The Canon: An Essential Movies Watchlist

Back to camp! Tyler Harner and Romona Comet are back for our first Wes Anderson Canon episode. Moonrise Kingdom has all the heart and quirk apparent in his movies. The crew also discusses what makes Wes Anderson’s distinct style so special, which actors would we love to see work with Wes Anderson (Nic Cage of course), and why you can’t replicate his charm with AI. Plus, Romona tells us about her summer travels and Raf reveals that he went to math camp.

We are embracing the drama! This week features the co-hosts of the new podcast, Cinema Field Guide. Return guests and friends of the show Felicia Maroni and Bryan Loomis join to talk some Bogdanovich. The Last Picture Show has a lot to say about cinema, connection, and community. Felicia, Bryan, and Raf also discuss helping friends move, and the death of third spaces.

Check out the Cinema Field Guide podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/033HEX2rbkE02gUDGATgR7?si=1f8cfc04f6f24c9b

Easy Riding! Good vibes (mostly)! SAW contributor Tyler Harner is back to bring in the summer vibes. This week, we’re talking counterculture classic Easy Rider. Tyler and Raf debate best lobster roll style, break down Transformers and JFK, and nepotism in film. This episode is a trip, and you’re not going to want to miss it.

Check out Tyler’s author page on ScreenAge Wasteland:

https://screenagewasteland.com/author/tharner6/

Life! Death! God! Devil! Contrast! Swedes! Calvin Kemph, of the Twin Geeks, makes his Canon debut to talk some Seventh Seal. Cal and Raf rank the top US cities, commiserate over bad baseball teams, and dive into the Seattle grunge scene. Sprinkled in is some chatter about Bergman’s 1957 masterpiece and what it means to “do philosophy”.

Check out Calvin's work with the Twin Geeks:

https://thetwingeeks.com/

Our trickiest episode yet! Jacob Holmes joins Raf to talk about one of the most controversial movies in The Canon. The Birth of a Nation is a monumental piece of film history and a dark stain on the medium's legacy. Jacob and Raf stumble through the form and content of this DW Griffith epic and share some recommendations that hopefully prove to be a bit insightful.

Check out Jacob's author page on ScreenAge Wasteland:

https://screenagewasteland.com/author/jacobholmes62/

Our most chaotic episode yet! Friend of the show Dave Wilson is back to some The Hidden Fortress. We unwrap what Danielle Haim, Jalen Brunson, and Toshiro Mifune have in common. There’s way too much Knicks talk, a good amount of Star Wars talk, and a whole lot of Akira Kurosawa legacy talk. Plus Raf missed a golden opportunity to say hi to the world’s biggest Knicks fan who is also a titan in the film industry. 

Who’s ready for some ultrapodding? Raf’s top droog and podcasting extraordinaire, Nick Sheist joins the show. We’re hitting the milk bar and we’re bumping the Beethoven because this episode is all about Stanley Kubrick’s  A Clockwork Orange. Is this the original film bro movie? What does this movie have to say about free will? Should this movie be banned? Nick and Raf answer these questions in more.

Check out Nick’s extensive Sheist pod network:

https://linktr.ee/nicksheist

This one is for all of the divas! This week’s episode is all about All About Eve. SAW contributors Romona Comet and Thomas Reist join ScreenAge Wasteland’s number one diva (Raf) to talk about this incredible tale about the art of hating. Marilyn Monroe is a scene stealer, Thelma Ritter and Celeste Holm are unsung heroes, and Anne Baxter and goes toe to toe with the legend Bette Davis in this all time classic. 

Check out Romona and Thomas author pages on ScreenAge Wasteland:

https://screenagewasteland.com/author/itwaslikemagic1980/

https://screenagewasteland.com/author/triest/

Time to get gritty! Although Bob and Val both originally thought they'd be talking about a different movie, the SAW contributors join to talk some French Connection. We talk about New York City being a character in its own right and pining for a gross NYC of yesteryear. Raf debuts his top 5 subway scenes and a fake French accent. Bob reveals the genius of William Friedkin's asshole approach to filmmaking, and Val shares an interesting video essay.

Check out Bob and Val's author pages on ScreenAge Wasteland:

https://screenagewasteland.com/author/bobcramjr/

https://screenagewasteland.com/author/vmorreale/

The Dirty Duo discusses the Dirty Dozen! Bob Cram is back for some more Canon shenanigans. We’re looking at the rollicking good time and 1967 classic, The Dirty Dozen. Bob and Raf look at everything from discovering movies on cable TV, to the legacy of Jim Brown, to New Hollywood and anti-war movies. Plus, Bob brings some props for recommendations.

Check out Bob's author page on ScreenAge Wasteland:

https://screenagewasteland.com/author/bobcramjr/