Movie Bones

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...

Justin & Ryan go on the hunt for an art thief, or perhaps his soul, alongside Father Brown as they watch "The Detective" (1954) , where they talk about... What sets Father Brown apart from other film detectives How Star Trek's evil goatees kind of spoil older films Transatlantic mislabeling changes expectation Undercutting your protagonist with Deus ex Machina Our Verdict Next week...

This week, Justin & Ryan travel to the "Mysterious Island" (1961) as they talk about... What happens when you have opportunities for all kinds of challenges for your characters, but don't pick any of them Mid-movie spontaneous anachronistic wardrobe changes Hiding your best actor/performance until long after you stop caring Our Verdict Next week's film:  "The Detective"...

Justin & Ryan dig deep into the classic adaptation of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962) where they discuss... Does the "white savior" trope critics hang on it really apply, or is there a more nuanced take available? Ideas of courage vs. heroism Our Verdict Next week's film: "Mysterious Island" (1961) Join in the discussion on the Movie Bones Facebook P...

Justin & Ryan unpack a voyage of "20 Million Miles to Earth" (1957) , where they discuss... Face-palm inducing Italian stereotypes The habit of giving a women meaningful positions only to immediately undermine them How this film reminds one of "Airplane!" (1980) Hard Sci-fi vs. whatever this is "But the special effects were decent..." Our Verdict Next week's film: &...

This week, Justin and Ryan test the idea that "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946) , where they discuss... How plot demands can bring on mood swings... When stupidity is compelling, and when it's just.... stupid How it could've worked better Our Verdict Next week's film: "20 Million Miles to Earth" (1957)

Justin & Ryan take a trip to "Animal Farm" (1954) to and get put to work deconstructing the ethics of acquiring film rights to make propaganda, as well as... The cartoon propaganda boom Propaganda as a national "Mary Sue" story Changing the end of the novel and how it changes the meaning The necessity for skeptics (but not necessarily cynics) in society, and the bigger need for...

Justin & Ryan get "Lured" (1947) into thinking they were in for a better film this week where they discuss... The strength of Lucille Ball's performance and character The somewhat skeezy 'business' of paid dancers. Undermining your lead character Blending genres vs. switching them altogether Boris Karloff never phoning in a performance - even in bit roles Our verdict. Next...

 Hey folks! Just wanted to make a quick announcement that after seven episodes, Ryan and I settled on a ratings system for Movie Bones that we based loosely around that infamous movie archeologist, Indiana Jones, and here they are from top to bottom:   • “Fortune & Glory” films are pure gold. They're movies to go back to again and again. These are the films would find a great home in your...

Justin & Ryan go "silent" this week sharing their reactions to Fritz Lang's landmark 1927 Sci-Fi epic "Metropolis" , where they discuss: They way this film gets longer when more footage is re-discovered. The blending of gothic, art-deco, and bauhaus visual styles The importance of finding the right music to back your silent film How the film reflects the time and place it w...

Justin & Ryan tag along with Alec Guinness and the "Lavender Hill Mob" this week on Movie Bones, where they discuss: Recognizing a young "Obi-Wan Kenobi" How the movie is like an episode of Power Puff Girls and Breaking Bad The way the film acts as a record of London's still-visible damage from WWII Alec Guinness' comedic range as an actor Next week's film: "Met...

This week, Justin & Ryan unpack their experiences while watching Terence Young's 1967 thriller "Wait Until Dark" with Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin, where they'll discuss: "Blind School"; is that what it's really called? Alan Arkin's standout performance as the psychopathic Rote The problem when con-artist characters act out their con... badly. Some "what-if...

Justin & Ryan sit down to share their experiences watching John Huston's 1941 noir classic, "The Maltese Falcon", where they discuss: The cultural origins of noir film Justin's take on cynicism within noir, and the need for hope How Sam Spade is like Indiana Jones and Batman McGuffins! Next week's film: "Wait Until Dark" (1967)

Justin & Ryan share their experiences watching Robert Wise's 1945 horror film "The Body Snatcher" with Boris Karloff where they discuss: Karloff's magnetic screen presence... Subtlety in horror... An unusual thematic parallel with Jurassic Park... The inevitability of the characters' fates... Next week's film: "The Maltese Falcon" (1941)

Justin & Ryan talk about their experiences discovering the 1953 William Wyler rom-com starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn When it's not sad to have the couple fail at ending up together. Hepburn & Peck's special comedic qualities The art of not actually naming the kingdom your princess is from. What sets this rom-com apart from later ones. Next week's film: The Body Snatch...

Justin & Ryan talk about their experiences discovering the 1975 John Huston film starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine. Link to movie on Tubi Where we would go to set ourselves up as kings? The actors who almost played Danny and Peachy. A comparison to a Dreamworks animated film. Just how good of a king was Danny?. Next week's film: Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck & Audrey Hepburn. *...

Welcome to Movie Bones! Listen in as Justin and Ryan fill the gaps in their movie watching experience as they dig through films made before they were born, as they become available for free on various streaming platforms. It's an adventure in discovery. We'll cover well-remembered classics, obscure titles, and the occasional rare oddity. Each week, we'll take one film, break down our r...