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All in Comedy
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.
Quentin Tarantino has a new movie out, so naturally we all ran to the theater to see it opening week. Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio are an on-screen duo for the ages, and are all but guaranteed to receive lots of love come awards season for their portrayals of a stuntman/actor buddy duo in 1969 Los Angeles. Once upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), directed by Quentin Tarantino.
This week, we watch Matt Damon and Ben Affleck become stars. They act the hell out of the script they co-wrote together, and Mini Driver and Robin Williams each give one of their best performances as well. The Boston movie that put Southie on the map. Good Will Hunting (1997), directed by Gus Van Sant.
This week, we watch what many consider to be the best comedy of all time. Two men witness a mob hit, and to survive being rubbed out themselves, they have to dress up like woman, join an all female band, and accompany them on their trip to Florida. Silliness ensues. Some Like It Hot (1959), directed by Billy Wilder.
This week, we watch one of the best films in Pixar’s catalog. Dogs talk, a house floats from balloons, and giant birds avoid extinction. Also, this movie contains one of the most heart-wrenching intro’s we’ve ever seen. Up (2009), directed by Pete Doctor.
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 a film that creates a world inside our minds. Pixar is known for their great ideas, but in this film, they have outdone themselves. Who needs to find a fish when you have an entire world inside your head? Inside Out (2015), directed by Pete Docter.
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 second oldest movie on the list! The Little Tramp character (Charlie Chaplin in big shoes and tattered cloths) is on his way to California to make it big digging up gold, but gets stuck halfway on a snowy mountain top, where he has to avoid the elements, being eaten by his fellow humans, loneliness, and gravity. Playing like a series of comedy sketches, this film holds up amazingly well after nearly 100 years. The Gold Rush (1925), directed by Charlie Chaplin.
This week, we watch Jimmy Stewart become a star, in one of the most perfectly aged films of all time. Everything is somehow still relevant 80 years later, from the humor to the characters, to the dead-on commentary on political corruption. This film, on a short list alongside 12 Angry Men, should be required viewing for everyone in the United States. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), directed by Frank Capra.
This week, we abandon the list to watch one of the best movies of last year, and a Best Picture Academy Award nominee. Combining the comedy of a buddy-cop film with the heavy drama of real historical and present day events revolving around racism in the United States, this film packs an enormous emotional punch, and successfully provokes conversations about the state of this country that we should all be having. BlacKkKlansman (2018), directed by Spike Lee.
This week, we watch the classic war film that dominated the Oscars the year it was released. On a remote Japanese island, a large group of British and American soldiers, now prisoners, are forced to build a bridge. The movie’s production took place in the jungle, and included hundreds of extras and enormous sets, yet the story of the soldiers is what makes this film a classic that still holds up today. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), directed by David Lean.
This week, we watch another animated masterpiece by Studio Ghibli. Packed with bird wizards, fire demons, cursed witches, enchanted scarecrows, war machines, tar monsters, walking castles, spirit creatures, and portal doors, Miyazaki outdoes himself in this tale of fantasy. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
This week, we watch one of the first films in history to marry sound with film, with a synchronized soundtrack, as well as the first audio cue jump scare. This movie remains surprisingly relevant despite being released over 90 years ago. Sunrise (1927), directed by F. W. Murnau.
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 first silent movie on the list - Starring the legendary Buster Keaton. Based on the true Civil War story, this film is almost entirely a series of chases on trains. The General, directed by Buster Keaton.
