Writer-director and Simpsons fan Alex Ross Perry (Videoheaven, Pavements, Her Smell) joins Adam and Nate to discuss one of the most prescient movie parodies on The Simpsons: William Friedkin’s famous flop Sorcerer (1977) in “Mr. Plow” (S4E9). How was the writers room’s movie taste a decade ahead of Sorcerer’s reappraisal?

Also in this episode:

• Why every Simpsons fan needs a “Simpsons buddy” to keep them sharp

• How The Simpsons perfected the art of movie quotation

• The impossibly long discography (and filmography) of Tangerine Dream

• How Alex learned to stop worrying and love latter day Simpsons

Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading

Next time, Adam and Nate talk Oscar predictions, Best Picture nominees, and their own Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Movie Excellence for 2025.

For more of Alex’s work, keep an eye out for the long-awaited streaming release of Videoheaven, coming this March!

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Adam and Nate fall into Ace in the Hole (1951), Billy Wilder’s box office flop that Matt Groening reclaimed for the plot of The Simpsons episode “Radio Bart” (S3E13).

Also in this episode:

• When you get a recommendation from Spike Lee, you accept

• Is this the most Simpsons-y plot we’ve covered to date?

• A social satire that we wish wasn’t so relevant today

• Do this movie’s film noir tropes still hold up?

Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading

Next time, director Alex Ross Perry joins the podcast to talk “Mr. Plow” (S4E9) and its parody of another reappraised flop, William Friedkin’s Sorcerer (1977).

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Adam and Nate get to know CHAЯLY (1968) and its episode-long Simpsons parody in “HOMЯ” (S12E9). While this movie barely exists today, when this adaptation of Daniel Keyes’ short story “Flowers for Algernon” came out in the early days of New Hollywood, it pushed the boundaries of disability on film, formal experimentation… and good taste.

Also in this episode:

• Cliff Robertson and a brief history of the Oscar bait performance

• Is this the most 1968 movie ever made?

• “Multi-dynamic image technique” and other awesome film history from Expo ‘67

• Should this movie get a sequel?

Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading

Next time, Nate and Adam Billy Wilder’s reclaimed box office flop Ace in the Hole (1951) and its extended parody in “Radio Bart” (S3E13).

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Adam and Nate discuss “The Great Money Caper” (S12E7), a classic Simpsons-style genre mashup episode about con artist movies, and its parody of Paper Moon (1973). Can Peter Bogdanovich’s daddy-daughter road trip movie give Homer and Lisa a run for their money?

Also in this episode:

• Orson Welles’s one weird trick that cinematographers don’t want you to know about

• Can Peter Bogdanovich make a period piece without nostalgia?

• How the real-life daddy-daughter relationship of Ryan and Tatum O’Neal shows up on screen, for better or worse

• Adam’s review of an unlicensed Simpsons-themed escape room

Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading

Next time, Nate and Adam check out the forgotten message movie CHARLY (1968) and its episode-long Simpsons parody in “HOMR” (S12E9).

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Good grief. It’s the 60th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)! To celebrate this classic Christmas special, Adam and Nate decided to unpack it through its Simpsons parody in “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” (S9E10) with Alan Siegel, author of the new book Stupid TV, Be More Funny.

Also in this episode:

• Alan’s take on how The Simpsons reinvented TV and molded millennial movie taste like an older brother

• Were the Simpsons DVD commentaries podcasts before podcasts?

• The many ways Charles M. Schulz inspired the people behind The Simpsons

• Why does this moody Christmas special endure today?

• Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading

(Sorry about the brief mic problems from around the 43 minute mark. If it’s driving you crazy, skip ahead to around 49 minutes.)

After a short holiday break, we’ll be back on January 13th with the daddy-daughter con job movie Paper Moon and its Simpsons parody in “The Great Money Caper” (S12E7).

For more of Alan’s writing on The Simpsons, check out his new book Stupid TV, Be More Funny: How the Golden Era of The Simpsons Changed Television—and America—Foreverand his writing about pop culture on The Ringer.

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

In this bonus minisode, Nate asks Adam for his bite-sized review of Ella Mccay (2025), the first new film directed by Simpsons co-creator James L. Brooks in 15 years. Can Brooks recapture the magic of his ‘80s masterpieces and the early days of The Simpsons?

Stay tuned next week for our full episode with Alan Siegel, author of a new book on The Simpsons called Stupid TV Be More Funny, as we unwrap A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) and its Simpsons homage in “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” (S9E11).

Lobby Chats are short bonus episodes where Adam and Nate share their thoughts on new releases, what they’re watching besides The Simpsons, and more.

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Mmm… forbidden episode. Adam and Nate revisit the classic and controversial “Stark Raving Dad” (S3E1) and its overshadowed parody of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). How does Miloš Forman’s anti-establishment anthem hold up 50 years later?

Also in this episode:

• What should we do with “Stark Raving Dad” and other art featuring canceled artists?

• Nurse Ratched may be one of cinema’s great villains, but would we want McMurphy to run the ward instead?

• The surprising character from this movie that became a recurring Simpsons side character

• How this movie set Danny DeVito on the path to playing Unky Herb

• Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading

Next time, we’re joined by the writer Alan Siegel to talk about his new book about The Simpsons called Stupid TV Be More Funny, alongside A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) and its Simpsons homage in “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” (S9E11).

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Inspired by Guillermo del Toro’s new take on Mary Shelley’s classic creature, Adam and Nate invited film critic Dede Crimmins to help them reanimate Frankenstein (1931) and its multiple parodies in “Treehouse of Horror II” (S3E7). Together, we explore how this movie became one of the most referenced movies on The Simpsons, including the warnings and creepy credits at the beginning of almost every “Treehouse of Horror” episode.

Also in this episode:

• The silent magic of Boris Karloff’s performance as the creature

• When parodies set up false expectations for classic movies

• That time Frankenstein inspired one of the most deep-cut references on The Simpsons ever

• How the hell was this episode going to end with a Broadcast News parody?

Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading.

Next time, Nate and Adam go crazy for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) at 50 and the forbidden episode…

For more of Dede’s movie reviews and more stay tuned to her Bluesky @dedecrim.bsky.social.

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.