It's On My List

When you love someone, you’ve gotta trust them. There’s no other way. You’ve got to give them the key to everything that’s yours. Otherwise, what’s the point? And for a while, I believed that’s the kind of love I had.

Ace Rothstein, Casino

FIRST TIME VIEWERS:  ALISA, ANDREW, BETHANY

The eighth collaboration between director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert DeNiro, Casino brings the mob mentality of Goodfellas to the gambler’s paradise of Las Vegas. It’s a city filled with hustlers, junkies, hit men, cheaters, and questionable business practices; all controlled by the Kansas City mob and potentially destroyed by one man’s delusional love.

Are DeNiro and Joe Pesci just playing their characters from Goodfellas in this film? Is this a spiritual sequel to Goodfellas? Is there any way to watch this movie without constantly thinking about Goodfellas? Is it possible to put an equal amount of blueberries in mass produced muffins? And is the eye in the sky really watching us all? Take a gamble and join us as we hit the tables to talk about Casino.

Click here to listen to Episode 41: Casino.

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Before this war began, many of my regiment had never seen a Negro. Now the roads are choked with the dispossessed. We fight for men and women whose poetry is not yet written but which will presently be as enviable and renowned as any.

Col Robert Gould Shaw, Glory

FIRST TIME VIEWERS:  ALISA, ANDREW, JOE

Director Edward Zwick brings us this late 80’s look at the first black regiment enlisted to fight for the Union during the Civil War. Populated by a cast of incredible actors including Morgan Freeman, Andre Braugher, Matthew Broderick and Cary Elwes, the film includes a standout performance from Denzel Washington, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role.

Does this 33 year-old film offer a perspective that holds up under the scrutiny of current understanding? Can Matthew Broderick effectively embody a character so charged with authority? Did people really use the term “secesh” for those who favored the Confederate cause? And is the ending of this story quite what we expected? Join the charge as we raise our Union flag and bravely march into our discussion of this story of the Civil War, race, bravery and emotion.

Click here to listen to Episode 40: Glory.

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I would like to think that you are all my friends, for to be without friends is a serious form of poverty.

Aloysius T. McKeever, It Happened on 5th Avenue

FIRST TIME VIEWERS:  ALISA, ANDREW, BETHANY, CHERYL, JOE

The holidays are upon us and it’s time for the movies we all know and love and have watched a hundred times. But, for our purposes, those won’t do. We searched high and low for a holiday film none of us had ever seen before. We found it in director/producer Roy Del Ruth’s 1947 romantic comedy, It Happened on 5th Avenue.

Can a lesser-known winter-time movie be any good? Is there a reason this film didn’t become a holiday classic? Is it a screwball comedy, a romance, a social commentary, a musical or all of the above? Could this actually be a Scrooge story in disguise? Does it’s two hour run-time make sense? And just how romantic is it to shoot holes in a wall with a shotgun? Join us in the O’Connor mansion as we try It Happened on 5th Avenue on for size.

Click here to listen to Episode 39: It Happened on 5th Avenue.

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This is the nature of war. By protecting others, you save yourselves. If you only think of yourself, you’ll only destroy yourself.

Kambei Shimada, Seven Samurai

FIRST TIME VIEWERS:  BETHANY, CHERYL, JOE

When faced with a three and a half hour, subtitled, black and white 1954 movie about samurai in the 16th century, it was admittedly a bit daunting for those of us who hadn’t yet seen Akira Kurosawa’s fabled epic. But, we harvested our rice, packed our meager bags, and set out on a journey to find our heroes.

Is this the most Western Eastern movie we’ve ever seen? How does it compare to the multitude of remakes, reimaginings, and takeoffs it’s inspired? Does it feel as long as its runtime? Can modern Western viewers find relevant themes in this story of ancient warriors? How incredibly awesome is Toshiro Mifune? Listen to find out whether we’ll battle like samurai and bandits, or join our magnificent five personalities together in harmony to defeat our fear of this lengthy classic.

Click here to listen to Episode 38: Seven Samurai.

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“Whatever happened to chivalry? Does it only exist in 80’s movies? I want John Cusack holding a boombox outside my window. I wanna ride off on a lawnmower with Patrick Dempsey. I want Jake from Sixteen Candles waiting outside the church for me. I want Judd Nelson thrusting his fist into the air because he knows he got me. Just once I want my life to be like an 80’s movie, preferably one with a really awesome musical number for no apparent reason. But no, no, John Hughes did not direct my life.”

Olive Penderghast, Easy A

FIRST TIME VIEWERS:  ALISA, CHERYL, JOE

Remember that time in high school English class that you were supposed to read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter? Did you read it? Or did you watch one of the movie versions? We decided to watch director Will Gluck and writer Bert V. Royal’s movie version that talks about all the other movie versions, while turning the concept into a John Hughes style high school comedy.

