
Woody Wobbler malfunction

Ernesto Stinger:
(Rabid dog growling)

Episode 147: Cat People

Cold Open:
Favorite movie dogs and cats
Keanu, Asta and Toto

Gift:
Sea Monkeys

Craig’s Background LP:
Squeeze “Cool For Cats”

Show Notes
• Our second movie for “Dogs and Cats” month
• Sadie the cat gets some screen time
• Matt shows off footage of the recently-constructed “Catio” (a patio for cats)
• Craig takes Kent Smith to task for not having the same first and last name, like his co-star Simone Simone
• Craig praises “the recanting critic”
• Craig confirms the destruction of Woody Wobbler by his infant son
• Alan Napier (Alfred from TV’s Batman) makes a second appearance
• Stu returns as an incompetent zookeeper
• The crushable water cooler cup: a handy dramatic device
• Craig recalls a creepy junior high school underground pool
• Craig’s mom hates the original The Beguiled
• Matt and Craig vehemently disagree on Wonder Woman
• Craig misquotes Huey Lewis’ “The Power of Love”
• Craig annoys Matt with shrugging

Seen It
Baby Driver
The Beguiled (1972 and 2017)
T2: Trainspotting
Wonder Woman

Closing Credits:
“I’m a Rum-Tum-Tugger fan.”

Ernesto Stinger:
(Panther growling)

Episode 148: Pump Up The Volume

Cold Open:
Jeff Bridges: the best life
The ultimate measure of success: free pot

Gift:
Pump Up The Volume CD soundtrack

Craig’s Background LP:
The Velvet Underground “VU”

Show Notes
• Matt announces May’s theme: Teens (not to be confused with movies set in the 1910’s)
• Craig reminisces about Janesville’s old Shakey’s pizza restaurant
• Craig outlines the slippery slope from pirate radio to death cult
• Matt reveals Aaron Yonda’s favorite song
• Slang terms for the male erection are discussed, as well as the likelihood of a radio DJ with the handle “Billy Boner”
• Matt recalls a college open-mic poet who plagiarized the Pump Up The Volume soundtrack
• Matt pulls out his “inner Derek Zoolander” for a fan with a crush
• Craig reveals that he played both Marat and Sade in separate productions of the play “Marat/Sade”
• Craig dreams of a universe where Stephen Soderbergh only makes heist movies

Seen It
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Quills
The Florida Project
Logan Lucky

Closing Credits:
Matt uses a clip from the movie to tell his favorite pirate joke

Ernesto Stinger:
“Self-pleasure” noises

Episode 149: Valerie and Her Week of Wonders

Cold Open:
Craig and Matt friendship origin story
Matt reveals that they met before they met

Gift:
Kinetic art of the Cosmos

Craig’s Background LP:
Stevie Wonder “Fulfillingness’ First Finale”

Show Notes
• The second entry in “Teens Month”
• Our first Czechoslovakian film, and first film from a country that no longer exists
• Craig was certain that, based on the background LP, the movie would be Cooley High
• “Crotch bees in my face bowl.”
• Matt sums up the movie succinctly: “It’s weird.”
• Matt expresses his fondness for the original mis-translated title “The Bicycle Thief”
• Seen It features two DVDs sent to the PO Box by viewers
• Lifting a cardboard box gives Craig a variety of ailments, including sciatica and goiter
• Matt announces the return of Cartoon June

Seen It
(Theme: “Foreign Films Part Deux”)
Zazie Dans Le Metro
Bicycle Thieves
City of God
Spooky Encounters

Closing Credits:
Craig tests Matt’s patience

Ernesto Stinger:
“This is my kingdom” (in Czech)

Episode 150: The Last Unicorn

Cold Open:
A viewer expresses a desire for uncut footage of the show
The importance of editing, crafting the viewing experience and “cutting out the boring parts”

Gift:
Father’s Day card

Craig’s Background LP:
The Beach Boys “Surf’s Up”

