Magellans at the Movies

The devil. According to various religious and folkloric traditions this dastardly fellow is in the details, better if you know him, and a beast on the fiddle. What, some bold theologians dare to ask, of his wardrobe? The popular imagination may propose a red suit, but what if he - or she - were to dress in a rather more high class fashion? That’s right, faithful listeners, today Magellans at the Movies will be reviewing The Devil Wears Prada, a 2006 comedy directed by David Frankel and based on the book of the same name by Lauren Weisberger. This fashion forward flick possibly taking pot shots at Anna Wintour launched to strong reviews and an even stronger box office return, enough so that it earned itself a belated sequel. Can it earn the far more uncommon, jealously prized reward of a kind word from Nathan and Elliot Magalhães? Upgrade your wardrobe and brave the soul-sucking world of fashion snobbery as we strut down the runway to find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Drugs. When just saying no to them somehow fails, their introduction into your life is likely to bring problems as numerous as they are unpleasant. For those of you unwilling to take the word of Nancy Reagan and Mr. T, a demonstration of the full breadth of addiction’s woes may be what’s needed to keep your seat on the wagon. Thankfully, there are plenty of movies to choose from, one of the most prominent being Requiem for a Dream, a 2000 drama directed by Darren Aronofsky and based on the book of the same name by Hubert Selby Jr. This deeply unpleasant portrait of four lives crumbling is well known and well liked for its powerful performances and manic cinematography, but are its filthy, sweaty charms enough to dazzle Magellans at the Movies? Give the fridge a wide berth and guard your arms and join us as we find out on today’s new episode! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Today we will review a 2024 James Mangold directed movie called, A Complete Unknown, and honestly? Same. However, you may feel better about your anonymity when you learn that the cost of celebrity is being a two-timing, contrarian, standoffish jerk who looks (and acts) like Anakin Skywalker in Attack of the Clones. Perhaps I’m being harsh. Many people enjoyed this movie charting the ascent of folk-music hero Bob Dylan, enough that it nabbed itself more than a few award nominations. Will it enjoy a similar reception from Magellans at the Movies, or is the film just blowin in the wind? Gather round listeners wherever you roam and listen to the Mr. Movie Men tell you all about it! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Law. It’s one of humanity’s oldest, most important systems, boasting manifestations as numerous as they are complex. From the Code of Justinian to those weird, uniform series of books you see on lawyers’ shelves, everyone can agree that the law is important but not popularly understood. In many ways, an impenetrable, interlocking structure of codes, dictates, exceptions, statutes, and other words I’m probably not using right is a little weird when you think about it, a little chaotic, a little alienating, dare I say a little . . . kafkaesque? That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, Magellans at the Movies is once again going full pretentious literary snob, this time by taking on The Trial, a 1962 Orson Welles directed adaptation of Franz Kafka’s novel of the same name. While hardly a smash on release, time has been kind to this anxious story of one man adrift in a surreal, nightmarish bureaucracy. Will it receive a favorable verdict from Nathan and Elliot, or will they sentence it to that most feared of penalties: a bad review by two random dudes with a podcast? Gavel in the proceedings and let’s find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Math and baseball, who knew they went together like burgers and fries? Probably all those guys with arsenals of complex spreadsheets who end up being the only ones who actually win big in sports betting, but for the rest of us dumb rubes I imagine it came as a surprise. Fortunately, you’re not alone, and if you wish to see how widespread your ignorance truly was, just watch the crow-chowing skeptics of Moneyball, a 2011 sports drama directed by Bennett Miller and based on the book of the same name by Michael Lewis. This statistics-heavy record of the Oakland A’s legendary 2002 season married America’s alleged favorite pastime with nobody’s favorite school subject to general acclaim, awards, and adoring audiences. But will it be a home run when subjected to the clinical cinematic calculus of Magellans at the Movies, or will it strike out in disgrace? Boot up Microsoft Excel and grab your glove, let’s play ball! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

William Shakespeare and his vocabulary of thous, thees, and doths has been the delight of literature nerds and the scourge of high school students since before ChatGPT had even sanctioned its first user delusion. Shakespeare is one of the best selling authors in human history (though he’s had a lot of time to build up that lead, to be fair), the most performed playwright in theater, and has been firmly atop the canon of English literature for centuries. Big Bill Shakespeare isn’t just winning on the stage, however, he’s also been adapted for the screen, many times in fact. Over the years dozens of directors have taken dozens more angles on translating Shakespeare, perhaps none to more acclaim than the 1989 Kenneth Branagh directed rendition of Henry V, based on the play of the same name. This gritty, muddy vision of Harfleur and Agincourt, as well as all the royal politicking in between, released to rave reviews in its time, but can it withstand the discerning, monocled gazes of theater regulars and literary connoisseurs Nathan and Elliot Magalhães? You few, you happy, very, very few have the opportunity to find out here and now on Magellans at the Movies! Once more unto the breach, dear audience! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

The tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic was an event that saw the telling of many stories. Stories of heroism and valor as well as cowardice and ugliness. Unfortunately, none of those stories included a pair of young hotties who could be played by bankable heartthrob stars enjoying a passionate but doomed love affair, so the good people of tinsel town had to step in for the movie version. Titanic, the 1997 historical romance directed by James Cameron, may be more fiction than fact, but that didn’t stop it from achieving legendary success. This fable of the water-borne Babel raked in cash by the millions and awards by the dozens, and is rarely far from the top on lists of most popular Best Picture winners. Will Nathan and Elliot be third class heroes, sharing in the love of millions of fans, or will they be first class upstarts sneering down their noses at one of the most beloved movies of the 1990s? Grab your tickets and become kings and/or queens of the world with us as we set sail to find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

As the people in my basement will tell you, in hostage situations as in parties, your host is often the difference between a legendary, all night rager and a brief, unpleasant excursion sure to end in tragedy. Remember: as the one with the gun, you are responsible for the comfort, health, and restraints of your guests, and it takes a sharp, compassionate mind to juggle these responsibilities. Without these factors in mind, things can go south fast, as evidenced by the quirky kidnapping at the heart of Bugonia, a 2025 comedy thriller directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and based on Save the Green Planet! By Jang Jonn-Hwan. Bugonia combines Yorgos’ usual idiosyncratic stylings with a somewhat more accessible narrative than his past outings, which may explain the movie’s success. As of writing, Bugonia has been nominated for multiple Oscars, and enjoys warm feelings from critics and audiences alike. But what is the temperature of those other idiosyncratic men with strange surnames: Nathan and Elliot Magalhães of Magellans at the Movies? To answer that and many other questions no one is asking, join us on today’s new episode as Lanthimos superfan Nathan and Lanthimos skeptic Elliot explore the Goofy Ghastly Greek’s latest fever dream. Brush up on your Andromedan and shave your head, let’s hit the basement! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

How many times has it been said? In order to navigate life, you simply must keep a good head on your shoulders. To be fair, this advice makes perfect sense: without a head on your shoulders, you’re sure to both look very silly, make very poor decisions, and be very dead. Or at least that is the lesson of Hereditary, a 2018 horror movie directed by Ari Aster and featuring a cult for whom people walking around with their heads attached is the very height of indecency. This decapitation-obsessed chiller made a big splash on release, terrifying audiences and guaranteeing Aster’s career for years to come, but now that the hype has had almost a decade(!) to cool down, what is there to be made of Hereditary? To find the answer to that and many other pointless questions, join us on today’s brand new episode of Magellans at the Movies! Grab your epi-pen and avoid the cake just to be safe, let’s do it to it! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, nerds of all ages, welcome to Magellans at the Movies Film Fight Night! We have an electrifying match for you this evening: a contest that has been raging across fandom for decades, a question that has divided geeks into two factions of noble warriors doing battle on message boards in the name of their preferred champion, a smackdown between two of the most famous, most celebrated, most prolific characters in all of science fiction, that's right Trekkies, for one night only Magellans at the Movies will be an arena in which Captains Kirk and Picard will go head-to-head in a contest for the title of Ultimate Enterprise Captain World Champion! In this corner we have the gallant and committed leader of men, seducer of women, merciful sparer of Gorns, and triumphant winner of a thousand poorly choreographed brawls across the stars, let's hear it for James T. Kirk! And his challenger, the Bald Burly Brit (who's actually supposed to be French), the man who became a Borg and lived to tell the tale, the man who defended and befriended an android, the man for whom surrender is a four letter word, give it up for Jean Luc Picard! Each captain will be represented by their standout film, for Kirk the gratifying, satisfying, Spock-killing, man-thrilling, space dictator spilling classic The Wrath of Khan! Don't pop the champagne yet, though, Kirk fans, because first he'll have to best Picard as he embarks on a time-travelling cyborg-slaughterfest chiller, thriller, all warp and no filler First Contact! Ladies and gentlemen, affix your universal translator, set your phasers to fun, and beam up with Nathan and Elliot as they travel at warp nine where millions have gone before on a journey of excitement, laughter, and tears through the very heights of the Star Trek franchise on film and plant their flags for either Shatner or Stewart! Energize! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Books! Books are great. They’re transportive and informative; they make you look real smart if you “accidentally” leave them out where they’re sure to be seen before guests arrive (“good heavens, I’ve left my copy of 2666 in the original Spanish in the freezer, oh silly me!”). Of course, refrigerating classic literature you’ve definitely never read is on the brighter side of the utility of books; they can also be used for sinister purposes. Indeed, the conflict over whether to use books for good or ill is at the heart of today’s episode of Magellans at the Movies where we’ll be reviewing The Book of Eli, a 2010 post-apocalyptic western directed by the Hughes brothers. This sepia-toned popcorn flick isn’t talked about much these days, having received mixed reviews and mediocre cash, but is its obscurity warranted, or is this a diamond in the rough of early-2000s generic action slop? Hold close to the Good Book and grab your sunglasses as we delve into the wasteland to find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Is season five of Stranger Things good? Well, stranger things have happened! Now that you’re done keeling over with hysterical laughter at that hilarious joke, please join Magellans at the Movies as they review the inexplicably long series finale of Netflix’s golden goose. Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

