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All good things must come to end, and this week we're spending our farewell tour chatting about the most joked about film on the podcast. In 2013, Zak Snyder gave us Man of Steel; a Superman reboot blessed by Christopher Nolan, poised to set the table for the rollout of the D.C. cinematic universe. So, what happened? With a cast chock-full of talent, Snyder somehow managed to steer the ship directly into an iceberg (or Fortress of Solitude, we're not sure) and we're left with something that looks like a Superman movie made by a well-financed toddler. With Snyder at the reigns of the D.C. cinematic universe, we're left wondering if he has what it takes to give us more than abs, destruction, and super slo-mo shots of the Justice League. That's a wrap for us...we'll see you on the blog! MusicIntro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is"Break: "Siesta" by Jahzzar is licensed under CC BY 3.0

After the success of Y Tu Mama Tambien, director Alfonso Cuaron moved to a very different project: a franchise film for kids, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Or was it so different? Themes of adolescence and identity, a darker tone for the series, and typically skilled direction make this an interesting entry in Cuaron's body of work, and among the best Harry Potter films of the entire series. MusicIntro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is"Break: "Siesta" by Jahzzar is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Alfonso Cuaron directed a handful of movies and television before 2001, but it was Y Tu Mama Tambien that thrust him on to the scene. The film's energetic embrace of teenage sexuality and coming of age combined with its sobering look at Mexican politics and class divisions made for a sensational piece of cinema. Cuaron's mixture of tones and themes showed off the directors technical acuity and creativity. Needless to say we all love this movie. And more than 10 years after its release, it feels as vibrant and beautiful as ever. MusicIntro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is"Break: "Siesta" by Jahzzar is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Our final film in the Terry Gilliam series is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the 1998 bad-trip road-trip Johnny Depp movie based on Hunter S. Thompson's novel of the same name. Fear and Loathing has a a whopping 10% positive rating among Top Critics at Rotten Tomatoes and it effected wild responses among the podcasters. Chris Ervasti hated the film (HATED), while Christopher ZF mounts a heroic defense of the film's unyeilding critique of the American Dream. Terry Gilliam has always inspired varied and passionate responses with his film, and that's never been more true than with Fear and Loathing. So whatever you think about Terry Gilliam, Johnny Depp, Hunter S. Thompson, uppers, downers and hallucinating Samoan lawyers with bowie knives, Fear and Loathing is destined to inspire fierce responses. Join us for one of our most contentious podcast episodes yet MusicIntro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is"Break: "Siesta" by Jahzzar is licensed under CC BY 3.0

In Brazil, Terry Gilliam combines science-fiction dystopia with social satire and Monty Python-esque comedy. The result was a 2 hour and 25 minute hulking tonal mish-mash. At times funny, at times sad, Brazil is one of the bleakest comedies out there. It's no surprise that it is Gilliam's best-loved film.    It's also no surprise that the studio hated it. They cut it down to 90 minutes, and stowed Gilliam's version on the shelf. After a year-long public feud between Gilliam and Universal, Gilliam's version of Brazil won Best Picture at the LA Film Critics Circle and was nominated for two Academy Awards.    Gilliam was seminal in establishing modern cinematic sci-fi vision of Retro Futurism, and Brazil remains perhaps the defining film of the genre. Add to that all the traits that make Gilliam famous. His unique visual style is on full-display. His wide-angle lenses, canted angles, and bizarre sets and costumes. The cold horror of Michael Palin, and the cartoonish enthusiasm of Robert De Niro. There's no doubting that Brazil is a weird, unique film.    MusicIntro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is"Break: "Siesta" by Jahzzar is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Terry Gilliam is a director known for his visual imagination, confusing stories, and the difficult nature of his film projects. It seems that every movie he makes comes with a story about how it almost wasn't made, how the studio changed it, how Gilliam's vision was compromised.  Except for Twelve Monkeys. With his 1995 time-travel epidemic apocalyptic drama, Gilliam was able to (seemingly) make the movie he wanted to make.  That's where The Stake Podcast starts our month on Terry Gilliam.  Join us for our first month-long conversation, as we talk about Gilliam's visuals, Brad Pitt's jump to the big-time, and what Bruce Willis brings to the madcap world of Terry Gilliam.   MusicIntro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is"Break: "Siesta" by Jahzzar is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Part 2 of the Stake Podcast year in review: The Best of 2015. From Star Wars to the Serial Podcast, there were many things to celebrate this year. Despite our complaints about franchise expansions in 2015, there were also great popular entertainments at the movies. It was also a good year for investigative journalism, music festivals, and, well, Star Wars. Join us for our final discussion of 2015.   MusicIntro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is"Break: "Quartz Boy" by Pixelord is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Has 2015 been a year to remember? For good things, or for bad? This week, part 1 of our 2 part 2015 look back: The Worst of 2015. Chris Erv, ZF and Andrew come ready to complain about those things that made 2015 terrible. This year there was a lot of bad, especially in the world of franchise entertainment, from the Marvel business model to clunkers like Fantastic Four.And no podcast about the worst of 2015 is complete without a little Donald Trump. Forgive us a political tangent, but we can all agree that Trump is the worst, right?   MusicIntro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is"Break: "Quartz Boy" by Pixelord is licensed under CC BY 3.0

