Opening Weekend artwork

Opening Weekend

101 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago -

In a world where cinemas have closed their doors (at least for the time being), "Opening Weekend" celebrates one of the many things we’d all love to be doing right now - going to the movies on a Friday night with our friends... Every week, Jason O'Connell, Fred Berman, and Dan Matisa (best friends, professional actors, and self-professed movie geeks) look back at a different opening weekend from the last 40 years, and bask in the warm, nostalgic, popcorn-buttery glow of going to the movies.

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Episodes

Episode 100: Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Sorcerer : December 18, 2015/June 21, 1977

January 31, 2024 10:00 - 3 hours - 279 MB

3 men. 100 episodes. 247 movies.  Innumerable hand-farts.   IN A WORLD…where movie theaters closed their doors during a worldwide pandemic, three best friends decided to hop into their mental DeLoreans, go back in time to talk about movies & opening weekends from the last 40 years, and bask in the buttery glow of nostalgia.   Three and half years later they arrive at their 100th and final trip back in time…twice!  First, the boys head AAALLL the way back to where it all started: ...

Episode 99: Purple Rain - The Karate Kid - Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom - Star Trek III: The Search For Spock: Summer '84

December 06, 2023 10:00 - 2 hours - 231 MB

If adventure has a name, it must be…Opening Weekend! For their penultimate outing, the boys head back to one of their favorite movie eras ever, Summer ‘84, for a supersized episode wherein they wax on, wax off with THE KARATE KID, hit the jungles of India seeking fortune and glory with INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, beam down to the Genesis planet in STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK, and purify themselves in the waters of Lake Minnetonka with PURPLE RAIN.   AND the amazi...

Episode 98: The Witches of Eastwick - RoboCop - The Untouchables - Predator: Summer '87

September 27, 2023 09:00 - 2 hours - 203 MB

“If it bleeds we can kill it.”  Listen, Arnie, you may be able to take down the Predator, but you CAN’T take down Gene Shalit! That ‘stache don’t bleed! Yes, it’s been a loooong wait, but the boys are back to warm up your fall pumpkin lattes with…hot summer movies!  This week the guys hop back to Summer 1987 to revisit Jack Nicholson and THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, Paul Verhoeven’s satirical sci-fi gore-fest, ROBOCOP, Costner and crew as THE UNTOUCHABLES, and the man-meat testosteron...

Episode 97: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial - Grease 2: June 11, 1982

July 05, 2023 09:00 - 2 hours - 184 MB

“E.T. phone Zmed!” It’s the summer of ‘82 and Jason, Dan, & Fred are lining up outside the movie theater to see the most anticipated movie of the year…GREASE 2!  Also, there was apparently a movie about an alien called E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL that people liked, too.  Jason is getting sued for Smurf copyright-infringement; Olivia Newton John is helping Dan get Physical…with himself; and Fred is stealing magic balls and slicing up fetal pigs…ya know, your typical early tween summe...

Episode 96: Godzilla - Bulworth - Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas: May 22, 1998

June 21, 2023 11:23 - 3 hours - 169 MB

Up from the depths, 30 stories high,  breathing fire, his head in the sky…GENE SHALIT?!? No, it’s just the three big openers from May 22, 1998: Terry Gilliam’s fever dream adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, the Warren Beatty political satire BULWORTH, and the Roland Emmerich disaster….movie…?….GODZILLA! It’s the spring of ‘98, and while Fred is playing on subway platforms to strangers, Dan is playing on stages to no one, and Jason is playing in bathr...

Episode 95: Marvel's The Avengers - The Dark Knight Rises - The Amazing Spiderman: Summer Superheroes of 2012

May 10, 2023 09:00 - 2 hours - 156 MB

“There was an idea, to bring together a group of three mildly remarkable nerds to see if they could become something more. So when we needed another movie podcast, they could hand-fart the Superhero songs that we never could.” Opening Weekend fans…ASSEMBLE! It’s a Summer Superhero Smorgasbord as the boys head back to 2012 to revisit Andrew Garfield’s take on THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, Christopher Nolan’s trilogy topper, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, and the MCU Mothership,THE AVENGERS!  And ...

