Molly Movie Club

Today’s episode is Spotlight directed by Tom McCarthy. Spotlight is one of those rare films where everything comes together so flawlessly that there’s basically nothing that could have been done better. This is the fourth time we’ve seen Spotlight , and it’s just as riveting as it was on the first viewing. It’s the perfect movie to close out our month of ensemble casts. We’ll be back next month wi...

Today’s movie is Magnolia directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Magnolia has a tendency to wander into the kind of melodrama that can feel like it’s trying a bit too hard. Compared to PTA’s later work, the movie feels messy and unfocused, and there’s a confidence that he finds in his later films that feels like it’s missing from Magnolia . The other big problem with this film is that many of the scene...

Today’s episode is 12 Angry Men directed by Sidney Lumet. 12 Angry Men is the antithesis of so many modern films - there is no spectacle, but none of that matters due to its rich and engrossing script. That’s not to say the filmmaking is bland or uninteresting; in fact, all of the detail and movement in the scenes is part of what makes this movie so watchable. That’s why 12 Angry Men is one of our...

Today’s movie is Pulp Fiction directed by Quentin Tarantino. Pulp Fiction is such a bold, creative film. We both think it is a standout in Quentin Tarantino’s filmography. The tone is so unique and has been imitated so many times since that it’s easy to forget just how original Pulp Fiction is. Thanks for listening to this month’s free episode! If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscrib...

Today’s movie is Oppenheimer directed by Christopher Nolan. We’ve talked about Christopher Nolan quite a few times now in the Movie Club. One of the things we often say is that we think that Nolan is capable of making a truly great film, but there are a few things holding him back - most notably, his scripts and his action editing. So when we saw the trailer for Oppenheimer , we wondered if this m...

Today’s movie is The Fabelmans directed by Steven Spielberg. There’s a lot to like about The Fabelmans , even though it feels like the screenplay is trying to bring the movie down. Spielberg’s reflections on his life as a filmmaker and artist are filled with remarkable self-awareness and a lot of wisdom, and if you can manage to ignore about half of the dialogue this is a pretty great movie. We’ll...

Today’s movie is Puss in Boots: The Last Wish by Dreamworks Animation. We haven’t laughed this hard at a movie in a long time. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is bursting with creative ideas and playful takes on classic fairytales. It’s also really well written, which feels refreshing for an animated movie these days. Casey didn’t like some of the Spiderverse -esque visual style choices, and we felt...

Today’s movie is Avatar: The Way of Water directed by James Cameron. There is a baffling lack of self-awareness in the Avatar films. Ultimately , Avatar: The Way of Water is a movie about the comforting lies James Cameron tells himself. The story is deeply anti-technology, while Cameron himself used the most modern and advanced technology to make this film. He seems unable or unwilling to tell thi...

Today’s movie is Air directed by Ben Affleck. Air is an enjoyable movie, thanks in large part to strong performances and good directing. Our overall impression of this movie is that it’s okay, but it could’ve been better with a more well-written script. Casey also wasn’t a fan of the choice to make Michael Jordan a non-character whose face we never see. We’ll see you back here next week for Avatar...

Today’s movie is The Terminator directed by James Cameron. We both love this movie. The strongest part of The Terminator is probably Sarah Conner’s development from an average person into a hero. James Cameron’s ability to create an epic film with limited resources is also extremely impressive. It just goes to show how far good storytelling and creative filmmaking can take you. This was the final...

Today’s episode is Ghost in the Shell , directed by Mamoru Oshii and based on the manga by Masamune Shirow. Ghost in the Shell is a really interesting and intelligent film, but it suffers from the same problems that many book/manga adaptations have. The movie doesn’t have enough time to tell the broad story of the source material, and ends up resorting to long monologues to communicate its ideas....

Today’s episode is Ex Machina written and directed by Alex Garland. Casey strongly dislikes this movie. Anna mostly agrees with Casey’s criticisms, but she likes the movie’s sense of foreboding, especially in the early parts. And we both think Oscar Isaac delivers a good performance. We’ll be back next week with Ghost in the Shell (1995). See you then! This is a public episode. If you would like t...

