The Latecomers

Show Notes This week we watched Charles Laughton’s directorial debut as well as his final film as a director, the superb Night of the Hunter from 1955. We discuss imposter syndrome, the creepiness of persistence, that baritone that Robert Mitchem captures, the power of Lillian Gish, Shelly Winters practicing for The Poseidon Adventure and so much more.   Recommendations: Guardians of the Galaxy Vo...

Show Notes It’s a big week here – we are talking 1993’s sci-fi classic Jurassic Park – where there’s very little Jurassic but that’s okay. We get into the dinos, the nerds, the poor planning, the acting and the effects. Sam Neil, Jeff Goldblum, and the incomparable Laura Dern make us want to joint them digging around in that poop – but why was the pile so high??   Recommendations: Nana, Nenek and...

Show Notes This week we watched seminal action film Bullitt from 1968. We go on a brief asbestos tangent and then we talk about the twisty crime thriller largely known for its epic car chase but which has much more to offer, and most of it is thrilling. Does Amity feel more warmly about Steve McQueen? Maybe – maybe she does.   Recommendations: The Skull, Quills; STAND WITH THE WGA   Next up: Juras...

Show Notes We watch one of the most famous and lauded films in cinema history – and we like it! This week we discuss another Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains vehicle, this time it’s 1942’s Casablanca – and we think it’s going to be the start of a wonderful friendship. Genuinely funny dialogue, characters with depth and clear motivations, a general maturity from the leads and neutrality that doesn’t le...

Show Notes This week we take a drive with Hitchcock, Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant – all the way from Miami to Rio in 1946’s Notorious. She’s so beautiful and he can’t keep work and pleasure separate. Then, she has to mix work and pleasure as a honey pot. Will they catch the nazis they are after, or will his indifference leave her out in the cold, alone and poisoned? Listen to find out!   Recommen...

Show Notes This week we take on the most divisive Christmas/heist film of all time – 1988’s Die Hard. Bonnie Bedelia in her 80’s business woman armor, Bruce Willis sans shoes but with his New York City service pistol, and Alan Rickman, whom I think we can all agree, smelled delicious. Yippee Kai Yay – come along with us!   Recommendations: The Last Wave and The Shout (available on YouTube)   Next...

Show Notes We revisit an episode from pre-pandemic times with 2001: A Space Odyssey – a remarkably prescient film from the twisty mind of Stanley Kubrick. Many things it is, but is it thrilling? We discuss all manner of things, starting with the thrills.   Next up: Die Hard (1988)                                                                                            Email us at latecomers@gmai...

Show Notes This week we take on one of the icons of cop cinema – Dirty Harry from 1971. The seventies were a harsh time and this movie doesn’t let us forget it as a rogue cop conveniently forgets the fundamental reason for his job. Scorpio is a legitimately interesting foil to the SF police and it does seem like a bit of copaganda with how close they get to him given we still don’t know who the re...

Show Notes This week, we go back in time and jump to the future all at once with 1984 James Cameron blockbuster The Terminator. Amity gets hung up on skulls and daddy issues while Lemuel doesn’t see a problem with either. Whose side are you on?   Recommendations: RRR (Netflix)   Next up: Dirty Harry (1971)                                                                                            E...

Show Notes This week we watch the movie that Amity thought was the first color film of all time – 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. We have thoughts on Dorothy’s acting, Glinda’s lack of acting, and the horror show the production of this film was for the actors and crew. There’s an asbestos primer and a deep dive on what constitutes a song.   Recommendations: Servant (AppleTV)   Next up: The Terminator (19...

Show Notes We revisit a childhood classic this week with 1982’s Spielberg kids on bikes OG film, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. Confused as to who several of the scenes of this film are for and in a bit of awe of the heavy lifting done by the John Williams score. We discuss the physiology of an alien vegetable and determine whether this film is thrilling for more than 5 minutes of it’s runtime.   Rec...

Show Notes IS IT THRILLING: Amity and Lemuel re-visit the three hour war epic from 1998, Saving Private Ryan. This is a real love-fest for Tom Hanks. And a real dislike-fest for Steven Spielberg. Who dies first? Who makes it out? How much vicera was there? Listen to find out.     Next up: E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)                                                                             ...