Episode 94: James and the Giant Peach - Flirting With Disaster: April 12, 1996

April 26, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 99.7 MB

If you’re looking for something soft, round, succulent, and covered with just the right amount of fuzz, you’ve come to the right place! No, this isn’t the new Grindr podcast, it’s EPISODE 94 of OPENING WEEKEND! This week the boys head back to April 12, 1996 to revisit the David O. Russell/Ben Stiller black comedy FLIRTING WITH DISASTER and the animated film version of the Roald Dahl classic, JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. And don’t worry, there’s not one single mention of Fred’s failed ...

Episode 93: The Sandlot - Indecent Proposal: April 7, 1993

April 12, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 108 MB

“You’re killing me, Smalls!” Spring has sprung, the bases are loaded, and Robert Redford is paying Demi Moore a million dollars to take him out to the Ball game…HEY OH!!! It’s April 7th, 1993 and the boys are slidin’ into home at THE SANDLOT and heading out to Vegas to make an INDECENT PROPOSAL.  As Shakespeare once wrote, “Exit pursued by Rip Taylor and a Hippo.”  We’ll pay you a million dollars to listen to EPISODE 93 of OPENING WEEKEND!

Episode 92: Splash - Children of the Corn - The Hotel New Hampshire: March 9, 1984

March 22, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 118 MB

“Children of the Corn? I don’t remember eating Children of the Corn?” It’s March 9, 1984 and while Ms. Channing picks through her poop searching for bits of Malachai, the boys will be checking in to THE HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE, getting fishy with SPLASH, and walkin’ behind the rows with, yes, Stephen King’s CHILDREN OF THE CORN. Don’t hold it in anymore, Fred, ‘cus Jason and Dan are rollin’ like Fonda (it’ll all make sense) on Episode 92 of OPENING WEEKEND! 

Episode 91: Over The Top - Mannequin: February 13, 1987

March 09, 2023 12:01 - 1 hour - 119 MB

And we can build this dream together, standing strong together, nothing’s gonna stop Opening Weekend now! It’s been a while, but the boys are back and revisiting February 13, 1987 to go OVER THE TOP with Sly Stallone and come alive like a MANNEQUIN making love to Andrew McCarthy. And they’ll talk about some movies, too! As Kenny Loggins once said, “Meet me halfway, across this guy….” with a Gabe Kaplan-adjacent new episode of OPENING WEEKEND!

Episode 90: The Best of Times - Murphy's Romance - Down & Out In Beverly Hills: January 31, 1986

February 01, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 113 MB

 This week the boys dive into May-December romances, High School regrets, and eating dog food with Nick Nolte. And then they start talking about movies!  In January ‘86, Robin Williams and Kurt Russell were reminiscing about THE BEST OF TIMES, Sally Field and James Garner were engaging in MURPHY’S ROMANCE, and our good pals Nick Nolte and Richard Dreyfuss were getting DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS. To quote the Punky QB known as McMahon, “We’re not here to start no trouble, we’re j...

Episode 89: StillerPalooza '04 - Along Came Polly - Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story - Starsky & Hutch: January 16, 2004

January 18, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 135 MB

LET IT RAIN, STILLERPALOOZA!  That’s right, it’s 2004 and it’s all Stiller all the time! This week the boys head back to January 2004 to revisit that month’s Big Ben Opener (Hey oh!), ALONG CAME POLLY, as well as two other Stiller-led movies from that same year: STARSKY & HUTCH and DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY.  Just like Patches O’Houlihan always said, “If you can dodge a wrench you can dodge Episode 89 of OPENING WEEKEND!” WHITE CHOCOLATE!

