Mission 250 Filmcast
377 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 37 ratingsThe Mission 250 Filmcast is a weekly podcast where hosts Denny, John, and TC are watching the Top 250 Movies of All Time, as ranked by IMDB. With each episode focusing on a single movie, and moving towards the #1 movie in reverse order, we aim to broaden the listeners viewing horizons (as well as our own), and give not only our thoughts/opinions, but also history, trivia, and insight on each film. We can be reached at [email protected], and the full list can be found at mission250filmcast.com.
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Episodes
Episode 178 - Platoon
February 12, 2018 06:33 - 1 hour - 103 MBThis week, we watch the movie written and directed by a Vietnam veteran, this film chronicles the horrifying violence Oliver Stone witnessed during his time in the jungle. A script so anti-war, Hollywood refused to make it, and then awarded it with an Oscar for Best Picture (among others). Makes sense. Platoon (1986), directed by Oliver Stone.
Episode 179 - The Maltese Falcon
February 05, 2018 07:27 - 1 hour - 90 MBThis week, we watch the classic Noir that made Humphrey Bogart a star, as well as lay the groundwork for what Crime Drama would be for decades afterwards. Fast talking, cigarette smoking, guns, lies, cheating, murder - all for the rarest of statues. And Bogart gets punched in the neck. The Maltese Falcon (1941), directed by John Huston.
Episode 180 - The Wages of Fear
January 28, 2018 21:59 - 53 minutes - 73.6 MBThis week, we watch the classic action/thriller that inspired Road Warrior, Duel, Speed, and numerous other vehicle based action films. Four men, in desperate need of money, take on the life-threatening task of driving two trucks full of nitroglycerin across a dangerous mountain pass. The Wages of Fear (1953), directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot.
Episode 181 - Spotlight
January 22, 2018 01:23 - 1 hour - 136 MBThis week, we watch the best picture winning film that aims and succeeds to tell the true story of the hard working Boston Globe reporter/editor/writer team that broke the story on pedophile priests in Boston, and the systematic coverup that the Catholic Church provides for those who get caught. A very special guest co-hosts this episode - Kevin Slane, who is an entertainment writer (among other things) at the Boston Globe. Spotlight, directed by Tom McCarthy.
Episode 182 - Network
January 15, 2018 03:00 - 1 hour - 83.8 MBThis week, we watch the amazingly prophetic film that, while being created over 40 years ago, depicts the current day network news situation almost exactly. This movie predicted reality television shows over a decade before they aired, and also satirized news stations selling credibility for ratings before that reality has come to pass. Network, directed by Sidney Lumet.
Episode 183 - Zootopia
January 08, 2018 00:57 - 52 minutes - 72.3 MBThis week, we watch the animated comedy that tells the tale of a small town bunny moving to Zootopia, a city where all animals can live together without stepping on each other. Also following in Disney tradition, this film introduces a great pop song that you will grow to hate as it plays over and over again in your head. Zootopia, directed by Bryon Howard and Rich Moore.
Episode 184 - Mad Max: Fury Road
January 01, 2018 18:05 - 1 hour - 108 MBThis week, we watch the unprecedented sequel that pumped blood back into the Max Mad trilogy with a shotgun, the sci-fi/fantasy film that brought an imaginative, cohesive plot to the screen with almost no dialogue, the action movie that received a best picture nomination. With special guest/Mad Max trilogy binger, Tim Brown. WITNESS ME! Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), directed by George Miller.
Episode 185 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
December 18, 2017 03:31 - 58 minutes - 80.6 MBThis week, we watch the block-busting film that paved the way for all buddy movies that came after it. Paul Newman and Robert Redford are a perfect team, as they rob and steal their way across the mid-west. Once a super-posse is assembled to take them down, they attempt an escape to South America. Comedy ensues. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), directed by George Roy Hill.