Show Notes
• “I really like the statue, but I’d just like to see the block of granite.”
• Our sesquicentennial episode and the beginning of “Cartoon June”
• The Last Unicorn DVD was sent to our PO Box by a viewer
• This is the second appearance of “The Winner” Jeff Bridges on the show, third appearance of Alan Arkin and fourth appearance of Basement Hall-of-famer Christopher Lee
• Matt expresses admiration for the songwriting of Jimmy Webb. Craig mistakes “The City of New Orleans” for “Wichita Lineman”.
• Matt decides to give Craig his gift at the end of the episode
• Craig mistakenly asserts that Alan Arkin will not juggle in this movie (he does). Alan Arkin also repeatedly “meets Gestapo tactics” (as usual)
• Craig wonders why cartoon characters always “spin”
• There is some discussion about the pronunciation of Mia Farrow’s last name (and Ronald Reagan’s)
• Matt remembers “Mr. Ben,” his high school French teacher who would mis-pronounce his last name
• Craig coins the word “Villainthropy”
• Matt reveals that he watched the movie Gun Crazy the night before his wedding
• Craig’s Father’s Day card reveals that he will choose the second movie of Cartoon June

Seen It
(Theme: Seen It, Own It)
City Lights
Grosse Pointe Blank
Gun Crazy
The Room

Closing Credits:
Craig mistakenly announces the end of the series

Ernesto Stinger:
“Ha-harr! So that be a unicorn!”

Episode 151: Corpse Bride

Cold Open:
The enduring legacy of Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury: Technophobe

Gift:
Edgar Allen Poe secular saint candle

Craig’s Background LP:
The Cure “Boys Don’t Cry”

Show Notes
• The second movie of Cartoon June, chosen by Craig
• The third movie on the show that Matt has already seen (though he remembers nothing about it, except for a dog)
• Christopher Lee’s fifth appearance on the show (and second in a row). Michael Gough’s second appearance.
• Craig explains that he has vicious cats that leaves dead animals in his back yard, and Matt reveals that Craig only knows how to play one song on the piano
• “My gaunt, skinny, dead wedding”
• “Dead Stu” an undead janitor makes an appearance
• The second appearance (in a row) of a drunken skeleton
• Craig once again points out animated spinning
• “There goes the bride…too bad she died…”
• “Legitimate Skin”: Matt’s sensual funk band
• Craig claims to have not liked this film from the very first shot
• Matt finally reveals the third movie he had previously seen before watching it on the show: My Little Chickadee
• Matt praises Richard E. Grant
• Craig proposes a bachelor’s trip to Mexico
• Craig wishes that Mexican comedian Cantinflas showed up in Coco (it turns out he did)
• Matt overuses the word “compelling” in this episode

Seen It
(Theme: Cartoons and “profound loss”)
Coco
Kubo and the Two Strings
Loving Vincent
Your Name

Closing Credits:
Craig and Matt re-enact a zombie wedding procession

Ernesto Stinger:
“Where do you keep the spirits?”

Episode 152: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension

Cold Open:
Matt’s review of Solo: A Star Wars Story
The three emotions one experiences when watching new Star Wars movies

Gift:
Darth Tater toy

Craig’s Background LP:
Pink Floyd “Piper at the Gates of Dawn”

Show Notes
• Craig comes up with an idea for a robot
• Matt asserts (incorrectly, as he will later find out) that he has never seen Star Wars episode III
• Craig compares Star Wars episode III to Larry from The Three Stooges
• The first movie of Sci-fi July, with appropriate music and title screen
• The second appearances of Christopher Lloyd, Clancy Brown, John Lithgow and screenwriter W.D. Richter
• The Buckaroo Banzai DVD was sent to our PO Box by a viewer
• Craig does an impressive impersonation of Jonathan Banks
• We read part of the review for the film from the Variety Complete Sci-fi reviews compilation
• The working title of the film was “Get the Jet Car, Said the President”
• Craig continues to mock Billy Zane
• Matt mis-identifies one of the Hong Kong Cavaliers as “Perfect Timing” (apparently his name is “Perfect Tommy”)
• “Electric Brainwashing”: Matt’s electronica band
• “I want Dan Hedaya to walk rhythmically”
• Matt calls the movie the most incomprehensible movie they’ve ever watched on the show (“We need to start calling it “The Buckaroo Banzai Panic”
• Craig claims that Wes Anderson and Steven Soderbergh get together every week to watch the show
• Matt reflects on childhood heartbreaks and the daily loss of innocence
• The featured Customer Comment comes from one of Matt’s old college friends

Seen It
(Theme: 80s Cable Roundup)
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins
The Neverending Story
Beastmaster
Something Wild

Closing Credits:
Craig misquotes Comedian Yakov Smirnoff

Ernesto Stinger:
“No matter where you go…there you are”