What an utterly terrible year 2025 has been. People are angry, depressed, and hopelessly ensnared in economic woes, and Europe is doing an alarmingly accurate throwback cosplay of the continent’s 1913 political situation. For all desiring an escape from the bleak headlines and bleaker forecasts, however, there were still movies in this the two thousand and twenty fifth year of our Lord, some of them quite good. There were sleeper hits like Sinners and very much wakeful flops like Thunderbolts, Snow White, Mickey 17, Captain America, and . . . just so many more. Still, we all know (I hope) that money hardly equates with quality, and there were plenty of excellent smaller films that came out this year, some of which may be on the Magellans at the Movies 2025 year in review! Join us today as we talk about the best, the worst, and the most anticipated movies we’ve seen and heard about in 2025, not to mention a cheeky book or video game recommendation here and there. Grab some hot chocolate and go heavy on the marshmallows as Nathan and Elliot look back on the year that was and forward at the year to come in our brand new episode! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Stand by me. If that's something I ever say to you, be aware that I have likely been replaced by an alien clone. Of course, I’m the odd one here. Proximity, and the intimacy implied therein are highly valued among many people, especially watchers of Stand By Me, the 1986 coming of age classic directed by Rob Reiner and based on The Body by Stephen King. This sweet, simple movie about friendship and boyhood along a morbid quest has been a favorite with critics and audiences since release, but what will become of all the walking, talking, and gawking when submitted for approval by the heckling grouches of Magellans at the Movies? Do you want to see a podcast? You can’t, but you can listen to one on today’s brand new episode! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Ah, to be alive in the 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. When the global power of communism reached its absolute zenith, just about everyone in the world had to team up to forcibly administer Germany two successive chill pills, and the war to end all wars failed its stated purpose. Lots of important stuff happened during the first half of the twentieth century, but here at Magellans at the Movies, we don't talk about important stuff, we talk about movies. Cinema was a very young art form during this time, and some of the most influential movies were made by some of the most influential people as the filmic medium matured. With so many movies across such a long span of time, though, how could anyone know where to start? Perhaps, dear reader, with the official Magellans at the Movies list of the top ten movies of 1900-1959! That's right, folks, we're wrapping up our decade ranking endeavor with a mammoth episode dedicated to consolidating some of the greatest, most iconic movies in the history of cinema down to a list of ten greats. We will bury you in classic movies, so spread the word over there, here, and everywhere that the episode is about to begin! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

There’s nothing quite like a night at the theater. Taking in Shakespeare from within a few hundred to a few dozen feet of the actual, living actors is just a different experience to seeing them from behind the editing and pausability of a film. Haven’t you ever wondered, though, what happens behind the curtain? In high school, it was mostly fart jokes and giggling about who was kissing who in the play, but in the more mature world of professional theater, it’s mostly snappy dialogue and fuming about who is kissing who outside the play. And, I assume, fart jokes. There’s no light being made of flatulence in All About Eve, the 1950 drama directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, but there is a very beloved movie. In fact, this fable of age and ambition is often considered to be among the best movies of all time. Will Nathan and Elliot arrive at a similar conclusion, or will they once again find themselves at odds with the establishment? Buckle your seatbelts and prepare for a bumpy podcast and let’s find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

RAAAAWR!!! Oh, apologies, I didn’t mean to terrify you with my mighty roar. You see, I was just pretending to be a dinosaur. What silly, brutish creatures they were. How unintelligent, how undeveloped, how incompatible with polite society is the crude dinosaur. Wait, what’s that? Dinosaurs weren’t low beasts, but in fact loved, dreamed, feared, and laughed? Of course! You’re right, how could I have forgotten the sentient dinos of The Land Before Time, a 1988 animated adventure directed by Don Bluth? As any good paleontologist will tell you, this film of legendary scientific accuracy depicts dinosaurs as the lovable and energetic entities they truly were, and although the critics weren’t overly impressed, audiences certainly were. For generations, The Land Before Time and its shockingly expansive media franchise have been a mainstay for young movie watchers, including the hosts of Magellans at the Movies. Join us, then, as Nathan and Elliot go to the prehistoric era, when they were but wee lads and wore their grandparents’ VHS of Land Before Time down to an inert plastic brick. Guard your tree star and watch out for earthshakes, let us embark! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Travel. Doesn’t the very concept just send a shiver down your spine? Sure, it’s nice to be at the Brickworks Museum in beautiful Southampton, England, but getting there is a nightmare of lines, layovers, fares, and odors. Honestly it’s enough to put one off of learning about bricks at the premier institute for global brick study in the first place, but is it enough to put you off getting home for a nice Thanksgiving meal? Certainly not for the heroes of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, a 1987 holiday themed comedy about two mismatched travelers struggling to travel across the midwest. This rare Thanksgiving movie is well liked by critics and audiences alike, and frequently enjoys warm retrospectives. Are its itinerant charms enough to earn the gratitude of Nathan and Elliot? Grab your tickets and pack your bags as we find out on today’s brand new episode of Magellans at the Movies! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

You low down dirty rotten scoundrel, I’ll kill you for replacing my cornflakes with a colony of cockroaches! How many times have you heard those words? It’s only natural that when someone is wronged, they desire restitution, sometimes in the form of violent revenge. The next time you play a hilarious prank on someone and they come gunning for you, however, you may wish to show them a film to educate them on the dangers of vengeance. You’ll have quite a lot to choose from, but may we recommend Blue Ruin, a 2013 crime drama directed by Jeremy Saulnier? You probably haven’t heard of this indie flick concerning dead parents, terrible haircuts, and an overwhelming thirst for bloody recriminations, but it earned itself plenty of praise for its unique, minimalistic take on the old “revenge = bad” story. Still not convinced? Then let your old friends from Magellans at the Movies tell you all about it on today’s brand new episode! And if you don’t give the episode five stars, there will be consequences . . . Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Wait! Did you hear that? It was the sound of demonic mischief made as the witching hour unfolds. It was the sound of infernal whispers in the darkness. It was the sound of someone, or something . . . putting mayonnaise in my yogurt?!? Aw come on, that’s just childish! This series of ghostly pranks tells me that I am at the mercy of a very particular breed of hell-sent spirit, a monstrous devil who hates open doors, loves standing, and is extremely camera shy, that’s right, folks, I’ve landed myself on the bad side of the demon from Paranormal Activity! For those not in the know, this rascally wraith first appeared in the Orin Peli-directed found footage movie that released in 2007 and changed the horror game for years to come. This ultra-low budget indie film about a couple recording their supernatural torment scared the bejeezus out of audiences on release, made mountains of cash, and spawned a series that’s . . . wait, seven movies long? Good heavens, with a franchise long-tail like that, the first movie must be something worth talking about, right? I certainly hope so because that’s what we’ll be doing on today’s brand new episode of Magellans at the Movies! Turn on your cameras and don’t stop recording; let’s find out what lurks in the small hours of the night . . . Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

“Hey, Steve, how’s work going on that calendar?” “Oh, hey, Barry. It's going all right, but aren’t you worried this is a little vague?”“Whatever do you mean, Steve?”“Well, what if we haven’t been clear enough about the meaning of the Long Count calendar, and in the future people misunderstand our dating system as prophesying the end of the world?”“Oh, Steve, don't be silly. You’d have to be into some pretty weird New Age beliefs to think that.”“I suppose you’re right, Barry. Say, isn’t it weird how we ancient Mayans have modern English names?”“What’s an English?” Ha ha ha, aren’t they funny, ladies and gents? Anyway, today we’ll be reviewing 2012, a 2009 apocalyptic disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich. Enjoy! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Wizards have a long history, not just in movies, but in fiction generally. Whether they’re running a class action lawsuit just waiting to happen in the form of a deathtrap boarding school, going on road trips to return some seriously defective jewelry, or burning things at random to punctuate each sentence, audiences everywhere delight in sorcerers of screen, page, and stage. Fictional wizards (as opposed to real wizards, of course) could also come in the form of a de facto monarch lording over an enclave of green structures erected in his own selfish image, exchanging favors for the assassination of his geopolitical enemies with random strangers. I’m talking, of course, about the titular magic man of The Wizard of Oz, a 1939 family musical directed by Victor Fleming and based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The Wizard of Oz is beloved, that’s plain to see from its frequent top honors on best-of movie lists, and has dazzled millions of children the world over, but can it withstand the modern cynicism of two men brought up in the torrid fires of the 21st century? Load your squirt gun and wave Kansas goodbye as we join cynics Nathan and Elliot on Magellans at the Movies to find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Stand back, coppers, I've got a brainwashed child and I'm not afraid to use it! How many times have you heard that phrase barked from the mouths of bank robbers and rum runners? In the past few months, I know there's not a day that goes by in Kansas City without the sight of gangs aiming military-grade elementary schoolers at each other in tense standoffs. This sudden arsenal of adolescents is, in my opinion, attributable mainly to people misunderstanding the point of Weapons, a 2025 horror movie directed by Zach Cregger. After all, this spine-tingling story of the kids being very much not all right proved to be a surprise summer hit, earning all involved heaps of cash and reams of glowing reviews, but all that celebrating was, of course, premature, since Magellans at the Movies hadn't had their say yet. Today that changes, and the final word on rising horror darling Cregger's latest chiller will be handed down. Will this seal Weapons' ascent into genre divinity, or will the film be sent running into the dark like a kid trying to bodily recreate the outline of that one Star Wars ship? Hide your hair and grab your bell, let's find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

