Shows
Opening WeekendEpisode 98: The Witches of Eastwick - RoboCop - The Untouchables - Predator: Summer '87“If it bleeds we can kill it.” Listen, Arnie, you may be able to take down the Predator, but you CAN’T take down Gene Shalit! That ‘stache don’t bleed!Yes, it’s been a loooong wait, but the boys are back to warm up your fall pumpkin lattes with…hot summer movies! This week the guys hop back to Summer 1987 to revisit Jack Nicholson and THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, Paul Verhoeven’s satirical sci-fi gore-fest, ROBOCOP, Costner and crew as THE UNTOUCHABLES, and the man-meat testosterone-filled jungle that is PREDATOR. You pull a knife, S...
2023-09-272h 36
Opening WeekendEpisode 97: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial - Grease 2: June 11, 1982“E.T. phone Zmed!”It’s the summer of ‘82 and Jason, Dan, & Fred are lining up outside the movie theater to see the most anticipated movie of the year…GREASE 2! Also, there was apparently a movie about an alien called E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL that people liked, too. Jason is getting sued for Smurf copyright-infringement; Olivia Newton John is helping Dan get Physical…with himself; and Fred is stealing magic balls and slicing up fetal pigs…ya know, your typical early tween summer in the 80s. Let’s bowl, let’s bowl, let’s rock and roll with E...
2023-07-052h 24
Opening WeekendEpisode 96: Godzilla - Bulworth - Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas: May 22, 1998Up from the depths, 30 stories high, breathing fire, his head in the sky…GENE SHALIT?!? No, it’s just the three big openers from May 22, 1998: Terry Gilliam’s fever dream adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, the Warren Beatty political satire BULWORTH, and the Roland Emmerich disaster….movie…?….GODZILLA!It’s the spring of ‘98, and while Fred is playing on subway platforms to strangers, Dan is playing on stages to no one, and Jason is playing in bathrooms with EVERYONE. Beatty is rapping, Depp is ranting, and the audience for Godzilla ‘98 is retc...
2023-06-213h 14
Opening WeekendEpisode 95: Marvel's The Avengers - The Dark Knight Rises - The Amazing Spiderman: Summer Superheroes of 2012“There was an idea, to bring together a group of three mildly remarkable nerds to see if they could become something more. So when we needed another movie podcast, they could hand-fart the Superhero songs that we never could.” Opening Weekend fans…ASSEMBLE! It’s a Summer Superhero Smorgasbord as the boys head back to 2012 to revisit Andrew Garfield’s take on THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, Christopher Nolan’s trilogy topper, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, and the MCU Mothership,THE AVENGERS! And if you thought Gotham had a reckoning, wait until you FINALLY hear all about Fred’s failed colonosc...
2023-05-102h 08
Opening WeekendEpisode 94: James and the Giant Peach - Flirting With Disaster: April 12, 1996If you’re looking for something soft, round, succulent, and covered with just the right amount of fuzz, you’ve come to the right place! No, this isn’t the new Grindr podcast, it’s EPISODE 94 of OPENING WEEKEND! This week the boys head back to April 12, 1996 to revisit the David O. Russell/Ben Stiller black comedy FLIRTING WITH DISASTER and the animated film version of the Roald Dahl classic, JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. And don’t worry, there’s not one single mention of Fred’s failed colonoscopy!
2023-04-261h 23
Opening WeekendEpisode 93: The Sandlot - Indecent Proposal: April 7, 1993“You’re killing me, Smalls!” Spring has sprung, the bases are loaded, and Robert Redford is paying Demi Moore a million dollars to take him out to the Ball game…HEY OH!!! It’s April 7th, 1993 and the boys are slidin’ into home at THE SANDLOT and heading out to Vegas to make an INDECENT PROPOSAL. As Shakespeare once wrote, “Exit pursued by Rip Taylor and a Hippo.” We’ll pay you a million dollars to listen to EPISODE 93 of OPENING WEEKEND!
2023-04-121h 24
Opening WeekendEpisode 92: Splash - Children of the Corn - The Hotel New Hampshire: March 9, 1984“Children of the Corn? I don’t remember eating Children of the Corn?” It’s March 9, 1984 and while Ms. Channing picks through her poop searching for bits of Malachai, the boys will be checking in to THE HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE, getting fishy with SPLASH, and walkin’ behind the rows with, yes, Stephen King’s CHILDREN OF THE CORN. Don’t hold it in anymore, Fred, ‘cus Jason and Dan are rollin’ like Fonda (it’ll all make sense) on Episode 92 of OPENING WEEKEND!
2023-03-221h 38
Opening WeekendEpisode 91: Over The Top - Mannequin: February 13, 1987And we can build this dream together, standing strong together, nothing’s gonna stop Opening Weekend now! It’s been a while, but the boys are back and revisiting February 13, 1987 to go OVER THE TOP with Sly Stallone and come alive like a MANNEQUIN making love to Andrew McCarthy. And they’ll talk about some movies, too! As Kenny Loggins once said, “Meet me halfway, across this guy….” with a Gabe Kaplan-adjacent new episode of OPENING WEEKEND!
2023-03-091h 31
Opening WeekendEpisode 90: The Best of Times - Murphy's Romance - Down & Out In Beverly Hills: January 31, 1986 This week the boys dive into May-December romances, High School regrets, and eating dog food with Nick Nolte. And then they start talking about movies! In January ‘86, Robin Williams and Kurt Russell were reminiscing about THE BEST OF TIMES, Sally Field and James Garner were engaging in MURPHY’S ROMANCE, and our good pals Nick Nolte and Richard Dreyfuss were getting DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS. To quote the Punky QB known as McMahon, “We’re not here to start no trouble, we’re just here to do the Opening Weekend Episode 90 Shuffle!”
2023-02-011h 28
Opening WeekendEpisode 89: StillerPalooza '04 - Along Came Polly - Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story - Starsky & Hutch: January 16, 2004LET IT RAIN, STILLERPALOOZA! That’s right, it’s 2004 and it’s all Stiller all the time! This week the boys head back to January 2004 to revisit that month’s Big Ben Opener (Hey oh!), ALONG CAME POLLY, as well as two other Stiller-led movies from that same year: STARSKY & HUTCH and DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY. Just like Patches O’Houlihan always said, “If you can dodge a wrench you can dodge Episode 89 of OPENING WEEKEND!” WHITE CHOCOLATE!
2023-01-181h 46
Opening WeekendEpisode 88: Avatar - The Third Annual Golden Sheila© Awards: December 18, 2009¡Feliz Na’vi-dad and Happy I-See-You Year! To ring in 2023 Jason, Dan, and Fred are heading back to December 2009 and the release of James Cameron’s epic screen-saver of a blockbuster, AVATAR! And then moving from “blue” material to “material” that blew, the boys throw on their tuxes and multi-colored bow-ties for the THIRD ANNUAL GOLDEN SHEILA AWARDS! Wake up, Jake Sully, it’s Episode 88 of OPENING WEEKEND!
2023-01-042h 07
Opening WeekendEpisode 87: Stir Crazy - Popeye : December 12, 1980Blow me down, it’s a new disgustipatin’ episode of Opening Weekend! It’s December 12, 1980 and the boys are putting down their Hoth play-sets and Rubik’s Cubes to go STIR CRAZY with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. And then Dave Itzkoff (NY Times, “Robin”) joins the boys for a deep dive into the Robin Williams/Robert Altman musical oddity POPEYE! “I’m strong to their finich ‘cus I eat my spinach, I’m EPISODE 87 of OPENING WEEKEND!”
2022-12-211h 51
Opening WeekendA Golden Sheila PSA from Nick Nolte!F*** The Golden Globe nominations! It’s time for the Golden Sheila Nominations!That’s right folks; it’s time to go back and bone up on the last 20 episodes from 2022 and vote for your favorite moments!Favorite Episode Favorite Childhood StoryBest Shalit ReviewBest Celebrity Guest Phone CallFavorite Arthropod Squad MemberAnd any other category you want to make up, because, let’s face it: waxing nostalgic about a podcast about waxing nostalgic is about as strange as a fictional super fan from Sacr...
2022-12-1201 min
Opening WeekendEpisode 86: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - The Mosquito Coast - Solarbabies“Well, double dumb-ass on you!” This week the boys are lacing up their roller skates, heading up the Coast and slingshotting around the Sun to revisit November 26, 1986 and STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME, THE MOSQUITO COAST, and SOLARBABIES. Power up those Dilithium crystals, ‘cus it’s time to beam up Episode 86 of OPENING WEEKEND!
