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PODCAST

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr.

Blending pop culture with personal storytelling, Close Watch gives host Robert Yaniz Jr. the chance to get to know guests through the movies they love. From emotional favorites like Field of Dreams and The Crow to beloved cult hits like The Wicker Man, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and The Big Lebowski, each episode offers a thoughtful deep dive discussion into how films both shape who we are and reflect who we’ve become.

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

49:54

'Enter the Dragon' (featuring Robert Dean)

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/11/25

Nowadays, martial arts feel like a distinct part of the fabric of Hollywood action movies. But that wasn't always the case. In fact, if not for Bruce Lee and his iconic 1973 hit Enter the Dragon, the state of the entertainment industry might look a whole lot different. Robert Dean joins the show to take a look at how Enter the Dragon has held up since its release. We'll discuss how influential the movie has proven to be, how it captures Lee's own personal philosophy, and whether it would have

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01:30:16

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1'...

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/11/25

2020 is nearing a close. And with it, the Crooked Table Podcast is almost finished with its ill-timed deep dive into the Harry Potter franchise. In 2010's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, the stakes have never been higher. We knew a fresh perspective was required to deliver the exciting, frank conversation this series of episodes needs. And so Lyndsey Cole joins the show to break down whether this penultimate Harry Potter adventure achieves the epic scope it aims for. We'll

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01:10:09

'Salt of the Earth' (featuring Rosa Parra)

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/11/25

When the podcast relaunched in December 2018, it did so with the goal of bringing new voices -- and therefore a wide range of movies -- to the forefront. That's certainly the case with this episode, which highlights the unjustly forgotten 1954 release Salt of the Earth. The movie has since fallen into the public domain and is available to watch on YouTube. Rosa Parra of Latinx Lens joins the show to discuss why Salt of the Earth is such a vital part of cinema history. We'll discuss how the

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01:37:22

'Singin' in the Rain' (featuring Ryan McQuade)

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/11/10

Even though we just covered Hamilton in our first-ever Crooked Roundtable, we're not quite ready to move on from musicals just yet. So this episode, we're discussing one of the most beloved big-screen musicals of all time: 1952's Singin' in the Rain starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. Ryan McQuade returns to the show to help us break down why Singin' in the Rain is such a joyous and unforgettable experience. We'll discuss the behind-the-scenes drama, how the film comments on

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'Singin' in the Rain' (featuring Ryan McQuade)

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/11/10

Even though we just covered Hamilton in our first-ever Crooked Roundtable, we're not quite ready to move on from musicals just yet. So this episode, we're discussing one of the most beloved big-screen musicals of all time: 1952's Singin' in the Rain starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. Ryan McQuade returns to the show to help us break down why Singin' in the Rain is such a joyous and unforgettable experience. We'll discuss the behind-the-scenes drama, how the film comments

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02:22:18

'Hamilton' (Crooked Roundtable #1)

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/11/02

We were willing to wait for it. Now the time has finally come to cover the Disney+ release of Hamilton. But how best to commemorate the "ten-dollar Founding Father without a father"? Surely, with the pop cultural impact of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony-winning musical, we wouldn't be satisfied with just another regular episode. Instead, we assembled a panel of epic Hamilfans to blow our listeners away. In our first-ever Crooked Roundtable discussion, Michael Hinman, Candace Kaw, Mandy Lake,

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01:07:06

'Saw' (featuring Lucy Buglass)

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/10/27

It's the most terror-filled time of the year. This episode, we're taking a look at one of the most influential horror films of the 2000s: James Wan's 2004 release Saw. In addition to seven (soon-to-be eight) sequels, the film kickstarted Wan's directing career long before Insidious, The Conjuring, Furious 7, and Aquaman. But is Saw just a disposable bit of "torture porn" like so many of its imitators? Lucy Buglass joins the show to help us tear into that very question. We'll discuss how Saw serves

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01:50:57

'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' (featuring...

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/10/20

The end is drawing nearer as our ill-timed Harry Potter series trudges ahead. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince may opt for love-potion hijinks over grim flashbacks. But the movie still gives audiences a delightful turn by Oscar winner Jim Broadbent, potions galore, and a taste of the Harry-Dumbledore buddy movie we could have gotten instead. Kai Yaniz returns to the show after reading the books for the first time just a year ago. And she has some thoughts on how director David Yates adapts

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01:25:44

'Equilibrium' (featuring Jon Cohorn)

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/10/13

Christian Bale might have played the Dark Knight for director Christopher Nolan. But his real superpower as an actor is his ability to play cold, emotionally detached characters such as American Psycho's Patrick Bateman. And building off of that iconic performance, Equilibrium thrusts Bale full-on into dystopian sci-fi. But, y'know, with "gunkata." Returning guest Jon Cohorn previously brought the gun-toting martial arts of John Wick and the underrated sci-fi of Event Horizon to the Table. Now he

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01:18:50

'Darkman' (featuring Kevin Smith)

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/10/09

Long before Liam Neeson let the world know about his "very particular set of skills," he was Darkman. The cult classic from director Sam Raimi even predates Neeson's Star Wars and Batman Begins days. Yet, in many ways, it feels like it belongs to the initial comic book movie boom of the early 2000s. Kevin Smith joins the show to discuss why Darkman is such a well-kept secret, how it's a critical turning point for Raimi's career, and why Hollywood should dust off the franchise. We'll also

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01:40:21

'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'...

