From Under The Rock

It's one of those infinite time loop situations you might have heard of! This week we're covering the perfectly strange mid-pandemic film "Palm Springs" from 2020. Starring Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, and JK Simmons, this Sundance-record-breaking movie (^_~) depicts the lonely hilarity of two people who aren't really sure how much they believe in love being stuck reliving someone else's contrived wedding day over and over and over. Samberg and Milioti will make you laugh, make you cry, and maybe even leave you with a little bit more faith in all that sappy stuff than you might have had before. This is a great one, folks. Don't miss it.

Outer space can be a tricky thing; trickier still for a couple laymen like ourselves - so this week we were unable to escape from it and found ourselves once again exploring the great unknown beyond our skies, this time around with Alphonso Cuarón's critically acclaimed space flick "Gravity." Starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, and very nearly no one else, this pulse-pounding space thriller seldom gives one a chance to breathe, with pacing that even our recent Olympic champions might envy, and expertly sets a story about the true and unforgiving fragility of human life against the backdrop of absolutely stunning VFX shots. Well done, Framestore, holy wow. *checks credits* Yeah, y'all are really doing alright for yourselves, aren't you? Gosh those space-vistas are pretty. O.o Anywhoozles, great movie, fun time, join us for the ride, won't you?

Time for another old Hollywood classic, and what a classic it truly is. This week we watched "12 Angry Men," Sidney Lumet's directorial debut starring Henry Fonda, Ed Begley, and Lee J. Cobb. A courtroom/jury room drama for the ages, this film's incredible writing, pacing, and drama makes for a transcendentally enjoyable hour and a half watch. A timely reminder that every single one of us comes at life with a mixture of different prejudices and biases, and how very important it can be that we keep ourselves open to other perspectives and leave room in our minds for the possibility of a reasonable doubt.

Here at From Under the Rock, we are a podcast of pet lovers, and so that made this week's episode uniquely upsetting and satisfying all at once. We're referring of course to "John Wick," from 2014, starring Keanu Reeves, Willem Dafoe, Michael Nyqvist, Ian McShane, and Lance Reddick. One of the greatest and most entertaining action movies of the modern era, join us as we gleefully watch Reeves' titular character exact his brutal and meticulous revenge against those who dared to commit such a heinous act against such a cute little pup. :(

And now for something completely different! In the interest of lightening the mood a bit, this week we turned to the great Robin Williams, just over a week removed from the tenth anniversary of the incomparable actor/comedian's passing. And though there aren't too many Robin movies left that one of us hasn't seen, we found one this week in "Jack," the 1996 film starring Williams, Diane Lane, Jennifer Lopez, and Brian Kerwin, directed by none other than Francis Ford Coppola. What would happen if a child aged four times faster than everyone else, making him the visual equivalent of a 40 year old man while he was still in grade school? Williams brings all of his own unmatched childlike wonder to this role to answer that very question. Join us, won't you?

Who among us is without sin? Not the sort of question we ask often on this show, but certainly one that might concern you more than usual after watching this week's movie - David Fincher's grotesquely-eerie murder mystery/thriller, Se7en. Starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, and an appropriately creepy actor who doesn't warrant mentioning for no reason in particular, this bone-chilling psychological drama will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, as the horrors continue to pile up, getting more and more horrifying as they go. And by the time we reach the end, if you didn't previously know the answer to the iconic question: "What's in the booooxxx?!?!?" Well... you certainly will now. Join us, dear friends.

About time for another foreign language film! This week Sawyer and Ben dive into the mind-bending dream world of Satoshi Kon's "Paprika." Set in a not-too-distant future, this story centers around technology that allows users to enter their own dreams and the dreams of others, influencing them to do things completely beyond their control at times (much like a particular, popular American film from just a few years later... don't worry, we get into it). Based on the 1993 sci-fi novel of the same name, this winding dream-caper follows the titular Paprika, an alter-ego dream detective working together with real-life detective Toshimi Konakawa to try to track down and stop a dream-terrorist who is seeking a new body, and dominion over the city now quite direly at risk...

With the 2024 Paris Olympics in full swing, it felt like the perfect time to revisit one of Ben's favorite sports movies - Miracle, the story of the 1980 USA Men's hockey team that so miraculously took down the Soviet Union's hockey team - one of the greatest teams in the history of the sport and also obviously in 1980 a country that most Americans had no difficulty at all casting as the USA's greatest rivals. Kurt Russell stars as the legendary coach Herb Brooks, leading a cast of charismatic young hockey players who despite anything else, and what side of the aisle you might be on, actually make you feel patriotic as this film reaches its conclusion. Ah, the power of sports. :')

This week our intrepid hosts took on what is widely considered one of the great Wes Anderson's most essential works: The Grand Budapest Hotel. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, F. Murray Abraham, Saoirse Ronan, and Adrien Brody among MANY others, this visually stunning, fast-paced romp through the fictional land of Zubrowka and the iconic hotel that once stood proudly within it will leave you utterly charmed, possibly breathless, and longing you could spend a weekend at the grand old place yourself. Join us!