Episode 186 - Shutter Island
December 10, 2017 21:01 - 57 minutes - 79.8 MBThis week, we watch the mind-bending thriller that begs to be viewed more than once. Leonardo Dicaprio is a detective that is about to blow the lid off of a government conspiracy located within a mental institution on a remote island off the coast of Boston...or so we are lead to believe.! Shutter Island (2010), directed by Martin Scorsese.
Episode 187 - The 400 Blows
December 04, 2017 04:12 - 1 hour - 92.9 MBThis week, we watch the wonderful story of a young French boy and his downward spiral. This timeless and magical film was one of the first of the French New Wave, and the one that brought international attention to the movement. This film hasn't aged a day. The relatable story is as relevant as ever, the acting from a cast of mostly children is incredible, and it looks and sounds amazing. The historical importance of this film can not be overstated. The 400 Blows (1959), directed by Franc...
Episode 188 - Stand By Me
November 27, 2017 04:42 - 57 minutes - 79.4 MBThis week, we watch the rare Stephen King adaptation that omits anything supernatural and simply focuses on the characters. Rare also in that it's a film adaptation of one of his books and it isn't terrible. Four kids take a two day trip down the railroad track in search of the body of a dead classmate, and stellar child acting ensues.Stand By Me (1986), directed by Rob Reiner.
Episode 189 - In the Name of the Father
November 20, 2017 03:55 - 1 hour - 84.2 MBThis week, we watch the story of the Guildford Four and the Maguire Seven, a group of young men and woman who were wrongly accused and imprisoned for the terrorist bombing of a pub. The true story turns into a backdrop for the relationship between one of the four (Daniel Day Lewis) and his father (Pete Postlethwaite), and their time spent together in prison. In the Name of the Father, directed by Jim Sheridan.
Episode 190 - Persona
November 13, 2017 03:43 - 49 minutes - 69.2 MBThis week, we watch either one of the best films of all time, or one of the most pretentious. This movie could define arthouse cinema. Thoughtful, shocking, and incomprehensible. Persona (1966), directed by Ingmar Bergman.
Episode 191 - 12 Years a Slave
November 06, 2017 02:14 - 58 minutes - 80.6 MBThis week, we watch the best picture winner about the true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man from New York who gets abducted and sold into slavery. This movie is brutal and important, and should be on the short list of films that everyone from this country must see. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'O, and Michael Fassbender all put in career best performances. 12 Years a Slave (2013), directed by Steve McQueen.
Episode 192 - The Grand Budapest Hotel
October 30, 2017 03:38 - 1 hour - 84 MBThis week, we watch the film that is not only largest box office success of Wes Anderson's career so far, but also received a fair number of Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. The cast is stacked, the shots are symmetrical, the effects are a combination of miniatures, stop motion, projected live action on matte paintings - all of the styles we've come to love from Wes. Its might not be the film to turn the nay-sayers, but it certainly gives fans a lot to enjoy. The Grand B...
Episode 193 - Amores Perros
October 23, 2017 01:58 - 1 hour - 100 MBThis week, we watch the first film of Inarritu's "Trilogy of Death", where three brutal stories are told before and after a car accident. Filled with extreme, realistic violence (most of it involving dogs), it is good knowing before going in that no animals were hurt during the making of this very effective drama. Amores Perros, directed by Alejandro Inarritu.
Episode 194 - Million Dollar Baby
October 16, 2017 01:25 - 1 hour - 101 MBThis week, we watch the best picture winner that also saw Hilary Swank in win the first Oscar for an actor portraying a boxer. This film follows a determined boxer's rise to the top, as a grizzled old boxing coach learns to respect female boxers, and Morgan Freeman hangs out and does a nice voiceover. This is one to watch before listening. Million Dollar Baby (2004), directed by Clint Eastwood.
Episode 195 - Wild Tales
October 09, 2017 15:56 - 1 hour - 94.7 MBThis week, we watch the film that took the country of Argentina by storm, smashing all of the box-office records, and earning a Best Foreign Picture nomination in the 2015 Oscars. Comprised of six stories that, according to the director, are "linked by violence, and nothing else", this film lets its characters go far beyond typical socially accepted behavior, and explore what might result if people acted solely on their instincts. Wild Tales (2014), directed by Damian Szifron.
