Total Movie Recall
Steve Albertson & Ryan Mixson
Total Movie Recall is a free-wheeling film nostalgia podcast in which hosts Steve Albertson & Ryan Mixson each have painstakingly assembled a list of movies that have touched them in some way at a specific moment in their lives. The hosts alternate rolling dice at the end of each show to determine which film will be explored in the following episode. TRM is produced independently in Los Angeles and Denver.
TMR 066 – Full Metal Jacket
This week on Total Movie Recall, we go to the suck. Steve develops a thousand yard stare reserved for veterans of nightmare wars and mediocre podcasts. Ryan chalks up another point in the Irresponsible Father column, reflecting on his father’s prudent decision to let him watch this vision of insanity at a tender age yet again. If you listen to this episode, you can go to my house and fornicate with my sister. Full Metal Jacket (1987) d. Stanley Kubrick w. Gustav Hasford based on his novel Th
May 4, 2021 • 1:12:08
TMR 065 – Harold and Maude
This week on Total Movie Recall, we watch the first Manic Pixie Dream Girl ever on screen, who is not a girl at all, but is most decidedly a woman. It’s the perfect post-2020 movie, and not just because of the constant suicides. It’s twee and precious and we absolutely loved it. Harold & Maude (1971) d. Hal Ashby w. Colin Higgins Music by: Cat Steven (Yusuf Islam) Starring: Ruth Gordon Bud Cort Vivian Pickles Cult classic pairs Cort as a dead-pan disillusioned 20-year-old obsessed with
Apr 27, 2021 • 1:16:13
TMR 064 – The Neverending Story
This week on Total Movie Recall, we learn that while some stories never end, mothers do, and that’s the beginning of how a serial killer is made in this unflinching look inside the mind of one disturbed little boy. Hang in there with us, listen to this, and watch it again and try to tell us you didn’t witness a psychotic break as this poor boy retreats inside the dark fantasies of his mind. The Neverending Story (1984) d. Wolfgang Petersen w. Wolfgang Petersen, Herman Weigel Music by Giorgi
Apr 18, 2021 • 1:44:38
TMR 063 – Wild Things
Ah, the good ole days of passing around R rated spank tapes. This movie is so trashy, it gave Charlie Sheen HIV. Wild Things (1998) d. John McNaughton Starring: Kevin Bacon Neve Campbell Matt Dillon Denise Richards Daphne Rubin-Vega Bill Murray When teen debutante Kelly fails to attract the attention of her hunky guidance counselor, Sam, she cries rape, igniting a scandal that results in his arrest. Sam appeals to Ken, a hack personal-injury lawyer who has never handled a case that couldn
Mar 31, 2021 • 2:03:05
TMR 062 – From Dusk Till Dawn
Remember the innocent 90s, when white directors thought they had the N-word pass for some reason? What do you think their “woke” movie would look like? Probably like this, where the N-word is replaced by horrific rape and Mexican jokes. This proto-edgelord movie was looked at as such a good time romp that it was considered the perfect vehicle to transition from the hit network show ER to the big screen. What a simpler time… From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) d. Robert Rodriguez w. Robert Kurtzman (s
Mar 15, 2021 • 1:49:46
TMR 061 – Napoleon Dynamite
This week on Total Movie Recall, we try to decide whether this is a charming, unique film about staying true to yourself, or a nightmarish descent into the insanity that comes with living in a barren, desolate landscape like rural Idaho, where the Uncle Ricos of the world keep subterranean dungeons for unsuspecting Debs. This might say more about where our heads are at right now than about this beloved comedy. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) d. Jared Hess w. Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess Starring: Jon
Mar 9, 2021 • 1:47:17
TMR 060 – Dolemite
This week on Total Movie Recall, these two born-insecure honkies break down the seminal Blaxploitation movie of 1975 and do a pathetic job of trying to reconcile its progressive vision of black empowerment with the misogyny of the pimp game. It gets complicated. Dolemite (1975) d. D'Urville Martin Story by: Rudy Ray Moore Starring: Rudy Ray Moore D'Urville Martin Lady Reed Jerry Jones Hy Pyke Dolemite is released from jail after being wrongfully convicted to take on rival pimp Willie Gre
Mar 2, 2021 • 1:56:28
TMR 059 – Who Framed Roger Rabbit
This week on Total Movie Recall, things get Freudian as they did for every little boy who stared confusedly at Jessica Rabbit and wondered what was happening to them. Handsome, chiseled leading man Bob Hoskins soldiers on in spite of the bleeding ulcer all that booze gave him, and Christopher Lloyd goes to eleven with his unhinged, terrifying performance. Did hentai exist before this movie? Because it sure as hell did after it. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) d. Robert Zemeckis Starring: Bob
