The Latecomers

Show Notes Sean Connery is Bond, James Bond this week as we watched Goldfinger from 1964. Not too rapey and also not too good at being a spy, Sean Connery slinks his way through this film in white dinner jackets, terrycloth onsies and a tan and manages to save the day, through no fault of his own. Pussy Galore, Oddjob, and “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!” are just some of the true icons from t...

Show Notes This week we take a trip to the jungles of Vietnam with some very young, very famous men in Platoon from 1986. Par for the Vietnam war movie course, this is a hard watch with a ton of violence and racism. A fetal Charlie Sheen tries to find himself on the battlefield while being pulled between the humanistic Sgt. Elias played by Willem Dafoe and the hard edge drinker Sgt. Barnes played...

Episode Notes This week we overcome and bring you the second take of our episode on Otto Preminger’s Laura from 1944 – a continuation of the noir block of the AFI list. A cavalcade of possible murders abound and we don’t even really know who the victim is – it’s a twisty-turney mystery (in 1944 at least) and we get into the tropes and trollops (we mean Vincent Price) this week.   Recommendations:...

Episode Notes This week we watched Ridley Scott’s 1982 neo-noir classic Blade Runner (The Final Cut). One in a long line of tales of a future where men make better versions of themselves and realize after the fact that that was a terrible idea. You can listen for the moment when thoughts of biology break Amity’s brain – wet AI is the worst AI.   Recommendations: Take yourself on vacation. The 355...

Episode Notes Wells, Orson Wells. This week we watched 1949’s Zither laden classic The Third Man. We take on problematic men and when to stand by them. Vienna, crumbled but beautiful, serves as the stark backdrop to the thrilling mystery of what happened to Harry Lime.   Recommendations: The Third Man (no really, it’s so good!) Timeline Scavengers Podcast   Next up: Blade Runner (1982) [We’re watc...

Episode Notes TW: Sexual Assault   This week we watched the vivacious and vibrant Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon absolutely take back their power in 1991’s Thelma and Louise. Wrong time, wrong place and wrong men back these women into a corner they hold hands and drive out of in this powerful empowerment film that is much more fun than the cultural narrative around it would have you believe. It’s...

Episode Notes It’s a sequel wherein there are two terminators but no judgment day – this week we watched James Cameron’s 1991 favorite Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Set pieces and voiceovers and water weenies galore this week as we discuss the second in the Terminator series which finds a humble Schwarzenegger going head to head with Robert Patrick and coming up somewhat short. It’s an action extra...

Episode Notes Brace yourselves for some heinous intimate partner abuse this week as we try to let Ingrid Bergman know it’s not in her head with Gaslight from 1944. Based on a play and a former movie, George Cukor brings this tense masterpiece to us as we question what we’re seeing and can’t believe we’re rooting for the cop. Romance turns to sour danger but the end is so very, very satisfying.   R...

Episode Notes Things are getting exciting in here with 1960’s western classic The Magnificent Seven. Yul Brenner and Steve McQueen lead an all-star gunslinger gang against Eli Wallach’s Calvera. Quippy, smart, with deep pathos and fun action, this movie is what this list is all about.   Recommendations: Stranger Things (Netflix) and Is It Cake? (Netflix)   Next up: Gaslight (1944)   Email us at la...

Episode Notes Sometimes a great director and a great actor can be foiled by a narcissistic producer who is obsessed with the idea of “picturization.” This week we discuss the 1940 Alfred Hitchcock adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. The protagonists leave much to be desired but the villains – cracker jack each and every one, including the one we never see.   Recommendations: Stranger Things...

Show Notes In Amity’s least favorite watch in a while, we tackle the 1976 giallo The Omen. Even Gregory Peck’s comforting presence can’t pull me out of the funk of terrible marital choices and overwhelming music. We discuss the errors in theology and the need for trust in a relationship. We discuss what good actors can do with not good material and the influences on this film and of this film.   R...

Show Notes This week we watch the 1951 sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still. We discuss all things Robert Wise, the rise of AI, how this differs from its remake, the difference several decades make, overt Christ narratives, the wonders of Robert Mitchum, ethnocentricity and more!   Recommendations: The Deep End (Hulu)   Next up: The Omen (1976)   Email us at latecomers@gmail.com Twitter: @...

Episode Notes In the quietest Opera film of all time, we witness Lon Chaney’s remarkable talents in 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera. It’s a wide ranging discussion of cinema history, theatrical makeup, Christine’s motivations, Thomas Harris novels, care of victims in media, drag queens, the gender binary and so much more.   Recommendations: Clarice (Paramount +), Evil (Paramount +)   Next up: The...