Episode 153: Soylent Green

Cold Open:
Matt and Craig reveal their fantasy prop souvenirs
A dinosaur and an Oscar

Gift:
Enviro Battery science kit

Craig’s Background LP:
Al Green “Let’s Stay Together”

Show Notes
• The second movie of Sci-fi July
• Our seventh film from 1973, continuing the once-per-year tradition of watching a movie from the year of the hosts’ births
• Craig co-incidentally wears an appropriately colored shirt
• We read part of the review for the film from the Variety Complete Sci-fi reviews compilation (“Exploitable!”)
• Craig changes his mind about his fantasy prop when he sees the vintage Computer Space arcade game
• Edward G. Robinson and Charleton Heston’s second appearance on the show. Chuck Connors’ second appearance on the show this season.
• “Who would win, The Rifleman or the head of the NRA?”
• Craig and Matt die at the end of the movie
• Matt erroneously states that Edward James Olmos did not appear in Bladerunner 2049 (he did)
• Matt sings the praises of the SNL short ‘Papyrus’, starring Ryan Gosling
• Craig asserts that 1982 was the greatest movie year of all time
• Tona (off camera) recalls watching Gandhi in a social studies class and calls out the “stupidity” of taking notes during a movie. Craig then points out the fact that he and Matt do that every episode. “Maybe you’d be sitting on this side of the camera if you’d taken the notes!”

Seen It
(Theme: Sci-fi)
Spaceballs
Bladerunner 2049
Alien Resurrection
E.T.

Closing Credits:
Craig gets way too excited about Dick Van Patten

Ernesto Stinger:
“Remember — Tuesday is Soylent Green day”

Episode 154: The 300 Spartans

Cold Open:
Matt and Craig reveal their fantasy movie-themed rooms
The Flashdance loft and The Holy Mountain Alchemist room

Gift:
Billoti’s Forum ash tray (or “candy dish”)

Craig’s Background LP:
Dire Straits “Brothers in Arms”

Show Notes
• Our second “sword and sandal” epic
• Matt and Craig both co-incidentally wore pink shirts
• George St. George: the most aptly named producer in cinema history
• The second appearance of Ralph Richardson on the show and of obscure British character actor Laurence Naismith (first seen in Vally of Gwangi)
• This film was considered way back in Season 2 for the randomly-drawn genre cards challenge
• Craig does some elaborate “arrow through the neck” pantomime
• Matt does a rendition of “Where There’s a Whip, There’s a Way” from the Rankin Bass animated Lord of the Rings
• Craig and Matt have a continual argument about the resemblance of King Xerxes to actor F. Murray Abraham
• Matt outlines the requirements for a film to be a “classic”
• Craig wonders if this is the first movie where actors were lit on fire. His question will be answered in Episode 157.
• Craig and Matt have opposite opinions on The Hudsucker Proxy and Almost Famous
• Matt gives Craig the birthday gift of getting to choose the next movie. Craig threatens him with Salo.

Seen It:
(Theme: Period Pieces)
Donnie Darko
That Thing You Do
The Hudsucker Proxy
Almost Famous

Closing Credits:
Matt and Craig are killed by arrows

Ernesto Stinger:
“Then we will fight in the shade!”

Episode 155: The Adventures of Robin Hood

Cold Open:
Matt compares bad movies with eccentric fish tacos
Craig “quotes” Tolstoy

Gift:
A large red decorative arrow

Craig’s Background LP:
Aerosmith “Toys in the Attic”

Show Notes
• Craig admits to disliking mayonnaise
• Craig reveals his “birthday gift” movie, one that he has been putting off watching for decades
• The second appearance of Claude Rains on the show, as well as Melville Cooper, or “Puddingface” (from Pride and Prejudice)
• Matt reveals the final genre card from season 2: Swashbuckler
• Matt makes the ultra-obscure “shut up little man!” reference, twice.
• “We’re not nincompoops, we’re just normal poops!”
• Craig does a decent Sheriff of Nottingham impersonation and then fishes for compliments
• “Bullseye-est”
• Matt reveals that when he was growing up, “tinker” was a slang term for “penis”
• “High Treason”: Matt’s favorite Cheech and Chong movie
• Technicolor movies and driving across the great plains makes Craig sad

Seen It:
The Polka King
Modern Romance
The Lion King
The Best Years of Our Lives

Closing Credits:
Matt and Tona do a rendition of the “Rawhide” theme song

Ernesto Stinger:
“Welcome to Sherwood!”