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/10/01

The real-life political climate bleeds into the Wizarding World this week. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is very much a political commentary. So guest Amy Otero and I did our very best to stay focused on the movie at hand. As it turned out, neither of us realized just how relevant director David Yates' first Harry Potter movie would be. If Year Four represents Harry's loss of innocence, then this next film sees the boy wizard and his friend brave the dark and complex real world

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01:12:18

'Starman' (featuring JC Screen Fix)

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/09/23

What comes to mind when you think of John Carpenter? Most people probably go straight to classic horror films like Halloween or The Thing. Or perhaps cult sci-fi thrillers such as Escape from New York and They Live. The point is, we're willing to bet few would think Carpenter had a romantic sci-fi drama in him. And yet Starman exists. Starring Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen -- who we just covered in our Raiders of the Lost Ark episode -- the 1984 release barely broke even at the box office. Yet, it

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01:28:24

'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and the Indiana Jones...

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/09/16

After spending all of 2019 covering the Star Wars saga, we finally crack the whip on George Lucas' other beloved creation finally. Together with director Steven Spielberg and star Harrison Ford, Lucas created one of cinema's most iconic action heroes in Indiana Jones. That's right. This episode, it's all Raiders of the Lost Ark. Craig Price of Matinee Heroes joins the show to discuss that 1981 adventure film. And along the way, we'll discuss just about everything else about the Indiana Jones

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01:38:12

'Back to the Future' Trilogy (featuring Vanessa Taylor)

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/09/09

Great Scott! It's time for the Crooked Table Podcast to go Back to the Future! We don't need money, fame, or even a flux capacitor to travel through the space-time continuum to discuss this classic. In fact, while we have the Delorean all fired up at 88mph, we'll even look back at director Robert Zemeckis' entire trilogy. Vanessa Taylor from The Geeky Waffle helps us tackle the original 1985 sci-fi comedy that introduced audiences to Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd)

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01:08:13

'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure' and 'Bogus...

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/09/01

After nearly three decades away from their breakthrough roles, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter return for Bill and Ted Face the Music. Having previously covered Reeves' The Matrix and John Wick, there's no way we were going to pass up this most triumphant opportunity to pull off a Keanu hat trick. With the help of Chris Scalzo of The First Run podcast, we travel all the way back to 1989 to discuss Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Then, before heading out of the Circuits of Time, we stop off at

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01:28:50

'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' (featuring...

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/08/26

It's that time again as we charge through Platform 9 and 3/4 for another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This month, we're taking a look at the fourth entry in the Harry Potter series, 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. As fans know, this is the entry where the stakes really kick into gear, propelling towards the inevitable conclusion. So to help us break down the pivotal installment of Harry's story, original Crooked Table Podcast co-host Freddy Yaniz joins us. We'll

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01:22:31

'Machete' and 'Machete Kills' (featuring Sandro Falce)

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/08/19

After decades in the industry, Danny Trejo finally landed his first leading role in 2010. Directed by longtime Trejo collaborator Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis, the wild action movie served as the culmination of Trejo's career up to that point. And they called it Machete. Based on a fake trailer Rodriguez directed for Grindhouse -- his 2007 double feature with Quentin Tarantino -- Machete leans into exploitation and politically incorrectness with reckless abandon. And the film's effort in

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01:41:17

'Phantom Thread' (featuring Ryan McQuade)

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/08/11

Many critics consider Paul Thomas Anderson one of the greatest living American auteurs. And with 2007's There Will Be Blood, Anderson proved he and Daniel Day-Lewis complement each other's distinctive skill sets. At least for some moviegoers. After all, Anderson's films aren't exactly mainstream crowd-pleasers. Enter 2017's Phantom Thread. A full decade after their first collaboration, Anderson and Day-Lewis reunited to tell the story of a meticulous dressmaker and the woman who changes his life

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01:47:48

Nobody Drink the Beer! The Beer Has Gone Bad!...

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/08/08

Over the years, Kai Yaniz has endured Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Room, and -- most infamously -- Cats. Now Rob finally makes time for our long-awaited Crooked Commentary of Can't Hardly Wait. The 1998 teen comedy was written and directed by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan. And it also happens to be the perfect encapsulation of the late 1990s. Join Kai, Rob, and an ensemble cast of up-and-coming young actors for one wild and crazy night. It's Can't Hardly Wait! SYNOPSIS School's out, and

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01:12:07

'Ball of Fire' (featuring Lori London)

Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. ·

2020/07/28

Last year, author and vocalist Lori London brought 1945's Christmas in Connecticut to the Table. Now she's back with another Barbara Stanwyck comedy, 1941's Ball of Fire. Featuring an Oscar-nominated lead performance and a screenplay co-written by Billy Wilder, director Howard Hawks' movie deserves to be rediscovered. Join Lori and I as we discuss how Ball of Fire captures the power of words, why Stanwyck is the perfect choice for the lead role, and how it holds up nearly 80 years after its

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227 results

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