2022-12-072h 03
Opening WeekendEpisode 85: The Little Mermaid - Steel Magnolias - Harlem Nights: November 19, 1989“Drink your juice, Shelby.” Mermaids, Magnolias, and Murphy; that’s what November 19th, 1989 was offering up at the multiplex. This week the boys take a deep dive under the sea with Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID, hit the hair salon for STEEL MAGNOLIAS, and roll the dice with HARLEM NIGHTS. Grab your dinglehopper and get ready for Episode 85 of Opening Weekend!
2022-11-161h 37
Opening WeekendEpisode 84: Boogie Nights - Top Ten Favorite Ensemble Movies: October 31, 1997“I like simple pleasures, like butter in my ass, a lollipop in my mouth, and the Opening Weekend podcast.” This week the boys are going back to October 31, 1997 to give you a full 13 inches of hot podcast pleasure with Paul Thomas Anderson’s mega-cast porn-epic, BOOGIE NIGHTS, as well as counting down their favorite ensemble movies of all time. Jack Horner presents, Dirk Diggler and Amber Waves in: “Opening Weak-Ends, Episode 84!”
2022-11-022h 26
Opening WeekendEpisode 83: Glengarry GlenRoss - The Mighty Ducks - Hero: October 2, 1992Put That Podcast DOWN. Podcasts are for closers. And this week the boys are closing on the big releases of October 2, 1992: the film adaptation of David Mamet’s GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, Disney’s ice-hockey feel-goodie THE MIGHTY DUCKS, and the Dustin Hoffman/Geena Davis satire, HERO. First prize is an El Dorado Cadillac. Second prize is Episode 83 of Opening Weekend!
2022-10-191h 48
Opening WeekendEpisode 82: Fatal Attraction - Hellraiser: September 18, 1987Opening Weekend will NOT be ignored, Dan! This week the boys head back to September 18th, 1987 to revisit the (rabbit-in-a) pot-boiler of an erotic thriller, FATAL ATTRACTION and the gross-out S&M horror of Clive Barker’s HELLRAISER. Take a CenoBITE out of Episode 82 of Opening Weekend!September 1987: It’s a Land of Confusion for Jason, Dan, and Fred as they navigate both the ups and downs of High School and the trickle down economics of Ronald Reagan impersonations. In the movie theaters, Clive Barker is grossing out audiences with a hell-scape full of unim...
2022-09-211h 35
Opening WeekendEpisode 81: Bugsy Malone - The Front: September 17, 1976Little kids dancing with guns and elected officials attacking the entertainment industry. No, this isn’t a Texans For Trump rally, they’re just the plots of the two big openers of September 17, 1976: BUGSY MALONE and THE FRONT. Fill up your splurge gun with fresh whipped cream and get ready to answer the big question: Are you or have you ever been a member of Episode 81 of Opening Weekend?!September, 1976: the bells of liberty are ringing loudly as our young podcasters celebrate the Bicentennial with Captain Kangaroo, The Magic Garden, and McCarthyism. Yes, the blackl...
2022-09-071h 13
Opening WeekendEpisode 80: Dirty Dancing - Favorite Movie Soundtracks: August 21, 1987Nobody puts Opening Weekend in the corner! This week the boys mambo back to August 22, 1987 and the release of the sleeper-hit summer classic, DIRTY DANCING. Plus, find out their Top 5 favorite movie soundtracks of all time. You’ll have the time of your life on Episode 80 of Opening Weekend!It’s the Summer of ’87! Fred is hangin’ in Hollywood (Florida, that is) with Red (Buttons? Skelton? Foxx? No one knows.) at Century Village. Meanwhile, Jason is going to the high school dance with beautiful older women and Dan is hoping for more high-waist pants on naked ol...
2022-08-172h 00
Opening WeekendEpisode 79: Back To The Future Trilogy: 1985-1990Great Scott! The boys are jumping into their mental DeLoreans and going Back In Time to the summer of ’85, the fall of ’89 and spring of ’90 for a Biff Tannen-sized deep dive into the BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY. It’s the 1.21 Gigawatt-fueled Episode 79 of OPENING WEEKEND!It’s the summer of 1985 and the boys are hitting the road with Doc Brown and Marty McFly to revisit one of the most popular and beloved movies ever made: Back To The Future! Then they’ll pop over to 1989 and 1990 for…some other movies that happened!“If my calculat...
2022-07-272h 06
Opening WeekendEpisode 78: My Best Friend's Wedding - Batman & Robin: June 20, 1997Holy nipples, Batman! It’s June 20th, 1997 and the boys are breaking up MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING and putting BATMAN AND ROBIN on ice.Come on, Julia Robert’s, say a little prayer for Episode 78 of OPENING WEEKEND!June 1997: Julia Roberts is busting up weddings and Joel Schumacher is busting up movie franchises! As Fred is attempting to “suit the action to the word” while prepping to play Hamlet, George Clooney is attempting to “suit the Batman to the turd….of a superhero movie/toy commercial.” And while Jason was getting slopp...
2022-07-061h 28
Opening WeekendEpisode 77: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn - Poltergeist - Hanky Panky: June 4, 1982“They’re heeeere.” Who’s here? “KAAAAAAHN!”It’s June 4th, 1982 and the boys are taking on the suburban spooker, POLTERGEIST, the Shatner shout-fest, STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KAHN, and the Gene Wilder/Gilda Radner shit-show, HANKY PANKY. “Warp speed, Mr. Shalit, to Episode 77 of Opening Weekend!”Handfarts, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the USS Matisa. Way back in June of ‘82, young Dan wasn’t the fully formed Trekkie we all know and love and occasionally make fun of. But soon enough he’d be getting ready to explore...
2022-06-151h 47
Opening WeekendEpisode 76: Moulin Rouge - Shrek - Angel Eyes: May 18, 2001“I believe in truth, beauty, freedom, and above all things: hand-farts.” This week the boys can-can back to May 18, 2001 and the releases of MOULIN ROUGE, SHREK, and ANGEL EYES. It’s the “Shrektacular, Drecktacular” Episode 75 of Opening Weekend!Debauchery. Lust. A bacchanalia for the body and the senses. No, you’re not flying with The Green Fairy at The Moulin Rouge of Paris in 1900, you’re just drunk off a bucket of sangria at Dan’s Quattro De Mayo backyard party of Astoria, Queens in 2001! While Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman were serenading each other with passio...
2022-05-251h 54
Opening WeekendEpisode 75: Jaws 3-D - Superman III - Return of the Jedi: 1983-Quels!Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Richard Pryor riding a flying shark over the Sarlacc pit…in 3-D!!! This week the boys celebrate the beginning of spring with a look back at some of the biggest 1983-quels: JAWS 3-D, SUPERMAN III, and RETURN OF THE JEDI! Special Guest, Kevin Shinick (Robot Chicken, Marvel, DC) returns to join in on the fun. No, Admiral Ackbar, it’s NOT a trap, it’s just Episode 75 of OPENING WEEKEND!Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the w...
2022-05-112h 07
Opening WeekendEpisode 74: Romy and Michele's High School Reunion - Volcano: April 25, 1997“Oh my God, Romy, Tommy Lee Jones just said the Coast Is Toast.” “But, Michele, I thought we were avoiding carbs this week!”It’s April 25th, 1997 and the boys are dipping their manicured toes into the hot lava of an opening weekend that brought us VOLCANO and ROMY AND MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION. “If you’re lost, you can look, and you will find Episode 74 of Opening Weekend!”The ground begins to shake; a baby cries out in fear; there’s a rumbling that shakes the walls and foundations. That’s n...
2022-04-271h 41
Opening WeekendEpisode 73: Off Beat - Critters - The Toxic Avenger: April 11, 1986Get Ready To Schlock! The boys are revisiting April 11, 1986 and the Judge Reinhold comedy OFF BEAT, the Gremlins wannabe CRITTERS and the ultra low budget schlock “classic” THE TOXIC AVENGER. As Will says, “KEEP EPISODE 73 OUT YA F***IN’ MOUTH!”April 11, 1986: The bullies and bad guys of Tromaville, NJ are having their heads bashed apart and their intestines ripped out by The Toxic Avenger, who just wants to be loved. Meanwhile, on Manhasset, Long Island, 13 year old Fred is having his romantic life bashed apart and his heart ripped out by his girlfriend...
