The Latecomers

Episode Notes Buckle up because it’s getting blatantly paranormal in here as we watch 1982’s Poltergeist – a Steven Spielberg production and a Tobe Hooper film.  This is Amity’s favorite family in all of cinema and Lemuel as tidbits on how it stacks up to a real haunting. We discuss family dynamics, the sad history of the film, the stellar performances, individual fear responses and the declining...

Episode Notes Bela Lugosi wows us this week as we watch 1931’s Dracula. He doesn’t do all the intonations that are used now as shorthand for Dracula, but he does have some magnificent line readings and just enough time to say them in the brief 75 minute runtime. We have questions about absolutely everyone’s motivations except the man himself - we know exactly what he wants.   Recommendations: The...

Episode Notes Though we may not find this particularly thrilling, we did enjoy the watch of 1945’s adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s “The Portrait of Dorian Gray.” We have fun with the hedonism of eminently quotable Lord Wotton, discuss the merits of trusting pretty people and compare narcissism versus vanity.   Recommendations: Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (In Theaters); The Lincoln Law...

Episode Notes This week we travel to the frozen north with 1951’s The Thing From Another World. It’s inept military v. sociopathic scientists and together, somehow, humanity manages to win. Fire stunts, thermite mishaps, attack sled dogs, and smart women buffer the way through this classic thrill ride.     Recommendations: Old (HBO Max) The Lost City (Paramount +)     Next up: The Picture of Doria...

Episode Notes This week we spend some time with some grouchy dudes with 1957’s 12 Angry Men. Henry Fonda breaks all kind of juror rules in an attempt to serve justice for a boy on trial for his life. We discuss the jury system, the terrible judge, the idea of “peer,” the times you could get into a jury room with a knife in your pocket, and how sometimes all it takes is one.   Recommendations: Stuc...

Episode Notes This week we watch World War II epic The Guns of Navarone wherein men are men, guns are guns, Greeks are Irish, and men love each other completely. We discuss the dangers of epic film making, the accuracy and intelligence of the plot, and the deep and abiding love between Anthony Quayle and David Niven.   Recommendations: Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (Int Theaters)   Next up:...

Notes: This week on a wet one, we watched 1972’s Poseidon Adventure – a lonely haberdasher, forlorn singer, a steward, a police detective, his hostage wife, a reverend, a Jewish couple and a teen brother and sister team up to try to survive when their ship goes ass over teakettle and they are stuck in a sinking metal box. It’s tense, and you know a movie is good when someone has a fight with God d...

Episode Notes History be damned this week as we watch Mel Gibson’s Braveheart from 1995. We discuss anachronisms, fallacies, and ahistory as we breakdown the who, what, when, where and why of this violent epic. Join us for deep discussions of prima nocta, tartan, hair choices, and who had the worst father.     Recommendations: Julia (HBO Max); Moon Knight (Disney+)   Next up: The Poseidon Adventur...

Episode Notes This week as it’s barely spring where we are, we discuss Lawrence Kasdan’s directorial debut, 1981's Body Heat. A sweaty William Hurt and a glowing Kathleen Turner make this neonoir sizzle and we talk femme fatales, the future of movie theaters, the return of the erotic thriller and so much more.   Recommendations: From (Epix), Severance (Apple+)   Next up: Braveheart (1995) (availab...

Episode Notes This week we watched the birth of a genre with George Romero’s 1968 classic ghoul flick Night of the Living Dead. We put up with Barbara, ask what makes a zombie – and then what makes a good zombie movie – and give props to Bill, upon whom a style was built.     Recommendations: Death on the Nile (HBO Max); From (Epix)   Next up: Body Heat (1981)   Email us at latecomers@gmail.com Tw...

Episode Notes Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas support a spectacular turn by Jack Lemmon this week as we discuss 1979’s The China Syndrome. It’s been a week, so we talk some about the Oscars, and some about last week’s episode – thanks to some notes from a listener – and we get into the thrills of possible nuclear meltdown in LA. There’s dueling coifs and so many beige layers on our protagonists, bu...

Episode Notes This week some trigger warnings to start: racial slurs, violence, abusive behavior – it’s a return to Kubrick this week as we discuss #95 on AFI’s thrills list – Full Metal Jacket. The Vietnam critique is one of the rougher watches, especially in light of current world events, but the filmmaking stands out, as do a couple of iconic performances. We discuss the placement on the list a...

