Movies with My DadA podcast where I, film critic Tina Kakadelis, and my dad, Stratis, talk about a movie on the car ride home.
My dad is desperate for feedback! Shoot us, but mostly him, an email at movieswithmydadpod@gmail.com
You can listen to us right here or take us with you on your favorite Podcast app.
You Can See Everything
Episode 110: You Can See Everything
You Can See Everything brings Elizabeth Holmes and the story of Theranos back to our collective consciousness, and Nathan Fielder guides us through an insane behemoth of a documentary. How this movie ever got made is a mystery, but it was amazing to spend three hours with Elizabeth. If you leave the theater with a better understanding of her, you’re doing much better than us. We spend most of this episode debating what the “real” Elizabeth is all about. Get ready to be entranced by this documentary masterpiece.
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Verity
Episode 109: Verity
Welcome to a throwback to the erotic murder movies of the ’70s and ’80s. The killer Verity cast includes stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett. The story is filled with twists and turns throughout and tries really hard to bring back that retro vibe. Unfortunately, Tina laughed at all the wrong places. Stratis was entertained enough, but wanted the pace to pick up a little. If you’re looking for a good date movie to bond over, this just might be it.
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Digger
Episode 108: Digger
Digger is the latest Tom Cruise big-budget film, and it’s attempting to be a real intellectual blockbuster comedy. Instead, we get a neat plot twist and a heck of a lot of yelling, but that’s just not enough to carry the day. The creators wanted to comment on the state of the world and the petrochemical companies that wield immense power. Unfortunately, the audience that might be attracted to this film is probably already in the choir and won’t enjoy the ham-handed sermon. So if you like smart, intellectual dark comedies, maybe you should give 1964’s Doctor Strangelove a try instead.
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Primetime
Episode 107: Primetime
Get ready for an emotional ride into the disturbing world of pedophilia, TV news exploitation, and humanity’s morality. Primetime explores all this and so much more. You’re put right into the middle of one of TV’s biggest news magazine shows as it tracks down and lures pedophiles into an on-camera police sting operation. You cannot walk away from this film without being moved, but how and in which direction is going to be very personal. Tina and Stratis aren’t even in the same universe about the way this movie makes them feel. Let’s just say one of them couldn’t be happier - not sure if that’s a healthy place to be though. Buckle up for this one!
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Coyote vs. Acme
Episode 106: Coyote vs. Acme
Even though we went to the Toronto International Film Festival this week, we still found time to visit our local AMC theater to see Coyote vs. Acme. This movie has everything you’d want in a live-action cartoon: great animation, strong comedic actors, and the heritage of Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. Who could ask for anything more? Well, evidently us. We just couldn’t find the funny here. At least we had a great time at the film festival watching a taxidermist love story. Trust us, it was worth it.
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Buddy
Episode 105: Buddy
If you’re a child of the ’90s and Barney the purple dinosaur was a staple in your house, then Buddy, starring a psychotic unicorn, may be your kind of movie. That’s assuming you’re looking for a deeply disturbing, trauma-filled, child-murder-palooza of a movie. Buddy perfectly matches the vibe of pre-school educational television shows with some Pee Wee Herman spice thrown in for good measure. We respect the craft of making this film, even if we don’t completely understand what we saw.
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The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Episode 104: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
The world lost a truly wonderful spirit this week. We do our best to give Dolly Parton a film tribute by watching The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. It’s hard to explain how a film about Texas sex workers can be turned into a wholesome musical, but that’s the magic of Dolly. There are some great performances throughout, but Charles Durning stands out as the dancing/singing governor of Texas. He almost steals the entire show. Tina gives us all a Dolly history lesson, while Stratis covers the real story this movie is based on. Dolly’s singing and acting were a huge contribution to the world’s happiness, but don’t forget about the free books she gives to kids through her Imagination Library. Dolly, we will miss you.
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Idiots
Episode 103: Idiots
When a movie has a title like Idiots, you go in wondering if you should even bother to see it. Writer/director Macon Blair wanted to make a comedy about two hapless losers who get hired to transport a delinquent rich kid to rehab. On its face, that seems like a strong premise for all kinds of hijinx, but what we get instead is just not funny, and that’s a real problem for a comedy. To be fair, there were a couple of dudes in the theater who really seemed to enjoy the show, but they may have been operating on a HIGHER plane.
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Tony
Episode 102: Tony
Tony is the superhero origin story for one of the culinary world’s greatest personalities, Anthony Bourdain. Dominic Sessa plays Tony, who spends the two-hour runtime sulking in the corner of every room he enters. He’s a sad, scrawny little guy, and that’s normally all Tina needs to enjoy a film, but this one just doesn’t deliver. Somehow they missed all the charisma and personality that Bourdain's fans know from his many shows and books. Stratis didn’t have much good to say either. We did learn how to shuck an oyster, so that’s something.
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The End of Oak Street
Episode 101: The End of Oak Street
Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor take us back to the ’80s, but then they get flung straight into the Jurassic age in this time-traveling wormhole of a movie. Tina and Stratis discuss the important question of whether dinosaurs are red or white meat and how these weird sci-fi movies are just metaphors for the ills of humanity. Given that this movie had both wormholes and dinosaurs, you would think that would have been enough to pull Stratis in, but he still wanted more, while Tina was totally checked out. How much more does a filmmaker need to make us happy? Oh, yeah, maybe a solid ending wouldn’t hurt. So if you’re in the mood for a Jurassic Park meets Back to the Future movie, maybe go watch them instead.
