Make the Case: Recent Episodes
Make The Case Podcast
A podcast to help you fall in love with movies all over again. Each week, Conrad Rothbaum and his co-host ShwinnyPooh come on to "Make the Case" -- that is, to put forth a hot take, argument or simply a new perspective -- about a movie they love. For questions or comments please email us at makethecasepodcast@gmail.com and we might read your email on the air! You can also call us and leave us a voicemail at (818) 538-4966 -- we want to hear from you, and may play your voicemail on the podcast! Follow the show on Twitter at @makethecaseshow. Co-hosts Conrad and Shwin are also on Twitter as @csroth and @shwinnypooh respectively, but if you follow them, be prepared for many, many tweets about the New York Knicks on your feed.
Join Conrad, Shwin and special guests Rebecca Goldstein, Simon Schiller and Dylan Visvikis as they break down their favorite films of the year. We laughed! We cried! We blew up a pipeline.
Please note that while we try to avoid specific spoilers, if you want to go into these films completely fresh, you may want to wait to listen to this pod or to avoid the specific segment on the film in question.
Below is a list of of the films we discussed with handy timestamps so that you may skip around:
May December 00:03:54
Beau is Afraid 00:12:09
Killers of the Flower Moon 00:18:55
Priscilla 00:30:08
Wonka 00:36:38
Oppenheimer 00:46:52
Poor Things 00:58:02
How to Blow Up a Pipeline 01:04:35
Zone of Interest 01:12:07
Satlburn 01:28:43
Honorable Mentions 01:35:50
(Past Lives, Shortcomings, Theater Camp, Bottoms, Sanctuary, The Holdovers, Monster, Juwan, Landscape with Invisible Hand, Missing, I Have To Do This)
Other Things We Liked This Year 01:42:29
(Succession, The Last of Us, Jury Duty, I'm a Virgo, The Bear, Game Theory with Sam Vecenie, Troye Sivan's "One of Your Girls," Spider-Man 2 (the video game), The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen)
...OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE POD!
Today, we make this pod short and sweet, as we talk Stanley Kubrick's nuclear panic satire, DR. STRANGELOVE!
Topics include: 1) What is the corollary today for fear of nuclear war in 1965; 2) Are we more afraid of atom bombs or bodily fluid theft; 3) did we want Peter Sellers to play a fourth role? (Of course we did).
If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it (5 stars please), and click the subscribe button to get next week's episode!
THEY TRAINED THEM TO PODCAST FOR THEIR PLEASURE... BUT THEY TRAINED THEM A LITTLE TOO WELL!! // HOW DID THEY EVER MAKE A PODCAST OF LOLITA?
In this episode, we continue our analysis of Kubrick's career with the "Least Kubrick" of Kubrick's films: Kirk Douglas' SPARTACUS and Vladimir Nabokov's LOLITA!
Topics include: SPARTACUS' tangled web of inconsistent subtext; the historical significance of SPARTACUS in breaking Hollywood's communist blacklist; an unexpected analysis of Brad Pitt's legacy; if there was a good reason (besides $$$) to make a movie of LOLITA; alternate Humbert Humbert casting ideas (including Marlon Brando and Matthew McConaughey), and a Hitchcock movie ranking.
If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it (5 stars please), and click the subscribe button to get next week's episode!
IN ALL ITS FURY AND VIOLENCE… LIKE NO OTHER PODCAST SINCE “BLANK CHECK” AND “THE BIG PICTURE”!
This week, we kick off our most ambitious series yet: a retrospective on the films of Stanley Kubrick, one by one, from the very beginning, INCLUDING BARRY LYNDON (that sound you just heard was Shwin crying in anguish). We start with Kubrick’s first two studio pictures, THE KILLING and PATHS OF GLORY.
Topics include: the historical context in which Kubrick came to self-actualize as an “auteur;” which directors and films were inspired by The Killing’s non-linear, cerebral approach to a pulpy crime plot (we’re looking at you, Nolan and Tarantino), and whether or not Paths of Glory should be considered a satire.
If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it (5 stars please), and click the subscribe button to get next week's episode!