Show Notes IS IT THRILLING: Amity and Lemuel re-visit the first adaptation of Stephen King's work to hit the screen with Brian De Palma's 1976 classic Carrie. How does the casting match the novel? What's wrong with Chris? How soft is Tommy's hair? We answer each of these questions and more in this week's episode.   Next up: Saving Private Ryan (1998)                                                ...

Show Notes This week we go back to the beginning of a tale so intriguing it has been redone countless times – 1956 sci-fi classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  We discuss the clarity of a sci-fi premise without the fog of cultural criticism, the breadth of a doctor’s reach, what is appropriate attire when, and what happens to the people after they’ve been snatched.   Recommendations: Doctors wi...

Show Notes This week we revisit Hitchcock for the second time (but certainly not the last) with Dial M for Murder. Grace Kelly is effervescent and remarkably relatable and the machinations around her will make you mad on her behalf. For 1954, we are in a surprisingly not slut-shamey world where given a bot of conversation, everything could have come up thruple, but instead we have a trophy husband...

Show Notes This week Amity goes for a round two with Charlton Heston and it goes so much better as we watched 1959 epic Ben Hur. That chariot race sure is famous for a reason but the other vignettes are also mostly very good. We learn a little something about Jesus, about leprosy and about the relationship women have to men and how referring to them by those relationships can really mar a family t...

Show Notes Dustin Hoffman is on the run this week in 1976’s Marathon Man. We return to William Goldman, never disappointing, for this one as he adapted his own novel. And this thing is a rocket from beginning to end! Does it make perfect sense? Absolutely not! Did Lemuel have to tell Amity 20 minutes in that Roy Scheider and Dustin Hoffman were brothers? Yes! But she would have found out soon anyw...

Show Notes This week we watch Scorsese classic Raging Bull from 1980 and wonder where the thrills are. Punching we see, raging misogyny, yup, that’s here too, along with the most fragile masculinity we’ve seen to date. But not very many thrills. We discuss how DeNiro can be so unlikable without staining the actor, the foley work in the fights, and why oh why is there no character growth.   Recomme...

Show Notes Sylvester Stallone wrote this movie! We watched Rocky from 1976, the film that kicked off a franchise and the stardom of one of the biggest names of the 80s, 90s and today. And it’s not a sports movie – it’s a love story between a boxer/thug and the shyest woman ever committed to film – both of whom are absolutely, positively on the autism spectrum – at least according to non-psychologi...

Show Notes Oh the Tarantino of it all! We watched Pulp Fiction this week and would like to give you content warnings, but we couldn’t narrow it down – so be warned – this movie may trigger you. We discuss Tarantino, the foot fetishist with a penchant for slurs, the comeback of Travolta, the difference between homage and theft, how deeply stupid Vincent Vega is, what Butch sees in that, well, child...

Show Notes This week an amalgamation of tones – no, not a symphony, but 1969 western classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Is this the clearest thruple in cinema? Are we supposed to love them or hate them? Are we supposed to forget all the murder? It’s very confusing this week on the podcast.   Recommendations: Glass Onion (Netflix) and Spirited (Apple +)   Next up: Pulp Fiction (1994)      ...

Show Notes This week we discuss one of the thrillingest thrillers of all time – Wait Until Dark with Audrey Hepburn. It’s a combination of home invasion with a particularly fragile heroine. Though she may be fragile, she is no fool, and she’s electric to watch. Her husband, on the other hand – listen to hear our opinions on that prize.     Next up: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)        ...

Show Notes Our Christmas episode brings another Universal Monster: this time it’s Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s creation – because monster seems strong for everyone who isn’t named Frankenstein in this film. We discuss the loveliness of Karloff, some strong child acting, renaming and relabeling by the writers and producers of this movie and makeup and how children can handle what grown women app...

Show Notes This is a re-release because we like thrilling films and have talked about them a bunch – so here’s an oldie -originally released 12/4/18 when we were just baby podcasters - Amity and Lemuel get a touch political in this week’s episode. We also swear a whole bunch. We mourn the state of journalism, marvel at the parallels in the news (as well as Robert Redford’s beautiful hair) and pitc...

Episode Notes It’s another story from the author of Planet of the Apes – but it’s completely different. This week we watch POWs lose the plot in 1957’s Bridge on the River Kwai. Directed by David Lean, this epic tells the story of Alec Guinness’ Nicolson and William Holden’s Shears and their collision course.   Recommendations: Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas   Next up: All The President’s Men(1...