In this week's Movie Date podcast, Rafer and Kristen try to squeeze as much as they can into half an hour. They begin with a review of the sci-fi semi-religious adventure movie, "I, Frankenstein." Starring Aaron Eckhart and Bill Nighy, it's written and directed by Stuart Beattie. Next, the great film critic Anne Thompson gives Movie Daters a dispatch from the Sundance Film Festival. When she's not rubbing elbows with Robert Redford, Thompson writes the Thompson on Hollywood blog at Indiewire. And then it's time to get onto the Movie Therapy couch, as Rafer and Kristen try to help a listener make the most of those months between her proposal and wedding. Next, there's a major correction to make. And finally, as always, Rafer and Kristen end with trivia. Phew! Buckle up because it's that kind of date.

Forty years ago this month, a game was introduced to the world that changed pop culture forever: Dungeons & Dragons. Helping The Takeaway to celebrate this milestone, and explain how Dungeons & Dragons withstood the test of time, is David Ewalt, author of "Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons and Dragons and the People Who Play It," and John August, a D&D enthusiast and screenwriter behind “Frankenweenie,” “The Corpse Bride,” “Big Fish,” “Charlie's Angels,” “Go,” and many other blockbuster films.

In this week's Movie Date podcast, Rafer and Kristen recount their encounters with wildlife in the city and ponder the ways that dance-offs are better than shoot-outs. It's all in honor of the animated feature, "The Nut Job," the buddy cop comedy, "Ride Along," and the spy thriller, "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit." Rafer and Kristen also weigh in on the Oscar nominations, which were announced this Thursday. And there's a big trivia-related mea culpa as well!

Movie villains are everywhere in the films hitting the box office this week—from Victor Cherevin in the new film “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” to the mysterious secret kingpin in "Ride Along," which stars Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. But where do these villains come from? Helping us to understand how our villains have evolved is James Furbush, he’s co-author of the essay “Hollywood’s Evil Men: A Symbol of America’s Collective Fears.” As usual, the Movie Date team—Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer—give their reviews of the new releases.

On and off film, war isn't what it used to be. Nowadays, it seems like war films may represent a dual yearning to revisit combat experiences by those who served, and a desire to better understand conflicts by those who haven't. Award winning film author and lecturer Robert McKee has done extensive research on the depiction of war in the movies. He discusses how public sentiment and the kinds of wars we fight have changed what we see on the screen, and how the box office performs. 

In this week's Movie Date podcast, Rafer and Kristen review the new Renny Harlin action flick, "The Legend of Hercules," starring Kellan Lutz. They also give their predictions for the major film categories of this weekend's Golden Globes (Sunday, January 12). And, bonus: this week's trivia winner gets a very special prize!

In this week's Movie Date podcast, Rafer and Kristen answer a few of the many listener letters they've recently received. Along the way, they try to lend some movie therapy and (hooray!) end up on a surprise speed date. Bonus: Rafer and Kristen have some big announcements to make. Among them: a recent smackdown with the Game Night Guys and an upcoming singles mixer at WNYC.

More than five years ago, photographer Rachael Jablo developed chronic migraines. As a side effect of the medication she took to help treat those migraines, Jablo developed aphasia which caused her to lose her ability to remember language. Slowly, she was able to speak but could no longer remember certain words to identify simple objects or feelings. Eventually, she came up with the idea of using photography as a way to relearn language.

In this week's Movie Date podcast, Rafer and Kristen round up some the best documentaries of the year. From the front lines of late-term abortion clinics to the unsung backup singers, the genre thrived in 2013. "20 Feet from Stardom," "We Steal Secrets," "After Tiller," "The Act of Killing," and "Room 237" all make the Movie Date's list.

In this week's Movie Date podcast, Rafer and Kristen review seven of the big movies being released on Christmas Day 2013. The films touch on everyone's favorite holiday topics, including family fights, financial corruption, elder abuse, war, extramarital affairs, lay-offs, and samurais. So pour yourself a cup of eggnog, and hear what Rafer and Kristen have to say about: "Lone Survivor," "August: Osage County," "Invisible Woman," "47 Ronin," "Wolf of Wall Street," "Grudge Match," and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."

Tomorrow is Christmas, the last and biggest movie release date of the year. Movie Date co-hosts Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer give their thoughts on some of the big ones: "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," "Grudge Match," "47 Ronin," and "Wolf of Wall Street."

What's it like to write a hit holiday song? Randy Brooks has some idea. Nearly 35 years ago, he wrote “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer,” a holiday song which has sold an estimated 40 million copies worldwide, even outselling classics like “White Christmas” in some years. The song is Randy’s one and only real hit, and depending on who you ask, it’s either brilliant or awful. He joins The Takeaway to discuss how the song became such a hit and how he feels each year when he hears it on the airwaves.

This week's Movie Date podcast has Rafer wishing he knew how to do the hustle and Kristen questioning whether computers will eventually try to have sex with us all. On the chopping block: the star-packed heist film by David O. Russell, "American Hustle"; the long-awaited next chapter in the Ron Burgundy saga, "Anchorman 2"; and the Spike Jonze artificial intelligence romance, "Her." To help separate fact and fiction in her "Her," Kristen and Rafer are joined by a very special guest. Gary Marcus is an artificial intelligence expert and NYU professor, and, as he sees it, we could be only a few years away from living the plot of "Her."

In this week's Movie Date podcast, Rafer and Kristen look back on their own magical childhood memories as they review the making-of-"Mary Poppins" movie, "Saving Mister Banks" and the second installment in "The Hobbit" trilogy, "The Desolation of Smaug." They also consider whether the Golden Globe Award nominations make any sense whatsoever, and help a listener who needs advice on how to make holiday travel a little less torturous.

We’re well into December, which means that the Oscar contenders are taking over the theaters. Our Movie Date team is here to talk about two of those contenders today: The second installment in “The Hobbit” series called “The Desolation of Smaug,” and “Saving Mister Banks,” starring Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks. In addition to hosting the movie date podcast, Rafer Guzman is film critic for Newsday and Kristen Meinzer is culture producer for The Takeaway.

All this week, we’re looking at the ways that technology is changing our holidays and our traditions. As we look at the digital migration of the holidays, we wanted to see how the retro department store window displays are responding to technology. Jeremy Bergstein is managing partner and head of strategy for the Science Project, which designed this year's Christmas windows for Saks Fifth Avenue. He joins The Takeaway to discuss the ways new technologies are being incorporated into the age-old tradition of holiday window displays.

The South Dallas Concert Choir has produced a remarkable project to honor the life of President John F. Kennedy, and some history that was never made. The project is called "Unspoken Speech" and it's based on the last speech that Kennedy had prepared—and was on his way to deliver—before he was assassinated. Jowanda Jordan, the director of the choir, joins us today to discuss this music project and a piece of history that never got to happen.