Feb 21, 2021 • 2:01:42
TMR 058 – The Princess Bride
This week on Total Movie Recall, we take a hard pivot from all the toxic masculinity of weeks past and Steve shows his gentle, romantic side. Somehow, Ryan makes this about his sad sack heartache but in the end, everybody calms down and moves on with a nice mutton, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. The Princess Bride (1987) d. Rob Reiner w. William Goldman Starring: Cary Elwes Mandy Patinkin Robin Wright Chris Sarandon Christopher Guest Wallace Shawn André the Giant Fred Savage Peter Falk Billy
Feb 16, 2021 • 1:23:32
TMR 057 – Heat
This week on Total Movie Recall, Ryan stares out the window of his furniture-less modernist home at the endless, uncaring ocean while Steve sleeps on the floor with his hand gripped around his pistol. The pseudo-philosophy of this movie seems deeper than it is because it’s endlessly reflected in all the glass buildings of Michael Mann’s uber-masculine vision. Sure, it may be pretentious, but that’s the point, and if you’ve got a problem with that, I will take you down, because we ain’t exactly
Feb 7, 2021 • 1:34:46
TMR 056 – House Party
This week on Total Movie Recall, two white guys talk about hip hop culture in a totally convincing way when they put on their mustard-colored overalls to go to the House Party. Steve, a sentient walking issue of Pitchfork, schools Ryan on the infinite subgenres of hip hop while Ryan, to no one’s surprise, gets a little weepy at touching father-son relationships. House Party (1990) d. Reginald Hudlin Starring: Christopher Reid Robin Harris Christopher Martin Martin Lawrence Tisha Campbell-Ma
Feb 1, 2021 • 1:20:29
TMR 055 – Any Given Sunday
This week on Total Movie Recall, the pressures of competing at a professional level with all the concussions, cocaine, infidelities, and painkillers almost make Steve request to be traded during the free agency period after he and Ryan bicker about Oliver Stone’s divisive 1999 film, Any Given Sunday. Does Steve’s complete lack of interest in professional sports bring this episode to a screeching halt? Yes. Can you tell who’s writing these summaries yet? Probably. Any Given Sunday (1999) d. Ol
Jan 24, 2021 • 1:46:15
TMR 054 – Kung Fu Cult Master
This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan discover that there’s actually an antidote to getting punched really, really hard. The cultural divide proves too much for Ryan in this wild, fantastic, hallucinatory Kung Fu epic of many names. The story is incomprehensible, the fights are nonsensical, but Steve still finds it defensible, while Ryan finds the editing reprehensible. There’s no reason for this rhyme. Kung Fu Cult Master (1993) d. Jing Wong, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung Starring: Jet Li Man
Jan 18, 2021 • 1:39:39
TMR 053 – The Devil's Advocate
This week on Total Movie Recall, it’s Steve’s turn to not get it when Ryan forces him to snooze this way through the 1997 hambone, The Devil’s Advocate. This movie has it all -- a grand guignol of sex, violence, operatic depictions of Hell and Satan, Keanu swinging and missing, Pacino putting his blood pressure medication to the test -- and yet, somehow, it’s still boring! Please don’t waste Steve’s time with these faux-provocations. Show him something really controversial, like a basketball ga
Jan 10, 2021 • 1:39:54
TMR 052 – Cabin Boy
This week on Total Movie Recall, Ryan gets his hipster comedy credentials revoked after Steve makes him pay $3.99 to watch the 1994 not-so-classic comedy, Cabin Boy. Ryan simply cannot understand the cache this movie has in the “alt-comedy” world, or as he likes to call it, the “non-comedy” world (now that’s funny!). Steve would explain it, but you just, like, don’t get it man. Cabin Boy (1994) d. Adam Resnick Starring: Chris Elliott Ritch Brinkley James Gammon Brian Doyle-Murray Brion James
Jan 4, 2021 • 1:42:29
TMR 051 Holiday Special – The Nightmare Before Christmas
This week on the Total Movie Recall Holiday Special, Steve and Ryan visit the mopey, gothy early 90s when Generation X looked to the high school Gloom King Tim Burton to express their so dark vision of Christmas. Stop motion animation is such a labor intensive craft that creates beautiful visions that aren’t all that interesting, which is going to enrage a bunch of high school Wiccans that love this movie. It does look great, though. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) d. Henry
Dec 29, 2020 • 1:29:21
TMR 050 – Children of Men
This week on Total Movie Recall, things get grim and a little too close to 2020 reality for comfort. Definitely don’t watch this movie if you’re fresh out of rehab, which Ryan can tell you all about. The future is bleak, but if it’s also as ruggedly handsome as Clive Owen is and has the greatest single-take of all time, it might not be so bad. This is also one of the greatest movies of all time, just to be clear about it. Children of Men (2006) d. Alfonso Cuarón Starring: Clive Owen Julianne
Dec 7, 2020 • 1:50:03
TMR 049 – Thriller & An American Werewolf in London
This week on Total Movie Recall, our bodies go through some changes that we don’t know how to deal with as we take in a John Landis double feature with Thriller & An American Werewolf in London. We really just need somebody to talk to about it. What’s that, Dad? You’re busy? Okay, I’ll just go on the internet and learn some deeply ingrained, problematic attitudes about Michael Jackson, Nazi monsters and Van Morrison tantric sex cults. d. John Landis Special Effects: Rick Baker The Making of T
Nov 29, 2020 • 1:55:38
TMR 048 – The Sixth Sense
This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve holds Ryan’s hair back while he cries and dry heaves and rocks back and forth like his cat just died, because there has never been a movie more perfectly designed to make him cry like The Sixth Sense. Misunderstood children? Check. Put-upon mothers just trying their best? Check. An exasperated but committed psychologist just trying to figure out how to reach this kid? Double check. Get your tissues for this one. The Sixth Sense (1999) d. M. Night Shyamal
Nov 23, 2020 • 1:46:06
TMR 047 – Return to Oz
This week on Total Movie Recall, we acknowledge that The Wizard of Oz is, yes, a classic. However, it’s missing a certain je ne sais quoi, and we try to put our fingers on exactly what it needed. We conclude that classic, whimsical children’s film needed more childhood lobotomy, forced imprisonment, Queens pulling their own heads off, and Veruca Salt. Or Fairuza Balk? Potato potato. Return to Oz (1985) d. Walter Murch Based on books by L. Frank Baum Starring: Fairuza Balk as Dorothy Nicol Wi
Nov 16, 2020 • 1:34:33
TMR 046 – Leprechaun
This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan wonder why kids are scared of the stupidest boogeymen. The Leprechaun haunted Ryan for his entire childhood, waiting in dark corners, making it unable for him to pee in the middle of the night. If only he had watched the movie when he was seven years old, and seen how stupid, unscary, unwitty, and half-assed this boring, lazy movie is, he wouldn’t have wasted another second being scared. The Leprechaun can’t even be bothered to turn limericks into
Nov 9, 2020 • 1:24:24
TMR 045 – Labyrinth
This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan put on their codpieces and fret over the innocence of teenage girls around David Bowie. Don’t get us wrong, we love this movie, but why does this charming children’s tale have a character named after the part of the anatomy responsible for transporting sperm? And why do so many sequences resemble sperm? And if all of these things are symbols for sperm, what does the Bog of Eternal Stench represent? We shudder to think… Labyrinth (1986) d. Jim He
Nov 2, 2020 • 1:32:11
TMR 044 – The Willies
This week on Total Movie Recall, the age of innocence is over, and somehow what was supposed to be a fun episode about a trashy, campy, forgotten 90s horror movie becomes a despairing yawp into the empty air about the power structures that let abusive, predatory men get away with everything. Don’t worry, we still find time to talk about the golden age of Nickelodeon and this awful, awful movie. The Willies (1990) d. Brian Peck (convicted child sex offender) Starring Sean Astin Jason Horst Jo
Oct 26, 2020 • 1:28:47
TMR 043 – Aladdin (1992)
This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan offend approximately 1/7th of the world’s population, which has historically gone very well. Ryan’s love of fairy tale settings don’t truck with Steve, who favors Disney’s gritty, street-level crime drama Aladdin. Ryan gets vulnerable about the deterioration of his mental health in this dumpster fire world we have, and Steve, ever a good man and a good friend, reaches out. We encourage you to reach out too. Because everything sucks right now, and
Oct 19, 2020 • 1:25:30
TMR 042 – Killer Klowns from Outer Space
This week on Total Movie Recall, one man’s fun trash is another man’s not-fun trash. Steve gets typically indignant at Ryan’s casual, cruel dismissal of somebody’s labor of love, and Ryan reaches heretofore unplumbed depths of his warped psyche, exploring the lingering effects of watching movies like Killer Klowns at too tender of an age. This is what happens when a little boy lets teenage girls bully him into watching movies. Ryan’s therapist has her work cut out for her this week. Killer Klo
