The Latecomers

Show Notes Still Applicable: We stand with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA   We watched the movie that traumatized Amity when she was absolutely too young to have anything to do with it, A Clockwork Orange directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1971. We discuss the role of women, the torture that Kubrick puts his actors under, use of language, and how something can be beautiful and horrifying all at once.   Recomme...

Show Notes Still Applicable: We stand with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA   We go back in time to revisit Taxi Driver – definitely a more thrilling Scorsese film than Raging Bull. We chatted about this film five years ago, so here it is again, with an addendum re: how thrilling it is (spoiler: pretty damn thrilling).   “Amity and Lemuel find out the difference between porn films and date movies. We also sw...

Show Notes Still Applicable: We stand with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA   Buckle in, it’s an epic that lives up to its name: the 210 minute Lawrence of Arabia directed by David Lean. We discuss how a man can be an enigma even when his story is based on his own autobiography and how four hours can leave us with no real idea of the protagonist’s motivation. We also talk about the awards it won and the awar...

Show Notes Still Applicable: We stand with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA   Up this week is an insurance fraud movie hidden within a murder story – Double Indemnity directed by Billy Wilder early in his career. We’ve got it all – comedian in a dramatic role, half nude femme fatale, a concerned daughter who never comes on to the main character, an insurance fraud plot and a man with a small man in his stoma...

Show Notes First and foremost: We stand with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA This week we watched modern classic, James Cameron’s first most expensive film ever made: 1997’s Titanic. We talk who’s real and who isn’t, chemistry, the vileness of Billy Zane, a lack of humility and humanity among explorers generally, both in fiction and outside of it, and whether or not there was room on that door. Recommendati...

Show Notes It’s time for another noir with a prototypical McGuffin – 1941’s Maltese Falcon featuring the crackling dialog of Dashiell Hammett. Bogart, Greenstreet and Lorre make their first film all together, pitted against each other in the search for the titular bejeweled bird. Complete with a disarming dame, easily disarmed villains and so many twists you might forget a whole boat burns up.   R...

Show Notes We tackle a film that has been discussed by every other person on the planet it seems – Star Wars from 1977 (via 1997). We don’t go through the plot – because you’ve seen it. Instead, we have a discussion about how it fits into cinema in general, auteur directors, producers and their roles, the disappointing men of the series, method acting, and all manner of other threads it inspires....

Show Notes This week, Lemuel leads our discussion of Fatal Attraction because Amity just can’t. We discuss how at 37 Alex can get so bent out of shape over a man, the original ending, and why they leave so many things unanswered – what ever happened to Madame Butterfly, for instance.   Next up: Star Wars (1977)   Email us at latecomers@gmail.com Twitter: @latecomerspod Find Amity @ www.amityarmstr...

Show Notes We revisit our episode from early last season to discuss Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic, 1980’s The Shining. We discuss how well it fits into the AFI thrills list, how it fits into the horror genre overall and then we replay our episode from early in last season – our retrospective of all of the Stephen King adaptations.   Next up: Fatal Attraction (1987)   Email us at latecomers@gmai...

Show Notes It’s time for us to revisit a dark war film from the 70s – 1978’s The Deer Hunter. How does it fit into the thrills list and does the idea of thrills from trauma make sense. Then listen to our episode from a few years ago from our decades series (and if you haven’t heard those, you should definitely go back to check them out).   Next up: The Shining (1980)   Email us at latecomers@gmail...

Show Notes We watch the other 1977 sci-fi classic, Stephen Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. How does Roy’s fanaticism work against him and how do Dreyfuss’s current views taint his performances? How do they think five notes is all we need to know? Did humans agree to the prior abductions? Why are Roy and his wife together? Should they make a sequel? There are a lot of questions – se...

Show Notes This week we have another Hitchcock classic – 1951’s Strangers on a Train. Amity struggled to find a character to connect to and Lemuel understood innately the idea of being “someone who does things.” Does Guy kinda get what he deserves since he lays so much emotional labor at the feet of his girlfriend? Maybe? Is that carosel scene an absolute banger? Definitely.   Recommendations: The...

Show Notes It’s a race to the truth with 1993’s third highest grossing film, The Fugitive. Harrison Ford is innocent and Tommy Lee Jones doesn’t care. A wrongful conviction, a train crash, a swan dive, big pharma doing shady business, and of course, a one-armed man make this a non-stop thrill ride.   Recommendations: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Disney +); The Card Counter (Max)   Next up: S...

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)                                                                             ...