Late Fee Files

The Late Fee Files are going back to the summer of 1996! In this special episode, we're joined by MovieDeathBlow for an epic movie draft featuring some of the biggest, weirdest, wildest, and most memorable films released that summer.From action and comedy to horror, drama, and cult classics, we're building our ultimate 1996 movie rosters and battling it out to see who can draft the best lineup. It's a trip back to one of the most memorable summers in '90s cinema, packed with nostalgia, debate, hot takes, and plenty of movie talk.Who...

This week on Late Fee Files, we're joined by Dan, aka Reel Takes, to discuss two certified cult classics.First, we head to suburbia with The 'Burbs, where Tom Hanks leads a pitch-perfect dark comedy about paranoid neighbors convinced the strange family next door is hiding a deadly secret. Then we jump into the colorful chaos of Death to Smoochy, Danny DeVito's outrageous black comedy starring Robin Williams and Edward Norton. Once dismissed by critics and audiences, the film has since found a loyal cult following. We discuss what works, what doesn't, and whether this...

This week on Late Fee Files, we’re diving into the neon-soaked, muscle-bound world of late ‘80s action movies with two VHS-era fever dreams: Cobra and Cyborg.First up, Sylvester Stallone brings the sunglasses, one-liners, and exploding bad guys in Cobra a movie where subtlety takes a backseat to leather jackets, giant knives, and a hero who solves every problem with a combination of intimidation and a .45. We break down the wild action, the strange humor, the “is this actually a movie or a very expensive music video?” energy, and why Cobra remains one of the ultimate examples...

Adam and Brian head into the weird, wild world of Dan Aykroyd with a double feature that's equal parts cult classic and cinematic fever dream: Coneheads and Nothing But Trouble. Joining them for the ride is special guest Kevin from the Reel for Real Podcast.First, the crew beams up to suburbia with Coneheads, the 1993 comedy based on the beloved Saturday Night Live sketch. Starring Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and Michelle Burke, the film follows a family of extraterrestrials trying to blend into everyday American life while avoiding government agents and navigating the absurdities of human culture...

In this episode of Late Fee Files, Adam and Brian lock in for a double feature of Jean-Claude Van Damme at peak ‘90s action glory with Timecop and Sudden Death. First up, we head to a packed hockey arena for Sudden Death, a Die Hard-inspired thriller that turns Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals into total chaos. Hyams throws Van Damme into a hostage situation filled with explosions, mascots, terrorists, and pure mid-’90s action insanity. From the unforgettable kitchen fight to the legendary showdown with the Pittsburgh Penguins mascot, Sudden Death became a cult favorite for acti...

Adam and Brian hit the hardwood with Above the Rim and Celtic Pride. First up, we head to the streets and courts of New York City with Above the Rim, a basketball drama directed by Jeff Pollack. Starring Duane Martin, Tupac Shakur, and Marlon Wayans, the film follows a promising high school basketball star caught between opportunity, loyalty, and the dangerous influences surrounding him. We get into the film’s raw energy, its memorable soundtrack, and how it captures the pressure of trying to rise above your circumstances while being pulled in different directions.Then we trade st...

Adam and Brian take us out to the all-ballgame with The Fan and Major League. First up, we step into the darker side of fandom with The Fan, a psychological sports thriller directed by Tony Scott. Starring Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes, the film follows a lonely, unhinged superfan whose fixation on his favorite player begins to spiral into something far more dangerous. We get into the film’s intense performances, its exploration of identity and isolation, and how it taps into the unsettling reality of what happens when admiration turns into entitlement.Then we head to...

In this episode of Late Fee Files, we dive into a double feature fueled by heat, tension, and Los Angeles on the brink: Colors and Falling Down. First up, we hit the streets with Colors, Dennis Hopper’s gritty look at gang culture and the cops caught in the middle of it. Starring Robert Duvall and Sean Penn, the film follows a veteran officer and his impulsive rookie partner as they navigate a world where every decision carries weight and consequences rarely feel fair. We get into the film’s raw, almost documentary-like style, its unflinching portrayal of systemic cycl...

In this episode of Adam and Brian pour a double feature that drips with sun, sweat, and trouble: Tequila Sunrise and Body Heat. First up, we head to Southern California with Robert Towne’s glossy crime romance, where friendship, loyalty, and love collide. Starring Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell, and Michelle Pfeiffer, Tequila Sunrise blends laid-back vibes with undercover tension as a drug dealer trying to go straight finds himself caught between an old friend who’s now a cop and a woman who complicates everything. This breezy yet moody crime story feels like the cinematic equivalent of a sunset drin...

This week on Late Fee Files, we’re turning up the thermostat with Jungle Fever, a film that is as sweaty, stylish, and chaotic as its title promises. Spike Lee drops us into a romance that has everyone in the neighborhood talking, and we’re here for every side-eye, every family dinner blow-up, and every perfectly curated needle drop. It’s bold, messy, funny, uncomfortable, and completely alive, the kind of movie that makes you pause the tape just to yell at the screen. Then we pile into the van for Made in America, where the vibes shift...