Episode 156: Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot!

Cold Open:
Oscar changes for 2019
Verdict: Matt and Craig don’t like them

Gift:
“Smash Glass” golf ball prank

Craig’s Background LP:
Aretha Franklin “Aretha’s Gold”

Show Notes
• The background LP pays tribute to the recent passing of Aretha Franklin
• Matt plans on making “Basement Life” T-shirts
• Craig’s mom is a fan of this movie
• Matt does two renditions of the Golden Girls theme song with alternate lyrics
• Craig plans to upset country club snobs with Matt’s gift.
• “Exit, pursued by belly”
• Matt and Craig play “Car Chase Bingo”
• An actor who looks like Fredo Corleone prompts many Godfather-related comments
• Craig makes Stallone-specific make-out noises
• Matt and Craig are surprised at how much they don’t hate the movie, finding it merely “stupid”
• “In a comedy, the words ‘just kidding’ do not exist!”
• Matt calls the word “Serpico” a “one word poem”
• Matt reveals a Seen It first: He finished watching High and Low just before the shoot began
• Matt determines two different types of people vis-à-vis Michael Mann

Seen It:
(Theme: Cops)
Serpico
High and Low
Heat
LA Confidential

Closing Credits:
Craig performs air saxophone

Ernesto Stinger:
“Stop! Or my Mom will shoot!”

Episode 157: Bad Day at Black Rock

Cold Open:
“Mickey Rooney’s Potato Fantasy” a restaurant in the late 50’s that served just potatoes
(Turns out it’s fake)

Gift:
Blakroc CD

Craig’s Background LP:
Earth Island “We Must Survive”

Show Notes
• “Potatoes are the ‘drumming’ of dinner”
• The Bad Day at Black Rock Blu-ray DVD was sent to the PO Box by a viewer
• Craig watched this movie for the first time only a few weeks before the recording of this episode
• The third appearances of Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin on the show and the second appearance of director John Sturges
• Craig impersonates a telegraph operator
• “Butt Sprung” and “Butt Hard”: two maladies that arise from too much sitting on the old leather couch
• Matt and Craig deliver a pro-littering PSA
• An actor is lit on fire, disabusing Craig of the notion that The 300 Spartans was the first movie to feature burning actors
• Matt thinks Black Rock is “half a great movie” calling it “A murder mystery that idles in neutral for the first 45 minutes”. Craig disagrees.
• Craig doesn’t like Spencer Tracy
• Craig thinks Casino is “half a great movie”
• Matt impersonates Martin Scorsese. Craig counters with a non-verbal Robert Deniro.
• Craig and Matt are baffled by the fact that Craig’s wife hates Tom Hanks. “Love you anyway, Tom.”

Seen It
(Theme: Crime)
Rope
John Wick Chapter 2
Casino
Catch Me If You Can

Closing Credits:
The telegraph man reboots

Ernesto Stinger:
“I hold no truck with silence, I’ve got nothing to hide!”

Episode 158: Patch Adams

Cold Open:
Matt’s 2012 NYC dilemma
Craig’s 2002 NYC dilemma

Gift:
“Patch Adams kit” (red clown nose and toy stethoscope)

Craig’s Background LP:
Nichols and May Examine Doctors

Show Notes
• “Sometimes the best decision is poverty”
• Matt pledges to wear the red clown nose for the entire movie “or until I get sick of it”. He gets sick of it quickly. The clown nose later reduces Craig to tears.
• Craig gets tongue-tied by the phrase “suicidal thoughts”
• The Specials’ “A Message to You, Rudy” is once again referenced
• A dying Peter Coyote asks Patch about “his boys”. Matt takes it into the gutter.
• Matt attempts to “extract tears via liposuction” from Craig, according to Roger Ebert’s instructions in his Patch Adams review
• “Patch winks back…with his butt”
• Matt and Craig attempt the “eight fingers” exercise with varying results
• Craig suspects that the real life Patch Adams might be a computer simulation
• Craig switches up the theme in the middle of Seen It
• Matt is distracted by a background noise in the middle of plugging the website
• Matt attempts to cure Craig’s malady with a clown nose, with predictable results

Seen It
(Theme: Craig Hasn’t Seen It / Matt Hasn’t Seen It)
The Trip to Spain
Koyaanisqatsi
My Favorite Year
Leningrad Cowboys Go America

Closing Credits:
A crazy, cartoon death

Ernesto Stinger:
“An entire pool full of noodles!”

