Jesus Quintana is a minor character in "The Big Lebwoski," but he's front and center now in the new John Turturro written & directed (and starring) film, "The Jesus Rolls," which is out on Blu-ray today.  So, for this week's podcast, we're going to examine the movie and just what it takes to make a successful spinoff.

This week on the podcast we look at "The Rhythm Section," "King Creole," "Fatal Attraction," and "To Catch a Thief."  All are sporting new Blu-ray editions and all offer up a few words on their cases about what to expect before we ever dig in.  Just what are those words and what should they tell us?

Once again we find it impossible to escape the real world by diving into a little bit of fiction.  The comedy "Like a Boss" is out on Blu-ray today and it just may offer a connection to the fools who suggest that shutting a business is worse than the death of thousands.

Filmed entirely in The Philippines, WGN's new show, "Almost Paradise" features actor Christian Kane.  Star of shows such as "Leverage" and "The Librarians," Kane stops by the podcast today to tell us stories of days past as well as what we should expect from this new show.  

The final chapter (allegedly) in The Skywalker Saga, "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker" is now out on Blu-ray.  Let's take a minute and discuss how this franchise that has produced so much mediocrity has managed to make people so angry.  

Is it the great moments getting buried (and there are great moments) or is it something else?

Both "The Wizard" and "1917" are out today on Blu-ray and one of these movies is all about placing the audience there with the main characters as they struggle.  The other most definitely features a character struggling but is more concerned with how to sell video games than what the struggle means and how it should be approached.

Let's discuss.

In "Spoiler Alert!:  The Badass Book fo Movie Plots:  Why We All Love Hollywood Cliches"  Chris Vander Kaay and his fellow authors breakdown 38 different movie genres, telling us the essential elements to each and every one in comedic form.  How did the book come about and what movies does Vander Kaay like most?  Listen as we discuss it all.  

The 1923 and 1956 versions of "The Ten Commandments," both made by Cecil B. DeMille, are out now in a single Blu-ray set.  That gives us the perfect opportunity to discuss a filmmaker getting the opportunity to rework the same source material. So, as that's something we often suggest, let's take a look at how that worked out here.

As the Mark Ruffalo-starring "Dark Waters" is all too happy to tell us, companies don't care about us, they care about the bottom line.  Not only that, they care about the bottom line to the point where they will allow people to die to protect it.

No, it's not science fiction, it's disturbing fact and we're talking about it today.

The original "Frozen" is spectacular.  So, how can "Frozen II" be such a disappointment as it's nearly the exact same?

And there, right there within the question, lies the answer:  because it's nearly the exact same.

Let's take a look at what might have been, what shouldn't have been, and see if we can't freeze future mistakes in their track.

Some of the best movies out there are ones that completely throw our perception of what is taking place out the window.  This week we're looking at two movies that do that beautifully, "Shutter Island" and Parasite," and one film that takes low brow teenage monster/alien pregnancy comedies to new heights, "Snatchers."

Setting aside your religious views, it is undeniable that Jesus figures appear in a multitude of films.  This week we're going to discuss possible such individuals in "The House that Jack Built" and "Playing with Fire."

Last year saw yet another "Terminator" movie hit screens along with a sequel to "Zombieland."  Now they are out on Blu-ray.  Both franchises are about the apocalypse and involve much mayhem, and both have behind the scenes work from "Deadpool" alums (even if Wernick and Reese, did original "Zombieland" well before "Deadpool), but only one of the films seems to be having any fun with it all.

Just where did "Terminator:  Dark Fate" go wrong when "Zombieland:  Double Tap" went right?

Although a cold may have affected Josh's voice, he's back this week to discuss "Gemini Man" and "I See You," both of which offer a certain sense of mirroring.  One does this to great effect, while the other... well, the effect is not great at all.

Andrew Desmond stops by the podcast today, at least telephonically, to talk about his feature directorial debut, "The Sonata."  A horror film based in classic music and secret societies, "fun" may not be the right word to describe it (torture not being fun), but it's certainly engaging and interesting.  Desmond offers us his thoughts on the process and what it takes to write about a piece of music without being able to write music.

Here are two movies about doing something to change the world.  One does it in fairy tale format, while the other is much more a drama.  Both, however, have something to say on the desire to make a change, even if they're not quite sure from where that desire may emanate, or the resulting ramifications.

Scream Factory has released a great new boxed set of "The Fly" movies.  All five of them are included and, as often happens with sci-fi works, they are ruminations on mankind's trouble with technology.  Just for fun--and the sheer terror of it--we equate them a little with social media today.  

Iver William Jallah has now had a screenplay turned into a movie.  That movie, "Grand Isle" comes out this Friday and stars Nicolas Cage and Kelsey Grammer.  

What exactly is it like to get a movie made -- what compromises took place and what was it like to be on set?  Jallah tells us all.

Sometimes it takes a movie to remind us that which we already know.  If we as a people are to hold the moral high ground, we have to act like we deserve it.  That means being able to listen to people even if we don't like the message being delivered.  Yes, "Official Secrets" may take place in England, but the story has lots of relevance for us in the States today.

What does it mean to be an adventurer and why is it that such films resonate year after year?  After two weeks off, the "Lass is More" podcast returns with a new episode contemplating the great adventure that is life and why "x" may sometimes mark the spot.

This week we're talking about the movie "Badland," a new western film out this Friday.  It has all the elements you'd expect from a western, but maybe not all in the best order, or examined in the right fashion.  So, is ticking the box for all the various tropes enough to make a good movie or is something more required?

There are some movies which clearly wish to be thought of as "Important."  There are other movies that just want the audience to enjoy themselves.  This week, we're looking at two of the latter as "Crawl" and "Night Hunter" have arrived on Blu-ray.  Neither is likely to win any sort of award, but they both pull you in and don't let go until the credits roll.

The brilliant comedy "Mean Girls" has a new 15th anniversary edition out and that is as good a reason as any to talk about what makes the film so successful even now, a decade and a half after its original release.  So, that's exactly what we do in this week's episode.

Whatever issues the movie may have, whatever problems appear along the way, the new live-action "Aladdin" from Disney has one huge thing going for it, and that's Will Smith as the Genie.  Smith takes on the role voiced so wonderfully by Robin Williams and creates something tremendous.  

This week's podcast ruminates on Smith's decision and the results.

At one point during his NASCAR racing career, Michael Waltrip was 0-462.  He did get that first win and did so in one of the biggest races of the year, but that same race saw the fatal crash of his boss/friend/mentor, Dale Earnhardt.  It was a great and terrible day for Waltrip and his story has now been turned into the documentary, "Blink of an Eye."  

Waltrip talks about the movie, the book it's based on, and the events as he visits the podcast today.