Classic Movies Live!

Last week on Classic Movies Live!, our hosts discussed their favourite movies of the year. However, one of the movies on Pierre's list was so new, he and Jeff struggled to say much about it without spoiling it (and Jeff hadn't seen it by then anyway). This week, let's talk about that movie! Soul is the second Pixar movie released in 2020, and one of the year's final films. Featuring Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey, Soul tells a story about a jazz pianist at the end of his life, and a soul who has yet to begin theirs. From Pete Docter, director of Inside Out and Up, Soul is another deep Pixar story with weighty themes. How does it stack up against the rest? Tune in this week to find out!

In 2013, Leonardo DiCaprio reunited with Martin Scorsese yet again for a three-hour-long, overtly crude, dark comedy epic about Wall Street. Starring Margot Robbie, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and of course Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort, The Wolf of Wall Street is a hilarious and occasionally horrifying look at one man's pursuit of the American Dream at the expense of thousands of others. The Wolf of Wall Street would also see Leo earn more Academy Award nominations, this time for Best Picture and Best Actor in a Leading Role. Do our hosts agree that Leo's performance as Belfort was Oscar-worthy? Tune in to find out!

Classic Movies Live! returns for yet another year with a very special, double-sized episode! For the very first episode of 2021, hosts Pierre and Jeff talk about the state of movies and award shows during a global pandemic! Then, our hosts list their respective Top 5 movies of 2020! What did Pierre and Jeff think were the best films of 2020? Tune in to find out!

Back in the 90s, Baz Luhrmann helped launch Leonardo DiCaprio into the spotlight with Romeo + Juliet. While this dynamic duo's work cannot be understated, it would take until 2013 for Luhrmann and Leo to reunite, this time for a sleek, secy re-interpretation of an American classic: The Great Gatsby. Starring Leo in as the exuberantly wealthy titular socialite, Gatsby is an exploration of class, vanity, and the American Dream in the roaring '20s! It also features the reunion of Leo and his good friend Tobey Maguire -- last seen together in the 2001 flop Don's Plum (itself likely the subject of an upcoming episode...). Tune in today to hear our hosts talk about the Great American Party that is the Jay-Z produced F. Scott Fitzgerald movie!

Here on Classic Movies Live, we consider ourselves serious movie critics. However, any serious movie critic must eventually review Citizen Kane, and this week, our hosts have decided to do this. Based, in part, on the life and times of William Randolph Hearst, Citizen Kane shows the life of Charles Foster Kane, a newspaper magnate whose influence over the politics and culture of the United States cannot be understated. Many critics consider Citizen Kane to be the greatest movie ever made, but do our hosts agree? How does such an influential film compare to the things it influenced? On that note, how the heck is Mank, David Fincher's recent movie about the making of Citizen Kane? All these answers and more can be found on this week's episode of Classic Movies Live!

In 2012, Leonardo DiCaprio received critical acclaim for a role he took in a movie directed by Quentin Tarantino. But unlike most of his roles, Django Unchained features Leo in an important, but only minor role! For the second episode of our discussion on Late Period Leo, we talk about Quentin Tarantino's first western. Tune in to hear all our thoughts on Leo's most villainous turn, Christoph Waltz's second Oscar win, and Jamie Foxx's epic cowboy hero!

This week on Classic Movies Live!, Pierre and Jeff explore the origins of Revisionist Western Cinema by looking at one of the most influential movies on the genre: Akira Kurosawa's 1961 samurai cinema classic Yojimbo! Despite not technically being a western, Yojimbo's influence on the genre is massive, having been remade more often as a Western than... well, probably any other Western film. Kurosawa's simple story about a samurai rooting out corruption in a small town was also the inspiration -- some would say more than that -- for legendary Spaghetti Western pioneer Sergio Leone's first foray into the genre. Tune in to hear our thoughts on samurai cinema, the western genre, and whether or not Yojimbo -- and while we're at it, A Fistful of Dollars -- holds up!

Welcome to the most modern period of Leonardo DiCaprio's career. That's right, we've made it to Late Period Leo! And to start this period off, we're talking about Leo's first (and so far only) role in a film by Clint Eastwood. Starring Leo in the title role, J. Edgar tells the story of J. Edgar Hoover, the man responsible for building the FBI into what it is today! But while J. Edgar puts on a tough, no-nonsense persona, he hangs on to secrets that threaten to bring him and the entire bureau down for good! So what did our hosts think about Leo's noir biopic? Tune in to find out!

What makes a movie a classic? Maybe more importantly, why are true classic movies not recognized as such right as they release? These are the core questions at the heart of this show, and in today's episode, our hosts seek the answers while talking about a nearly 80 year-old, impossibly influential film: The Maltese Falcon! Starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor, The Maltese Falcon is arguably the first and most important noir movie ever made. Its influence can be seen in everything from Touch Of Evil and Woman in the Window to Drive and The Happytime Murders. What else is there to say about this timeless classic? Tune in to find out!