Episode 88: Avatar - The Third Annual Golden Sheila© Awards: December 18, 2009

January 04, 2023 10:00 - 2 hours - 155 MB

¡Feliz Na’vi-dad and Happy I-See-You Year!  To ring in 2023 Jason, Dan, and Fred are heading back to December 2009 and the release of James Cameron’s epic screen-saver of a blockbuster, AVATAR! And then moving from “blue” material to “material” that blew, the boys throw on their tuxes and multi-colored bow-ties for the THIRD ANNUAL GOLDEN SHEILA AWARDS! Wake up, Jake Sully, it’s Episode 88 of OPENING WEEKEND!

Episode 87: Stir Crazy - Popeye : December 12, 1980

December 21, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 138 MB

Blow me down, it’s a new disgustipatin’ episode of Opening Weekend!  It’s December 12, 1980 and the boys are putting down their Hoth play-sets and Rubik’s Cubes to go STIR CRAZY with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. And then Dave Itzkoff (NY Times, “Robin”) joins the boys for a deep dive into the Robin Williams/Robert Altman musical oddity POPEYE! “I’m strong to their finich ‘cus I eat my spinach, I’m EPISODE 87 of OPENING WEEKEND!”

A Golden Sheila PSA from Nick Nolte!

December 12, 2022 16:31 - 1 minute - 1.81 MB

F*** The Golden Globe nominations! It’s time for the Golden Sheila Nominations! That’s right folks; it’s time to go back and bone up on the last 20 episodes from 2022 and vote for your favorite moments! Favorite Episode  Favorite Childhood Story Best Shalit Review Best Celebrity Guest Phone Call Favorite Arthropod Squad Member And any other category you want to make up, because, let’s face it: waxing nostalgic about a podcast about waxing nostalgic is about as strange as a fi...

Episode 86: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - The Mosquito Coast - Solarbabies

December 07, 2022 10:00 - 2 hours - 156 MB

“Well, double dumb-ass on you!” This week the boys are lacing up their roller skates, heading up the Coast and slingshotting around the Sun to revisit November 26, 1986 and STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME, THE MOSQUITO COAST, and SOLARBABIES.  Power up those Dilithium crystals, ‘cus it’s time to beam up Episode 86 of OPENING WEEKEND! 

Episode 85: The Little Mermaid - Steel Magnolias - Harlem Nights: November 19, 1989

November 16, 2022 06:28 - 1 hour - 117 MB

“Drink your juice, Shelby.” Mermaids, Magnolias, and Murphy; that’s what November 19th, 1989 was offering up at the multiplex. This week the boys take a deep dive under the sea with Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID, hit the hair salon for STEEL MAGNOLIAS, and roll the dice with HARLEM NIGHTS. Grab your dinglehopper and get ready for Episode 85 of Opening Weekend!

Episode 84: Boogie Nights - Top Ten Favorite Ensemble Movies: October 31, 1997

November 02, 2022 09:00 - 2 hours - 189 MB

“I like simple pleasures, like butter in my ass, a lollipop in my mouth, and the Opening Weekend podcast.”  This week the boys are going back to October 31, 1997 to give you a full 13 inches of hot podcast pleasure with Paul Thomas Anderson’s mega-cast porn-epic, BOOGIE NIGHTS, as well as counting down their favorite ensemble movies of all time.  Jack Horner presents, Dirk Diggler and Amber Waves in: “Opening Weak-Ends, Episode 84!”

Episode 83: Glengarry GlenRoss - The Mighty Ducks - Hero: October 2, 1992

October 19, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 130 MB

Put That Podcast DOWN. Podcasts are for closers.  And this week the boys are closing on the big releases of October 2, 1992: the film adaptation of David Mamet’s GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, Disney’s ice-hockey feel-goodie THE MIGHTY DUCKS, and the Dustin Hoffman/Geena Davis satire, HERO.  First prize is an El Dorado Cadillac. Second prize is Episode 83 of Opening Weekend!