This week on Late Fee Files, Adam and Brian start with the early-2000s comedy about three professional students who’ve mastered the art of doing absolutely nothing and somehow getting away with it. We break down the film’s shameless slacker philosophy, its cartoonishly intense antagonist, and why it could never be made today. It’s a movie that could only exist in a moment when disappearing into college for years was not just possible, but encouraged.Then we rewind further to PCU (1994), the cult classic that somehow predicted the future while being completely unhinged. From Jeremy...

On this episode of Late Fee Files, we jack into the mid-’90s internet panic with a double feature that helped define Hollywood’s idea of hacking: The Net and Hackers. Two films released just a few weeks apart, both obsessed with dial-up modems and cyber paranoia.We start with The Net, a sleek, paranoid thriller that turns everyday computer use into a nightmare. Sandra Bullock plays an ordinary woman whose identity is quietly erased, tapping into very real anxieties about privacy, surveillance, and how fragile modern life can be when everything is stored digitally. Then...

On this episode of Late Fee Files, we crack open one of the strangest double features imaginable, two late 90s studio films that couldn’t look more different on the surface but quietly reflect the same era of shifting identities, relationships, and urban fantasy. Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut takes us on a chilly, dreamlike odyssey through jealousy, desire, and power, using New York as a haunting maze where intimacy feels distant and unknowable. We dig into the film’s hypnotic pacing, its infamous secrecy, and why its emotional coldness continues to divide audiences decades later.T...

In this action-packed holiday double bill, Adam and Brian dig into two snowy thrill rides that pair yuletide cheer with bullets, brawls, and more amnesia than anyone asked for. First up is The Long Kiss Goodnight, where Geena Davis’s suburban mom discovers she’s actually a lethal government assassin, and we break down why this Shane Black scripted blast still rules. Then we pivot to Reindeer Games, a chaotic Ben Affleck heist caper filled with twists, double-crosses, and Christmas costumes that definitely didn’t come from Santa’s workshop.Join us as we unpack the wild plots, t...

This week, Adam and Brian bring you a family-friendly double feature, Late Fee Files heads back to the ’90s for two comedies about reluctant father figures, messy road trips, and the awkward journey of bonding. First up is Dutch (1991), the John Hughes–penned tale of a well-meaning working-class guy who tries to connect with his girlfriend’s snobbish son on a disastrous cross-country trip. Then we switch coasts for Man of the House (1995), where Chevy Chase battles mobsters, tribal rites, and a suspicious preteen in a lighthearted stepdad-in-training story. We compare the laughs, sentiment, performances, and why these...

Adam and Brian plop down on the couch and crack open a double-feature of John Ritter deep cuts, two movies that couldn’t be more different on paper yet somehow feel spiritually linked in their strange, scrappy, late-night-cable energy. First up is Stay Tuned, the warped TV-hell satire where Ritter and Pam Dawber literally battle for their souls through a gauntlet of twisted channel parodies. We dig into the film’s cartoonish visual inventiveness, its ahead-of-its-time media cynicism, and why Ritter’s everyman charm still anchors the madness.Then we jump over to Real Men, the offbeat buddy...

This week on Late Fee Files, we dive into two sides of John Carpenter’s cinematic evil: the cold, creeping apocalypse of Prince of Darkness and the sunburned savagery of John Carpenter’s Vampires. From the claustrophobic church basement where science meets the supernatural to the brutal desert battlegrounds of vampire hunters and sinners, we trace Carpenter’s shifting vision of faith, corruption, and survival. We’ll unpack Prince of Darkness’ cosmic nihilism, Vampires’ grimy Western attitude, and how both films reflect a director wrestling with belief in a godless world. It’s holy water meets quantum physics, and Carpenter’s da...

It's Halloween season, so Adam and Brian venture into the shadowy tunnels of 1990s creature features .First up: The Relic (1997) — Peter Hyams’ Field Museum nightmare based on the Preston & Child novel — where a chimeric creature stalks the halls and the hosts unpack its practical effects, museum-set atmosphere, and how the film balances spectacle with a grim, pulpy heart.Then they dig into Guillermo del Toro’s Mimic (1997) — a grimy, gothic insect tale born from studio friction and a singular directorial vision. Brian and Adam compare del Toro’s early visual language to the creature cinema of the era...

This week on Late Fee Files, we’re checking out two very different shades of L.A. crime noir. First up, Steven Soderbergh’s The Limey (1999), where Terence Stamp shows up in California looking for some sweet revenge. Then we go back in time to Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), where Denzel Washington plays Easy Rawlins, a man just trying to pay the mortgage who gets drawn into political scandals and encounters more than one racist POS.It’s stylish revenge, moody noir, and enough tough-guy one-liners to keep you rewinding the tape to make sure you heard...

Alright, this week’s double feature is a trip straight to the “yeah, we’ll rent it, why not” section of the store: If Looks Could Kill (1991) and National Lampoon’s Senior Trip (1995). First up, Richard Grieco—fresh off 21 Jump Street and apparently allergic to subtlety—plays a high schooler who accidentally becomes a spy in a Euro-thriller so overcooked it feels like Bond fan fiction written in detention.Then we’ve got Senior Trip, a stoner road comedy that’s basically every “what if my friends ran the government” daydream you had scribbled in your high school notebook. It’s...