Apocalypse Now (Greatest Movie of All-Time Podcast) - Currently on HBO
-Listen to the podcast on Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts, and RadioPublic
*Recommendation Rating: Famous Must-See War Movie Especially a Case Study for Vietnam
A Few Good Men - Currently Showing on AMC
-Still one of the great courtroom drama movies of all-time. Tom Cruise's Daniel Caffey playing against Jack Nicholson's Colonel Jessup is absolute movie gold. Moreover, Aaron Sorkin's script doesn't seem to ever miss a beat as we are treated to an exploration of military values particularly Marines.
*Recommendation Rating: a must-see for any NCIS, Law and Order, or Courtroom procedural junkies, also one of Tom Cruise's best non-action movie performances.
Jerry Maguire - Currently on Netflix
-Stick through to the ending. That's what I had to keep telling myself as I rewatched this "classic". The entry point of this movie is rushed, and I don't understand any character's motivation in what they are doing or acting save for Cuba Gooding Jr's iconic Rod Tidwell performance. Yet, the last 20-30 minutes of this movie saves it from being on my completely overrated list. **SPOILERS** You still feel the tension while Tidwell is unconscious, when Jerry confesses his love, or when Tidwell gets his contract on air. Sometimes, all's well that ends well.
Die Hard - Currently on HBO
-One of the greatest pure action movies of all-time, this movie launched the careers of Alan Rickman and Bruce Willis. While the other entries in the series do nothing to capture the same magic of the original, Die Hard 1 oozes charm, charisma, tension, action, and emotion from every scene. A delightful rewatch every time I see it. It, along with Love Actually and the Holiday, is on my personal off the beaten path Christmas movie rewatch every year.
Dirty Harry - Currently on Netflix
-The original loose-cannon cop counter-culture anti-hero movie. There are several parts of this that have not been able to be timeless, but listening to the exceptional score that grants Dirty Harry its charm and pace while watching Clint Eastwood recite one of the most famous movie monologues in history talking about his .44 Magnum is still gripping cinema. The only question you will ever ask yourself in the end is "Do ya feel lucky?"
The Great Escape - Currently on Prime
-If you asked anyone that grew up in the 80s or 90s their favorite cable movie, you're bound to get the Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Top Gun, the Shawshank Redemption, Apollo 13, or Forrest Gump. For the Baby Boomer generation, if they had cable rewatch like we did in the 90s or 2000s, I'm sure we would get this movie on a list of them. Like the Dirty Dozen, the Guns of Navarone, or a Bridge Too Far, this was made as a cool guy war movie of the era. Starring Steve McQueen in is seminal role and featuring a score you will know or at least heard of even if you've never seen the movie, this is another fun action war film featuring some of the best actors of the time.
Homeland (Eps. 1.4-2.5) Showtime
-What a great ride this has been. I'm sorry I came so late to this show. It was always on that list everyone has of the shows they want to watch but never get to. Just when you think that you figured out where the next turn is going to go, this show has divert slightly or completely flipped convention.
*Recommendation Rating: An enjoyable binge right now in quarantine, I hope this continues despite knowing that the public commentary seems to indicate the show has dropped off in some of the more recent seasons.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Eps. 3.9-3.10) Amazon Prime
-What a great and yet bittersweet ending to the season. This continues to be one of the funniest shows on TV, and one of the best written too. When Midge gets on stage at the Apollo, I audibly noted "this isn't going to end well", and, yet, it circumvented my expectations if only for a little while. Despite ending on high notes in both seasons 1 and 2, we are led to believe that things will once again work out only to be crushed at the last second. I am certainly disappointed that I will likely have to wait til December if not longer due to the pause in our public lives that is COVID-19.
My Weekly Shows:
Westworld (Ep. 3.3) HBO
-The larger themes of this show are absolutely beautiful. As we explore yet another world (ours), we are shown what life would be if we allowed technology to take over our decision making instead of just simply being the tools of our decisions. It essentially shows what restraints we allow upon ourselves for the peace of mind of not having to make decisions for ourselves. Both sentient Charlotte Hale and Caleb Nichols are masterfully shown through deep character dives that only makes me want more.
Superstore (Ep. 5.20) NBC
-One of the best episodes of the season. We actually got some of the first character development for the main people since Jonah and Amy got together. Jonah finally figures out how to stand up for himself (giving us a good plot line in the process with his family), Amy starts to show what kind of relationship she and Jonah have, and Dina starts to work on her ability to have a good, healthy relationship. Combined with a fun game that poked good-natured fun at the customers made for a really good episode.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Ep. 7.10) NBC
-Gender Reveal! Good god, why is this now the standard. That being said, it's nice that Jake Peralta is developing as a man, a son, and a soon to be father in this episode. Featuring a great, as usual, guest appearance by Martin Mull as well as Bradley Whitford, this was another great entry as this delightful show keep plugging along.
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