PODCAST · tv
Licence to Spiel
by Carl Wonders and Thad Hait
Join hosts Carl Wonders and Thad Hait as they discuss movies in and around the James Bond franchise, as well as anything else that pops into their heads.
Episodes
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Full-On Spocking It
We discuss “A Stitch in Crime,” an episode of Columbo that both Thad and Carl really enjoyed, and not just because Spock, er, Leonard Nimoy is the murderer-of-the-week. Does no one keep track of morphine or coffee at this hospital? Who built the death-trap that is Dr. Mayfield’s house? And what...
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Two Fingers of Brown Listerine
In this episode, Thad and Carl talk about “Requiem for a Falling Star” starring Anne Baxter, Mel Ferrer, and Kevin McCarthy (no, not that one). We have our usual questions about things like gasoline fumes, whether anyone in this episode knows how to park, and what exactly is in those decanters on...
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One British-ism After Another
Apologies for the delay, but we somehow lost our luggage in Heathrow Airport. In this episode, Columbo inexplicably finds himself in London, England and has to navigate every British cliché the writers can throw at him and find out whether or not it’s true that “the butler did it.” Follow us on...
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I’m Opposed to Canonical Columbo Lore
“What’d you pay for those shoes?” We are back along with Robert Culp’s mustache as we discuss “The Most Crucial Game” and a whole lot of things that barely exist anymore. Follow us on social media Licence to Spiel – @podspiel.bsky.social Thad – @tyranicus.net Carl – @listeningtofilm.net
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The Bad Hair Episode
We navigate “The Greenhouse Jungle” which is replete with fraud, fake kidnapping, murder, and really bad wigs. Follow us on social media Licence to Spiel – @podspiel.bsky.social Thad – @tyranicus.net Carl – @listeningtofilm.net Images for those listening on our website (or who cannot see the...
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Smash Cut to Hitler
We begin season 2 of Columbo with “Étude in Black,” a special, extended (or is that padded?) episode featuring Peter Falk’s friend John Cassavetes as the Murderer-of-the Week. Does this episode merit an extra 30 minutes of runtime? Did Cassavetes do any research at all on how to conduct an...
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The Many False Deaths of Ethan Hunt
We take a one-episode break from Columbo to revisit the final latest entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—THE FINAL RECKONING. Just like the first time we watched it, we found it to be too long. In our (hopefully not too long) discussion, we ask why the filmmakers have...
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The Most Texan of Texans
We close out the first season of Columbo with “Blueprint for Murder,” which is also the first and only episode of the show directed by Peter Falk. Join us as we discuss after-market Cadillac modding, really cheap bourbon, and what might just be the most expensive murder investigation in the…
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Roddy and his McDowalls
Carl and Thad are joined by special guest Ryan Riddle to discuss “Short Fuse,” starring Roddy McDowall as the murderer of the week. We had a fun and extensive conversation with Ryan that even touched on the episode at times. Follow us on social media Ryan Riddle – @ryanthomasriddle.com Licence to...
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Columballs
In this episode, Thad and Carl discuss “Lady in Waiting,” the fifth of the first season of Columbo. While we would never condone murder, we both agree that Bryce Chadwick is the most murderable victim we have seen to date. We also get incredibly distracted by the usual things, including the...
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Clip Shows and Sparachutes
Thad and Carl recently went to see MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — THE FINAL RECKONING. Hear our immediate thoughts on the movie, including our takes on some dubious UX decisions and some of the incredible stunts. WARNING: We mention being spoiler-free to start, but that goes out the window in about 5...
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The Victim Appears to have Been Sous-Vide-d
Thad and Carl discuss “Suitable for Framing,” the fourth episode of the first season of Columbo. Famous art critic (if that’s a thing) Dale Kingston murders his uncle to inherit his considerable art collection. But we are more focused on his fashion sense, the propensity of people in the 70s to...
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The Nick at Nite Murder
In this episode, we discuss episode three of Columbo’s first season, “Dead Weight,” which had some behind-the-scenes drama that might be more interesting than the episode itself. We also get a bit hung up on issues related to Convoluted Body-Removal in murder mysteries. Follow us on social media...
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Any Resemblance to Steven Culp is Purely Coincidental
We discuss “Death Lends a Hand”, which introduces another future-repeat murder: Robert Culp. We also take issue with some of Columbo’s ethics this time (or lack thereof), and we reminisce about taking our driving exams. Follow us on social media Licence to Spiel – @podspiel.bsky.social Thad –...
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Three Favorite Murders
We officially kick off the first season of Columbo with “Murder by the Book,” which hits the ground running with a great first appearance by Jack Cassidy as the Murderer of the Week. The episode was also directed and written by nobodies Steven Spielberg and Steven Bochco. I wonder whatever…
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Gary Mitchell Eyes
In this episode, Thad and Carl discuss “Ransom for a Dead Man,” the second Columbo pilot produced by NBC. In addition to dissecting the seemingly perfect murder plan, we also comment on an overuse of green in Lee Grant’s office and spend an inordinate amount of time obsessing about a television....
