His Take:
Moments ago, I literally burst into Suzanne’s place of business and verbally assaulted her into picking a subject for this week. After hours of negotiation, we came up what I think is a really great topic. There’s a lot of things you can do while waiting for the apocalypse to end. You can read books, work on some DIY projects, but let’s face it. Sometimes you just want to sit on your ass and watch a movie. Be forewarned, I’m not what you’d call a “movie guy”. But, I was able to think of 5 movies that I love that maybe you haven’t seen, or maybe haven’t seen in a while.
Empire Records: This movie is not only the most 90s movie on my list, it might just be the most 90s movie of all time. The short version of the plot is a day in the life of a really big independent record store, with all the trappings of the times. The threat of the store closing, a huge pop star visiting for a store signing, some shoplifting, add to that a bunch of teenage/early 20something drama and you have a movie that can only take place in that era, but a movie that is timeless.
Who is Harry Crumb?: This John Candy vehicle is one of the most underrated movies ever, It didn’t exactly set the box office on fire, but chances are you flipped past it on TV. PLEASE, I’m begging you, just search it out on your DVR listings and record it so that you can watch it. I’m a sucker for mysteries, so the fact that this movie combines a mystery with the comedic prowess of John Candy makes it an absolute slam dunk.
Beyond the Mat: This documentary of a few wresters lives outside of the ring at different stages of their career is honestly, a punch in the gut. Even if you don’t know John Cena from John Hamm, the movie introduces the players like normal movie characters and then grabs your heart and bounces it around like one of those superballs. This is the first movie where I actually thought “Shit! Are they actually filming someone’s death?”….even though I knew all the people were still alive.
Great Balls of Fire!: Say what you will about him as a person, but rock pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis sure has had an interesting life and it’s successfully brought to the screen in this 1989 movie about The Killer’s life. Denis Quaid plays the title character and Winona Ryder plays his 13 year old cousin/bride. You read that right. Despite what it looks like on paper, the movie is really enjoyable and it’s a straightforward look at what this early rock and rollers life was like.
The Staircase: First off, I’m cheating. This isn’t a movie, it’s a true crime miniseries available on Netflix. But honestly, this is just so good I couldn’t NOT include it. Also, this is the one thing on my list that will probably legit keep you up at night. It’s a very straight-forward, fact driven documentary about the death of a women and the possible involvement of her husband. The difference between this and most true crime docs is that this one doesn’t really present a “side” if you will. All you get are the facts, and those facts lead you to one of two possible conclusions. But no matter what conclusion you come to, nothing will prepare you for the ending scene of this film. I recommend watching it very close to a bathroom, as pissing yourself is a very possible result.
I really hope you get a chance to take a look at least one of this movies. Sometimes we need something out of left field to take our minds our of the medias ass and just escape. In my opinion, any and all of these films will do that. Wash your hands!
Her Take:
Moments ago, I literally burst into Suzanne’s place of business and verbally assaulted her into picking a subject for this week. After hours of negotiation, we came up what I think is a really great topic. There’s a lot of things you can do while waiting for the apocalypse to end. You can read books, work on some DIY projects, but let’s face it. Sometimes you just want to sit on your ass and watch a movie. Be forewarned, I’m not what you’d call a “movie guy”. But, I was able to think of 5 movies that I love that maybe you haven’t seen, or maybe haven’t seen in a while.
Empire Records: This movie is not only the most 90s movie on my list, it might just be the most 90s movie of all time. The short version of the plot is a day in the life of a really big independent record store, with all the trappings of the times. The threat of the store closing, a huge pop star visiting for a store signing, some shoplifting, add to that a bunch of teenage/early 20something drama and you have a movie that can only take place in that era, but a movie that is timeless.
Who is Harry Crumb?: This John Candy vehicle is one of the most underrated movies ever, It didn’t exactly set the box office on fire, but chances are you flipped past it on TV. PLEASE, I’m begging you, just search it out on your DVR listings and record it so that you can watch it. I’m a sucker for mysteries, so the fact that this movie combines a mystery with the comedic prowess of John Candy makes it an absolute slam dunk.
Beyond the Mat: This documentary of a few wresters lives outside of the ring at different stages of their career is honestly, a punch in the gut. Even if you don’t know John Cena from John Hamm, the movie introduces the players like normal movie characters and then grabs your heart and bounces it around like one of those superballs. This is the first movie where I actually thought “Shit! Are they actually filming someone’s death?”….even though I knew all the people were still alive.
Great Balls of Fire!: Say what you will about him as a person, but rock pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis sure has had an interesting life and it’s successfully brought to the screen in this 1989 movie about The Killer’s life. Denis Quaid plays the title character and Winona Ryder plays his 13 year old cousin/bride. You read that right. Despite what it looks like on paper, the movie is really enjoyable and it’s a straightforward look at what this early rock and rollers life was like.
The Staircase: First off, I’m cheating. This isn’t a movie, it’s a true crime miniseries available on Netflix. But honestly, this is just so good I couldn’t NOT include it. Also, this is the one thing on my list that will probably legit keep you up at night. It’s a very straight-forward, fact driven documentary about the death of a women and the possible involvement of her husband. The difference between this and most true crime docs is that this one doesn’t really present a “side” if you will. All you get are the facts, and those facts lead you to one of two possible conclusions. But no matter what conclusion you come to, nothing will prepare you for the ending scene of this film. I recommend watching it very close to a bathroom, as pissing yourself is a very possible result.