Oct 12, 2020 • 1:44:04
TMR 041 – The Sandlot
This week on Total Movie Recall, we take a big shit on Boomers and their cheap nostalgia for a “better time.” A time when a bunch of baseball-loving kids’ black friend would have had to walk home to his segregated neighborhood. A time of nuclear anxiety because our megalomaniacal leaders were determined to blow up the world. A time when women were openly sexually harassed with no consequences. But hey, wasn’t baseball fun? Don’t think about all that other stuff. The Sandlot (1993) d. David Mi
Oct 5, 2020 • 1:24:42
TMR 040 – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
This week on Total Movie Recall, Ryan takes us on a journey through time and memory to show us his origins as a film-lover, a man, and, lo, a human. Sure, he could have said his favorite movie was some snooty, intellectual piece of New Hollywood cinema, but that would be a lie. It’s a VHS that his father got him as part of a $5.99 Big Mac giveaway at McDonald’s, and he was never the same. He makes himself vulnerable before you, and of course, Steve makes him regret it. Indiana Jones and the La
Sep 28, 2020 • 0:02
TMR 039 – Scarface (1983)
This week on Total Movie Recall, we destroy our nasal septums with 1983’s Scarface. Ryan presents a cogent, detailed thesis on this film’s central character as a metaphor for the all-eating, never-satiating, soul-crushing machine that is capitalism, and Steve counters with “No he’s not.” Touché Steve… touché. Scarface (1983) d. Brian De Palma w. Oliver Stone Starring: Al Pacino Michelle Pfeiffer Steven Bauer Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio Robert Loggia Richard Belzer After getting a green ca
Sep 21, 2020 • 0:01
TMR 038 – Babe: Pig in the City
This week on Total Movie Recall, we watched the Sophie’s Choice of talking pig movies — Babe: Pig in the City. You might remember it as a sweet children’s fantasy movie about cute talking animals, but that’s just your brain trying to protect you from the harrowing nightmare that is this film. Dogs are hung from chains and drowned in front of us. Crippled Jack Russell Terriers are killed and teased with the sweet release from their worldly limitations, only to be cruelly pulled back into their w
Sep 14, 2020 • 0:01
TMR 037 – Amelie
This week on Total Movie Recall, we find a new zest for life in 2001’s Amelie. Steve gets wistful recalling his time working in a porn shop, and Ryan reveals his ignorance about Paris. But is it ignorance? Don’t we kind of all know what Paris is really like? Smelly and smoky and rude? Not according to Amelie. Paris is a place of magical realism, true love, and tastefully decorated porn shops. Amelie (2001) d. Jean-Pierre Jeunet Starring: Audrey Tautou Mathieu Kassovitz Rufus Jamel Debbouze
Sep 7, 2020 • 0:01
TMR 036 – Starship Troopers
This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan watch the most subtle satire ever made — Starship Troopers. What exactly is this movie skewering? We’re not sure. We thought we might have figured it out with the Nazi uniforms and Leni Riefenstahl shots and Aryan actors, but then we got distracted by the nudity and gore and decided not to think about it anymore. Starship Troopers (1997) d. Paul Verhoeven w. Edward Neumeier (screenplay) (as Ed Neumeier), Robert A. Heinlein (book) Starring: Casp
Aug 30, 2020 • 0:01
TMR 035 – Raising Arizona
This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan stare into the eyes of a childless middle age and watch 1987’s Raising Arizona. Steve has a good laugh watching what he sees as a silly, light comedy and Ryan is gripped by yet another existential crisis watching a moving meditation on fatherhood, adulthood, leaving the reckless ways of youth behind, the crushing weight of responsibility, and conquering your demons. Oh to have the weightless, carefree, burdenless mirth that Steve enjoys! We should
Aug 23, 2020 • 0:01
TMR 034 – The Cable Guy
This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan light a candle for all the former child stars doing porn and robbing gas stations and lament the end of trashy 90s television — the genital warts of American society. We watched The Cable Guy and discovered that Americans would rather have their comedic heroes talking out of their rectums than critiquing our dumb media consumption. Put on your Doc Martens and pop in your Mazzy Star mix CD because we go back to a morally murky time — the 1990s. Th
Aug 16, 2020 • 0:01
TMR 033 – The Devil and Daniel Johnston
