Because your friends in podcasting really wanted to take a much-needed week off, they pre-recorded this week’s show in two parts. One part involves Dean and Phil continuing their ongoing reappraisal of the “Mission: Impossible” films, as they debate the merits of the most successful (and critically acclaimed) installment – Mission: Impossible – Fallout. The other part was recorded with good pal Jon Lawlor during their weekly discussion of “The Art Life”. The themes they explore involve the definitions of “courage”, “decorate” and answering the question, “what’s missing?” Music, bravery, intimacy, cancer, dog sweaters, and the “Star Trek” episode “Spectre of the Gun” are just some of the topics discussed. The show ends in a cliffhanger mystery! The show BEGINS with a question to you (yes, YOU!), our dear listeners, about the future form of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!

One month from their 18th Anniversary (of changing the way you listen to the internet!), your friends in podcasting are still recovering from their European Adventures and during this week’s installment they start by discussing the Marx Brothers, and end by revealing architecture and fine art discoveries they made while overseas. In between, they discuss the Netflix CEO declaring war on movie theaters, a movie soon leaving Netflix, and a quite lovely, moving film just released to theaters. And in “Celebrity Deaths” character actor Bruce Glover, king of the miniseries Richard Chamberlin, and movie star Val Kilmer all get remembered.

Phil is in Los Angeles, Dean is back in home in Detroit (or its environs) and normalcy is restored on this week’s show. Dean offers up his final thoughts about Lisbon, shares the status of his ongoing home renovations, and weighs in on the in-flight movies he availed himself of: John Woo’s remake of his own The Killer and a zombie dog horror film from South Korea. Phil weighs in on a once-great television series that has jumped the shark and a great spy film from Steven Soderbergh that is meeting with box office failure. The state of the box office, film distribution, and what can be done to fix all of it gets analyzed. Then, in “Celebrity Deaths” two great character actors, two chart-topping music-makers, a heavyweight champion turned grillmaster, and a philanthropist who championed architecture all get remembered.

No matter which of our theme songs through the years you have enjoyed the most, odds are Jon Lawlor is responsible for it. Jon joins Dean and Phil this week for a conversation all about the “Art Life”. In it, you will learn about what they are all working on, what they are struggling with, where their focus lies, who they talk to when working through problems in their work, how they know they are finished with a creative project, what their long-term goals are … And much, much more! It’s personal, it’s probing, it’s outrageous, it’s irreverent. Most important of all, it’s YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!

Two weeks shy of their 17th anniversary show, Dean is in Washington D.C. and Phil is in “The Hub of Silicon Valley”, and via the magic of podcasting and broadcasting, they bring you this week’s show, featuring discussions about silent film classics, the Japanese art of the Benshi, a ground-breaking and star-studded new production of “MacBeth”, current iterations of “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” on the small screen, a genre-bending private detective series on Apple TV+, and hilarious stories about airports and Dean’s efforts to give his dogs an Instagram presence.

This week’s show begins with a round of Dean and Phil’s vintage movie ad game before becoming a preview of April events to which Dean and Phil are looking forward. From there, the show seques into a discussion of the latest news surrounding the Rust on-set shooting trial as well as the latest news involving the ever-expanding on-screen universes of John Wick and Blade Runner, during which Phil questions whether the USA can ever rid itself of gun violence when we so profoundly enjoy fictional depictions of such violence. Two cinematic classics by the great French director René Clément get discussed (one a 1960 adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley and the other a 1970 Lewis Carroll and Alfred Hitchcock-inspired film that turned Charles Bronson into the biggest global box office draw), and a circus film from Carol Reed gets celebrated, along with the body of work by its star, Burt Lancaster. In “Celebrity Deaths”, the original Wednesday Addams, the co-creator of “Sesame Street”, and the star of “James at 15” and “Salem’s Lot” all get remembered. Finally, your friends in podcasting and broadcasting commemorate the 12th anniversary of THE “comedy soundcast soundcast” Succotash!

Phil is back from another emergency trip to Turlock, and Dean is safely ensconced back in Detroit after a trip to Virginia, and after adopting another kitten! Cats get discussed, of course, and in an almost weekly occurrence, “Lord Turlock” issues proclamations. Then your friends in podcasting continue to tackle the appalling, ongoing wave of violence being directed against member of the AAPI community, which somehow leads to a discussion of just one of the problems Phil had with Godzilla vs. Kong. Dean and Phil share a text message from a loyal listener, and celebrate the show business lives of the actor who played “Cousin It”, a country-rock hitmaker, and a prolific country songwriter, and wax rhapsodic about the pedal steel guitar! Friend of show Jon Lawlor has another single out and it inspires a conversation about mental health and the messy business of having feelings. Dean and Phil both have feelings about the death (?) of the Arclight and Pacific movie theater chains, and about the controversy surrounding this year’s Oscar front-runner for Best Picture, Nomadland. Finally, speaking of the Oscars, Dean and Phil close the proceedings with an Oscar-themed edition of their recent (and apparently popular?) vintage movie ad game!

After a whirlwind, emergency trip to Turlock, Phil is back in Los Angeles. Dean Haglund is in Northern Virginia. They hook up via Zoom for a first half that covers the great new, Oscar-nominated film Another Round, and its director, Dogme 95 co-founder Thomas Vinterberg. They discuss the controversy that brought destruction to the annual Ovation Awards, honoring the best in Los Angeles theater. They play two rounds in their weekly vintage movie ad game and they celebrate the lives of a great character actor and a great funk musician, both of whom died this past week. All that, plus we find out if Dean ever went by the moniker “Dean E” or “Deanie”. In part 2, Dean interviews film and television critic, friend of the show, and fellow Michigander Mattie Giles. They discuss dogs, great bookstores, binge-watching “E.R.”, the D.C. Universe movies, why Dean can’t actually watch anything in one sitting and more!

Because Phil Leirness is in the nation’s capital, he and Dean Haglund, pre-recorded this week’s show and it is hilarious! The first half deals with Dean’s recent road trip across the frozen tundra of America, as he, his better half, his Doberman puppy, and his cat, faced arduous conditions as they traveled from L.A. to the Motor City. The second half deals with the all-important “season of self-congratulation” in Hollywood, which reaches fever pitch with this week’s announcement of the Academy Award nominations. Your friends in podcasting discuss the folly of taking the Golden Globes seriously, while also praising some of the winners. They also analyze whether the Oscars matter any more when it comes to how Best Picture winners are viewed by history. The open road and movies. This week, on YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour.

Dean took a trip to Washington D.C., he has a new live streaming series, he has an update on his graphic novel, he has a couple of upcoming convention appearances and he has a Doberman puppy growing rapidly. Phil continues to grow frustrated with his limited sight, especially while taking in the (long awaited return of) “Live Event of the Week”. Hear all about these topics, about this year’s Cannes Film Festival, about John Wick 3, about a Chinese film that might be among the best films of the decade, and about the highest-grossing Supehero origin story of all time!