HE'S A PODCAST CO-HOST. HE WILL RISK HIS LIFE, THE LIVES OF HIS FAMILY, EVERYTHING HE HOLDS DEAR FOR THE ONE THING HE HOLDS SACRED... THE TRUTH.
This week, we finish off our Oliver Stone trilogy with his operatic paranoiac JFK. Released in 1991, this film tells you that if you think Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, you're just not asking the right questions. Who benefits from the most epic conspiracy theory propaganda ever propagated by Hollywood? You, the consumer of course!!
Topics include: What exactly did Oliver Stone make up, and what were his intentions with the film? What is the appeal of Kevin Costner? And did the guy Joe Pesci is based on really look like that? We find out live!
If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it (5 stars please), and click the subscribe button to get next week's episode.
WHAT HAPPENS IF IT ACTUALLY PODS?
This week, we loop back to the 2004 cult classic time travel drama from Shane Carruth, PRIMER. Famously shot for $7000 (we have some thoughts about that) and supposedly containing enough information to articulate its own plot (we have some more thoughts about that), the film is a taut, psychological thriller about the deterioration of a friendship, and we go back to interrogate its existence.
Did we understand this movie? Maybe? Did you? Why are you asking so many questions? Is it because this movie is so confusing? Is that your double standing behind you?
If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it (5 stars please), and click the subscribe button to get next week's episode.
EVERY POD HAS A PRICE.
This week, we continue our Oliver Stone series (to Conrad's chagrin) with Stone's 1987 opus on greed, which takes place on a very well-known street in downtown Manhattan.
Is greed good? Is Charlie Sheen okay? Should Martin Sheen have played Gordon Gekko? Should Oliver Stone have been a stockbroker instead of a filmmaker? Let's discuss.
If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it (5 stars please), and click the subscribe button to get next week's episode.
What’s your favorite Oliver Stone movie? Please don't say the Putin docu-series. Leave us a voicemail at (818) 538-4966 or message us on twitter at @makethecaseshow — we want to hear from you!
In this pod, we bring in special guest Lester Lee of Dead Seriousness dot com to help us tear down this wall: How is this movie an interesting intersection of Fury Road and John Wick? What makes Charlize Theron so compelling as an action star? And what the hell is the plot of this movie? (Spoiler: neither of us have any idea).
If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it (5 stars please), and click the subscribe button to get next week's episode. And if you liked what you heard from Lester, you can find him on twitter at @thelesterlee & @deadseriousness and substack at lesterlee.substack.com
What’s your favorite Charlize Theron movie? Leave us a voicemail at (818) 538-4966 or message us on twitter at @makethecaseshow — we want to hear from you!
SOMEONE YOU PASS ON THE STREET MAY ALREADY BE THE GUEST OF YOUR POD.
It's a special Valentine's Day episode of Make the Case, as special guest Rebecca Goldstein presents an argument for the Nora Ephron classic You've Got Mail!
If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it (5 stars please), and click the subscribe button to get next week's episode.
Did we miss your favorite part of YOU'VE GOT MAIL? What's the romantic comedy you like to watch with your SO? Leave us a voicemail at (818) 538-4966 and we might play it on the next pod!
POD. OR BE PODDED.
In this pod, we tackle the big questions about football, and life: Does this movie have the greatest sports monologue ever? Is Jamie Foxx underrated? Why does "Bubble Pacino" work as a burnt out, old school football coach still clinging to his glory days? Does Oliver Stone suck? (Yes).
If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it (5 stars please), and click the subscribe button to get next week's episode.
Did we miss your favorite part of ANY GIVEN SUNDAY? What's your favorite football movie? Leave us a voicemail at (818) 538-4966 and we might play it on the next pod!
"AS FAR BACK AS I CAN REMEMBER, I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A PODCASTER." - HENRY HILL
Hot off the heels of our Sopranos duology, we're talking its foundational predecessor: GOODFELLAS? Just what is the Martin Scorsese gangster epic really about? Conrad makes the case and you'll have to tune in to find out!
If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it (5 stars please), and click the subscribe button to get next week's episode.
