This week, we watch the best picture winner that is one of the few "romantic comedies" on the top 250. We have a little trouble separating the man from the movie. Annie Hall (1977), directed by Woody Allen.
All in Comedy
Episode 205 - Before Sunrise
This week, we watch Ethan Hawk and Julie Delpy fall in love in Vienna. What could be seen as a two hour long conversation, is really a film that sets out to achieve the focused goal of capturing a moment between two people falling in love. Before Sunrise (1995), directed by Richard Linklater.
Episode 207 - Memories of Murder
This week, we watch the the movie that captured a slot in Quentin Tarantino's list of the 20 best films since 1992 - a murder mystery that combines horror and comedy in a way that that leaves you not only guessing at who the killer is, but what tone the movie will take with the next scene. Also, the best jump-kicks in movie history. Memories of Murder (2003), directed by Bong Joon Ho.
Episode 209 - The Truman Show
This week, we watch Jim Carrey play Truman Burbank, a normal every-day kinda guy that just happens to be the focal point of the worlds biggest reality TV show. In the 90's the story seemed absurd, but nowadays, reality TV is everywhere and this movie almost feels normal. The Truman Show (1998), directed by Peter Weir.
Episode 210 - Deadpool
This week, we watch the comic book movie that blew up the box office. The Hard-R, ultra-violent comedy was a passion project that almost didn't get made, which not only restarted Ryan Reynolds career, but also is bound to start an R-rated comic book movie surge. Deadpool (2016), directed by Tim Miller.
Episode 212 - Donnie Darko
This week, we watch the mind-bending, genre-defying film that is at once about a time traveling super-hero who receives his directives from a imaginary man in a scary bunny outfit, while also being a coming of age drama/comedy with one of the best sound tracks in movie history. Donnie Darko (2001), directed by Richard Kelly.
Episode 213 - Rocky
This week, we watch the Best Picture winning character drama - disguised as a sports movie - which not only brought writer/director/star Sylvester Stallone from being homeless and hungry to one of the biggest movie stars in the world to this day, but also invented the sports training montage. Is there a better motivational song than "Gonna Fly Now"? Rocky (1976), directed by John G. Avildsen.
Episode 214 - 8 1/2
This week, we try to make sense of the 1964 winner of the Best Foreign Film Academy Award, which is described a story of a director struggling to make a movie. Thats about as much of it as we understood. 8 1/2 (1963), directed by Federico Fellini.
Episode 216 - Monsters, Inc.
This week, we watch the Pixar movie that leads us on a journey through the world behind the closet doors of children. We dive deep into the potential history of the monster culture, and whether Waternoose created the notion that children are dangerous to keep the scary monsters in power. Monsters, Inc. (2001), directed by Pete Doctor.
Episode 220 - Twelve Monkeys
This week, we watch the time travel, science fiction mash-up classic, that contains performances from Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt that defied all expectations, and is helmed by the visual genius, Terry Gilliam - Twelve Monkeys (1995).
Episode 222 - Groundhog Day
This week, we watch Bill Murray live the same day over and over again, as he struggles with self-hate, love, and death, in the classic comedy Groundhog Day (1993). Directed by Harold Ramis.
Episode 226 - Jaws
This week, we watch the film that not only created the summer blockbuster and put the fear of swimming into multiple generations of viewers, but also marked the jumping off point for one the greatest directors of all time - Jaws (1975). Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Episode 227 - Kind Hearts and Coronets
This week, we watch a classic in the dark-comedy genre, where a distant relative of the Duke of D'Ascoyne sets off to murder all eight family members that stand ahead of him to claim the wealth and position of his family - Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949). Directed by Robert Hamer.
Episode 228 - La Haine
This week, we watch the film that kickstarted a renaissance in French cinema, which tells a story of a day in the life of three friends living in the projects one day after a night of violent riots of protest in the streets of Paris- La Haine (Hate, 1995). Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz.
Episode 230 - Barry Lyndon
This week, we watch the tale of the life and struggles of a man living in 18th century England, Barry Lyndon. Directed by the master himself, Stanley Kubrick.
Episode 233 - Catch Me If You Can
This week, we watch the stylized true story of Frank W. Abagnale Jr., the most successful bank robber/con artist of all time, Catch Me If You Can (2002). Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Episode 238 - The Help
This week, we watch the movie based on the very popular book, The Help (2011), about an author who decides to write about African American maids during the Civil Rights Movement. Directed by Tate Taylor.
Episode 240 - Guardians of the Galaxy
This week, we watch the Marvel Studios surprise hit, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), starring a slew of new favorite characters, including a raccoon and a tree. Directed by James Gunn.