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Colonial Artwork in an Airplane Lobby
Join Licence to Spiel this episode as we leave the world of spies and espionage to start a new series that we admit will take us a while. We are going to be covering the entirety of “Columbo,” the fictional TV police detective who solves crimes that we have already seen be committed. And we are…
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…And That’s Why I Hate This Movie.
We close out the Robert Langdon Cinematic Universe with a discussion of 2016’s INFERNO—a perfectly adequate action thriller…unless you’ve read the book. Hear Thad and Carl lament what Hollywood’s Dumb-it-down-extraordinaire David Koepp does with Dan Brown’s most daring novel. Meanwhile, friend of...
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The Tuvix of Airport Novels
Thad and Carl are joined once again by Chrissie De Clerck-Szilagyi for a discussion of ANGELS & DEMONS (2009), the second film in the Robert Langdon Cinematic Universe. While there are still some things that Dan Brown gets blatantly wrong (e.g., the Illuminati), we all felt that this was a much...
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There Are Some Things That Aren’t Wrong
FACT: Dan Brown’s penchant for historical inaccuracies inspired us to invite an actual historian to join us for a discussion of THE DA VINCI CODE (2006). Both the Priory of Scion and Opus Dei are real organizations. Neither is how they are described by Dan Brown, nor are the Crusades, the Knights...
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“It Goes On Too Long” is the Motto of this Movie
Delayed almost as long as the film we are talking about, Licence to Spiel finally returns with a full discussion of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—DEAD RECKONING PART 1. While we both agree that this is an overlong setup for the upcoming sequel, it’s still a fun movie that we enjoyed talking about again. Of...
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The That-Guy Cavalcade
We come full circle this episode by discussing the television miniseries version of The Bourne Identity (1988) starring Richard Chamberlain, Jaclyn Smith, and a whole slew of “that guys.” Despite the low expectations that typically come with a made-for-tv movie from the 80s, we both enjoyed this...
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The Bourne Redundancy
The Jason Bourne franchise concludes, at least for now, with the appropriately named JASON BOURNE (2016), a movie that we both enjoyed a lot more than we remembered. Of course, we still find time to poke fun at laptop choices, a hacktivist with the worst internet security we have ever seen, and…
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The Infinite Onion
We’re back! After a long and unexpected hiatus, Licence to Spiel returns with a discussion of 2012’s THE BOURNE LEGACY (a.k.a. the Bourne film that doesn’t have Bourne in it). We would have returned sooner, but we got too distracted by the ins and outs of Rachel Weisz’s telephone.
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Discount John Heard
The Jason Bourne story concludes with 2007’s THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, but that didn’t stop Universal Pictures from making two more films after this one. For now though, we discuss Motorola RAZR screen resolutions, the fat content of goat’s cheese, and whether John McAfee murdered anyone. Thad makes…
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Karl Suburban
Thad and Carl talk about The Bourne Supremacy (2004), a film that added depth to the already-excellent story begun with the previous installment but also inflicted countless Paul Greengrass imitations on the movie world for years to come.
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He’s Even the Villain in a Mr. Rogers Biopic!
After a bit of a hiatus, Licence to Spiel returns to take a look at one of the best and most influential action film franchises of the 2000s—which continued to be one of the action franchises of the 2010s (but more on that in a few episodes). Today, we tackle the film that started it all: The...
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Accidentally Topical
Our immediate thoughts on MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART 1. WARNING: This show contains spoilers!
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Peak of the Wolf Blitzer Oeuvre
Before you go to see the latest Mission: Impossible film, catch up on the previous entry, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, just like we had planned from the start…
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Possible Mission Force
We discuss Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), a movie that is chock full of movie tropes and still manages to be quite excellent. We also get side-tracked by Thad’s dislike of opera and the fact that there are too many actors named Laura out there in the world.
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Disavow Everything!
It’s all about Brad Bird’s entry in the franchise, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol. We discuss Ethan Hunt’s habit of being disavowed, mourn the loss of the IMF Director (served from Dec. 2011 – Dec. 2011), and realize how large screen bezels were back in 2011.
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Shockingly Last-Minute Transit Conferences
Much like the series itself, Thad and Carl return after an unexpectedly long hiatus to talk about the third installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise, creatively titled Mission: Impossible III. As always, we ask the important questions like, what exactly IS the Rabbit’s Foot? How much...