2022-04-061h 46
Opening WeekendEpisode 72: Romancing The Stone - Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes: March 30, 1984The King of the podcast Jungle is back! This week the boys swing by March 30th, 1984 for the releases of ROMANCING THE STONE and GREYSTOKE: THE LEGEND OF TARZAN, LORD OF THE APES. It’s Episode 72: The Legend of Opening Weekend, Lord of The Podcasts!Me Tarzan, you Gene. March 30, 1984: A time of adventure and exploration. A time when Cabbage Patch Kids and RPG nerds and middle school Mathletes ruled the jungle known as the Tri-State area. Just as Ian Holm’s Belgian-French-Hobbit-explorer is teaching Christopher Lambert’s Tarzan-Not...
2022-03-301h 45
Opening WeekendEpisode 71: Joe Versus The Volcano - House Party: March 9, 1990Raise the roof and get ready to dive into the gaping hell-mouth that was March 9, 1990. This week the boys revisit the Kid ’n Play hip-hop teen-sex comedy, HOUSE PARTY and the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan deep-flop absurdist comedy, JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO. All this and a soiled overcoat on EPISODE 71 of OPENING WEEKEND!“I believe the children are our future, teach them well, and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside.” And who better to teach them and show them that beauty than three middle-aged film-nerds working t...
2022-03-091h 48
Opening WeekendEpisode 70: The 'Burbs - True Believer - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure: February 17, 1989Nosey neighbors, pointless ponytails, and Excellent Adventures! It’s February 17, 1989 and the boys are hopping in their time traveling phone booth to revisit THE ‘BURBS, TRUE BELIEVER, and BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE. Episode 70 of Opening Weekend? EXCELLENT!February 17th, 1989: An opening weekend bursting with so much misguided mediocrity, not even one of James Woods’ scrunchies can contain it. While Mr. Woods is chewing up the scenery, Dan, Jason, and Fred are chewing on everything Burger King had to offer. If only Bill and Ted could travel back in time and say, “Dan! Dude...
2022-02-231h 54
Opening WeekendEpisode 69: Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Top Ten Spielberg Movies: February 3, 1978“This means something. This is important.” Damn right, Ricky D - It’s Episode 69 of Opening Weekend! This week the boys are going back to February 3, 1978 to make contact with the wide release of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND! Plus their Top 10 Spielberg films.Ba-ba-bum, ba-bwaaa! (Mothership or Hand-Fart? Only tiiime will tell!)February 3, 1978: Wunderkind Steven Spielberg is at it again, and audiences are having their minds blown watching Richard Dreyfuss have a Close Encounter of the Third Kind with tiny aliens.Meanwhile young Jason, Dan, and Fred are having...
2022-02-021h 58
Opening WeekendEpisode 68: Cloverfield - 27 Dresses - Mad Money: January 18, 2008This week the boys take a deep dive into the releases from January 18, 2008: the found footage monster/disaster movie, CLOVERFIELD, the disaster of a rom-com movie, 27 DRESSES and the Diane Keaton disaster, MAD MONEY. Get ready for some shakey-cam-induced cinematic nausea on Episode 68 of Opening Weekend!January 18, 2008: It’s a strange, confusing time for folks this week. Fred is trying to wrap his head around becoming a father, Jason and Dan are trying to wrap their heads around living apart from one another, and every screenwriter in Hollywood is trying to wrap their heads arou...
2022-01-191h 29
Opening WeekendEpisode 67: The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring - The 2nd Annual Golden Sheila Awards - December 19, 2001One podcast to rule them all! It’s the last episode of 2021 and the boys are walking their big, hairy, Hobbit feet back to December 19th, 2001 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy opener, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. And throw on your fanciest wizard robe and polish your staff, because the boys are celebrating…themselves! Yes, it’s the 2nd Annual Golden Sheila Awards! YOU SHALL NOT PASS up Episode 67 of Opening Weekend!“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
2021-12-292h 04
Opening WeekendEpisode 66: Young Frankenstein - The Godfather Part II - The Towering Inferno: December 12, 1974“I know it was you, Sheila. You broke my heart.” (MWAH!) It’s December 12th, 1974 and the boys are tackling a Towering week of massive openers: THE TOWERING INFERNO, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, and THE GODFATHER, PART II. Walk THIS way to Episode 66 of Opening Weekend!Lightning strikes, thunder crashes. The creature slowly opens his eyes and rises. Stumbling and grasping his way across the room, he moans and groans for his Master who stares at the creature in wonder and awe. At which point, little baby Dan bumps into a corner, falls on his tush and cr...
2021-12-151h 54
Opening WeekendEpisode 65: Holiday Special - Scrooged - Top Ten Holiday Movies: November 23, 1988“Bah Humbug!” “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!” “Merry Christmas ya old Building and Loans!” “Yippe Kay Yay, Motherf***er!” ALL the holiday staples are covered as the boys jump back to November 23, 1988 to revisit the Bill Murray holiday comedy SCROOGED as well as their TOP TEN HOLIDAY MOVIES. Put a little love in your heart with Episode 65 of OPENING WEEKEND!November, 1988: the boys are working off their Thanksgiving dinners and working on their Christmas and Hanukkah lists: “Gremlins” VHS tape for Jason - CHECK. Knock-off Cavarrici pants and gold chain for Dan - CHECK. Penis-shaped pe...
2021-12-012h 09
Opening WeekendEpisode 64: Aladdin - Bram Stoker's Dracula: November 13, 1992This week the boys take a magic carpet ride back to November 13th, 1992 to rub some lamps and suck some blood with Disney’s ALADDIN and BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA. It’s a whole new world on Episode 64 of OPENING WEEKEND!The scene: A young, dark haired handsome man finds a magic lamp in the desert and is granted three wishes by the all-powerful Genie: "I want to be to be rich, I want to be famous, I want to have a spotless British accent!” Well, Keanu, two out of three ain’t...
2021-11-171h 41
Opening WeekendEpisode 63: The Terminator - Terror In The Aisles: October 26, 1984This week the boys head back in time to October 26th 1984 to revisit the sci-fi classic THE TERMINATOR and the horror film-clip anthology TERROR IN THE AISLES. So, listen to Kyle Reese and take heed: “That terminator is out there; it can’t be bargained with, it can’t be reasoned with, it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear, and it absolutely will not stop...EVER…until you are listening to Episode 63 of OPENING WEEKEND!” Halloween, 1984: It’s inevitable. He’s coming. He can’t be stopped. And not even the mighty Sarah Connor or steely eyed Dr. Loo...
2021-11-031h 37
Opening WeekendEpisode 62: And Justice For All - Meteor: October 19, 1979“I’m out of order? You’re out of order! This whole podcast is out of order! October 19, 1979 is out of order! Sean Connery in METEOR is out of order! My movie…AND JUSTICE FOR ALL is out of order! Everyone is out…wait, what’s that big piece of rock hurtling towards Earth? Ah, crap.” Don’t worry, Al, it’s just Episode 62 of OPENING WEEKEND! “What did the horny Scotsman say to the Italian lawyer?” No, this isn’t a set-up for the movies discussed this episode; it’s the setup for one of the man...
2021-10-271h 43
Opening WeekendEpisode 61: American Beauty - Three Kings - Mystery, Alaska: October 1, 1999“You want to see the most beautiful thing I’ve ever filmed?” Uh, maybe not Mr. Spacey. But we will take a look at AMERICAN BEAUTY and the other two releases from October 1, 1999, THREE KINGS and MYSTERY, ALASKA. Time to look closer…at Episode 61 of Opening Weekend! It’s the early fall of 1999 and the boys are watching three cinematic game changers: Sam Mendes’ “American Beauty” and its take on repressed, suburban malaise; David O. Russell’s “Three Kings”, with its fever-dream, anti-war prescience; and the biggest game changer of them all, Jay Roach’s “Mystery, Alaska”…becau...
