Film School for Dad

FSFD013 – Magnolia: Sophisticated Work of Art or Unstructured Writer’s Fart?

Magnolia is a 1999 film starring Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, William H Macy and an amazing ensemble cast that all deserve to get mentioned on that same level, but at 3 hours running time, we... Read More

FSFD012 – Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Fascinating and Profound, or Too Much Monkeying Around?

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a 2011 film starring James Franco, Frieda Pinto and a monkey named Ceasar played (virtually) by Andy Serkis. Notable for being one of the earliest films to... Read More

FSFD011 – Unforgiven: Thoughtful Rumination, or More Violence Glorification?

Unforgiven is a 1992 film starring Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman. It was written by David Web Peoples, but it’s very much a “Clint Eastwood film”. Sometimes described as the film that “broke... Read More

FSFD010 – The Truman Show: Profound Allegory or Pointless Silly Story?

Peter Weir’s Jim Carrey vehicle “The Truman Show” came just as reality TV was overtaking the airwaves and invading our living rooms — and as such was almost prescient in its depiction of a man... Read More

FSFD009 – Does Pi (1998) Pack a Punch for Pops or is it a Piss-Poor Piece of Poop?

PI is a 1998 indie film starring Sean Gillette, Mark Margolis and Ben Shenkman, and directed by Darren Aronofsky. Made for a mere $30,000 5 years after Aronofsky graduated film school, it unexpectedly explored ideas... Read More

Explicit

FSFD008 – The Matrix: Allegorical Warning or I Can Hear Dad Snoring?

The Matrix is about as genre defining as film gets. It broke box office records, captured a generation and became a symbol for awakening to spiritual gurus and conspiracy theorists alike. But do the allegorical... Read More

FSFD007 – Coco: Nonsense for Toddlers or Serious Noggin Fodder?

Welcome to our special Father’s Day episode of Film School for Dad! Coco is a 2017 Disney Pixar film starring Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Alana Ubach and a whole bunch of other people with... Read More

FSFD006 – 8 Mile: Cultural Edification or Rap Crap Irritation?

8 Mile is a 2002 musical drama directed by Curtis Hanson and starring Marshal Mathers (Eminem), Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer and Britanny Murphy (RIP). While telling the story of a character that closely parallels Eminem’s... Read More

FSFD005 – Jerry Maguire: bound to inspire, or corny dumpster fire?

Jerry Maguire was a 1996 Cameron Crowe film starring Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr. When it was released, it received critical attention for showing a different side of Tom Cruise and featuring... Read More

FSFD004 – Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind: Spot-on, son, or Eternal Mindf**k?

Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind is a 2004 romantic comedy collaboration between director Michel Gondry and writer Charlie Kaufman, starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. It caught the attention of critics with it’s out-of-the-box... Read More

FSFD003 – Does Dad back a future for “Back to the Future”?

Back to the Future was a landmark 1980’s film for many of a certain generation. Not only did it include a dynamic sci-fi plot and cutting edge effects, it captured the tone and style of... Read More

FSFD002 – Memento: Memorable for Time Immemorial?

Memento launched the career of Christopher Nolan and blew the minds of audiences everywhere with its intelligent storytelling style and narrative gimmick. But even now that audiences have seen dozens of wannabe copycats, does it... Read More

FSFD001 – Jurassic Park: Has it Become a Cinematic Dinosaur?

With Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg redefined the high-budget blockbuster for a generation. But now that such awe-inspiring CGI wizardry is commonplace, does Jurassic Park stand up as an enthralling sci-fi epic for adults and children... Read More