Episode 159: Let The Right One In

Cold Open:
‘Potato Chip’ fan mail
A brief re-enactment of a bizarre SNL “10 to 1” sketch

Gift:
Fright Night Figure in Coffin (Vampire toy)

Craig’s Background LP:
Led Zeppelin “In Through the Out Door”

Show Notes
• The first horror movie of October. Our second Swedish film on the show.
• “If you thought we were done with vampires from foreign lands, you’d be wrong.”
• Craig performs the inner monologue of a sleepy vampire
• Matt references an obscure Irish play he was in during his college years. Craig threatens to reference his twelfth grade humanities class.
• Craig has a brief vocal meltdown when trying to describe friendship
• Cecil shows up on camera right when Matt is talking about a “Cat Man”
• Matt and Craig play the Swedish children’s game “Who Murdered the Man in the Ice?”
• Sadie starts making noise in a corner just as Matt is about to talk about the cat scene
• Matt gripes about the “blood brother palm slice” movie trope
• The second discussion of The Nightmare Before Christmas in Seen It
• Craig talks about the Calypso song he wants to hear while he is dying
• As per tradition, Matt announces that costumes will be worn on the Halloween episode

Seen It
(Theme: Tim Burton)
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Beetlejuice
Batman
Edward Scissorhands

Closing Credits:
Rhythmic tooth-brushing

Ernesto Stinger:
“Squeal! Squeal!” (in Swedish)

Episode 160: The Tingler

Cold Open:
The monster under the bed
Different parental solutions

Gift:
Halloween Blowout noise makers

Craig’s Background LP:
Staying Alive OST

Show Notes
• The second scary movie of October, with season-appropriate title screen and theme music
• For Halloween, Craig is dressed as Robin Hood (no tights) and Matt is dressed as Mark from Miami Connection
• Craig is a cheapskate when it comes to paying teenagers to dress up as monsters
• Vincent Price’s second “appearance” on the show, but only his first appearance
• William Castle’s third appearance on the show
• Craig worries about possible electrified seats
• Craig and Matt ponder the lewd implications of the phrase “party favors”
• Matt forgets the word “coroner”
• Matt mentions a “Flokati rug” for a second time since The 300 Spartans
• Matt identifies three things that every horror movie should deliver
• William Castle as P.T. Barnum and the “benevolent scam”
• Craig loves it when movie theaters are attacked in movies
• Matt slams the “terminally boring” Josh Hartnett
• The second discussion of Gremlins in Seen It
•

Seen It
(Theme: Horror)
Scream
30 Days of Night
Matinee
Gremlins

Closing Credits:
“Post-mortem ab-crunches” and more talk of beer

Ernesto Stinger:
(Scream)

Episode 161: The Caine Mutiny

Cold Open:
“Count Bakula”
A Vampire and his twin brother struggle to maintain an acting career

Gift:
Navy Frogmen swimming toys

Craig’s Background LP:
The Clash s/t

Show Notes
• Wayne Dorrington provides a vampire-up photo of Scott Bakula for Matt’s new TV show idea
• Humphrey Bogart finally makes an appearance on the show
• Matt does a serviceable impersonation of Michael Caine. Craig does a serviceable impersonation of Quint from Jaws.
• Leo the waiter at the nightclub is identified as a friend of Stu
• Craig creates a bombastic pantomime orchestra leader named “Mustache”
• Sadie invades the shot, prompting a song
• Craig refers to the Caine as “The Bounty” and refuses to be corrected
• Matt continually asserts that A Ghost Story is not a movie. Craig is not convinced.

