Matinee Manatees
The internet's second favorite movie review podcast that's specifically designed for you to fall asleep to and also hosted underwater by a rotating cast of floating half-ton aquatic mammals. Drift off with us?
If you like what you've heard and would like to help support the show, consider becoming a patron on Patreon. Half of all donations beyond hosting costs go toward actual manatee habitat preservation. (Because why not?)
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Mars Attacks! (1996)
Monday, March 13, 2023
Avatar (2009)
Float along with the manatees as they ask some of the less-frequently-examined questions of the film, like: are the avatars just alien men in black? What puts something in the uncanny valley? And, if you can make hybrid avatars of alien species on a planet with giant butterfly dragons, why choose the blue people? Also, book recommendations, discussions of caricatures and tropes, and several very contrived excuses to talk about Jason Momoa. Happy listening!
Wednesday, January 25, 2023
The NeverEnding Story (1984)
We're going back to the 80's for another movie with puppets with 1984's cult classic The NeverEnding Story, directed by Wolfgang Petersen and based (contentiously) on the book by Michael Ende. Famously one of the most expensive movies ever made outside of the US at the time, The NeverEnding Story features one of the most overtly fantastical settings of any movie ever, and the youngest cast of any movie the manatees have seen to date. But does it hold up?
The manatees face the truly challenging questions this movie poses, such as: Which fictional world would actually be possible to survive in? Which horrible puppet monster would make the best husband? And of course, just how old is Law and Order actually? Float along with us to find out the answers to these and so many other definitely relevant questions.
Saturday, December 24, 2022
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
We're staying in the sort of spooky sort of holiday spirit with the 1990 Christmas classic(?) Edward Scissorhands! The first of a long line of collaborations between Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, and Johnny Depp (Helena Bonham Carter had not joined the gang yet) and also starring Winona Ryder and Matinee Manatees alum Dianne Wiest, Edward Scissorhands arguably cemented Burton's reputation and style for the rest of his career and became a standby for the kind of sad and somewhat spooky for a generation. But how long has it been since you actually sat down and watched it? The manatees discuss pressing issues like the propensity of neighborhood kids to hang out in derelict buildings, ideal utensils to have instead of fingers, and the sad neglected fate of Edgar Cookiefeet, the sad robot boy who could have been. Float along with us as we revisit this cult favorite, and a very merry any-holiday to you and yours.
Monday, November 28, 2022
The Mothman Prophecies (2002)
We're starting the holiday season early with the famously saccharine Christmas romance, The Mothman Prophecies! (alternate title: Mothman Saves Christmas)
Richard Gere plays a grumpy widower from the big city who doesn't want to do anything on Christmas but sit at home and play with his phone, but one day when his car breaks down in the idyllic rural town of Point Pleasant, his life gets turned upside down and he finds that he just doesn't want to leave! With a little meddling and a little magic from his mysterious guardian angel, Richard Gere begins to make friends and even find love with a pretty small-town cop who has a lot of Christmas cheer, considers abandoning the big city career that doesn't make him happy, and most importantly, learns that Christmas is about more than fancy parties and getting presents in: The Mothman Prophecies. (TW actually a parapsychological thriller. Kind of.)
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Leprechaun (1993)
We're revisiting some beloved Matinee Manatee alumni with Leprechaun, the 1993 comedy-horror starring Jennifer Aniston and Warwick Davis, our old friends from Office Space and Willow. Written and directed by Mark Jones, Leprechaun would go on to spawn seven sequels to date, so it must be doing something right, right? Float along with us to relive this bizarre little film and also get some free bonus content from the manatees, such as discussion on the proper handling of potentially rabid animals, learning fun new words like "numismatologist", and super valuable blood donation hacks you can try at home! (Do not try them at home.)
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Office Space (1999)
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
Bloodsport (1988)
Sunday, June 26, 2022
Double Dragon (1994)
Directed by James Yukich and starring Robert Patrick, Mark Dacascos, and Scott Wolf, Double Dragon takes a game about two brothers with mullets working on their hot rod and beating up a town full of gangsters and turns it into a movie about two brothers in the future whose father was either a king or an archaeologist who need to steal half a medallion before the T-1000 does. Also, Alyssa Milano is there! The manatees do their best with this one and tackle the hard-hitting questions, such as: What should a remake look like? Are the games any good? Did they already make a plot hole in the opening crawl? What's the difference between an amulet and a medallion? And most importantly, where exactly is the line between so bad it's irredeemable and so bad it's good? Float along for the answers to these and more exciting questions with 1994's Double Dragon.
(Maybe you're better off just rewatching Ninja Turtles instead.)