Did we miss your favorite part of GOODFELLAS? Leave us a voicemail at (818) 538-4966 and we might play it on the next pod!
HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE THE PODCAST!
It's the final part of our Sopranos Call-In extravaganza. In this episode, we have special guests David Futernick (@davidfuternick) and Kris Pursiainen (@krispursiainen) call to make the case for their personal favorite episode, but not before Shwin and Conrad discuss the episode they agree is the best: Whitecaps!! Be warned! There are spoilers!!
Episodes discussed are:
Season 4, Episode 13: Whitecaps at 1:55
Season 5, Episode 12: Long Term Parking (with Kris Pursiainen) at 31:38
Season 6, Episode 13 (or S6B, Ep 1): Soprano Home Movies (with David Futernick) at 01:29:54
If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it (5 stars please), and click the subscribe button to get next week's episode, in which we will discuss another mob epic: Scorsese's GOODFELLAS!
Did we miss your favorite episode? Leave us a voicemail at (818) 538-4966 and tell us about your favorite episode of the Sopranos, or anything else you might want to talk about and we might play it on the next pod!
IF ONE PODCAST DOESN'T KILL HIM... THE OTHER PODCAST WILL!
It's Part 1 of our Sopranos Call-In extravaganza. In this episode, we have special guests Jonathan Macri, Adam Feeney, and Jody Kava each call in to discuss their personal favorite episode and what really makes Tony Soprano tick. Be warned! We discuss everything and everything, no holds barred, so there will be spoilers if you haven't watched the show yet. And if you haven't, go and do that!! Why aren't you doing that?! Go now!!!
Episodes discussed are:
Season 1, Episode 5: College (with Adam Feeney) at 3:57
Season 2, Episode 13: Funhouse (with Jody Kava) at 34:00
Season 3, Episode 12: Amour Fou (with Jonathan Macri) at 01:01:14
If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it (5 stars please), and click the subscribe button to get Part 2 of this series, where we will have more illustrious guests discussing their personal favorite episodes, spanning seasons 4-6 of the show!
Did we miss your favorite episode? Leave us a voicemail at (818) 538-4966 and tell us about your favorite episode of the Sopranos, or anything else you might want to talk about and we might play it on the next pod!
Join Conrad, Shwin and special guests Simon Schiller and Dylan Visvikis as they break down their favorite films of the year. We laughed! We cried! We turned into rocks and bowed to the Everything Bagel.
Leave us a message with your takes, cases or just with general feedback at (818) 538-4966, and we may play it on the air!
Below is a list of films discussed, and where to currently (legally) stream them:
Top Gun: Maverick (available for VOD rental)
Everything, Everywhere All At Once (Showtime)
The Batman (HBO Max)
Triangle of Sadness (available for VOD rental)
RRR (Netflix)
TÁR (available for [expensive] VOD rental, still playing in select theaters)
The Fabelmans (available for [expensive] VOD rental, still playing in theaters)
The Worst Person In The World (Hulu)
All Quiet On The Western Front (Netflix)
IT STARTED LIKE ANY OTHER PODCAST.
In the conclusion of our Michael Mann triptych, we consider perhaps his most fun film (?!) -- the 2004 Tom Cruise vehicle COLLATERAL!
Topics include: 1) How does this movie compare to other great hitman movies? 2) A consideration of what-ifs such as Adam Sandler in the Jamie Foxx role; 3) Mark Ruffalo's "arc" in this film, and great stunt casting moments from other movies, such as Matt Damon in INTERSTELLAR and John Krasinski in DR. STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS.
Leave us a message with your takes, cases or just with general feedback at (818) 538-4966, and we may play it on the air!
THE PODCAST IS THE JUICE!!!
This week we continue our ongoing Michael Mann series, analyzing his LA bank robber masterpiece, HEAT! Hot off our examination of his first film, we talk about the ways Mann learned from the failures and successes of THIEF (and the ways he repeated certain successes and failures) for this much more ambitious second effort in the crime thriller genre.
