The Franchise Forum Podcast

Franchise Forum: Director Series - Memento (2000)

Franchise Forum: Director Series continues with Christopher
Nolan and Memento.
 
Greg jumps into Nolan's backward (and forward) story of revenge through the lens of anterograde amnesia, digging into the Academy Award-nominated editing and screenplay, the importance of mirrors, and the 2000 film that put Nolan on every film aficionado's radar.
 
Episode 3 of the Christopher Nolan Director Series.

Franchise Forum Ep. 9 - Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

We’re back with John McClane… and this time, the whole city’s in play.
In Episode 9, Greg, Erik, Adam, and Ross head to New York for Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) the sequel that ditches the building, turns everything into a puzzle, and somehow never slows down. From Central Park to Wall Street, Simon Gruber is pulling the strings and McClane is just trying to keep up.
We get into what works, what really works, and where this one might actually challenge the original… or fall apart right when it matters most. The pacing, the riddles, the chaos, the heat of a New York summer, it’s all on the table. And yeah… we’re not exactly on the same page this time.
Plus, we debut the Villain Draft... each of us builds our own lineup of the most iconic, chaotic, and unforgettable villains in pop culture. Some picks make sense… others might start a fight.
Grab a sign, don’t ask questions… and try to keep up.

Franchise Forum: Director Series - Oppenheimer (2023)

Franchise Forum: Director Series continues with Christopher Nolan and Oppenheimer.
 
Nolan's most decorated film to date, Greg dissects how Oppenheimer blends genres, creatively tackles special effects, and uses symbolism in every way imaginable to take home seven Academy Awards including Best Picture.
 
Episode 2 of the Christopher Nolan Director Series.

Franchise Forum: Director Series - Dunkirk (2017)

Franchise Forum: Director Series begins with Christopher Nolan and Dunkirk.
 
One of the most celebrated directors of this century, Nolan becomes the focus as Greg breaks down how Dunkirk strays from the traditional war film mold and how Nolan’s signature style shapes the experience of this 2017 Best Picture–nominated film.
 
Episode 1 of the Christopher Nolan Director Series starts now!

Franchise Forum: Frantasy - The Rocketeer (1991)

In this Frantasy Episode, the Franchise Forum crew takes to the skies to revisit The Rocketeer, Disney’s 1991 love letter to pulp adventure, Art Deco design, and the golden age of aviation. Along the way we talk about why this film made such a strong impression on so many of us as kids, even if the pacing feels a little different through modern eyes. From the retro-futuristic world and James Horner’s soaring score to the film’s late-blooming action finale, we break down what works, what surprised us on a rewatch and why the image of the Rocketeer blasting across the sky has stuck around long after the credits rolled.
 
Strap on the helmet and fire up the rocket.... we’re heading back to 1938!

Franchise Forum Ep. 8 – Die Hard 2 (1990)

We’re back with John McClane… and this time, it’s snowing. In Episode 8, the Franchise Forum crew heads to Dulles Airport to break down Die Hard 2 (1990), the sequel that tries to go bigger, louder, and somehow colder. Spoiler alert: none of us were exactly thrilled with the layover.
We dive into what doesn’t work, what almost works, and whether repeating the formula makes for comfort food or creative crash-and-burn. Plus, we play a round of Six Degrees of Separation, throw down some trivia, and debate whether this is just Die Hard on a runway… or the moment the franchise started losing altitude.
Buckle up... turbulence ahead.

Franchise Forum: Frantasy - The Big Lebowski (1998)

What if The Big Lebowski wasn’t just a cult comedy but the first chapter in a crooked, smoke-filled noir franchise that never was?
In the debut episode of Frantasy, we pour ourselves a caucasian, lower the lights, and follow The Dude as a hard-luck private eye stumbling through a mystery he never asked to solve. We break down how The Big Lebowski borrows from classic detective fiction, where it zigzags away from genre expectations, and what a full-blown noir franchise might’ve looked liked. Along the way, we talk tone, structure, missed opportunities, and the strange alchemy that turns a failed mystery into a perfect cult classic.
The case collapses, the clues scatter, but the rug still ties the franchise together.

Franchise Forum Ep. 7 - Die Hard (1988)

This week the crew heads to Nakatomi Plaza for a holiday party gone very, very wrong. We unpack John McTiernan’s Die Hard (1988) — the film that redefined the modern action hero, made Bruce Willis a movie star, and somehow became the most debated Christmas movie of all time. From “shoot the glass” to “Yippee-ki-yay,” we dig into the film’s perfect pacing and connective tissue, Alan Rickman’s suave villainy, the Christmas-in-L.A. irony, and why every action movie since has tried to be “Die Hard on a ___.” Grab your bare feet and a bag of glass... it’s Franchise Forum at its most explosive.

Franchise Forum Ep. 6 - Jurassic Park III (2001)

The guys actually liked this one... though Erik was a little timid to admit it. In this episode, the crew returns to Isla Sorna for a wild ride through Jurassic Park III (2001), Joe Johnston’s leaner, meaner follow-up to Spielberg’s dino duology. From talking raptors to Spinosaurus supremacy, we dig into what works, what doesn’t, and why this stripped-down sequel somehow delivers more fun than expected.
Stick around until the end to find out which franchise we’re sinking our teeth into next. The dinosaurs are gone, but danger has a new address... and it’s 35 stories high.

Franchise Forum Ep. 5 - The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

We take The Lost World: Jurassic Park on a three-hour safari and, well… no one makes it out unscathed. What starts as a sequel about dinosaurs turns into a deep dive on awkward champagne pours, gymnastic raptor kicks, and one very confused T. Rex on a boat. We pick apart every questionable choice and cinematic oddity until the island and our sanity, are both in ruins.