On the BiTTE

A momentous uncovering requires a momentous cast! Not just just one, or two or even three. But four absolutely depraved individuals looking at the crowning jewel of the McQueeners trilogy. 

There's a lot of history between SHAME and Laura. Videos, excited faces and soft bans on Instagram, to name a few. To help we welcome Josh Martin and Kat Whitacre of "Uncomfortable Brunch" to the table as we reminisce tales of our past and what this film has brought to us, good or bad. There's a tonne to expose here, mostly that Fassbender pulls out the performance of a lifetime in one of the saddest and most tragic depictions of addiction in recent cinema history. Ryan still thinks that Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick in DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES is probably sadder but anyway. 

Are you asking "What is Uncomfortable Brunch"? Well, you're obviously a terrible fan as we kinda covered it when Josh was on for the Jackass Quadrilogy way back when but to repeat, you watch uncomfortable art films around midday on a Sunday to alcohol and brunch items with a cinema going crowd; it's awesome! SHAME is playing at Uncomfortable Brunch, at the Enzian Theatre located in Maitland, FL, on September 4th. Tickets can be found here (if they are still available); https://enzian.org/film/shame/ 

Sit back and enjoy this very special and long episode to commemorate this specially sad film.

Welcome to McQueeners! Our special series kicks off with Steve McQueen's 2008 directorial debut Hunger. Starring Michael Fassbender, this is not an easy film to talk about. We tread lightly, but it's still a very important film that deals with a difficult period in Irish history. Not only is this Steve McQueen's first feature film, it's also Michael Fassbender's full-frontal debut. Our films in the McQueener series don't get any lighter, by a long shot, but please enjoy!

EPISODE 30! Look at us now, we've really done it. For this watershed episode we are giving you WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY (2007) with an accidental sidebar delving into THE WOODSMAN (2004). The Woodsman doesn't have enough full-frontal to warrant a single episode, but because we got confused and watched it anyway you can hear us talk about what  nightmare it is. Congrats to us on 30, and here's to another 30 more!

Scarlett Johansson is naked for about 60% of this movie and neither one of us even remembered. What we did remember was when her character lured an unsuspecting man into her void-like spacecraft and allowed him to sink into black goop while sporting a massive erection. It doesn't just happen once, it happens TWICE! And a third time, although slightly differently. That's the power of this one folks! 

Join us in talking about the trail blazer himself Jonathan Glazer, and his enigmatic, dramatic, arthouse, erotic sci-fi film.

Part four and the end of Schrader-thon. Yeah, I know, I can sense your disappointment. But unlike our last episode, where the film was like crawling through broken glass, Schrader's THE CARD COUNTER (2021) is his follow up after the electrifying FIRST REFORMED. We follow gambling drifter Oscar Isaac as he tries to outrun his past as a soldier incarcerated for torturing prisoners of war. It's pretty dark, uncompromising and in perfect Paul Schrader fashion, has a man writing in a diary in it.

Part three of Schrader-thon... Uh... Yay! This film was rather divisive. Sometimes Laura defends films against Ryan's wrath for the sake of defending it, seeing what modicum of value it holds, like it's a frail creature, seeking warmth, comfort and sanctuary. At times, it's an admirable quality. Ryan's here to say; bolt your doors, close your windows, turn the heat up and let Paul Schrader's THE CANYONS perish in the cold. 

Part two of Schrader-thon! It wasn't deliberate BUT, the quality takes a bit of a knock the further we go on. Like life, it is full of peaks and troughs, ebbs and flows and Malcolm McDowell. There's some cool stuff to enjoy here (even if it's too long)!

Part one of Schrader-thon is here!

Exploring the filmography of Paul Schrader has been an absolute treat and we're starting this series off with a bang! We both really liked this one.

American Gigolo (1980) marks Schrader’s third directorial effort, and Richard Gere’s very first full-frontal appearance (but certainly not his last). Paul Schrader has become one of Laura’s favorite directors lately, so we’re both excited to delve into this man’s films. If things go as planned, we’ll even get to talk about some of his movies that DON’T have full-frontal…

Currently streaming free on HBO Max and anywhere else you stream your movies if you don’t have HBO Max (and you want to pay to rent it).

This titular Daddy attempts to do some really awful things to his son at one point while being in a state of consistent inebriation. Maybe he grabbed the knife to try and give his son a more agreeable haircut. Fix his fringe. Daddy didn't know his actions would be misconstrued. That's it, he was perfectly safe. Ant Timpson's directorial horror/comedy debut starring Elijah Wood is a pretty fun romp. 

There's only way to make money in this world. There's no excuses according to this movie. This is THE only way to make money. Or die in the process of doing so. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's acting debut in the loose telling of his life story, titled after one of his albums. He does a decent job as the lead in this film among the heavyweights he's against but really, the term "paint-by-numbers" comes to mind.