Best Timemachine Podcasts (2025)

1
Mel Gibson’s Scotland, Ben Stiller’s Africa, and The Rock Punches an Earthquake 2:27:32

Play Pause

14h ago2:27:32

2:27:32

May 23-29: Keanu’s a human hard drive, Tales from the Hood, a friendly ghost, Dr. Katz can see you now, Adam Sandler plays football (again), Lost opens the hatch, Bradley Cooper says Aloha, and Tom Cruise couch jumps. All that and more from 30, 20, and 10 years ago.

1
Acteurist Oeuvre-view – Gloria Grahame – Part 3: SONG OF THE THIN MAN (1947) and MERTON OF THE MOVIES (1947) 42:59

3d ago42:59

42:59

In this Gloria Grahame Acteurist Oeuvre-view episode we get to see more of what MGM was (not) doing with our acteur's career. Underused in Song of the Thin Man (1947), in which she brings the only real noir energy to the final Thin Man film, she gets a similarly brief but memorable role in the Red Skelton vehicle Merton of the Movies (1947), playin…

1
Star Wars 3, Die Hard 3, and Mad Men Buys You a Coke 3:05:46

5d ago3:05:46

3:05:46

May 16-22: Mr. Burns gets shot, French weirdness, Billy Crystal plays basketball, The Critic cancelation stinks, another Exorcist prequel, CSI is buried alive, Raymond’s love lost, George Clooney tries to make the future better, and Top 10 reasons we miss David Letterman. All that and more from 30, 20, and 10 years ago.…

1
Denzel and Hackman Roll Tide, Jane Fonda vs JLo, and Mad Max’s Lovely Day 2:10:27

9d ago2:10:27

2:10:27

May 9-15: Hugh Grant goes up a hill, another talking pig, Stephen King’s worst, Sega’s big fail, Jet Li is unleashed, Will Ferrell kicks it, Enterprise is scuttled, the Bellas are back, it was Agatha Christie all along, W’s close call, and we finally see Shelbyville. All that and more from 30, 20, and 10 years ago!…

1
Hollywood Studios Year-by-Year – Warner Brothers - 1931: NIGHT NURSE & BLONDE CRAZY 53:49

10d ago53:49

53:49

This round of Warner Bros. 1931 brings us two gems by a couple of Pre-Code masters, Roy Del Ruth's Blonde Crazy and William A. Wellman's Night Nurse, showing off the early star charisma of Jimmy Cagney (oozing vulnerability) and Barbara Stanwyck (spitting fire), ably supported by Joan Blondell in both cases. Bonus: Young Clark Gable shows up for an…

1
Kevin Kline Frenches Meg Ryan, Legolas Gets Heavely and Reese Witherspoon is in Hot Pursuit 1:45:03

13d ago1:45:03

1:45:03

May 2-8: Matlock rests his case, Jurassic Park crushes TV, Jimmy Smits is family, Leroy Jenkins is the hero we deserve, Paris Hilton dies, Gwen Stefani is bananas, Arnold’s best acting, and 2/3rds of 9 to 5 comes to Netflix. All that and more from 30, 20, and 10 years ago!

1
Ice Cube’s Chillin’, the Answer is 42, and Ultron Has Aged 2:38:09

17d ago2:38:09

2:38:09

April 25-May 1: Evil blond kids, Tarantino loves Top Gun, Chuck Norris gets a dog, Danny Boyle makes millions, Sealab explodes for the last time, hitchhiking the galaxy, fusilli Jerry, and Family Guy’s triumphant return. All that and more from 30, 20, and 10 years ago!

1
Acteurist Oeuvre-view – Gloria Grahame – Part 2: IT HAPPENED IN BROOKLYN (1947) and CROSSFIRE (1947) 50:38

17d ago50:38

50:38

Our second Gloria Grahame Acteur-Oeuvre-view episode includes a curious under-use of our acteur in the all-around baffling musical comedy It Happened in Brooklyn (nevertheless memorable for the chemistry between Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Durante), and a judicious use of her by RKO in Edward Dmytryk's anti-fascist noir Crossfire (also 1947). We try to…

