Back to the Balcony

An amused second look at movies and culture from the last century.

All The President's Men (1976) 04/19/2024

All The President's Men (1976) We spend just about as much time talking about the political and social ramifications of this movie and events as we do about the movie itself. Like always it's funny but Jimmy and guest Mario Bernardi meander in a lot of directions with this one. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/30883358

196 Groundhog Day 04/05/2024

196 Groundhog Day It's hard to review funny movies but Groundhog Day may be the most hilarious and the most well thought out comedy movie of all time. Guest Scott Faulconbridge makes a compelling argument for why it's so good and what we respond to in the movie. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/30684138

Two Generations on the Road to Morocco (1942) 03/22/2024

Two Generations on the Road to Morocco (1942) What happens two distant generations meet a movie hit from the 40's? Will it stand up or was this a huge mistake? Mario Bernardi guests with Chris Jarvie (who is literally, half his age) to talk about the best of the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby road pictures, The Road to Morocco. Is here a renaissance coming, will a new generation embrace it? Will the old generation ev en remember it? Turns out to be a pretty fascinating discussion with an unexpected obstacle to universal acceptance. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/30463113

Back to School (1986) 03/08/2024

Back to School (1986) Bret Measor joins Jimmy along with guest engineer Kristian Reimer (who forgot to turn his microphone on) to talk about the legacy of Rodney Dangerfield and his 1986 movie, Back to School. Bret loves it, Jimmy likes it but wishes it could have revealed more of Rodney and less shenanigans. Is he right or Bret? Give it a listen to find out. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/30032968

Leslie Nielsen - Comedian? 02/23/2024

Leslie Nielsen - Comedian? Ryan Sim and Mitch McBeaudry join Jimmy to figure out if Leslie Neilen is a great comedian or someone who just got lucky a couple times and coasted on that career ever afterwards. Ryan Sinm says he was a natural comedian and 1988's The Naked Gun proves it. Mitch says no, just look at 1995's Dracula: Dead and Loving It. Somewhere's along the way Mel Brooks gets bashed. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/30023508

Most Romantic - The Notebook (2004) Or Casablanca (1942) 02/09/2024

Most Romantic - The Notebook (2004) Or Casablanca (1942) Just in time for Valentine's Day it's Chris Wuergler and Kristian Reimer the most romantic movie. Is it 2004's paean to gooey love The Notebook or that tale of gritty sacrifice, 1942's Casablanca? A fun episode that also speaks to the romance in all of us. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/29878253

Uncle Buck (1989) 01/26/2024

Uncle Buck (1989) Mario Bernardi and guest engineer Ryan Sim join Jimmy to re-visit Uncle Buck and the curious idea that no one understands children like somebody who doesn't have any. That's just one of the plot holes in a movie that still stands up surprisingly well. Listen to find out why. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/29644203

The Fugitive (1993) 01/12/2024

The Fugitive (1993) Guest Chris Wuergler and engineer Phil are totally in love with this movie. No, I mean really. I've never seen so much enthusiasm coupled with amazement that Jimmy doesn't share their infatuation. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/29431253

What About Bob? (1991) 12/29/2023

What About Bob? (1991) Mario Bernardi revisits a movie he hated the first time around. His reaction this time is completely different. So what caused the change because it didn't have that effect on Jimmy. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/29264798

Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) 12/15/2023

Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) Bob Kerr is one of our most thoughtful, insightful, truly original guests and a man who loves the magic of Christmas. And yet, his favourite Christmas movie is Ernest Saves Christmas. Jimmy thinks the only magic is what kept the franchise going to this point. A funny review that takes us all back to our younger days when the standards weren't as high. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/29067278

Rush Hour (1998) 12/01/2023

Rush Hour (1998) Guest Ronald Hae sees Rush Hour as more comedy than drama. Phil leans towards the suspense. Jimmy leans towards end of life therapy if he ever has to watch it again. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/28861463

Back to the Future Versus Hot Tub Time Machine 11/17/2023

Back to the Future Versus Hot Tub Time Machine Somehow this got away from Jimmy when Patrick Coppolino admitted that Manolis Zontanos was right and Back to the Future was the better movie. But he still found enough redeeming value in Hot Tub Time Machine to put up a spirited defence. And then Manolis starts definding it. Very funny episode with a couple of naturally funny people. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/28660813

Time Bandits (1981) 11/03/2023

Time Bandits (1981) Guest Greg Dobrowski wants to talk about a most unusual movie, 1981's Time Bandits. it's kind of like the Wizard of Oz on acid. It's kind of like a lot of things, but is it a good movie? Jimmy has some strong feelings here. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/28496612

Friday the 13th Versus Nightmare on Elm Street 10/20/2023

Friday the 13th Versus Nightmare on Elm Street Guests Ryan Sim and Mitch McBeaudry face off again to determine not just the best movie but the best movie franchise, Friday the 13th versus Nightmare on Elm Street. Jimmy found both movies so scary he hosted the show from under the covers. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/28355219

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) 10/06/2023

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) Guest Keh Dee dips way back in the past to the birth of Hag Horror for the classic tale of sisters and fame with 1962's Whatever Happened to Baby Jane starring two of classic Hollywood's screen divas - who happened to share a mutual hatred in real life. Jimmy can't believe she chose a movie he's wanted to talk about for eight years. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/28233767