Episode 196 - The Princess Bride
October 02, 2017 02:05 - 1 hour - 86.8 MBThis week, we watch the classic fairy tale where Wesley and Buttercup set out on adventure against two warring kingdoms for true love. Pirates, death machines, murder, revenge, monsters...all in a light hearted tone, and surrounded with universal comedy. The Princess Bride (1987), directed by Rob Reiner.
Episode 197B - Ben-Hur Part 2
September 25, 2017 02:29 - 54 minutes - 75.6 MBThis week, we watch the epic tale of Judah Ben-Hur, a man who lived at the time of Jesus. Based on the outstandingly popular novel from 1880, and a remake of the 1925 film, this iteration of the tale is distinguished by winning the most Academy Awards in history, and has a number of other records held as well (largest set ever built, etc). Come for the chariot race, and stay for the mind blowing scale. Ben-Hur (1959), directed by William Wyler.
Episode 197A - Ben-Hur Part 1
September 18, 2017 02:23 - 52 minutes - 75.2 MBThis week, we watch the epic tale of Judah Ben-Hur, a man who lived at the time of Jesus. Based on the outstandingly popular novel from 1880, and a remake of the 1925 film, this iteration of the tale is distinguished by winning the most Academy Awards in history, and has a number of other records held as well (largest set ever built, etc). Come for the chariot race, and stay for the mind blowing scale. Ben-Hur (1959), directed by William Wyler.
Episode 198 - Touch of Evil
September 11, 2017 02:35 - 1 hour - 102 MBThis week, we watch the character study disguised as a crime thriller, where Orson Wells flexes his impressive acting chops in a movie he also writes and directs. Drugs, murder, sex, and lots of lying fill this classic noir film, which takes place in a Mexican boarder town, and has two police officers (Charlton Heston and Wells) clashing in an investigation. Touch of Evil (1958), Directed by Orson Wells.
Episode 199 - Hachi: A Dogs Tale
September 03, 2017 17:08 - 40 minutes - 56.1 MBThis week, we watch a film where Richard Gere struggles to decide what he loves the most: his own hair, or his adopted puppy. Does the struggle lead to his sudden death? Who's to say. Hachi: A Dog's Tale, directed by Lasse Hallstrome.
Episode 200 - Jurassic Park
August 28, 2017 02:52 - 1 hour - 147 MBThis week, we watch the film that brings back dinosaurs in the groundbreaking blockbuster that combines horror, drama, comedy, action, adventure, sci-fi...really, this movie does it all. Now with four films in the franchise (Jurassic World is currently the 4th highest grossing movie of all time), the original still towers over the sequels, with special effects that somehow didn't age a day. Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg.
Bonus Episode - Top 5 and Bottom 3, 250-201
August 21, 2017 01:19 - 1 hour - 99.5 MBThis week, we celebrate our 50th episode, and go over each one of our top 5 favorite movies, and bottom 3 least favorite movies, of the last 50 we've watched!
Episode 201 - Nausicaa of the Vally of the Wind
August 14, 2017 03:18 - 1 hour - 85.3 MBThis week, we watch the animated classic who's popularity lead to the founding of Studio Ghibli, which went on to make additional milestones in animation like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and My Neighbor Totoro. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
Episode 202 - The Grapes of Wrath
August 07, 2017 00:54 - 57 minutes - 79.6 MBThis week, we watch the landmark picture that depicts the hardships of the dust bowl survivors that journey to California to find a new life. Adapted from the pages of John Steinbeck's classic novel that was released only a year earlier, these two pieces of art were among the most controversial of the time. The Grapes of Wrath (1940), directed by John Ford.
