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Jul 15 2016
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This week’s episode features another guest host from our sister podcast: A Reel Education – Noir. Alee Elingsburg joins us to talk about The Lion in Winter, a classic historical drama about a fictional Christmas Henry II spent with his family. It is full of political machinations, scenery chewing dialogue, and a very youthful Timothy Dalton & Anthony Hopkins. Katherine Hepburn and Peter O’Toole are the stars who drive this whole acting train and they do a darn fine job. We hope you enjoy the movie as much as we did!
Our next move will follow Hopkins to the peak of his career as we watch The Silence of the Lambs!
The Lion in Winter (1968) | |
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Rating: 7.9/10 (34,200 votes) Director: Anthony Harvey Writer: James Goldman Stars: Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins Runtime: 134 min Rated: PG Genre: Biography, Drama, History Released: 30 Oct 1968 |
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Plot: 1183 A.D.: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. When he allows his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine out for a Christmas visit, they all variously plot to force him into a ... |
Jul 07 2016
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We are sad to say goodbye to Jena as a regular co-host and movie non-expert but that means we will have rotating cast of non-experts instead! This episode, Tonya Wershow from our sister podcast, A Reel Education: Noir, joins us for Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2. The movie is surreal and collapses in on itself like a black hole and it is all pretty brilliant. At least we thought so. We also thought the cinematography was lush and amazing. Definitely worth a viewing although it will probably take more than one to see everything that is going on.
Our next movie will be The Lion in Winter!
8½ (1963) | |
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Rating: 8.0/10 (124,813 votes) Director: Federico Fellini Writer: Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée, Claudia Cardinale Runtime: 138 min Rated: Not Rated Genre: Drama Released: 24 Jun 1963 |
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Plot: A harried movie director retreats into his memories and fantasies. |
Jun 16 2016
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We remain in the jungle for a third straight episode as we watch King Kong! We begin in an actual jungle and then transition to a concrete one! Given the time period, we are treated to more racism and sexism but also a monster movie that will, from that point on, be the movie against which all other giant monster movies will be measured. Including the remakes of this film. You owe it to yourself to start with the original. We make sure to provide constant musical tribute to special effects wizard Willis O’Brien.
Next up, we are watching 8 1/2!
King Kong (1933) | |
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Rating: 7.9/10 (90,648 votes) Director: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack Writer: James Ashmore Creelman, Ruth Rose, Merian C. Cooper Stars: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot Runtime: 100 min Rated: Passed Genre: Adventure, Horror Released: 07 Apr 1933 |
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Plot: A film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City. |
Jun 02 2016
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This episode, we return to the jungle with a look back at the quintessential Tarzan film – Tarzan the Ape Man! Featuring Johnny Weismuller and his abs (also Maureen O’Sullivan), the film is basically about Africa killing all sorts of African American extras while most of the white people survive. There are lions and elephants and hippos and crocodiles (even though they are alligators) and more! Enjoy this classic trip down movie racism lane!*
Next up, we’ll be watching the original King Kong!
Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) | |
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Rating: 6.9/10 (8,177 votes) Director: W.S. Van Dyke Writer: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Cyril Hume, Ivor Novello Stars: Johnny Weissmuller, Neil Hamilton, C. Aubrey Smith Runtime: 100 min Rated: Passed Genre: Action, Adventure, Romance Released: 02 Apr 1932 |
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Plot: A trader and his daughter set off in search of the fabled graveyard of the elephants in deepest Africa, only to encounter a wild man raised by apes. |
*Note: The book is EVEN MORE racist!
May 15 2016
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We continue down the Werner Herzog rabbit hole this week to watch Fitzcarraldo! A movie that was years in the making, this is one of those films where the story of the making of the movie is possibly more interesting than the film itself. Don’t let that statement fool you, though, the movie is a spectacular journey into the Amazon jungle and one man’s madness. Or, if you include Werner Herzog, possibly two men. If you want to move a boat over a mountain, sometimes you have to make a movie.
Our next film will keep us in the jungle as we watch Tarzan the Ape Man!
