More Than One Lesson

Family and the holiday season inherently go together. Whether it’s time we spend with our families or the desire to be with them if life and circumstances do not allow for it. There are also the memories of the times we spent with those who are no longer with us. But beyond memories there are things that can still make us feel connected to those who have left us behind.

In this episode, Reed and Nathan discuss Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption.

In this episode, Reed and Nathan discuss Scott Hicks’ Hearts in Atlantis.

At this point in the Star Wars franchise, what started in 2015 as intense eagerness amongst the moviegoing public has slowly turned into a mild curiosity at best and a resentful obligation at worst. So many people, whether they enjoyed The Last Jedi or not, view the final film in the latest trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker, with exhausted trepidation; a weary desire to get some kind of closure. And it appears that director J.J. Abrams sensed this – not that it was particularly subtle – and has obliged by creating a film that is so focused on tying up loose ends that it often feels perfunctory. Through rushed scenes, last minute developments, and astonishingly-clumsy exposition, Abrams attempts to undo the perceived damage done to the mythology by the previous film while also giving every character as satisfying an arc as he can, all while trying to keep the events exciting and fresh. This many spinning plates would be difficult for even the best directors; Abrams, a reliable journeyman but hardly an engaging auteur, does his best, but mostly loses control of the juggernaut that The Rise of Skywalker was always destined to be. 

In this episode, Reed and Nathan discuss Paul Michael Glaser’s The Running Man.

In this episode, Tyler discusses Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life and Fred Zinnemann’s A Man For All Seasons.

Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is the beloved author of numerous murder mystery novels. He’s just celebrated his 85^th birthday with his children and grandchildren. His housekeeper Fran (Edi Patterson) is making her morning rounds through his palace of a home… when she finds him dead, his throat slit. Her reaction to this discovery is a comical one. Thus the tone is set for Rian Johnson’s Knives Out.

In this episode, Reed and Nathan discuss Rob Reiner’s Stand by Me.

In this episode, Reed and Nathan discuss the second season of Dark.

In this episode, Tyler discusses Marielle Heller’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky.