259: AFI #71 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN [1998] (w/ Special Guest - Brian Boarini)
“Keep the sand out of your weapons. Keep those actions clear. I'll see you on the beach.”
“Keep the sand out of your weapons. Keep those actions clear. I'll see you on the beach.”
“I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.”
It’s the holiday season… turkeys are being eaten, top 10 lists are being constructed, awards have begun to be handed out in critics groups, and we’re trying to keep up with it all! Join us as we dive head-first into a catch-up pod that’s brimming over with content like so much Thanksgiving leftovers:
THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN - 00:05:45
FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD - 00:9:47
WIDOWS - 00:15:52
GREEN BOOK - 00:30:35
CREED II - 00:41:05
In honor of the passing of screenwriting luminary William Goldman we decided to move this episode up in our schedule to pay tribute to one of the most talented scribes ever to sire a slugline.
And, in case you missed it a couple weeks back, consider checking out our episode dedicated to All the President’s Men- Goldman’s other, legendary Oscar-winning screenplay.
"I do wish we could chat longer, but... I'm having an old friend for dinner."
We’ve spent the last couple of months focusing on some of our different “spinoff” series… Matt was out of the country for a bit… and we had to work out some technical glitches as we get all of our domain materials consolidated under one roof…
But [!], now we’re back, jazzed about awards season, and ready to talk about the here, the now, and what’s going on at your local cineplex. Let’s get contemporary, shall we?
00:12:27 - A STAR IS BORN
00:36:36 - FIRST MAN
00:52:10 - BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE
This installment is affectionately titled "The Death of Dreamworks" and spans 2002-2005:
-MINORITY REPORT
-CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
-THE TERMINAL
-WAR OF THE WORLDS
-MUNICH
Sydney Poitier historian and all-around cinematic raconteur Ben Goff (@benjaminygoff) joins us on a very special episode of our AFI Countdown Series to discuss the 1960s, race relations, and how Norman Jewison's IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT factored into both.
“Sorry I had a fight in the middle of your Black Panther party.”
"If you're gonna do it, do it right. If you're gonna hype it, hype it with the facts. I don't mind what you did. I mind the way you did it."
A story of industry, of individual enterprise - humanity crusading in the pursuit of happiness.
The Mission: Impossible film series is without peer or equal in its unprecedented ability to improve with each subsequent installment since J.J. Abrams’ soft reboot three films ago. As such, it should come as no surprise that MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, the 6th entry in this 22 year old franchise is not only quite possibly the creative peak of the series but also one of the greatest action films in recent memory.
Join us as we work our way through all 5 previous installments before leaping headfirst into a gushfest about Christopher McQuarrie’s summertime gift to cineplexes, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT. We talk about it ALL and spoil pretty much everything so be forewarned!
This installment is affectionately titled "The Birth of Dreamworks" and spans 1997-2001:
-THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK
-AMISTAD
-SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
-A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
This installment is affectionately titled "Peter Pan Grows Up" and spans 1989-1993:
-INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE
-ALWAYS
-HOOK
-JURASSIC PARK
-SCHINDLER'S LIST
On the occasion of Marvel Studios' 20th (twentieth!) release in the official MCU, we get together for a conversation that includes an unexpectedly glowing review of said release, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP, a loving retrospective on the career of Michael Douglas, aggressive overuse of the term "mumbo-jumbo", and a brisk run-through of our respective Marvel movie top 10 rankings.
Be advised that if you're one of the half dozen people on the planet who still haven't seen INFINITY WAR you may wanna sit this episode out until you do...
On this week's episode we get to talk about Brad Bird's INCREDIBLES 2 and we have to talk about JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINDOM. This compromise lands us in a bit of a "push", critically speaking... but a brisk and entertaining push at the very very least!
We appreciate you listening in. After all, we are your biggest fan...
On the eve of our sixth official Fantasy Film League draft we engage in a discussion about the futility of early awards predictions, talk Toni Collette's big weekend and her nerve-shearing, barn-burner horror odyssey HEREDITARY, and still find time for a spirited disagreement about the fourth film in the seventeen year old OCEAN'S franchise. To avoid fainting keep repeating "It's only a podcast, only a podcast, only a podcast..."
"If they move, kill 'em."
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.
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!