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Slo-Mo Pigeons In Styrofoam Lairs
We continue our look at the Mission: Impossible films with Mission: Impossible 2—a movie that we can certainly say is part of the franchise. But this overblown action film’s effect on early 2000s cinema is much greater than you might think. #ReleaseTheWooCut
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I’ve Seen PRIMER…This Movie Is Not Complicated
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find all Dutch angles, split diopter shots, and humorous computer/tech choices made in this film. Should you fail, the Secretary will disavow all knowledge of your existence. Your download will self-destruct in five seconds. Don’t forget to like...
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The Unnecessarily Extended Version
On this normal-length episode, we discuss the Extended Edition of Spy (2015), a film that despite some unfortunate choices at times, we both enjoyed quite a bit. However, when the Extended Edition mainly involves literal dick jokes and five punchlines for the same scene, maybe just go with the...
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SHERBET F
A full seven years after the previous entry, the Johnny English franchise concludes (for now) with Johnny English Strikes Again (2018). We discuss whether the series has run its course (it has), bad mobile phone and submarine missile security, and spitball a British version of R.E.D.
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Jimmy McNulty and Mr. Rhubarb
This week it’s Johnny English Reborn (2011), a fun if not entirely necessary continuation of the Johnny English franchise. Even though Dominic West has a name, and so does his character in this film (it’s Simon Ambrose), we refer to him as McNulty throughout.
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Sometimes You Just Wanna Feel Gouda
In this episode, we talk about 2003’s Johnny English, the first entry in the occasional film series that has a release schedule comparable to some BBC shows. We also discuss the merits of Mr. Bean and the line of succession to the British throne, and we pour one out for LightScribe.
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Entertainment that Costs Less than Your House
Licence to Spiel returns, ostensibly to talk about the 1954 TV adaptation of “Casino Royale.” While we do talk about this interesting time capsule of entertainment, we also fall down several rabbit holes, including a long discussion of the 90s cartoon “James Bond, Jr.” Watch Casino Royale (1954)...
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Hey, It’s Better Than Spy Hard
In this episode we discuss Austin Powers in Goldmember from 2002, a film that helps reinforce the Law of Diminishing Returns. is it good? No it’s not at all. But it’s not the worst film we’ve watched so far…
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Way To Go There, Norway
This episode, we talk about Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), a film that is absolutely hilarious if you are a thirteen-year-old boy. Sadly, Thad and (especially) Carl are much older…
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Chekhov’s Penis Pump
Groovy baby! Join us (briefly) in 1960s En-ga-land as we talk about Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997). It’s a film that has certainly dated since it came out but is one we still enjoyed.
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The Matlock Cinematic Universe
In this episode, we watched 1996’s Spy Hard, so you don’t have to. While occasionally funny, this movie mostly made us question its casting choices, acting choices, and random non sequitur movie references. We also make a comment that you would only ever hear on this podcast.
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When Fandoms Collide
Normally we have to go out of our way to find opportunities to talk about Star Trek in our Bond podcast. This week though, we are talking about the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Our Man Bashir.” So if you thought we’ve gotten overly nerdy before… Embarrassing correction: Carl erroneously...
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Kevin Costner Is Not In This Movie
Remember when James Cameron made movies you wanted to see? We leave the world of James Bond for the first time to talk about True Lies (1994), a movie we feel safe in predicting will be more fun than Avatar 17.
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I Don’t Understand This At All!
The year 1967 saw two James Bond films hit theaters. One involved a plot to steal space capsules from a secret volcano lair and yet was somehow the less insane of the two. Sadly, we watched Casino Royale (1967) this week instead.
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So Many Ass Shots
We discuss Thunderb…er…Never Say Never Again (1983): Kevin McClory’s answer to Octopussy. While neither film is very good, this one at least has Sean Connery, that glorious early 80s aesthetic, and yes, a whole lot of ass shots.
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You Only Podcast Twice
The Daniel Craig era of James Bond ends with a bang, quite literally, with No Time To Die—a film so delayed we’ve actually talked about it two separate times now. We now eagerly await the follow up: The Return of Dou Dou.
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They Should Have Cut Off Christoph Waltz’s Earlobes
Several times in this episode we complain about a certain Bond movie not coming out. The same movie we talked about back in Episode 4. And the one we will also talk about next time. It’s almost as inexplicable as Bond’s lack of brain damage, Mr. White’s secret room hidden behind a plaster wall…
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I Heard About It On ZNN
In this 50th Anniversary outing, James Bond must contend with the looming spectre of old age. It’s still more nefarious than the villain’s so-called plot. Did we mention that this is only Daniel Craig’s third film?
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Licence to Spiel have?
Licence to Spiel currently has 73 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Licence to Spiel about?
Join hosts Carl Wonders and Thad Hait as they discuss movies in and around the James Bond franchise, as well as anything else that pops into their heads.
How often does Licence to Spiel release new episodes?
Licence to Spiel has 73 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Licence to Spiel?
You can listen to Licence to Spiel on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Licence to Spiel?
Licence to Spiel is created and hosted by Carl Wonders and Thad Hait.
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