2019 Archive

December 2019

#92 Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, Queen & Slim, Entrapment vs The Thomas Crown Affair

This will be the last official show for the year! It is also the last entry of our newest marathon for the year. We pit the sexy capers of Entrapment with the debonair art thief of The Thomas Crown Affair. See you who makes it out on top. We also delve into the black Bonnie and Clyde with Queen & Slim and the part three of the Star Wars trilogy, opening weekend.

#91 Knives Out, The Irishman, The Illusionist vs The Prestige

A nice set this week. Knives Out brings a modern whodunit story with heavy classic homages and influences. A great project after Rian’s previous Star Wars entry. Likewise, the great Scorsese’s follow up to his mob and crime films, The Irishman, is a well-tendered movie that spans decades and marks a glorious and awful time in our nation’s history. Lastly, The Illusionist and The Prestige get their due with our newest Twin Film marathon entry; comparing magician’s and their motivations for continuing their work.

November 2019

#90 Ford vs Ferrari, The Good Liar, Air Force Once vs Executive Decision

Our little marathon continues with the battle of the airplanes. We compare and contrast the twin films Air Force One and Executive Decision to see who the winner in quality and standing in their genres. Ford vs Ferrari is the racing film to please all crowds but maybe not us as much. The Good Liar has two extraordinary leads and a good direction to make something thrilling and memorable. Happy Thanksgiving!

#89 Doctor Sleep, The Lighthouse, Olympus Has Fallen vs White House Down

The final stretch of ‘regular’ episodes are a-comin.’ We begin with two unique visionaries in their thrilling/atmospheric/horror fields. One takes the Stephen King sequel novel to The Shining and makes an entertaining shine-filled, tense tale of soul sucking vampires and a certain hotel. The other takes a look into a certain time period and type of superstition associated best with the sea and the aura and allure of certain lighthouse and its keepers. Finally, we begin a short but going to be ongoing marathon called Twin Films; pitting two movies closely released to each other and close in plot. Find out who we think is the winner.

October 2019

#88 Haunt, Zombieland: Double Tap, High Life

Before double tapping that zombie, we have a double bill of Halloween flicks for the season! Zombieland: Double Tap doesn’t make its predecessor good or bad but doesn’t provide any actual reasons to exist other than fun kills and quips galore. Haunt (on Shudder) has the bones of a paint-by-numbers horror flick where a group of youths gets killed off one by one in a haunted house, but manages to have fun gore and good background character work on the main heroine. High Life, while not a horror, certainly provides a ghastly situation. It’s about a group of convicts set into space to improve science and with little to no hope of surviving physically or traumatically.

#87 Joker, El Camino, Midsommar

Yay for short titles. This week, we uncover strange locales; Swedish commune, Albuquerque, and Gotham (70’s New York). Joker takes a page from dark tales like The King of Comedy and Taxi Driver but perhaps misses the point? Either way, an interesting film with an amazing central performance. El Camino brings the Breaking Bad crew back to tell the tale of Jesse Pinkman’s escape from the law and other bad elements to a life he sorely deserved. Midsummer wraps a toxic relationship in a box filled with trauma that rests atop a pagan cult.

September 2019

#86 Ad Astra, Rambo: Last Blood, American Factory

An unlikely trio of flicks to be sure. American Factory is an even-handed portrayal of Chinese and American cultures clashing over work ethics and company behavior. Rambo: Last Blood has a script with many holes and inconsistencies but the action serves the brutality and machismo that is to be expected and overall fun. Ad Astra lends an intimate viewpoint of a son searching for the meaning of his life and his father to Neptune. Beautiful, energetic and at times, surreal.

#85 It: Chapter 2, The Amazing Johnathan Documentary, Hail Satan?

There’s a change up from the roster. Instead of the horror flick Hagazussa, we decided to talk about Hulu’s new hit documentary about the Amazing Johnathan. A story that unfolds into a wholly different story. Hail Satan talks about the modern movement of the Satanic Temple and its creed to actually separate church and state while encouraging religious pluralism. It the sequel is unfortunately a bombastic shadow of its predecessor with great casting that doesn’t save it at the end.

