Breakfast All Day movie reviews

Independent film producer John Lang and Christy have lots of Texas connections in common, so they had a great time reminiscing in this sprawling Breakfast All Day A La Carte interview. John talks about growing up in suburban Dallas during peak '90s Cowboys, studying at the University of Texas where he learned from indie film guru John Pierson, and getting his start on film sets in Los Angeles. He also discusses what he looks for in a new project — his work includes Harry Dean Stanton's final film, "Lucky" — and how streaming has changed the quantity and quality of movies we consume. Lots of good stories and information here, so listen and enjoy.

Like the members of the Losers Club, we're all together again after being away from each for a little while on Breakfast All Day. Alonso, Christy and Matt review the thrilling, sprawling horror sequel "It Chapter Two" and the Korean-American indie drama "Ms. Purple," and we play catch-up with "The Peanut Butter Falcon," since at least a couple of us had seen it and so many of you expressed interest in it. (Thanks for the Instagram feedback!) And over at our Patreon, we discuss several new trailers including "Waves" and "Black Christmas," and Alonso tells us about his time at the Venice Film Festival. Float on over and stay a while.

Dan Shaughnessy is a legendary sportswriter, author and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He's also a really old friend of Christy's, someone she and her family stay with whenever they're in Boston, which they did recently. This time, she also had the pleasure of sitting down with him for a Breakfast All Day A La Carte conversation about his lengthy and storied career. Dan talks about growing up a huge sports fan in small-town Groton, Mass., getting his start in sportswriting, and covering iconic teams for The Boston Globe like the Celtics in the '80s and the Red Sox through their many heartaches and triumphs. After all, he is the author of "The Curse of the Bambino." But Dan also loves movies, so we discuss his favorite baseball films and the ones that really get Boston right (including that tricky accent). This was so much fun, so please enjoy this on-location episode.

Summer is over but we're here to provide a ray of sunshine with the Breakfast All Day Podcast. This week, it's just Christy and Matt — Alonso is away covering the Venice Film Festival — and Matt was nice enough to drive down to see Christy and play catch-up with some recent movies. We discuss the Gerard Butler action thriller "Angel Has Fallen," which was No. 1 at the box office last weekend; the charmingly raunchy coming-of-age comedy "Good Boys"; the indie "Brittany Runs a Marathon,"which resonated with both of us in myriad ways; and a new movie this week, "The Fanatic," starring John Travolta as an obsessed celebrity stalker. It is legitimately the worst movie of the year, yet it truly must be experienced. And over at our Patreon, we discuss a bunch of new trailers including "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" and "Joker." Come share the long Labor Day weekend with us.

Julian Higgins is a wise, talented filmmaker beyond his years. He's also a newly minted Academy member, so now he gets to use his great taste for the greater good. He and Christy talk about growing up among academics in New Hampshire, the movies he made as a kid, studying at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles and his excellent 2015 short "Winter Light," which landed on the Oscar shortlist for best live-action short. Julian also teaches film at Emerson College, so he has lots of good advice for others who aspire to make movies. Hope you enjoy this very informative Breakfast All Day A La Carte interview.

Jennie Morris is one of Christy's absolute best friends in the world, someone she's known since they were 6 years old. But Christy had the pleasure of discovering her all over again in this Breakfast All Day A La Carte conversation. Jennie is a longtime TV executive who currently has a key role in launching WarnerMedia's new streaming service HBO Max. But we go back to the beginning, talking about growing up in LA in the '70s and '80s and the TV shows that shaped her, traveling to Russia just after the fall of the Soviet Union and her lengthy career in television which has included stops at Showtime, the Sundance Channel and Pivot. It was so nice spending some extra time with this brilliant, busy lady. Hope you enjoy this conversation, too.

Christy's on vacation, and Matt and Alonso got their schedules so totally out of whack that the only new movie they've both seen is the horrifyingly funny hide-and-seek comedy READY OR NOT. And whether you're ready or not, here we come with our review. And if you join us at Patreon, you can hear us discuss new trailers like LITTLE WOMEN, PARASITE and LAST CHRISTMAS.

James Boyd is a guru of low-budget, do-it-yourself filmmaking. He's also an old friend of Christy's who shares a love of movies, so it was great to reconnect after nearly 30 years for this Breakfast All Day A La Carte conversation. Jim discusses his early interest in film growing up in Texas, moving out to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams of working in the industry and launching the all-digital Nodance Film Festival, which he ran for many years, to boost aspiring filmmakers during Sundance. He talks about the work he does through his production company, 6161 Entertainment, and how he has found a way to keep surviving and thriving and embracing technology as it continually changes. Lots of helpful tips in this one, so take a listen and enjoy.

The dog days of summer are definitely here at the Breakfast All Day Podcast. Alonso, Matt and Christy have a mixed bag of movies this week, from the wildly terrible crime drama "The Kitchen" to the mawkish and cloying "The Art of Racing in the Rain" to the family comedy "Dora and the Lost City of Gold," which is a lot more fun than you'd probably expect from a live-action "Dora the Explorer" movie. And over at our Patreon, Christy and Alonso discuss the penultimate episode of "The Handmaid's Tale" season three. Grab a cold drink, have a seat and join us.

Screenwriter and Emerson College professor Weiko Lin joins Christy this week for a wide-ranging, high-energy Breakfast All Day A La Carte conversation. Weiko talks about emigrating to the United States from Taiwan with his mom and siblings when he was 8, the early influence of '80s pop culture and the power of seeing people who looked like him in Ang Lee's "The Wedding Banquet." He discusses his writing process, where he likes to write and how he works through writer's block. We also explore his writing for the Chinese market, what the moviegoing experience is like there and recent hits like "Crazy Rich Asians." And if you're thinking of becoming a writer yourself, Weiko's new book "Crazy Screenwriting Secrets" provides some guidance by encouraging people to be fearless in their storytelling approach. Plus, he's just a lovely, genuine guy in general, so please enjoy.