Staff Picks - The Underloved Movies Podcast

12/12/2025

A new Staff Picks episode is up! My daughter, fellow documentary lover Vanessa Lanza, joins me to discuss one of those documentaries that, once you see once, you'll never forget. It's 2011's supremely memorable There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane.

The episode can be found in the comments below.

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06/12/2025

A new episode of Staff Picks is available, and this one's a memorable one. Fellow lover of bad movies Jon Hageman joins me to discuss a cult classic bad movie that should be as well known as The Room, but isn't quite there yet. It's the hilariously bad (but somehow really enjoyable) Fateful Findings by Neil Breen.

This is a really fun episode. You should listen to it even if you aren't familiar with the movie yet, cause we walk you right through it.

Link to the episode in the comments below.

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30/11/2025

I'm editing a new Staff Picks episode this week, and I'm excited (?) to finally delve into the movies of Neil Breen. Who, if you don't know, is basically the Las Vegas version of Tommy Wiseau. His movies are all terrible, and they're all unintentionally hilarious.

Anyway, I'm excited to talk about the most famous of the Neil Breen movies, Fateful Findings.

25/11/2025

A new episode of Staff Picks is now available. Fellow child of the 90s Christine Giver joins me to talk about one of those movies that I've always felt is much better and much sweeter than it ever gets credit for, 1999's American Pie. Which honestly might be my all-time favorite teen movie.

This episode easily gets a parental advisory warning, so you know that it's fun. :)

Link to the episode found in the comments below.

14/11/2025

I have created a new Twitter page for Staff Picks if you're over there too. I'm posting all my episodes there, one at a time, so people can find them if they're ever looking for a place to discuss an old forgotten movie. I'm also posting trivia about each episode and what I remember about recording it.

You can find my new Twitter page here:

Dedicated to all the movies out there that just need more love. Hosted by Mario Lanza. All episodes can be found at https://t.co/RMrr39Q4MO

05/11/2025

A new episode of Staff Picks is now available. Mitchell Stevens, from the movie podcast Reely Rated, joins me to discuss one of those forgotten little crime thrillers that no one seems to remember anymore - 2002's Murder by Numbers starring Sandra Bullock.

The episode can be found in the comments below.

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10/10/2025

A new episode of Staff Picks is now available. Actor and former George on stage Brett Bower joins me to discuss the fantastic version of John Steinbeck's novel that surprisingly never gets discussed anymore, it's 1992's Of Mice and Men directed by Gary Sinise.

We had so much fun with this episode, especially towards the end.

Link to the episode found in the comments below.

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19/09/2025

A new episode of Staff Picks is now available. Actual Santa Carla (Santa Cruz) resident Kim Nicol joins me to discuss the coolest vampire movie ever made, 1987's The Lost Boys.

This is a really fun episode. Enjoy!

The episode can be found in the comments below.

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08/07/2025

A new Staff Picks episode is now available. Staff Picks fan Jake Collins joins me to discuss one of the great movies of the late 90s that, for whatever reason, never gets discussed anymore - 1998's The Man in the Iron Mask.

Link to the episode found in the comments below.

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30/05/2025

Okay, here's a fun new episode of Staff Picks for you. Podcaster and fellow Beatlemaniac Jessica Liese joins me to discuss one of the most notorious musical disasters of all time, the 1978 disco epic Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

This episode features a special section at the end where we talk about the all time best and worst Beatles cover songs.

This whole episode is a lot of fun. We went way over two hours with it.

Link to the episode can be found in the comments below.

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19/05/2025

A new Staff Picks episode is now available. Fellow Alexander Payne fan Sean Malloy joins me to discuss maybe my all-time favorite Payne movie, and one of the rare movies that legitimately changed my life, the 2002 masterpiece About Schmidt. This is easily one of the best movies I've ever covered on Staff Picks.

Link to the episode in the comments below.

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14/05/2025

A new Staff Picks episode is now available. Artist and former New Yorker Robin Punsalan joins me to discuss one of the creepiest psychological thrillers ever made, 1992's Single White Female.

Link to the episode found in the comments below.

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