Episode 82: Fatal Attraction - Hellraiser: September 18, 1987

September 21, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 122 MB

Opening Weekend will NOT be ignored, Dan! This week the boys head back to September 18th, 1987 to revisit the (rabbit-in-a) pot-boiler of an erotic thriller, FATAL ATTRACTION and the gross-out S&M horror of Clive Barker’s HELLRAISER. Take a CenoBITE out of Episode 82 of Opening Weekend! September 1987: It’s a Land of Confusion for Jason, Dan, and Fred as they navigate both the ups and downs of High School and the trickle down economics of Ronald Reagan impersonations. In the movie ...

Episode 81: Bugsy Malone - The Front: September 17, 1976

September 07, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 98.1 MB

Little kids dancing with guns and elected officials attacking the entertainment industry. No, this isn’t a Texans For Trump rally, they’re just the plots of the two big openers of September 17, 1976: BUGSY MALONE and THE FRONT.  Fill up your splurge gun with fresh whipped cream and get ready to answer the big question: Are you or have you ever been a member of Episode 81 of Opening Weekend?! September, 1976: the bells of liberty are ringing loudly as our young podcasters celebrate ...

Episode 80: Dirty Dancing - Favorite Movie Soundtracks: August 21, 1987

August 17, 2022 09:00 - 2 hours - 161 MB

Nobody puts Opening Weekend in the corner! This week the boys mambo back to August  22, 1987 and the release of the sleeper-hit summer classic, DIRTY DANCING.  Plus, find out their Top 5 favorite movie soundtracks of all time.  You’ll have the time of your life on Episode 80 of Opening Weekend! It’s the Summer of ’87! Fred is hangin’ in Hollywood (Florida, that is) with Red (Buttons? Skelton? Foxx? No one knows.) at Century Village. Meanwhile, Jason is going to the high school danc...

Episode 79: Back To The Future Trilogy: 1985-1990

July 27, 2022 09:00 - 2 hours - 161 MB

Great Scott!  The boys are jumping into their mental DeLoreans and going Back In Time to the summer of ’85, the fall of ’89 and spring of ’90 for a Biff Tannen-sized deep dive into the  BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY.  It’s the 1.21 Gigawatt-fueled Episode 79 of OPENING WEEKEND! It’s the summer of 1985 and the boys are hitting the road with Doc Brown and Marty McFly to revisit one of the most popular and beloved movies ever made: Back To The Future! Then they’ll pop over to 1989 and 19...

Episode 78: My Best Friend's Wedding - Batman & Robin: June 20, 1997

July 06, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 116 MB

Holy nipples, Batman! It’s June 20th, 1997 and the boys are breaking up MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING and putting BATMAN AND ROBIN on ice. Come on, Julia Robert’s, say a little prayer for Episode 78 of OPENING WEEKEND! June 1997: Julia Roberts is busting up weddings and Joel Schumacher is busting up movie franchises! As Fred is attempting to “suit the action to the word” while prepping to play Hamlet, George Clooney is attempting to “suit the Batman to the turd….of a superhero movie/to...

Episode 77: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn - Poltergeist - Hanky Panky: June 4, 1982

June 15, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 140 MB

“They’re heeeere.” Who’s here? “KAAAAAAHN!” It’s June 4th, 1982 and the boys are taking on the suburban spooker, POLTERGEIST, the Shatner shout-fest, STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KAHN, and the Gene Wilder/Gilda Radner shit-show, HANKY PANKY. “Warp speed, Mr. Shalit, to Episode 77 of Opening Weekend!” Handfarts, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the USS Matisa.   Way back in June of ‘82, young Dan wasn’t the fully formed Trekkie we all know and love and occasionally make ...

