Steven and John love this movie so much that this deep dive was very close to expanding into three episodes but with a little holiday magic they managed to fit the whole thing in two. This isn't just a wonderful Christmas movie but a deep one as well with plenty of ideas to contemplate and discuss. However, perhaps the best thing about It's a Wonderful Life is how it can help put your own life into perspective and help you redefine what's really important to you. 

Happy Holidays Cine-Files!!! We'll see you next year. 

This year The Cine-Files decided to revisit their favorite holiday film of all time, the Frank Capra Classic, It's a Wonderful Life.

(I'm not crying, you're crying)

This week on The Cine-Files, Steve and John conclude their discussion of one of the greatest films ever made. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is the epitome of 70's filmmaking with complex, human themes, challenging ideas, tremendously natural performances and a profoundly powerful conclusion. 

This week on The Cine-files John and Steve dig into what is, inarguably, one of the greatest films of the 70's Milos Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. With daring performances, challenging subject matter and powerful themes, Cuckoo's Nest leaves an indelible mark on just about everyone that watches it.

In this conclusion of their exploration of The Queen, John, Steve and special guest Charles CW Cooke explore politics, symbolism, family dynamics and the fascinating character of Great Britain's longest serving monarch.

This week, The Cine-Files is honored to be joined by Senior Writer for The National Review Charles CW Cooke to explore a film which takes us inside the royal family during one of the most difficult and controversial moments in the last 50 years. Directed by Stephen Frears and starring Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen, The Queen is a brilliant, incisive and very human look at a collision between tradition and the modern world, a real human family trapped within centuries of tradition and the relationship between the general public and person who had become more legend than living being.

Well, Halloween's over but that doesn't mean we can't jump back into one of the scariest and most beautifully made films of all time, Rob Reiner's, Misery.

Happy Halloween Cine-Files and welcome to our annual "Scary Movie" this one does double duty as both a Halloween special and a tribute to the great James Caan. It also happens to be one of the most beautiful crafted films of the 90's. Misery, directed by Rob Reiner and starring James Caan and Kathy Bates is as simple as it is brilliant and definitely well worth a Cine-Files deep dive.

Steve and John come out fighting as they conclude their exploration not only of The Avengers but of Phase One of the MCU. They both genuinely like the movie but while it delivers truly satisfying character moments it is also far from perfect and they have a great time exploring both the highs and the lows of one of the most successful movies ever made.

Back in January, Steve and John outlined their master plan for tackling the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There idea, explore every single movie on the 10th anniversary of its release. The problem, was that The MCU started releasing movies back in 2008 which meant they had some serious catching up to do. But, they've finally done it. With this deep dive into The Avengers (released in 2012) The Cine-Files has caught up and, frankly, they couldn't have picked a better film. 

Steve gets emotional as he tries to breakdown with John and special guest Karen P. Morris and it’s no wonder. This film has a way of not just tugging on you heart strings but tying them into tight knots.

In the history of The Cine-Files there are few movies that have been requested more than Gus Van Sant's 1997 Oscar winner, Good Will Hunting. It's not just the incredible performances from Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver, Stellan Skarsgard and the great Robin Williams. It's also the incredible cinematography, beautiful soundtrack and score and of course the script, written by Damon and Affleck that catapulted them into stardom.

This week on The Cine-Files, John & Steve conclude their exploration of Richard Attenborough's, Academy Award winning epic, Gandhi. This is a remarkable film but for John and Steve it is much more than that. It is a challenging exploration into what it is to be a good human.

In part 2 of our exploration of this incredible film, Mohandis K. Gandhi returns to India to discover a nation he has barely seen in decades and determine how to fight back against the British Empire and form a new nation.

This week on The Cine-Files, Steve and John begin their exploration of one of the greatest films of the 1980's and one of the greatest humans period, Gandhi. This is a profound, powerful and inspiring film and one of John's absolute favorites.

John and Steve get personal as they conclude their exploration of the modern, classic Rounders. They discuss toxic relationships, difficult life choices and what it means to put it all on the line. 

This week on The Cine-Files John and Steve enter the world of No Limit Texas Hold Em with one of the greatest poker films ever made the modern, noir, classic, Rounders starring Matt Damon, Edward Norton, Gretchen Mol, John Turturo, Martin Landau, and John Malkovich in a role that is as divisive as it is over the top. 

Steve and John always have a great time recording these conversations but it's very possible they have never laughed as hard or as often as they did during this deep dive into one of the funniest comedies of all time, Tootsie.

Ranking #2 on AFI's 100 years 100 Laughs list, Tootsie is, without question, one of the most beloved comedies of all time but the stories behind the scenes of this incredible film are almost interesting was the film itself and the ideas of are just as relevant today as they were 40 years ago when it premiered.

Axel Foley has clearly worn out his welcome in Beverly Hills when he convinces Billy to make one more attempt to catch the bad guys. Steve and John love this film and they had an absolute blast breaking down it's exciting conclusion. 

One could argue that Beverly Hills Cop, starring Eddie Murphy is the archetypal action comedy with a fantastic cast, solid action sequences and a lead Actor at the peak of his game.

On this episode of The Cine-Files, hosts John Rocha and Steve Morris bring you a celebration of Summer Movies! Summer is here officially and the guys want to take a look at Summer movies by discussing their origin, their respective definitions of them, their favorite ones of the past, the ones they are looking forward to in 2022 and where they think the Summer movie is headed in the future!

While John, Steve and their guest, Geek Buddy Shannon McClung, all love the first half of Captain America, the second half of the film created some mixed feelings. Of course, The Cine-Files doesn't like to give criticism without proposing some solutions. Do you agree with the proposed rewrites?

