Movie Bones

Justin & Ryan tilt at windmills alongside the "Man of La Mancha" (1972)  and talk about... How much we need stories like this right now... Making the story-within-the-story work... The necessity of seeing "Life as it should be" The film as a statement on the communal aspects of art Our Verdict Next week's film:  "I Know Where I'm Going" (1945) Did we get the mov...

Ryan & Justin take a visit to Istanbul while watching  "Ocean's 11" (1960)  and talk about... The history of the Rat Pack, and what it stood for How it's just as interesting as watching Frank and the guys hang out on a Saturday Ways that the 2001 remake improved on this film Starting your heist movie when it's already half-over Weird rat-pack slang and ending on a cool imag...

Ryan & Justin take a visit to Istanbul while watching  "Topkapi" (1960)  and talk about... Delaying your main character's entrance behind needless layers of setup and supporting characters talking. How Peter Ustinov makes the movie, and what any kid born after 1973 remembers him for most The trippy 60's take on a heist film. Some alternative ways we'd like to have seen it a...

This week, Ryan & Justin check in on "The Woman in the Window" (1945) and ask her about... Not taking full advantage of your premise. Not taking full advantage of your characters. If you're going to commit murder, try not blurting out details that only the murderer would know in front of the cops. Cribbing from "The Wizard of Oz" to end your noir film. Our Verdict Next week...

Justin & Ryan check out the other   "The Fast and the Furious" (1954) movie and talk about about... The delicate line between making your hero a victim of circumstance, and portraying him as a creep. The miraculous forgiving properties of egg-salad sandwiches Inadvertently choosing another Roger Corman film The effect of careless writing - in a Corman film? Who knew? Our Verdict Next w...

Justin & Ryan develop a serious appetite for cinematic fromage this week as they dig into "War Between the Planets" (1966) and talk about... Choosing our favorite bits of cheese... Similarities between the hero and Lloyd Bridges' "Airplaine!" character The need for more genre parodies... How Star Trek technobabble ain't got nothing on this movie... Our Verdict Next week...

Ryan & Justin reflect on the subject of film criticism when watching "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" (1960) , but they also get around to talking about... Leisurely paced slice-of-life films... Some really under-the-radar reverse psychology... The value in good communication in marriage... Maintaining mutual expectations in relationships... The role of art criticism in culture, at i...

Ryan & Justin celebrate Halloween by picking up where they left off with Corman's follow-up to The Raven; "The Terror" (1963) , and pick apart... More ambiguous settings from Corman... That TWIST ending! How many directors on a film are too many? The insane behind-the-scenes weirdness that explains most of the on-screen weirdness. Our Verdict Next week's film: "Please Don&#...

Ryan & Justin are keeping expectations low for Roger Corman's "The Raven" (1963) , but will they watch it... nevermore? Check out this week's episode to find out, and to hear us talk about... An insanely young Jack Nicholson The confusing time period/setting Is it improvised, or is it scripted? Who can tell? Roger Corman: the B movie legend that launched a generation of filmmak...

Ryan and Justin discover something new in "A Face in the Crowd" (1957) and have a lot to say about it, including: Andy Griffith got range! The psychology of a demagogue A subversive film from the 1950's?!!? The strength of the supporting cast Our Verdict Next week's film:  "The Raven" (1963) Did we get the movie wrong? Tell us why! And let us know what films you think we sh...

*warning* This week's film callously uses the Roman legend of the abduction and rape of the Sabine women as a major plot element in a way that trivializes the gravity of such offenses. This week, Ryan and Justin survive Movie Bones' first musical: "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1954) and live to talk about... the disturbing origins and inspiration for the story athletic dancing...

Ryan and Justin try to unpack the conspiracy behind "The 39 Steps" (1935) and in the process, think about... cliches in the conspiracy sub-genre, and in this movie Hitchcock's struggles with character depth the film world's oddest dying/last words deep thoughts on conspiracies both real and imagined our Verdict next week's film: "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1954)...

