The Undercurrent Movie Podcast

The Count of Monte Cristo. It’s an adventurous drama made in 2002 based on the classic novel by Alexandre Dumas. It follows Edmond Dantès (played by Jim Caviezel) a young sailor who is falsely accused of treason by his best friend (played by Guy Pearce) and betrayed by those he trusted. Imprisoned for years on a remote island, he uncovers a hidden treasure and escapes, reinventing himself as the wealthy and mysterious Count of Monte Cristo. With his new identity, he seeks justice—and revenge—against those who betrayed him, leading to a story filled with intrigue, romance, forgiveness and redemption.
The question I have for you is that, is there something in your life that has kept you in prison. Is it bitterness, envy, revenge? Have these things kept you from being who you’re supposed to be? 

In this episode we discuss the movie “Signs”. “Signs” is a science fiction thriller written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The 2002 film follows Graham Hess (played by Mel Gibson), a former priest living on a Pennsylvania farm with his two children (played by Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin) and brother (played by Joaquin Phoenix). When mysterious crop circles appear in their corn fields, the family begins to experience increasingly unsettling events that suggest a global alien invasion may be underway. As the tension builds, Signs explores themes of faith, loss, and the search for meaning in the face of fear and the unknown.
In this episode we discuss our favorite Halloween movies, what makes a good scary movie, is there such a thing as free will and how much is God in control. 

In this episode we tackle the epic film “No Country for Old Men” made in 2007. This movie is a neo-Western crime thriller directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy. Set in 1980s Texas, the story follows Llewelyn Moss (played by Josh Brolin) a hunter who stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and takes a suitcase filled with drug money. He is pursued by Anton Chigurh (played by Javier Bardem), a cold, remorseless hitman with a coin-tossing moral code, and Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (played by Tommy Lee Jones), an aging lawman struggling to make sense of the escalating violence in the world. This film explores themes of fate, morality, and the changing nature of evil. It won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem.
The question I have is, can we change the nature of evil and more importantly, how?
I hope you enjoy.

Moneyball (2011) is a sports drama  based on the true story of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team. Faced with a limited budget, Billy Beane takes an unconventional approach to building a competitive team by using something called sabermetrics. What it is is a data-driven analysis to evaluate and recruit undervalued players. With the help of a young Yale economics graduate, Peter Brand. He challenges traditional scouting methods and reshapes the way professional baseball teams are built. The film stars Brad Pitt as Billy Beane and Jonah Hill as Peter Brand, and it explores themes of innovation, risk-taking, and challenging the status quo.
In this episode we discuss topics like baseball it’s self? Is baseball truly fare and can you mix sports with politics. 

Contact (1997) is a science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, based on the novel by Carl Sagan. The story follows Dr. Ellie Arroway, a determined astronomer played by Jodie Foster, who discovers a signal from an extraterrestrial intelligence. As she works to decode the message and navigate political, scientific, and personal obstacles, Ellie embarks on a profound journey that challenges her beliefs about science, faith, and humanity’s place in the universe. The film blends emotional depth with cosmic wonder, exploring themes of connection and discovery.
What if we received contact from somewhere in he universe. Would it strike fear inside of you or wonder. Would it force us to ask questions like, who are we, what is the meaning of life, what happens to us when we die, are we alone in the universe and aren’t these religions questions. 
The question  I believe the movie poses is, is there something in your life that you can not touch, taste, see, hear or smell and still believe wholeheartedly. Something as simple as love. 
I hope you enjoy. 

 In this episode, I sit down with my good friend Vitaly Prokopets to talk about the movie there will be blood. 
There Will Be Blood (2007) is a dramatic epic directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, based loosely on Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil!. Set in the early 20th century, it follows the ruthless rise of Daniel Plainview, a silver miner turned oil tycoon, portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis in an Oscar-winning performance. As Plainview builds his empire, his ambition, greed, and mistrust of others—particularly a young preacher named Eli Sunday—drive him to moral and psychological ruin. The film is known for its haunting score, stark cinematography, and powerful exploration of capitalism, faith, and isolation.
In this conversation, we touch on subjects about fatherhood about friendship, people and obsession.
 Is obsession a good thing or bad thing why or why not?
 Is there something in your life that you would trade everything for in order to achieve? 
Is there something in your life you would be obsessed over and would it actually get you the thing everyone truly desires?
Relationship. 

What lengths would you go to escape tragedy? 
What lengths would you go to protect your family? 
Would you isolate yourself from the world to try to escape harm and is that even a possibility
In this podcast I talk with my wife Tiffany about the movie “The Village” starring Joaquin Phoenix and Bryce Dallas Howard. 
 
The Village” (2004) is a psychological thriller directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The film is set in a secluded 19th-century village whose residents live in fear of mysterious creatures lurking in the surrounding woods. The villagers have an uneasy truce with these beings, agreeing never to enter the forest. However, when a young woman named Ivy ventures beyond the village limits to seek medicine, the truth behind their isolated existence begins to unravel, revealing a shocking twist about the village’s true nature.
It’s a beautiful story about love and loss. It’s a story about what is the right thing to do to protect the people we love. Would you lie to keep them safe or
would you create fake monsters to keep them close. 
 
This conversation delves into discussion on parenting and marriage and why Tiffany would love to become Amish. I hope you enjoy.

What would you do if you could travel back in time to any moment in your life and change what happened. 
Would that make your life better. 
Would you take more chances 
Would you have as much control as you think you do or would it force you to live the life you already have in a more intentional way. 
These are the questions this movie forces you to ask. 
 
I sit down with a life long friend Brandon Ummel and we discuss The movie “About Time” 
It’s a (2013)  British romantic romcom directed by Richard Curtis. The story follows a young man named Tim Lake who discovers that the men in his family have the ability to travel through time. 
Using this power, Tim attempts to improve his life and find love, eventually falling for a girl named Mary. 
As Tim navigates the joys and challenges of relationships and family life, he learns that time travel can’t solve everything and that maybe the most meaningful moments often come from simply living in the present.

Limitless (2011) is a sci-fi thriller starring Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra, a struggling writer who discovers a mysterious drug called NZT-48. The pill dramatically enhances his cognitive abilities, allowing him to access his brain’s full potential. As Eddie rises to success in finance and life, he attracts dangerous attention and faces deadly consequences as the drug’s side effects and the people who want it threaten his life. The film explores themes of intelligence, addiction, and the cost of power.
The question I have for you is would you take the pill. 
The pill that could potentially get everything you want but in the process might take your life. 

in this episode we talk about the movie Interstellar.
Interstellar (2014), directed by Christopher Nolan, it is a haunting and beautiful science fiction epic that follows a team of astronauts who travel through a wormhole in search of a new habitable planet, as Earth faces ecological collapse. The film blends emotional storytelling with complex scientific concepts like time dilation, black holes, and gravity. At its core, it’s a story about love, sacrifice, and humanity’s survival, centered around a former pilot, Cooper, and his bond with his daughter, Murph.
As you watch the movie or listen to this episode ask yourself the question 
What is love? 
Why is love at the base of every decision that you make.
Why is love the one thing that connect us even through time and space.