You sleep through your alarm on the day of your big presentation, you leave your wallet at home the one day you decide to push the speed limit, your dad’s human illegal exotic pet empire gets dismantled and the proceeds reclaimed at the very moment you need money for bond, the bomb you intended for the alarm clock company as vengeance for their substandard products explodes in your hand leaving you with quite a bit of egg, and your own arm, on your face; my friends, it truly is one battle after another. Thankfully, while you wait for your richly deserved sentence to be handed down, you can still take your mind off of your troubles at the movies, though for those of us who are feeling like if it’s not one thing, it’s a daggone ‘nother, Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest flick, One Battle After Another, kinda sorta loosely based-ish on Vineland by Thomas Pynchon, might not be distracting so much as magnifying. That’s because this 2025 political/satirical thriller is all about the relentless onslaught of being a former revolutionary trying to raise a daughter in an authoritarian near-future America, and while it may not be relaxing, it is certainly acclaimed. Frankly, that word doesn’t fully explain just how euphorically this film has been received by critics, but the Guardians, New Yorkers, and Chicago Sun-Timeses are easy pickings, earning a kind word from Magellans at the Movies? Now that’s a feat worth putting on the DVD case. Will this kooky caper be able to pull off such a coup? Grab your AK and don your bonnet rouge and let’s find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Moving on can be hard for many reasons, but for those of us leaving behind disinterested parents, monthslong torture, and the deaths of most everyone we care about, consigning most of our lives to memory lane is more than welcome. I, for example, yearn to relocate to a remote village in the Alps and thereby escape the many obligations I've accumulated to the wealthy investors in my "dog to human translation" company, but that's a silly example. For a more serious case, look no further than Jesse Pinkman's mission to get the heck out of Dodge/Albuquerque as seen in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, a 2019 crime drama directed by Vince Gilligan. This brief coda to the central narrative of Breaking Bad, released midway through Better Call Saul's run, was hardly the object of scorn, but never quite got the same stratospheric acclaim as its parent shows, and is more than likely in third place on most fans' Breaking Bad universe rankings. Where will it land on the lists of Breaking Bad fans Nathan and Elliot Magellan? Yo, start the episode to find out, b****.Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

A star is born. Not because a mommy star and a daddy star loved each other very much, or even because a clump of matter and gas collapsed under its own gravity (I think), but because a person has a talent for singing which they perform for a wide listening audience. What transpires across the lifespan of our newborn star has historically varied, but common themes include substance abuse, fraught relationships, and, if they're very lucky, Oscars. I'm talking, of course, about the 2018 musical romance A Star is Born, directed by Bradley Cooper. This melodic melodrama was favored by critics and audiences alike, who swooned for its hot stars and earworm-packed soundtrack, but Magellans at the Movies are made of sterner stuff. Will they be won over by all the kissing and the crooning, or will their review be a song of only sour notes? Maybe it's time to find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Oh no! There’s been a glitch in the matrix, forcing the Wachowskis to reload their save! Thankfully they’ve backed up their data and can proceed with the first of two planned sequels wrapping up the original Matrix trilogy. The Matrix Reloaded, like so many sequels, tries to follow up a groundbreaking first installment by embodying a single word: more. More elaborate kung fu fisticuffs, more Agent Smiths, more convoluted philosophizing, more whisper-talk, and of course, much more latex. The result is a dense, action-packed, confusing, and slightly kinky middle act that, while hardly an object of derision, is generally agreed to suffer from the shadow of its older brother. It is also a movie that Nathan has never seen, despite enjoying the classic first Matrix. Will he find more favor in this good-but-not-great sophomore outing, or will he reject the code and find freedom, and entertainment, elsewhere? Jack in to find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Ah, to be alive in the 60s. When reds hid under beds for reasons unknown, protestors in the street inquired as to the precise uses of war, and men arrived on the moon, decided it was a bit nothing, and moved back to Earth. Yes, the period of time between January 1st, 1960 and December 31st, 1969 sure was a barrel of laughs, some of which could be enjoyed at the movies for the low low price of some shoelaces, probably. Indeed, they made a whole heap of movies during the 60s, which makes it hard for the man or woman on the go to discern which ones are the best of the bunch. Luckily, that’s why we have podcasts like Magellans at the Movies, which will today be compiling their official list of the best films released in the 1960s! Ich bin ein film lover and so are you, so let’s get down to business of the episode! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Pitiless cruelty. Vicious misanthropy. Terror in every eye, rumor in every mouth, escape on every mind. No, I’m not talking about my extremely hardcore bookclub, I’m talking about high school! No one likes high school, that’s why making jokes about its abundant unpleasantness is so creative and funny, but the fact that high school is an almost universally shared experience makes it prime fodder for movies. One of the most enduring examples of this curious genre is undoubtedly Mean Girls, a 2008 teen comedy directed by Mark Waters. This sarcasm-heavy female-centric kneeslapper aimed to speak into the lives or pasts of every girl who’s had to suffer the rat race of popularity, and boy did it find an army of attentive ears. Mean Girls was and remains hugely popular among critics and audiences, and today Magellans at the Movies will be offering their two cents on the film to rather fewer, rather less attentive ears. Brush up on your calculus and DON’T WEAR A XXXL MEN’S HUMOROUS EAT MY SHORTS BART SIMPSON COMMEMORATIVE T-SHIRT BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT I’M WEARING AND I’VE BEEN PLANNING MY OUTFIT SINCE LAST WEEK AND YOU ALWAYS GET TO CHOOSE WHAT YOU WEAR SO WHY AM I ALWAYS THE ONE WHO HAS TO CHANGE THEIR PLAN AND WHAT MAKES YOU SO SPECIAL?!?!?!?!?! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

