He may seem like a mild old sodbuster, but think twice before you slap leather against Old Henry. Stewart, Rastislav and Ken are back to review this western that has a few tricks up its sleeve. While not a box office success (perhaps due to its theatrical release during the recent pandemic), Old Henry has nonetheless garnered solid reviews, a growing fanbase, and notice from major Hollywood studios for its writer/director Potsy Ponciroli. His new project The Rescue (starring Brandon Sklenar) is due in theatres from Paramount Pictures in January 2027.

The story begins in 1906 Oklahoma; widower Henry McCarty is a world-weary farmer who works his acreage and tends his hogs alongside his son Wyatt and occasionally his brother-in-law Al. Their life is arduous but Henry wants Wyatt to learn the value of hard work. Wyatt doesn’t always agree with this mindset; Al advises him that he will have plenty of time in the future to see the world but for now, it’s best he stays on the farm. Things change when Henry discovers the unconscious sheriff Curry on his property; Curry has with him a satchel of money that he had to protect, and against his hesitation Henry brings Curry back to the farm so that he and Wyatt can bring him back to relative health. Curry eventually tells them he was set upon by Ketchum, Stillwell and Dugan, a trio of outlaws posing as lawmen. Ketchum and company pay an initial “visit” to Henry and leave, with the intent to get information from Al, who they’ve figured out is Henry’s brother-in-law. Curry slowly improves, and Wyatt snoops around and finds the money and hints about his father’s past. Henry is forced to kill Dugan, who is surveilling their farm. Curry tells them more about Ketchum’s doings, and eventually Ketchum, having hired several more guns, returns to the farm with Al as his captive. When Ketchum tries to use Al to force Henry to turn over Curry and the money, the final reckoning begins. Henry shows Ketchum and his men his true skillset and Wyatt is forced to become his father’s son sooner than he expected...

Stewart, Rastislav and Ken all agree that this is an enjoyable film that belies its $1.5 million budget through the dedication and creativity of its director, actors and crew. The cinematography is expansive, and the music enhances the story without overpowering it. The actors do great work in realizing Ponciroli’s well-researched and plotted story. Listeners are encouraged to join this film’s growing posse of fans.

Written and directed by Potsy Ponciroli. Starring Tim Blake Nelson as Henry, Gavin Lewis as Wyatt, Scott Haze as Curry, Stephen Dorff as Ketchum, and Trace Adkins as Al. Unrated, but equivalent to an R for violence and language.

Stewart Rips into the new series starring Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake and Sandro Rosta who becomes the new chancellor to the recently resurrected Star Fleet Academy. Sandro the other main character plays a renegade who was upset with Starfleet’s nefarious ways. As far as flops go this one beams you right into the dead of space, with just 90k views on their free premiere on YouTube.

Rasto then reviews his TV series Archive 81 which is a fairly recent 2022 adaptation of various horror like series such as Rosemary’s Baby and other copycats in the last few decades. Cancelled after just 1 season Rasto believes it was wrapped up nicely. Rebecca Sonnenshine developed this series and the main character is played by Mamoudou Athie.

Ken leaps into action with his Clean Shaven pick from 1993 written and directed by Lodge Kerrigan and starring Peter Greene. It takes a serious look at mental illness and the consequences of letting people run free with such disabilities.

With our lesser picks out of the way we move on to Stewart’s better pick Together from 2025, which is a film based on the Greek Mythology of the better half, where people originally had 2 heads, 4 arms, and four legs. In this horror we see what would happen if two people were split, and were to suddenly start to meld together to become one. Directed by Michael Shanks, and starring Dave Franco with Alison Brie who are a real life couple. This film managed to get itself into a copyright dispute with another production company.

Rasto then gives us his take on the 1966 French film Au hasard Balthazar. The film is unique because it follows around a donkey from the perspective of said animal, and how it interacts with the various humans and owners in it’s life. Directed by Robert Bresson and starring Anne Wiazemsky who has a unique acting ability.

