Dean and Phil got together high atop a certain “historic building” in downtown Los Angeles to watch the sunset on the winter solstice, to enjoy a lovely bottle of Malbec, and to record this week’s show! They discuss Dean’s holiday travels, the big forthcoming change to the annual Oscars telecast, and the changes in the beaks on songbirds at UCLA! After that, they discuss the unique legacy of actor-turned-filmmaker Rob Reiner, and take the time to analyze several of his films. Then, two film noirs (Tension and Where Danger Lives), a fairly bizarre war film (36 Hours) and the biggest box office hit of Brad Pitt’s career all get reviewed!

Phil is in Montecito, California. Dean is ALMOST back into his house in Birmingham, Michigan. They got together via the magic of podcasting (and zoom) to discuss: The week that was for “Cobra Kai” star Martin Kove, the latest company splits for “Legacy Media” conglomerates, and California’s now official increase in the annual Film & TV Tax Credit funding. Wes Anderson and The Phoenician Scheme, Apple and their F1 and Fountain of Youth, the Indiana Jones films, Bong Joon Ho and Mickey 17, and the “Mission: Impossible” films all get deep dive analyses as well.