Fitzcarraldo (1982) | |
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Rating: 8.0/10 (38,558 votes) Director: Werner Herzog Writer: Werner Herzog Stars: Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, José Lewgoy Runtime: 158 min Rated: PG Genre: Adventure, Drama Released: 10 Oct 1982 |
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Plot: The story of Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, an extremely determined man who intends to build an opera house in the middle of a jungle. |
May 01 2016
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It is time to dive into the works of Werner Herzog with the documentary film Grizzly Man! Herzog tells the story of naturalist Timothy Treadwell who researched grizzly bears up until one of them decided he looked like a tasty morsel. Using mostly Treadwell’s old footage, the film is less about his death than it is about the effect his obsession had on himself and those around him. Pat Wick joins us as stunt Jena even though she has seen the film and Tim has not!
Since we watched one film by Herzog, how about another? Our next film will be Fitzcarraldo!
Grizzly Man (2005) | |
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Rating: 7.8/10 (61,556 votes) Director: Werner Herzog Writer: Werner Herzog Stars: Timothy Treadwell, Amie Huguenard, Werner Herzog Runtime: 103 min Rated: R Genre: Documentary, Biography Released: 30 Sep 2005 |
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Plot: A devastating and heart-rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzly bears in Alaska. |
Apr 17 2016
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After watching Spotlight on our last episode, we decided to take a look at another “Newspaper Journalist Thriller” so we watched All the President’s Men! The film stars Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as the reporters who broke the Watergate story. If you aren’t familiar with Watergate, it is the scandal that ensured every succeeding scandal ended in the word “gate.” This film is a true classic about two guys digging until they finally found the truth. Definitely worth the watch!
Our next film will be Grizzly Man!
All the President's Men (1976) | |
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Rating: 7.9/10 (126,051 votes) Director: Alan J. Pakula Writer: Carl Bernstein, Bob Woodward, William Goldman Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jack Warden Runtime: 138 min Rated: PG Genre: Drama, History, Thriller Released: 09 Apr 1976 |
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Plot: "The Washington Post" reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Richard Nixon's resignation. |
Apr 01 2016
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As has become an annual tradition, we are watching this year’s Best Picture Oscar winner. For 2016, most people assumed the award would go to Revenant. However, Oscar voters surprised everyone by selecting Spotlight instead. The film is representative of a dying genre as newspaper journalism is a dying medium. Fine performances anchor this movie that is disturbing not so much because of how the story is told but because so much of the story is true.
Our next film will be All the President’s Men!
Spotlight (2015) | |
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Rating: 8.1/10 (502,283 votes) Director: Tom McCarthy Writer: Josh Singer, Tom McCarthy Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams Runtime: 129 min Rated: R Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama Released: 20 Nov 2015 |
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Plot: The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core. |
Mar 15 2016
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We take a trip down Western lane with the John Wayne/John Ford classic, Stagecoach! This film basically made a superstar out of Wayne and defined the western genre for the next several decades. It features Ford’s favorite location – monument valley – as well as his favorite actor. In addition to Wayne, the movie also stars a lot of very well known character actors including Andy Devine and John Carradine. Interesting trivia: Wayne was not the first billed actor in this film. That was Claire Trevor!
Our next movie will be the 2016 Best Picture winner, Spotlight!
Stagecoach (1939) | |
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Rating: 7.8/10 (53,526 votes) Director: John Ford Writer: Ernest Haycox, Dudley Nichols, Ben Hecht Stars: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine Runtime: 96 min Rated: Passed Genre: Adventure, Drama, Western Released: 03 Mar 1939 |
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Plot: A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo and learn something about each other in the process. |
Mar 01 2016
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This episode, we watch the classic French film “La belle et la bete” (Beauty and the Beast). Jean Cocteau’s artistic rending of the classic French fairy tale is a clear influence of the adaptations that followed up to and including the well known Disney version. We talk a lot about the artistry of the film as well as the clear influences on other works. We also spend some time looking at the production filmed in post WWII France.
For our next episode, we will be watching Stagecoach!
Beauty and the Beast (1946) | |
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Rating: 7.9/10 (27,888 votes) Director: Jean Cocteau, René Clément Writer: Jean Cocteau, Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont Stars: Jean Marais, Josette Day, Mila Parély Runtime: 93 min Rated: Not Rated Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance Released: 23 Dec 1947 |
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Plot: A beautiful young woman takes her father's place as the prisoner of a mysterious beast, who wishes to marry her. |
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