2021 Archive

DECEMBER 2021

#143 Spider-Man: No Way Home, Nightmare Alley, Tick, tick... BOOM!

Welcome to the holiday episode with the very least of holiday fanfare attached. The entertainment-hungry crowds have spoken that the latest Sony/MCU project, Spider-Man, has deserved much of the praise of what they manage to do with the character and his journey. Nightmare Alley is Guillermo Del Toro’s speech and troll-film to his audiences that expect myths and monsters. He instead attacks a time period and a type of man; the ones with a past and a certain thirst. The latest Lin-Manuel Miranda film is personal and yet a biopic/musical/adaptation that sounds murky but really, really works. A tour de force in blocking, acting and synchronicity of a time and a place and a feel.

#141 Encanto, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Sideways

As we near Xmas and the end of the year so does 2021 in films. We scramble to catch up on what we missed and have been wanting to see. There will be one more regular show before the Top 10 season starts. This week, we catch up on blockbusters like Encato, Pixar’s latest of a Hispanic Avengers team set to saver their home and future. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a nostalgic dagger to 80’s kids and adults with inconsistencies but a fun time. Sideways marks the end of Luke’s marathon from earlier in the year. Unfortunately, no wine was consumed during the review and it was regrettable.

NOVEMBER 2021

#141 Eternals, Spencer, Titane

This week, we begin with the controversial Eternals. We love what it brings and what makes this Marvel film different than the rest as well as reflect on the terrible constraints and choices it does. Spencer shows us another transformation from Kristin Stewart as Princess Diana going through meltdowns and anxiety attacks upon the British royalty. A horrifying film that isn’t at all horror. Titane escapes conventional descriptors as it involves a young woman’s terrible and murderous choices that leads her to a strange situation of pretending to be a boy to escape said choices. Invigorating, disgusting and yet appealing.

#140 Last Night In Soho, The Last Duel, Finch

It’s that time again. The time when the three films we are going to review are quite different from each other. Finch is the latest post-apocalyptic entry starring Cast Away-man himself, Tom Hanks working with a robot and a dog. The Last Duel is a plot-heavy but interesting medieval tale told three times, Rashomon-style. Lastly, Last Night In Soho presents a supernatural thriller with a 1960’s setting and dollops of horror in with fashion.

OCTOBER 2021

#139 Dune, The French Dispatch, The Silence of the Lambs

We’ve got an eclectic set of reviews for you this week. We start with the much-anticipated Dune and spoiler-alert, it very much does not disappoint. Epic status filmmaking. Wes Anderson’s latest The French Dispatch, had the same level of intrigue and humor and quirk as ever, which brought questions about Anderson’s style becoming stale. The 30th anniversary of Silence of the Lambs is just a great excuse to revisit Johnathan Demme’s masterpiece in this Halloween season and marvel at the subtle horror, character work and pacing. Happy Halloween!!

#138 No Time To Die, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Boyz N The Hood, The Many Saints of Newark

Welcome to the long-running machine. This 3-hour special tackles the latest James Bond film, the final installment in the Daniel Craig era, and talks about the merits of a 5-part story in a normally serialized franchise. The Venom sequel didn’t work as well as we thought it would, especially its lack of holding onto the horror genre. Boyz N the Hood celebrates its 30th anniversary and we marvel at how the film remains timeless and visionary and important in the world of cinema. Lastly, as a bonus, we have a review of the Many Saints of Newark fro you with another co-host.

SEPTEMBER 2021

#137 Malignant, Pig, Ghost World

This week, we travel from the back of our heads, to the Portland culinary underworld, and to a boring town. We celebrate Ghost World’s 20th anniversary as a mark of one of our last innocent films before the epic change that 2001 brought. Pig is essentially a thought-provoking, violence-free (overall) John Wick with the Cage in the center. Malignant proves that not all 90’s tropes in horror are good but that it can still be entertaining.

#136 Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Candyman, Black Hawk Down

We enter the latest Marvel phase in full force with Eastern realms and more magical input. In a trend of martial arts films, Shang Chi is not bad in stunts and choreography. The Candyman sequel turned out to be more needed than we anticipated as it updates to gentrification in Chicago with brutal horror. Black Hawk Down celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and we talk pretty positively at the immense cast and solid Ridley Scott directing.

AUGUST 2021

#135 The Night House, Reminiscence, Take Shelter

Between the horror of dream-fueled impending doom, the horror of what a dead spouse leaves behind and the horror of remembering too clearly can bring, we’ve got you covered. Reminiscence is a classic-type of a noir tale filled with a dame, death and regret in a sci-fi setting. Take Shelter is about a man who gets intense dreams of the apocalypse and decides to act on it, to save his family. Happy 10th anniversary Take Shelter.

#134 The Suicide Squad, The Green Knight, Drive

This weeks’ show has a mixed bag of films. Remaking or reintroducing The Suicide Squad was a step up even if things made about as much sense as the plot did the last time around. The Green Knight gave us a beautifully constructed legend as old as time but equal parts confusion and awe. Drive, in its 10th anniversary, is a stylish and simple story of a man with no name following his ironclad code to protect the woman he loves.

#133 Space Jam: Legacy, Old, (horror talk)

Oscar has seen too many horror movies lately; from old ones new to him or new ones new to him or revisiting the ones from his misspent youth. A discussion is in order to recap some of the highs and lows of some crazy horror movies out there today. In other news, we also review M. Night’s latest, Old. It shows equal parts humanity with a once-in-a-lifetime supernatural experience. Space Jam didn’t hold up to its predecessor but it idd manage to flex the power of Warner Brothers; at least there’s that.

