Our goal is to simplify the film review business. No plot recaps, no spoilers, only insight. Because, when you think about it - its all just a numbers game. How much it cost to make. How much it grosses. How many stars it gets. But the most important one of all: How much of your money is it worth? #IdBuyThatForADollar if it is, and we'll even throw in our two cents for free.
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Time has an interesting way of guiding us, even when we are not paying attention. Nearly nine years removed exactly from the release of Gore Verbinski’s last theatrical outing, I found myself implored to finally visit his unsung, discarded, psychological thriller because I was enthralled by his latest work. To say A Cure For Wellness […]
Over a year later, and another surprise episode – this one on something I will always take the time to revere. To say I grew up on this Southern college classic is a bit of an understatement, but for viewers like Steve, its never the wrong time to jump in on the film that made […]
If you like trashy early 2000s remake horror, have we got an episode for you (especially since we reviewed the original years ago.) While that film is labelled 1981, this is vehemently not classified as 2009, because if you’re not watching it in three dimensions you are basically not watching it all. Perfect for heathens, […]
With social dynamics shifting, movies moving further out of the cinema, and having conversations over the internet being more en vogue than ever, we felt a debt at the end of 2020 to say something again. The episode was supposed to be topical and on a film set within a similar plague, but Steven’s subtitle […]
Once things start, it’s hard to know when, if ever, they’ll truly come to a stop. Some stories are circles, never going anywhere, save the place from which they originated. If you’re wondering if I’m making statements about this film, our long dormant podcast, or the evolved social commentary via Videodrome, just wait for the […]
One hundred and nine is a big number, some might call it scary, or at the very least, daunting, and yet it only tells one story about Dollar Reviews. Join us for this seemingly final hurrah as we reflect on the mad genius of David Lynch and his first journey into the subterranean terror of […]
Some films are claimed to be so bad that they are scary, so with Halloween still in the air, and Ron Perlman in the cast, we decided to see what all the fuss is about. What we got is a legendary history of a troubled production, stars impersonating each other on film, awesome makeup, and […]
Some things once seen can never be unseen and Count Orlok is perhaps the first filmic example of that maxim. Without jump scares, audio cues, gore, or even color, F. W. Murnau gave the world a creature so horrifying that cinema is still trying to catch up 100 years later #IdBuyThatForADollar
Its not everyday that we watch a film that is strikingly different than cinema on the whole, but this beautiful, dark, twisted, French fantasy really is something to behold. Equal parts Laika, Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam, and German Expressionism, Marc Caro and Jean Pierre-Jeunet take us somewhere that can only exist in dreams or nightmares […]
Time is a curious thing, the more we have of it, the less we care; however, every October I fully embrace death and view those scary little films I tell myself I never have time for. Starting the season off proper is this foreign treat, Guillermo del Toro’s first film – his reinvention of vampirism, […]
I might have vetoed Steve’s decision to pick this one a year ago, but after the way I talked up Scent of a Woman as one of the best prep school films of the 90s, he made me want to eat those words. This thing is a true forgotten relic of the decade with a […]
It’s ironically fitting that I would find myself sick at the time of publishing this episode as it stands as one of my go to feel good movies. Regardless of what life may throw your way, coming of age/companion films such as these, even if this one is a little long and cacophonous, know exactly […]
Its been a long time coming, that’s a truth I can handle, but good, goddamn was this an overdue view on my part. Some flicks are regarded as classics for a specific reason, and this one, down to the ancient plastering of “The End” over the closing moments lives up to that moniker #IdBuyThatForADollar
How sweet it is to bring Steve the gift that keeps on giving: trashy comedy gems from my list of favorites. This one is whacky, romantic, and too centered on getting a chuckle to be too offensive, right? Despite Carl Reiner’s first collab with the poor black child of this film being highly regarded, I […]
Contrary to common belief, the longer you do something doesn’t make it easier to do. Join us for our second triple digit episode where I chronicle just how tiring certain screenings can be despite having fun moments. Burt Reynolds, Jim Brown, Raquel Welch, and Jerry Goldsmith’s score go a long way here, but this one’s […]
For every guy behind the guy, there tends to be an equally qualified gal and I couldn’t think of a better selection to introduce the one that has my back. Ashley has been watching a ton of flicks with me lately and you have no idea how money that is #IdBuyThatForADollar
Things start off with the culmination of our Luc Besson Debt to Cinema chain, his long gestating, must see in 3D, comic book adaptation then segue into Christopher Nolan’s larger than life, humanistic war flick (20:30) and my horrible experience watching it. Next Steve tries to lighten the mood with A Ghost Story (46:50), Mike […]
