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PODCAST

Movie Memory Machine

Grunt Work Podcasts

Movie Memory Machine is your guide to the forgotten films of the ’80s, ’90s, 2000s, and beyond.Every week, our rogue time machine drops us into a different year to revisit wide-release movies that history left behind—cult favorites, forgotten flops, and everything in between.Along the way, we uncover behind-the-scenes trivia, oddball production choices, and the cultural baggage these movies left behind.Then we decide: does this movie deserve to return to modern memory—or stay lost in time?

tv & film film history

All Episodes

142:52

War Horse (2011) | Spielberg’s Sweeping WWI Epic That...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2026/01/09

The Machine drops Truman and Landen squarely into 2011, a year when Spielberg decided the world desperately needed a World War I epic starring a horse with better instincts than most generals. Saddled with sentimentality and prestige energy, this film gives the hosts plenty to chew on as they gallop through its earnest battlefield odyssey.Synopsis War Horse is a sweeping historical drama starring Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again), Rose Narracott (Emily Watson, Breaking

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18:11

5-For: The Meteor Man (1993) | Five Films That...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2026/01/05

The Machine, still crackling with residual meteor energy, whisks Truman and Landen into a curated crash course on five films that reflect the DNA, ambitions, and cosmic oddities of The Meteor Man (1993). From DIY superheroes to VHS-era legends to comic-book icons perfected, this lineup shows every weird, heartfelt, and boundary-pushing direction the genre could have taken.The Machine’s Five Selected Films The Machine has chosen five thematically linked films that echo Meteor Man’s blend of

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35:37

Mini-Transmission: The Meteor Man (1993) | The...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2026/01/02

Truman and Landen wrap up stray thoughts, unanswered questions, and meteor-induced tangents from The Meteor Man (1993)—including the film’s galaxy of cameos, its hyper-earnest worldbuilding, and how it fits into the ’90s’ strange, pre-MCU superhero landscape. And as always, they play The Trailer Game, trying to guess which moments the marketing department thought were powerful enough to sell a community-focused superhero comedy to 1993 audiences before watching the trailer for the first time.Next

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150:01

The Meteor Man (1993) | The First Black Superhero...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/12/26

The Machine rockets Truman and Landen straight into 1993, drops a glowing meteor at their feet, and tells them to figure out how one of the decade’s most ambitious superhero comedies vanished from cultural memory. Along the way, they wade through neon-lit street gangs, sky-high optimism, and the strangely earnest worldbuilding of a film that tried to save the world with community organizing and superpowers.The Meteor Man is a family-friendly superhero comedy starring Jefferson Reed (Robert

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19:56

5-For: Marci X (2003) | Five Films That Explored...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/12/22

The Machine, clearly still amused by the cultural fallout of Marci X (2003), has curated five movies that embody the strange intersections of satire, identity, and early-2000s “what were they thinking?” energy. Truman and Landen dive into comedies that pushed boundaries, tripped over them, or sprinted through them in platform shoes.The Machine’s Five Selected Films The Machine has chosen five films that echo the wild tonal swings and culture-clash ambitions of Marci X: Pootie Tang (2001) – a

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32:38

Mini-Transmission: Marci X (2003) | When Friends...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/12/19

In this week’s mini-episode, we dive into the cringefest "Marci X." Through a lively discussion, we dissect its cultural commentary, character dynamics, and the cringe-worthy humor that permeates its narrative. Join us as we explore the layers of this film and its unexpected connections to modern pop culture.One of the podcast’s standout moments is the discussion about how "Marci X" caricatures hip-hop culture while simultaneously attempting to empower its characters. The film features a scene

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131:13

Marci X (2003) | Lisa Kudrow & Damon Wayans Teach Cringe

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/12/12

In the latest episode of Movie Memory Machine, hosts Landen Celano and Truman Capps explore the quirky and often cringe-worthy early 2000s film "Marci X." This forgotten gem, featuring a clash of cultures and a peculiar romance, offers a nostalgic look back at a time when the film industry was experimenting with edgy humor and social commentary. Join us as we unpack the film's premise, cast, and the hosts' hilarious commentary that makes this episode a must-listen.Landen and Truman introduce the

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17:07

5 For: Surviving Christmas (2004) | Money,...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/12/08

The Machine, still shaking off the glitter and contractual awkwardness of Surviving Christmas, has decided Truman and Landen need a deeper look at the cinematic lineage surrounding holiday chaos, consumerism fantasies, and dysfunctional families. This week it spits out five thematically tangled films—some cozy, some chaotic, all spiritually connected to Affleck’s attempt to purchase a perfect Christmas.These five films have been chosen by the Machine for their shared DNA of holiday mayhem,

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29:28

Mini-Transmission: Surviving Christmas (2004) | The...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/12/05

Fresh off their reluctantly festive detour into 2004, Truman and Landen return to tie up loose ends from Surviving Christmas—a film so aggressively seasonal that the Machine still smells faintly of plastic tinsel. They revisit the leftover questions, stray observations, and mid-2000s oddities that didn’t quite fit into the Main episode. And as always, they play The Trailer Game, trying to guess which chaotic assortment of Affleck faces and faux-holiday cheer the marketing team stitched together

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143:04

Surviving Christmas (2004) | Ben Affleck’s Forgotten...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/11/28

Truman and Landen are once again thrust into the time-machine, this time careening into October 22 2004 — the release date of Surviving Christmas. What happens when a lonely millionaire decides he’s so desperate for a family Christmas that he cash-offers a stranger household to play his relatives for a week? Strap in for awkward holiday hijinks, celebrity cameos, and a studio that seemingly forgot how to sell a Christmas comedy. Tune in as we ask: is this a forgotten gem of awkward charm, or a