This week, Ryan and Justin pick up the trail of our favorite Samurai/Ronin, "Sanjuro" (1962) , to see what he's up to, and talk about... speculations about Sanjuro's past whether Sanjuro qualifies as a "Gary Stu" character one particularly bloody special effect the richness of the supporting cast our Verdict next week's film: "The 39 Steps" (1935) Did we get the...

A wealthy socialite becomes a masked vigilante dressed in black but he's not Batman. He robs from the rich and gives to the poor, but he's not Robin Hood either, which means he must be Zorro! Ryan and I sort it all out this week as we watch "The Mask of Zorro" (1940) and discuss... Can a Zorro film get away with only one real swordfight? An actor even more typecast than Basil Rathb...

Justin and Ryan get movie therapy in the form of "David and Lisa" (1962) and share their thoughts from the couch about... A psych film where the institution isn't evil?!? Examining social and cultural effects the 50's had on the '60's Portraying mental illness in film Some neat casting connections to very different films Next week's film: "The Mark of Zorro" (19...

This week, Ryan and Justin take on the original giant, city stomping monster film, "Godzilla" (1954) where they talk about... Popular Kaiju film tropes and overcoming them The cultural self-awareness of the film Puppet Godzilla Examining the transitional periods in a culture's history through film What Godzilla can teach us today Next week's film: "David and Lisa" (1962)

Justin and Ryan pay a visit to "The Last Man on Earth" (1964)  this week as they talk about... Really bad colorizing The 60's trend of mainstream Italian films with American leads How much explanation a movie really needs to sell its concept Why a story gets remade so frequently and why it always feels off Spoiler stuff - lots of it! Our verdict Next week's film: "Gojira" (...

Justin and Ryan take their chances on the first of 28 films based on the "Blondie" (1938) comic strip, where they ponder... Actors that build their career exclusively on one franchise Why there are 28 of these things The comic strip itself The perils of a non-sequitur universe Dagwood as humanity's dumping ground Consequence-free bad behavior in the portrayal of marriage (Not Satire!)...

Justin and Ryan become   Notorious" (1946) this week as they talk about... The great Ingrid Bergman Bucking the sniveling villain/overbearing mother trope Hitchcock - great at building tension. Relationships? Not so much.. Needlessly putting your heroine in danger... Our rating Next week's film:  "Blondie" (1938)

Justin and Ryan give their verdict on "12 Angry Men" (1957) , but not before they deliberate on... The confined setting, and how it helps the story The powerful human need to conform A parallel to "The Dark Night" An unexpected main character Our rating Next week's film: "Notorious" (1946)

Justin and Ryan hope that their plans to review "Of Mice and Men" (1939) don't go awry, as they share their thoughts on... Ambitions: when they're reasonable, and when they're not A culture that becomes the real villain The privilege of the powerful How self-centered environments make unwilling accomplices Next week's film: "12 Angry Men" (1957) Join the discussion...

This week, Justin & Ryan find out what they think of the influential landmark Akira Kurosawa film, "Yojimbo" (1961) and discuss... Who exactly is this Bodyguard guarding? Sanjuro's ambiguous motives The controversy between this film and "A Fistful of Dollars" Kurosawa's influences, and the influence his film still has today Next week's film: "Of Mice and Men&#34...

Justin & Ryan try to share their review while surviving "The Night of the Hunter" (1959) . In the process, they'll talk about... Whether a psychological thriller plays well as a gruesome fairy tale Robert Mitchum's effectively creepy Harry Powell How one aspect of the film made Ryan think of a Charlie Brown special Potential issues with the portrayal of women Our Verdict Next w...

This week, Justin & Ryan are recruited my MI6 to go undercover in pre-revolutionary Cuba, but send them a movie reviews instead of intelligence reports as they watch "Our Man in Havana" (1960) , and ponder... The moment when Alec Guinness starts to look more like Obi Wan The chemistry between Guinness and Ives The (lack) of wisdom of recruiting spies in the men's room Capturing the...

Justin & Ryan get detained in Mississippi while watching "In the Heat of the Night" (1967) . While they're there, they'll discuss... A fake Mississippi town that's also a real Mississippi town The "heat" that cools off when filming extends to winter When personal pride turns a social climate toxic Forcing your flawed characters to make difficult choices Our Verdict...