the litter box

Dennis with the 10 year old rom-com starring Harry Potter and Kylo Ren? We should've seen it coming. This week we got an unexpected treat in somehow minimally corny What If.

Directed by Michael Dowse. Starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, and William Jackson Harper.

“A medical-school dropout (Daniel Radcliffe) tries to hide his attraction to his new friend (Zoe Kazan), a bubbly artist who already has a boyfriend."

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro / Initial Reviews (spoiler-free)
13:11 - Discussion (spoilers)
50:59 - Final Thoughts / Reviews (spoiler-free)
58:54 - Next Movie Reveal

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Zack pulls the Ari Aster card this week with Midsommar. We elected to watch the director's cut, which was 151 minutes of pure fairytale horror.

Directed by Ari Aster. Starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, and William Jackson Harper.

“A young American couple, their relationship foundering, travel to a fabled Swedish midsummer festival where a seemingly pastoral paradise transforms into a sinister, dread-soaked nightmare as the locals reveal their terrifying agenda.”

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro / Initial Reviews (spoiler-free)
17:25 - Discussion (spoilers)
1:02:54 - Final Thoughts / Reviews (spoiler-free)
1:08:28 - Next Movie Reveal

*Correction: Matt mentioned the film We Need to Talk About Kevin in this episode, crediting Ari Aster. That film was actually directed by Lynne Ramsay. The Strange Thing About the Johnsons is the short film directed by Ari Aster.*

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This week was Matt’s pick and there were buckets of tears and buckets of chicken wings in Darren Aronofsky’s film adaptation of the 2012 play, The Whale.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky. Starring Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, and Hong Chau.

“A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.”

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro / Initial Reviews (spoiler-free)
12:32 - Discussion (spoilers)
58:40 - Final Thoughts / Reviews (spoiler-free)
1:08:56 - Next Movie Reveal

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This week we saw (for the second time) the most highly anticipated sequel of the last decade: Avatar: The Way of Water. James Cameron comes out of a 13 year cryosleep swinging and boy are we here for it.

Directed by James Cameron. Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, and Sigourney Weaver.

"Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, "Avatar: The Way of Water" begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure."

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro / Initial Reviews (spoiler-free)
13:49 - Discussion (spoilers)
1:09:20 - Final Thoughts / Reviews (spoiler-free)
1:15:23 - Next Movie Reveal

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Continuing our efforts to catch up on our backlog, we got back in the studio after a 3 week break to record Dennis' pick: Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. Who would have thought that a movie from the 70s would actually be worthy of its place in the top movies of all time list.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Starring Marlon Brandon, Al Pacino, and James Caan.

"Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, this mob drama, based on Mario Puzo's novel of the same name, focuses on the powerful Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). When the don's youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino), reluctantly joins the Mafia, he becomes involved in the inevitable cycle of violence and betrayal. Although Michael tries to maintain a normal relationship with his wife, Kay (Diane Keaton), he is drawn deeper into the family business."

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro / Initial Reviews
13:45 - Discussion
46:40 - Movie Castings Sidebar
1:02:02 - Final Thoughts / Reviews
1:04:44 - Next Movie Reveal

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Finally releasing our episode on the highly anticipated follow up to 2019's Knives Out, Glass Onion. Originally recorded back during the film's limited theater release in November.

Directed by Ryan Johnson. Starring Daniel Craig, Ed Norton, and Dave Bautista.

"Benoit Blanc returns to peel back the layers in a new Rian Johnson whodunit. This fresh adventure finds the intrepid detective at a lavish private estate on a Greek island, but how and why he comes to be there is only the first of many puzzles. Blanc soon meets a distinctly disparate group of friends gathering at the invitation of billionaire Miles Bron for their yearly reunion. Among those on the guest list are Miles' former business partner Andi Brand, current Connecticut governor Claire Debella, cutting-edge scientist Lionel Toussaint, fashion designer and former model Birdie Jay and her conscientious assistant Peg, and influencer Duke Cody and his sidekick girlfriend Whiskey. As in all the best murder mysteries, each character harbors their own secrets, lies and motivations. When someone turns up dead, everyone is a suspect."

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro / Initial Reviews (spoiler-free)
13:00 - Discussion (spoilers)
56:02 - Final Thoughts / Reviews (spoiler-free)
1:01:00 - Next Movie Reveal (The Menu is already out! Check it out here!)

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This week we channel our inner Ryan Gosling with Zack's pick (and one of Dennis' all time favorites): Blade Runner 2049. 

Directed by Denis Villeneuve. Starring Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, and Ana de Armas.

"Officer K (Ryan Gosling), a new blade runner for the Los Angeles Police Department, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. His discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former blade runner who's been missing for 30 years."

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro / Initial Reviews (spoiler-free)
17:35 - Discussion (spoilers)
51:27 - Final Thoughts / Reviews (spoiler-free)
1:02:50 - Next Movie Reveal

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This week we chat about surprisingly solid black comedy The Menu.

Directed by Mark Mylod. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nicholas Hoult.

"A couple (Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) travels to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises."

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro / Initial Reviews (spoiler-free)
13:15 - Discussion (spoilers)
52:54 - Final Thoughts / Reviews (spoiler-free)
58:40 - Next Movie Reveal

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This week we blow the dust off Dennis' pick - highly influential 1995 crime drama Heat. Spoilers throughout this one - it's 27 years old.

Directed by Michael Mann. Starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Val Kilmer.

Timestamps
00:00 Intro / Initial Reviews
50:05 Final Reviews

"Master criminal Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) is trying to control the rogue actions of one of his men, while also planning one last big heist before retiring. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hanna (Al Pacino) attempts to track down McCauley as he deals with the chaos in his own life, including the infidelity of his wife (Diane Venora) and the mental health of his stepdaughter (Natalie Portman). McCauley and Hanna discover a mutual respect, even as they try to thwart each other's plans."

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This week we discuss Zack's first pick and childhood favorite Disturbia. There's just something about those manic pixie dream girls and their love for video games that gets those teen juices flowin'.

Spoilers throughout this one so beware. 

Directed by D.J. Caruso. Starring Shia LaBeouf, David Morse, and Sarah Roemer.

"Ever since his father died, young Kale (Shia LaBeouf) has become increasingly sullen and withdrawn, until he finds himself under house arrest. With cabin fever setting in, he turns his attention to spying on his neighbors, becoming increasingly suspicious that one of them is a serial killer. However, he wonders if he is right, or if his overactive imagination is getting the better of him."

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