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 09/22/2023

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) Bob Kerr returns with a new kind of horror, 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Funny as always but there's also an interesting segment about whether The Terminator movies are the source of everyone's anxiety about AI. Jimmy's not worried but then he's still getting over the shock of moveable type. That's a really smart joke. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/28115483

License to Kill VS Casino Royale - The Best James Bond 09/08/2023

License to Kill VS Casino Royale - The Best James Bond Chris Jarvie and Ryan Schnider join Jimmy to decide the best James Bond movie of all time, 1989's License to Kill or 2006's Casino Royale. Weird fact: License to Kill has nothing to do with Bond's license and outside of the card game taking place there, Casino Royale has nothing to do with the casino. Where do they get these names? /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/27968022

Breaking Away (1979) 08/25/2023

Breaking Away (1979) Quick, name another movie where bicycle racing played a major part? Yeah, Jimmy and Mario couldn't either. Mind you, Mario contends this isn't a sports movie, it's a coming of age movie. Jimmy's not so sure. Special guest engineering by Len Perdic. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/27839505

A Star Is Born Vs. Tropic Thunder 08/11/2023

A Star Is Born Vs. Tropic Thunder What's the best movie about show business? Chris Wuergler thinks it's 2018's A Star is Born. Barry Carter disagrees, he says it's 2008's Tropic Thunder. You couldn't get two movies that were further apart yet they both make a convincing argument. And Jimmy will say? Listen to find out. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/27691617

Murder By Death (1976) 07/28/2023

Murder By Death (1976) This could very well be the companion episode to the one we did a couple months ago about the movie Clue (with Dave Sokolowski). This time Mario Bernardi praises Murder By Death and Jimmy finds it's not the comic gem he remembers. Whose right? You may be surprised. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/27487908

100th Anniversary Show 07/14/2023

100th Anniversary Show We know our 100th anniversary was a couple years ago but thanks to Covid we had to put off our big celebration - until now! So much fun, so many great memories - plus ice cream cake and champagne. Stories, insights, jokes - even a quiz. What a great way to kick off season 8. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/27435006

Mighty Ducks (1992) Vs. Slap Shot (1977) 06/30/2023

Mighty Ducks (1992) Vs. Slap Shot (1977) The gloves come off when comedians Gerry Hall and Chris Jarvie try and decide what's the greatest hockey movie of all time. Both are big sports fans - which begs the question why talk about the most under-represented sport in cinema history? According to Wikipedia, there's more films about bull fighting. Funny episode. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/27290301

Silence Vs. The Departed 06/16/2023

Silence Vs. The Departed Guests Joel Van Vliet and Allie Moore insisit that Martin Scorsese makes the most intense movies - they just can agree about which one is best. Joel says it's 2016's Silence, Allie says it's 2006's The Departed. So essentially a movie about priests in Japan is more intense than a movie about infiltraters in the police and gangs of Boston. Jimmy doesn't say much in this one - they do all the work for him. Our most fast paced episode. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/27140535

Clue (1985) 06/02/2023

Clue (1985) Comedian Dave Sokolowski considers Clue a great movie because it so seamlessly builds on the characters of the board game. Jimmy thinks that's a liability. Funny for what it is or not funny because of what it is? Give it a listen and tell us what you think. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/27001083

Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery Vs. Moonraker 05/20/2023

Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery Vs. Moonraker This shaped up to be a cakewalk deciding which was the best spy spoof movie of all time. Instead, things got turned around in one of our funniest episodes with guests Ryan Sim and Mitch McBeaudry. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/26898084

Fahrenheit 451 (1966) 05/05/2023

Fahrenheit 451 (1966) Is it about books or TV or censorship or ridiculous ideas? Mario Bernardi and Jimmy go back in time to talk about the movie based on a book they had to read in high school. While they don't reveal how they did when tested on it you get a pretty good idea based on their discussion. Surprisingly insightful. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/26743512

Lawnmower Man Versus Star Wars - A New Hope 04/21/2023

Lawnmower Man Versus Star Wars - A New Hope Patrick Coppolino and Kristian Reimer join Jimmy to determine once and for all which movie has the worst special effects. Patrick Coppolino makes a pretty convincing argument for 1992's The Lawnmower Man. Kristian Reimer makes a surprisingly convincing argument for every tampered version of 1977's Star Wars - A New Hope. Most shocking reveleation: Patrick has never seen Star Wars. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/26588937

A Day at the Races (1937) 04/07/2023

A Day at the Races (1937) Will anybody remember the Marx Brothers in fifty years? That's just one of the things Jimmy and guest Mario Bernardi ponder as they talk about a movie that isn't even the best Marx Brothers movie. So why not talk about their best? According to Mario, it's only for one reason: Tuttsi-fruittsi. If that doesn't mean anything you definitely have to give a listen. Fun and you might even learn something about some comedians who deserve to be remembered. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/26443194

The Bodyguard (1992) 03/24/2023

The Bodyguard (1992) Once in a great while a movie comes along that makes Jimmy appreciate how good Love Story was. Chris Wuergler does it again with The Bodyguard, part Whitney Houston music video, part Kevin Costner trying to remember how many emotions he knows. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/26293569

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) 03/10/2023

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Okay, it's a sexist comment but would you really expect Chris Wuergler to bring us 1994's The Shawshank Redemption? Traditional wisdom is women don't want to see a movie that doesn't have women in it but Chris has a deep and abiding affection for this one. Jimmy is hard pressed to disagree and Phil goes missing in action for a while. /episode/index/show/backtothebalcony/id/26176821

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