2021-10-041h 47
Opening WeekendEpisode 60: Goodfellas - Top Ten Gangster/Crime Films: September 19, 1990“As far back as I can remember I’ve always wanted to be a podcaster.” It’s September 19th, 1990 and the boys are celebrating the release of Martin Scorcese’s mobbed-up masterpiece, GOODFELLAS. One dog goes one way, the other dog goes the other way, and this guy’s sayin’ “It’s Episode 60 of Opening Weekend!”“I’m gonna go listen to the podcast, listen to the podcast.” You do you, Jimmy Two Times. In the meantime, Dan’s gotta go change the film reel at Cinema Shitty-Sex. It’s September of 1990 and the boys are becoming “made”...
2021-09-152h 28
Opening WeekendEpisode 59: The Wicker Man - Crank - Idiocracy: September 1, 2006Nic Cage walks into a forest dressed like a bear and punches a woman. No, you’re not having a bad fever dream; you’re just watching one of the movies that opened on September 1, 2006: a week filled with mystery, mayhem, and most of all, misogyny. THE WICKER MAN, CRANK, and IDIOCRACY are being pumped full of adrenaline and then burned alive on Episode 59 of Opening Weekend! (Brought to you by Carl’s Jr).“I wish I could quit you.” “You complete me.” “I’ll have what she’s having.” No, the boys aren’t discussing...
2021-09-011h 52
Opening WeekendEpisode 58: Dreamscape - Sheena - The Woman In Red: August 17, 1984Jungle Queens, Scary Dreams, and Adulterous Schemes. It’s August 17th, 1984, and the boys are taking in SHEENA, DREAMSCAPE, and THE WOMAN IN RED for some edgy PG-13 violence & gore and some wholesome PG full-frontal-nudity. Grab your leg warmers and Members Only jackets, because the boys are heading back to the ‘80s for Episode 58 of Opening Weekend!Ahh, the mid-1980s. What would Ronald Reagan’s (or Eddie Albert’s, for that matter) America have been without the efforts of Hulk Hogan to capture the WWF Championship, the Ghostbusters to capture Slimer, or Fred Berman to...
2021-08-181h 54
Opening WeekendEpisode 57: The Iron Giant - Dick: August 6, 1999This week the boys take on a BIG, SCARY ROBOT and a BIG, SCARY DICK…Nixon, that is! Brad Bird’s THE IRON GIANT and the political satire DICK were the big openers on August 6th, 1999. Do they warrant GIANT Sheila ratings or will they get shredded like a stack of DNC papers? Find out on Episode 57 of OPENING WEEKEND!It Came From The Outer Boroughs!!! While Brad Bird was exploring Atomic Age fears and Red Scare paranoia in 1950’s America, Dan, Fred, and Jason were exploring how to eat one’s own testicles with chop...
2021-08-041h 33
Opening WeekendEpisode 56: The Dark Knight - Mamma Mia! - Space Chimps: July 18, 2008Some men just want to watch the world burn, and some just want to listen to Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep sing Abba!It’s July 18, 2008 and the boys are zipping up their sequin jumpsuits, donning their masks and taking a chance on THE DARK KNIGHT, MAMMA MIA!, and SPACE CHIMPS. Episode 56 of Opening Weekend is the podcast Gotham deserves!“Mamma Mia, here I go again. Batman, how can I resist you? Mamma Mia, Space Chimps blow again. Why, why? Joker, can I kiss you?” In July of 2008, while Christian Bale’s...
2021-07-211h 43
Opening WeekendEpisode 55: Independence Day - Phenomenon: July 3, 1996July 3rd, 1996: Aliens are laying waste to humanity and John Travolta is making pencils levitate with his mind. No, this isn’t Chapter 5 of ‘Dianetics’, it’s INDEPENDENCE DAY and PHENOMENON on Episode 55 of Opening Weekend!Boom! There goes The White House! Zap! There goes The Empire State Building! Snore! There goes everyone watching “Phenomenon.”In early July, 1996, while aliens were descending onto the battlefields of a scorched Earth, baboons were descending onto the hood of Dan’s scorched Firebird in the battlefields of Jersey. And if you thought THAT sou...
2021-07-071h 33
Opening WeekendEpisode 54: Dick Tracy - Gremlins 2: The New Batch: June 15, 1990“Calling Dick Tracy! Come in Dick Tracy! Gremlins have taken over New York City. No, not THOSE Gremlins. It’s a NEW batch. That’s right, this week the boys head to June 15, 1990 for DICK TRACY and GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH! So, stop ogling Madonna, Tracy, and get over to Opening Weekend Episode 54!” Remember back in June of 1990 when you took some of that orange goo from the popcorn machine at Movie City where Dan worked and smoked it after Fred’s Senior Frolic and then had visions of a mute Jason acting out Aristophanes...
2021-06-231h 39
Opening WeekendEpisode 53: Jurassic Park - What's Love Got To Do With It: June 11, 1993It’s June 11th, 1993 and vicious dinosaurs once again roam the earth: The Tyrannosaurus Rex! The Velociraptor! The Ike Turner! This week the boys are rollin’ down the river and digging up JURASSIC PARK and WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT. Hold onto your butts and Welcome…to Episode 53 of Opening Weekend Park!Shhh. Do you hear that? That low, deep rumbling sound? Is it a T-Rex approaching? Tina Turner getting ready to let loose a soulful wail? Or just Dan warming up his hands for a rendition of “Private Dancer”? Or maybe…(pan...
2021-06-091h 49
Opening WeekendEpisode 52: Fletch - Top Ten Comedic Performances: May 31, 1985They say laughter is the best medicine, right Dr. Rosenpenis? Or was it Dr. Rosenrosen? Or Mr. Cocktostan? Or Arnold Babar? Or Ted Nugent? Hell, let’s just call ya Fletch. It’s May 31st, 1985 and the boys go undercover with the Chevy Chase comedy FLETCH and discuss their top ten comedic performances of all time. Frieda, hold my calls, ‘cus it’s Episode 52 of Opening Weekend!It’s May of 1985, and the school year is coming to a close for the boys. While Chevy Chase’s iconic character Irwin Fletcher was spending this time picking funky aliase...
2021-06-021h 55
Opening WeekendEpisode 51: The Road Warrior - Annie - Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid: May 21, 1982It’s a hard knock, black and white, post-apocalyptic life! This week the boys travel back to May 21, 1982 to run down THE ROAD WARRIOR, ANNIE, and DEAD MEN DON’T WEAR PLAID. Leapin’ lizards, it’s Episode 51 of Opening Weekend!The world has gone mad. Mohawked marauders rule the roads. Singing/dancing orphans run amok in the cities. ET has his/her/its own cereal. And a 9 year old Dan is eating all of it. Yes, it’s May 21, 1982 and while Little Orphan Annie is promising us that the sun will come out tomorrow, present day F...
2021-05-271h 32
Opening WeekendEpisode 50: The Empire Strikes Back - The Shining - The Gong Show Movie: May 23, 1980“Heeeeeere’s Episode 50!” The boys are celebrating a year of hot, buttery cinematic nostalgia by jumping back to May 23rd, 1980 and taking a deep dive into THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, THE SHINING, and THE GONG SHOW MOVIE. Grab your axe, slice open that dead Tauntaun and lie back and relax with Rip Taylor and the gang, ‘cus it’s Episode 50 of Opening Weekend!May 23, 1980: a day filled with Jedis, Jack, and GENE, GENE, THE DANCING MACHINE!!!! It was a spring filled with so much excitement for our three young podcasters: Dan was salivating over his new Mi...
2021-05-202h 11
Opening WeekendEpisode 49: The Natural - Firestarter - Top 5 Sports Movies: May 11, 1984Opening Weekend is hitting it outta the park (cue Randy Newman music) and settin’ some s**t on fire (cue Tangerine Dream music) with May 11th, 1984’s THE NATURAL and Stephen King’s FIRESTARTER. And the boys take a deep dive into their top 5 favorite sports movies (cue Handfarts Training Montage Music). Now batting: Episode 49 of Opening Weekend!Ahh, 1984. Weird Al is topping the charts and great movies are stopping our hearts. A young Fred is scaring himself (reading Stephen King), a young Dan is scarring himself (at Colonial Williamsburg), and a young Jason is scam...
2021-05-142h 05
Opening WeekendEpisode 48: Spidey Spectacular - Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3: May 3, 2002 - May 4, 2007Hey, web-slingers, it’s your friendly neighborhood movie podcast! Swing into a Spidey Spectacular as the boys wrap a web of wonder around Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN Trilogy; with special Spidey Scribe, Kevin Shinick (Marvel, DC, “Robot Chicken”) joining in on the fun. Look out! Here comes Episode 48 of Opening Weekend!With great podcast, comes great responsibility. And with Opening Weekend, comes….hand-farts, murder-hornets, and Gene Shalit? Close enough, Uncle Ben!Ahh, the awe-inspiring wonderment that is Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 1! Ahh, the next-level excitement that is Spider-Man 2! And ahh, the mediocre “...
