Sitting Around Talking Movies

Hey, you found us! And boy are we happy you did. In this week's episode we look at "The Good Liar" which stars Ian McKellen as a con artist who dates a lonely widow played by Helen Mirren. It's directed by Bill Condon who did "Gods and Monsters" with MccKellen. Is this as good? Then we talk about "The Report" which stars Adam Driver and Annette Bening. It's about idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J...

It's all about relationships this week. Sure, the first movie is called "Ford v Ferrari" but it's really about the relationship between the legendary Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) as they tried to bring the Ford Motor Co. a victory over Ferrari in the 1966 24 Hours of LeMans. And it's based on a true story. Then it's "The Morning Show, a streaming show about a m...

Franchises have come and gone over the years but "Terminator" has been with us for decades. It's gone through some changes but now James Cameron has come back to produce along with Arnold Schwarzenegger and brought back Linda Hamilton as well. Oh and some nice youngsters too. It sounds like a nice way to revive the old cyborg drama but does it work? Then there's the historical drama "Harriet" abou...

We had so much to talk about at this year's Hamptons International Film Festival that we had to do our podcast in two parts. In part two we start with "Red Penguins." It was a last-minute entry into the festival and you'll be able to tell why the festival's director was so eager to get it in there. We talk to director Gabe Polsky about his depiction of capitalism and opportunism run amok - complet...

It's hard to believe it's been a whole year but here we are again at one of our favorite venues: The Hamptons International Film Festival. It's where we get to get up close and personal with some talented filmmakers and ask them about heir fascinating films and this year was especially fun. We start by talking to Ebs Burnough about his documentary "The Capote Tapes" which fetatures never-before-he...

You've heard the hype, you've seen the scary news stories, "Joker" is now in theaters. There are fears of violence mixed with Oscar buzz. Yeah, fine, but is it worth all the hysteria? Bill Bregoli has seen it and Bill McCuddy calls in from a theater where he's just watched the movie and tells us some interesting things that theater-goers are experiencing. There's also a new Eddi Murphy movie calle...

Fall is here (not that you can tell by the weather) and the award-bait movies are coming. The first is "Judy" starring Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland in the waning days of her career. She's getting Oscar buzz for this one and we'll let you know what we think. Then there's "The Day Shall Come," a dark comedy about terrorists and the FBI featuring Anna Kendrick, Dennis O'Hare and Jim Gaffigan. We a...

We're looking toward the stars this week. Brad Pitt has a space movie called "Ad Astra." Directed by James Gray it also features Donald Sutherland, Liv Tyler (blink and you'll miss her) and Tommy Lee Jones. It's getting all sorts of buzz but is it worth it? We'll bring everythiing back to earth. Then there's "Corporate Animals," a dark comedy starring Demi Moore. Is America ready for Demi in a com...

The superhero movies are taking a break and Fall is on the way. And this week we've got "Hustlers" which stars Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B and Julia Stiles. It's based on a true story about a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients. Sure it's got J-Lo in her skivvies, but is it any good? We'll let you know. Then there's...

Blame global warming or just hot air coming from Washington DC, but whatever the cause, the summer heat just won't stop this year. It's nuts, and that means there's nothing better than OPAC (Other People's Air Conditioning) And there's no better place for that than your local theater. And even though the movie companies aren't exactly putting out their most prestige product that doesn't mean there...

There are back-to-school sales everywhere now and Hollywood has its own version. It's called "August." There are good movies and not so good movies too. And the TV, cable and streaming services are doing it as well. Luckily we've had a chance to look at a lot of it. We've got this week's raunchy comedy "Good Boys" which Bill Bregoli tells us features sixth-graders, drugs, swearing and, uh, sex toy...

It's one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It's also the latest from Quentin Tarantino. And it's here (and also 2 hours and 40 minutes long). "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"  has got an all-star ensemble cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Ptt, Margot Robbie and a whole lot of A-list stars. But what's it like? We'll let you know. Then there's "Skins" starring Jamie Bell and Danielle M...

In real-life, lions scare most all the other jungle creatures and Disney's newest version of "The Lion King" has scared all the other studios. Which is why it's the only movie opening wide this week. And if you've seen the previews you know it's not a cartoon like the 1994 original. It's the most amazing CGI you've ever seen. But what does that do to the story? After all, lions don't really dance,...