Episode 76: Moulin Rouge - Shrek - Angel Eyes: May 18, 2001

May 25, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 150 MB

“I believe in truth, beauty, freedom, and above all things: hand-farts.” This week the boys can-can back to May 18, 2001 and the releases of MOULIN ROUGE, SHREK, and ANGEL EYES. It’s the “Shrektacular, Drecktacular” Episode 75 of Opening Weekend! Debauchery. Lust. A bacchanalia for the body and the senses. No, you’re not flying with The Green Fairy at The Moulin Rouge of Paris in 1900, you’re just drunk off a bucket of sangria at Dan’s Quattro De Mayo backyard party of Astoria, Que...

Episode 75: Jaws 3-D - Superman III - Return of the Jedi: 1983-Quels!

May 11, 2022 09:00 - 2 hours - 165 MB

Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Richard Pryor riding a flying shark over the Sarlacc pit…in 3-D!!! This week the boys celebrate the beginning of spring with a look back at some of the biggest 1983-quels: JAWS 3-D, SUPERMAN III, and RETURN OF THE JEDI! Special Guest, Kevin Shinick (Robot Chicken, Marvel, DC) returns to join in on the fun.  No, Admiral Ackbar, it’s NOT a trap, it’s just Episode 75 of OPENING WEEKEND! Just when you thought it was safe to go back i...

Episode 74: Romy and Michele's High School Reunion - Volcano: April 25, 1997

April 27, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 167 MB

“Oh my God, Romy, Tommy Lee Jones just said the Coast Is Toast.”  “But, Michele, I thought we were avoiding carbs this week!” It’s April 25th, 1997 and the boys are dipping their manicured toes into the hot lava of an opening weekend that brought us VOLCANO and ROMY AND MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION. “If you’re lost, you can look, and you will find Episode 74 of Opening Weekend!” The ground begins to shake; a baby cries out in fear; there’s a rumbling that shakes the walls and fo...

Episode 73: Off Beat - Critters - The Toxic Avenger: April 11, 1986

April 06, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 175 MB

Get Ready To Schlock! The boys are revisiting April 11, 1986 and the Judge Reinhold comedy OFF BEAT, the Gremlins wannabe CRITTERS and the ultra low budget schlock “classic” THE TOXIC AVENGER.  As Will says, “KEEP EPISODE 73 OUT YA F***IN’ MOUTH!” April 11, 1986: The bullies and bad guys of Tromaville, NJ are having their heads bashed apart and their intestines ripped out by The Toxic Avenger, who just wants to be loved. Meanwhile, on Manhasset, Long Island, 13 year old Fred is ha...

Episode 72: Romancing The Stone - Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes: March 30, 1984

March 30, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 128 MB

The King of the podcast Jungle is back! This week the boys swing by March 30th, 1984 for the releases of ROMANCING THE STONE and GREYSTOKE: THE LEGEND OF TARZAN, LORD OF THE APES.  It’s Episode 72: The Legend of Opening Weekend, Lord of The Podcasts! Me Tarzan, you Gene.  March 30, 1984: A time of adventure and exploration.   A time when Cabbage Patch Kids and RPG nerds and middle school Mathletes ruled the jungle known as the Tri-State area.  Just as Ian Holm’s Belgian-French-H...

Episode 71: Joe Versus The Volcano - House Party: March 9, 1990

March 09, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 178 MB

Raise the roof and get ready to dive into the gaping hell-mouth that was March 9, 1990.  This week the boys revisit the Kid ’n Play hip-hop teen-sex  comedy, HOUSE PARTY and the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan deep-flop absurdist comedy, JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO. All this and a soiled overcoat on EPISODE 71 of OPENING WEEKEND! “I believe the children are our future, teach them well, and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside.”  And who better to teach them and show t...