2021-05-051h 48
Opening WeekendEpisode 47: Akeelah & The Bee - United 93 - RV (w. Geoff Rodkey): April 28, 2006“Sheila. S-H-E-I-L-A. Sheila.” This week the boys revisit April 28th, 2006’s major releases, AKEELAH & THE BEE, UNITED 93, and the Robin Williams comedy, RV, written by this week’s special guest: Emmy nominated screenwriter and best-selling author, Geoff Rodkey! How do you spell “Movie Podcast Magic?” E-P-I-S-O-D-E-4—7-o-f-O-P-E-N-I-N-G-W-E-E-K-E-N-D! “Handfart. H-A-N-D-F-A-R-T. Handfart.” “That is correct, Akeelah! You are the winner of the Opening Weekend Gene Shalit Invitational Spelling Bee! And the grand prize is….Fred’s appendix!” Yes, back in April of 2006, while Robin Williams was losing his mind during a cross-country RV trip, Fred was losing internal organs duri...
2021-04-281h 45
Opening WeekendEpisode 46: Raising Arizona - Project X: April 17, 1987“And the Oscar for Best Performance of 1987 goes to…Willy The Chimp!” It’s April 17th, 1987 and the boys are going ape for PROJECT X and getting H.I. off of RAISING ARIZONA. Grab your Huggies, mind your fontanelle and climb aboard a plane full of monkeys. Destination: Episode 46 of Opening Weekend!In April of 1987, Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter were stealing babies, but it was Willie the Chimp who was stealing Jason, Dan, and Fred’s hearts. If you can find three grown men who squeal louder at the sight of a primate flipping the...
2021-04-141h 35
Opening WeekendEpisode 45: Major League - The Dream Team - Dead Calm: April 7, 1989Jobu need a refill of hot, buttery, cinematic nostalgia! It’s April 7, 1989 and Jason, Dan, and Fred are stepping up to the plate, taking sail, and losing their minds (for different reasons) over MAJOR LEAGUE, DEAD CALM, and THE DREAM TEAM. Juuuuust a bit outside; yes, it’s Episode 45 of Opening Weekend!There are myriad reasons a successful podcast can fall apart and great friendships can be pushed to the brink: resentment and jealousies, money issues, public and private scandal, Billy Zane. Can the boys pull a Nicole Kidman and push through the horror to ma...
2021-04-071h 32
Opening WeekendEpisode 44: The Matrix - 10 Things I Hate About You: March 31, 1999Methinks thou art the one, Neo! Now taketh some acting lessons, taketh the red pill, and joineth us as we Shake our Speares on the new episode of OPENING WEEKEND...eth! March 31st, 1999 gave us both a Ledger-rific redux of a classic Shakespeare comedy and a Fishburne-tastic redux of a classic Lewis Carroll novel. So plug into your headjack, because OPENING WEEKEND is about to upload 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU and THE MATRIX into your brain!Mr. Anderson? Mr. O’Connell? Mr. Berman? Mr. Matisa? Time to eject yourselves out of the slimy pods you’ve live...
2021-03-312h 10
Opening WeekendEpisode 44: The Matrix - 10 Things I Hate About You: March 31, 1999Methinks thou art the one, Neo! Now taketh some acting lessons, taketh the red pill, and joineth us as we Shake our Speares on the new episode of OPENING WEEKEND...eth! March 31st, 1999 gave us both a Ledger-rific redux of a classic Shakespeare comedy and a Fishburne-tastic redux of a classic Lewis Carroll novel. So plug into your headjack, because OPENING WEEKEND is about to upload 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU and THE MATRIX into your brain!
2021-03-312h 10
Opening WeekendEpisode 43: Porky's - Victor/Victoria - Deathtrap: March 19, 1982Murderous turns, musical twists, and misogynist twerps. DEATHTRAP, VICTOR/VICTORIA, and PORKY’S gave March 19th, 1982 a whodunnit, a who-is-it, and who-grabbed-it; all wrapped up in one Jazz-Hot new episode of OPENING WEEKEND!Ah, the halcyon school-days of 1982: playing Star Wars in the backyard, acting out cowboys and Indians, drawing cartoons on the front-lawn with your friends, getting your wang violently tugged by an angry gym teacher as you stick it through a hole in the girls’ locker room. As a 4th grade castrato dressed as a California miner once sang, “Those WERE the days, my friend.” While the...
2021-03-241h 35
Opening WeekendEpisode 42: Gung Ho - Crossroads - Hannah & Her Sisters: March 14, 1986Global culture clashes, the pitfalls of nationalism, cultural appropriation…and Woody Allen. It’s March 14, 1986, and GUNG HO, CROSSROADS, & HANNAH AND HER SISTERS are gonna push all those buttons. And we haven’t even mentioned Ralph Macchio’s hat. It’s Episode 42 of OPENING WEEKEND!When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough get lip-synching to Billy Ocean, and that’s exactly what Fred was doing in 8th grade (all the while drawing comic books about super-hero fetuses.) And while Jason was looking MAHVELOUS at the 9th grade talent show, Dan was singing along to the Mets’ new...
2021-03-171h 41
Opening WeekendEpisode 41: Private Parts - Jungle 2 Jungle: March 7, 1997It’s March 7, 1997 and Howard Stern is showing off his PRIVATE PARTS while Tim Allen is ditching “Tool Time” to go JUNGLE 2 JUNGLE. Watch out, Pig Vomit, ‘cus we’ve got Baboons, blow darts, and a good dose of Baba Booey on Episode 41 of Opening Weekend!While Howard Stern was becoming the King of All Media in March 1997, Tim Allen was becoming the King of All Meh-dia....says the three guys who were barely scraping by doing Unrehearsed Shakespeare, indie films with porny names, and Irving Berlin musical reviews to 105-year-old Floridians. What’s more impressi...
2021-03-101h 21
Opening WeekendEpisode 40: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors - Some Kind of Wonderful - Hoosiers - : February 27, 1987“We’re the Dream Warriors! Don’t wanna dream no more!” It’s February 27, 1987, and all your wildest dreams are coming true with SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL, HOOSIERS, and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: DREAM WARRIORS. High school, hoops, and hair metal on Episode 40 of Opening WeekendLate February, 1987: Freddy Krueger may have ruled Jason, Dan, and Fred’s nightmares but it was the dulcet tones of Don Dokken, Phil Collins, and Jack Wagner that were ruling their dreams. While Gene Hackman was screaming court-side, Dan’s dermatologist was screaming neck-side as he drained yet another cys...
2021-03-031h 48
Opening WeekendEpisode 39: Office Space - October Sky - Rushmore: Feb. 19, 1999“Umm, yeah, boys, if you could just head back to February 19th, 1999 and take a look at OFFICE SPACE, OCTOBER SKY, and RUSHMORE, that would be great, mmkay?” You got it, Mr. Lumbergh! Grab your red stapler, throw on your school blazer, and look to the sky, ‘cus it’s Episode 39 of Opening Weekend!After having to sit through “Nothing But Trouble” last episode, this week’s three movies are just the sweet palate cleansers Jason, Fred, and Dan needed. But not even the pleasant memory of life at Rushmore Academy or of gleefully destroying that...
2021-02-241h 39
Opening WeekendEpisode 38: The Silence Of The Lambs - King Ralph - Nothing But Trouble: Feb. 15, 1991“You still wake up sometimes, don't you, Clarice? You wake up in the dark and hear the screaming of the lambs. Or is that just Jason watching ‘Nothing But Trouble’?” This week, the boys travel back to February 15, 1991, and the horrifying (for all sorts of different reasons) triple bill of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, NOTHING BUT TROUBLE, and KING RALPH on Episode 38 of Opening Weekend!There are certain roles that fit an actor like a nice skin suit made of human flesh: Erudite cannibal, Jewish sailor, scrappy FBI trainee, middle-aged baseball coach, deranged serial k...