Independent filmmaking is what brought life back into cinema, and given that we primarily sought our educations in the medium based on the exploits of artists working outside the constructs of the studio system, its only fitting that we would finally get around to watching the first of John Cassavetes’s canon – possibly the first […]
Inspired by Steve’s pick the week before and doubly so once Ashley decreed we would watch Valerian together, I decided to give Luc Besson another go. Whereas Nikita was a deep cut, Leon is the film that made his career and I finally gave it the view it deserved #IdBuyThatForADollar
Leave it to America to make a proudly Parisian film even more French, this Luc Besson romantic thriller bleeds angst and oozes style. Before the two remakes and equally as many American TV adaptations, this is the breakthrough international piece of cinema which made the EuropaCorp president an action impresario and household name #IdBuyThatForADollar
Welcome to our first triple feature, starting with the true romcom of Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon’s lives #IdBuyThatForADollar, followed by Sony’s third go at Spidey (24:23), and finally Matt Reeves’s conclusion to the Apes trilogy (48:23) #IBTFAD. Also, Steve shares thoughts on The Exception (1:20:07), Kirikou and the Sorceress (1:24:19), and a double […]
Its not everyday that a piece of media aims to de(con)struct the genre/subcategory it falls into, but of the last 20 years, most of the best satire has come from films of that ilk. Scream, Last Action Hero, Cabin in the Woods, Scott Pilgrim, and now Joseph Kahn’s crazy, fast, smorgasbord of the milennial high […]
Another holiday, another killing joke about the horrors of celebrating the second year of this podcast. Given how dear The Faculty, Scream, and especially Dawson’s Creek are to me, how has this Kevin Williamson script held up 20 years after the fact? Spoiler: There aren’t filmic fireworks, but I definitely appreciate Scary Movie more now.
Having done the UK proud and Canadian manga fans one better, what has Edgar Wright brought to musically inclined getaway drivers of the South? #SilverDollar – I also played plenty of rhythm games in our month long absence headlined by DJ Hero (27:46), went to the cinema for Captain Underpants (31:47) and Transformers: The Last […]
Cool as ice Steve McQueen shines alongside a Ford Mustang fastback 2+2 in this reminder of how suave New Hollywood was before absolute power corrupted absolutely. If Edgar Wright got your engine revving this week like us, you owe it to yourself to see one of Baby Driver’s inspirations #SilverDollar
If you’ve never seen this one, you owe it to yourself to watch it as counter programming on Father’s Day like we did. Such a smart script, an even better monster, and the scariest true tale there ever was without being terrifying on screen #IdBuyThatForADollar
The final episode of the show where we chronicle all the major trends we’ve reported over the years (vertical integration, VR, the internet of things, evolution of movies/TV, etc), Amazon storms its way into the grocery business, Verizon officially owns Yahoo, and social media starts creating actual media. Plus, round two of E3 2017 coverage, […]
Let’s be honest, with the never ending recycle process entertainment goes through, one block of original/remake tandems wasn’t going to last long. Steve apologized in advance for not picking the Universal monster incarnation, but seeing 1999’s/the release of Dark Universe made me want to see the origin of their only true original franchisee #SilverDollar
The episode where we try our best to sound energetic, but two years is finally catching up with us, Black Panther comes while a Batman goes, LA unveils an Alamo Drafthouse and a new Xbox, Bethesda and Apple fully embrace VR/AR, and SiriusXM teams up with Pandora. Plus, the continued boycott of Netflix in theaters, […]
Of their many monsters, Universal has seemed most interested in keeping The Mummy alive forever. Between this weekend’s Dark Universe re-reboot with Tom Cruise, the original Karloff features, and of course this debt, Stephen Sommer’s turn of the century swashbuckling, treasure seeking, adventure that kicked off a trilogy, it appears opening the sarcophagus is always […]
After three reviews for Batman v Superman and my equal amount of screenings for Suicide Squad, Patty Jenkins made a sacrifice to the gods and gave us a DCEU movie the world unanimously loves for all the right reasons #IdBuyThatForADollar. We fill out the rest of the episode with our delayed thoughts on Tom Tykwer’s […]
The third to last episode where we bring Tyler on one last time to talk Wonder Woman, Adam Wingard filming Godzilla vs King Kong, and where the Animaniacs reboot fits within Time Warner’s streaming entities (especially with Tyler’s OTT streaming trial impressions). I try something new in finding out how all our weekends have gone, […]
Anyone who has held a camera knows glass, heaven forbid mirrors, should be avoided at all costs, and yet this acclaimed piece of Hong Kong art cinema lives within the reflections and obscurities melted sand lends to our perception of the world. I go back and forth on the why’s, landing on the nostalgic framing structure […]
The episode where I flesh out a future Dollar Reviews podcast during a mock Patreon ad break for Fleshlight (1:11:07), Joss Whedon takes over Justice League duties after a tragedy in the Snyder family, I get alarmed by the shelf life of disasters in the face of Disney escapism, Sony goes down Uncharted territory with […]