Episode 203 - Annie Hall
July 31, 2017 00:15 - 1 hour - 89.5 MBThis week, we watch the best picture winner that is one of the few "romantic comedies" on the top 250. We have a little trouble separating the man from the movie. Annie Hall (1977), directed by Woody Allen.
Episode 204 - Stalker
July 24, 2017 03:16 - 1 hour - 94.8 MBThis week, we watch the Russian science fiction film where two men are lead into The Zone by a Stalker in hopes of entering a room that grants wishes. Come for the beautiful cinematography, stay for the inescapable atmosphere. Stalker (1979), directed by Andrei Tarkovsky.
Episode 205 - Before Sunrise
July 17, 2017 02:33 - 1 hour - 91.6 MBThis week, we watch Ethan Hawk and Julie Delpy fall in love in Vienna. What could be seen as a two hour long conversation, is really a film that sets out to achieve the focused goal of capturing a moment between two people falling in love. Before Sunrise (1995), directed by Richard Linklater.
Episode 206 - The Bourne Ultimatum
July 10, 2017 02:42 - 59 minutes - 82.9 MBThis week, we watch Matt Damon try to find out who he is, as he runs around places, jumps across buildings, assassinates strangers, drives off buildings, has flashbacks, and jumps through windows on the sides of buildings. All the while, people in buildings talk about where he's running to. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), directed by Paul Greengrass.
Episode 207 - Memories of Murder
July 03, 2017 01:31 - 57 minutes - 80.2 MBThis week, we watch the the movie that captured a slot in Quentin Tarantino's list of the 20 best films since 1992 - a murder mystery that combines horror and comedy in a way that that leaves you not only guessing at who the killer is, but what tone the movie will take with the next scene. Also, the best jump-kicks in movie history. Memories of Murder (2003), directed by Bong Joon Ho.
Episode 208 - Gandhi
June 26, 2017 02:12 - 1 hour - 88.1 MBThis week, we watch the winner of 8 Oscars, including Best Director, Best actor (Ben Kingsley), and Best Picture, which it thoroughly deserved. This is one of the most epic films in history, and stands up strongly to the test of time. Gandhi (1982), directed by Richard Attenborough.
Episode 209 - The Truman Show
June 19, 2017 02:02 - 1 hour - 102 MBThis week, we watch Jim Carrey play Truman Burbank, a normal every-day kinda guy that just happens to be the focal point of the worlds biggest reality TV show. In the 90's the story seemed absurd, but nowadays, reality TV is everywhere and this movie almost feels normal. The Truman Show (1998), directed by Peter Weir.
Episode 210 - Deadpool
June 11, 2017 23:45 - 1 hour - 95.2 MBThis week, we watch the comic book movie that blew up the box office. The Hard-R, ultra-violent comedy was a passion project that almost didn't get made, which not only restarted Ryan Reynolds career, but also is bound to start an R-rated comic book movie surge. Deadpool (2016), directed by Tim Miller.
Episode 211 - Diabolique
June 05, 2017 01:59 - 55 minutes - 77.4 MBThis week, we watch the classic thriller that inspired Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Vertigo. The wife and the mistress of a boarding school headmaster plot to kill him. This movie contains all sorts of 1955 murder, drowning, poison, zombies, ghosts, and creepy private investigators. Diabolique (1955), directed by H. G. Clouzot.
Episode 212 - Donnie Darko
May 29, 2017 00:06 - 1 hour - 136 MBThis week, we watch the mind-bending, genre-defying film that is at once about a time traveling super-hero who receives his directives from a imaginary man in a scary bunny outfit, while also being a coming of age drama/comedy with one of the best sound tracks in movie history. Donnie Darko (2001), directed by Richard Kelly.
Episode 213 - Rocky
May 22, 2017 00:00 - 1 hour - 107 MBThis week, we watch the Best Picture winning character drama - disguised as a sports movie - which not only brought writer/director/star Sylvester Stallone from being homeless and hungry to one of the biggest movie stars in the world to this day, but also invented the sports training montage. Is there a better motivational song than "Gonna Fly Now"? Rocky (1976), directed by John G. Avildsen.