1
Sandra Bullock Awakens, Kung Fu Hustles and Age of Blake Lively 2:07:04

21d ago2:07:04

2:07:04

April 18-24: Leo plays basketball, David Caruso gets the kiss of death, Sandra Bullock becomes a star, Psychonauts go forth, Father Ted deserves better than its creator, there’s a new pope (again), Nicole Kidman interprets, the Enterprise has a goatee, everyone’s mad at Turkey, Michael Scott dribbles and domestic terrorists are jerks. All that and …

1
Stuart Saves His Family, Amityville Horror, Paul Blart 2: Thirty Twenty Ten - Apr 11-17 2:44:32

24d ago2:44:32

2:44:32

Kids in the Hall and Justified conclude (for the first time), Pan Anderson's sitcom, multiple Mortal Kombats, and Pauly Shore's last stand. All that and more from 30, 20, and 10 years ago! https://www.patreon.com/c/lasertime

1
Hollywood Studios Year-by-Year – MGM – 1931: THE EASIEST WAY & THE CHAMP 1:09:45

24d ago1:09:45

1:09:45

For this MGM 1931 episode we watched The Easiest Way, a feminist subversion of melodrama tropes by director Jack Conway and screenwriter Edith Ellis, starring Constance Bennett as the fallen woman and a young Clark Gable, verging on stardom, as her judgemental brother-in-law; and possibly the most sentimental movie ever made, King Vidor's The Champ…

1
Special Subject - Farrow vs. Allen – Part 3: SEPTEMBER (1987); ANOTHER WOMAN (1988) NEW YORK STORIES (1989) & CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (1989) 1:32:39

1M ago1:32:39

1:32:39

Our Farrow v Allen series continues with four more collaborations: September (1987), Another Woman (1988), Oedipus Wrecks (1989, part of the anthology movie New York Stories), and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). We count the ways in which Allen mashes up his favourite playwrights, filmmakers, and Russian novelists, trace the development of Allen's …

1
Acteurist Oeuvre-view – Gloria Grahame – Part 1: BLONDE FEVER (1944) and IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) 1:11:56

1M ago1:11:56

1:11:56

Welcome to our inaugural Gloria Grahame episode, which is also our final Acteurist Oeuvre-view! In this episode we consider Gloria's first significant movie role, as the cause of Blonde Fever (1944), in which she and Philip Dorn confuse each other and provide occasion for Mary Astor's multiple levels of irony. We then turn to Gloria's breakthrough …

1
Hollywood Studios Year-by-Year – Paramount – 1931: 24 HOURS and LADIES OF THE BIG HOUSE 1:10:15

2M ago1:10:15

1:10:15

Our streak of finding gynocentric crime film gems continues with our second Paramount 1931 episode, featuring two movies directed by Sylvia Sidney specialist Marion Gering. 24 Hours pairs a despairing Clive Brook and Miriam Hopkins, haunted by marriages they can't escape in one way or another. And Ladies of the Big House, starring a radiant Sidney …

1
A Goofy Movie, Bad Boys, Ex Machina: Thirty Twenty Ten - Apr 4-10 3:03:46

2M ago3:03:46

3:03:46

Goofy gets A Movie (title TBA), the BEST EVER Jimmy Fallon movie, a modern sc-fi classic, one of The Simpsons best musical moments, one of Hollywood's biggest disasters of the entire 2000s, MTV's greatest animated feat, and Game of Thrones saves streaming. All this and more 30, 20 and 10 years ago! https://www.patreon.com/c/lasertime…

1
Tommy Boy, Sin City, Furious 7: Thirty Twenty Ten - Mar 28-Apr3 2:55:24

2M ago2:55:24

2:55:24

Robert Rodrigieuz most faithful comic adaptation, Michael Scott at his absolute worst, Fast and the Furious' greatest interquel concludes, and sadly, Chris Farley's greatest work ever. All that and more this week, 30, 20 and 10 years ago! https://www.patreon.com/c/lasertime

1
Acteurist Oeuvre-view - Diana Wynyard – Part 7:AN IDEAL HUSBAND (1947) and THE FEMININE TOUCH (1956) 1:23:20

2M ago1:23:20

1:23:20

Our final Diana Wynyard episode has arrived all too soon! We look at her two final key roles, in Alexander Korda's film of Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband (1947) and The Feminine Touch (1956), a nurse drama that's better than its silly title. And in Fear and Moviegoing in Toronto, we cover the 2025 Toronto Silent Film Festival, focusing on three fil…