Closing out our discussion of Leo in the early 2000s, this week's movie is Inception! Christopher Nolan's high-concept ensemble action movie about dreams is easily one of the most influential films of this millennium so far! As Inception celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, we discuss Nolan's filmmaking, Hans Zimmer's compositions, Wally Pfister's cinematography, and of course one of Leo's biggest leading roles yet!

On Classic Movies Live!, you'll always get to hear about the latest movies that, one day, will come to be regarded as true titans of cinema! In no episode has that been more true than this week's, in which our hosts, Pierre and Jeff, discuss Kelly Reichardt's latest film, First Cow! Taking place in frontier Oregon a little over 150 years ago, First Cow tells the story of down-on-their-luck travellers King Lu and Cookie Figowitz. When a local bureaucrat brings in the first cow in the Oregon Territory, Cookie and King begin stealing milk to make delicious biscuits. But how long can such a scheme last? And more importantly, does it make for a good movie? Tune in and find out on today's episode of Classic Movies Live!

In 2006, Leonardo DiCaprio would earn critical acclaim for two back-to-back performances. The first of those was that in year's Best Picture winner, The Departed. The second, Blood Diamond, would net Leo his third-ever Oscar nomination, and second for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Set in Sierra Leone during the civil war in 1999, Blood Diamond stars Leo as diamond smuggler Danny Archer. When Archer meets Solomon Vandy (Djimon Honsou), a fisherman displaced by rebels, the unlikely pair join forces with journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connoly) to recover a massive pink diamond valuable enough for all three of them to start their lives anew. Part brutal war commentary, part gripping action film, and featuring career-defining performances from all three leads, Blood Diamond was an unlikely, but worthy contender at 2007's Oscars. So what did our hosts think about it? Find out on the tenth episode of Losing It Over Leo!

On today's episode of Classic Movies Live!, Jeff talks about his favourite thing: the American Midwest! Also, our hosts discuss the 2020 frontrunner for... all the Oscars?

This week, we present Leo's third collaboration with Martin Scorsese! With The Departed, Scorsese, and an ensemble cast including Leo, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Academy Award Nominee Mark Wahlberg take on the harsh world of Boston crime. Damon and Leo star as opposing moles in the police force and mob, respectively, locked in an intense battle of wits within a proxy war between Nicholson's ruthless crime boss and Martin Sheen's benevolent police chief. The Departed won Scorsese his first-ever directing Oscar, as well as Best Picture at the 79th Academy Awards. Leo was also nominated for an Oscar at the same ceremony, but notably not for this movie! Was that a mistake? Should this have been the year Leo took home Oscar gold? Tune in and find out on the ninth episode of Losing It Over Leo!

On this week's episode of Classic Movies Live!, our hosts dig deep into Aaron Sorkin's new ensemble film The Trial of the Chicago 7!

With What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Leonardo DiCaprio would earn his first Oscar nomination and his only nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. It would be another 20 years before his next nomination, this time for Best Actor in a Leading Role. His second collaboration with Martin Scorsese, The Aviator sees Leo taking on the role of legendary American businessman Howard Hughes. A socially awkward eccentric with a debilitating case of OCD, Hughes is a fascinating character, and one of the most interesting roles Leo has ever played. So what do our hosts think? In today's episode, Pierre and Jeff lose it over Leo's second Scorsese performance!

Just in time to be too late for Halloween, Pierre and Jeff discuss Brandon Cronenberg's latest horror movie: Possessor!

Leonardo DiCaprio is known for many things, including his frequent partnership with acclaimed film director Martin Scorsese. To date, Leo has starred in 5 Scorsese movies, with more on the way as of 2020. But, as with everything, it had to start somewhere! That somewhere was 2002's Gangs of New York, a $100 million passion project about Irish immigrants in New York City at the time of the American Civil War. Featuring an all-star cast including Leo, Cameron Diaz, John C. Reilly, and Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs was universally loved by critics, but what did our hosts think of it? Tune in to hear Pierre and Jeff discuss Daniel Day-Lewis, the John C. Reilly Award, Scorsese's career, and of course Leonardo DiCaprio on today's episode of Losing It Over Leo!

This week on Classic Movies Live!, our hosts talk about current events! Of all the movies that have come out this year, few will be as influential as the one-two punch of Trolls: World Tour and Scoob! Tune in and find out why!

With Leo's 90's rise to stardom behind them, our hosts turn to Leo's middle period! Between 2000 and 2010, Leonardo DiCaprio starred in some of the best movies of his career, starting with an unforgettable performance in Steven Spielberg's 2003 film Catch Me If You Can! Featuring Leo as legendary scam artist Frank Abagnale, Jr. alongside Tom Hanks as FBI agent Carl Hanratty, Catch Me If You Can sees our illustrious silver screen superman stepping out of the role of teen heartthrob for the first time since Titanic. How does he do outside his comfort zone? What do Pierre and Jeff think of Spielberg's style of historical drama? The answers to these questions and more on this week's episode of Losing It Over Leo!