Episode 214 - 8 1/2
May 15, 2017 01:17 - 1 hour - 110 MBThis week, we try to make sense of the 1964 winner of the Best Foreign Film Academy Award, which is described a story of a director struggling to make a movie. Thats about as much of it as we understood. 8 1/2 (1963), directed by Federico Fellini.
Episode 215 - The Wizard of Oz
May 08, 2017 03:26 - 55 minutes - 76.4 MBThis week, we watch the one of the first color movies ever made, which tells the now culturally-embedded story of Dorothy, her dog Toto, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion, The Wicked Witch of the West, and the title character, while using the new technology to a very purposeful effect. The Wizard of Oz (1939), directed by Victor Fleming.
Episode 216 - Monsters, Inc.
May 01, 2017 02:01 - 1 hour - 99 MBThis week, we watch the Pixar movie that leads us on a journey through the world behind the closet doors of children. We dive deep into the potential history of the monster culture, and whether Waternoose created the notion that children are dangerous to keep the scary monsters in power. Monsters, Inc. (2001), directed by Pete Doctor.
Episode 217 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
April 24, 2017 02:00 - 1 hour - 112 MBThis week, we watch the final chapter of the Harry Potter series, where Ron, Hermione and Harry must protect Hogwarts, find and destroy all of the remaining Horcrux, defeat Voldemort, shoot magic, drink potions...really its as magical as you can handle, and its a lot of fun. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011), directed by David Yates.
Episode 218 - The Revenant
April 16, 2017 22:17 - 1 hour - 94.6 MBThis week, we watch the Best Picture nominated film that gave Leonardo DiCaprio his much sought after Best Actor Oscar, as he suffers violently and horribly through some of the most gorgeously shot landscapes in movie history. The Revenant (2015), directed by Alejandro Inarritu.
Episode 219 - The Terminator
April 10, 2017 12:02 - 1 hour - 114 MBThis week, we watch ANOTHER (back-to-back) time travel, science fiction mash-up classic, that contains the break-out performance of Mr. Universe himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and kicked-off the career of the man who would go on to direct the two top-grossing movies of all time, James Cameron. The Terminator (1984).
Episode 220 - Twelve Monkeys
April 02, 2017 22:09 - 1 hour - 86.2 MBThis week, we watch the time travel, science fiction mash-up classic, that contains performances from Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt that defied all expectations, and is helmed by the visual genius, Terry Gilliam - Twelve Monkeys (1995).
Episode 221 - The Best Years of Our Lives
March 27, 2017 01:58 - 1 hour - 87.4 MBThis week, we watch the Best Picture winning film about three veterans arriving home after World War II, and the issues they face as they try to re-enter society. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), directed by William Wyler.
Episode 222 - Groundhog Day
March 19, 2017 21:12 - 58 minutes - 80.9 MBThis week, we watch Bill Murray live the same day over and over again, as he struggles with self-hate, love, and death, in the classic comedy Groundhog Day (1993). Directed by Harold Ramis.
Episode 223 - Strangers On A Train
March 12, 2017 21:23 - 55 minutes - 76.9 MBThis week, we watch the suspense/thriller about a psychotic socialite who proposes to a stranger (on a train) the idea about swapping murders - an idea he plans to implement - Strangers On A Train (1951). Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Episode 224 - Infernal Affairs
March 06, 2017 00:06 - 42 minutes - 58.7 MBThis week, we watch a cat and mouse crime thriller based in Hong Kong, where two moles, working for opposite sides of a cop vs gang rivalry, race to find out the identity of the other (which Martin Scorsese later remade into a best picture winner, The Departed) - Infernal Affairs (2002). Directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak.
Episode 225 - Sin City
February 26, 2017 23:15 - 1 hour - 125 MBThis Week, we watch the ground breaking, fully green-screened, ultra-violent comic book adaptation that boasts one of the most stacked casts of all time - Sin City (2005). Directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez.