Peanuts & Popcorn Tom Hockney and Leo Fontana

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, we open the popcorn bag to break down the Pedro Almodovar sex comedy, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988). We then discuss a request from a listener, Swingers (1996) with John Favreau and Vince Vaughn.

In Peanuts, we mourn the passing of Whitey Herzog.
We analyze some recent MLB umpire miscues. Max Fried, of the Atlanta Braves, pitches a Maddux. The Chicago Cubs have a successful homestand despite a rash of injuries, while the Detroit Tigers fight for respectability in the American League.


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Leo's Pick:  The Whistlers (2019)
Tom's Pick: The Last of Sheila (1973)

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, we open the bag of popcorn with an underappreciated gem by Akira Kurosawa, Tom’s choice, High and Low (1963). Steve Soderbergh directed the star-studded project Leo suggested. Based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, Out of Sight (1998).

In Peanuts, we react to the recent developments regarding Shohei Otani. One of them has nothing to do with gambling. The Cubs can hit, but their pitching is thin. The Tigers are the opposite, great pitching, they can’t hit.


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Leo's Pick:  Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
Tom's Pick: Swingers (1996)

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, we open the Popcorn with Tom’s selection for today’s episode, the Wes Anderson film, Rushmore (1998). For Leo, we go back to 1974 for the Lords of Flatbush.

In Peanuts, the 2024 season is underway. We’ll predict the teams who will qualify for the playoffs as well as the fortunes for the Cubs and Tigers. We’ll react to a guest column in the New York Times by Rafi Kohan. Shohei Otani is in the news, but for all the wrong reasons, and it looks like the Cubs and Dodgers will open the 2025 season in Japan.


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Leo's Pick:  Out of Sight (1998)
Tom's Pick: High and Low (1963)

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, the 2024 Oscars have come and gone, we will examine Tommy’s uncanny ability to select the winners in nearly every category. We then review our respective selections. Leo's choice, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, and Tom’s, The Zone of Interest.  In Peanuts, as we near Opening Day, we make our predictions as to how the Cubs and Tigers will fare. Mazel Tov to Shohei Otani and his new bride and Yoshi Yamamoto and his black bag are changing the ways the Dodgers train their players.

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Leo's Pick: The Lords of Flatbush (1974)
Tom's Pick: Rushmore (1998)

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, we start with an extra-long Popcorn. First up, two more reviews of the nominees for Best Picture of 2023: Anatomy of a Fall, and American Fiction. We will also reveal our favorites for the major Oscar categories---as well as predict the winners.
In an abbreviated version of peanuts, we’ll talk about another Black Ace, former Twin and Guardian, Mudcat Grant. Cody Bellinger returns to the North Side, we pose the question: are the Cubs at least as good as they were last season? Finally, the Philadelphia Phillies have done away with their $1 hot-dog promotion. We are left to wonder why.


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Leo's Pick:  The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)
Tom's Pick: The Zone of Interest (2023)

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn,
we start with the popcorn with our reviews of two more Best Picture nominees, Leo's pick, Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, and Tom’s pick, Poor Things with Emma Stone.

In Peanuts, we open the bag with great hope and anticipation as Spring Training has begun in Arizona and
Florida. Players in both sites are having difficulties with the Nike’s special Spring Training uniforms. An arrest is made in the vandalization of a Jackie Robinson statue, and we will talk about “The Black Aces”, a handful of
African-American pitchers who have each won 20 games in the Majors.

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Leo's Pick:  American Fiction (2023)

Tom's Pick: Anatomy of a Fall
(2023)