I really hope you get a chance to take a look at least one of this movies. Sometimes we need something out of left field to take our minds our of the medias ass and just escape. In my opinion, any and all of these films will do that. Wash your hands!
Her Take:
You know I like to throw you a disclaimer right here at the top, so here we go.
First of all, he's being over dramatic. He just called me. Now, to be fair, he hasn't needed to call me on my home phone for YEARS and the last time he did, I think it was bad news, so.. ok, it was a little dramatic.
Now, my job this week is to give you 5 movies that I think you should be watching while we’re all hold up, waiting for the world to stop being infectious.. (Well, this kind of infectious anyway. Not that I want to make light. Stay home. Wash your freakin’ hands. Take up a hobby and work on yourself or something.) But the truth is that I think this is just going to be a list of movies you should just watch, even when there’s no pandemic so.. You know, if you don’t catch all of these now, watch them SOMETIME, ok?
#1 and #2 The Green Mile (1999 … Jesus, really?) and Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Right out of the gate here I’m cheating, but what are you gonna do about it? I mean, I actually can’t even believe they’re as old as they are so my brain is broken and you wouldn’t be able to reason with me anyway.
Here’s my logic though: I can’t possibly decide which movie is my favorite Stephen-King-Written-Partial-Commentary-On-The-Prison-System-Inspirationsal-Movie-Where-Terrible-Things-Happen-Movie so these two get double billing in that incredibly niche genre. Really, there’s both great stories, they show different facets of King’s phenomenal gift for characters, one has Tom Hanks, and the other has Morgan Freeman. This should really be all I need to tell you to make you realize they’re worth seeing.
#3 Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Even if I didn’t have a MASSIVE crush on Taika Watiti (which I do) I would still tell you to watch this movie (which I am) because it’s basically everything. It’s set in Germany very near the end of World War II, which is heavy. It features Taika himself playing an imaginary Adolph Hitler, which is fun… for Hitler anyway. And it’s told through the perspective of a young, adorable member of the Hitler Youth.
I’ve written and rewritten this part for the last hour because I can’t accurately describe this movie well enough to do it justice and really feel like I’m giving you a chance to love it.
Here, let me say this, it made the real lessons of the war apparent to me in a way they never have been before. And it was funny, and it was touching, and it was sad.
Walking away from it I realized that I had spent my whole life afraid of another Hitler because he, and his regime, seemed like an unbeatable enemy. But we beat them, because they were just flawed humans.
I told you it was everything, didn’t I?
Just watch it.
#4 What We Do In the Shadows (2014)
I can personally vouch for this one right now because we watched it no more than 3 days ago and it hit the spot. It’s the imaginary world that keeps on giving too because if you have the time, and you do, you can find the first short film from 2005, IMDB tells me it’s available with the DVD of the studio release from 2014, start there, then see the full movie. THEN there’s a season of the TV show that premiered last year AND the new season is coming April 15th.
You have some catching up to do, but that’s ok. It’s worth it.
BONUS! It’s co-written/produced/and stars Taika Watiti who I am VERY MUCH not stalking on the internet at odd hours of the day.
This should be the part where I say ‘Hey, if you already LOVED Jojo Rabbit, this is the same guy! You’ll love this too!’. Now, those are both true things, but it would be very weird for me to try to convince you that you’ll have the same experience with them.
What We Do in the Shadows is an entirely hilarious and ridiculous mockumentary universe filled with vampires, werewolves, and zombies except, like, needy and socially awkward just like us.
For realsies, I’m so excited about telling you that this thing exists in the world, I almost can’t find the words. It’s that good. LOVE IT! PLEASE!!
#5 Watchmen (2009)
This is another two-fer because when the credits roll on the movie, and you realize that you thought you knew how it would end but then you VERY MUCH didn’t, you have one season (and, perplexingly, just the one) of the TV show that premiered in 2019 to commit another few days of your life to with probably the same result.
I’m not making this very attractive, am I?
Ok, Watchmen is based on a comic (which was later compiled into a graphic novel) written by Alan Moore. Alan Moore is a comic writer of some renown who also looks like the guy who lived next door to your grandmother and watched you playing in the yard while he fantasized about eating her yorkie-poo. Don’t believe me? Click here.
Besides being a person who is deeply unsettling to look at (stare into his eyes, if you dare…) Moore is also has - or at least had - some stuff to work out. I think still does.
He set the Watchmen in a parallel timeline where the US won vietnam because we had masked heroes - especially one that could replicate himself, make himself any size, explode the Vietcong with his hands, and maybe not wear pants much, Watergate never happened, and Nixon is still President in the 80s. It’s a lot, and none of it is good.
The title of the comic comes from the phrase ‘quis custodiet ipsos custodes?’ or, 'who watches the watchmen'. It begs you to ponder questions about infinite power, right vs. wrong, mental illness, love, crime, and gettin’ busy in a helicopter shaped like an owl. And, at least in my opinion, that’s all worth exploring.
Ok, gang, those are my recommendations. If you do watch them, we’d love it if you leave some comments for us. Let us know what you saw, what you thought, and that you think Taiki Watiti would probably be in to me if he got the chance to meet me.
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