The Screen Companion

A spotlight on Michael Keaton. He's known as Tim Burton's Caped Crusader and Beetlejuice, but how about his more character driven roles? From Clean and Sober to Birdman to The Founder, let's look at roles that show he's a lot more than a guy who's worn the bat cowl. Guest: Jon.

Total nostalgia bait. Want to remember what it was like before Twitter and Instagram ruled high school halls? Veronica Mars shows that and more when telling the story of a junior P.I. navigating school and town politics in 2004 Orange County. Guest: Laura.

Can horror be horrific without gore? Of course! A filmmaker and scare aficionado gets spooky with the Host over Rosemary's Baby (1968) and The Dead Zone (1983). This episode is about recommending movies to those that want to step into the horror genre minus all the blood and guts that are usually found therein. Guest: Ian.

Straight comedies are fine, but dark comedies add a dimension that makes the humor more impactful. Want to balance out the funny with the sad? Ride an emotional rollercoaster of teehees and boohoos with Death to Smoochy and Beetlejuice. Guest: Jon.

To mark the end of Christopher Eccleston's run as the Ninth Doctor, we'll check out the Fifth Doctor's finale as well. What was different about that regeneration? And how good was the Ninth Doctor's tenure looking back decades later? Co-host: Jon.

Testosterone heavy movies aren't only about male chauvinism. They can motivate one to hit the gym or even inspire heroics in everyday life. The muscles, clenched jaws, and grunts in Conan the Barbarian and 300 aren't just homoerotic subtext, they also represent enviable spiritual strength. Let's get pumped! Guest: Stacey.

The supernatural genre got a boost with the popular Stranger Things back in 2016. Beating it by a decade, however, Carnivale was also doing spooky powers in a period setting. Netflix vs. HBO. The '80s vs. the '30s. A weirdo in a hospital gown vs. a weirdo in overalls. Let's discuss! Guest: Stacey.

Film series can have a rocky start out the gate: maybe there are tone problems, or maybe it's so clunky / irrelevant that it should be stricken from the record. With 2 Fast 2 Furious and The Wolverine, you can ignore the preceding entries and be much happier. Completists be damned, just start the canon with these second movies! Guest: Jon.

Captain Jack! Whoo! Did he come in at the right time, or should this shot in the arm have come sooner? And a fart-loving villain returns that even Captain Jack would have trouble flirting with. Co-host: Jon.

Go back to a time when superhero flicks weren't as well regarded and audience confidence was dubious. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man beat the odds back in 2002 and is still highly regarded dozens of superhero films later. Compare that pre-MCU triumph with Iron Man, released only a year after Raimi's final outing with the Wall Crawler. Guest: Jon.

For anyone that needs an emotional release and isn't afraid to well up, here are two films to test your empathy; just try to get all the way through without wanting to shed a tear! Through Dumbo and Beautiful Girls, explore this genre of “movies that make us cry”. Get that tissue ready, it's time for a good crymax! Guest: Andrew.

Is this the dramatic peak of the series (sans the finale)? Highlighting the Doctor's demons. Getting into Rose's painful family history. Tons of...fun? There's a trash companion that gets "open head" surgery. What else would you call it?! Co-host: Jon.

Using "Trials and Tribble-ations" and "Children of Time" from the fifth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, we examine the plot device of time travel. Are these types of stories a good thing for sci-fi stories and Trek in general? Guest: Jon.

How well does the third Doctor Who (2005) episode carry the momentum of the previous installments? And is the subsequent two-parter a sophomore slump? Possibly even the lowest point of the Ninth Doctor's onscreen stories?! Makes one say, "Doctor, who thought this was a good idea?" Co-Host: Jon.

Before we jump into Christopher Eccleston's single season as the Doctor, let's examine the very first episode from 1963. How much DNA does the Revival's Ninth Doctor introduction—more than forty years later—share with the First Doctor's? And how well do the initial episodes of Eccleston's run re-establish the Doctor Who franchise? Co-Host: Jon.

We'll help newcomers to the James Bond films pick an entry point that's right for them. Looking for a middle-of-the-road example? Tomorrow Never Dies. A solid espionage story? From Russia With Love. Want a Bond that's likable and less sexist? Go with The Living Daylights. We got you covered, new 007 viewer! Guests: Max & Andrew.

Sitcoms hit their zenith in the '90s. It was peak comedy with many of the biggest network shows providing weekly yucks. Reigning supreme was NBC with a laundry list of memorable offerings. We look back on the Peacock Decade through Frasier, Wings, and NewsRadio, shows that made us laugh--and occasionally--made us feel. Guests: Andrew & Jon.

He's possibly the last movie star and has produced / starred in one of the greatest action film series of the last three decades: Tom Cruise! But go back far enough, those action roles are replaced by dramatic turns. Is Cruise a real thespian that just went where the currents took him, or was he always better suited to big stunts over deep acting? Let's delve in by comparing an earlier role to a later offering. Guests: Andrew & Jon.

A special guest returns to discuss his time in the U.S. Army, part of which was spent in South Korea. That experience will come into play as we get knee-deep into gochujang with Microhabitat (2017), an example of Korean cinema. Guest: The Dad.

Relationships can be messy, dysfunctional, and far more complicated than lovey-dovey Hollywood romance flicks will show. What better way can we get out of that often times disingenuous portrayal than to go across the oceans on either side of the U.S.? Through French, Hong Kong, and Italian lenses--I Love You, I Don't, In The Mood for Love, and The Night Porter--we'll catch some real talk on the subject of relationships. Guest: Jon.

Urban decay? Crime? Plop down, turn on that screen, and travel back in time to New York City in the '70s. Sleazy? Depressing? Or just incredibly atmospheric? With a wide range of genres in today's picks, we'll see how much of a boost the disco era Big Apple setting gave them. Guest: Andrew.

It's rare that a movie captures a time, place, and culture all in one go like the Ice Cube classic Friday (1995). It represents South Central, the '90s, and black culture for many. When you want to see a different perspective, watch this comedy and get immersed! Guest: Stacey.

Mind screw movies keep viewers off guard and constantly wondering. Fake reality plots involving protagonists searching for what's “real” are particularly effective at this. Let's scrutinize the hidden seams in Dark City, The Matrix, and The Thirteenth Floor—who knows what broader existential questions we'll find! Guest: Jon.

Do you find subtitles awkward or daunting? Would you like to branch out and get some culture through foreign flicks? City of God, Let the Right One In, and The Raid: Redemption are awesome options to start with. Guests: Jon & Andrew.

Spotlighting Jean-Claude Van Damme! Is the Muscles From Brussels a second-rate Austrian Oak? Is he not as sly as Stallone? Or is JCVD an underappreciated action star that was stuck between those other guys as they sucked all the air out of the room? Via Double Impact, Hard Target, and Sudden Death, we poke fun at the splits, dissect the career, and compliment a guy that embodies the American Dream. Guests: Rob, Jon & Pat.