Episode Details

Rob Menn is back for Part 3, and this conversation starts with one simple question: What are the greatest movies of the 80s and 90s?

From Bloodsport, Rocky and First Blood to Terminator 2, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman, The Crow and The Shawshank Redemption, Matt and Rob revisit the movies they grew up watching and debate which ones still hold up today.

They also revisit The Odyssey and compare it against movies like 300, Troy, Braveheart and Gladiator before getting into Batman, Joker, why people don't go to movie theaters like they used to, and whether Hollywood simply isn't making movies the same way anymore.

Then the conversation takes a completely different turn: The Matrix, Neo, the Architect, simulation theory — and the question of whether we could actually be living inside one right now.

🎙️ In this episode:

•  Top movies of the 80s 
•  Why Bloodsport still holds up 
• Rocky, First Blood and classic action movies 
• The Odyssey vs. 300, Troy, Braveheart & Gladiator
•  Christopher Nolan's greatest movies 
•  Why Inception was perfectly cast 
•  Top movies of the 90s 
• Terminator 2 and the original Ninja Turtles
•  Seeing TMNT for the first time 
•  Michael Keaton vs. Christian Bale vs. Ben Affleck 
•  Is The Dark Knight trilogy the greatest ever? 
•  Why Batman Begins deserves more respect 
•  Joaquin Phoenix's Joker
• The Crow and dark comic-book movies 
•  The insane year of movies that gave us Shawshank Redemption
•  Why people stopped going to movie theaters 
• F1 and movies that are still worth seeing in theaters 
•  Why The Matrix didn't need a fourth movie 
•  Neo, the Architect and the meaning behind The Matrix
•  Could we actually be living in a simulation? 

🧠 What you'll hear:

•  The movies Matt and Rob can rewatch endlessly 
•  What separates a great movie from a great-looking movie 
•  Why casting matters so much 
•  Why the 80s and 90s produced so many memorable films 
•  What changed about the movie theater experience 
•  The deeper religious and philosophical ideas behind The Matrix
•  Rob's take on the probability that our reality is a simulation 

⏱️ CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Top 5 Movies of the 80s
00:08 Bloodsport, Rocky & First Blood
01:14 Great Movies That Are Hard to Rewatch
01:25 The Odyssey vs. 300, Troy & Braveheart
02:14 The Odyssey vs. Gladiator
02:30 What The Odyssey Got Wrong
04:02 Is Christopher Nolan Hit or Miss?
04:28 Nolan's Greatest Movies
05:07 Why Inception Was Perfectly Cast
06:00 Top 5 Movies of the 90s
06:14 The Original Ninja Turtles Still Holds Up
07:39 Seeing the Ninja Turtles for the First Time
07:58 Batman '89 & Michael Keaton
08:25 Who Is the Best Batman?
08:40 The Greatest Movie Trilogy Ever?
09:16 Why Batman Begins Is Underrated
10:46 Joaquin Phoenix's Joker
12:13 Why Joker 2 Didn't Work
12:55 The Darkest Superhero Movies
13:12 Shawshank Redemption & Stephen King
13:42 The Incredible Movies of the 90s
14:18 Why People Stopped Going to Movie Theaters
15:42 F1 & Movies Worth Seeing in Theaters
16:31 What Went Wrong With Matrix 4?
17:09 Why the Original Matrix Was Perfect
18:07 The Matrix & Simulation Theory
19:24 Are We Actually Living in a Simulation?

📢 About the Podcast
Anything & Everything with Matt Reyna is about exactly that — anything and everything.