This week on Total Movie Recall, we stare into the void and find out that hipsters are terrible people that treat the mentally ill like zoo animals and Ryan swears he’ll never wear skinny jeans again. Steve declares that the word “genius” is thrown around way too much and that it should only be applied to people who discover new kinds of particles or create nudity mods for video games. We watched The Devil and Daniel Johnston, so burn your Sonic Youth records and point your plane straight at th
Aug 10, 2020 • 0:01
TMR 032 – The Fly
The Fly (1986) d. David Cronenberg Starring: Jeff Goldblum Geena Davis John Getz This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan enter the telepod together and come out as a new, single entity — the Brundlehost. They get sentimental revisiting the powerful tragedy of David Cronenberg's The Fly, and Ryan acts like he's the first person to ever notice that Geena Davis is one of the great beauties of our time, and Steve tries to break down particle physics and quantum mechanics so even a dumb
Aug 3, 2020 • 0:01
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult
Naked Gun 33 1/3 (1994) d. Peter Segal writers: Pat Proft, David Zucker, Robert LoCash Starring: Leslie Nielsen Priscilla Presley George Kennedy O.J. Simpson Fred Ward Kathleen Freeman Anna Nicole Smith This week on Total Move Recall, Steve holds Ryan's white, cisgendered, ignorant feet to the fire as they revisit and are repulsed by the humor of The Naked Gun 33 & ⅓: The Final Insult. Steve is appalled by the mainstream sensibilities of 1994 when white men had the right to mock and ridicu
Jul 27, 2020 • 0:01
TMR 030 – Suspiria (1977)
Suspiria (1977) d. Dario Argento written by: Dario Argento, Daria Nicolodi Starring: Jessica Harper Stefania Casini Flavio Bucci Udo Kier Joan Bennett This week on Total Movie Recall, we test our feminist bona fides and flex our rigorous academic muscles dissecting the precise and not-at-all haphazard imagery of Dario Argento's giallo horror film, Suspiria. Ryan fantasizes about disappearing into a Black Forest fairytale world where there are no problems and noted ballerina enthusiast Ste
Jul 19, 2020 • 0:01
TMR 029 – Mad Max (1979)
Mad Max (1979) d. George Miller Starring: Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky Joanne Samuel as Jesse Rockatansky Hugh Keays-Byrne as Toecutter Steve Bisley as Jim Goose Tim Burns as Johnny the Boy Roger Ward as Fifi Geoff Parry as Bubba Zanetta The Interceptor, a modified 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT coupe The second season of Total Movie Recall comes roaring back with a V8 engine and a newly discovered kink. Why does this film have such iconic bondage, S&M, and homoerotic wardrobe and imagery? Who cares?
Jul 12, 2020 • 0:01
TMR 028 – Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko (2001) d. Richard Kelly Starring:Jake GyllenhaalJena MaloneDrew BarrymoreMaggie GyllenhaalMary McDonnellKatharine RossPatrick SwayzeSeth RogenNoah Wyle This week on Total Movie Recall, in a long time coming, Ryan finally loses his effing mind as Steve shoots a time/space wormhole from his chest while watching 2001's crazy bananas Donnie Darko. They talk about the hell that is adolescence, the subjective nature of reality, and how much they miss Swayze. In a funny, moving and
Mar 22, 2016 • 0:01
TMR 027 – Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters II (1989) d. Ivan Reitman Starring:Dan AkroydHarold RamisBill MurrayErnie HudsonSigourney WeaverAnnie PottsRick MoranisPeter MacNicol On this week's episode of TMR, Steve and Ryan watch 1989's not-quite-classic sequel Ghostbusters II. Ryan talks about the time he broke his dad's heart and may have inadvertently killed the family dog, Steve breaks down the way this generation's kids consume content, they speculate on the complicated mythology of Bill Murray, and both wish they c
Mar 15, 2016 • 0:01
TMR 026 – Ninja Scroll
Ninja Scroll (1993) d. Yoshiaki Kawajiri This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan go toe-to-toe with their verbal martial arts prowess—leaping from rooftop to rooftop, through bamboo forests and dodging ninja stars and killer bees. Steve goes into hyperdrive with tales of sex, drugs and violence, while Ryan tries to wrap his head around the horrors that were inflicted upon him in the Japanese anime classic Ninja Scroll. In this anime film, Jubei, a highly skilled ninja, is coerced
Mar 7, 2016 • 0:49
TMR 025 – The Sword in the Stone
The Sword in the Stone (1963) d. Wolfgang Reitherman Produced by: Walt Disney Starring:Rickie SorensenSebastian CabotKarl Swenson This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan relive the vile union of a pedophilic wizard and his would be king pupil. Ryan remembers a simpler time when he'd eat sugary snacks at his creepy neighbor's house while getting hockity pocketied, and Steve demands more swords and wizardry in his swords and wizardry in the 1963 Disney classic "The Sword in the Stone
