Some movies tell the story they want. They start when they want. They stop when they want. Other movies start telling the story that they want to tell and then kind of meander off into something else entirely. On this week's podcast we're looking at one case of the former and one of the latter.
"The Wolf of Wall Street" is now out on 4K UHD. It's a great movie, we can all admit this. The thing of it is though, the man it focuses on, Jordan Belfort, is shown to not be a good human being. The movie has no obligation to make him good, nor to yell that he's not good, but it is up to us to recognize the truth. It makes Josh sad that too many of us don't.
A couple of episodes back, we discussed the greatness that is Tom Cruise. With that (sort of) done, the time has come to set our sights (kind of) on Warren Beatty. Two movies written by/directed by/and starring the multi-hyphenate just got new blu-ray releases, "Reds" and "Heaven Can Wait." Let's take a look at both.
There is so much to enjoy in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings." Simu Liu and Awkwafina are great together and there's one really excellent fight. But, a perfect movie it is not and a lot of its problems are rooted in issues the MCU has been facing for years, from bland villains to overly CG climactic battles. This week, we discuss.
Cameron Crowe's "Vanilla Sky" doesn't necessarily need Tom Cruise front and center, the actor is great in it, but the movie would undoubtedly be something special even without Tom Cruise. But, rather than focusing on that, today we look at just how great Tom Cruise is and how great Tom Cruise has been for 40 years. How could he not be? He's Tom Cruise and when there's a Tom Cruise in your movie, it's a Tom Cruise movie.
There is a lot of stuff happening in Nia DaCosta's "Candyman." The movie takes on a whole bunch of weighty ideas and attempts to explore them via the slasher film. But it's just possible that by trying to fit into that subgenre, and need to not go over 90 minutes, that it loses too much along the way.
Some biopics simply do not do a good job of offering up insight into the person at their center. "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" is an excellent example of such a film. It is a movie that doesn't work for multiple reasons. But, rather than giving away all our insights here in the description, listen to the episode and hear what we have to say.
Halloween may have been last week, but we're squeezing in one last horror movie discussion, even if it is a tad late. "Scream" arrived in theaters 25 years ago and a new "Scream" will be in theaters next year. The new one isn't a remake but rather the fourth sequel. Let us discuss not just terrible naming conventions but the movie that started it all.
It may have taken him decades to work up the courage, but Josh has finally sat down to watch the first eight "Friday the 13th" movies. Why did it take so long? What does he think about them? Why do so many folks in these movies just happen to have machetes? We answer some of these questions and more on this week's episode.
Horror movie "The Night House" proves to be a powerful one not because of its story, which starts off well and then never quite succeeds, but rather because of the performance of the actress at its center, Rebecca Hall. This week, we celebrate what Hall brings to an otherwise mediocre haunted house film, one that requires her to spend a whole lot of time on screen alone, and is perhaps best in those moments.
Out now on digital as well as Blu-ray, Ryan Reynolds' "Free Guy" is one of those movies that actually delivers on the fun of its premise. We sit there and watch as this video game NPC becomes something more than just a background character. Most importantly though, it pleased Josh's son, who has been anxiously anticipating the film for two years.
"Hardball" and "Breakdown" both recently hit Blu-ray shelves, and one of the two films works and the other doesn't. One simply tells its tale and moves on, the other kind of meanders this way and that, never really telling any one story and not telling any portion very successfully. Let's discuss.
The newest entry in "The Purge" franchise, "The Forever Purge," is now out on blu-ray, and you're kidding yourself if you think it's not the scariest one yet. The series has always held up a mirror before us so we can see our reality, and the view is getting worse and worse.
There are two ways to view Disney's "Jungle Cruise" movie. The first of these is to dismiss the whole thing is as a cheap IP cash-in. The second is to actually examine what makes the DisneyWorld ride so very good (Disneyland's version as well) and then see what parts of that translate to the film. Why don't we do the latter?
Paramount has just released the first four "Star Trek" movies in a single box on 4K UHD. At its best, "Trek" is aspirational, striving to push us into being better people and doing more for our world (and beyond). Maybe that means they should have done better with this set and released all six movies based on TOS in this set. Maybe not. Instead of focusing on that, let's talk "Trek."
There are a number of possible lessons that one could glean from watching "Nashville" and "A Place in the Sun," but the one that keeps hitting us over and over again is just how wrong we can go with the American Dream. Maybe there's a point at which we should rest on our laurels. Maybe there's a point at which we should accept that we have enough.
We are all better when we have people who love and respect and accept us for who we are, when we are able to be open and honest and unafraid about our thoughts and feelings. Although they are very different films, both the family friendly "Luca," and the decidedly not "Profile," offer up looks at the various ways thing can turn out depending on what path we go down and with whom.
There is some stuff to enjoy in the new movie, "The Stairs," and some stuff that works less well. They mystery about what is going on? That's great. The mystery of why these folks do what they do? That's less good.
One of the myriad of streaming services of which you may or may not be aware is AppleTV+. Yes, Apple has a video streaming service. They have various shows and movies including the currently airing and completely wonderful, "Ted Lasso." So, this week, we take a minute or two to sing the praises of this joyous series.
Last week, "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run" was released on Blu-ray. It is the third movie in the franchise and the television show from which the movies spring began in 1999. It is then a long-running series. Although Josh isn't entirely unfamiliar with SpongeBob and his antics, he has never been a devotee. So, this week, he dives under the ocean, checks out Mr. SquarePants, and some thoughts bubble up to the surface.
Last month, Eddie Huang's "Boogie" came out on Blu-ray. This week, Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous" is out on 4K. The movies may deal with different main characters, but they have a backbone of commonality -- these are films about teenagers figuring out what it means to become an adult. On this week's podcast, we look a little bit more on what, precisely, that means.
With apologies, you're not going to find any ranting or raving in this week's episode. No, what you're going to find is Josh sitting quite calmly on the fence as he attempts to answer the question of whether Emma Stone's "Cruella" is worth it as its own thing, or if it's own worthwhile when connected to "101 Dalmatians." And, if it's the latter, is it worth it at all?
A couple weeks ago we laid out a plan to discuss the open-world RPG game "Biomutant" over the course of two, non-consecutive, episodes. Well, last week we talked about Indiana Jones and that means that it's time to deliver on our promise. Take a listen as we delve into the good, the bad, and the ugly of this title.
Timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the release of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," the Indiana Jones movies are now out on 4K. All four of them. We would say, "don't get us started on that last movie," except that the last movie is not only exactly what we talk about a lot this week, but also about to not be the last movie. Listen and we promise we won't offer our explanation of why "Temple of Doom" is the best.
At the end of May, THQ Nordic published the open world RPG, "Biomutant." That means that we have spent weeks playing the game and are ready to start talking about it. This then is the first of two planned installments where we discuss the title, what it is, what works, what doesn't, and just why our planet is in danger.