It's the Holiday Season at the Stake Podcast, and Courtney Algeo is back to talk about an American classic that she somehow has never seen: It's a Wonderful Life. The Frank Capra film about a suicidal dad has become a mainstay in the Christmas Movie genre, and for good reason. It's a moving family story that brings audiences to tears while simultaneously boosting and challenging some of our most basic American ideals. So join us this week as we wonder about what makes this movie such a standard. Is it the radical economic message? The chemistry / face-smooshing between Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed? Whatever it is, Capra's masterpiece shows no signs of fading.  MusicIntro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is"Break: "Quartz Boy" by Pixelord is licensed under CC BY 3.0

High Fidelity pulls off a very difficult task: it's a comedy about a romantic relationship, from the perspective of an a**hole. Make no mistake, John Cusack's Rob Gordon is a complete a**hole. But he's also charming, likable, and damn good company. His friends - Dick and Barry - are elitists, his day-job makes him miserable, and his girlfriend Laura seems perfectly justified in dumping him. So what should we make of the ending? This week novelist Bryan Bliss brings his top 5 list to the Stake Podcast to unwind with a little High Fidelity. Is it a romantic comedy? What does that mean, anyway? Does it matter if Rob Gordon a good guy? What does it mean that so many male viewers don't notice how badly Rob treats women? And what would you think if we told you we haven't seen Evil Dead 2 yet?   MusicIntro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is"Break: "Quartz Boy" by Pixelord is licensed under CC BY 3.0

In 1991, a single movie descended from heaven, combining surfing, bank robbing, and Keanu Reeves. Cinema has never been the same. Point Break was so inspiring, in fact, that it has already been remade. Before you see Point Break (2015), return to the FBI-surf-action-drama that started it all. This week Chris ZF, Erv and Andrew discuss Kathryn Bigelow's Point Break. Breathtaking action scenes, breathtaking surfing scenes, breathtaking Patrick Swayze, and one of Keanu Reeves' most memorable performances. So what it is about Point Break that keeps people coming back 25 years later? Of all the early 90s action movies, why did this one get remade so quickly? These are important questions, but what you really need to hear is Chris ZF's passionate defense of Keanu Reeves. ZF is convinced that Keanu is, in fact, a good actor. Andrew is quite sure that is wrong. Erv is not so sure. MusicIntro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is"Break: "Quartz Boy" by Pixelord is licensed under CC BY 3.0  

Summer 2015. A highly anticipated  sci-fi exploration of artificial intelligence and what it means to be a human hit audiences with a surprising wallop that left viewers' opinions divided; some were moved, others were angry, and some just didn't know what had happened. That movie was...not Age of Ultron. It was Ex Machina, Alex Garland's directoral debut about the most chilling Turing Test ever conducted.  But is Ex Machina as complex as viewers think it is? Does it explore our emotional reactions or does it manipulate them? It is a rich investigation of masculinity run amok, or a fetishistic exploitation film about a man making sex-dolls? Andrew, Erv and Chris ZF do their best to unpack a movie that, if nothing else, provides fodder for endless conversation.   MusicIntro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is"Break: "Quartz Boy" by Pixelord is licensed under CC BY 3.0