This episode is a bit of a throwback, primarily as a recall to 2006’s Best Picture winner, The Departed, but also to our remake series earlier this year. The Hong Kong blockbuster, while largely reproduced for American audiences, packages deeper questions in a quicker runtime, making viewing it as a point of origin necessary #IdBuyThatForADollar
The episode in which I list the many things reporting the news prevents me from doing, Cannes continues its crybaby wanderings, Netflix and Donald Trump are the villains the media prays for, Wanda’s reformation of Legendary and enhanced exhibition business, and the rise of vertical video. In bigger news (56:00), Austin man sues his date […]
Despite its top billing, Macon Blair’s Melanie Lynskey/Elijah Wood staring Netflix exclusive isn’t the big review this episode, that honor is split between my solo outings with Playstation VR’s Farpoint + Aim Controller (14:57) and Master of None season two (24:15). Meanwhile, Steve missed another chance at catching GotG Vol. 2 in 3D and settled […]
Following how grueling The Tribe’s abortion scene is, and my mentioning this film during its breakdown, I felt Mother’s Day was a natural fit for a film where another unwanted pregnancy is central to the story. However, like Catwoman before it, this Palme d’Or winner’s secret weapon isn’t the long takes, or atmosphere, but window into womanhood it […]
The episode in which we get off to a slow start, Google acquires VR gurus Owlchemy Labs, Amazon introduces the Echo Show and Prime Live Events, Wanda’s Legendary loses another figurehead, and Amazon Prime Video has landed 40 SXSW selections. In bigger news, Cannes changes their criteria for festival selections after streaming titles have joined […]
We begin with the hippie starring, hipster targeted, family road trip, philosophical drama, Captain Fantastic before I move onto actual superhero fare Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (28:36) and M. Night Shyamalan’s Split and Unbreakable (46:34). Next, I share my PSVR experiences with Until Dawn: Rush of Blood (55:38) and puzzler Statik (57:53). Meanwhile […]
Despite how long cinema has been around, deaf/mute societies are one of the few worlds we rarely gain access to. This Ukranian, festival darling not only takes us into one with deft camerawork, but also a matching lack of dialogue. Please experience this neo-silent film for yourself (its on Netflix) before joining our discussion, because […]
The episode in which we find a new sense of purpose since we now have a Patreon supporter (!!!), Annapurna continues to make groundbreaking moves, Universal is adapting Gears of War, Hellboy is getting a reboot, and HBO is leaving Amazon Prime while working on Game of Thrones spinoffs. In bigger news (00:42:00), Charter joins Comcast […]
Always a fan of seeing the worser things in cinema, I’d been meaning to get around to this culturally aborted Lucasfilm/Marvel bomb. As a fan of Waterworld, or better yet, Bio-Dome, how bad could it be? The premise and talent makeup sound quacktastic, but this bizarre, 1980s failure, despite bright moments, is far from being […]
The episode in which 100 being the ending seems more and more realistic, lots of tryhard social network lamestars got dupped by Ja Rule and his doomed Bahamian luxury music outing and the Seth Rogen/Lonely Island flick that might share a similar premise, we try to make sense of unions and the impending WGA strike, […]
As a film criticism outlet based almost entirely on the power of conversation, especially via the internet, this Palme d’Or winner raises timeless questions about the privacy of our off-air moments and the type of people possibly listening in. To say this unsung Francis Ford Coppola thriller is great is doing it a disservice by […]
The episode in which I try to sell you on supporting us via Patreon thru being able to witness me piss my pants in VR horror, Hulu keeps building its library up, James Wan is making a Smart House movie, James Gunn is returning for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Captain Marvel has found […]
We sadly missed Chan Wook-Park’s latest offering in theaters, but thanks to the modern state of cinema, were gifted a free screening as part of our Amazon Prime memberships. There’s a lot to say about this darkly comedic, erotic thriller, especially as counter programming to our last episode, but what it comes down to is […]
Given that I picked Cheech and Chong last year for 4/20, Steve naturally thought this Pauly Shore vehicle was my stoner duo follow up, but Bio-Dome is through and through a celebration of Earth Day. I strongly defend this “worst film of all time” nominee in the episode and challenge any critic, or wannabe, to listen […]
The episode in which two weeks have passed since our last recording and I have open with a horror story to explain why, we mourn Don Rickles and Charlie Murphy, MGM joins the vertical integration party, Cannes adds TV and VR content + a Palme D’or race filled with streaming titles, and my pitch to […]
We’ve been nice overall when it comes to sharing our opinions of Adam Sandler’s recent offerings, not seeing the point in beating a dying horse, but after two hiccups on Netflix, Happy Madison has finally delivered something totally likeable. When that conversation trails off we split hairs over the Thor Ragnarok trailer (27:16) before doing a […]