Episode 70: The 'Burbs - True Believer - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure: February 17, 1989

February 23, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 135 MB

Nosey neighbors, pointless ponytails, and Excellent Adventures! It’s February 17, 1989 and the boys are hopping in their time traveling phone booth to revisit THE ‘BURBS, TRUE BELIEVER, and BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE. Episode 70 of Opening Weekend? EXCELLENT! February 17th, 1989: An opening weekend bursting with so much misguided mediocrity, not even one of James Woods’ scrunchies can contain it.   While Mr. Woods is chewing up the scenery, Dan, Jason, and Fred are chewing o...

Episode 69: Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Top Ten Spielberg Movies: February 3, 1978

February 02, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 152 MB

“This means something. This is important.” Damn right, Ricky D - It’s Episode 69 of Opening Weekend! This week the boys are going back to February 3, 1978 to make contact with the wide release of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND! Plus their Top 10 Spielberg films. Ba-ba-bum, ba-bwaaa! (Mothership or Hand-Fart? Only tiiime will tell!) February 3, 1978: Wunderkind Steven Spielberg is at it again, and audiences are having their minds blown watching Richard Dreyfuss have a Close Enc...

Episode 68: Cloverfield - 27 Dresses - Mad Money: January 18, 2008

January 19, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 145 MB

This week the boys take a deep dive into the releases from January 18, 2008: the found footage monster/disaster movie, CLOVERFIELD, the disaster of a rom-com movie, 27 DRESSES and the Diane Keaton disaster, MAD MONEY.   Get ready for some shakey-cam-induced cinematic nausea on Episode 68 of Opening Weekend! January 18, 2008: It’s a strange, confusing time for folks this week.  Fred is trying to wrap his head around becoming a father, Jason and Dan are trying to wrap their heads aro...

Episode 67: The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring - The 2nd Annual Golden Sheila Awards - December 19, 2001

December 29, 2021 13:00 - 2 hours - 158 MB

One podcast to rule them all! It’s the last episode of 2021 and the boys are walking their big, hairy, Hobbit feet back to December 19th, 2001 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy opener, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. And throw on your fanciest wizard robe and polish your staff, because the boys are celebrating…themselves! Yes, it’s the 2nd Annual Golden Sheila Awards! YOU SHALL NOT PASS up Episode 67 of Opening Weekend! “I wish it ...

Episode 66: Young Frankenstein - The Godfather Part II - The Towering Inferno: December 12, 1974

December 15, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 186 MB

“I know it was you, Sheila. You broke my heart.” (MWAH!) It’s December 12th, 1974 and the boys are tackling a Towering week of massive openers: THE TOWERING INFERNO, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, and THE GODFATHER, PART II. Walk THIS way to Episode 66 of Opening Weekend! Lightning strikes, thunder crashes. The creature slowly opens his eyes and rises. Stumbling and grasping his way across the room, he moans and groans for his Master who stares at the creature in wonder and awe. At which poin...

Episode 65: Holiday Special - Scrooged - Top Ten Holiday Movies: November 23, 1988

December 01, 2021 12:16 - 2 hours - 165 MB

“Bah Humbug!” “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!” “Merry Christmas ya old Building and Loans!”  “Yippe Kay Yay, Motherf***er!” ALL the holiday staples are covered as the boys jump back to November 23, 1988 to revisit the Bill Murray holiday comedy SCROOGED as well as their TOP TEN HOLIDAY MOVIES.  Put a little love in your heart with Episode 65 of OPENING WEEKEND! November, 1988: the boys are working off their Thanksgiving dinners and working on their Christmas and Hanukkah lists: “G...

Episode 64: Aladdin - Bram Stoker's Dracula: November 13, 1992

November 17, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 127 MB

This week the boys take a magic carpet ride back to November 13th, 1992 to rub some lamps and suck some blood with Disney’s ALADDIN and BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA.  It’s a whole new world on Episode 64 of OPENING WEEKEND! The scene: A young, dark haired handsome man finds a magic lamp in the desert and is granted three wishes by the all-powerful Genie:  "I want to be to be rich, I want to be famous, I want to have a spotless British accent!”  Well, Keanu, two out of three ain’t bad, r...

