In an annual series, Every Movie Has a Lesson is going to look back twenty years to revisit, relearn, and reexamine a year of cinema history to share favorites, lists, and experiences from the films of that year. Here’s the report from 2004 (one year later than 20)!
Read MoreFor their 221st episode, two football fan critics, two sobbing dads, and two motivated teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, enjoy a little corner of football while the NFL season is chugging towards the playoffs. The two venture in the realm of a classic TV movie with Brian's Song, starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams. Both of our hosts have personal connections to the college it was filmed at, which the Chicago Bears used to call their training camp home for decades. Come learn more and stay for the mutual love and respect that fun movies encapsulate. Enjoy our podcast!
Read MoreFor their 220th episode, two bare-chested critics, two archeologist dads, and two whip-cracking teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, take an expedition back to the great cinematic and cultural milestone year of 1984 to cover the sequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Everyone involved, from filmmakers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas to the game cast of Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, and Ke Huy Quan. Come eat all the weird palace foods with us and stay for the mutual love and respect that fun movies encapsulate. Enjoy our podcast!
Read MoreFor their 219th episode, two ensign film critics, two battle-tested dads, and two admiral-ranked teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, know damn well that the needs of the many outweigh the need of the few. They put their show through their own Kobayashi Maru because disliking the 1982 classic Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a no-win situation to anyone who tries. That means our hosts passed with flying colors and put forth a great show of celebration that could regrow and podcast-listening ear like a Genesis missle.
Read MoreFor their 218th episode, two slashed film critics, two dream-trapped dads, and two meta teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, circle back a little to spooky movie season as Don finally dips his toes into Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. To bring in the first-timer, Will suggested taking a look at Wes Craven's bookends of the 1984 original and his heavily self-aware sequel, 1994's Wes Craven's New Nightmare. This gave our guys quite the slices of commentary and reaction for a bloody good episode.
Read MoreFor their 217th episode, two analytical film critics, two saber-rattling dads, and two missile-dropping teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, hop into a little bit of the simmering 2025 awards season with a hotly debated contender from Netflix. The gentlemen share a great divide for the political thriller A House of Dynamite, the latest white-knuckle film from The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow. Podcast bombs are exploding everywhere!
Read MoreFor their 216th episode, two haughty film critics, two non-painting dads, and two gold-digging teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, roar back from a short October haitus with a movie that doesn't try to shout back whatsoever. Stratching off a mutual Stanley Kubrick blind spot, the boys sat through 1975's wannabe opus Barry Lyndon and strive to discuss the thematic pull and shread of a point amid the off-the-charts craftsmanship of the respected cinematic master. There is a clear lover and hater on this one.
Read MoreFor their 215th episode, two principled film critics, two non-veteran dads, and two warrior teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, return from a short October haitus for the first of two episodes celebrating their “Best Member Podcast” nomination from the first annual Astra Awards. The film of choice is Alex Garland's electric 2025 military thriller Warfare.
Read MoreFor passionate movie enthusiasts seeking unrestricted access to global streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ Hotstar, a VPN is indispensable. VPNs tailored for movie streaming empower users to overcome geo-restrictions, ensuring access to blocked websites, while also safeguarding browsing history for heightened privacy.
Read MoreFor their 214th episode, two bumbling film critics, two clueless dads, and two coffee-passing teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, had very few movies circled on their calendar for the summer of 2025. Beyond the comic blockbusters, and even in front of them in some cases, The Naked Gun was one of them. Both hosts took to a film series rewatch this summer before indulging in the work of Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson to convince us this style of comedy wasn't lost or dead
Read MoreFor their 213th episode, two AI-fearing film critics, two hominid dads, and two bored teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, venture into the prophetic and distant science fiction of 24 years ago by way of 57 years ago. Those that can do the math can deduce they’re talking about Stanley Kubrick’s cornerstone epic 2001: A Space Odyssey. This was an egregious blindspot for Will and a contrarian hate spot for Don, who’s tried many times to embrace it
Read MoreFor their 212th episode, two mangled film critics, two serial killer dads, and two sautéed teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, venture into the smoky vapors of Ridley Scott trying to relight the victory cigar of the Oscar-winning The Silence of the Lambs. Until this summer, Will had never seen Scott’s gaudy Anthony Hopkins sequel Hannibal. Meanwhile, the slightly older Don was first in line for the intestines-spilling feats in 2001 and has the shocked and appalled reactions seared into memory
Read More
