Movie Nights with Dad

Riley and Mark take on About Time — Richard Curtis's 2013 romantic drama about a young man who discovers he can travel back in time, and the film that quietly becomes about fathers and sons somewhere along the way. They dig into what Domhnall Gleeson brings to the lead role, what Bill Nighy does that makes the film's emotional payoff land, and whether the time travel logic matters at all given what the movie is really after. For a show called Movie Nights with Dad, this one hits a little close to home.

Riley and Mark dig into Vengeance — B.J. Novak's directorial debut, a dark comedy that starts as a fish-out-of-water story and slowly becomes something more unsettling. They get into what Novak is doing with his own performance, what Ashton Kutcher does that genuinely surprises, and whether the film's critique of media and authenticity earns its ending. A first-time director writing, directing, and starring — a lot riding on one person.

Riley and Mark take on Whiplash — Damien Chazelle's 2014 film about a young drummer and the music teacher who may or may not be destroying him. They dig into what J.K. Simmons is doing as Fletcher, whether Miles Teller makes Neiman sympathetic enough, and what the film ultimately thinks about the relationship between abuse and greatness. It's a film about a director and a performer — the kind of dynamic Mark knows from the other side of the table.

Riley and Mark dig into Wake Up Dead Man — Rian Johnson's third Benoit Blanc mystery and the most ambitious entry in the Knives Out series. They get into what Daniel Craig is doing with Blanc this time around, whether the mystery mechanics hold up to scrutiny, and how it stacks up against Knives Out and Glass Onion. Johnson has now built an entire cinematic universe out of a Southern accent and a cardigan.

Riley and Mark take on 12 Angry Men — Sidney Lumet's debut feature and one of the most purely theatrical films ever made, set almost entirely inside a single jury room. They dig into what Henry Fonda is and isn't doing as Juror 8, which of the twelve performances deserves more attention, and how Lumet makes a film with no action feel genuinely tense from start to finish. For a show with a theater veteran as co-host, this one was a long time coming.

Riley and Mark take on The Philadelphia Story — the 1940 screwball comedy that sent Katharine Hepburn from box office poison back to the top of Hollywood, with Cary Grant and James Stewart along for the ride. They dig into who actually wins the movie, what the film's attitude toward its heroine looks like from a modern perspective, and why the chemistry between all three leads still crackles. Three of the greatest movie stars who ever lived in the same frame — it's as good as it sounds.

Riley and Mark dig into 84 Charing Cross Road — the 1987 film based on Helene Hanff's correspondence with a London bookseller, and one of the most unusual love stories ever put on screen. They get into what Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins do with roles built almost entirely out of letters, why a film this quiet and literary works as well as it does, and what it says about connection across distance. A relationship that spans 20 years and two continents without the two leads ever sharing a scene.

Riley and Mark take on Fargo — the Coen Brothers' 1996 crime thriller and one of the most purely satisfying movies of the last 30 years. They dig into what Frances McDormand does as Marge Gunderson that makes the character so indelible, whether Jerry Lundegaard is tragic or just stupid, and what the Coens are doing with all that snow and silence. Marge Gunderson might be the most quietly radical protagonist in American film.

Riley and Mark dig into Hud — Martin Ritt's 1963 character study in which Paul Newman plays one of Hollywood's most deliberately unpleasant protagonists. They get into what Newman is doing to make Hud charismatic enough to watch while being impossible to root for, what Melvyn Douglas and Patricia Neal are doing that earned them both Oscars, and what the film says about a certain kind of American myth. Newman was one of the most physically commanding actors who ever lived — this is the role that proved it.

Riley and Mark take on Casablanca — the film that sits at the top of more greatest-movies-ever-made lists than almost anything else. They dig into what Bogart does to make Rick work, whether Ingrid Bergman's Ilsa is as passive as she seems, and whether a film made under studio chaos with a script rewritten daily holds together as well as everyone says it does. The reputation is enormous — this episode takes it seriously enough to actually question it.