At The Movies Archive

It's not often that a sequel is better than the first film, but director Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two" is better than the first part released in 2021. in this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano discuss a cinematic epic that takes us deeper into the sci fi story and, of course, also visually delivers with more of those ominous sandworms. The human actors ar...

HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano have a lot to say in this podcast episode, because they're talking about two films that received numerous Academy Award nominations. Cord Jefferson's directorial debut, "American Fiction," strikes an admirable balance between comedy and drama in its story about a Black novelist, Thelonious Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), whose academic novels don't s...

"The Color Purple" began as an Alice Walker novel, was turned into a dramatic film by Steven Spielberg, then turned into a Broadway musical, and now has been turned into a movie musical by director Blitz Bazawule. That gives HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano plenty to talk about in this podcast episode. This crowd-pleasing film also pleases our two critics, even though Mike can...

In "The Holdovers," director Alexander Payne and actor Paul Giamatti work together for the first time since "Sideways" back in 2004. HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree in this podcast episode that they have great director-actor chemistry in this character study about a New England boarding schoolteacher tasked with watching the several students who are not able to return h...

As HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano talk about Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon" in this podcast episode, they assure you they won't go on quite as long as the film's 3-hour, 26-minute running time. Although Marie thinks the film is too long and Mike is fine with the running time, they mostly agree that it is a compelling drama derived from David Grann's nonfictio...

An actual case involving Game Stop stock selling in 2021 is the basis for "Dumb Money," in which the good guy small investors go up against the bad guy hedge funds. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano mention how movies such as "The Social Network," "The Big Short" and "Dumb Money" deal with characters looking at their devices as they make financial trans...

Based on a true story about a PlayStation gamer who went on to become an actual race car driver, "Gran Turismo" will satisfy gamers and race car fans alike. Admittedly, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano do not fit into either demographic category. in this podcast episode, they acknowledge what will appeal to the fan base while also noting that the film is too long and, ironical...

Although "Jules" is a sentimental movie about an alien that may remind you of "E.T.," it differs in that the human protagonists are senior citizens rather than kids. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano admire that geriatric twist to the standard storyline, and they also like Ben Kingsley's performance. Marie and Mike do voice a few quibbles about this gen...

Oppenheimer" is writer-director Christopher Nolan's ambitious biopic about atomic scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who is portrayed with suitable intensity by Cillian Murphy. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree that this is an impressive film tackling difficult scientific and political subject matter, although Mike has quibbles about what he conside...

Tom Cruise is a 61-year-old action hero who still delivers the goods in "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One." HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano acknowledge as much in this podcast episode, but they also wonder about the movie's 163-minute running time - and this is just Part One! Individual sequences are exciting, but maybe it's too much of a good thing. Marie and Mike...

Wes Anderson makes visually striking, whimsical movies with large ensemble casts, and in that respect "Asteroid City" is very much a Wes Anderson movie. HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano have a friendly jousting match in this podcast episode, because she likes Anderson's movies more than Mike does. Set in 1955, "Asteroid City" takes place in a Southwestern town in which a TV dr...

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" is the fifth and presumably final installment in an adventure series that began way back in 1981. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano talk about the history of that series and what it's like to now have Harrison Ford as an 80-year-old Indy Jones; and yes, they also talk about the computer-generated de-aging that show...

Disney's 1989 animated film "The Little Mermaid" was an instant classic and so it is not surprising that the studio has now released a live-action remake of it. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano share their mixed response to it. For one thing, so much of it is computer-generated that there is more animation than genuine live action here. Also, while the...

The "Fast and the Furious" franchise has been around for 22 years, and so you could say that the latest installment, "Fast X," is just spinning wheels. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree that fans of the series will enjoy yet more physics-defying car chases by Vin Diesel and company. However, Marie and Mike both think the film's constant thematic r...

The beloved writer Judy Blume's 1970 novel "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" is given a very satisfying adaptation in which the story about a girl entering her teen years is handled with comic ease. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree that Abby Ryder Fortson as young Margaret, Rachel McAdams as her mother and Kathy Bates as her grandmother are...

Sometimes a movie is just too long, and goodness knows that is the case with "Beau Is Afraid." In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree that they liked director Ari Aster's previous film "Midsommer," and they also like the premise in his new film about Joaquin Phoenix as an anxiety-ridden man who takes a journey from his city apartment to reconnect with...

A tennis shoe associated with NBA great Michael Jordan is the subject of "Air," which is all about the invention and marketing of that shoe in 1984. HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano trade observations about footwear as they discuss this enjoyable movie, which features Matt Damon, Ben Affleck (who also directed), Viola Davis and Chris Tucker.  Marie and Mike also talk about the...

It helps if you have a background as a gamer in watching "Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves," but HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano basically found it visually diverting enough to hold their attention. In this podcast episode, they observe that it is fun watching dragons, wizards, druids, sorcerers and other things they don't encounter in their daily lives, and it's als...

"John Wick: Chapter 4" is a very lengthy chapter indeed, with a running time of 2 hours, 49 minutes. HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree during this podcast episode that it's a lot to watch, but it moves in such a relentlessly fast way that it's usually fun to watch Keanu Reeves as he fights bad guys at scenic locales around the world. Although Mike ultimately found it all...

In case you're wondering what the title "65" means, it's 65 million years ago and an unlucky astronaut has crashed on planet Earth. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano discuss the non-stop adventures of astronaut Adam Driver as he dodges dinosaurs and, yes, even quicksand.  It's one thing after another, and our critics concluded that the film lacks much g...