This week: DreamWorks' THE WILD ROBOT adapts a kids' book but also takes major inspiration from Brad Bird's THE IRON GIANT (also based on a book), so we compared the two, digging into how they address surrogate parenthood, machine personhood, and self-sacrAIfice. cms.megaphone.fm/channel/FLM2...

This week, inspired by THE WILD ROBOT, we're looking back at THE IRON GIANT: a box-office flop abandoned by its studio and rescued via word of mouth and home-video viewings, a Pete Townshend musical project radically reimagined by a Simpsons producer, and a lot more. cms.megaphone.fm/channel/FLM2...

This week, we compare Azazel Jacobs‘ HIS THREE DAUGHTERS, a Netflix movie none of us fully loved, with Tamara Jenkins' THE SAVAGES, which we all loved. It's two movies about adult siblings navigating a problematic parent's decline, with strong performances in both. cms.megaphone.fm/channel/FLM2...

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We're a pretty full-spoiler podcast, and we do spend some time discussing the final sequence, so if you're concerned about spoilers, we recommend watching the movie first.

Lots to discuss this week as we begin pairing REBEL RIDGE with its most obvious inspiration, the franchise kickoff FIRST BLOOD: We dig into the older film's mysteries, narrative approach, and place in movie history, plus what made Sylvester Stallone the perfect star. cms.megaphone.fm/channel/FLM2...

Like James Cameron in 1986, Fede Álvarez set out to sequelize Ridley Scott's ALIEN. Cameron switched genres for ALIENS; Álvarez reverted to basics with the homage montage ALIEN: ROMULUS. We disagree on their value as a double feature — especially about the CG acid. cms.megaphone.fm/channel/FLM2...

Game not over, man! We're just getting started. Fede Álvarez's direct ALIEN sequel ALIEN: ROMULUS inspired us to look back at James Cameron's ALIENS, to see how a budding action director handled his own direct ALIEN sequel in 1986. This movie mostly holds up… mostly. cms.megaphone.fm/channel/FLM2...

M. Night Shyamalan's TRAP takes a lot of DNA from Fritz Lang's M, another procedural that privileges the criminal's perspective, with outsiders chasing a serial killer after regular law enforcement fails. We compared these films, and (big twist!) liked one better: cms.megaphone.fm/channel/FLM2...

We wrap our "fragile lady law enforcement agents with unfortunate serial-killer admirers" double feature by looking at LONGLEGS through the lens of one of its major inspirations, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. These movies have a lot in common, but different agendas. cms.megaphone.fm/channel/FLM2...