Topics include 1) where does this rank in the pantheon of great heist films? 2) why can't Mann write female characters well?? 3) Did Mann miss his window to team up prime Robert De Niro and prime Al Pacino?
If you want to call us with your takes, cases or just with general feedback, leave us a message at (818) 538-4966. We want to hear from you!
... And stay tuned next week for the conclusion of our Michael Mann series when we take a joy ride with Tom Cruise's salt-and-pepper sociopath in 2007's COLLATERAL!!
TONIGHT OUR PODCAST PAY IS $410,000 ... TAX FREE!!
Patrick McKeown joins the podcast again for the first part of our Michael Mann trilogy: this week, we're talking the 1981 crime thriller THIEF! Starring James Caan, Tuesday Weld, and a young Jim Belushi, THIEF is the crime thriller that started it all for Mann. Topics include: 1) Our favorite "One Last Job" movies; 2) Is Michael Mann a union guy?; 3) Do the things you own end up owning you?
If you want to call us with your takes, cases or just with general feedback, leave us a message at (818) 538-4966. We want to hear from you!
... And stay tuned next week for Part 2 of our Michael Mann series when we tackle the DeNiro / Pacino two-hander, HEAT!!
THEIR DEADLY MISSION: TO POD ABOUT THE FORBIDDEN ISLAND OF HAN! Be like water, everyone. In this pod, Conrad is joined by special guest Warren Lam, director of THE MASTER OF INFLUENCE WITH SI-FU BRUCE LEE, to celebrate Bruce Lee's legacy by discussing his final film, ENTER THE DRAGON!! Discussion topics include 1) what does it mean to "fight without fighting?" 2) Conrad's undying love for Jackie Chan, Michael Jordan and John Mayer; 3) An examination of the methodology of the AFI Top 100 list; 4) A mutual love fest for the films of Wong Kar-wai. If you want to call us with your takes, cases or just with general feedback, leave us a message at (818) 538-4966. We want to hear from you!
And please check out THE MASTER OF INFLUENCE WITH SI-FU BRUCE LEE at the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nodRIBmbWDA&t=13s
A PODCAST OF BLOOD, GUTS AND TEARS THAT WILL LEAVE AN INDELIBLE MARK ON YOUR SOUL! This week, Conrad and Shwin tackle the grisly 2022 German-language Netflix film, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, adapted by Edward Berger from the 1928 novel by Erich Maria Remarque, Im Westen nichts Neues. Topics include: 1) The messages of this film and how it differs from the novel; 2) Our favorite war movies including Steven Spielberg's SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, Jean Renoir's THE GRAND ILLUSION, Michael Cimino's DEER HUNTER, and whether or not Quentin Tarantino's INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS should be considered a "war movie"; 3) How the technological developments in how wars are fought influence the films that are made about war. If you want to call us with your takes, cases or just with general feedback, leave us a message at (818) 538-4966. We want to hear from you!
FREE YOUR POD. It's time to talk about the 1999 action/sci fi classic, The Matrix, directed by the Wachowski sisters and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss! Conrad and Shwin begin by discussing the trans themes embedded in the Matrix, and go on to discuss everything from how the film relates to Jean-Pierre Melville's Army of Shadows to Leonardo DiCaprio's boneheaded decisions not to be in this film or Boogie Nights. Other topics include: 1) a brief admiration society for the films of John Woo and Chow Yun Fat; 2) Conrad outing himself as not knowing a single thing about the John Wick franchise; 3) Other casting "What Ifs" including Val Kilmer as Morpheus and Sandra Bullock as Trinity. Also, our Gen Z friends catch random strays. Sorry Kris! If you want to call us with your takes, cases or just with general feedback, leave us a message at (818) 538-4966. We want to hear from you!