Mar 2, 2016 • 0:47
TMR 024 – Oldboy
Oldboy (2003) d. Chan-wook Park Starring:Min-sik ChoiJi-tae YuHye-jeong Kang This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan take on the roles of Oedipus and Sophocles as they regress deep into their subconscious to cope with the brutal realities of Seoul's gritty underbelly. Steve comes to terms with his unquenchable thirst for revenge, Ryan double checks his list of those he has wrongs, and they both conclude that eating a live octopus might be a one way ticket to Elder God hell. Dae-
Feb 22, 2016 • 0:58
TMR 023 – High Fidelity
High Fidelity (2000) d. Stephen Frears Starring:John CusackIben HjejleTodd LouisoJack BlackLisa BonetCatherine Zeta-JonesJoan CusackTim Robbins This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan compare the soul sapping abyss of their previous relationships with that of Rob from High Fidelity. Steve talks about hunting down ex-girlfriends to demand answers and Ryan weighs the significance of romance in your teens vs. in your twenties. They both lament the demise of the mix tape and agree that
Feb 15, 2016 • 0:01
TMR 022 – The Goonies
The Goonies (1985) d. Richard Donner Writers:Steven Spielberg (story)Chris Columbus (screenplay) Starring:Sean AstinJosh BrolinJeff CohenCorey FeldmanKerri GreenMartha PlimptonKe Huy QuanRobert DaviJoe PantolianoAnne Ramsey This week on Total Movie Recall, we go back to a time when Corey's ruled the world. We watched 1985's classic "The Goonies" and wonder what exactly a "Goonie" is. We help Ryan try to figure out the ins and outs of a complicated housing market, try to figure out why Chun
Feb 8, 2016 • 0:01
TMR 021 – The Rocketeer
The Rocketeer (1991) d. Joe Johnston Starring:Billy CampbellJennifer ConnellyTimothy Dalton Alan ArkinPaul Sorvino This week on TMR, we flash back to the Art Deco past and get into a big fight about... well, exactly what Art Deco is. A movie about a remarkably mentally healthy Howard Hughes; angelic, heavenly creature Jennifer Connelly; an underrated James Bond turns in an underrated villain performance; and huge Nazi blimps fly over Los Angeles and NO ONE EVEN NOTICES. We watched 1991's wo
Feb 1, 2016 • 0:59
TMR 020 – Battle Royale
Battle Royale (2000) d. Kinji Fukasaku Starring:Tatsuya FujiwaraAki MaedaTakeshi KitanoChiaki Kuriyama This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan finally have the psychotic break that was inevitable since this show began. They watch the 2000 Japanese classic "Battle Royale" and have PTSD flashbacks about hormonal insanity in middle school, admit how ineffectual they would be if they had to fight a bunch of preteens to the death, and encourage kids to never trust adults. 42 9th grade
Jan 25, 2016 • 0:01
TMR 019 – The Untouchables
The Untouchables (1987) d. Brian De Palma Starring:Kevin CostnerSean ConneryAndy GarciaRobert De NiroBilly Drago This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan throw Italian and Irish racial slurs around like its 1929. Steve tells us about growing up as a little street scamp on the mean streets of Chicago, Ryan is the only lapsed Baptist in the world with a patron saint, and the guys run their Sean Connery impressions straight into the ground. After building an empire with bootleg alcoh
Jan 18, 2016 • 0:59
TMR 018 – Before Sunrise
Before Sunrise (1995) d. Richard Linklater Starring:Ethan HawkeJulie Delpy This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve and Ryan drop their ironic, cynical pose and reveal the wounded romantic inside. Steve tells us how this movie helped him during those in-between-relationship periods of booze and ice cream, Ryan reflects on his parents' mortality, and the boys conclude that adulthood and growing up are a sham. On his way to Vienna, American Jesse (Ethan Hawke) meets Celine (Julie Delpy), a s
Jan 11, 2016 • 0:01
TMR 017 – The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project (1999) Starring:Heather DonahueJoshua LeonardMichael C. Williams This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve & Ryan participate in the most horrific thing imaginable - spending a week alone in the woods with three insufferable film students. The guys talk about how susceptible to the scares they were (and decidedly still are), how embarrassingly gullible 13-year old Ryan was, how freaky runic symbols are, and Steve's hatred of camping. Found video footage tells the tale o
Jan 4, 2016 • 0:01
TMR 016 – Bram Stoker's Dracula
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) d. Francis Ford Coppola Starring:Gary OldmanWinona RyderAnthony HopkinsKeanu ReevesRichard E. GrantCary ElwesBilly CampbellTom WaitsSadie Frost This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve & Ryan take part in the absinthe-fueled sexy insanity that is possessive-filled Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula. They bask in the heavenly glow that is Keanu Reeve's acting, Gary Oldman's ability to make the ladies' wild even in a wrinkly beast suit, and how simultaneou