1
Major Payne, The Office, Get Hard: Thirty Twenty Ten Mar 21-27 2:48:10

2M ago2:48:10

2:48:10

The American Office debuts, as does Sliders. Kathy Bates gets a psuedo Stephen King sequel, Damon Wayans channels Charleton Heston, Kevin Hart hardens Will Ferrell, Fox slides some an underdog sci-fi classic onto network TV, a forgotten CG movie, and ERMEGERD BLURDBURNE! https://www.patreon.com/c/lasertime…

1
Retro Re-issue [August 23, 2019] - Ethan Mordden’s The Hollywood Studios (1989) - Now With No Introductory Song! 2:44:46

2M ago2:44:46

2:44:46

**** [Retro Re-issue Alert!] **** Turns out it wasn't such a great idea to use Le Tigre's "What's Yr Take on Cassavetes?" as our podcast's theme song in 2019 and 2020! Anyway, Spotify (and presumably Le Tigre) don't seem to think so. Accordingly, please find the attached re-issue of one of our foundational episodes, minus the intro music + a couple…

1
Special Subject - Farrow vs. Allen – Part 2: THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO (1985); HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986) & RADIO DAYS (1987) 1:09:27

2M ago1:09:27

1:09:27

In this Farrow vs. Allen Special Subject episode we dig into a strong set of films, The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), and Radio Days (1987), united by their examination of art, popular culture, and fantasy, the possibilities they offer for transcendence, and the conditions of that transcendence. We also, of course, par…

1
Hollywood Studios Year-by-Year – Universal – 1930: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT & OUTSIDE THE LAW 1:17:19

2M ago1:17:19

1:17:19

We complete our second round of 1930 on Studios Year by Year with Universal. This time around we've got two auteur entries, Lewis Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front, and a much deeper cut, Tod Browning's eccentric crime drama Outside the Law. We discuss All Quiet as emblematic of the Laemmele Jr. era before turning to Browning's tense, mess…

1
Candyman 2, The Ring Two and Divergent 2: Thirty Twenty Two - Mar14-20 2:18:58

2M ago2:18:58

2:18:58

Candyman, The Ring and Divergent get sequels, The Simpsons head to the future, Glee takes a bow, and Community heads into its pre-movie final season! https://www.patreon.com/c/lasertime

1
Acteurist Oeuvre-view - Diana Wynyard – Part 6: THE PRIME MINISTER (1941) and KIPPS (1941) 1:25:01

2M ago1:25:01

1:25:01

In our penultimate Diana Wynyard Acteurist Oeuvre-view episode, our acteur supports two of the greats of her age, John Gielgud as Benjamin Disraeli in Thorold Dickinson's The Prime Minister and Michael Redgrave as the titular innocent of Carol Reed's Kipps, based on the novel by H.G. Wells. We discuss 19th century British politics (enfranchisement …

1
Dustin Hoffman gets Sick, Robin Williams is a Robot Again, and a Modern Horror Classic 2:09:28

3M ago2:09:28

2:09:28

March 7-13: That movie you watched in 2020, Siskel and Ebert give The Critic thumbs down, Wonder Shozen confuses kids, one of the best episodes of ER, Bruce Willis and Liam Neeson are adequate, Adam Sandler and his stupid shoes, the forgotten live-action Disney and slow horror. All that and more from 30, 20, and 10 years ago!…

1
Get Shorty 2 (official), Short Circuit 3 (unofficial) and Kimmy Schmidt premieres: Thirty Twenty Ten - Feb 28-March 6 2:44:54

3M ago2:44:54

2:44:54

Jay Sherman comes to Springfield, Netflix's best comedy debuts, Chappie drops the ball, John Travolta is so cool he's cold, a wonderfully enjoyable Stephen King adaptation, and Vin Diesel makes his requisite kids family film. Support us: https://www.patreon.com/c/lasertime

1
Hollywood Studios Year-by-Year – RKO – 1930: FRAMED & THE RUNAWAY BRIDE 1:07:54

3M ago1:07:54

1:07:54

In this week's RKO Studios Year by Year episode, we discuss our favourite movies from our first round with the studio and how that round shaped our impression of RKO, and then turn to two new 1930 movies: Framed (directed by George Archainbaud), a gangster movie focused on Evelyn Brent's tough/tender mixed-up moll, and The Runaway Bride (directed b…

