This week, Justin and Ryan dig into "King's Row" (1942) and talk about...

- Gee, that theme music sounds familiar.

- The 'controversial' book its based on

- Getting the film made to fit into conformity with the Hayes code

- One of the changes works out better

- The kernel of truth in the depiction of "small-towns hiding dark secrets"

- Exposing wounds to sunlight - so to speak, and the lessons that we learn from that

- Ann Sheridan's Randy Monaghan

- Dr. Tower's double tragedy and theme overcoming melodrama

- The ending that soars

- Having hope for the future

- Our Verdict

- Next week's film: "Jeremiah Johnson" (1972)

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This week, Justin and Ryan dig into "Dangerous Crossing" (1953) and talk about...

- *Wanting* to be noir without understanding it.

- (Re)-cycling of plot elements taking priority over character development.

- Red-Herrings galore!

- Nothing much changes, except the man she's with.

- Foghorn accuracy.

- Next week's film: "King's Row" (1942)

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This week, Justin and Ryan dig into "The Great Dictator" (1940) and talk about...

- Revealing the juvenile nature lurking under the violence of fascist authoritarianism

- Chaplin's passion project: "Hitler must be laughed at"

- Machismo: the ultimate hot air balloon

- Comedic value vs. dramatic value

- Resisting fascism without incurring hatred

- The lesson of false hopes and wanting the bad thing to be over before it actually is

- The effect seeing the final speech had on our expectations

- The comedic "Great Dictator" vs. the dramatic one

- Our Verdict

- Next week's film: "Dangerous Crossing" (1953)

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This week, Justin and Ryan dig into "Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster" (1965) and talk about...

- A movie crudely spliced together from spare parts at visible seems? That tracks.

- That stubborn habit of mislabeling the character named "Frankenstein"

- What exactly was the need for NASA to make android "Frank" look human...

- and burying the lede of just *having made a functional android*

- Two casts doing different movies, sewn together badly

- Taking random left-turns into "Roman Holiday"

- How much stock footage is too much stock footage?

- When you're an actor who thinks they're in a better movie than they are.

- Dr. Nadir being the best character in the film.

- Odds and ends. Some trivia.

- More hot Vespa-riding action.

- Next week's film: "The Great Dictator" (1940)

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This week, Justin and Ryan dig into "The Pink Panther" (1963) and talk about...

- Don't make opening credits like they used to, or at all, really...

- How it holds up compared to the rest of the franchise

- Clouseau as a neat party trick side-character

- Justin goes deep on the Stradivarius joke

- "Flanderization" of long-running characters

- David Niven makes the film work - as much as Clouseau

- One weak link in cast

- Almost dropping the landing

- Our Verdict

- Next week's film: "Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster" (1965)

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This week, Justin and Ryan drill into "Cactus Flower" (1969) and talk about...

- The magical mink coat that destroys everything good

- Exploring inter-generational differences through relationships? Nah.

- Screenwriter to women: "See the problem isn't his lying, it's that you have standards..."

- Why didn't Toni and Stephanie just team up with each other against Julian?

- Ryan takes a swing at fixing it...

- and then Justin takes a try at it.

- Ingrid Bergman "spontaneously" creating an awkward 60's dance move like... please, no.

- Remakes and trivia

- Our Verdict

- Next week's film: "The Pink Panther" (1963)

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This week, Justin and Ryan join the hunt for "Moby Dick" (1956) and talk about...

- "Call me Ishmael" ... if you can find me.

- Bringing to mind SpongeBob and Muppet Treasure Island

- Tackling translation of theme and Shakespearian-like drama from source material

- "*From hell's heart...*" Who does it better?

- Animating diorama miniatures and other SFX that just *work*.  

- A kind of authenticity it's hard to know how to feel about

- Orson Welles' one-scene sermon, and that pulpit!

- Justin's possible familial connection to the setting

- Our Verdict  

- Next week's film: "Cactus Flower" (1969)

https://archive.org/details/cactus-flower.-1969.720p.-blu-ray.x-26-odnoklassniki-7512606050872-hls-1952

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This week, Justin and Ryan dig into whatever Alec Guinness was on, in "The Ladykillers" (1955) and talk about...

https://archive.org/details/the-ladykillers-1955_202310

- Alec Guinness playing Alistair Sim, playing Professor Marcus

- The undoing of evil with innocence

- Twisting hardened criminals to play music for your old-ladies social club

- The humor in old-people perpetrating violence

- Getting the right cast

- Bringing back a small line from the middle, as the cherry on top at the end

- The heroic Mrs. Wilberforce

- The pleasing sound (effect) of villains being disposed of

- A little bit about that Coen brothers remake

- Our Verdict

- Next week's film: "Moby Dick" (1956)

https://tubitv.com/movies/300453/moby-dick

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This week, Justin and Ryan dig into "Pimpernel Smith" (1941) and talk about...

- A few comparisons to two modern iconic fictional characters

- The Flat-Arc character done well

- Propaganda - not always a bad thing!

- How being the victim of war brings clarity

- The 'idiot foil' for the hero.

- That speech!

- Justin implants an idea into Ryan's brain

- Our Verdicts

- Next week's film: "The Ladykillers" (1955)

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This week, Justin and Ryan dig up Count Dracula (1970), and talk about...

- When an adaptation betrays its source faithfully.

- Zero thematic translation achievement unlocked!

- Van Helsing having a random stroke with no connection to plot or character. Wut?

- The most life-like portrayal being the one undead guy.

- Justin getting educated on the differences between the novel and screen versions of the story.

- What atmosphere? The problem of brightly lighting your gothic horror movie.

- One slim moment of unintentional humor

- Our Verdict

- Next week's film: "Pimpernel Smith" (1941)

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