Better Than You Remember

Han Solo and Indiana Jones were well established cinematic heroes when Witness was put into heavy VHS rotation at the Fons household. But in Peter Weir’s crime drama, Harrison Ford didn’t need a Millennium Falcon or a bullwhip to make a strong impression. As Philly detective John Book, assigned to protect Amish mother Rachel (Kelly McGillis) and her son who witnessed the murder of an undercover co...

When you were ten years old, if you weren't staying up late, eating Pizza Hut personal pan pizzas and watching The Hand That Rocks the Cradle on VHS at a sleepover with all your friends, what were you doing? In this trashy thriller, Claire (Annabella Sciorra) and her doofus husband Michael hire Peyton, (Rebecca De Mornay), the seemingly perfect nanny, to help them as they welcome a second child in...

Between the age of nine and twelve, Rebecca probably watched Sleeping With the Enemy – in the theater, at sleepovers, and on basic cable – at least a dozen times (Rebecca's mom had no idea she was shrugging off MPAA guidance and going back to this R rated well again and again). In this big-budget-but-honestly-it’s-really-a-Lifetime-Television-for-Women-joint, Julia Roberts plays Laura, the violent...

Do you cry more when you watch a sad movie alone, with someone you love, or in a movie theater with strangers? Until Harvard does a very specific behavioral study, we’ve got one data set: not only do we cry our goddamn eyes out watching Ordinary People , Rebecca can barely get through her retelling of this multi-Academy-Award-winning classic. Robert Redford’s directorial debut tells the story of t...

In this first episode, Rebecca and Jack introduce themselves (they're married!), and the impetus for the podcast, the significant and special link between memory and moviegoing, how there is no right way to talk about film, and what to expect with each episode. Get full access to Better Than You Remember at betterthanyouremember.substack.com/subscribe