Movie Bones

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'The Big Country' (1958) and talk about... Starting with the best... Gregory Peck's "James McKay" The slow-burn western If a film like this really needs a shootout at the end. Ryan helps Justin understand that fight scene We beef about the supporting characters Need a longer movie or better use of screen time? Our Verdict Next week's film...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'A Raisin in the Sun' (1961) and talk about... Brilliant confined environment adaptation Not even nominated for best picture? What?!?! A remake starring Who? Seeking good things in bad ways Unexpected turns that lead to better endings Referencing Prometheus in connection with Walter The metaphorical use of the physical body of a deceased father Our Verdi...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into '13 Ghosts' (1960) and talk about... Intentionally funny or accidentally funny... hmmm It's the Wicked Witch of the West! Margaret Hamilton, ladies and gentlemen Why are characters surprised by things they already know The special relationship kid has with ghosts The questions posed by owning a "murder-bed" The better story about the kid and...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'Son of the Gods' (1930) and talk about... " you can't even tell he's Chinese " is not a great way to start your objection to racism apparently the solution to racism is "just be white" would Sam's 'friends' even speak a word for him if he didn't have gobs of money " with friends like these ", as the saying...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'The Little Shop of Horrors' (1960 ) and talk about... Justin's sweet-spot of wierdness In a cast of oddballs, Jack Nicholson, stands out above them all - with only one scene Teasing the potential that the musical would bring out Roger Corman tells a story - a first! Protecting the integrity of your main character with accidental murder comparing at-...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'Tarzan the Fearless' (1933) and talk about... https://tubitv.com/movies/100054685/tarzan-the-fearless The look that says "Pepper-Spray Me" Should a hero be able to understand the difference between 'person' and 'thing' Why Mary? What happened to Jane? Everybody irrationally wants Mary. The sexism that almost obscures the racism T...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'A Night at the Opera' (1935) and talk about... The Marx Bros. as 'living cartoons' a multi-talented act masterful set-piece comedy integrating just enough story to connect the bits timing, timing, timing the natural human-ness of the Marx Brothers Our Verdict Next week's film: 'Tarzan the Fearless' (1933) Did we get the movie wrong?...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'Intermezzo' (1939) and talk about... how this film's portrayal of infidelity could have been handled better the problems of cutting a romantic drama down to just over an hour of film time important scenes left out as 'implied' scenes the competition for worst-spouse award is neck-and-neck looking at the 'groomer' aspect hellllooo sub...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'The White Reindeer' (1952) and talk about... Not the culturally inspired horror one might expect Superimposing stock Hollywood horror structures onto Lap culture What was the lesson supposed to be here exactly? What if there was "X" except "X" is incredibly evil? Unclear what curse does psychologically But the costumes were good... We ex...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying' (1967) and talk about... The narrator as the 'voice of the book' Second-person POV For the WIN! "You're gonna like me" - energy Reservations? Don't worry. Robert Morse will get you past those. Why haven't we seen more of this guy?!? The romance getting a bit shorted Chef's...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'Ball of Fire' (1941) and talk about... Snow White and the Seven Profs Simple storytelling cause-and-effect courtesy Billy Wilder Making the oddness of an arrangement - work Quirkiness saves the day! Barbara Stanwyck shows her chops Gary Cooper vs. Cary Grant The nexus of all film connections makes another appearance Our Verdict Next week's film: &#3...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'Sorry Wrong Number' (1948) and talk about... The perils of adapting a radio play to film length Mixing genres - awkwardly Fulfilling promises in the most boring way possible Acting to a phone - like acting to green screen or puppets All the things we thought would happen, but didn't Our Verdict Next week's film: 'The Little Shop of Horrors&#...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'The Amazing Quest of Earnest Bliss' (1936) and talk about... Beware of movies with "Amazing" in the title Rich, bored white-guy problems of the Great Depression - Intrigued yet? "Brewster's Millions" done wrong Mr. Loophole In the end, everyone gets the mammon they want. Yay? Somehow "Talladega Nights" comes up "You mean...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'On the Beach' (1959) and talk about... When the world ends and you're just waiting for your turn in it Details without perspective What if... the end of the movie led into Mad Max? The irony of Australia becoming the most habitable place on Earth. A film set in Australia bereft of Aussie accents. Some of our favorite cold war films Our Verdict Next...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'The Wild Women of Wongo' (1959) and talk about... When the tropics were populated by buff Nordic looking wayfarers "Hey, wanna be in a movie?" Turning familiar wildlife into a 'dragon god' Cheap worldbuilding How men apparently are more prone to Neanderthal-speak An unexpected connection with actual talent (but not on-screen) Justin gets...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'The Odd Couple' (1968) and talk about... Matthau and Lemon: Born for these roles How does a guy get an apartment that big in NYC on a sportscaster's income? Comedic timing and body language The focus on the central friendship An expected setup Justin didn't expect The ill-fated (and late) sequel Our Verdict Next week's film: 'The Wild Wo...