2021-02-171h 39
Opening WeekendEpisode 37: Fort Apache, The Bronx - The Devil and Max Devlin: February 6, 1981It’s February 6th, 1981, and both the Bronx AND Bill Cosby are burning. The Bronx will eventually be saved. Cosby? Well...This week the boys hit the streets and descend into the depths of hell to revisit FORT APACHE, THE BRONX and THE DEVIL AND MAX DEVLIN on Episode 37 of Opening Weekend!“RUDY! THEO! ELLIOT GOULD!” Ah, remember the good old days when we just thought Bill Cosby was PLAYING the Devil? In 1981, someone at Disney must’ve read the script to “Fort Apache, The Bronx” and thought, “You know what the kids need? Som...
2021-02-101h 19
Opening WeekendEpisode 36: Waiting For Guffman - Star Wars: Special Edition - Meet Wally SparksIt’s the day of the show, y’all, and the boys are heading back to January 31, 1997 to take in some amateur theatrics! From community theatre’s answer to “This Is Spinal Tap” (WAITING FOR GUFFMAN) to community theatre’s answer to “Caddyshack” (MEET WALLY SPARKS) and community theatre’s answer to the original “Star Wars” (STAR WARS: SPECIAL EDITION), it’s a “Stool Boom” of epic proportions on Episode 36 of Opening Weekend!Greedo’s shooting first and Rodney’s shooting blanks as the boys struggle to remember who or where they were at the end of January 1997! That sa...
2021-02-031h 36
Opening WeekendEpisode 35: Silkwood - Broadway Danny Rose - The Lonely Guy: January 27, 1984Suicidal lonely guys, washed up talent managers, and factory workers with radiation poisoning; was January 27th, 1984 the funniest week in movies or WHAT?!? This week the boys revisit Steve Martin’s comedy THE LONELY GUY, Woody Allen’s ode to entertainment, BROADWAY DANNY ROSE, and the Meryl Streep/Cher drama, SILKWOOD. Dig if you will the podcast and might as well JUMP into Episode 35 of Opening Weekend!1984 is known as one of the greatest years in movies ever, and with mid-winter films like Broadway Danny Rose, The Lonely Guy, and Silkwood, the boys at Opening Weekend would be hard...
2021-01-271h 33
Opening WeekendEpisode 34: From Dusk Till Dawn - Mr. Holland's Opus : January 19, 1996It’s a symphony of suckers this week - BLOOD-suckers that is - as Mr. Holland teaches a group of sexy Mexican vampires how to make beautiful music with George Clooney. And in turn, they...teach...him (cue music). The boys revisit January 19th, 1996 and MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS is playing FROM DUSK TILL DAWN on Episode 34 of Opening Weekend!If music be the food of love, play on, Richard Dreyfuss! And if bare feet be the food of lust, play on Quentin Tarantino! No, really. Play ON him. Ew.What’s sexier? Salma Hayek dancing half n...
2021-01-201h 07
Opening WeekendEpisode 33: Good Morning Vietnam - Moonstruck - For Keeps - w. Dave Itzkoff: January 15, 1988Gooooooooooooooood morning, Opening Weekend listeners! This week the boys head back to January 15th, 1988 for deep dives into GOOD MORNING VIETNAM, MOONSTRUCK, and FOR KEEPS. And the show gets a touch of New York Times class when best-selling author and culture reporter, Dave Itzkoff stops by to discuss the late-great Robin Williams. SNAP OUT OF IT! It’s Episode 33 of Opening Weekend!TEENS GONE WILD: 1988! Fred is throwing keg parties! Jason is dressing up like Jesus! Dan is rocking out to “Fish Heads!” And, please, Danny Aiello, don’t preach, ‘cus Molly Ringwald is keeping her b...
2021-01-131h 53
Opening WeekendEpisode 32: Scent of a Woman - Chaplin - Leprechaun: January 8, 1993An Oscar winner, a cinema legend, and a leprechaun walk into a bar…nope, it isn’t an off-color joke, it’s just the newest episode of Opening Weekend! The boys are scooping up their pots o’gold, donning their bowler hats, and Tango-ing back to January 8th, 1993 to take deep dives into the wide releases of SCENT OF A WOMAN, CHAPLIN, and LEPRECHAUN. “Begosh, Begorrah, and a Hoo-Ah, too, it’s Opening Weekend, Episode Thirty-Two!”Throw on your most colorful vest, fill up that garbage can with some cheap, fruity alcohol and get ready to party...
2021-01-061h 37
Opening WeekendEpisode 31: The Exorcist - The Sting - Magnum Force: December 25, 1973Ah, Christmas Day, 1973. Drinking egg-nog, opening presents, playing cards in the back of the local brothel, stroking your Magnum .45, and cleaning up the vomit from your demon-possesed daughter. THE STING, MAGNUM FORCE, and THE EXORCIST are the Christmas Day gifts that keep on giving on Episode 31 of Opening Weekend!Heads will spin as the boys go back to the year of Dan’s birth to celebrate two Oscar nominated classics and one NRA-nominated classic for “Best Fetish Flick.” The only thing Dirty about this Harry is the way he drools over that big, big, stiff...
2020-12-301h 30
Opening WeekendEpisode 30: The Star Wars Holiday Special - 1st Annual Golden Sheila AwardsIt’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas; Life Day! That’s right, for their 30th episode, the boys stick around 1978 for a deep into one of the most baffling and upsetting episodes of cinematic and television history ever: The Star Wars Holiday Special. And to close out the shit-show that is 2020 and to celebrate 30 weeks of podcasting magic, it’s the First Annual “Golden Sheila Awards”©! It’s a Wookie Wonderland on Episode 30 of Opening Weekend!2020 has been a mind-numbing year, no doubt about it. But not even 4 years of Trump, a world-wide pandem...
2020-12-231h 45
Opening WeekendEpisode 29: Special Superhero Episode - Superman - December 15, 1978It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s...three giant nerds talking about superhero movies! The boys head back to December 15th, 1978 to celebrate the granddaddy of them all, SUPERMAN! And Can You Read Their Minds and guess their Top Ten favorite superhero movies? Throw on your cape and take flight with Episode 29 of Opening Weekend! Which after-school animated superhero had the coolest theme song? (Hint: it wasn’t The Sub-Mariner). Who gives the most heartbreaking performance of 1978: Glenn Ford as “Pa Kent” or the millions of kids crying as they try to make sense o...
2020-12-162h 34
Opening WeekendEpisode 28: 48 Hours - The Toy - Airplane II: The Sequel - December 10, 1982Gritty buddy-cop movie? Check. Half-baked sequel to a comedy classic? Check. A kids’ holiday movie with two comedy legends that’s both uncomfortably racist AND stars a future porn actor? Check, check, and CHECK. 48 HOURS, AIRPLANE II: THE SEQUEL , and THE TOY have it…all? It’s December 10th, 1982 and The Boys Are Back In Town with Episode 28 of Opening Weekend!Jason, Dan, & Fred have Pac-Man fever this week as they go back to 1982 to grab their Atari joysticks, pop on some Journey and ponder some of life’s biggest questions, like: WHAT THE HELL WAS AN...
2020-12-091h 47
Opening WeekendEpisode 27: Rocky IV - Santa Claus: The Movie - November 27, 1985Ve vill break you. Hearts are On Fire this week as the boys head back to the 80s and up north for the greatest Cold War of all: Rocky vs...Santa?Yo, Apollo, it’s November 27th, 1985, and ROCKY IV and SANTA CLAUS: THE MOVIE are your Black Friday gifts on Episode 27 of Opening Weekend!It’s a hormonally fueled episode as 8th grade Fred rounds the bases at The Eagles Nest, 9th grade Jason spins a web of lies about that beautiful Senior in art class, and 7th grade Dan tackles the hardest choi...
2020-12-021h 32
Opening WeekendEpisode 26: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles - Three Men and A Baby - November 25, 1987Chest hair, diapers, road trips, Guttenberg and...wait, those aren’t pillows!!!It’s November 25th, 1987 and the boys take PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES to see THREE MEN AND A BABY on Episode 26 of Opening Weekend!If you thought Fred’s questioning of his sexuality reached a fever pitch with Hugh Grant on Episode 25, then wait until you hear him positively SWOON over Tom Selleck! Oh, the swooning!Which 1987 performance was more moving? John Candy’s ‘Del Griffith’ or Jason’s 85 year old Jewish Superman? Oy, the kvetching!Who was....wait....hold on....Dan, is that...