Episode 63: The Terminator - Terror In The Aisles: October 26, 1984

November 03, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 126 MB

This week the boys head back in time to October 26th 1984 to revisit the sci-fi classic THE TERMINATOR and the horror film-clip anthology TERROR IN THE AISLES.  So, listen to Kyle Reese and take heed: “That terminator is out there; it can’t be bargained with, it can’t be reasoned with, it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear, and it absolutely will not stop...EVER…until you are listening to Episode 63 of OPENING WEEKEND!”  Halloween, 1984: It’s inevitable. He’s coming. He can’t be ...

Episode 62: And Justice For All - Meteor: October 19, 1979

October 27, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 172 MB

“I’m out of order? You’re out of order! This whole  podcast is out of order! October 19, 1979 is out of order! Sean Connery in METEOR is out of order! My movie…AND JUSTICE FOR ALL is out of order! Everyone is out…wait, what’s that big piece of rock hurtling towards Earth? Ah, crap.” Don’t worry, Al, it’s just Episode 62 of OPENING WEEKEND!  “What did the horny Scotsman say to the Italian lawyer?” No, this isn’t a set-up for the movies discussed this episode; it’s the setup for one ...

Episode 61: American Beauty - Three Kings - Mystery, Alaska: October 1, 1999

October 04, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 142 MB

“You want to see the most beautiful thing I’ve ever filmed?” Uh, maybe not Mr. Spacey. But we will take a look at AMERICAN BEAUTY and the other two releases from October 1, 1999, THREE KINGS and MYSTERY, ALASKA. Time to look closer…at Episode 61 of Opening Weekend!  It’s the early fall of 1999 and the boys are watching three cinematic game changers: Sam Mendes’ “American Beauty” and its take on repressed, suburban malaise; David O. Russell’s “Three Kings”, with its fever-dream, ant...

Episode 60: Goodfellas - Top Ten Gangster/Crime Films: September 19, 1990

September 15, 2021 16:40 - 2 hours - 192 MB

“As far back as I can remember I’ve always wanted to be a podcaster.” It’s September 19th, 1990 and the boys are celebrating the release of Martin Scorcese’s mobbed-up masterpiece, GOODFELLAS. One dog goes one way, the other dog goes the other way, and this guy’s sayin’ “It’s Episode 60 of Opening Weekend!” “I’m gonna go listen to the podcast, listen to the podcast.”  You do you, Jimmy Two Times. In the meantime, Dan’s gotta go change the film reel at Cinema Shitty-Sex.  It’s Sept...

Episode 59: The Wicker Man - Crank - Idiocracy: September 1, 2006

September 01, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 146 MB

Nic Cage walks into a forest dressed like a bear and punches a woman. No, you’re not having a bad fever dream; you’re just watching one of the movies that opened on September 1, 2006: a week filled with mystery, mayhem, and most of all, misogyny. THE WICKER MAN, CRANK, and IDIOCRACY are being pumped full of adrenaline and then burned alive on Episode 59 of Opening Weekend! (Brought to you by Carl’s Jr). “I wish I could quit you.” “You complete me.” “I’ll have what she’s having.”  ...

Episode 58: Dreamscape - Sheena - The Woman In Red: August 17, 1984

August 18, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 145 MB

Jungle Queens, Scary Dreams, and Adulterous Schemes.  It’s August 17th, 1984, and the boys are taking in SHEENA, DREAMSCAPE, and THE WOMAN IN RED for some edgy PG-13 violence & gore and some wholesome PG full-frontal-nudity.  Grab your leg warmers and Members Only jackets, because the boys are heading back to the ‘80s for Episode 58 of Opening Weekend! Ahh, the mid-1980s. What would Ronald Reagan’s (or Eddie Albert’s, for that matter) America have been without the efforts of Hulk H...