I don't know about you, but the best part of my day is always coming home. Now, sure, the state of my residence is not always pristine, the neighbor plays dreadful anime music at a deafening volume, and the pallets of weapons grade LSD are prime for toe-stubbing, but whatever the condition of your castle, I think for many of us it's often a relief to get back to it after a long journey. If, however, your journey included things like war, suffering, and a cyclops or two, then your homecoming may be slightly more fraught. That, at least, is the central conceit of The Return, a 2024 drama directed by Uberto Pasolini and based on The Odyssey by Homer. The Return is a far quieter, more stripped back adaptation of literature's defining epic than you may be used to, which, coupled with a lukewarm advertising campaign and decent but unenthusiastic reviews, goes some way towards explaining the faint (and already fading) impact it made on release. Is its obscurity warranted, or is there more to this curious, theatrical adaptation than its diminutive presence in the zeitgeist suggests? To find out, embark on your own odyssey across the airwaves with the aid of the pods on today's new episode of Magellans at the Movies! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

I'm going to write this whole description without referencing the "inconceivable" joke, you watch. What on Earth are you talking about, I hear you ask, embarrassingly revealing yourself to be under the age of forty. Why, my young, Tik-Toking friend, I'm talking about every dad's favorite movie The Princess Bride, of course! This 1987 fantasy/adventure/comedy/romance mashup based on The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, the "Good Parts" Version by William Goldman may not have set the world on fire on release, but it's since become a beloved pop culture mainstay and common subject of "they don't make 'em like this anymore" grunts by the worldwide elderly population. But can this icon of film withstand the cynical eye of youth projected from the faces of Magellans at the Movies? The answer awaits you in today's new episode! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

All right, gotta write a new jokey, sarcastic description for the podcast. Let’s see what’s on the schedule. Prisoners, eh? Sounds like you’ll be doing hard time with that movie, hyuck hyuck hyuck. Anyways, released in 2013, directed by Denis Villeneuve, about a kidnapping, huh, that’s a tricky one. Family man driven to utter depravity by the loss of his daughter . . . ouch, um . . . I guess there’s a joke in there about overbearing dads losing it at little league games? Men and women making terrible choices out of sheer desperation . . . uh . . . sounds like your typical Friday night at the improv club, right folks? Extensive sequences depicting the torture of a mentally handicapped man . . . graphic onscreen suicide . . . traumatized parents losing their senses of self . . . oh dear . . . maybe you’d better just start the episode. I think I need to go for a walk. Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Faster than a speeding bullet! Stronger than a locomotive! Able to leap buildings in a single bound! Struggling with depression and guilt over thousands of lives lost in the crossfire! Duh-duh-daaaa, it's Superman! Behold the last son of Krypton as he . . . just plows through a building full of innocent people and sends the entire thing crashing to the ground in an apocalyptic display of death and destruction, dang. Cheer as the guardian of Metropolis . . . kinda stares moodily into the middle distance as if he were an office worker who just remembered they left their packed lunch at home . . . huh. Be amazed by, uh, unsubtle Christ metaphors that mean, um, something probably . . . Erm, anyways, that's right, folks! With the Man of Steel currently enjoying his third theatrical reboot of the past twenty years, Magellans at the Movies thought that now was the opportune moment to return to, well, Man of Steel! This 2013 comic book film was directed by Zack Snyder and boy can you tell. Whatever else is true of the man, old Zack Attack has a habit of making properties his own, and nowhere is this more true (or more divisive) than what was meant to be the launchpad for a DC cinematic universe to rival Marvel's. This darker, more somber take on the big blue boy scout made plenty of scratch in its day, and in the years since release has accumulated its fair share of defenders as well as detractors. Which category will Nathan and Elliot fall into? Join the fight for truth, justice, and the obliteration of the American cityscape by listening in to find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Action! Adventure! Red lines gliding across maps! These are the three essential hallmarks of an Indiana Jones flick, yet if there’s one thing the franchise has taught us, it’s that everyone’s favorite Bond alternative is more than the sum of his parts, or at least that just tossing the aforementioned ingredients into a mixing bowl and stirring vigorously won’t always yield cinematic magic. That was the lesson learned by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the 1984 Spielberg-directed sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark that was (until 2008) widely held to be the low point of the adventuring archeologist. While hardly trashed upon release, Temple of Doom still failed to achieve the critical adulation of its predecessor, largely thanks to its darker tone and, uh, let’s say inauthentic depiction of Indian cuisine. What, however, does this movie look like in a post Crystal Skull (and Dial of Destiny) world? Has time, distance, and a few rough sequels boosted its prospects, or does it remain among the black sheep? Crack your whips and guard your hearts, let’s find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