This week, Justin and Ryan look back over the entire second season of Movie Bones, to see what we've learned, and to ruminate over... Ranking our top eight films... And our bottom five - most hated! The biggest gaps between expectation and reality Favorite actors / actresses from this year And More! What do you think? What's your best and worst from the last year of Movie Bones reviews? Di...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'The Seventh Seal' (1957) and talk about... Heavy existentialism A quick comparison to Wrath of Kahn Critiquing various takes on death, religious or not Ryan's fascination with the weirdness of the Crusades Knight Block trying to have faith without undergoing death Even if you win the game... what then? Funny, tragic existential humor - death cuts do...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'Fiddler on the Roof' (1971) and talk about... The necessity of Tevye's character to the play's working so well What is "Tradition"? Talking to God The fallout of being a people 'set apart' and what it means for those inside and outside The lines we can't cross, and what they really mean in practice The three marriages - hitti...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'A Man Called Horse' (1970) and talk about... No surprises here Giving respect 'for culture "from arm's length" Main character: Blank Slate Batise The source material Sun Dance centerpiece Can't be happy, can we? Our Verdict Next week's film: 'Fiddler on the Roof' (1971) Did we get the movie wrong? Tell us why! And let us...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'Seven Samurai' (1954) and talk about... - Kurosawa's oversized (and justified) influence on cinema - Counter-cultural, thematically-filled, action film - Dealing with issues of cultural mistrust - Some of our favorite characters - "Putting together the team" - Toshiro Mifune MVP - Again! - The original 'Avengers'? - The suggestion of...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into ' He Who Gets Slapped' (1924) and talk about... - Early revenge flick? - Lon Chaney Sr. vs. Jr. - Silent films, acting broadly and transition from theater styles - Chaney Sr. admiration - Clown-coding villainy  - Murder by kitty - Super fast romantic development - Based on a play (again!) - ...which is even darker than the movie - Justin gets hyped about...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'The Russians Are Coming' (1966) and talk about... - Offering Pete as tribute to end the cold war - Deflating tail-chasing rumors and paranoia - An island full of 'Facebook People' and imagining how this would play out in the internet age - A few unusual twists - Slapstick filler - Romance now, defect later - The necessity of characters who keep...

This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'The Man Who Came to Dinner' (1942) and talk about... - Placing Bette Davis' role in her cannon of work - Figuring out the 'messy' character of Sheridan and his relationship with Maggie - How that holds up the slapstick elements - The real-life story behind all this craziness - One of the weirdest tributes to a real-life person - Real-life in...

Pre-script note: We recorded this episode shortly before the murder of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Had we known it beforehand, the events around their killings could, and would have likely been included in the discussion as two people who did not allow a great evil of our day to pass through them. This week, Justin and Ryan dig into 'Judgment at Nuremberg' (1961) and talk about... - not be...