In a first for the GoodKnight Movie Club, the Knights abandon control of the choice of movies they watch, and invite special listeners to select the film featured every week. This week, friend of the show Andres Guzman returns with his choice of 2008’s “Speed Racer”! Based on the 1967 TV show of the same name, “Speed Racer” takes on audiences on a wild ride through high-speed, high-stakes races as up and coming driver Speed Racer looks to continue his family legacy of automotive racing. On the way, he is confronted with corporate espionage, the criminal underworld, and the dark past of his elder brother Rex in this fun and light-hearted thrill ride built for the whole family. Check out our thoughts on the highly underrated film as we debate whether the infamous “nostalgia factor” helps or hurts our perceptions of films both when we watch them, and as they age.

 

Check out more of Andres’ work with the link below!

 

 

 

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As the Knights complete their tribute to all of those that have served and sacrificed on the battlefield, they take a look at the only film this month solely based on a real event. The United Nations’ intervention into the East African country of Somalia in the 1990’s was the result of a brutal famine that claimed over 300,000 lives. “Black Hawk Down” chronicles the story of U.S. Army Special Forces operators caught in a failed mission to capture a Somali warlord responsible for the famine. The operators are besieged by an entire city and fight for their survival as director Ridley Scott takes audiences on a high-octane thrill ride of action and brotherhood. Populated by a star-stunned ensemble cast that is difficult to rival by films of any genre, “Black Hawk Down” reminds us that not every war story is just a story, and the people that sacrifice on the battlefield are as real as the rest of us.

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Stanley Kubrick’s take on the United States’ war  in Vietnam stands apart from its contemporaries in the genre due to its dark, self-deprecating sense of humor and tongue-in-cheek commentary on the quagmire America found itself in during the latter-half of the 1960’s. The film is anchored by a hilarious, brutal opening sequence as audiences follow a group of United States Marines attempting to navigate basic training in order to earn their coveted Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, lead by Private “Joker” Davis. During “Joker’s” tour through Vietnam, “Full Metal Jacket” shows audiences the impacts of the war not only on natives, but on soldiers as they try to survive a war that many in the film have to convince themselves is worth fighting. WIth controversial, brutal subject matter, director Stanley Kubrick offers a take on America’s second-longest war true art-house fashion—challenging audiences to multiple viewings to truly understand.

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Released in 2008 amid controversy due to its depiction of the Iraq War, “The Hurt Locker” struck Oscar gold, taking home 6 Academy Awards—including the glass-ceiling-shattering Best Director award for Kathryn Bigelow. “The Hurt Locker” brings audiences on a deployment to Iraq alongside a U.S. Army Explosive Ordinance Demolition team as it navigates the insurgent-filled streets of Baghdad in the post-invasion climate that claimed millions of lives. Instead of focusing on the grand narrative that is war and the overall war effort, “The Hurt Locker” shows that war is fought by real, flawed, people, and can leave battle scars on the human psyche that cannot be seen.

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“Saving Private Ryan” has cemented itself as required viewing for audiences everywhere since its release, rightfully earning its place as what many regard as the greatest war film ever made. With Steven Spielberg at the helm of an all-star cast and heart-wrenching story of the quest to bring a soldier home from the blood-soaked battlefields of World War II, “Saving Private Ryan” continues to set the bar for all that follow in its genre. Notorious for its haunting realism, particularly in its opening sequence that depicts the D-Day invasion on Omaha beach, the film provides a window into not only the violence it depicts, but the horrors of the single deadliest event in human history. As the GoodKnight Movie Club honors all those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice on the field of battle, we remind ourselves that the most jarring and difficult parts of this movie, are ones that actually happened. 

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Lauded as one of the best twist-endings in film history, “The Usual Suspects” offers a refreshing take on heist movies, adding a constant search for “who done it?” up until the very end. Featuring an eclectic cast of crooks, cheats and criminals that sink deep into the underworld to pull off a drug heist at the hands of a mysterious crime boss with a reputation for carnage, “The Usual Suspects” has gained a cult following in the years since its release due to the ambiguity of its plot, and the incredible twist-ending that leaves audiences with more questions than answers. 

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Released in-between the first two installments of writer/director Christopher Nolan’s famed “Dark Knight” trilogy, “The Prestige” takes a look into the underground world of illusion in the streets of Edwardian London. Following the tale a bitter rivalry between two magicians, played by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, “The “Prestige” tricks audiences and offers one of the most clever, unexpected twists ever to be put to film. This movie marks a special place in Nolan’s filmography, as it contains the epic cinematography and deep, multi-layered plot that he is famous for, however it precluded his status as a household name that his take on the Caped Crusader brought him. This film sets an example of a director showing exemplary talent prior to the height of their fame, and offers a unique view into the artistic evolution that directors undergo throughout their career.

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2019’s “Parasite” took the Academy Awards by storm, bringing home the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, and setting the bar for a modern films rooted in allegory and symbolism that comments on the societal and cultural trends of the era in which it was made. Writer/Director Bong Joon-Ho unapologetically holds the mirror up to the inequalities of modern South Korean society in a thriller that transcends international borders about a poor family that tries to leech off of a well-to-do family, becoming literal parasites in an allegorical epic for the ages. This film, while living up to the hype surrounding it thanks to its meteoric night at the Oscars, sets a new bar for its genre with a plot that will leave audiences on the edge of their seat over what comes next until the very end. 

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Lauded Director David Fincher’s follow-up to his breakout film “Se7en” takes audiences on a thrilling journey as the line between reality and fantasy blurs, and investment banker Nicholas Van Orton finds himself in the fight for his very life. “The Game”, while clearly a product of the 1990’s thanks to then cutting-edge technology displayed on screen, as well as the charm of a pre-technology industry San Francisco, offers a refreshing style of film that, thanks to the sequel-filled box offices of today, is few and far between: engaging and simple dramatic storytelling. While on the surface a clear-cut plot about a fight for identity and survival, a fantastic twist-ending shows us that movies can be original, easy to watch, and unpredictable without being part of a large franchise or multiverse of movies. Is this form of film a relic of a bygone era thanks to the spectacular binge-worthy dramas found on television? Or should Hollywood dust off its old playbook to bring audiences back into the movie theaters? 

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In 2019’s “Joker”, director Todd Phillips takes audiences on another gruesome tour through the streets of Gotham City to bear witness to the genesis of one of the most popular comic book villains ever. Anchored by a horrifying and mercurial performance from Joaquin Phoenix (for which he also brought home the Academy Award for Best Actor), this Batman anthology film sent waves through the mainstream as an examination of how such unforgiving conditions and lack of resources in society can lead to the unwinding of the human psyche itself. This film, adding a fresh take on the Batman origin mythos while borrowing heavily from other crime classics such as Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time on the backs of it’s acting and origins, and carved a niche for its own in the famous comics from which it came. 

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