This is all Nathan’s fault. Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Where would we be without scientists? Why, without those brave men and women in labcoats, we’d still be in the center of the solar system, treating low spirits with leeches, and knocking back shots of radium to improve the sheen of our hair or whatever. Clearly, then, your worst high school subject has done plenty of good for humankind, but what about when science goes too far? What about when chemistry is put to (gasp) evil ends? That’s how you end up disinterring and chopping up corpses to mix and match parts for a new body like you were replacing your Captain America action figure’s arm with one from an old power ranger toy. I’m talking, of course, about Mary Shelly’s 1818 novel Frankenstein and its countless film adaptations, one of the most beloved being The Curse of Frankenstein, a 1957 horror movie directed by Terrence Fisher. Frankenstein, The Curse of was well reviewed at the time, and has continued to receive favorable retrospectives thanks to its adept performances, dark Gothic tone, and (for the time) shocking violence, but will the Magellans at the Movies review it with similar warmth? It’s alive! It’s a-live podcast, so get listening! (This podcast is not actually live, it was prerecorded in a Midwestern American basement) Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Ah, to be alive in the 70s. The age that saw the countercultural movement reach the height of its powers, the first bombardment of Star Wars’ conquest of human culture, and a series of shiny new leaders with shiny new ideas rise to the top in the east and west. Yes, the 70s was a tumultuous time, but if Vietnam had you down or Brezhnev was on your back, at least you could always unwind with a cigarette and a film, and there was no shortage of films (or cigarettes, for that matter), to choose from. As the politics and society of humankind continued to evolve, so too did movies, leaving the modern film buff with a frankly overwhelming catalogue in which to search for gems. If that volume seems insurmountable, let Magellans at the Movies do the work for you with their latest expedition into the history of film, this time focusing on the best of the 70s! I am not a crook, I’m just an unpaid intern telling you to stop reading and start the episode! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Dads. I sure wish I had one. I’ve heard that they can be good for quite a lot, such as mowing the lawn, bringing home bacon, and ensuring televisions don’t go to waste. Of course, not everyone has the kind of relationship with their father that any of the above uses can make up for the strain their old man puts on their lives. Take, for example, the troubled father-son dynamic at the heart of Big Fish, a 2003 Tim Burton directed dramedy based on the book by Daniel Wallace. William Bloom struggles to relate to Edward, his father, thanks to the senior Bloom’s penchant for telling fantastical, almost certainly exaggerated stories about his life, stories that just so happen to be the perfect vignettes for a Burton movie. Big Fish reviewed and sold well, and now, thanks to a listener request, has been submitted for evaluation by the keen eyes of Magellans at the Movies. Pick some daffodils and chamber a silver bullet in your revolver, let’s get started! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

When aliens show up in movies, it’s usually either en masse, as part of a hostile invasion force, or, if they’re alone, as essentially a lost puppy that can teach some young child an important and heartwarming lesson. Not so for the Yautja, a solo hunter who’s as much like a puppy as a shark is like a goldfish. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’re probably more familiar with the Yautja’s more common sobriquet: predators! That’s right, today Magellans at the Movies is reviewing the 1987 science fiction horror action classic Predator directed by John McTiernan. Predator is a big, burly legend of 80s action movies thanks to a novel plot, an awesome antagonist, and all of your dad’s favorite one-liners. Will it be able to impress non-dads Nathan and Elliot Magalhães? Go! Get to the episode and find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Gadgets: improbable. Villain’s plans: impractical. Mission: impossible. For the past two decades the Mission: Impossible franchise has been a frequent installment in the summer movie schedule, bringing action, humor, and increasingly ambitious stunts to the screen and delighting audiences worldwide. As the stakes got higher and the odds of Tom Cruise dying in bed got lower, the popularity of the franchise only accelerated, culminating in the series finale(?) of the Final Reckoning, released just a few weeks ago. Now that the brave men and women of the IMF are retiring, or at least on sabbatical, the equally brave team at Magellans at the Movies were prompted by an audience member to take a step back and evaluate Mission Impossible on a series level. Having chosen to accept this mission, you now have thirty seconds to start the episode or else the world will explode or something, good luck! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Marriage. You can tell it’s a critical foundation of Western Civilization because of all the endearing names we use to refer to our spouses: the ball and chain, the old trouble and strife, and babe. I hate the word “babe”. Everyone knows that marriage can be difficult, how much more so when you’re a pair of high level officers in the vast intelligence apparatus of the United Kingdom? That is the question answered by Black Bag, a 2025 spy drama directed by Steven Soderbergh, and if you’re not a spy, uh, I don’t know, maybe watch Scenes from a Marriage. Black Bag got rave reviews, but a disappointing box office result, meaning that its fortunes are in dire need of a lift thanks to the immediate surge in notoriety that attends a review by Magellans at the Movies. Dress your snappiest and maybe find a way to surreptitiously move the steak knife out of your partner’s reach if you’ve been misbehaving, let’s get going! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

