Magnolia is a 1999 film starring Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, William H Macy and an amazing ensemble cast that all deserve to get mentioned on that same level, but at 3 hours running time, we...

Film School for Dad

FSFD013 – Magnolia: Sophisticated Work of Art or Unstructured Writer’s Fart?

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a 2011 film starring James Franco, Frieda Pinto and a monkey named Ceasar played (virtually) by Andy Serkis. Notable for being one of the earliest films to...

FSFD012 – Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Fascinating and Profound, or Too Much Monkeying Around?

Unforgiven is a 1992 film starring Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman. It was written by David Web Peoples, but it’s very much a “Clint Eastwood film”. Sometimes described as the film that “broke...

FSFD011 – Unforgiven: Thoughtful Rumination, or More Violence Glorification?

Peter Weir’s Jim Carrey vehicle “The Truman Show” came just as reality TV was overtaking the airwaves and invading our living rooms — and as such was almost prescient in its depiction of a man...

FSFD010 – The Truman Show: Profound Allegory or Pointless Silly Story?

PI is a 1998 indie film starring Sean Gillette, Mark Margolis and Ben Shenkman, and directed by Darren Aronofsky. Made for a mere $30,000 5 years after Aronofsky graduated film school, it unexpectedly explored ideas...

FSFD009 – Does Pi (1998) Pack a Punch for Pops or is it a Piss-Poor Piece of Poop?

The Matrix is about as genre defining as film gets. It broke box office records, captured a generation and became a symbol for awakening to spiritual gurus and conspiracy theorists alike. But do the allegorical...

FSFD008 – The Matrix: Allegorical Warning or I Can Hear Dad Snoring?

Welcome to our special Father’s Day episode of Film School for Dad! Coco is a 2017 Disney Pixar film starring Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Alana Ubach and a whole bunch of other people with...

FSFD007 – Coco: Nonsense for Toddlers or Serious Noggin Fodder?

8 Mile is a 2002 musical drama directed by Curtis Hanson and starring Marshal Mathers (Eminem), Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer and Britanny Murphy (RIP). While telling the story of a character that closely parallels Eminem’s...

FSFD006 – 8 Mile: Cultural Edification or Rap Crap Irritation?

Jerry Maguire was a 1996 Cameron Crowe film starring Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr. When it was released, it received critical attention for showing a different side of Tom Cruise and featuring...

FSFD005 – Jerry Maguire: bound to inspire, or corny dumpster fire?

Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind is a 2004 romantic comedy collaboration between director Michel Gondry and writer Charlie Kaufman, starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. It caught the attention of critics with it’s out-of-the-box...

FSFD004 – Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind: Spot-on, son, or Eternal Mindf**k?

Back to the Future was a landmark 1980’s film for many of a certain generation. Not only did it include a dynamic sci-fi plot and cutting edge effects, it captured the tone and style of...

FSFD003 – Does Dad back a future for “Back to the Future”?

Memento launched the career of Christopher Nolan and blew the minds of audiences everywhere with its intelligent storytelling style and narrative gimmick. But even now that audiences have seen dozens of wannabe copycats, does it...

FSFD002 – Memento: Memorable for Time Immemorial?

With Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg redefined the high-budget blockbuster for a generation. But now that such awe-inspiring CGI wizardry is commonplace, does Jurassic Park stand up as an enthralling sci-fi epic for adults and children...

FSFD001 – Jurassic Park: Has it Become a Cinematic Dinosaur?

The podcast where Harv attempts to catch his Dad up on a lifetime squandered on serious, intellectual and meaningful pursuits in lieu of a solid education in popular culture and cinema.

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Film School for Dad

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