The Cine-Files returns to the MCU for one of their all time favorites, Captain America: The First Avenger Directed by Joe Johnston and starring Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stans, Dominic Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones and Stanley Tucci. Joining them for this discussion is actor, writer and Geek Buddy Shannon McClung. Honestly, the plan really was to fit this into one part but they were having just too much fun.

Prepare for twists and turns as The Cine-Files conclude their conversation on one of the greatest heist movies ever made, Ocean's Eleven.

ohn and Steve both love heist movies and arguably one of the best ever made is Ocean's 11, directed by Steven Soderbergh's and starring one of the coolest ensembles ever to hit the Las Vegas Strip

This week on The Cine-Files John and Steve went live to reminisce about their favorite comedies from the eighties and both of them were shocked by just how many there were. With 40 or 50 comedies every year, the 1980's were truly a golden age for cinema silliness and the guys had an absolute blast talking about them. 

It honestly seems like months ago that we began our deep dive into the life and films of Spike Lee (which, come to think of it it is) but we have finally reached the conclusion with part 4 of our exploration of Malcolm X. In the final months of his life, Malcolm changes in profound and fundamental ways and none of those changes are greater than the ones that occur on his pilgrimage to Mecca. Of course, we couldn't discuss this incredible film without the help of Actor, Director and producer Andre Gordon. 

There have been a few conversations in the history of The Cine-Files that have truly transcended the film. Part 3 of their exploration of the Spike Lee epic, Malcolm X, is just such a conversation. John, Steve and special guest, Andre Gordon, have a truly honest, personal and insightful conversation about one of the most difficult topics in America, race. This is the power of great films and Malcolm X certainly qualifies.

The Season of Lee continues with Part 2 of our exploration of Malcolm X. In this episode we follow Malcolm Little as he commits crimes, is caught and sentenced to 10 years in prison but in many ways that was the best thing to ever happen to Malcolm as it is there that he first comes in contact with the teachings of Islam.  Once again we are joined in they conversation by the great Andre Gordon.    

One can only imagine the tremendous pressure felt by 34 year old director Spike Lee when he took on the monumental task of telling the story of Malcolm X. Admired by some, hated by others but always inspiring passion, Malcolm X is one of the most important and controversial figures of the 20th Century.

Joining us to discuss this incredible movie is writer, producer, director and actor Andre Gordon.

This exploration Do the Right Thing, with special guest, Andre Gordon, has been one of the most challenging complex and, frankly, difficult conversations in the history of the The Cine-Files. However, that is 100% appropriate because the issues Director, Spike Lee is exploring in this incredible film are challenging complex, difficult and, sadly, just as relevant today as they were over 30 years ago.

The temperature continues to rise both physically and emotionally in this this Spike Lee masterpiece as the citizens of this Brooklyn Neighborhood interact in ways that are increasingly competitive. 

The Season of Lee continues with our deep dive into the film that put Spike Lee on the map as one of the most talented, daring and courageous directors of his generation, Do the Right Thing. John and Steve are joined for this conversation by Actor, Writer, Director and Producer Andre Gordon.

This week, on their latest episode of The Cine-Files Live, John and Steve continue to play catch up with MCU, this time tackling the 2011, Kenneth Branagh film, Thor. Thor, like many Marvel characters, has a few Daddy issues and talk of Odin led Steve & John to talk a bit about their own fathers neither of whom are what you might expect.

If there was device to measure the cynicism, anger and mistrust in the world it would be peaking right about now but we at the Cine-Files might just hav the perfect antidote. Ivan Reitman’s 1993 film, Dave, starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline is a warm funny and inspiring movie about a very good man unexpectedly thrust into the most powerful job in the world.

On this episode of The Cine-Files LIVE, hosts John Rocha and Steve Morris revisit Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk as they begin their revisit of the Marvel MCU movies on their 10 years and beyond anniversaries. These two films are two of the most criticized MCU films and the guys are here to let you know if these criticisms are warranted or if time has made these films grow in their estimation.

Peter Bogdanavich’s Last Picture Show is simultaneously a tribute to the great directors of Hollywood’s Golden Age and a true film of the seventies with incredible performances from Cloris Leachman, Ben Johnson and Ellen Burstyn. With its stark black and white imagery, frank and often upsetting depictions of sex and lives which seems as real as the Texas town where it was filmed, The Last Picture Show is a true masterpiece and John and Steve have a fantastic conversation about it.

What film symbolizes the cinema of the 1970's for you? Is it the operatic majesty of the Godfather films? The descent into madness of Taxi Driver? Maybe it's the brilliant dialogue of Network or the sheer terror of Jaws. Honestly, you can't really go wrong with any of those movies. The fact is the 1970's was an incredible decade for movies and one of the most stark, honest and powerful examples is Peter Bogdanavich's 1971 masterpiece, The Last Picture Show.

There are, arguably, two iconic scenes in Stanley Kramer's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. In the first, you see the power, intensity, and genius of, arguably the greatest movie star of the 1960's, Sidney Poitier. In the second, and final scene of the movie, you watch one of the great actors of the golden age of Hollywood, Spencer Tracy, demonstrate the simple honesty, and down to earth genius that made him a star. This along with incredible performances from Roy E. Glen Sr. Beah Richards and of course, Katherine Hepburn make Guess Who's Coming to Dinner an enduring classic.

The Cine-Files continues their celebration of the great Sidney Poitier with an exploration of one of his most beloved films, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, directed by Stanley Kramer and starring (along with Mr. Poitier) Katherine Houghton, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in his final Role.