Message Dan and Mike

Halloween Fest rolls on, and this week we're taking on the zombie apocalypse with World War Z, the 2013 blockbuster starring Brad Pitt and directed by Marc Forster. After kicking things off with Curry Barker's Obsession, we're keeping the Halloween Fest tradition going with our yearly zombie pick, following Shaun of the Dead and Night of the Living Dead. We start by setting the record straight on the online reaction to our Obsession clip, then dive into a movie we both enjoyed far more than we expected.

World War Z has one of the messiest production stories we've ever covered. Damon Lindelof was brought in to rewrite the third act, a planned Russian finale was reworked, and Matthew Fox's role was cut down to almost nothing. We also get into the reported tension between Forster and Pitt, and the bidding war that landed the film at Plan B. We talk about how little of Max Brooks' novel, the oral history of the zombie wars, made it to the screen, and what we make of the fact that Brooks ended up enjoying the film anyway.

Then we get to the movie itself. We break down the nonstop action that kicks in just minutes after the opening, the practical stunts and car crashes, the contortionists behind the zombie movement, and that wall-climbing sequence in Jerusalem. We also talk about the Tenth Man doctrine, the camouflage idea that saves the day, and the creepy Peter Capaldi scene in the WHO lab. Watching it post-COVID, the pandemic parallels land very differently than they did in 2013.

We also dig into the surprisingly low IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes scores, how the film grossed over $500 million, the sequel news, the theatrical cut versus the unrated cut, and where Brad Pitt sits among the great movie stars. Plus, Dan's recommendation if you want another intense zombie ride: Train to Busan.

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a rating and review wherever you listen, and catch the full video on our YouTube channel. There's plenty more Halloween Fest to come.

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Message Dan and Mike

Halloween Fest kicks off with Obsession, the 2026 horror breakout that has grossed over $500 million worldwide on a budget under a million dollars. We dig into how Curry Barker went from YouTube shorts to one of the biggest horror hits of all time, and whether the movie lives up to the hype.

Curry and his comedy partner Cooper Tomlinson built a huge audience with their YouTube channel, That's a Bad Idea. A short film called The Chair got a producer's attention, Curry pitched the script he was already writing, and the project went on to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Focus Features landed it in a bidding war. We talk about the marketing too, including the One Wish Willow, the prop at the center of the story that fans could actually buy. We also break down the film's unusual box-office run, which kept growing in weeks three and four instead of falling off.

Then there's the movie itself, and we don't fully agree. I'm a slasher fan and wanted more jump scares, while Mike leans toward psychological thrillers and was hooked for the first hour. We get into the tension-without-payoff approach, the over-the-top performance of the obsessed love interest, the moments that got laughs in theaters, and the dark, all-indoors look. We also share what we picked up from the commentary and featurette, including the Unreal Engine storyboarding, the Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror II" inspiration, and the breakaway glass shot that nearly didn't happen.

Along the way, Mike shares stories from his days as a haunted attraction actor in Orlando, we talk about Rocky and the value of taking risks, and we look at where Obsession ranks among the highest-grossing horror films ever.

If you enjoy the show, follow us wherever you listen and leave a rating or review. It helps more people find us. You can also watch the video version on our YouTube channel. More horror is coming all through Halloween Fest.

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Message Dan and Mike

Dan finally crosses a massive blind spot off his list in this Classic Films Dan Hasn't Seen Yet deep dive: Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, seen here as The Whole Bloody Affair, the rare combined cut stitching Volumes One and Two into the single epic Tarantino always intended. We dig into why it took over two decades to get this version cleared for release, the rights battle that held it up, and the extended anime sequence and restored footage that separate it from the theatrical cuts.

Mike breaks down the film's mountain of homages to 1970s kung fu and Japanese cinema, the casting history that almost gave us Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Kurt Russell, or Mickey Rourke as Bill (and why Kevin Costner turning it down worked out great for Open Range fans), and the wild behind-the-scenes trivia, including Uma Thurman's injured stunt double who hid it to avoid getting cut from the film, and the real sword-and-baseball stunt that wasn't a visual effect at all.

We talk Robert Richardson's cinematography, the late Sally Menke's editing, the RZA and Robert Rodriguez score, and Sonny Chiba's legendary dual role. Dan and Mike also get into the writing itself, arguing Tarantino's screenwriting doesn't get enough credit next to his directing, and land on the same verdict: this is an epic on the level of The Godfather, and an absolute must-see.

Plus, a shoutout to The Church of Tarantino podcast, and a first look at what's coming for Halloween Fest on the Oh Brother Podcast.

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Message Dan and Mike

We're back with another streaming deep dive, and this time we're tackling The Runner, the Amazon Prime thriller starring Gal Gadot that dropped to the top of the charts on September 2nd. The premise sounds promising on paper: a lawyer out for a jog gets a phone call informing her that her son is being held hostage, and the only way to save him is to carry out a series of increasingly dangerous tasks dictated by a mysterious caller, played by Damian Lewis. Unfortunately, a strong hook doesn't save this one from falling apart almost immediately.

We dig into why this film never gets off the ground, what it says about the current state of direct-to-streaming releases, and why Rotten Tomatoes and the ratings back up every complaint we have. We also spend some time on Gal Gadot's career arc — from Fast & Furious to Batman v Superman to Wonder Woman superstardom, and how she ended up here less than a decade after commanding eight-figure paydays. We speculate on what happened with her DCU exit and whether that's connected to where she's landed today.

Plus, we touch on last night's Emmy wins, tease our upcoming Halloween Fest lineup, and get into what's got us excited for the horror season ahead.

