241: SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY and the bitter taste of inevitable franchise fatigue

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It's been less than 6 months since we last discussed a new STAR WARS movie. But where THE LAST JEDI was controversial and divisive, SOLO is already proving to be sobering and disappointing (critically and financially). 10 movies into the 41 year old franchise (no, we're not counting the theatrically-released CLONE WARS feature), is it finally time to step back and take stock of this juggernaut, lest it lose its cinematic soul? Or is this just a middling installment in a series that was overdue for a legitimate clunker?
We dig into all of that and more in this week's [mostly] spoiler-flirting, deep-dive into the newest Lord-Miller-Howard joint, S:ASWS. 

240: DEADPOOL 2 rears its ugly head, WILLOW turns 30, and Cannes 2018 passes out prizes

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This week on the We Like Movies Podcast we're excited to bring you a really great episode about a really dreadful movie.
Yes, we got downright curmudgeonly during our discussion about DEADPOOL 2 but that's okay because it was cathartic (and SPOILERY, so consider yourself fore-warned!).
On the other end of the spectrum we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Ron Howard's WILLOW and quickly run down the most publicized take-away lessons from all of the Cannes coverage we ingested, second-hand.
It took maximum effort to get through this week's movie. But the podcast about it goes down like a silky-smooth chablis.
You can trust us. We've been doing this for 216 episodes!

239: Affectionately Disassembling AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

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There's a new Marvel movie out. It's called AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. About 900 million dollars at the box office in less than a week suggests that perhaps you might have seen it by now. If, by some chance you haven't yet, then perhaps consider coming back to this episode after you have because we dive into SPOILERS face first and from the word GO. Fair warning, nearest and dearest.

237: Our Spring-Cleaning Episode - Cannes Lineup, Netflix Controversy, BLOCKERS, and [finally] READY PLAYER ONE

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The snow has melted, the April showers are washing the detritus from the sidewalk, and the sunny specter of the summer movie season is visible in the distance. It's time to throw open the shutters, get out the broom, and do a little spring-cleaning-catchup. The discussion will include, but is not limited to, a brief look at the more high-profile films coming to the Cannes Film Festival, the ongoing feud between said soirée and its deep-pocketed nemesis Netflix, a quick endorsement of BLOCKERS, and a long-overdue reaction to Steven Spielberg's controversial, literary adaptation READY PLAYER ONE. Tune-in, turn-on, drop-out, catch-up... man.

236: The Delightful ISLE OF DOGS Lands in a Kennel of Controversy

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We love Wes Anderson here on the We Like Movies Podcast. We've never made a secret about that. So it comes as no surprise that we were quite taken with his most recent stop-motion endeavor. That being said there is dissent in both artistic and sociopolitical arenas to consider when it comes to ISLE OF DOGS. We do our best to address those concerns in this week's episode while also positioning the film in the annuls of our individual Anderson rankings. Join us, won't you? (Karina Longworth-style)

234: AFI #82 - SUNRISE

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After 9 months dormant, the AFI Top 100 Challenge podcast series comes roaring back with a deep-cut discussion of a bona fide masterpiece: F.W. Murnau's seminal, silent showpiece SUNRISE. Support silent cinema, peoples! It's coming back in a big way!
No, but, in all seriousness... it's a really important film and a really great episode. Give it a listen and we'll love you for it. <3

232: ANNIHILATION reactions and Our Official Oscar Predictions!

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Our conversation is lengthy this week as we have a great many thoughts about Alex Garland's sophomore feature ANNIHILATION.
But the real meat of the episode is an overthink-a-thon about all 24 Oscar categories culminating with us putting our predictions on the record!

Oh, and just for fun, in honor of the controversial "preferential" ballot that determines the best picture winner, we each organized our own this week to get a sense of how we'd rank the 9 nominees if we were voting members of the Academy. It's a strictly academic exercise but here's what we came up with:

Matt
9. DARKEST HOUR
8. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
7. THE POST
6. GET OUT
5. THE SHAPE OF WATER
4. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
3. PHANTOM THREAD
2. LADY BIRD
1. DUNKIRK

Oscar
9. DARKEST HOUR
8. THE POST
7. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
6. GET OUT
5. THE SHAPE OF WATER
4. LADY BIRD
3. DUNKIRK
2. PHANTOM THREAD
1. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME

 

231: BLACK PANTHER's got legs (and claws!)

