The Franchise Forum Podcast

Franchise Forum: Director Series - Pulp Fiction (1994)

Our Director Series continues with Quentin Tarantino and Pulp Fiction. One of the most influential filmmakers of the modern era, Tarantino takes center stage as Greg explores how Pulp Fictionshattered storytelling conventions and forever changed independent cinema. From its nonlinear structure to its unforgettable dialogue and cultural impact, this episode dives into what makes Tarantino's masterpiece one of the defining films of the 1990s. As always, this episode is designed to be experienced in two parts: listen to the first half, watch the film, then come back for the second half as Greg breaks down everything you just saw.

The Franchise Forum Ep.12 - The Evil Dead (1981)

This week, we dig into Sam Raimi’s 1981 cult classic, a movie that none of us fully knew how to process but all of us had to respect. Is it enjoyable? Not exactly. Is it inventive, relentless, gross, weirdly charming, and somehow one of the most impressive student-film-feeling debuts ever made? Absolutely. We talk micro-budget filmmaking, stop-motion gore, suspiciously smooth tree branches, demonic sound design, the world’s most stressful cabin, and the way Raimi turns the camera itself into the villain. Ross explains why the movie is basically the best lengua taco he’s ever had, Adam goes deep on the splatter-film era, Erik tries to understand why horror fans love being punished, and Greg leads us through the chaos with plenty of production history and trivia. Join us. Join us.

Franchise Forum Ep.11 - A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

The Die Hard franchise comes to an end as the Franchise Forum crew heads to Moscow for A Good Day to Die Hard—the most criticized and controversial entry in the series. This week, we break down the father-son story between John and Jack McClane, debate whether the franchise lost what made it special, and ask if this movie really deserves its infamous reputation. Along the way, we discuss the franchise's evolution from "wrong place, wrong time" thrills to globe-trotting action spectacle, hand out our final franchise awards, wrap up Die Hard trivia, and reveal the next franchise heading to the Franchise Forum treatment. Yippee-ki-yay, Mother Russia. One last ride with John McClane.

Franchise Forum Ep. 10 - Live Free or Die Hard (2007)

The Franchise Forum crew is back… and John McClane has officially entered the digital age. This week, we tackle Live Free or Die Hard, the cyber-terrorism-fueled fourth entry that trades grimy ’80s grit for exploding helicopters, collapsing freeways, and Justin Long explaining the internet to Bruce Willis. We break down the franchise’s controversial shift from hard-R to PG-13, debate Bruce Willis’ scorching hot take that this might actually be better than the original, and ask the important questions: does McClane still feel like McClane when he’s fighting hackers instead of Hans Gruber-types? Along the way we dive into the film’s insane production schedule, wildly over-the-top action set pieces, and whether Len Wiseman’s slick visual style helped modernize the franchise… or sanded off too much of what made Die Hard special in the first place. Plus: trivia, tangents, tech panic, traffic-light conspiracy theories, and the continuing evolution of Bruce Willis’ hairline. Yippee-ki-yay… mostly.

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.