Monday, May 23, 2022
Over The Top (1987)
We're back in the weird 80's genre with 1987's Over The Top, directed by Menahem Golan and starring Sylvester Stallone and Robert Loggia. We both thought this was a movie about arm wrestling, but it's actually more like two separate movies, one about arm wrestling and one about an awkward father-son road trip. Also, the son's name is Mike Hawk, and if you think we couldn't possibly overdo a joke about that, you are very wrong. Float along with us as we tackle the serious questions like: Why was this movie made? Is this a different singer than the last one? How come this movie was made? Is Lincoln a serial killer? For what reason was this movie made? How do shipping companies work? To what end was this movie made? And so on! (We actually kind of loved this one.)
Thursday, March 31, 2022
Felix The Cat (1988)
It's a patron request month! This month we're checking out 1988's Felix The Cat animated feature, aptly described to us as "an acid trip box office flop". If you haven't heard of it, that's probably because almost nobody saw it. But why? We've all heard of Felix The Cat, seen the clocks, might have won a stuffed animal at a carnival once or twice, so how come nobody saw the movie? Does it deserve more attention, or is it where it ought to be in the cultural consciousness? Who'd win in a fight between Felix and Micky? Did Sonic the Hedgehog copy this movie for his 2006 game's plot? If Felix and Garfield and Heathcliff formed a faction could they compete with the Looney Tunes and the Disney gang? We have no idea, this movie melted our brains. Float along with us?
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Batman and Robin (1997)
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Ben rants about the bar exam and pitches Terminator franchise sequels that nobody's tried yet, Sam explores theme composition and the effect of seeing movies' legacies before the movies themselves, and both manatees tackle the important questions other podcasts haven't had the guts to, like: Are those laser planes also terminators? Should online reviews use mean, median, or mode? Are The Terminator and The Matrix in the same universe? Would Danny DeVito have been a good T-1000? (Yes, obviously.) Tune in to find out!
Sunday, December 12, 2021
Home Alone (1990)
To get in the mood for the season, we're revisiting the famous 1990 Christmas movie Home Alone, directed by Chris Columbus and starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern. The classic story of a child being able to do whatever he wants in his house and a rich family shocked that they can't buy their way out of problems, it kind of starts as like an abandoned-building Dawn of the Dead for kids, then in the last half hour turns into more of a Straw Dogs... for kids. It's definitely a movie for kids, and perhaps it loses something if viewed too hard by adults, but the nostalgia is strong with this one. Maybe it's also a Moby Dick for robbers? The Odyssey for moms? Are we reaching too hard? Probably. Sam talks music composition, Ben compulsively compares it to other movies, both notice a few more holes than they'd hoped, but overall it's a pretty chill time. Float along with us?
Thursday, November 25, 2021
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Happy turkey day everybody! In celebration, we went back to one of our favorite movies about kind of sort of birds, and then watched the sequel instead: 1997's The Lost World (Jurassic Park 2) directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Moore! The Lost World got a lot of flack for not being as good as the first Jurassic Park, but if not for having to fill those giant puddle-rippling shoes, is it really that bad? Come find out with us! Is Julianne Moore a dinosaur agent? Should Jeff Goldblum play James Bond? Are T-Rexes telekinetic? Why are we talking about David Duchovny so much? We get right to the bottom of it. Eventually. Sort of.
Monday, October 18, 2021
28 Days Later (2002)
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Jason And The Argonauts (1963)
Thursday, July 8, 2021
Waterworld (1995)
This month we're watching another collaboration by the Kevins Reynolds and Costner with 1995's Waterworld! Also featuring the triumphant return of Dennis Hopper and the podcast's first appearance of Jeanne Tripplehorn and Tina Majorino. The most expensive movie ever made at the time of its release, Waterworld was widely considered a flop but actually did make its budget back eventually, and poses many thought provoking questions, such as: Is there weather in the future? Can we breathe through fish? Why is pee easier to purify than salt water? How are cigarettes made? What makes a man a fish? Where does water come from? What is water? And so on! Sam sets out to design two new video games, Ben says "piss" about a hundred times, both accidentally reveal how little they know about sailing, and a generally good time is had by all. Float along with us?
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Highlander (1986)
Thursday, April 1, 2021
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
You've definitely heard of this one! The manatees are back to crushing on Bob Hoskins with 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit, directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Bob Hoskins, Charles Fleischer, Christopher Lloyd, and Joanna Cassidy. Made in the era before CGI, Who Framed Roger Rabbit presents probably the most impressive precedent of pretending between actual actors and animated art anywhere at the age it appeared! (And, arguably, after!) I tried to have some fun with alliteration there but I'm not sure it worked. Includes wrestling trivia from Sam, failed novel settings from Ben, and a bit of history about Los Angeles' public transit system for your perusal. Float along with us as we gush over Bob, noir, and cartoons in general, and try not to let Judge Doom give you any nightmares.