The Goods: A Film Podcast

The Usual Suspects (1995) - Brains on the wall

Dan and Brian discuss The Usual Suspects, that famous purveyor of narrative misdirection. Join as they debate the extent to which the film's famous ending revelations enhance everything leading up to it, the tarnished legacy of some of the talent behind the film, the tug-of-war between heist procedure and noir murkiness, and which Oscars the film deserved.
Check back in soon for Part 2 of this episode, when they countdown their Top 10 Movie Endings.
Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/
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The Princess Bride (1987) (ft. Stephanie Bendoraitis) - Nostalgia on fire

Dan and Brian are joined by Stephanie Bendoraitis to discuss the delightful fantasy comedy The Princess Bride. Join as they discuss Rob Reiner's remarkable life and tragic death, William Goldman's distinctive personality, the film's nostalgic pull, the outstanding and immersive production, the bifurcated structure, the perfect casting, the quotable script, and the powerful theme of passing down stories to the next generation. Thanks, Stephanie, for stopping by... as we wished!
You can find Stephanie various places online, including Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephanie_bendoraitis
Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/
Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

The Last Five Years (2014) - Welcome to Dumpsville

Dan and Brian kick off 2026 discussing a little-seen, time-hopping, breakup musical starring Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick. Join as they discuss nonlinear timelines in movies, showtunes, Jordan's talent and connections to The Greatest Showman, the complicated life of being a creative, depicting subjectivity on screen, the many La La Land connections, and a tribute to Adam the Woo.
Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/
Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966/2000/2018) (ft. Will) - The Grinchisode

The Goods send off 2025 with an epic and somewhat discursive look at the history of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starting with the beloved book by the influential children's author, through the animated classic by Chuck Jones, through the Ron Howard/Jim Carrey adaptation of our childhood, and through the Illumination retelling from a few years ago. Join as they discuss what makes Seuss so special and distinct, the elegant exuberance of the original animated special, the unhinged and sexually charged "ugly Christmas sweater" energy of the 2000 film, the baffling "anodyne" choices of the recent film, and everyone's favorite Christmas character, Fred the reindeer.
Lastly, Will shares two Christmas surprises with Dan and Brian to make sure their hearts grow three sizes this winter.
Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/
Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

The Year Without a Santa Claus / Black Christmas (1974) - The year without an episode

Dan and Brian approach the end of 2025 pondering what makes a "movie year" -- how to measure and rank it, what they've watched on the podcast, and what eras of film history they've under- and overrepresented. Then, they fill an important hole in their podcast's lineup with a look at two 1974 Christmas movies at very different ends of the spectrum: a family stop-motion TV special and a terrifying proto-slasher. Join as they discuss the their competing feelings towards the Rankin-Bass holiday shorts, their histories with and feelings towards Santa Claus mythology, the thinking face emoji, chilling phone calls coming from inside the house, and the role of "female empowerment" themes in both selections. Yes, Virginia, there is a 1974 film.
Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/
Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Dear Christmas (2020) ft. Brennan Klein - A cookie-cutter Christmas

Dan and Brian welcome Brennan Klein from Alternate Ending to celebrate some of their shared cinematic interests and then dissect a strange COVID-era holiday romcom, Dear Christmas. Join as they discuss the ranking of Disney's Zombies movies, the Hallmark-and-co holiday romcom industrial complex, the alien qualities of a quarantine production, the many occupations of Jason Priestley's character, ephemeral conflict, the baffling depiction of podcasting, glassblowing music, and the fine line between bland and bizarre.
Brennan can be found several places online:
Most socials @ItsRainingBrens: https://x.com/itsrainingbrens
Alternate Ending: https://www.alternateending.com/
ScreenRant: https://screenrant.com/author/brennan-klein/
Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/
Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/
 

It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Christmas Carol roulette - I'm thinking of beginning things

Dan and Brian discuss four adaptations of Charles Dickens' famed holiday novella for a sixth consecutive holiday season. This year, they each share their feedback on two different entries randomly selected from a giant list. Join as they consider the perils of low-budget cinema tackling high-budget material, British humor, and the compatibility of western tropes with Scrooge.
Then, they look inward and combat some holiday malaise by discussing a film in a similar spirit to Dickens but from an entirely different angle, the Frank Capra classic It's a Wonderful Life. They discuss the film's deliberate pacing, its complicated politics, the soapy fake snow, and what it all means, both in and out of cinema.
Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/
Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/
 

Hard Eight (1996) and PTA (ft. Mitch Capps) - Other good Andersons

Dan and Brian are joined by their friend and co-host of The Movie Call Podcast, Mitch, to discuss Paul Thomas Anderson's rich and beguiling filmography, including a detailed look at PTA's debut Hard Eight. Join as they discuss PTA's distinct filmmaking characteristics, the wonderful John C. Reilly, the appeal of gambling movies, the secret keys to unlocking PTA films, paternal affection, emotionally complicated endings, and some other PTA film mini-reviews.
The Movie Call Podcast (co-hosted by Mitch): https://www.youtube.com/@TheMovieCallPodcast
Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/
Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/