In 1998, Burt Reynolds fired his agent because of Boogie Nights.  A decade later, Leonardo DiCaprio said passing on the film was the biggest regret of his career. One way or another, Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights inspires passions.  This week, Chris ZF, Andrew and Erv talk about the pornography saga Boogie Nights. PT Anderson portrays the porn biz as it moves from the 70s to the 80s, from film to tape, from cocaine to way too much cocaine. The ups and downs all revolve around Dirk Diggler and his one very special asset.   Music Intro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is" Break: "Quartz Boy" by Pixelord is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Braveheart introduced the world to Mel Gibson's love of violence 10 years before Mel Gibson became a complete nutter. It went on to win 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Today, the movie is considered by some to be among the worst Best Picture winners ever made, as well as one of the most historically inaccurate. On it's 20th Anniversary, Andrew, Chris, and Chris give Braveheart in the age of Crazy Mel Gibson to see if a movie that gets all the history wrong can still get anything right?   Music Intro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is" Break: "Quartz Boy" by Pixelord is licensed under CC BY 3.0    

Jonathan Demme's 2008 film Rachel Getting Married is an undersung masterpiece—or so Andrew thinks, anyway. Will Chris ZF and Chris Erv agree? This week, the guys puzzle through the mysteries of this unruly film about a recovering addict coming home for her sister's wedding weekend. Dysfunctional families, the psychology of addiction, emotional trauma, and lots and lots of music—this movie (and this podcast) has it all!   Music Intro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is" Break: "Quartz Boy" by Pixelord is licensed under CC BY 3.0

In 2004 Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry brought us a sort of romantic comedy, sort of sci-fi, sort of something that connected with many more so than any film the two of them had done previously. A brilliantly crafted film about relationships that asks the question, "Would you do it all again, if...?" Chris, Andrew and Chris chat about the film and its unique nature as well as how it looks on the other side of dating. Does it age well through the lens of a marriage and kids and responsible adulthood? Music Intro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is" Break: "Quartz Boy" by Pixelord is licensed under CC BY 3.0

The 1928 silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc was almost lost to history after two separate fires destroyed the original copies. Then, in 1981, in a mental institution in Norway, an original print was found in a janitors closet. It's one of the great miracles of movie history. And the film itself is considered by some to be as miraculous as the story of its survival. Carl Theodore Dreyer wanted to get to the heart of the girl named Joan, not the mythic Saint and War Hero. Dreyer's movie is filmed almost completely in close-ups, and tells of Joan's trial and execution by the church in 1431.    Andrew, Chris, and Chris discuss whether Dreyer succeeds in making Joan human. Or, maybe he fetishize the suffering of a young woman? Are modern audiences too removed to related to Joan's visions and belief? And, really, what is the purpose of film art when it comes to pictures like Passion of Joan of Arc? High falutin' stuff, this week on The Stake Podcast.    Music Intro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is" Break: "Quartz Boy" by Pixelord is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Akira Kurosawa's 1954 epic Seven Samurai is generally considered one the most influential pieces of cinema ever made. It gave us the spaghetti western, Star Wars, and all those team-up superhero stories we see so much of. It is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.  But that word, 'masterpiece,' can make it hard to approach a classic, foreign, black and white movie. Don't let that keep you away: this movie is funny, exciting, and full of action. This week, we unpack what it is that makes Seven Samurai not just a classic, but a supremely watchable, and enjoyable film today.   Music Intro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is" Break: "Quartz Boy" by Pixelord is licensed under CC BY 3.0

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Back to the Future and The Stake just couldn't let the day Marty travels to in the future pass by without celebrating. This week Chris, Andrew and Chris dive in to the 80's classic and chat about great storytelling, the power of love, and most importantly, just how cool Marty McFly really was.   Music Intro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is" Break: "Quartz Boy" by Pixelord is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Masters of the Universe is an adaptation of the popular He-Man cartoon series—or was it adapted from the Mattel toy line, which itself was basically a rip-off of Star Wars crossed with Conan the Barbarian? Either way, it's a very very very bad movie that is occasionally entertaining thanks to Frank Langella's Shakespearean Skeletor, Dolph Lundgren's comically bad line delivery, and a little dude named Gwildor. Chris, Andrew, and Chris are joined by Gospel Machine's Jimmy Osterholt to talk greased pecs, Eternia, and the music of the universe.   Gospel Machine's debut album "Your Holy Ghost" is available now.   Music Intro/Outro: The Small Cities - "Home Is Where The Start Is" Break: "Quartz Boy" by Pixelord is licensed under CC BY 3.0