Episode Notes This week we return to our roots with David Lynch’s Blue Velvet from 1986. Baby McLaughlin and baby Dern take us into Lumberton where we listen to W-O-O-D on the radio and find ears in fields. This movie must come with trigger warnings, but determining what those might be is a tricky situation – definitely sexual assault and drug use.  It’s the best Lynch experience so far and it is...

Episode Notes This week, we take on the oldest movie Amity has ever seen – 1923’s classic Safety Last! Known for it’s iconic images of Harold Lloyd hanging from a clock several stories above the ground, we dissect how this man – Harold Lloyd the character – got himself into this mess. But it’s pretty clear this may be a parable how lying only brings trouble – unless you are superhumanly skilled at...

Episode Notes This week, we discuss Joel and Ethan Cohen’s first film, Blood Simple. A cuckolded bar owner pays a sweaty PI to off his wife and her lover and then goes fishing. Nothing goes smoothly from there and everyone you think is dead probably isn’t – until they are. Country noir brings us multiple twists and turns and some beautiful images from clearly promising film makers.     Recommendat...

Episode Notes Keanu – Bullock – Hopper – Ruck – Daniels – Morton. We have a party on a bus this week and it’s all you’ve ever wanted. We watched #99 on AFI’s list of thrills: 1994’s Speed. Keanu is a cop, Sandy Bullock is a bus passenger, and Dennis Hopper is a madman with a desire for somewhere north of three million dollars. Jan de Bont’s directorial debut with explosions that keep escalating, t...

Episode Notes It’s a whole new world this week as we embark on our sixth season: watching the AFI 100 Thrills List . First up, one of the oldest movies Amity has ever watched – Robin Hood. Errol Flynn! Olivia de Havilland! Shadow swordplay! Glitter! This film has it all. We talk about what makes a “thrilling” movie, how horses should have won awards, the magic of color shifting fabric, and how we...

Episode Notes We continue discussing our favorites – from film performance to WTF moment this week as we do our final wrap on the adaptations of Stephen King. Then we introduce our sixth season theme – Thrill Seekers! Join us for the fun!   Next up: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)   Email us at latecomers@gmail.com Twitter: @latecomerspod Find Amity @ www.amityarmstrong.com and @AmityArmstrong...

Episode Notes This week we are giving some performers and programs their flowers as we discuss our bests from best King cameo to best television series that we have watched this season. We have a lot to talk about and many favorites to review and we aren’t in a hurry to move on from Mr. King and his universe, so we are splitting the awards in half – this week we focus mostly on television and our...

Episode Notes It’s our last Stephen King Recap – for the foreseeable future, and a promising start comes to a somewhat lackluster finish. We talk about the final battle, the final decision, and the final row into the sea. We put what may be more thought into Charles Boone’s decisions than he did. It’s certainly an ending.   Recommendations: Lost In Space (Netflix); Spiderman No Way Home (Theaters)...

Episode Notes Fresh off our holiday hiatus we discuss the penultimate episode of Chapelwaite, which is also our penultimate Stephen King consumption episode. While not much happens in the episode – because we are prepping for the finale over here – much happens in our discussion. We spend some time dissecting prime time television and Amity yawns her way through the telling of the plot, what there...

Episode Notes In a sleepy episode, we discuss the Chapelwaite episode “Hold The Night” wherein our intrepid hero is surrounded by people who aren’t up for the challenge. We have a heart broken minister, a heart broken constable, a nervous nanny, and some kids who shouldn’t be allowed to act independently. After last week’s triumph, there was only one way this could go – and that’s all downhill. Ne...

Episode Notes This week things are popping off! We watched episode 7 of 2021’s Chapelwaite and it’s getting tense at the estate. Realities are setting in that all of our male characters have made terrible mistakes. While we have acknowledged Rebecca’s lies and Ms. Cloris’ deceptions, this week the constable’s overzealousness, the minister’s wandering eye and Charles’ birthright all come to a head...

Episode Notes Charles starts out the episode in turmoil and it only gets worse. We get another well placed flashback (this time it confirms something we already thought instead of giving us fully new information) and then right into the heartbreak of the loss of a child. This week on Chapelwaite, we lose a daughter, lose a wife, then gain a daughter, and gain a wife? Preachers’ Corners is in dire...

Episode Notes We travel this week to the namesake of the origin story of the miniseries we are watching – which is a long winded way to say this week on Chapelwaite, we travel to Jerusalem’s Lot. In the past, it’s a murder town, while in the present it’s even worse. Less death but more human capri-suns walking around. Charles is given an offer he cannot refuse. Meanwhile our constable is losing hi...