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18:50

5 For: The Brothers Bloom (2008)

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/11/24

A tour through five films that share the cons, capers, twists, and tonal oddities that surfaced while discussing The Brothers Bloom. Truman and Landen follow where the Machine leads, comparing the quirks and energies these movies share with the main film’s con-artist DNA.What You'll Hear How all five films connect through cons, capers, farce, or twist-driven character work A wildcard one-location caper involving classical-music ruses and a suspicious widow Childhood VHS nostalgia, DVD-shelf

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31:23

Mini-Transmission: The Brothers Bloom (2008) | Rian...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/11/21

A joy-drunk Cat Stevens montage sends Truman and Landen spiraling into a conversation about silent-movie acting, fruit-stand catastrophes, and which posters for The Brothers Bloom actually make sense. This Mini-Transmission also brings the full Trailer Game breakdown—complete with explosions, vents, visors, and a surprisingly accurate set of guesses. What You'll Hear A standout riff on Cat Stevens, Prague park joy, and Adrien Brody acting through silent-film physicality The hosts’ escalating

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145:27

The Brothers Bloom (2008) | Rian Johnson's Wes...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/11/14

The Brothers Bloom (2008) sends Truman and Landen into a con-artist story that turns out to be far stranger, warmer, and twistier than they remembered. This week, the Machine drops them into a film that blends sincerity, trickery, and sibling chaos in ways that still surprise them.Rian Johnson’s The Brothers Bloom follows two lifelong con-man brothers whose latest scheme leads them into a globe-spanning adventure shaped by performance, storytelling, and the blurry line between authenticity and

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16:46

5 For: Nightmare Alley (2021)

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/11/10

Step right up for five tales of trickery, karma, and carnival deceit. From silent-era psychics to freak-show morality plays and a little Japanese horror for good measure, the Machine pulls five films that echo Nightmare Alley’s twisted sense of fate. WHAT YOU’LL HEAR Why The Prestige feels like the supernatural version of Nightmare Alley The morality play and shock of Tod Browning’s Freaks (1932) How Browning’s earlier The Mystic (1925) pre-figures Stanton Carlisle’s rise and fall The

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42:55

Mini-Transmission: Nightmare Alley (2021) | Mentalism...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/11/07

After six months of secret preparation, Landen unveils a mind-reading experiment that goes wildly off the rails. What begins as a crystal-ball séance turns into one of the strangest on-air pranks in Movie Memory Machine history.WHAT YOU’LL HEAR Landen’s elaborate attempt to “mentally program” Truman into naming a specific actor How a single Jennifer Connelly guess derails months of setup The shocking reveal of six hundred prerecorded actor names A confession, an existential crisis, and a

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135:25

Nightmare Alley (2021) – Guillermo del Toro’s Darkest...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/10/31

Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley (2021) set out to dazzle audiences with a lush film-noir vision of ambition, deceit, and carnival grit, so why did it vanish almost as quickly as it arrived? Truman Capps and Landen Celano climb into the Machine to find out how a star-studded prestige remake could be both immaculate and strangely unmemorable.A remake of the 1947 noir classic, Nightmare Alley follows con-man Stanton Carlisle as he rises from sideshow hustler to high-society psychic, weaving a

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17:24

5 For: In Dreams (1999)

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/10/27

The Machine pulls Truman and Landen back into the dream realm with five films that share In Dreams’ fascination with psychic visions, prophetic nightmares, and reality slipping sideways. From Stephen King to cryptids, remakes to cults, this is a guided tour through cinema’s strangest dreamscapes.WHAT YOU’LL HEAR The nightmare that connects Neil Jordan’s In Dreams to the Nightmare on Elm Street remake (and why both missed the mark). The moral weight of prophecy in The Dead Zone — and why

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34:06

Mini-Transmission: In Dreams (1999) - Psychic Killer...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/10/24

Annette Bening’s throwing computers, Margo Martindale’s scolding patients, and Robert Downey Jr. might be Bluetooth-paired to a printer across town. The Machine’s latest Mini-Transmission dives into the surreal dream logic of In Dreams (1999) — with plenty of scuba, psychic sync-ups, and badly rendered CGI fish.WHAT YOU’LL HEAR Truman’s confession: he just wants Margo Martindale to yell at him (and Landen’s real-life brush with her politeness). The mystery of In Dreams’ CGI fish — and why no

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139:29

In Dreams (1999) – Robert Downey Jr. in a Fairy Tale...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/10/17

In Dreams (1999) is a psychological thriller that opens in a fairy tale and ends in a flood of glass, apples, and psychic bleed-through. Directed by Neil Jordan and starring Annette Bening, this dark fantasia tried to rewire genre expectations, and nearly drowned in the process.In Dreams is a 1999 psychological thriller where a New England illustrator begins having vivid, terrifying visions of a serial killer only to discover those dreams might be real. Directed by Neil Jordan and starring Annette

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19:25

5 For: The Skeleton Key (2005) – Body Swaps,...

Movie Memory Machine ·

2025/10/13

What happens when the Machine pulls five films bound by voodoo, hypnosis, and the horror of losing yourself?In this “5 For” episode, Landen and Truman unlock the eerie lineage that connects The Skeleton Key to haunted consciousness and body-swapping mayhem. WHAT YOU’LL HEAR How I Walked with a Zombie (1943) shaped modern horror, colonial guilt, and the invention of the jump scare The Others (2001) as gothic melancholy and family tragedy in disguise Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017) reimagining

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134 results

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