This week we continue our discussion of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and focus on facts and trivia about the film. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Episode 89 - 2001: A Space Odyssey
This week, we watch the most polarizing science fiction film of all time. Famous for it’s slow pacing, heady ideas, and mind-bending visuals, this film has not aged since it’s release over 50 years ago. It inspired all visually based movies after it, from Star Wars to Interstellar, and other art forms as well (David Bowie owes his career to a viewing of this film). 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Episode 90 - Bicycle Thieves
This week, we watch the Italian Neorealism film classic that is named by many to be the single greatest film ever made. We don’t get it. Bicycle Thieves (1948), directed by Vittorio De Sica.
Episode 91 - Singin' in the Rain
This week, we watch the classic musical about the movie industry’s shift to ‘talkies’. While there are stories of Gene Kelly being hard to deal with on set, there’s no question that he brings the best out of the whole cast. And despite the films age, its still hilarious. Singin’ in the Rain (1952), directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen.
BONUS EPISODE - Parasite
This week, we watch the film that just won Best Picture at the Oscar’s (as well as Best Director, Best Writing, and best Foreign Picture). It is also currently very high on the IMDB top 250 list. We couldn’t recommend this movie enough, and we highly recommend watching it without watching a trailer or reading about it. Parasite (2019), directed by Bong Joon-ho.
Episode 92 - Toy Story
This week, we watch the first full length computer animated movie ever made. Woody And Buzz Lightyear have an epic adventure of tiny proportions in this landmark film that remains entertaining, and even though the technology since its release has improved leaps and bounds, those improvements wouldn’t have been possible without this classic. Toy Story (1995), directed by John Lasseter.
Episode 93 - Snatch
This week, we watch the Lock, Stock……and Two Smoking Barrels: Part 2. This time with Brad Pitt. It’s probably a good time to make sure your subtitles button works. Snatch (2000), directed by Guy Richie.
Episode 94 - Inglourious Basterds
This week, Tarantino rewrites history for the first time in his action/fantasy tale about Nazi’s screening a film in a movie theater, and the surrounding plans to kill Hitler and his top advisers. Utilizing his powers of dialogue and quick, brutal violence, Quentin weaves together five chapters of tense and hilarious character interactions. And you know something, Utivich? I think this just might be his masterpiece. Inglourious Basterds (2009), directed by Quentin Tarantino.
Episode 95 - Monty Python and The Holy Grail
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.
Episode 96 - The Kid
This week, we watch the oldest film on the list! Charlie Chaplin’s big screen debut. He writes, directs, acts, and composes music for this timeless comedy, which somehow still made us laugh throughout the short run time, despite being nearly 100 years old. The Kid (1921), directed by Charles Chaplin.
Episode 97 - LA Confidential
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.
Episode 98 - For a Few Dollars More
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.
BONUS EPISODE - The Irishman
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.
Episode 99 - Rashomon
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.
Episode 100 - The Apartment
This week, we watch a pushover accountant let his work superiors use his apartment to sleep with their mistresses. He is also falling for the elevator girl, who is sleeping with his new boss. Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine are fantastic as the leads, and they guide the story from comedy to drama and back again flawlessly. The Apartment (1960), directed by Billy Wilder.
BONUS EPISODE - Top 5, Bottom 3!
This week, we celebrate watching 150 films on this podcast with a very special episode! We take a look back at the last 50 films we’ve watched, and rank our 5 favorite films and 3 least favorite films. Special categories included!
Episode 101 - Scarface
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.
Episode 102 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
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.