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All in Action
This week, Monty Python’s classic film clops its way onto our screens, coconuts in hand. This low budget comedy stands the test of time and remains one of the funniest films from start to finish ever made, no matter how many times we watch it. Monty Python and The Holy Grail, directed by Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam.
This week, we watch Russell Crowe and Guy Pierce in their first Hollywood roles. Both actors drop their Australian accents for this modern take on the Noir genre. Gone are the hard shadows and silly voices of the genre’s classics, but the numerous locations and plot twists remain. LA Confidential (1997), directed by Curtis Hanson.
This week, we watch the second installment in the Man-With-No-Name Trilogy (sandwiched between A Fist Full of Dollars and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly). This film helped Clint Eastwood further catapult himself into stardom, launch a fully fledged international film industry in Italy, and push the boundary of allowable violence in film a few years ahead all across the world, as evidence by it being X rated even with multiple scenes cut and edited down. For a Few Dollars More (1965), directed by Sergio Leone.
This week, we watch the controversial Netflix best picture hopeful that reunites De Niro and Scorsese, De Niro and Pacino, De Niro and Pesci, De Niro and Keitel… you might want to call it a 3.5 hour reunion tour from Scorsese, but the emotional retrospective weight of the characters makes this one of the most impactful of all his films. The Irishman (2019), directed by Martin Scorsese.
This week, we watch the film that broke Japanese cinema onto the worlds stage. Revolutionary for its time, its non-linear story telling has influenced not only film, but criminal psychology as well, as lawyers and academics alike have referenced the theories presented here for the past 70 years. Rashomon (1950), directed by Akira Kurosawa.
This week, we watch the story of Tony Montana, a cuban refugee who builds an empire from blood and cocaine. Al Pacino’s performance is memorable, lastingly quotable, and somewhat off the rails. He also sacrificed his nostrils health by snorting large amounts of powdered milk. Scarface (1983), directed by Brian De Palma.
This week, we watch the third film in the iconic franchise created by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Harrison Ford embodies the adventurous archaeologist, defeating armies of artifact hungry Nazis with only a leather whip, a pistol, and his trusty hat. Sean Connery cast as Indiana’s father is the best individual decision of the franchise, and John Williams score is as great as the rest of the movie. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), directed by Steven Spielberg.
This week, we watch the highest grossing Indian film ever made. Currently sitting in the top 100 movies of all time, we keep the Aamir Khan train going (star of 3 Idiots and Lagaan) with this epic true-ish story of a father who teaches wrestling to his daughters, and how they made history for women in India. Dangal (2016), directed by Nitesh Tiwari.
This week, we watch the film that laid the ground work for the Clint Eastwood spaghetti Westerns, and all the following films that took influence from them. An out-of-work Samurai finds himself in the middle of a violent, two-sided town, where he starts pitting each side against each other for….fun? More of a popcorn film that Kurosawa’s other epic masterpieces, Yojimbo (1961) would be a great starting point for someone looking to get into The Master’s work.
This week, Christopher Nolan demonstrates that you can take a comic book character seriously: with some big Hollywood names, a big budget, and an emphasis on visual effects (as opposed to Computer Generated Imagery). Join us as we watch 2005’s Batman Begins: the movie that arguably paved the way for modern super hero movies.
Bonus Episode Time! To welcome the film onto Netflix (starting June 26th) and to attempt to give it all the praise it deserves, we watch Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse. This movie blows away all recent animated and superhero films alike. It drips originality and brims with jokes, action, and lovable characters. The creators and animators swing for the fences and succeed throughout. Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman.
This week, we watch the only action movie that features a scene of a man running across glass in bare feet and also plays repeatedly on Christmas. Jumpstarting a blockbusting film series as well as Bruce Willis’ career, this film balances comedy with graphic, violent action in a way that still holds up strongly today, even if the hairstyles don’t. Die Hard (1988), directed by John McTiernan.
This week, we watch the classic WWII film that takes a tone rarely seen in true stories about war - Silly. This movie has laughs, friendships, drunken parties, and even sympathetic Nazis. And damn if everyone doesn’t look great covered in mud. The Great Escape (1963), directed by John Sturges.
This week, we watch the film that is remember for its amazing and ground breaking bank-heist-turned-shootout in the streets of Los Angeles. Starring an angry Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer’s ponytail, and Nicholas Cage impersonating Al Pacino. Heat (1995), directed by Michael Mann.
This week, we watch the last epic made by the man who is widely regarded as one of the best directors of all time. With thousands of extras, hundreds of horses, full scale battles, and castles built on the side of Mount Fuji, Kurosawa takes his time and lets each shot linger, recreating the paintings he made that were used as storyboards. Ran (1985), directed by Akira Kurosawa.
This week, we watch a large cast of morons stumble their way through a series of crimes. The film debut of both Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones, this low budget cockney masterpiece came from the hopes and hard work of the cast and crew, and also the pockets of their families. The film’s soundtrack was so good, Madonna married the director. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), directed by Guy Ritchie.
BONUS EPISODE! Somehow this movie came up in about 10 episodes in a row, and while its not on the list, we felt it appropriate to watch this classic of 90’s cinema. Losers always whine about trying their best, and Nicholas Cage is no loser. Carla was the Prom Queen. The Rock (1995), directed by Michael Bay.
This week, we watch the film that popularized the Guy Fawkes mask and gave birth to the symbol of the hacking organization, Anonymous. This film melds noir, science-fiction, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, and super-hero genres together in a bloody tale of power and fear. V for Vendetta (2005), directed by James McTeigue.