#84 Ready Or Not, Where'd You Go Bernadette, The Last Black Man In San Francisco

This weeks’ roster of flicks are met with mixed feelings by both Ralf and Oscar. The Last Black Man In San Francisco is being received really well by critics and those who are nostalgic for childhood homes but not us. Bernadette has some good performances and charm but fails to justify the elongated first act and redemption at the end. Ready Or Not is a fun ride that doesn’t go beyond its premise and trailer when it could’ve easily provided some layers to go along with the mayhem.

August 2019

#83 The Kitchen, Fast Color, The Souvenir

This week, we delve into three different tales told and lead by women. The Kitchen is a comic book adaptation about three women taking charge of mob activity in NY in the 70’s. Good pacing but some third act rushing. Fast Color is a low-key indie superhero movie about a girl on the run and searching for a way to retrieve her gifts. The Souvenir is a toxic person that a young female filmmaker falls for in her youth in the 80’s.

#82 The Lion King (2019), Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese, The Dirt

This week has the heavy, the light and the horrid. The heavy with substance and history is The Rolling Thunder Revue, which shows Bob Dylan and his group in the 70’s knocking the house and minds down. The light is the music biopic of Motley Crue; their crazy ups and highs and drug-fueled lows. The horrid is the unnecessary, photo-realistic remake of The Lion King.

July 2019

#81 The Best Movies of the Year So Far and Most Anticipated 2019

You heard right, it’s that time when we evaluate how well the year has ben doing. We take in all the blockbusters surprises and obvious hits and the indie darlings to a top 5 ranking. We also look forwards, to the rest of 2019 and try to anticipate which films will stand out when the dust settles in January. We also begin the show with a nice dose of recent discoveries.

#80 Spider-Man: Far From Home, Yesterday, Mulholland Drive

A superhero, romantic and mystery box movie walk into a bar. One is about a friendly neighbor spider who is mourning and may prefer a more normal life. Another shows a world without The Beatles but one man who rises through the charts with hit after hit. The third shows the true nature of the city of dreams and the toxicity of people and their desires. Which one orders the whiskey sour?

June 2019

#79 Toy Story 4, The Dead Don't Die, Pleasantville

A mixed bag for all ages and spanning some generations. Bringing the emotional saga that is Toy Story 4, which is geared for the new parents that grew up with the first installment. Pleasantville is a blast of a blast from the past; reliving a hopeful and fictional time of America in the 1950’s with a splash of color. The Dead Don’t Die shows a meta rendition go the zombie apocalypse through the many types of American eyes living today.

#78 Rocketman, Her Smell, Chungking Express

Strange human connections, fame both fictional and based on real life and extremes in human complexity shape this weeks’ show. Chungking Express is the 4th film of our Cities/Towns marathon that connects two couples in unconventional ways in Honk Kong. Her Smell shows the mania of a lead punk singer and the trail of debris she leaves in her wake. Rocketman proves that musical biopics have yet to reach new depths but can hold a candle for Elton John fans enough.

May 2019

#77 John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, Replicas, Uncle Buck

We have a Keanu Reeves double feature review! One is about a scientist that clones his tragically dead family and the other is about an ex-assassin that murders more poor souls than any two slasher franchises. As part of our Cities and Towns marathon, we delve into Uncle Buck; a classic dreamed featuring John Candy working as substitute parent for his nieces and nephew.

#76 Under the Silver Lake, Perfectos Desconocidos(Perfect Strangers), Enter the Void

The three films we cover this week requires an unblinking eye. Under the Silver Lake is a throwback to Hitchcokian noir and a strange LA puzzle-box flick featuring disenchanted people. Perfectos Desconocidos (Perfect Strangers) shows just how bad a dinner party amongst best friends can get when all cell phone alerts, calls and texts are read in front of everybody. Enter the Void, part of our marathon, shows the unique perspective of taking drugs and afterlife when a young man dies suddenly and glimpses his past and the future laid out for his sister. A movie meant to be experienced not just watched.

April 2019

#75 Avengers: Endgame, Unicorn Store, Wayne's World

The biggest movie of the universe is first on deck this week. The three hour spectacle was met surprisingly well by one of us with superhero fatigue. Avengers has a fun and great middle with memorable bookends. Wayne’s World shows us how to chill and party on while giving us blueprints to the way some movies are made. Unicorn Store is Brie Larson venturing beyond acting in a quirky and colorful comedy.