Who among us has never heard of a man or woman who wanted to be in the movies? Movie stardom is a siren call for dreamers and doofuses the world over, for who wouldn’t want to live the dream of bitter divorces, loss of privacy, and opening a door fifty times to get the perfect shot for a pretentious director? Perhaps that’s why Buster Keaton double dipped in his 1924 comedy Sherlock Jr., home of one of the most memorable screen-jumping moments in cinematic history. Like so much of Keaton’s early filmography, Sherlock Jr. is considered a timeless classic, but it has yet to be considered by the discerning minds of Magellans at the Movies, so dust off your magnifying glass and keep a weather eye on your pocket watch as we review this silent cinematic standard. Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

When people are killed, when children go missing, when affairs are had, the detectives of the world step in and smoke, deduce, analyze, smoke, gather clues, smoke, fight, smoke, and light up a cigarette in search of justice. What happens, however, when the detective swaps out a fondness for recreational cancer in favor of fine cuisine and even finer facial hair? Why, then you’d have the mighty moustached sleuth Hercule Poirot, ace investigator and star of numerous movies such as Murder on the Orient Express, a 2017 who-dun-it directed by Kenneth Branagh and based on the 1934 book by Agatha Christie. Murder was received with positive, if somewhat tepid reviews and a heaping helping of cash that spawned two more Christie adaptations by the same team, but those are mysteries for another day. For now, we have the Case of the Squabbling Siblings, and who is the perpetrator of this most ghastly crime against innocent ears? It’s Nathan and Elliot of Magellans at the Movies, of course! So, grab your nightly stache protector and your favorite Dickens and join us as we attempt to deduce the flaws and strengths of this steam engine enigma. Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

How much do you really know about your next door neighbor? I know that Greg might seem like an affable old man who putters around the garden and gives out carrot sticks on Halloween, but haven’t you ever considered that he might be a shape shifting alien with sinister designs not just on you, but the world entire? Enough about my contentious relationship with my local HOA, however, let’s talk movies, specifically The Thing, a 2011 science fiction horror movie directed by Matthis van Heijningen. This prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 classic of the same name tells the tale of the ill-fated Norwegian outpost that was the first to fall to a malevolent alien parasite capable of assimilating and imitating all life, and it did so to less than stellar reviews. The Thing (2011) may have been a box office bomb and critical failure on release, but is it enough to satisfy first time watchers and original The Thing fans Nathan and Elliot of Magellans at the Movies? Keep your eye on Greg and listen on to find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/

It’s-a-me, Mario! How many times have you heard those words, be they in the innumerable games that feature Nintendo’s most famous cash cow, or in the shrill falsetto of you and your stupid friends as you play Smash Bros.? Like Star Wars, Mario as a franchise and as a character has transcended the boundaries of medium, language, and culture to become a fixture of global civilization. Practically the figurehead of video games themselves, you would be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t recognize his loud red hat; white gloves; and immaculate blue overalls. From such a marketable brand the cynical minds of Hollywood could not have long remained apart, even after the disastrous adaptation of 93, which is why they had another go at it in 2023 with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, an animated kids’ comedy directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. Despite a lukewarm reception from critics, this candy-colored bit of cinematic fluff hoovered up cash by the hundreds of millions, breaking records and ensuring that the franchise will be with us until the heat death of the universe. The inevitable sequels and spin offs is a concern of the morrow, however, while we remain in the day, and sufficient for the evil thereof is this fungal adventure of plumbers and princesses. Will it receive a joyful “wah-hoo!” from the Magallens at the Movies, or is it doomed to a despairing “oh-a-noooo!”? Press play to find out! Contact us/Requests/Questions: [email protected]: https://paypal.me/magellensmovies?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USCheck out our blog for more reviews and movie content!!! https://magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/