2020-11-251h 26
Opening WeekendEpisode 25: Love Actually - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - Looney Tunes: Back in Action - November 14, 2003The British prove their superiority once again as the boys revisit November 14, 2003 and the UK imports LOVE ACTUALLY and MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (as well as America’s contribution to the cultural conversation - sigh - LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION)!Romance is in the air for classic screen couples like Hugh Grant and his secretary, Paul Bettany and an animatronic tortoise, Alan Rickman and his secretary, Brendan Fraser and an animated duck, and Colin Firth and his maid! Love really IS all around!Wh...
2020-11-171h 42
Opening WeekendEpisode 24: A Nightmare on Elm Street - Oh, God! You Devil - No Small Affair: November 09, 1984“One, two, Freddy’s coming for you; three, four, Jon Cryer slept with Demi Moore; Five, six, George Burns is one hundred and six…” It’s November 16th 1984, and with A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, OH GOD, YOU DEVIL, and NO SMALL AFFAIR, the boys are sure to haunt your dreams on Episode 24 of Opening Weekend!What’s that terrifying sound, like blades scraping against a rusty pipe? Is it Freddie Krueger or Dan’s imitation of Demi Moore singing? And speaking of nightmares, Fred’s PTSD-filled recollections of 7th grade school camping trips will make you ne...
2020-11-111h 26
Opening WeekendEpisode 23: PUNCH DRUNK LOVE - I SPY - THE SANTA CLAUSE 2: November 1, 2002Comics spying! Comics reindeer-flying! Comics getting embroiled in phone-sex scams, smashing windows, buying pudding and crying! November 2nd, 2002’s PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE, I-SPY, and THE SANTA CLAUSE 2 had it all and we’re not lying! It’s all here on Episode 23 of Opening Weekend!Breakups, credit card debt, and near asphyxiation by gold spray-paint; man, the boys were really LIVIN’ back in November of 2002! Is Punch Drunk really an old-school musical? Is Tim Allen’s Santa doppelgänger and allegory for modern-day dictators? Did ANYONE think to hire a boxing coach for Eddie Murphy??? Wh...
2020-11-051h 33
Opening WeekendEpisode 22: Super Scary Halloween Episode - HALLOWEEN: October 25, 1978“Trick or treat, smell Dan’s feet, give Don Dokken something good to eat!” The boys are back with a super-sized spooooooky Halloween episode where they dive into John Carpenter’s 1978 horror game-changer HALLOWEEN and their very own Top Ten Halloween Movies! Don’t open the door! DON’T OPEN THE DOOR!!!!! Opening Weekend Episode 22 is coming to GET YOU!!!Slashers, psychos and sweet tranvestites; gore, guts, and Ghostbusters; witches, werewolves, and “there wolves”…the boys cover all things Halloween this week! What’s scarier? The iconic violin stabs of Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho score or a young Fred...
2020-10-282h 19
Opening WeekendEpisode 21: Punchline - Alien Nation - Gorillas in the Mist : October 7, 1988Feather back your Heavy Metal mullet, throw on your Cavariccis, and hop into your IROC Z for a trip back to October of 1988 when, according to Alien Nation, the Republican Party LOVED their immigrants! What’s funnier: Fred in a homemade condom costume or Tom Hanks and Sally Field performing stand-up comedy? Trick question! EVERYTHING IS FUNNIER THAN TOM HANKS AND SALLY FIELD PERFORMING STAND UP COMEDY! SIGOURNEY WEAVER TERRORIZING GORILLA-POACHERS IS FUNNIER THAN SALLY FIELDS AND TOM HANKS PERFORMING STAND UP COMEDY!!!!!!!! (Deep breath, Jason, deep breath). And speaking of Sigourney Weaver, what made Dan cry harder: the tw...
2020-10-141h 31
Opening WeekendEpisode 20: Commando - Jagged Edge - Sweet Dreams: October 4th, 1985A tragic plane crash, the brutal murder of a millionaire’s wife. Pshaw! That’s nothing compared to the carnage reaped by AHNULD and a handful of bad one-liners! It’s October 4th, 1985 and the boys revisit COMMANDO, JAGGED EDGE, and SWEET DREAMS on Episode 20 of Opening Weekend!1985 provided plenty of sweaty musclebound behemoths causing maximum damage…and that was just on Dan’s bedroom wall! Which made a bigger musical impact on viewers in 1985: Jessica Lange’s portrayal of Patsy Cline singing “Crazy” to Ed Harris or Fred playing the drums to Huey Lewis at his Bar Mi...
2020-10-061h 30
Opening WeekendEpisode 19: Shaun of the Dead - First Daughter - The ForgottenZombies… Aliens… American Presidents… Anxiety-inducing monsters of ALL stripes haunt the major releases of September 24, 2004 as the boys revisit SHAUN OF THE DEAD, THE FORGOTTEN, and FIRST DAUGHTER! Episode 19 of Opening Weekend has arrived!When the new Batman’s girlfriend plays the old Batman’s daughter, one wouldn’t expect Jason (of all people) to fall asleep halfway through the proceedings, but that’s just the sort of mind-numbing fairy dust that Forest Whitaker sprinkles all over FIRST DAUGHTER! When the plot of the latest Julianne Moore movie is more confusing and convoluted than the 9/11 conspi...
2020-09-291h 36
Opening WeekendEpisode 18: Empire Records - Showgirls - Se7en: September 22, 1995What’s in the box? Plot? Nuance? Strong dialogue? Only one way to find out... Join the boys as they revisit September 22, 1995, and unpack SE7EN, SHOWGIRLS, and EMPIRE RECORDS!Get ready for the ultimate exercise in frustration! Visit a music store where nobody seems to like or care about music! Enter a world of taboo sexual desire in which the greatest taboo is the fact that nothing sexy or desirable happens! And immerse yourself in a dark, jaded tale of violence and suffering that actually argues for a modicum of hope in humanity! Wh...
2020-09-231h 42
Opening WeekendEpisode 17: Rush Hour - Simon Birch - One True Thing: September 18, 1998This week the boys enter autumn with some Hollywood tearjerkers from September 18, 1998: ONE TRUE THING starring Meryl Streep, SIMON BIRCH starring the kid from “Simon Birch”, and - saddest of all - the parade of misery that is Brett Ratner’s RUSH HOUR... In the Olympics of Suffering that is this week’s trio of middling movies there are glimmers of hope to be sure - Meryl Streep’s brilliant acting, Jackie Chan’s balletic fight choreography, John Irving’s elegant negotiating to keep the name “A Prayer For Owen Meany” off of movie posters while still...
2020-09-151h 35
Opening WeekendEpisode 16: Back To School Episode - Zapped - Fast Times at Ridgemont High: 09/03/1982This week the boys share their Top Ten favorite “Back-to-School” movies after revisiting September 3, 1982 and the raunchy student bodies of FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH and ZAPPED!Forget Reading, ‘Riting and ‘Rithmatic - this week’s films are all about “the three S’s”: Scatman, Salami, and Spicoli! Sean Penn’s mesmerizing comic performance in Fast Times is indeed one for the ages, but in the spirit of fair play, might we also interest you in Aunt Esther from Sanford and Son shooting weiners at Albert Einstein with a bazooka? (And yes, you read all of that correc...
2020-09-081h 45
Opening WeekendEpisode 15: Corrina, Corrina - It's Pat - Natural Born KillersFiguring that Baby’s Day Out had its charms (at least when compared with the likes of She’s The One and Disorderlies) the boys RETURN to the summer of 1994 to see what Whoopi Goldberg, Julia Sweeney, and Tommy Lee Jones’s hairdo are up to in the August 26 releases CORRINA CORRINA, IT’S PAT, and NATURAL BORN KILLERS!This week’s films are a triangular conundrum befitting Tommy Lee’s old pal The Riddler - a movie about interracial relationships that tiptoes around issues of race (CORRINA, CORRINA), a movie about gender identity that refuses...