THE PODCAST BELONGS TO THE MAD. In this nearly 2 hour behemoth worthy of the War Rig itself, Conrad and special guest host Rebecca Goldstein tackle the contemporary action/sci fi classic, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. Just how did George Miller, a septuagenarian, direct one of the greatest action movies of all time? And how did Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy give those incredible performances over an army of roaring engines? And, really now, how the hell did they execute all those improbable practical action scenes??? Discussion topics include 1) Rebecca's feedback on our The Irishman episode, which sparks a longer discussion of when exactly we lost "Grounded Pacino" to "Manic Pacino"; 2) Rebecca's extreme aversion to Mel Gibson, including her routine protest of him at her local video rental store (sorry Cinefile Video); 3) A longer examination of the feminist themes in the film. We laugh, we cry (several times), and Conrad learns live on the air that Charlize is not in the upcoming Furiosa prequel, and is crushed by the news. Thanks to Beyond Fest for organizing the IMAX screening that inspired this episode! If you want to call us with your takes, cases or just with general feedback, leave us a message at (818) 538-4966. We want to hear from you!
This podcast was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here. To kick off November's theme, sci-fi action-adventure, Conrad and Shwin discuss one of Shwin's favorite films, Interstellar, the 2014 Christopher Nolan space-vehicle starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and a very young Timothée Chalamet! Topics include 1) How does this movie compare to other Nolan films such as Tenet, Dunkirk, Inception, and The Dark Knight? 2) how does Alfred Hitchcock compare to Christopher Nolan? and 3) more importantly, how does New York Knicks Head Coach Tom Thibodeau compare to Christopher Nolan? You'll have to listen to find out! If you want to call us with your takes, cases or just with general feedback, dial us at (818) 538-4966. We want to hear from you!
Pray for Rosemary's podcast!! It's a special Halloween spooktacular, as Conrad is joined by Shwin in revisiting the movie that traumatized him as a child: Roman Polanski's 1968 horror classic, Rosemary's Baby, starring Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes! Topics include 1) why did Conrad's grandma show him this when he was 8 years old? 2) Did Polanski use Farrow's Vidal Sassoon hairstyle to make a subtle jab at Jean-Luc Godard? and 3) WHY DID CONRAD'S GRANDMA SHOW HIM THIS WHEN HE WAS 8 YEARS OLD??!! You'll have to listen to find out! Please call us and leave a voicemail with your takes and cases at (818) 538-4966. We want to hear from you!
Shoot first. Podcast later. In honor of the release of the new film The Banshees of Inisherin, Conrad and special guest host Patrick McKeown discuss Martin McDonagh's masterpiece crime comedy released in 2008, In Bruges! Yes, we said it: In Bruges is a contemporary masterpiece and we get into why. Topics include 1) Colin Farrell's guilt complex; 2) what this movie has in common with Bill Hader and Alec Berg's show, Barry, and 3) the time Conrad's Mom almost made him make what would have been the single worst mistake of his adult life. Hitmen! Motorcycle chases! Dubious tourism of medieval Europe! All this and more in this action-packed episode!!!
It's a special Sunday edition of the Make the Case podcast! First, at 01:09, reacting to a listener-submitted topic, Shwin and Conrad discuss why medium-budget thrillers like Se7en have disappeared from mainstream Hollywood (and also whether or not Top Gun: Maverick was good for America). Then at 23:08, Conrad welcomes back guest host Dallas Amico to react to the highly eventful Rings of Power season 1 finale! Discussion topics include 1) our favorite moments from the episode and how those moments effect a potential rewatch of the season; 2) where we think the story goes in season 2, and 3) Comparisons between the success of Rings of Power and House of the Dragon, as well as Game of Thrones vs. Lord of the Rings in general. SPOILERS ABOUND! If you have any feedback, comments, or takes you want to try out on us, call us at (818) 538-4966 or find us on Twitter at @makethecaseshow -- we want to hear from you!
One does not simply podcast into Mordor. In Part 2 of this mega-pod, Conrad and Dallas return to discuss the Hobbit books, the Peter Jackson trilogy and the new Rings of Power show! Topics include 1) why Conrad considers The Two Towers to be the weakest Peter Jackson installment, while Dallas considers it the best; 2) the casting choices both in the films and the new show, and 3) what this story has to say about the world Tolkien lived in; what does this story ultimately have to say about war, friendship, and your place in your own homeland? Yes, it gets a little serious! We might get a little misty-eyed. This is the final installment of our look at the Lord of the Rings books and movies, but there will be one final mini-pod coming soon: a reaction to the Rings of Power finale! If you have any feedback, comments, or takes you want to try out on us, call us at (818) 538-4966 or find us on Twitter at @makethecaseshow -- we want to hear from you!