Dec 28, 2015 • 0:01
TMR 015 – Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Special Episode)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) d. J.J. Abrams Starring:Daisy RidleyJohn BoyegaOscar IsaacHarrison FordCarrie Fisher This special Star Wars edition of Total Movie Recall finds Steve feeling the emotional pull of the force as he regresses to his 8-year-old self and Ryan falls in love with young upstart Daisy Ridley as they unpackage their complex relationship with the Star Wars franchise through the lens of The Force Awakens. Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a ne
Dec 21, 2015 • 0:01
TMR 014 – Gremlins & Home Alone - Special Holiday Double Feature
Christmas Special: Gremlins (1994) d. Joe Dante Starring:Zach GalliganPhoebe CatesHoyt Axton Home Alone (1990) d. Chris Columbus Starring:Macaulay CulkinJoe PesciDaniel SternCatherine O'Hara In our Yuletide Christmas Double Feature, Steve & Ryan examine the consequences of neglectful pet ownership & find out child endangerment isn't as hilarious when it happens to the super wealthy. Steve tells us about growing up on Chicago's North Shore and doing menial labor for the 1%, and Ryan show
Dec 14, 2015 • 0:01
TMR 013 – Robot Jox
Robot Jox (1989) d. Stuart Gordon Starring:Gary GrahamAnne-Marie JohnsonPaul Koslo This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve & Ryan find out how easy it is to ruin the awesome idea of giant robot wars. Steve reminisces about every better robot movie, game & cartoon to punctuate his disappointment, and Ryan is crushed to realize all his favorite childhood memories are of really terrible movies. 50 years after a nuclear war, the two superpowers handle territorial disputes in a different way.
Dec 7, 2015 • 0:01
TMR 012 - Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead (2004) d. Edgar Wright Starring:Simon PeggNick FrostEvery great British actor currently working This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve brings us a relatively recent entry into the list, and the guys talk about the existential listlessness that accompanies a quarter-life crisis. Steve realizes that some special events in your memory should stay in your memory, and Ryan confronts his disappointment in relationships, employment, ambitions, dreams, and... everything else. Sha
Nov 30, 2015 • 0:01
TMR 011 – The People Under the Stairs
The People Under the Stairs (1991) d. Wes Craven Starring:Brandon Quintin AdamsEverett McGillWendy RobieVing RhamesA.J. Langer This week on TMR, Steve & Ryan explore white people's vision of the ghetto, lament the diminished impact of incest in movies, and wax nostalgic about boyhood hours spent in video stores. Ryan talks about watching this weird-ass movie with this saintly mother, and Steve tells us what he looks for when shopping for a gimp suit. When young Fool breaks into the home
Nov 22, 2015 • 0:01
TMR 010 – Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) d. Pete Hewitt Starring:Keanu ReevesAlex WinterWilliam SadlerGeorge CarlinJoss Ackland On a most excellent episode of TMR, Steve and Ryan attempt to parse out exactly what a "Melvin" is, explore the origins of Steve's lapse in faith in a just god, and Ryan once again attempts to break down the quantum mechanics of time travel only to succumb to a nap instead. Things discussed in the show: The Martian (Matt Damon) Sicario (Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Beni
Nov 16, 2015 • 0:01
TMR 009 – Willow
Willow (1988) d. Ron Howard Starring:Warwick DavisVal KilmerJoanne Whalley This week on TMR, Steve and Ryan wonder how the hell George Lucas doesn't owe JRR Tolkien's estate some serious royalties, speculate on how Val Kilmer can be so simultaneously charming and unqualified to raise a baby, Steve tests Ryan's patience with his endless stories of playing Dungeons & Dragons with his nerdy friends, and Ryan makes public his struggle with "icky" things. Things discussed in the show: George
Nov 9, 2015 • 0:01
TMR 008 – The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
The Phantom of the Opera (1925) d. Rupert Julian Starring:Lon ChaneyMary PhilbinNorman Kerry This week on TMR, Steve inadvertently reveals his creepy, gross fetish for ballerina feet, for which we mercilessly judge him, and Ryan struggles to stay awake through the 1925 silent classic "Phantom of the Opera." The guys talk about the Phantom's penchant for date-rapey interior decor, the unfortunate renaissance of hipster mustaches, and did we mention Steve has a fetish for ballerina feet?
