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We dedicate this pairing to celebrating the life and talent of Catherine O'Hara, who we lost to complications related to cancer on January 30th of 2026. As we've done several of her best-known films over the last decade, we're going to focus on a couple lesser-known features. First off, O'Hara shows her dramatic chops as an Irish-Catholic mother tasked with raising five children basically on her own in director David Keating's 1996 film about a summer in 1977 Ireland called "The Last of the High Kings." Released originally in Ireland and the UK, when it was packaged by the studios for release in other markets (i.e. the United States), it was repackaged as "Summer Fling." The film stars O'Hara as Cathleen Griffin, whose husband Jack (Gabriel Byrne) is constantly on the road, working as an actor. This leaves Cathleen alone to manage Frankie (Jared Leto), Maggie (Renee Weldon), Noelie (Ciaran Fitzgerald), Ray (Peter Keating) and Dawn (Alexandra Haughey). Frankie is convinced he's failed his exams and torpedoed his chances at college. All he has to look forward to is planning a beach party and longing after two girls from his class, Jayne Wayne (Lorraine Pilkington) and Romy Thomas (Emily Mortimer). Along the way, Frankie's tasked with with chaperoning a visiting American, Erin (Christina Ricci), who is interested in him but Frankie doesn't feel the same until it's too late. And, through all of the chaos of the summer, a shared love of Elvis Presley motivates Frankie and his friends to keep pursuing their beach party, but will it ever happen? Also starring Colm Meaney, Stephen Rhea, and Mark O'Regan!

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The second film in our tribute to the late Rob Reiner marks our 9th review of his first ten directed films. This time, it's a historical drama that Reiner helmed, telling the story of the 1963 assassination of African-American Medgar Evers (James Pickens Jr.), a civil rights activist who was shot in the back and killed in the driveway of his home in Mississippi by Byron De La Beckwith (James Woods). Due to a story released in 1989 by journalist Jerry Mitchell (Jerry Levine) which revealed that there had been jury tampering in Beckwith's two previous trials in the 60s, the widow of Medgar, Myrlie Evers (Whoopie Goldberg) comes to the office of the District Attorney to ask the D.A. Ed Peters (Craig T. Nelson) and the Assistant D.A. Bobby DeLaughter (Alec Baldwin) for a retrial. While the DA is reluctant, DeLaughter promises to pursue the case, some 20+ years later. His job is made difficult, however, by his wife Dixie (Virginia Madsen) who sees him as a traitor to his race, as well as repeated external threats against him and his family. Plus, many of the original witnesses have since died, the murder weapon is missing, and the official court transcript of the original trials has vanished. But Bobby continues, undaunted, to seek justice for Myrlie and her family. Also starring Susanna Thompson, William H. Macy, Benny Bennett, Darrell Evers, James Van Evers, Yolanda King, and Bill Cobbs! Plus, the guys announce which two films they'll be doing next as they pay tribute to Catherine O'Hara, who passed away at the end of December, 2025!

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We begin our post-500 reviews with a tribute to actor, writer, and director Rob Reiner who was murdered in December of 2025. We have already done seven of his first ten films where he acted as director, this will be number eight. In 1985, Reiner led the story of a young man named Walter "Gib" Gibson (John Cusack, in his first film role) who begins college at an east coast Ivy-League school where his usual charisma isn't quite cutting it... in the classroom or in his social life. In his English class in particular, his sense of humor isn't enough to excuse his lack of grammar and spelling. But he also meets Alison Bradbury (Daphne Zuniga), a priss who has a masterful grasp of the mechanics of writing, but creates hollow and empty stories with no heart. After Gib blows his shot with Alison, the two find themselves on the road together, headed toward California. Alison is headed out there to spend the holidays with her boyfriend Jason (Boyd Gaines), while Gib is on his way to visit his best friend Lance (Anthony Edwards) who has promised him a sure thing (played by Nicollette Sheridan, also in her first film role). The trip out, however, is not uneventful, and sparks fly between Alison and Gib over and over and over... but is there something else going on beneath it all? Also starring Tim Robbins, Lisa Jane Persky, and Viveca Lindfors!

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The third and final part of our 500th episode celebration is the culmination and conclusion to the Lord of the Rings saga: "The Return of the King!" Once more with Peter Jackson at the helm, the film begins by showing us Gollum/Smeagol's (Andy Serkis) backstory and how he came to possess the ring all those years before. The original fellowship reunites, sans Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) but with King Theoden (Berhard Hill), at Isengard after the Ents have made their feelings known. After some chicanery from Pippin, the group heads out toward the capital of Gondor, Minas Tirith. Frodo and Sam, with Gollum still in tow, are captured by soldiers from Gondor, but ultimately released to continue their journey. At this point, apart from following the hobbits and the ring, the film is all about preparing for Sauron's army to arrive at, and lay siege to, Minas Tirith. The effects are spectacular (especially for 2003), and the battle is extensive! But that's just the start of the end of this historic saga that blazed the path for more than half a century of epic fantasy stories (and the OG of tabletop role-playing games) to follow! Also starring Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, and Miranda Otto! Plus, the trio announce which two Rob Reiner films they'll be reviewing as they honor this legendary director in the next pairing!

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