#74 Pet Sematary, Transit, 25th Hour

This week we tackle the horrors of badly adapting a Stephen King novel, the bitter timelessness of a Nazi-occupied France and a New Yorker hate rant that turns to the best hope for humanity. Pet Sematary has a great supporting cast but falls through lots of meandering, especially by the end. Transit asks the viewer many questions about surviving amongst survivors, learning from history and who forgets first; the one who leaves or the one left behind. 25th Hour is a crowning achievement from this century, depicting New York in a post-9/11 world that understands the complexities of hate but holds out hope.

March 2019

#73 Us, Triple Frontier, Blue Velvet

Today's show has a couple of juicy movies and a dud. Triple Frontier tries to teach greedy ex-military lessons but misses its character developments and the point by using a sledgehammer. Jordan Peele’s latest horror film proves the need for mainstream originality and has amazing scares and performances. Blue Velvet is the first in a series of eight films that starts our Streets and Culs De Sac marathon; a David Lynch classic about the terrifying underbelly of small town life.

#72 Greta, The Lords of Chaos, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

This week, we discuss what it means to be true Norwegian Black Metal, how do build a windmill (DIY style) and the best way to act in New York. Toxic relationships is the motif in Greta which brings a good director and devoted European actress to ram up the tension. The Lords of Chaos embraces the fallacy of sticking to the ?truth? in typical biopics and becomes more horrifying. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is the latest of directorial debut from a prominent actor that is the lightest and brightest film of the batch.

#71 Academy Awards, High Flying Bird, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Has 2018 in movies end yet? The answer is yes officially with the 91st Academy Awards ceremony, completely host-less. We bash Green Book and compliment Roma and more opinions about the evening. High Flying Bird brings the experimental side of Steven Soderbergh with the play behind the play of basketball racial politics. The third installment and lesson of how to actually train a dragon comes to a close with a mixture of adoration and disappointment.

February 2019

#70 The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Velvet Buzzsaw

Will you ever forgive us for reviewing yet another biopic? We think you should and hope you enjoyed Melissa McCarthy’s performance as we did; not to mention the good storytelling on display about a blocked writer that resorts to forging to make ends meet. The Lego Movie 2 proves that some sequels are good and entertaining and doesn’t have to meet the expectations of it predecessor. Velvet Buzzsaw has Nightcrawler cast and crew back to deliver a horror movie hidden at first as an art-critique tale within LA.

#69 Oscar Nominations, Fyre Fraud, Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

Our first normal show of the year! Today we will talk about some of the good choices the Academy made with the nominations including titles like Roma, The Favourite and BlackKklansman. We also talk about the social politics of not using a host this year and their boneheaded nominations like Vice, A Star Is Born and Green Book. We also have an experimental double review brought to you by Hulu and Netflix: Fyre. A scam and festival set of documentaries where Oscar reviews the Netflix special and Ralf covers the Hulu one. Should be fun.

January 2019

#68 The Best TV Shows of 2018

The very same rules apply to television as we sued for movies. There’s Honorable Mentions, Disappointment and Missed Opportunities. We have a special guest who has a more diverse show-watching habit than Oscar, which has a diverse list from Ralf. There will be a couple similarities but expect network shows and anime in addition to the critics faves. Also, on a positive note, the reigning channels or streaming services don’t belong to any clear winner: it’s quite spread out this year.

#67 The Best Discoveries In 2018

If you checked out last years’ Discoveries list, then you know what this is. For you newbies, we hope you’l enjoy this fun countdown. It is the stuff discovered in 2018 that isn’t from 2018. It is a way to highlight any awesome thing out in the world from the past, away from just recent entertainment. Anything can be highlighted: a book, artist, song, game, movie etc. See what Ralf and Oscar have been consuming and enjoying throughout the year.

#66 The Best Films of 2018

Happy New Year and welcome to our top ten list. This month, we?re going to be covering TV and Discoveries but today is the main one: Movies. Thankfully, we have a mixed batch of titles and opinions for you as well as an Honorable Mentions List, Surprises, Missed Opportunities and Disappointments. Stay with us next week as well as for upcoming bonus shows.