Does this movie really have anything to do with The Scarlet Letter? Why do we decide we’d like to see Emma Stone in a 30’s style screwball comedy? Can a movie character tell you exactly what’s going to happen in their movie and still have it be a surprise to watch? What’s the deal with Ojai? And why have some reviewers criticized this movie as anti-Christian? Join us as we spend our gift cards to watch and discuss this modern take on a very old story.

Click here to listen to Episode 36: Easy A

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Boy, there’s been some weird people in here today.

Hippo, Car Wash

FIRST TIME VIEWERS:  ALISA, ANDREW, BETHANY, JOE

We’re driving to downtown Los Angeles to have our cars cleaned, 1970’s style. Cheryl has us all watching another questionable classic with Car Wash, improbably written by Joel Schumacher. You’ve heard Rose Royce’s disco hit of the same name, now hear about the movie that’s just as steeped in mid-seventies weirdness. Jam packed with notable names like Franklyn Ajaye, Bill Duke, Melanie Mayron, Antonio Fargas and Otis Day, with cameos by Richard Pryor and George Carlin, Car Wash is comedy with a touch of social consciousness.

Is this an OG hangout movie? Is it uncomfortably retro in its approach to people of color and LGBTQ? Is it right to feature Pryor and Carlin prominently on the DVD cover? Is there something deeper going on here than just oddball seventies humor? What are the best lyrics of the theme song? And what stands in place of the Dee-Luxe Car Wash these days? Join us on the corner of 6th and Rampart to find out.

Click here to listen to Episode 35: Car Wash

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We’ve become a race of Peeping Toms. What people ought to do is get outside their own house and look in for a change. Yes, sir. How’s that for a bit of homespun philosophy?

Stella, Rear Window

FIRST TIME VIEWERS:  BETHANY, CHERYL

Like us, you probably spent a lot of time during the pandemic, looking at the world just outside your window and keeping up with the neighborhood activity. But, what if you saw something awful? Something you were sure of, but couldn’t prove? L.B. Jefferies (Jimmy Stewart) in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film Rear Window becomes obsessed with just such a scenario. He pulls everyone into the plot, including his girlfriend (Grace Kelly), his old war buddy turned police detective (Wendell Corey), and his physical therapist (Thelma Ritter). But, did anything bad really happen over in Lars Thorwald’s (Raymond Burr) apartment? Or is it all just in L.B.’s imagination?

Did we become as obsessed with this story as L.B.? Were we a little jealous of his camera lenses? What kind of guy won’t compromise a little bit for a woman like Grace Kelly? Did the song composer and the lonely-hearted woman become an item? Have we ever been so hot, we wanted to sleep outside for the night? And would we spy on our neighbors, maybe even climb a fire escape and break into their apartment, just to satisfy our curiosity? Join us in the courtyard for a neighborly conversation during which we’ll reveal all.

Click here to listen to Episode 34: Rear Window

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You know, we’re right back where we started. When I was on the stage, you had to depend on me for everything. Even the food you ate came from me. Now you have to depend on me for your food again. So, you see, we’re right back where we started.

- Baby Jane Hudson, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane

FIRST TIME VIEWERS:  BETHANY, CHERYL, JOE

We take on yet another story of Hollywood glamour and stardom gone bad, as we learn the story of Baby Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) and Blanche Hudson (Joan Crawford), sisters and bitter rivals in life and career. Robert Aldrich’s classic film has taken on a second life, as it is celebrated for its campy, catty attitude and melodramatic story.

What ever happens when you put two of the biggest movie stars ever together and let them play two of the biggest movie stars ever? What ever happens when a former child actor feels overshadowed by her sister? What ever happens when you put two reclusive, unstable people together and make them rely on each other? What exactly did ever happen that night in the driveway? Do you wonder what ever would happen if you decided not to listen to this episode? But you are Blanche, you are gonna listen!

Click here to listen to Episode 33: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

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Trees and people used to be good friends. I saw that tree and decided to buy the house.

-Tatsuo Kusakabe, My Neighbor Totoro

FIRST TIME VIEWERS:  CHERYL, JOE

Beautiful scenery, screaming children, the Cat Bus, and great big fluffy Totoro. What more can we say about this late 80's animated classic from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli? There aren't many words in this movie, nor is there a complicated plot, but there's plenty of "squee". Is that enough for us to understand its lasting appeal?

How many of us want to ride in a Cat Bus or sleep on a Totoro? How distracted are we by the idea of a Studio Ghibli theme park? Does this movie qualify as anime? Have we pulled out our credit cards to buy ALL the merchandise? Could there be a connection between this film and the Beatles? And how excited can two kids get about a rotting house? Join us, as we crawl our way through the underbrush into the magical world of Totoro.

Click here to listen to Episode 32: My Neighbor Totoro.

Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app, so you never miss an episode!