In today's very special out-of-order episode, Pierre and Jeff discuss the hotly-anticipated sequel to 2006's Borat! Borat: Gift of Pornographic Monkey for Make Benefit Recently Diminished Country of Kazakhstan, or more simply Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm, was written, filmed, and released almost entirely inside of one year. With such an unprecedentedly quick turnaround, did Sacha Baron Cohen and Co. still have time to make the movie any good?

In 1997, James Cameron released a movie so monumental it would go on not only to be nominated for the most Academy Awards of any movie up to that point (tying 1950's All About Eve) and win the most as well (tying Ben Hur), but also perform so well with audiences it would hold the record for best box office performance for almost 12 years. That movie was the disaster/romance epic Titanic, featuring Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Billy Zane, and of course Leonardo DiCaprio! Having now watched Titanic for the first time, Pierre and Jeff talk about the end of an era for Leo, as we close out our discussion of early-period DiCaprio with one of the biggest movies of all time!

For the first time in this show's history, Pierre and Jeff talk about a Nicolas Cage movie! Releasing in 2020, Color Out of Space is a sci-fi horror movie based on the classic H. P. Lovecraft short story of the same name. Does it live up to the legacy of its source material? Tune in to learn the answer to this question, as well as hearing our hosts' thoughts on other eldritch horror films like Annhilation, The Lighthouse, and Die Farbe!

At the end of the 90's, Leonardo DiCaprio was best known for two movies he made within a year of each other. The first of those movies, starring the young heartthrob in what could be considered his breakout role (if you don't already consider that to have been Gilbert Grape), was Baz Luhrmann's visionary take on William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. Uprooting the story from medieval Italy and transplanting it to 90's California, Romeo + Juliet is a truly bizarre and fascinating recreation of the bard's most well-known romance. And of course, this one stars everybody's favourite actor in the leading role! So what do our hosts think about it? You'll have to listen to find out, but be warned, there's a lot to say! On today's family-sized episode, we discuss Leo's sixth movie! Yes, we skipped a few, and no, you didn't miss an episode!

Here on Classic Movies Live!, we like to talk about movies that are in theatres. Today, that means The Personal History of David Copperfield, the latest adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel starring Dev Patel!

The Basketball Diaries, Leonardo DiCaprio's third movie, and the subject of this week's episode of Losing It Over Leo! Featuring his first onscreen appearance alongside Mark Wahlberg, Basketball sees Leo in the role of teenage drug addict Jim Carroll. As Leo once again dons the persona of a struggling youth, we're left to wonder: how does Basketball stack up against the actors first two movies? Can Leo maintain his so far flawless acting record? Tune in to hear Pierre and Jeff discuss yet another movie from the filmography of one of the greatest living actors!

After almost 30 years, the final movie in the Bill & Ted franchise has arrived! Was there ever a movie more obviously destined to be a classic? This week on Classic Movies Live!, franchise newbie Pierre and lifelong fan Jeff discuss Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter's return to the roles that made them famous! After so much time in development hell, does Bill & Ted Face the Music live up to expectations?

In the second episode of Losing It Over Leo, Jeff and Pierre talk about What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Leo's second movie is also his first Oscar nomination! Tune in to hear our hosts' thoughts on Leo, as well as remarkable early performances from Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, John C. Reilly, Mary Steenbergen, and Crispin Glover!

This week on Classic Movies Live!, Pierre and Jeff watch the latest movie from renowned screenwriter/director Charlie Kaufman! Based on the novel by Iain Reid, I'm Thinking of Ending Things is a surreal, abstract experience that's almost more Lynchian than Kaufman-esque. Does this work in the film's favour? Tune in to find out!

In the pilot episode of Losing It Over Leo, Pierre and Jeff discuss Leonardo DiCaprio's first movie: This Boy's Life. The only movie to feature both Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, This Boy's Life has largely fallen out of the public conscience. That said, is it worth your time? Also, how is the first silver-screen performance from our boy Leo? Tune in to find out!

This week on Classic Movies Live!, we talk about the very last movie to release in Fox's X-Men cinematic universe: The New Mutants! After years of troubled development, the Maisie Williams/Anya Taylor-Joy Superhero vehicle has finally released! Is New Mutants a glorious last hurrah for the franchise? Or will its legacy instead live in infamy? Tune in as Pierre and Jeff discuss John Hughes, psychological horror, unconventional superhero films, and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure!

For the Spotify debut of Classic Movies Live!, our hosts tackle Christopher Nolan's latest masterpiece: Tenet! Heavily featuring what can most scientifically be called "time shenanigans", Tenet is Nolan at his Nolan-est! But does it pay off? Tune in to hear what our hosts think of this soon-to-be-enduring classic!