1
Special Subject – Stanning for Anna Sten: NANA (1934), WE LIVE AGAIN (1934), THE WEDDING NIGHT (1935), & LET’S LIVE A LITTLE (1948) 1:57:37

3M ago1:57:37

1:57:37

We've got a big one for you this week: four main movies plus four Fear and Moviegoing viewings. Our main feature is Stanning for Sten: Anna Sten's three movies for Samuel Goldwyn, Nana (1934), based on (more like inspired by) the Zola novel, We Live Again (1934), with a Tolstoy source, and The Wedding Night (1935), plus a glimpse at one of her late…

1
Avatar, Madea, and the end of Parks and Rec: Thirty Twenty Ten - Feb21-27 2:12:01

3M ago2:12:01

2:12:01

The other famous Avatar, Frasier's retcon, Tyler Perry makes it happen, one of the best made-for-TV movies ever made, Wes Craven's most Cursed movie, and the Pawnee Parks Dept wraps it up! https://www.patreon.com/c/lasertime

1
Acteurist Oeuvre-view - Diana Wynyard – Part 5: GASLIGHT (1940) and FREEDOM RADIO (1940) 1:10:12

3M ago1:10:12

1:10:12

In this Diana Wynyard Acteurist Oeuvre-view episode, we look at probably her best-known film, Gaslight (directed by Thorold Dickinson), and consider its pros and cons relative to the Cukor/Selznick Hollywood version of a few years later, as well as the question of how "gaslighting" became an internet meme and how well the source fits the popular me…

1
Brady Bunch Movie, Constantine, the Dawn of YouTube: Thirty Twenty Ten - Feb14-20 3:09:26

3M ago3:09:26

3:09:26

Adult Swim's longest running show, a very meta Brady movie, Keanu Reeves forgotten superhero movie, and Cartoon Network's wonderful public pilot program! All that and more 30, 20 and 10 years ago! https://www.patreon.com/c/lasertime

1
Hollywood Studios Year-by-Year – Fox Film Corporation – 1930: CITY GIRL and JUST IMAGINE 1:10:21

3M ago1:10:21

1:10:21

The first episode of our second Studios Year by Year round with Fox, the "Rube" according to Ethan Mordden, is a real ridiculous/sublime contrast: the sci-fi musical comedy Just Imagine (directed by David Butler), a vehicle for vaudevillian El Brendel, in whom Dave may have found his comedy bête noir; and the F. W. Murnau masterpiece City Girl, whi…

1
Acteurist Oeuvre-view - Diana Wynyard – Part 4: ONE MORE RIVER (1934) and ON THE NIGHT OF THE FIRE (1940) 1:24:16

4M ago1:24:16

1:24:16

In this Diana Wynyard Acteurist Oeuvre-view episode we finally come to the source, James Whale's One More River (1934), the movie that inspired Dave to schedule this series, and don't worry, we still think it's a masterpiece. We recap how we've watched the Wynyard onscreen persona evolve and how Whale's new context for it gives it an unforgettable …

1
Billy Madison, Hitch, Fifty Shades of Grey: Thirty Twenty Ten - Feb 7-13 2:52:09

4M ago2:52:09

2:52:09

Will Smith get's Hitched, Breaking Saul, Dawn of the Sandman, sexy sex on the bigscreen, Sam Raimi's forgotten western, the best comic book movie with no comic book and MOAR POOH! All that and more, this week 30, 20, and 10 years ago. https://www.patreon.com/c/lasertime

1
Hollywood Studios Year-by-Year – Warner Brothers – 1930: A NOTORIOUS AFFAIR & THE DOORWAY TO HELL 1:08:44

4M ago1:08:44

1:08:44

For the first episode of our second round of Warner Brothers 1930, we've got a thoughtful, ambitious gangster movie from the mind of little-known auteur Rowland Brown, The Doorway to Hell (directed by Archie Mayo), and a truly dismal melodrama, A Notorious Affair (directed by Lloyd Bacon), rescued from total worthlessness by Kay Francis's turn as a…