JULY 2021

#132 Black Widow, No Sudden Move, I Saw the Devil

Wondering on which film will Oscar end his odd marathon? Wonder no more because a hard-hitting Korean revenge horror flick is the way to do it. I Saw the Devil is not for the weak-hearted. No Sudden Move has an intricate criminal plot that devolves into a message about American Business; damn you Steven Soderbergh. Black Widow is too little too late but not without its merits. A Surprisingly funny cast and good action to say the least.

#131 F9: Fast Saga, Cruella, Clockers

This time around, we scope out a lonely piece off road to imitate the energy of the heist-driven, action spectacle in the next film in the Fast and Furious Saga. Yes, a muscle-bound soap opera continues. Next, we find genuine delight in the Disney villain-as-a-hero origins story with Cruella. We find that Emma Stone’s energy, along with the great art decoration and costume designs was pretty awesome to watch. Lastly, Ralf finishes his marathon with Spike Lee’s Clockers, from 1995. A gritty street-level tale of the vicious cycle of drugs, manipulation and violence that ensorcels the young protagonist.

JUNE 2021

#130 In the Heights, The Reckoning, Martha Marcy May Marlene

Musicals are reviewed on AMP quite rarely but a lack of titles gave us the opportunity to enjoy and talk about In the Heights; a film set in New York’s Washington Heights as the colorful Latino residents deal with daily struggles and a blackout. And the future. The Reckoning proved to have interesting concepts of the supernatural during the Black Plague but fails at keeping up with a clear message. Martha Marcy May Marlene is a drama about a woman running away from a cult, trying to un-brainwash herself and dealing with the trauma she suffered with them. It’s a low-hummed but great thriller.

#129 The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Army of the Dead, Bowfinger

Double horror feature. We catch the third and unfortunately, lesser, installment of the Conjuring franchise. While an enjoyable witch-villain, it does hold a smaller candle to the previous two. Army of the Dead shows a stylish and evolving zombie-action flick that holds little in the writing but more in cool. Bowfinger is a great movie-making-movies comedy from the epic year 1999.

MAY 2021

#128 The Woman in the Window, Those Who Wish Me Dead, Children of Men

We are doing a slightly different kind of episode this week. Each of the hosts have chosen one film to review, as opposed to Luke choosing all three. His marathon pick, Children of Men (the all-too-relatable post-apocalyptic film), was pre-recorded while Ralf and Oscar each found some streaming options. The Woman in the Window goes to interesting places to be sure, but maybe the comparison to Rear Window goes on a bit much. Those Who Wish Me Dead had high hopes but were dashed through some ‘Hollywood-izing.’

#127 Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, Promising Young Woman, Flight

This week, we delve into some heavy shit. With Promising Young Woman, we talk about the surrealistic gender differences in terms of peril and societal dysfunction of what happens to vulnerable women when men are around. With Flight, we talk about the ethics of doing something miraculous while still being held responsible for selfish actions fueled by addiction. We begin with Barb and Star however; an all-out comedy akin to an earlier decade but with snappy writing.

APRIL 2021

#126 Mortal Kombat (2021), Madame Claude, Monster (2003)

We travel to the past; to 2003 to discuss the film that made Charlize Theron less attractive but won an Oscar for a biopic of a serial killer. We also go underground in the 1960’s with Madame Claude and her expensive prostitution ring. Lastly, we say hi to Outerworld in Mortal Kombat and discuss whether or not this B-movie is worth the watch.

#125 The 93rd Academy Awards Nominations

It’s that time of year again where we discuss the Oscars by attempting to watch as many of the (at least major) films that have been nominated for ‘the best of the best.’ We do skip a few categories where we feel-even-less-than-usually prepared to discuss but overall go through the picks, the work and possible political reasoning behind some of these nominations. We’ll be back to regular reviews on the next show, as well as our thoughts on the awards ceremony.

MARCH 2021

#124 Zack Snyder's Justice League, Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal, Match Point

It’s Luke country! His choices for movie reviews this week is a diverse trio. Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a do-over on a franchise entry people disliked. Yes, while we enjoyed this new version, we do question the need for it and especially, its running time. Operation Varsity Blues is a well-deserved take down of the established elite who try to find less-than-reputable ways in getting their children into Ivy League schools. Finally, we continue Luke’s marathon with Woody Allen’s Match Point; a tense and focused story about a man’s sexual affair that leads to surprising actions.

#123 Panic Room, Tokyo Godfathers, 4 Months 3 Weeks & 2 Days

We’re back and in marathon mode! Remember that marathon experiment we began just before the end of 2020? We decided to come back from break with three picks from each of our marathons. Panic Room is a cool thriller with a wacky camera. Tokyo Godfathers shows great levels of humanity in animated form. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days shows the toxic government of Romania in the 1980’s through the eyes of 2 women trying to get an abortion performed under totalitarian rule.

JANUARY 2021

#122 The Best Discoveries In 2020

This countdown marks our last before a month-long break. Discoveries is a ranking that discusses the best material we consumed in 2020 that didn’t come out in 2020. It’s our additional way to highlight other things, the finer things, in entertainment. It isn’t just films; it’s television, albums, authors, personal life events, video games and everything in between. These lists are always personal and give a small glimpse into our worlds.

#121 The Best TV Shows of 2020

Apply the same layout as our top ten films of the year to television. As is tradition over the last couple of years, we bring in Matt to diversify the choices of great TV shows. While plenty of movies were sidelined by the pandemic, television seemed generally unfazed; giving us plenty of sequel seasons to big hits as well as first time seasons and some great documentaries. What did you binge in 2020?

#120 The Best Films of 2020

It’s that time of the year where we rank our favorite films that released in the terrible 2020. As always, in addition to our ranking (10 to 1), we will give our Missed Opportunities, Honorable Mentions and Disappointments lists. Keep an eye out for repeat movies and compare it to yours! How close were we?