Episode 57: The Iron Giant - Dick: August 6, 1999

August 04, 2021 12:31 - 1 hour - 124 MB

This week the boys take on a BIG, SCARY ROBOT and a BIG, SCARY DICK…Nixon, that is! Brad Bird’s THE IRON GIANT and the political satire DICK were the big openers on August 6th, 1999.  Do they warrant GIANT Sheila ratings or will they get shredded like a stack of DNC papers? Find out on Episode 57 of OPENING WEEKEND! It Came From The Outer Boroughs!!! While Brad Bird was exploring Atomic Age fears and Red Scare paranoia in 1950’s America, Dan, Fred, and Jason were exploring how to e...

Episode 56: The Dark Knight - Mamma Mia! - Space Chimps: July 18, 2008

July 21, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 131 MB

Some men just want to watch the world burn, and some just want to listen to Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep sing Abba! It’s July 18, 2008 and the boys are zipping up their sequin jumpsuits, donning their masks and taking a chance on THE DARK KNIGHT, MAMMA MIA!, and SPACE CHIMPS. Episode 56 of Opening Weekend is the podcast Gotham deserves! “Mamma Mia, here I go again. Batman, how can I resist you? Mamma Mia, Space Chimps blow again. Why, why? Joker, can I kiss you?”  In July of 2...

Episode 55: Independence Day - Phenomenon: July 3, 1996

July 07, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 119 MB

July 3rd, 1996: Aliens are laying waste to humanity and John Travolta is making pencils levitate with his mind. No, this isn’t Chapter 5 of ‘Dianetics’, it’s INDEPENDENCE DAY and PHENOMENON on Episode 55 of Opening Weekend! Boom! There goes The White House!  Zap! There goes The Empire State Building!  Snore! There goes everyone watching “Phenomenon.” In early July, 1996, while aliens were descending onto the battlefields of a scorched Earth, baboons were descending onto the hood...

Episode 54: Dick Tracy - Gremlins 2: The New Batch: June 15, 1990

June 23, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 127 MB

“Calling Dick Tracy! Come in Dick Tracy! Gremlins have taken over New York City. No, not THOSE Gremlins. It’s a NEW batch. That’s right, this week the boys head to June 15, 1990 for DICK TRACY and GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH!  So, stop ogling Madonna, Tracy, and get over to Opening Weekend Episode 54!”  Remember back in June of 1990 when you took some of that orange goo from the popcorn machine at Movie City where Dan worked and smoked it after Fred’s Senior Frolic and then had visio...

Episode 53: Jurassic Park - What's Love Got To Do With It: June 11, 1993

June 09, 2021 12:35 - 1 hour - 139 MB

It’s June 11th, 1993 and vicious dinosaurs once again roam the earth: The Tyrannosaurus Rex! The Velociraptor! The Ike Turner!  This week the boys are rollin’ down the river and digging up JURASSIC PARK and WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT.  Hold onto your butts and Welcome…to Episode 53 of Opening Weekend Park! Shhh. Do you hear that? That low, deep rumbling sound? Is it a T-Rex approaching? Tina Turner getting ready to let loose a soulful wail? Or just Dan warming up his hands for a...

Episode 52: Fletch - Top Ten Comedic Performances: May 31, 1985

June 02, 2021 09:30 - 1 hour - 142 MB

They say laughter is the best medicine, right Dr. Rosenpenis? Or was it Dr. Rosenrosen? Or Mr. Cocktostan? Or Arnold Babar? Or Ted Nugent? Hell, let’s just call ya Fletch. It’s May 31st, 1985 and the boys go undercover with the Chevy Chase comedy FLETCH and discuss their top ten comedic performances of all time. Frieda, hold my calls, ‘cus it’s Episode 52 of Opening Weekend! It’s May of 1985, and the school year is coming to a close for the boys. While Chevy Chase’s iconic characte...