Seen It
Wonder Boys
A New Leaf
A Ghost Story
Ran

Closing Credits:
Tona rescues popcorn and endangers equipment

Ernesto Stinger:
“There ain’t no more strawberries”

Episode 162: The Iceman

Cold Open:
The mysterious bygone phrase “Old Home Week”
A hypothesis is put forth

Gift:
Rattlesnake eggs prank

Craig’s Background LP:
The Talking Heads “True Stories”

Show Notes
• The third “Shandango” (a movie featuring Michael Shannon) on the show
• Sadie is very rambunctious in this episode; barging into shots, meowing off camera during discussions and noisily hunting a toy rabbit in the background
• Craig demonstrates lockjaw
• Matt calls out the “shower decompress” movie trope
• Matt and Craig perform “Killin’ Thing” – a version of ELO’s “Livin’ Thing” with different lyrics. They also perform “Bad Boys” by Full Circle with the same lyrics.
• Craig reminisces about the 1980s, when hospitals had lighted hallways
• “There’s no spring in the life of Richie Kukl-owski. Only winter and more winter.”
• Craig’s wife will not allow Lars Von Trier in the house
• Craig sounds like “someone who just turns off movies all the time” because he failed to make it through The Impostors and Dogville

Seen It
The Impostors
Little Miss Sunshine
Dogville
The Triplets of Belleville

Closing Credits:
A mouthy maitre d’ and a jacket full of cyanide

Ernesto Stinger:
“You’re gonna end up just like me, right here!”

Episode 163: The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland

Cold Open:
Ideas to save the video store industry
The recent shutdown of Filmstruck

Gift:
Santa Claus Pez dispenser

Craig’s Background LP:
Bert & Ernie Sing-a-Long

Show Notes
• An attempt to humorously end the cold open is immediately shot down
• Matt picked this film in lieu of a Christmas movie
• The third appearance of “vampires from foreign lands” this year
• Craig makes several lewd implications about Oscar’s can
• Craig points out that both Fight Club and The Blair Witch Project came out the same year as this movie
• Matt compares the music in this film to the 90s band Rusted Root (“It’s ethnic music for hacky sack players”)
• Craig and Matt exhaust themselves helping Elmo with “The Raspberry Challenge”
• Craig draws a spurious correlation between this film and Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception
• Matt recalls meeting the real life Gordon, Roscoe Orman
• Matt shares a precious object with Craig and a tug-of-war predictably ensues
• Matt admits that he’s never been much of a Conan O’Brien fan

Seen It:
Secret Honor
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
Manos The Hands of Fate
The Birdcage

Closing Credits:
A somewhat hungry caterpillar

Ernesto Stinger:
“Listen up ya grouch-potatoes!”

Episode 164: Another Fine Mess

Cold Open:
Craig watched the beloved Japanese film Tokyo Story
He fell asleep three times

Gift:
Silly Putty

Craig’s Background LP:
The Stooges s/t

Show Notes
• Craig kicks off the episode with a rendition of Dokken’s “Dream Warriors” (and then seems oddly pleased with himself)
• This is the end of Season 7 Megasode, featuring additional discussion and a look back at 2018 montage
• Craig’s fave of the year: Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. Matt’s: The Adventures of Robin Hood.
• Least favorite: The Iceman (Craig), Weekend (Matt)
• Sadie charges into the room at the mention of The Iceman
• Craig has a hidden stash of quotes about Jean-Luc Godard
• Matt continues to struggle with the concept of the Maguffin
• Craig is fooled by the red herring background Lp into thinking we will be watching The Three Stooges
• While attempting to impersonate Stan Laurel, Craig impersonates Beeker from The Muppet Show
• Matt is confident that he and Craig are smarter than Laurel and Hardy. Craig has his doubts.
• Craig explains the intrinsic weariness of Laurel and Hardy
• Matt reads some wacky L&H short titles from the silent era
• Matt mentions some copyright troubles involving the episode featuring the film The Last Unicorn
• Craig mixes up Jeff Daniels and Jeff Bridges
• The 2018 Hall of fame inductees: Warren Oates, Janet Gaynor, Andrea Martin, Lee Marvin, William Castle and John Sturges
• Craig points out that Janet Gaynor is a contemporary of Nanook
• Non-human inductee: Parenthood
• Craig alleges that Matt’s description of the film Pottersville “hurt his penis”
• Craig chose Follow That Bird as baby Lorenzo’s first movie
• There is a brief resurgence of the “dueling James Masons” animosity from long ago
• The final seen it of the year tradition, where the flaws of a universally beloved film are discussed, continues with Star Wars
• Craig claims to have watched Star Wars for the first time this year

Seen It:
Pottersville
Follow That Bird
Odd Man Out
Star Wars

Closing Credits:
The classic “call me a cab” joke

Ernesto Stinger:
“Here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!”