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All in Drama
This week, we watch the newest and likely final Hayao Miyazaki movie. This film was in production for seven years due to a combination of COVID and Miyazaki’s slower working pace due to age. It was well worth the effort in our opinions, as he has possibly created the most beautiful movie in his legendary filmography. The Boy and The Heron (2023), directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
This week, we’re diving into a series of bonus episodes, where we go through movies that Denny, John and TC think deserve to be on the top 250. We kick it off with a thiller / character study that possibly contains Jake Gyllenhaal’s best work. Add in commentary about the media industry, sociopathy, race, the police, capitalism, LA nightlight, etc., and you’ve got something that could be considered a niche masterpiece. Nightcrawler (2014), directed by Dan Gilroy.
This week, we watch what many consider to be the best war movie ever made. While the opening Omaha Beach scene might stick out as a highlight, this rest of this film also contains some of the most intense and upsetting portrayals of combat ever committed to film. Saving Private Ryan (1998), directed by Steven Spielberg.
This week, we’re reposting an episode on a film that has come up a lot since we watched it over five years ago, including during our last episode on Past Lives. If a film has stayed in the conversation as long as this one has, it is worth a second look to those who might have missed it.. Tokyo Story (1953), directed by Yasujiro Ozu.
This week, we watch an A24 movie that has been getting very good reviews by Critics, to no ones surprise. This quiet and slow movie depicts a past relationship that never was. You can tell by the episode run time that we didn’t have much to say about it. Past Lives (2023), directed by Celine Song.
This week, we watch a film that tackles the subject of nazis in the US. Edward Norton’s Academy Award nominated performance leaves us with mixed opinions, as well as the undercooked characters of everyone around him. Still, this film has a few very important points to get across (which feel frighteningly more relevant today than at the films release) and is worth watching for those alone. American History X (1998), directed by Tony Kaye.
This week, we watch what many consider one of the scariest movies of all time. Ari Aster’s first film was the highest grossing A24 movie at the time, only overtaken by last years Everything Everywhere All At Once. This film contains some of the best acting ever in a horror movie, and the scares will give you nightmares for years. Hereditary (2018), directed by Ari Aster.
This week, we watch the most infamous and possibly influential horror movie of all time. 50 years later and this film still provides shocking imagery and performances that have yet to be equaled. Centering itself as a character drama, the seemingly lengthy two and a half hours creep by in the best way. The Exorcist (1973), directed by Willam Friedkin.
This week, we are watching a classic from over 80 years ago. This may be the most modern feeling pre-1960’s film we have watch so far in our hundreds of episodes. While it might be a staple in film school classes, it doesn’t need any explanation from a stuffy teacher to see how well made and entertaining this classic remains. Casablanca (1942), directed by Michael Curtiz.
Part 2
This week, we watch love in space. This time hopping journey through the great unknown is filled with hard sci-fi science and amazing special effects. It is also filled with expository dialogue and some less than stellar ideas about how love travels through space and time. Interstellar (2014), directed by Christopher Nolan.
Part 2.
This week, we watch the highest rated Hitchcock film, and what is considered widely to be the film that modernized horror. Come for the shower stabbing, stay for the controversial use of a toilet, a woman in a bra, and the utterance of the word “transvestite”. Psycho (1960), directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
This week, we watch the film that is taking the box office by storm (with the help of a specific other pink-ish film). Christopher Nolan takes on the massive story of Oppenheimer and the people around him during the Manhattan Project and the race to develop a bomb that could end us all. Oppenheimer (2023), directed by Christopher Nolan.
This week, we watch the highest rated silent movie of all time. At the height of his power and the end of the silent film era, Charlie Chaplin used an exorbitant amount of his own money to create what many consider to be his masterpiece. City Lights (1931), directed by Charles Chaplin.
This week, we watch Harrison Ford put on a hat and whip some bad guys. The film that introduces the Indiana Jones character remains the series best, even as it is now 5 movies strong. The supporting cast (Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davies, Paul Freeman) all nearly match Ford’s iconic roll, and the practical action set-pieces remain some of the best the genre has ever seen. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), directed by Steven Spielberg.
Bonus Episode Time! To welcome the film onto Netflix 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 final installment of Krzysztof Kieślowsk's three colors trilogy. Weather we understand it or not or are moved by the connections across the three films, the film is a masterpiece of design. 'Three Colors: Red' (1994).
This week, in our art-house drama journey, we delve into 'Three Colors: White' (1994). We spotlight the film's intriguing plot, Julie Delpy's performance, and Kieślowski's celebrated storytelling. Does this second installment of the trilogy resonate differently with our hosts? Explore 'Three Colors: White', another installment of the trilogy directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski.