Episode Notes Buckle up because it’s getting blatantly paranormal in here as we watch 1982’s Poltergeist – a Steven Spielberg production and a Tobe Hooper film.  This is Amity’s favorite family in all of cinema and Lemuel as tidbits on how it stacks up to a real haunting. We discuss family dynamics, the sad history of the film, the stellar performances, individual fear responses and the declining...

Episode Notes Bela Lugosi wows us this week as we watch 1931’s Dracula. He doesn’t do all the intonations that are used now as shorthand for Dracula, but he does have some magnificent line readings and just enough time to say them in the brief 75 minute runtime. We have questions about absolutely everyone’s motivations except the man himself - we know exactly what he wants.   Recommendations: The...

Episode Notes Though we may not find this particularly thrilling, we did enjoy the watch of 1945’s adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s “The Portrait of Dorian Gray.” We have fun with the hedonism of eminently quotable Lord Wotton, discuss the merits of trusting pretty people and compare narcissism versus vanity.   Recommendations: Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (In Theaters); The Lincoln Law...

Episode Notes This week we travel to the frozen north with 1951’s The Thing From Another World. It’s inept military v. sociopathic scientists and together, somehow, humanity manages to win. Fire stunts, thermite mishaps, attack sled dogs, and smart women buffer the way through this classic thrill ride.     Recommendations: Old (HBO Max) The Lost City (Paramount +)     Next up: The Picture of Doria...

Episode Notes This week we spend some time with some grouchy dudes with 1957’s 12 Angry Men. Henry Fonda breaks all kind of juror rules in an attempt to serve justice for a boy on trial for his life. We discuss the jury system, the terrible judge, the idea of “peer,” the times you could get into a jury room with a knife in your pocket, and how sometimes all it takes is one.   Recommendations: Stuc...

Episode Notes This week we watch World War II epic The Guns of Navarone wherein men are men, guns are guns, Greeks are Irish, and men love each other completely. We discuss the dangers of epic film making, the accuracy and intelligence of the plot, and the deep and abiding love between Anthony Quayle and David Niven.   Recommendations: Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (Int Theaters)   Next up:...

Notes: This week on a wet one, we watched 1972’s Poseidon Adventure – a lonely haberdasher, forlorn singer, a steward, a police detective, his hostage wife, a reverend, a Jewish couple and a teen brother and sister team up to try to survive when their ship goes ass over teakettle and they are stuck in a sinking metal box. It’s tense, and you know a movie is good when someone has a fight with God d...

Episode Notes History be damned this week as we watch Mel Gibson’s Braveheart from 1995. We discuss anachronisms, fallacies, and ahistory as we breakdown the who, what, when, where and why of this violent epic. Join us for deep discussions of prima nocta, tartan, hair choices, and who had the worst father.     Recommendations: Julia (HBO Max); Moon Knight (Disney+)   Next up: The Poseidon Adventur...

Episode Notes This week as it’s barely spring where we are, we discuss Lawrence Kasdan’s directorial debut, 1981's Body Heat. A sweaty William Hurt and a glowing Kathleen Turner make this neonoir sizzle and we talk femme fatales, the future of movie theaters, the return of the erotic thriller and so much more.   Recommendations: From (Epix), Severance (Apple+)   Next up: Braveheart (1995) (availab...

Episode Notes This week we watched the birth of a genre with George Romero’s 1968 classic ghoul flick Night of the Living Dead. We put up with Barbara, ask what makes a zombie – and then what makes a good zombie movie – and give props to Bill, upon whom a style was built.     Recommendations: Death on the Nile (HBO Max); From (Epix)   Next up: Body Heat (1981)   Email us at latecomers@gmail.com Tw...

Episode Notes Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas support a spectacular turn by Jack Lemmon this week as we discuss 1979’s The China Syndrome. It’s been a week, so we talk some about the Oscars, and some about last week’s episode – thanks to some notes from a listener – and we get into the thrills of possible nuclear meltdown in LA. There’s dueling coifs and so many beige layers on our protagonists, bu...

Episode Notes This week some trigger warnings to start: racial slurs, violence, abusive behavior – it’s a return to Kubrick this week as we discuss #95 on AFI’s thrills list – Full Metal Jacket. The Vietnam critique is one of the rougher watches, especially in light of current world events, but the filmmaking stands out, as do a couple of iconic performances. We discuss the placement on the list a...