Even the smallest podcast can change the course of the future. In Part 1 of this mega-pod, our friend Dallas Amico taps in to tackle the entire Tolkien ouevre: the books, the Peter Jackson movies, and the new Rings of Power show from Amazon. Spoiler: we like it all! But Dallas doesn't disappoint: he brings several spicy takes on Peter Jackson's trilogy. Topics include 1) critical changes between the books and the film; 2) environmentalist message of Tolkien's work, and 3) the similarities between the Grateful Dead and the Lord of the Rings. Yes, we're serious about that last one! Part 2 of this pod will post on Friday. If you have any feedback, comments, or takes you want to try out on us, call us at (818) 538-4966 or find us on Twitter at @makethecaseshow -- we want to hear from you!
THERE ARE NO CLEAN PODCASTS. That is certainly true of this episode, in which Conrad and Shwin discuss Nicolas Winding Refn's monosyllabic crime epic, DRIVE! Conrad brings a take on what he considers to be a peak Ryan Gosling performance, and the ensuing discussion features assessments of what Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan each bring to this film, Michael Mann's influence on DRIVE's cinematography and a lively debate on just what Adam Driver's sex appeal really is. Remember, if you would like to leave us a voicemail that could be played on an upcoming podcast, you can do so at (818) 538-4966. We want to hear from you!
WHAT'S IN THE POD?!? Conrad and Shwin's pretty takes on Dave Fincher's perverse opus, Se7en, starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Spacey! We talk a lot about what's in the box, but also about Chinatown, Christian Bale's Batman voice and Al Pacino's affinity for great asses. But first, Conrad responds to a listener voicemail from Jandro (@onlyonejandro) regarding the episode about Alien. If you would like to leave us a voicemail, you can do so at (818) 538-4966. We want to hear from you!
I heard you podcast... houses? Okay I guess a tagline / podcast pun doesn't really work for this episode. Nevertheless, Conrad, Shwin and special guest James Marceda (@theirishmanhehe) persist with this podcast examining the 3.5 hour Netflix epic directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. But first, Conrad responds to a listener voicemail regarding the reaction podcast to Don't Worry Darling. Just what do Harry Styles fans call themselves? We settle it here and now! If you would like to leave us a voicemail, you can do so at (818) 538-4966. We want to hear from you!
In space, no one can hear you podcast. Unless you're sending out a distress podcast, in which case the crew of the Nostromo might come and try to save you for bonus money. This episode, Shwin and Conrad talk about Alien! But first, Conrad responds to a listener voicemail regarding our inaugural episode, Godfather Part II. If you want to leave us a voicemail and possibly have it played on a future podcast, give us a ring at (818) 538-4966. We want to hear from you!
Are you ready to pod the life you deserve? In this special episode, Conrad and new guest Rebecca Goldstein (@becgo) (first lady of the pod) react to an early screening of Olivia Wilde's second film, Don't Worry Darling, starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles. While they don't crack what made Chris Pine disassociate at Venice Film Festival or why Nick Kroll is in this film, they do have a lot to say about what makes this movie a movie.
Spoilers start at (12:08).
If you want to leave us a voicemail and possibly have it played on a future podcast, give us a ring at (818) 538-4966. We want to hear from you!
Keep your friends close but your podcasters closer!! That's right - for the inaugural episode of Make the Case, your new friends and co-hosts Conrad and Shwin watch their own backs as they discuss Godfather Part II -- as Shwin makes the case for one of the most hotly debated takes in Godfather fandom: that Godfather Part II is better than its predecessor. Conrad isn't so sure; through that lens they view many other different topics: who is the main antagonist of Godfather II? Should Coppola's preferred director, young upstart Martin Scorsese, have directed the film? And is Michael Jordan really better than LeBron James? Find out when you listen - and subscribe!
Welcome to Make the Case, a podcast to help you fall in love with movies all over again!