Recorded late last week from a certain “historic building in downtown Los Angeles”, this episode begins with Phil doffing his cap about what Dean got right in discussing Sarah Polley’s Women Talking a few weeks back AND wagging his finger at what Dean got wrong while discussing Netflix’s “Wednesday” this past week. Phil then hails Joel de la Fuente (of “Man in the High Castle” and most recently “The Mysterious Benedict Society”) as his favorite actor. At that point, Dean and Phil switch gears for a show ten years in the making, analyzing the just-released, decennial Sight and Sound poll of all-time greatest films! What Dean and Phil were expecting and what surprised them leads to what promises to be an ongoing conversation about re-contextualization and the importance of learning how works of art resonate with different groups and different cultures.

This week’s show gets started with Dean providing an update on his graphic novel and a review of “Star Trek: Discovery” Season 3. Phil then shares a message from a loyal listener about their film The Truth is Out There. This leads to further discussion about such topics as conspiracy theories, cults, fear, how to recognize the truth, and “alienation of affection”. In “Celebrity Deaths”, Dean and Phil remember one of the greatest writers of television mysteries and an iconic voice of the British Invasion. Dean and Phil share a new review of their dark comedy feature film The Lady Killers and celebrate the fact that now everyone in the world can see it! Finally, a whole bunch of movies get discussed and reviewed, including Spike Lee’s critically-acclaimed Da 5 Bloods, Kelly Reichardt’s award-winning First Cow and a disappointing Tom Hanks western from director Paul Greengrass. Graphic novels, sci-fi TV, great new movies, conspiracy theories, celebrity deaths and more, all in one hour!

On this week’s episode, the Queen of Technicolor, a World War II hero, an iconic magician and a couple of musical legends get remembered in “Celebrity Deaths”. Dean and Phil will follow up on last week’s discussion of their favorite bookstores with a couple more favorites, including one New York landmark facing a crisis. Phil will ask Dean his thoughts about recent comments made by Chris Carter about Gillian Anderson that have not been sitting well with fans. Phil and Dean will also try to make sense of the spectacular (and spectacularly expensive) failure that was Quibi. All that, plus your friends in podcasting will be weighing in on season 3 of “Star Trek: Discovery”, HBO’s exploration of the NXIVM cult, “The Vow”, and Spike Lee’s joint of “David Byrne’s Utopia”.

This week, your friends in podcasting definitely put the “Hollywood” into YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour, not only with the topics they discuss but by recording the show in, you know, Hollywood! That’s right, the “Turlock” drinking game might need to take a couple weeks off, while Dean and Phil discuss jury duty, a forthcoming X-Files/Lone Gunmen virtual convention and a spate of recent “Celebrity Deaths” (including a Supreme Court justice, a founder of Women’s Studies, the founding figure of reggae, a controversial jazz journalist and cultural critic, and more). Phil and Dean sing the praises of the late, great Bea Arthur (discussing both “Maude” and “The Golden Girls”). A comparison of Martin Scorsese to David Lean leads to a conversation about Robert Mitchum. A conversation about last week’s show leads to a discussion of the Vincent Price/Diana Rigg vehicle Theatre of Blood, which leads to a discussion of what it will take for movie theaters – and moviegoing – to survive the pandemic and the digital streaming age. Finally, there is the return of “Lawsuit of the Week” featuring everyone’s (real? phony?) favorite heavy metal act, Spinal Tap! 

 

After a week away, Phil is back in Turlock, and reports on the air quality. Meanwhile, Dean Haglund is in Detroit where his power went out. Fires? Power outages? These things can’t stop your friends in podcasting from bringing you their latest installment of free weekly entertainment! On this week’s show, Chadwick Boseman, a groundbreaking jazz trombonist, a screen star of the 1950s and 1960s, a World War II hero and computer pioneer who fathered a legendary filmmaker, and a beloved figure from TV animation all get remembered in “Celebrity Deaths”. Then, Phil runs Dean through the eight shows nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Comedy Series, and Dean shares his thoughts.

In the first half of this week’s show, Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness celebrate the lives of several show biz luminaries who shuffled off the mortal coil these past few weeks. They also analyze the list of the 10 best films of the decade according to the legendary Cahiers du Cinema, especially their top choice. Finally, Dean and Phil reveal a newfound opponent to the Department of Justice’s plan to end the Paramount Consent Decree. Then, after a commercial break, your friends in podcasting welcome to the program, lifelong broadcaster and educator Alex Lewczuk of the University of Lincoln in the UK, Siren FM, and Southside Broadcasting. He discusses the past and present of sci-fi, as well as the importance of futurism.

The biggest night of the year in Hollywood turns into one of the biggest podcast episodes of the year! Obviously, from the awards to the acceptance speeches, from the snubs to the (lack of a) host, the entire Oscars 2019 is fair game for Dean and Phil to dissect, analyze, critique and poke loving (?) fun at … They also discuss NON-Oscar movies, including a terrible animated sequel and a rather terrific Liam Neeson-starring remake of a Norwegian dark comedy. Plus, they tackle their long-teased conversation about remakes and reboots vs. long-delayed sequels. All that, plus, a boatload of celebrity deaths, including character actors, presidential candidates, and more!

It’s the biggest week of the year in Los Angeles in terms of splashy events. This weekend it’s the Academy Awards. Last weekend it was the Phil Leirness-Lily Holleman wedding! Hear all about the past weekend from Dean and Phil AND hear Dean help Phil lock in his final Oscar predictions. All in all, a very funny, touching hour for those who love movies and those who love love!

The Academy Award nominations were announced this week and of the eight films nominated for Best Picture, only five ranked highly with critics (“Roma”, “The Favourite”, “Black Panther”, “BlacKkKlansman” and to a far lesser degree, “A Star is Born”). Only one Best Picture nominee finished in the top ten at the box office (“Black Panther”, which was the biggest hit of the year) and only one other even finished in the top 25 at the Box Office (“Bohemian Rhapsody”). What does it all mean? Only that it’s Dean and Phil’s turn! Your friends in podcasting count down their respective Top Ten Films of 2019 during this week’s 88 minute installment of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!

Your friends in podcasting ring out the old on the last day of 2018 by tackling the recently announced partnership between iTunes and theatrical film distributor A24, and by looking at the calendar year that was and analyzing week by week how the biggest movie hits and best films of the year were released. They only make it through the end of September, but at least 29 films get discussed, so keep those Netflix queues handy! Thanks for spending some of your year with us and we’ll see you again in 2019!