As always, we're not here to sugarcoat it — if you've got Prime and you're tempted by the "#1 movie" banner, we're telling you to save your hour and twenty-five minutes. Like and subscribe on YouTube, follow us on Instagram, and let us know what you think.

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We're back in a brand new studio (still under construction, but functional) to talk about Mayday, the straight-to-Apple TV+ action comedy from Maximum Effort, Ryan Reynolds' production company. Directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein set the film in 1987 during the Cold War, with Reynolds playing a Navy pilot shot down over enemy territory and rescued by an ex-KGB agent played by a nearly unrecognizable Kenneth Branagh. We dig into why this film sat on the shelf since wrapping in 2024, whether it was ever meant for theaters, and how it leans hard into its 80s setting, right down to a running Bruce Springsteen needle drop we'd never heard used in a movie before.

We also break down where the film loses us. It opens strong with a genuinely dramatic Behind Enemy Lines-style setup, then pivots into familiar Ryan Reynolds/Deadpool-style comedy that never fully commits to being either an action movie or a buddy comedy. We talk about the missed opportunity in Reynolds' relationship with his father (played by David Morris), tied to a Navy asbestos storyline that hits close to home for us personally, and how Branagh's KGB agent turns into a surprisingly John Wick-coded action hero, beard, stunt doubles, and all.

Plus, we catch up after missing a week for maybe the first time in six years, talk about our move into the new podcast space, and share what we're watching, including The Audacity on Netflix, a Tires rewatch, and The Pit.

Is Mayday worth your time? We land somewhere between "if you're bored" and "cautionary recommendation." Listen to find out where we land and why.

Follow us on Instagram and YouTube @ohbpodcast, and find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, and wherever you listen.

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Glengarry Glen Ross turns 34 this year, and we're finally giving David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize-winning play its due on the show. James Foley's 1992 film adaptation brings together an absolutely stacked cast — Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, and Alan Arkin — for the story of four desperate real estate salesmen pitted against each other in a brutal sales contest. We dig into how this film actually came together, including the fascinating parallel between Pacino championing this project the same way Sean Penn championed Foley's At Close Range, and how Pacino personally scouted Kevin Spacey on Broadway for the role of Williamson. We also talk through the casting history of Shelley "The Machine" Levene, a role that nearly went in a very different direction before Jack Lemmon delivered one of the great performances of his career.

We get into why the film's most famous scene — the one everyone quotes — wasn't even in Mamet's original play, and why we think the "sales" angle is honestly the least interesting theme once you dig into what this movie is really about. We also trace the play's legacy through its Broadway revivals, from Joe Mantegna's original Tony-winning run as Ricky Roma, through the 2015 revival that brought Pacino back to the stage alongside Bobby Cannavale, all the way to 2025's star-studded cast.

Before we get into the film, we open with a story about a very ill-fated car-buying negotiation involving a local salesman, and we close things out with a confession about how we got worked over by a couple of very skilled salesmen on the streets of San Diego during Comic-Con. Fair warning: this one earns its language warning, but we'd argue it's essential viewing regardless. If you take one recommendation from us all year, make it this one.

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We're reviewing Netflix's The Last House, the sci-fi horror thriller starring Greta Lee and Wagner Moura as parents whose family gets mysteriously sealed inside their home with no way out. The premise is strong and the first act hooks us immediately, but a jarring five-year time jump sends the story spiraling into some of the weakest, most unsatisfying territory we've covered on the show. We dig into the film's abandoned plot threads, its unconvincing CGI creatures, the convenient "everyone's an engineer" problem-solving, and why comparisons to A Quiet Place don't do it any favors. We also talk through the film's IMDb Metascore and its rough Rotten Tomatoes numbers, and explain exactly why we can't recommend spending your two hours on this one.

From there we pivot to a rundown of what's actually worth streaming right now. On Netflix, we're raving about Beef, WWE: Unreal, Tires, and Everyone Is Doing Great. On Apple TV+, we cover Your Friends and Neighbors, Widow's Bay, and Sugar starring Colin Farrell. We also flag a couple of shows we'd steer you away from. Plus, a fun tangent on A Quiet Place, film noir influences, and more of our usual brotherly banter.

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Message Dan and Mike

We finally sit down to unpack Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the fourth installment in Tom Holland's run as Peter Parker and the first Spidey film from director Destin Daniel Cretton. Picking up four years after No Way Home's spell erased Peter from the world's memory, this is a noticeably darker, more isolated take on the character — Aunt May is gone, his friendships with MJ and Ned are gone, and the arachnid side of his DNA is starting to take over. We dig into how that trauma-driven tone works, and where it doesn't.

One of us walks away calling this the weakest of the Tom Holland Spider-Man films, and we're honest about why: a story that feels overcrowded with characters, some shaky CGI work on the Scorpion, and a villain problem that never quite resolves who we're actually supposed to be rooting against. We also talk through the returning cast — Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Mark Ruffalo, Florence Pugh — plus the newer additions, including Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle, Tramell Tillman's William Mesker, Naomi Watts voicing E.D.I.T.H., and a genuinely strong turn from Sadie Sink as Jean Grey that surprised us both.

Along the way we get into the film's stunt work and practical martial arts sequences, the choice to make Peter's webs organic again as a nod to Tobey Maguire's era, and what it means that this film is now closing in on two billion dollars worldwide and threatening box office records held by Avengers: Endgame and Titanic. We also share (in maybe too much detail) the theater experience that colored one of our first viewings, because full transparency matters around here.

Whether you loved Brand New Day or walked out with the same reservations we did, we want to hear it. And with Avengers: Doomsday looming and a fifth Spider-Man almost certainly on the way, we start speculating about where this saga goes next.

If you're not already following along, you can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else podcasts live, and subscribing to the YouTube channel helps a lot more than you'd think.

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