2020-09-041h 39
Opening WeekendEpisode 14: The Island of Dr. Moreau – She’s The One – A Very Brady Sequel: August 23, 1996This week the boys travel back to August of 1996 and a movie that explores a mysterious and horrific world filled with barely human oddities: Ed Burns’s SHE’S THE ONE. Then, later on, they also talk about THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU.(> Needle scratch
2020-08-261h 38
Opening WeekendEpisode 13: Can’t Buy Me Love – Disorderlies – The Monster Squad – No Way Out: August 14, 1987The Village Bath Club must die! Long live the Manhasset Country Club! This week, Jason, Fred, and Dan travel back to August 14, 1987 and revisit CAN’T BUY ME LOVE, DISORDERLIES, THE MONSTER SQUAD, and NO WAY OUT!Much like the Iran-Contra hearings that dominated the summer of ‘87, this week’s episode isn’t afraid to ask the tough questions! Questions like:...If three Fat Boys fall in an elderly man’s mansion and nobody raps, have they made what could reasonably be called a “movie”? (What about Ralph Bellamy’s dignity? If it...
2020-08-171h 47
Opening WeekendEpisode 12: The Sixth Sense – Mystery Men – The Thomas Crown Affair: August 6, 1999This week, the boys travel back to August 6, 1999 and the release of three very scary movies (for very different reasons): THE SIXTH SENSE, MYSTERY MEN, and THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR.While Haley Joel Osment saw dead people, all Jason, Dan, and Fred could see were Pierce Brosnan’s butt and Rene Russo’s boobs...again and again and again. Thomas Crown Affair? More like Thomas Crown’s Got A PAIR! You think the costumes in Mystery Men are garish? Wait until you hear about the oversized, mustard-stained tuxedo Jason wore at his theme restaurant gig an...
2020-08-111h 41
Opening WeekendEpisode11: Weird Science - Fright Night - Follow That Bird: August 2, 1985The weekend of August 2, 1985 was a great one for moviegoers... provided that those moviegoers were 14 years old! Or 4 years old! Everyone else was pretty much out of luck. Join the boys as they wax nostalgic about WEIRD SCIENCE, FRIGHT NIGHT, and SESAME STREET PRESENTS: FOLLOW THAT BIRD!What do Chris Sarandon and his vampiric sidekick have in common with Bert and Ernie? Who was the more statuesque beauty - Kelly LeBrock or Big Bird? And which of the weekend’s teenaged actors would Jason prefer to watch die onscreen? The answers are all here!!!...
2020-08-031h 33
Opening WeekendEpisode 10: Caddyshack: July 25, 1980 (Special Guest – Peter Berkrot)This week, the boys travel back to July 25, 1980, and revisit what might very well be the most quotable comedy of all time: CADDYSHACK! Join Jason, Fred, and Dan as they take a deep dive into the lore of Bushwood and chat about the making of the film with Angie D'Annunzio himself, Peter Berkrot!Rarely have three grown men been this excited to talk about anything! From Dan’s love of Ted Knight’s deadpan delivery to Jason’s love of Bill Murray’s Cinderella story and Fred’s love of Cindy Morgan’s (Edited For Televisi...
2020-07-271h 49
Opening WeekendEpisode 9: Die Hard – A Fish Called Wanda: July 15, 1988This week, the boys travel back to July 15, 1988, and a pair of sleeper hits about robberies gone wrong that stole the summer box office: DIE HARD and A FISH CALLED WANDA!From Kevin Kline’s Oscar-winning sadism to Alan Rickman’s career-launching terrorism, this week’s episode is full of great actors doing terrible things that sickos like Jason, Fred, and Dan just LOVE to watch!Is Die Hard the greatest action movie of all time or the greatest alt-Christmas movie of all time (or both)? Did John Cleese really...
2020-07-201h 25
Opening WeekendEpisode 8: Ghost - Quick Change: July 13, 1990This week, the boys travel back to July 13, 1990, and the release of two very different “New York Stories” — the year’s biggest hit, GHOST (starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg), and Bill Murray’s directorial debut, QUICK CHANGE (starring Murray, Geena Davis, and Randy Quaid). Onscreen it was a week of deadly muggings and botched getaways, but offscreen, the boys saw their own share of trials and tribulations - Fred’s breakup, Jason’s vandalism, and Dan’s confrontation with what can only be described as projectile defecation... This episode brings the nitty AND the gri...
2020-07-131h 21
Opening WeekendEpisode 7: Baby’s Day Out - Blown Away - The Shadow: July 1, 1994This Fourth of July, the boys travel back to 1994 and celebrate their independence from logic, comprehension, and good taste with a trio of holiday head scratchers -- BABY’S DAY OUT, BLOWN AWAY, and THE SHADOW!...If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if a baby crawled across a highway, then you don’t know how highways work! Neither does BABY’S DAY OUT!...If you’ve ever assumed that Irish people sound like cereal mascots eating colorful marshmallows in enchanted forests, then you’ve never met an Irish person...
2020-07-061h 13
Opening WeekendEpisode 6: Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl - Megaforce - Blade Runner - The Thing: June 25, 1982Things get dark and gritty this week as the boys travel back to June 25, 1982 to reappraise a couple of sci-fi classics, and to ruminate on the most dystopian vision of them all: Barry Bostwick in a Lycra jumpsuit… It’s Opening Weekend’s first quadruple bill — BLADE RUNNER, JOHN CARPENTER’S THE THING, MEGAFORCE, and MONTY PYTHON LIVE AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL!LEARN… all about the new dance craze sweeping the nation (or, at least, the podcast booth): The Persis Khambatta Love Jump! DECIDE… if THE THING is an allegory for dis...
2020-06-291h 35
Opening WeekendEpisode 5: Honey I Shrunk the Kids - Batman: June 23, 1989Tonight we’re gonna dance with the devil in the pale moonlight and party like it’s 1989 as Jason, Fred, and Dan fire up the Batmobile (and power up the um… shrink machine thingy, I guess?) to revisit the two big releases of June 23rd: BATMAN and HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS!The weekend marked the dawn of many now-common cinematic occurrences: It was the first time Disney flicks and superhero movies ruled the box office simultaneously… the first time The Joker became the “go-to” role for status-obsessed Oscar nominees to play… AND the first time Ric...
2020-06-231h 18
Opening WeekendEpisode 4: Clash of the Titans, History of the World: Part I, Raiders of the Lost Ark: June 12, 1981If you throw us the idol, we’ll throw you the whip! OPENING WEEKEND returns as Jason, Dan, and Fred travel back to grade school and reminisce about their hopes, their fears, and - in Fred’s case, at least - their many, many lies as they revisit the three big theatrical releases of June 12, 1981 — CLASH OF THE TITANS, HISTORY OF THE WORLD PART I, and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK!The 80’s were known for their big-screen action icons, and the beginning of the decade was no different! Just check out the beefcake on displ...
2020-06-151h 24
Opening WeekendEpisode 3: Beat Street, Gremlins, Ghostbusters: June 8, 1984OPENING WEEKEND returns as Jason, Dan, and Fred power up their proton packs and revisit the three big theatrical releases of June 8, 1984 — GHOSTBUSTERS, GREMLINS, and BEAT STREET!Which of the boys was on a breakdancing crew, and which was scared of the song “White Lines”? Which is more disturbing - Phoebe Cates’s monologue about her dead father, or the idea of Dan performing a strip tease to it? And how many different ways can three grown men mangle Rick Moranis’s speech about Slors? Press ‘play’ and find out! From the subw...
2020-06-081h 27
Opening WeekendEpisode 2: CliffHanger, Made In America, Super Mario Brothers: May 28, 1993OPENING WEEKEND returns as Jason, Fred, and Dan travel back to their carefree college days and feel their achey-breaky-hearts burn for the three major releases of May 28, 1993 — CLIFFHANGER starring Sylvester Stallone and John Lithgow, MADE IN AMERICA starring Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson, and SUPER MARIO BROS. starring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, and an army of animatronic dinosaur heads. (Yep, you read that right.) Does Jason really wish that Spike Lee had directed Made In America? Does Fred really believe that Super Mario Bros is the Nostradamus of kiddie flicks? And how man...
2020-05-301h 03
Opening WeekendEpisode 1: Star Wars – May 25 1977This inaugural episode of OPENING WEEKEND introduces hosts Jason O’Connell, Fred Berman, and Dan Matisa, establishing their “movie geek credentials” (“Starlog” subscription? Check. Childhood obsession with film critic Pauline Kael? Check...) before diving into a funny, freewheeling discussion of the first film to melt the minds of a generation: STAR WARS. Join this trio of comfy college buddies as they recall the toys, the commercials, and the characters that fed their imaginations and shaped their playground fantasies even before they saw the film in theatres. What made the first Star Wars so captivating? How did the sequels, prequels, and (so-ca...
2020-05-2554 min