Nov 2, 2015 • 0:01
TMR 007 – Puppet Master & Children of the Corn - Special Halloween double-feature
Puppet Master (1989)/Children of the Corn (1984) d. David Schmoeller (Puppet Master)d. Fritz Kiersch (Children of the Corn) Starring:A bunch of assholes & the beautiful Linda Hamilton On TMR's dual episode Halloween Special, we watched 1989's mountain of shit that is "Puppet Master" and everyone's favorite kid-punching fall-favorite "Children of the Corn." We talk about a specific kind of asshole that would bring puppets to life and shove them in a hole in the wall in a hotel and wonder jus
Oct 26, 2015 • 0:01
TMR 006 - Timecop
Timecop (1994) d. Peter Hyams Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme Mia Sara Bruce McGill This week on TMR, Ryan takes us in the world's most ineffectual time machine and tells us about his uncomfortable fascination with JCVD with 1994's "Timecop." Steve tries to untangle the Gordian Knot of time travel, and both of them say inappropriate things about the lovely Mia Sara WHY DID YOU LEAVE US MIA YOU WERE TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD I HATE FERRIS BUELLER. Things discussed in the s
Oct 20, 2015 • 0:01
TMR 005 – The Murder of Fred Hampton
The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971) d. Howard Alk Starring:Fred HamptonRennie DavisEdward HanrahanBobby RushRonald “Doc” Satchel This week on TMR, we’re delighted to welcome our first ever guest, Atlanta filmmaker Leo Hollen Jr! We watch the powerful 1971 documentary “The Murder of Fred Hampton,” Leo gets uncomfortable when we make him a Black Spokesman, Steve tells us of his mentor and friend Ronn Pitts who helped make this film, and Ryan tries to sound tough when talking about the cops (Spoil
Oct 12, 2015 • 0:01
TMR 004 – White Men Can't Jump
White Men Can't Jump (1992)d. Ron SheltonStarring:Woody HarrelsonWesley SnipesRosie PerezThis week on TMR, we solve the problem of race relations in America once and for all with 1992's "White Men Can't Jump." Ryan and Steve do their best Rosie Perez impressions, Steve gets a semi early '90s sex scenes, Ryan recalls the numerous inappropriate movies his father took him to see, and some truly mediocre trash talk gets laid down. Billy and Sydney think they're the best basketball hustlers in
Oct 5, 2015 • 0:01
TMR 003 – Heathers
Heathers (1988) d. Michael Lehmann Starring:Winona RyderChristian Slater This week on Total Movie Recall, Steve takes us back to high school and shows us his lunch table of stoners and skaters, and Ryan shows us his lunch table of... nobody. We watched 1988's Heathers and talk about the eternal beauty of Winona Ryder, the Jean-Paul Sartre philosophy of Christian Slater, and eskimos. And somebody's mouth gets swords played in it. A regular girl, Veronica, tries to survive the social jungle
Sep 28, 2015 • 0:01
TMR 002 – Predator
Welcome to Total Movie Recall episode 002, where we’ll discuss the film Predator (1987), directed by John McTiernan & starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Bill Duke & Jesse Ventura. Schwarzenegger, Weathers, Ventura, a vagina-faced alien. We went to deep into the jungles of Val Verde in our mind as we revisit the stone-cold classic. A team of special force ops, led by a tough but fair soldier, Major "Dutch" Schaefer, are ordered in to assist CIA man, George Dillon, on a rescue missi
Sep 21, 2015 • 0:46