The Rewind Project

A mere seventy-five years ago, one of the most iconic holiday films ever made was released ... in May. But whatever, it's all about childlike wonder and letters to Santa Claus and learning to believe in something, and it's a straight-up Christmas delight. Yes, kittens, this week the Rewinders are headed back to 1947's MIRACLE ON 34th STREET. Do you believe? #BeKindRewind

Someone has been killed, and the identity of the killer seems obvious. Maybe a little TOO obvious? That's the set-up for 1947's CROSSFIRE, which is ostensibly about a murder but ends up being more about the motive. One of Hollywood's first serious examinations of prejudice as a social issue, we're here to break it all down for you. Join us! #BeKindRewind

Seventy-five years ago, Rex Harrison and Gene Tierney starred in a gothic romantic comedy (??) about a British widow who moves to the seaside with her American daughter and falls in love with the ghost who is haunting her new home. George Sanders pops in to prove that all living men are trash. It's 1947's THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR. #BeKindRewind

SMASH-UP: THE STORY OF A WOMAN stars Susan Hayward as a successful nightclub singer who weds a struggling songwriter. She happily gives up her career for him, but when he hits the big time, she turns to the bottle. It's sort of like a star was born during a lost weekend, if you catch our drift. If only she had a worthwhile pursuit, like doing the laundry or scouring the bathtubs. Pour out a Stone...

Seventy-five years ago, a house was torn asunder because the irascible patriarch had never been baptized. That, and the two oldest children almost killed their mother, a boy is possessed by his father's demonic pants, and the dog has been misgendered. 1947's LIFE WITH FATHER was a lot, and we're here to talk about it. #BeKindRewind

We're turning the wayback machine 75 years in the past to discuss seven movies from 1947. If you want to watch before you tune in, this is your homework assignment! See you in a week with our first 1947 installment. #BeKindRewind

Seventy years ago, the best musical ever made (according to the AFI) was released. Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor star in the joyful and effervescent SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. The making of the film, however, wasn't always a walk down the lane with a happy refrain. Let's get into it. #BeKindRewind

Sixty-five years ago, a dozen white men gathered in a closed room on a hot day to decide whether a young man from the projects would live or die. It wasn't a big hit in its day, but 12 ANGRY MEN has since become a classic of the cinema, featuring fantastic performances from Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, and E.G. Marshall. #BeKindRewind

Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, and Janet Leigh star in THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, a political thriller about passing the time by playing a little solitaire. Recorded at the Mount Pleasant branch of the DC Public Library, the Rewinders discuss this trippy, twisty classic with a real, live audience.

Fifty-five years ago, Sidney Poitier had one hell of a year. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER?, TO SIR WITH LOVE, and IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT were all released in 1967. This film tells the story of Det. Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphia detective recruited against his will to solve a murder in a small Mississippi town. Diversity & Inclusion expert Janna Hines joins the Rewinders to break it all down for y...

Fifty years ago, Francis Ford Coppola went from Hollywood nobody to cinematic genius faster than a hail of bullets with the release of THE GODFATHER (1972), an opus about family, revenge, loyalty, and one man's descent into evil. Filled with amazing performances and hailed as one of the best films ever made, this is an offer you can't refuse. #BaDaBing #BeKindRewind

Fifty years ago, the New York Film Festival screened a film that shocked and titillated and became a huge hit. Fifty years later, it hits a little different. This week, the Rewinders discuss the polarizing and controversial LAST TANGO IN PARIS (1972). #BeKindRewind

Fifty years ago, Woody Allen bought the film rights to a backwards and widely ridiculed self-help book called EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX (But Were Afraid To Ask) and made seven short films based on some of the questions he found there. From parodies of Shakespeare and Fellini to send-ups of game shows and B-horror films, does this movie still satisfy? #BeKindRewind

Fifty years ago, Liza Minnelli cemented her status as a legend when she starred in the film adaptation of CABARET. She, along with director Bob Fosse and co-star Joel Grey won Oscars for their work, and as the Rewinders discovered, this film not only holds up, but is especially timely in America's post-Trump era. Wilkommen! #BeKindRewind

Fifty years ago, Paul Gallico's novel about a swanky cruise ship turned upside down and slowly sinking was made into an action movie littered with Oscar winners, including Gene Hackman, Shelley Winters, Ernest Borgnine, and Red Buttons. THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE was an enormous hit then, but does it float today? #BeKindRewind

Fifty years ago, four friends set off for a canoe trip down a doomed river. And not all of them came back. DELIVERANCE was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars the next year, but anyone living in Appalachia has good reason to not like it very much. Join us for a trip down the river, and don't forget your life jacket. #BeKindRewind

At the 1973 Oscars, Diana Ross and Cicely Tyson made history as only the second and third Black actresses to be nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Ross had made her film debut, as Billie Holliday in LADY SINGS THE BLUES (1972). She holds her own alongside Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor in a story about a woman who finds her voice and battles her demons. Friend of the Pod "Downtown...

It's summertime! The sunshine is golden, and so is the Cuervo. And you know what else? A slate of movies celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. Join Ally, Eric, and Matt as we set the wayback machine to 1972. If you miss the summer school of your youth, consider this your homework. #BeKindRewind

On the same weekend that George Lucas released a film about a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Steven Spielberg released a film about aliens visiting us right here at home. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND is widely regarded as a sci-fi masterpiece, and we're here to talk about it. #BeKindRewind

This is a movie about a wealthy white family that purchases a Black man, but no, it's not 12 YEARS A SLAVE. It's comedy legends Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason in THE TOY. We're joined this week by Diversity & Inclusion expert Jessica Thompson, a.k.a. "Jess the Authoress," to get way into it.

Thirty-five years ago, a film about a one-night stand with an obsessive stalker scared the pants off everyone who saw it (except the cheating husbands, who opted to keep their pants on, for once). Michael Douglas and Oscar nominees Glenn Close and Anne Archer star in FATAL ATTRACTION. #BeKindRewind

Thirty years ago, Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn drank a potion that would allow them to live forever in DEATH BECOMES HER. Co-starring Bruce Willis, Isabella Rossellini, a fat suit, and Oscar-winning visual effects, it's a classic of pure camp and we're here to talk about it.

Twenty-five years ago, when TITANIC was being released, word on the street was that it was going to be a huge bomb. It ended up being the second-highest grossing movie of all time. So of course we had to talk about it. #BeKindRewind

What do you get when your romantic comedy is neither romantic or a comedy? Lots of Oscars, apparently! This week, we're looking back at AS GOOD AS IT GETS, featuring perhaps the most loathsome romantic lead in Hollywood history. It'll be fun, we promise. #BeKindRewind

Perms, Purim, and Purgatory! It's the silver anniversary of Al Pacino's turn as the actual silver-tongued devil in 1997's THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE, co-starring the baby faces of Keanu Reeves & Charlize Theron. Join us! #BeKindRewind