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One Night Only
Episode 100: One Night Only
This is our one hundredth episode and we couldn’t be happier. If you ask Google AI about this podcast, it says, “Tina provides professional critical insight, while Stratis offers hilariously candid, unfiltered reactions.” Who can argue with an algorithm?
As for this week’s movie, if you’ve ever wondered what a rom com would be like in a dystopian world where sex was illegal except for one day of the year, this one’s for you. One Night Only is a mash-up of Sleepless in Seattle and Logan’s Run, with Fingernails thrown in for some sci-fi techno fun. We have very different opinions about how much of a romantic comedy this is, and at least one of us wanted the lead male actor, Callum Turner, to spend more time learning how to toss a pizza. Let’s see who the true romantic really is!
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Episode 99: Spider-Man: Brand New Day
We’re back in the world of superheroes, and this time we aren’t talking about the Odyssey. Spider-Man: Brand New Day lets us fly through the canyon walls of NYC better than any thrill ride does. Guess which one of us just doesn’t care? It’s Tina, and she spends much of our ride wishing superhero movies would do more than just retell the same old stories. She’s seen it all before and blames Hollywood for not investing enough in unique takes on this genre. And she’s still upset about the last Supergirl movie. Stratis, like the rest of the audience, was just having a great time.
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Her Private Hell
Episode 98: Her Private Hell
Have you been searching for hours of experimental cinema filled with colorful lights and shadows and not much else? If so, director Nicolas Winding Refn has made the perfect movie for you – Her Private Hell. It’s two hours of confusing artistic cinema with some daddy issues thrown in for fun. Tina tries to explain this “masterpiece” to Stratis, but all he got out of it was his new critic’s slogan: It’s a piece of moving art. He thought that was original, but it’s NOT. The actors and the composer were totally committed to Refn’s vision, making this a textured experience. You’ll have to decide if you’re the right person to enjoy this film, but we definitely had some issues.
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The Odyssey
Episode 97: The Odyssey
The Greeks are back, BABY! Director and writer Christopher Nolan takes on the epic retelling of Homer's The Odyssey, and Stratis is all in. Tina, on the other hand, wasn’t convinced. She thought Nolan didn’t get "freaky" enough with the classic and had some serious notes on casting. Actually, we both had issues with the casting, but we were in total agreement on Agamemnon’s bronze vertebrae helmet. What a work of art. Somebody should get an Oscar for that. Lastly, how did Nolan make a movie about ancient Greeks without putting even one Greek actor somewhere in the epic film?
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The Invite
Episode 96: The Invite
Getting out of the parking lot this week was a bit rough, even after watching a great Olivia Wilde movie - The Invite. The first third of the movie worried Stratis because he thought he’d have to discuss an orgy film with his daughter. Luckily, the movie took a turn midway and he was saved. We moved on to the fact that Wilde directed and starred in this movie and talked a bit about the way actors and directors approach a script. The other actors in this film did a great job, but we had to take a pause to visit Pittsburgh's own, Page’s Dairy Mart, for some soft serve before we finished our conversation.
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Minions & Monsters
Episode 95: Minions & Monsters
How did we celebrate America’s 250th birthday? Fireworks, hot dogs, and a cold beer? NOPE. We saw Minions & Monsters at our local cineplex! Okay, it was only the 3rd of July, but that didn’t help us agree on much. We do think the animator did a great job of taking the Minions back to 1927 Hollywood, complete with callbacks to great actors and movies from that era. And just to spice up this episode, we swing by the Wendy’s drive-through to pick up a couple of Minionion-themed kid's meals. You’re going to get a review of the movie and our food choices this week. Happy Fourth!
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Supergirl
Episode 94: Supergirl
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…we can’t agree on what Supergirl is all about. This is Tina’s favorite type of bummer superhero cinema and nothing like the superheroes of Stratis’ youth. We get into the morality of using human trafficking and dog torture to get the audience emotionally connected to the characters. Tina tries to buy an intergalactic fizz cocktail but ends up being thwarted by the AMC bartender. Let’s just say that superhero movies aren’t simple good-versus-evil stories anymore, so whether you agree with Tina or Stratis, this episode will bring you into our conversation.
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Masters of the Universe
Episode 93: Masters of the Universe
By the power of Grayskull we are transported to the mythical planet of Eternia, home of He-Man. Let’s just say that Masters of the Universe does not bring to mind our ideal vacation spot, but Stratis did manage to take a couple of relaxing naps during the movie. Somehow Tina analyzes He-Man’s gender identity issues while Stratis has flashbacks to his college dorm. Overall, we do a great job of showing off how little we know about the He-Man universe, and this movie didn’t make us want to try to learn more.
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The Sheep Detectives
Episode 92: The Sheep Detectives
If you’re looking for a movie to teach your small children about murder and the horribleness of humanity, then maybe you’ll find it in The Sheep Detectives. If you listen to the voices of the internet, then you’ll think Tina and Stratis are just wrong about this movie. Their hearts were not warmed even a little. Heck, these sheep almost put Stratis to sleep, and even Sir Patrick Stewart could barely keep him awake! Tina did have the fun of sitting next to her nine-year-old cousins and managed to pick up some secondhand enthusiasm for sheep humor.
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Is God Is
Episode 91: Is God Is
Is God Is is a crazy title for a film, but it fits this most unique twin-sisters revenge epic as they try to deal with a horrible childhood. Kara Young and Mallori Johnson play the twin sisters amazingly well, if not a bit too disturbingly, but that’s more Aleshea Harris’ choice since she’s both director and screenwriter. Tina believes the moral of this movie is that love is a thing that can both protect us and can consume us, but Stratis is just left with way too much sadness.
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