Ken finally wraps up his 2021 pick Old Henry. This western seems to be unique in a way, and Ken enjoyed it. Directed and written by Potsy Ponciroli and starring Tim Blake Nelson.

Stewart also has a quick follow-up on the Toxic Avenger Reboot.

This Shōji Kawamori directed film is set in the year 2040, 3 decades after the previous situation with the war between Humans and the Zentradi Aliens. The three main characters are Isamu, Guld, and Myung who were high school friends on a planet called Eden, but after an incident that happened years prior they went their separate ways. Years later they met back up again, as the two boys were now highly respected fighter jocks who flew experimental mechas (hybrid robot/jets.) Also back on the scene is Myung who was the prior love interest of the men, and despite their friendship from years prior, there is now a hostility that exists between them. Through the film they are constantly fighting with each other, but a much worse threat looms on the horizon and that is a new AI model that is set to take over the masses through pop culture and its deceptive ways. Little did the boys know, but Myung was actually the one who was using her own experiences to train this new artificial intelligence. Sharon Apple the AI begins to have plans of her own and the three come together to stop it.

This film had some very good reviews on IMDB and has a bit of a cult following. The four of us all have a different take on the film, when it comes to the plot, the music, and the animation. There seems to be many references to other films, one being that the AI might be based on the actor Sharon Stone.

By the Creators of Cowboy Bebop and written by Keiko Nobumoto, Takumi Yamazaki as Isamu, Unshou Ishizuka as Guld, Rica Fukami as Myung, Megumi Hayashibara as Lucy McMillan, and Mako Hyōdō as Sharon Apple.

Hall Baltimore writes books about witch hunting and is in a slump so he travels to a small US town for a book signing in the hopes are reinvigorating himself.

Nobody knows who he is except the sheriff who hopes that his latest idea is suitable for Baltimore’s latest book. He tells a twisted tale about the murder of kids, vampires across the lake, and a ghost that haunts the town to this day. Will Hall Baltimore and Sheriff Bobby LaGrange solve this mystery and get the book written? Baltimore gets a little help along the way from a mysterious 13 year old girl and the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe who appears in his dreams.

This film bombed at the box office, but was also trashed by critiques and the average movie goer alike. Stewart, Rastislav and Ken take a deep dive into the film and uncover some of the symbolism but also criticize the plot which didn’t make much sense. Even with the big name actors and the comical moments, it seems this is a ghastly tale indeed.

Written and Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and shot mostly at his own estate. Based on some of real events of Coppola’s life.

Film Rating: R for Graphic Scenes and Blood

Stewart’s greater pick Friendship from 2024 is a story about two neighbours who become great friends, but through the struggles of everyday life have a falling out because the main character is a bit of a born loser. Andrew DeYoung take this classic tale and puts a modern twist on it. The main character played by Tim Robinson is very good in his role.

Rasto decides to go the documentary route this time with his 2022 pick called Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues, which explores the life and times of this pioneer of jazz. Directed by Sacha Jenkens using actual footage of Louis Armstrong. Rasto was very pleased with this film and the controversy surrounding Louis Armstrong at the time.

We slide back to Ken for another semi-court room drama called Juror No. 2 directed by Clint Eastwood in 2024. Ken was somewhat impressed but also let down at a key moment in the film. Nicholas Hoult stars in the film, And Ken decides this film is worth a better score than our recent review of Cry Macho.

After all these serious picks, Stewart from out in left field brings us his tale of the Toxic Avenger from 1984, which in all manor of speaking is a B Movie done so wrong, that it turns out alright! Tons of gore, red ketchup and brutal scenes, not for the faint of heart. Directed by Michael Herz starring Mitch Cohen. This bad boy falls under the classic Troma over the top film. As the name says a nerdy janitor turns into a toxic vigilante after falling into some toxic waste. You can watch the kill count on Youtube if you are brave enough.

Rasto brings us back to reality with Three Pines from 2022 which he still gave a half descent score. Created by Emilia di Girolamo and starring Alfred Molina. This is a Canadian Film, from Montreal that explores the life of a small towns sins and how the residents navigate each others crimes while still trying to remain neighbours.

