The Arkin Brothers Talk About Movies

February is British Horror Month. And we kick it off with these lovely ladies in a classic from Hammer Film Productions. Starring the estimable Peter Cushing (AKA Grand Moff Tarkin)

Wow. You can listen to us actually agree on something as we wind up Cataclysmic January with this gem from the "Things It Never Even Occurred To Me To Worry About" file. Could Earth's core really stop rotating? We may never know, but let's just say it could. No problem. We've got Hilary Swank to save us, along with Aaron Eckhart, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci, Bruce Greenwood, Alfre Woodard, and the great Richard Jenkins. Directed by John Amiel.

We complained about not having Charleton Heston in The Poseidon Adventure. Mayhap we'll complain about not having Gene Hackman in this gem. One of the classics of the disaster genre, starring Moses himself, along with more stars than you can shake the ground at, including Ava Gardner, George Kennedy, Genévieve Bujold, Lorne Greene, Richard Roundtree, Victoria Principal, and Walter Matthau.

Cataclysmic January continues. This week we're talking about Deep Impact. It's like "Don't Look Up," but . . not. Mimi Leder (The Morning Show, The Peacemaker) directs an all-star cast led by Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, Vanessa Redgrave, Morgan Freeman, and Maximillian Schell. We even got a guest appearance by our friend and cast member, the wonderful Joe Urla.

We kick off the new year with Cataclysmic January and a discussion of this gem from the Golden Age of disaster movies, directed by Ronald Neame (Hopscotch, First Monday in October) and featuring a star-studded cast including Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Shelley Winters, Carol Lynley, Roddy McDowall, Stella Stevens, and Jack Albertson. The Love Boat, it ain't.

Ending our string of holiday horror, we bring this Welsh offering written and directed by our dear friend Peter Stray and edited by none other than Anthony Arkin. Yes! Destined to be to New Year's what A Child's Christmas in Wales is to . . . well, you get the idea.

The last hurrah in our rebellion against the season. And it boasts an amazing cast. A movie that takes finally gives voice to all of the confusing feelings surrounding that classic Christmas song, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." We always knew there was something wrong there.

Our rebellion against holiday cheer continues with this slasher classic. The title says it all, and it boasts an appearance by the '80s Queen of Scream Linnea Quigley. For a special treat, give a listen to this song from the montage sequence: "The Warm Side of the Door": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyMpCygf1S8

Don't let incessant and inane holiday cheer ruin your December! Join us for Horrible Holidays. We kick it off with this Christmas slasher classic, which has the distinction of being one of Steve Martin's favorite films. Starring Olivia Hussey (Romeo and Juliet), Margot Kidder (Superman), Keir Dullea (2001), John Saxon (Nightmare on Elm Street), and the priceless Andrea Martin.

In the third and final round of our Cage fight, Matthew got a little over-excited, and Anthony had to calm him down. We were talking about Fire Birds, in which Nick leads an elite unit of helicopter fighter pilots as they target . . . Oh, hell, it's a rotary-wing Top Gun, with Sean Young as Kelly McGillis, and Tommy Lee Jones as Tom Skerritt.