Today’s movie is Blade Runner (The Final Cut) directed by Ridley Scott. Blade Runner is one of the greatest movies of all time. The production design is unmatched; the sets, the vehicles, the costumes, the props, and the cinematography come together to create a totally immersive experience. It’s one of the rare movies that feels like it was truly shot in a different world, and we’re lucky enough t...

Today’s movie is Edge of Tomorrow directed by Doug Liman. We both think this movie is pretty stupid. The Groundhog-Day-style time loop has the potential to tell a compelling story of character growth, but Edge of Tomorrow really falls flat and completely sputters out by the end. You get the feeling that the source material might be an interesting story, but this movie isn’t. Thanks for joining us...

Today’s movie is Primer written, produced and directed by Shane Carruth. Primer is one of the most impressive independent small-budget films ever made. There’s a lot to admire about this movie. At the same time, it has some shortcomings that ultimately leave it feeling a bit hollow, which we discuss in this episode. Thanks for joining us for another episode! We finish up Time Travel month next wee...

Today’s movie is Looper written and directed by Rian Johnson. For us, Looper has some really creative ideas that never manage to come together in a way that works. Most of the time travel elements make very little sense. The second half of the movie, which focuses on the young telekinetic boy and his mother, works much better. Thanks for joining us for another episode! Next week’s movie is Primer...

Today’s episode is Back to the Future directed by Robert Zemeckis. We’re starting off Time Travel month with what might be the most famous time travel movie ever made: Back to the Future . We talk about why this film works so well, and the things that make it such a classic. Thanks for joining us for this free episode! Please consider subscribing for access to the rest of our episodes. Our schedul...

Today’s movie is Heathers directed by written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann. We both really like this movie, although we end up spending most of the podcast debating about two slightly different interpretations of the movie. You’ll have to let us know what you thought about Heathers ! Thanks for joining us for another month of movies! Next week we start our month of Time Travel...

Today’s movie is There Will Be Blood directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. This movie is another classic case where Anna likes it and Casey doesn’t. Anna gets totally lost in the experience of watching this movie. Casey agrees that the filmmaking is fantastic, but he finds the tone a bit confused and dissonant. Next week is the final week of “Unlikable Main Characters” Month, and we finish with Heathe...

Today’s movie is Taxi Driver directed by Martin Scorsese. Taxi Driver is the quintessential “unlikable main character” movie, and it’s probably Scorsese’s best film. Robert De Niro plays Travis, a lonely misanthrope who eventually descends into a frightening delusion. We both think this movie is absolutely fantastic, with one major exception - Casey can’t stand the music. We hope you enjoyed this...

Today’s movie is Nightcrawler written and directed by Dan Gilroy. We’ve ended up watching another of Casey’s favorite movies! Nightcrawler is a fantastic film. Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance as Lou is chilling. Both the script and the score come together to tell the story from Lou’s perspective, and the end result is pretty brilliant. We hope you’ve enjoyed this free episode! Please consider subscr...

Today’s movie is Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman. A lot has been said about the impressive visual style of this movie, so in today’s podcast we don’t talk too much about that. We dive into the screenplay, and why we feel its problems are representative of the story problems that plague so many modern movies. Next month’s theme is curr...

Today’s movie is Bullets Over Broadway directed by Woody Allen. Bullets Over Broadway is about what it means to be an artist. To quote Ratatouille , this movie perfect sums up the idea that “not everyone can be a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere”. Every scene is entertaining thanks to fantastic performances and hilarious characters. Next week is going to be another movie wit...

Today’s movie is What’s Eating Gilbert Grape directed by Lasse Hallström. We both think this is a wonderful film. The movie is so honest in the way it portrays family. Gilbert is such an interesting main character; he is extremely passive, and has no agency in his own life. Neither of us have anything negative to say about it! We’ll see you next week for Bullets Over Broadway. This is a public epi...

Today’s movie is I Heart Huckabees directed by David O. Russell. Casey sums up this movie best during our conversation: I Heart Huckabees is about ideas, not people. Characters serve as representations of different types of philosophies, and interact with each other in strange and often hilarious ways. This is definitely not a movie for everyone, but you have to admire David O. Russell’s commitmen...