Movie HighLow

VIRTUOSITY (1995) | Denzel vs. Russell Crowe in Cyber Hell (Low)

We went Low on Virtuosity, but this is one of those Lows where the movie is bad in ways that are still weirdly entertaining. Virtuosity (1995) is mid-’90s techno-thriller

NINE DAYS (2021) | The Masterpiece Nobody Saw (High)

We went High on Nine Days, but this is a very different kind of High for us. This is not a massive cultural touchstone, a blockbuster, or one of those movies everyone alr

THE PRESTIGE (2006) | Nolan's Secret Hiding in Plain Sight (High)

We went High on The Prestige, and this is one of those Highs where the movie almost feels built for this podcast. Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige (2006) is not just a mo

DISTURBING BEHAVIOR (1998) | Fisher-Price Clockwork Orange (Low)

We went Low on Disturbing Behavior, but this is exactly the kind of Low we like having around. Disturbing Behavior (1998) is not a great movie, but it is absolutely a lat

PSYCHO (1998) | Copied Hitchcock Shot For Shot. What Went Wrong? (Low)

We went Low on Psycho (1998), and not in a fun, “this is secretly fascinating” way. This might be the most frustrating Low we have covered, because Gus Van Sant’s Psycho

PSYCHO (1960) | The Movie That Knows What's Wrong With You (High)

We went High on Psycho, because this is one of those movies that is not just important because film history tells us it is important. Psycho (1960) still has teeth. It st

MADAME WEB (2024) | Franchise Homework Disguised As A Movie (Low)

We went LOW on Madame Web, and this is not one of those sneaky affectionate Lows where we secretly want to defend the movie. This is a real LOW. Madame Web (2024) has psy

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018) | Understands Spider-Man Better Than Any Other Movie (High)

We went High on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and honestly, this might be the easiest High we have done in a while. Not because there is nothing to talk about, but b

GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) | IP Karaoke (Low)

We went Low on Ghostbusters (2016), but not for the reason the internet spent a decade screaming about. The problem was never that women were the Ghostbusters. Kristen Wi

BRIDESMAIDS (2011) | Friendship, Failure, and Food Poisoning (High)

We went High on Bridesmaids, because this is the kind of studio comedy we just do not get enough of anymore. It is loud, gross, awkward, emotional, over-the-top, and buil

HOOK (1991) | Spielberg at Sentimentality Overload (Low)

On this week's Movie HighLow, we went Low on Hook, but this is one of those Lows that comes with a lot of affection. We love so much of this movie. We love Robin Williams

JAWS (1975) | Less Is More (High)

We went High on Jaws, because of course we did. But the reason Jaws (1975) still works is not just “the shark is scary.” The shark is barely in the first half of the movi

SUPER MARIO BROS. (1993) | Never Deserved The Hate (Low)

On this week's Movie HighLow, we went Low on Super Mario Bros., but with a pretty major asterisk: this movie never deserved the hate it got. We won't argue that Super Mar

WHIPLASH (2014) | In Spite Of Fletcher? Or, Because Of Him? (High)

On this week's Movie HighLow, we go High on Whiplash because it is one of the rare movies about greatness that does not let greatness off the hook. It looks like an inspi

THE HAPPENING (2008) | Be Scientific, Douchebag (Low)

The Happening is a bad movie with a genuinely good idea trapped inside it, which might be the most frustrating kind of bad movie. On paper, M. Night Shyamalan making an R

TAXI DRIVER (1976) | Martin Scorsese’s Most Disturbing Masterpiece (High)

Taxi Driver is not great because Travis Bickle is cool, misunderstood, or secretly right. It is great because Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader, Robert De Niro, and Bernard

Movie HighLow Returns June 5th!

Movie HighLow is back. After a very reasonable, not-at-all-concerning multi-year pause, Dom and Dee return June 5 with new episodes about the best and worst that cinema

THE FANATIC (2019) | A Complete Tonal Mess (Low)

This movie never decides what it wants to be. In The Fanatic, you’ve got a character study, a thriller, and a dark comedy all fighting each other… and none of them reall

GIGLI (2003) | A Hollywood Disaster That Embarrasses Everyone (Low)

GIGLI is more than a notorious flop. In this episode, we get into why it feels so uniquely humiliating: a tabloid-era Bennifer vehicle, a studio-mangled gangster movie tu

BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985) | Why It Still Feels Like Movie Magic (High)

BACK TO THE FUTURE is one of those movies that can feel endlessly familiar and still hit like the first time. In this episode, we get into why Robert Zemeckis’ classic st