2 For The Matinee

In honor of Halloween week, Jake and Sydney talk a little about "Black Christmas" (1972) and a lot about "Don't Look Now" (1973).

It's Halloween and in this episode Sydney and Jake discuss some of their favorite films that make for perfect October viewing. First up is Doctor Sleep (2019), followed by The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), then two cult classics, 1976's The Little Girl That Loves Down the Lane and Session 9 (2001).

This week Jake and Sydney take in two films set in Japan, one is a hit and one is a miss. First up, is Ridley Scott's "Black Rain" (1989), starring Michael Douglas, Ken Takakura and Andy Garcia. Then, it's another Mitchum movie, "The Yakuza" directed Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Mitchum and Ken Takakura.

In Part One of this special series, Jake and Sydney share their favorite Neo-Noirs from the 1970s.

This week it's one hit and one miss. First up is Shine (1996), the uplifting biopic starring Geoffrey Rush in a performance that put him on the map. Directed by Scott Hicks, and also featuring Noah Taylor and Armin Mueller-Stahl, the film's uniquely Australian charm offers some much needed feel good vibes. 

Next up is "The Black Dahlia" (2006), Brian De Palma's train wreck  adaptation of James Ellroy's classic crime novel. Sydney and Jake have some opinions on this one.

It's our favorite time of the year, Fall, so here's our picks for the movies we think best capture that autumnal feeling.

This week, Jake watches "Greenbook" (2018) and he and Sydney discuss the 2018 Academy Awards and the release of the Snyder cut of "Justice League" (2017).

Jake finally watches "The Haunting of Hill House" (2018). He didn't love it. 

"Romancing the Stone" (1984) solidifies all the love for Kathleen Turner.

Sydney watches "Red Dust" (1932), "The Call of the Wild" (1935) and "Mogambo" (1953) and gets why Clark Gable was crowned the "King of Hollywood".

This week Sydney and Jake watch the one Michael Mann film Jake has never seen, "The Last of the Mohicans" (1992), and they lament the lack of truly adventurous adventure films.  Then it's a time travel trip with "Peggy Sue Got Married" (1986), directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Kathleen Turner and Nicolas Cage.

First up Jake and Sydney talk Robert Pattinson as Batman, Rome, and Ted Lasso.

Then, it's on to this week's Welles Mann redux. First, is the HBO movie "RKO 281" (1999), about Welles' struggle to get his movie "Citizen Kane" made. Then, they give Orson Welles' masterpiece, "Chimes at Midnight" (1965), the old college try. Finally, to round the Orson Welles experience, Jake watches "The Magnificent Ambersons" (1942), for the first time.

Then, it's time for Michael Mann's stunning directorial debut, "Thief" (1981), featuring a powerhouse performance from James Caan as the titular thief who wants to go straight.

In this episode, Jake gives Sydney some of the historical backstory to one his all time favorites and last week's pick, "Heat" (1995). Sydney gives Jake some of the historical backstory of Orson Welles' time at RKO studios.

Then they discuss "Gilda" (1946), the picture that made Rita Hayworth an iconic sex symbol. Directed by Charles Vidor, the film is an interesting exploration of the destructive power of hate and obsessions with some nazi's and tungsten cartels thrown in for seasoning. 

Possible Spoilers for: The Umbrella Academy, The Boys, Song to Song (2017), The Other Guys (2010), Junior (1994) and Top Gun (1986).