We're smack dab in the middle of the summer movie season and some pundits are saying things are pretty awful - at least compared to other summers. Are Franchises even holding up? What about original films? We take a look at what's been said about not only this season but the movie business as a whole. We also take a quick look at Aziz Ansari's Netflix special and his #MeToo problem. Plus Bill Mccu...

It's finally summer and already you may want to duck the heat or escape your family's barbecue by going to the movies for some OPAC (other people's air conditioning). And what a selection we have for you this week. First there's "Annabelle Comes Home" which is the next film in the "Conjuring" franchise (yes, it's a franchise now). It's got Vera Farmiga, Partick Wilso, some teenage girls and an evi...

"Toy Story 4" is here. Yes, it's the 4th. It's not only a movie, it's a cash cow. But is franchise fatique setting in? We'll let you know. And there's a new Adam Sandler movie too - It's on Netflix and its called "Murder Mystery" (no doubt yhey paid a marketing company big money to come up with that title). Jennifer Aniston co-stars and it's a murder mystery, in case you haven't figured that out y...

If there really is an "urban legend" out there it's "Shaft." The original was a gritty urban thriller with a wah-wah pedal sountrack that's unforgetable and starred Richard Roundtree. This new one stars Samuel L. Jackson and Jessie T. Usher as well as Richard Roundtree and it's an action/comedy. Does that work in this day and age? Will you miss the grit? Then we've got "The Dead Don't Die" which h...

The latest and possibly last "X-Men" movie is out and it's called "Dark Phoenix." It stars Sophie Turner of "Game of Thrones" fame as Jean Grey and it continues this year's trend of killing off super heroes whose contracts have expired. It's also got lots of effects. Lots. Will it continue the "X-Men" franchise or kill it off? Then there's the documentary "Framing John DeLorean" about the ill-fate...

"Rocketman" is blasting off in theaters this weekend. But is it a biopic or a musical? Maybe both? It's got Taron Egerton of the "Kingsman" movies playing Elton John. And singing too. It's not like "Bohemian Rhapsody" either. So what is it? Neil and Bill Bregoli thrash it out. And there's "Godzilla: King of Monsters" this weekend too. Bill Bregoli was the only one brave enough to see it. And you'l...

Oh boy it's Memorial Day weekend. Time to go to the beach or the swimming hole. But wait, the water is still too cold and you don't fit into last year's swimsuit anyway. So why not go to the movies? The movie studios are all ready for you. For example, Disney went and made a live-action remake of "Aladdin." This time it's got Will Smith stepping into the curl-toed slippers of Robin Williams and pl...

There aren't any superhero movies coming out and Memorial Day isn't until next weekend so we've got a grabbag of movies to talk about this week. We start with "The Sun is Also a Star." It's a romance set very much in the present day. It's so timely in fact that one of the characters is about to get deported. And from a romance we go to "Extremely Wicked Shocking Evil and Vile" which is about famed...

With "Avengers: Endgame" breaking box-office records every day it's time for some competition. So here comes "Pokemon Detective Pikachu" (try saying that ten times fast). Lots of people grew up playing Pokemon and it's got plenty of CGI as well as Ryan Reynolds. Sounds like a winner. But is it? And if you're looking for something more literary we've got "Tolkien" starring Nicholas Hoult as the aut...

OK, so you've seen "Avengers: Endgame" and much like eating Chinese food you're already hungry for another movie. Well, we've got an interesting selection for you this week. We start with "Long Shot," a romantic comedy starrring Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen. Yes, we used "romantic" and "Seth Rogen" in the same sentence. Does it work? Then there's the thriller "The Intruder" starring actor and so...

The "Avengers" are back and this time they mean it. "Avengers: Endgame" is playing in 4,600 theaters at this very minute. It's making tons of money. It's gotten great reviews. Should you brave the crowds and see it? Proving that there's no movie too big to pick apart we discuss this superhero epic without giving too much away. Honest, we tried. Plus we got superhero expert Mike Sargent to help us....

Easter and Passover are upon us, so what does Hollywood do? Why put out a horror movie of course. "The Curse of La Lorona" stars Linda Cardellini and is based on Mexican mythology. But is it scary? Bill Bregoli tells you what he thinks. And speaking of scary - Neil Rosen and Bill McCuddy discuss "Charlie Says" which is all about one of the evilest dudes ever: Charlie Manson. Neil talks about watch...