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You will not be able to stay home, brother
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and
Skip out for beer during commercials
Because the revolution will not be televised
...the revolution will be live

The multiplexes were pulsating over the weekend with an electricity rarely experienced during the flyover months. Not only did BLACK PANTHER arrive bearing the good will and sustenance to feed an underserved audience but it coasted in on unanimous critical acclaim and made box office history in less than 4 days. We're here to talk about it cuz it's what everybody's talkin' about!
Our review kicks in at 00:20:10 and the spoilers come fast and furiously!   

230: Top 10s of 2017 Plus Oscar Nomination Predictions!

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It took us until practically the end of January but we made it just under the wire in time to get our Top 10 of 2017 lists on the record before the Oscar nominations were announced (barely). Join us for a lively discussion with less overlap that usual as we count down the 2017 movies that reminded us why we bother making lists like these in the first place. Then stay tuned as we quickly log our official Oscar predictions in advance of tomorrow's nomination ceremony.
Remember 2017? We'll never let it die!

For Matt's long-winded blurbs on his picks click here!

TITANIC 20th Anniversary Podcastacular!

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Happy Holidays, WLM family!

20 years ago today a little movie about a big boat premiered in theaters around the world. Said theaters have been in pain ever since due to the insane foot and rear-end traffic that persisted for next 5 months as the film went on to gross over 2 billion dollars worldwide and basically bow-checked the modern blockbuster paradigm into the the 21st century. James Cameron's TITANIC was the recipient of 11 Oscars including best picture and currently holds the #83 position on the AFI's top 100 American films of all time list.

6 Months ago we invited TITANIC superfan Laura Crow to join us for our AFI / TITANIC dis-cush  and the conversation went so well that we decided to post an encore presentation of that podcast today in honor of Kate, Leo, and James's 20th anniversary celebration.

Here's hoping you're just as "Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave" as we are. <---That's a deep cut for the hardcore JacknRosers.

226: Discussing THE DISASTER ARTIST and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

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It's awards season! It's happening! There's no turning back! You can't escape it!
With that in mind we dedicated this week's episode to running down the 4 major critic's circle prizes that have been announced over the last 2 weeks as well as taking some quality time to address a couple of those award winners in earnest:
00:21:30 - THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
00:38:30 - THE DISASTER ARTIST
Vive la différence!

225: Judging JUSTICE LEAGUE and Loving LADY BIRD

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It's our 2nd comic book behemoth review in as many weeks here at We Like Movies and the overwhelming fatigue has certainly crept into our collective unconscious. We struggle valiantly to remain constructive as opposed to outright dismissive about the inevitable JUSTICE LEAGUE fiasco on this week's episode. We fail just as often as we succeed- comic critical mass is a real thing, after all... But, on the upside, we also take the opportunity to gush about Greta Gerwig's delightful LADY BIRD which is almost an effective counteractant for DC doldrums.... almost...
Oh, and MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS too... cuz that's also a movie. Seriously!  

224: The Unconventional Conventionality of THOR: RAGNAROK

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After an early winter hiatus we're back at it and in familiar territory with our bi-yearly shlep into the weird, wacky, wonderful, yet confoundingly customary Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's time for our spoiler-free, shoulder-shrugging reaction to THOR: RAGNAROK, the 17th (!) installment in the venerable, nigh-unstoppable MCU.   

223: A 35 year old genre classic gets sequelized in BLADE RUNNER 2049

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If you thought the original BLADE RUNNER was dark, somber, deliberately-paced, and philosophically-inlined, then boy-howdy you've yet to experience the sequel. BLADE RUNNER 2049, a film nearly 4 decades in the making, has finally arrived on a wave of critical swooning and breathless anticipation... only to be met with a wildly disappointing opening weekend at the box office. Join us as we break down the film's complicated relationship with its predecessor, its ambitious approach to "franchise" filmmaking, and the implications of its current financial predicament.
Casual spoilers kick in at 00:41:45
SERIOUS spoilers kick in at 00:49:01

Bonus! If you're interested in hearing a more in-depth discussion about the 1982 original, check out this episode of our AFI Top 100 Challenge from April of last year: BLADE RUNNER