There is one other ‘Meh’ film that Rasto brought to our attention and that is sleeping Dogs starring Russell Crowe from 2024 which was in his opinion just meh....

Mike Milo is a retired rodeo and ranch hand who was fired by his old boss and ranch owner for what appears as Mike ‘being too old’. A year later he is approached by his old boss to journey into Mexico to retrieve the ranch owners son from his delinquent mother and bring him back to the US. Along the way they meet some interesting people and create a bond with each other and the boys rooster named ‘Macho’.

Stewart enjoyed the easygoing wholesomeness of this film, but Rastislav and Ken felt the story and character development were half-baked in comparison to other Eastwood films such as Unforgiven and Gran Torino. They all appreciated the cinematography, music and production design.

There were other bright spots including some of the incidental characters (to Rastislav’s amusement) and the song “Find a New Home” written by the film’s composer Mark Mancina and performed by Will Bannister.

Written by Nick Schenk and N. Richard Nash (based on Nash’s novel) and directed by Clint Eastwood. Starring Eastwood as Mike, Eduardo Minett as Rafo, Dwight Yoakam as Howard, Natalia Traven as Marta and Fernanda Urrejola as Leta.

Film Rating: PG

And if that wasn’t enough, Twisted Metal Season 2 leaves us with a bitter taste in Stewart’s mouth.

This 1983 film bombed big in the box office, and bombed big with Siskel and Ebert! Nate and Hayes is based on the two real life characters Captain Bully Hayes and Ben Pease. Nate being the missionary type and Hayes being the rapscallion he is. Both team up to save Nate's wife who was kidnapped by the Pirate Ben Pease. They get into trouble, chase after what seems to be turn of the century warships, to get the lady back.

The film features plenty of would be jokes, although some seemingly timed poorly. Ken picked the film for review as it is our first swashbuckler review that he saw when he was 10. Rasto had some choice words to say about the film, and Stewart seemingly enjoyed what he deemed as 'Indiana Hayes and the Grumpy Fisherman.' The film had some suspicious elements that are seen in another Indiana Jones film, and also the modern Pirates of the Caribbean.

Written by the two famous writers Lloyd Phillips and John Hughes and directed by Ferdinand Fairfax. Starring Tommy Lee Jones as Bully Hayes, Michael O'Keefe as Nate, Max Phipps as Ben Pease and Jenny Seagrove as Sophie.

Film Rating: PG

Audio Clip from Nate and Hayes

Original Text Interview Siskel and Ebert

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Rasto enlightens us with his TV series that ran from 2016 to 2021. Rasto believes that four seasons is the perfect amount of time before a series goes stale. Billy Bob Thornton plays a disgraced lawyer, and ambulance chaser mixed with his keen cleverness.

Stewart then gives his take on the 1988 film The Couch Trip, featuring an escaped mental patient and convict played by Dan Aykroyd. This Crimedy didn’t deserve the ratings it did, and is full of laughs. Dan Aykroyds sidekick is played by Walter Matthau.

Rasto continues on the True Crime kick with the TV series Bosch from 2014 to 2021 but only managed to watch 2 seasons. The series continues to confuse Rasto on how they came up with the name of the show. He believes it was based on the famous painter from the 16th century, Hieronymus Bosch.

And finally Stewart’s lesser pick The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee from 2020 is parody of a film that pokes fun at retired actors and the high jinx they can get into. Featuring Paul Hogan as the main character, but graced with many cameo appearances from other actors such as Chevy Chase and John Cleese.

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Written and Directed by Darren Aronofsky.

Starring Jennifer Lawrence as the mother, Javier Bardem as Him, Ed Harris as Man (Adam), and Michelle Pfeiffer as Woman (Eve).

You can Watch the Trailer Below:

It is not often that myself (Stewart) and Rasto disagree this much on a film, but here we are. Not only did we disagree on the Directors ability in this film, but also on the choice to cast Jennifer Lawrence as main character. Give the podcast a listen!

Below is a short clip from the film, where Mother had just given birth to her son, and the fanatics have taken him away from her.

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