Sitting Around Talking Movies

Not only is Fall in the air but you can tell it's also time for the serious movies. The award show bait, the film festival films. The films you heard someone talk about at a party. We've seen some of them and we're going to let you know which are worth your time and money. We start with "Kiss of the Spider Woman." It's been on film before and even on Broadway. But now it's a movie musical. Neil Rosen kind of went nuts on this one. Then there's the latest from Paul Thomas Anderson called "One Battle After Another: which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn. Bill McCuddy will let you know what he thought of that one. Neil then fires back with "Blue Moon" which stars Ethan Hawke and it tells the story of ells the story of Lorenz Hart's struggles with alcoholism and mental health as he tries to save face during the opening of "Oklahoma!". Not to be outdaone, Bill Bregoli tells us about the long awaited sequel "Spinal Tap: The End Continues" about everyone's favorite fictional heavy metal band. He also saw "Roofman" which stars Channing Tatum as a charismatic criminal, who on the run from the police, hides in a hidden space of a toy store. We've also got "The Smashing Machine" which stars Duane Johnson as you've never seen before, the Paul Greengrass action film "The Lost Bus," and a little gem of an action movie called "Dead of Winter" which stars, beleive it or not, Emma Thomson. And since you may need a drink after listening to us we've got the new streaming series "House of Guinness." So listen in.

We'll be honest, none of these movies or streaming shows have anything to do with pumpkin spice. The title is simply there to get your attention, which all these shows could use. They're not awards bait (though there's a slight chance they may get some) and they're not heavily promoted. But still, they're worth cheking out. We start with "Highest 2 Lowest" which is a Spike Lee remake of a Kurosawa film your obnoxious friends may brag that they've seen. They're probably lying. Anyway, it stars Denzel Washington as a music mogul who is faced with a dliemma when a teenager is kidnapped. Bill McCuddy and Bill McCuddy both saw it and they'll let you know what they think. Then there's "Honey Don't" starring Margaret Qualley as a lebian private eye. Of course Bill Bregoli saw it. He also saw "Caught Stealing" starring Austin Butler as ex-baseball player Hank Thompson who unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City. Neil Rosen streamed "My Mom Jayne" which explores the life and legacy of Mariska Hargitay's mother, Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield, who died tragically in a car accident at age 34 when Mariska was only three years old. Bill Mccuddy's been straming too and he tells us about "The Paper" which in which a documentary crew searches for new subject, finding a dying Midwestern newspaper and its publisher's efforts to revive it using volunteer reporters. Think "the Office" with newsprint all over its hands. He also watched the series "Blood" which IMDB tells us is about "old secrets, older betrayals, mind games, and the lies family tell each other." And not getting out of his chair. Mr. McCuddy also watched "Rebus" about a hardboiled Edinburgh cop with a tendency to bend rules. Meanwhile, Bill Bregoli keeps going to movie theaters where he saw a bizarre Ron Howard movie called "Eden," about a group of outsiders who settle on a remote island only to discover their greatest threat isn't the brutal climate or deadly wildlife, but each other. And if you want a movie to watch on Netflix with yur parents there's "The Thursday Murder Club." Oh, and Neil read a book about Elaine May. Plenty here, so listen in.

The Summer Clearance Sale at your local theater continues but we've done our best to find some interesting selections for you. First we have "Weapons," the box-office surprise horror movie. It tells what happens when all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance. It's got Julia Garner and Josh Brolin. Both Bill Bregoli and Bill McCuddy have different opinions on it. Then there's the long awaited (for some people anyway) sequel "Happy Gilmore2" which NeilRosen will fill us  in on. We also have the thriller "Relay" starring Lily James and Riz Ahmed in which a broker of lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten them breaks his own rules when a new client seeks his protection to stay alive. For documentary fans there's "Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan" which tells how Ed Sullivan broke barriers by booking Black artists on his Sunday night variety show. Plus Neil fills us in on a book about Woody Allen and Bill McCuddy poses an interesting question. So listen in!

It's the time of the yearwhen the weirder stuff comes out. And there's nothing wrong with that after a summer of over hyped high budget extravaganzas. So we start with "The Naked Gun." Like the 80's original, this reboot spoofs police procedurals and more. Plus it's got Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson. Bill Bregoli had a beer and watched it and he'll tell you what he thought. Neil Rosen fills us in on the latest "Fantastic Four" movie. There have been others that haven't fared so well. Is the 4th time the charm? We've also got documentaries such as "Sally" which tells how Sally Ride's groundbreaking journey as the first American woman in space concealed a deeply personal story. And "Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Story" which is (ba-dum,ba-dum, ba-dum) all about making "Jaws." Bill McCuddy talks about his golf junket and catching up with "The Devil All The Time" which stars Bill Skarsgard and Tom Holland. And for streaming series we've got  "Untamed" in which Eric Bana tries to solve a murder mystery in Yosemite National Park" and then there's the trashy fun sometimes sapphic murder mystery "The Hunting Wives. Both are on Netflix. So take off a few layers and listen in.

It's our 4th of July episode and boy do we have short fuses! We start with "Jurassic World Rebirth" which an expedition braves isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures for a groundbreaking medical breakthrough. Never mind all that - it's Scarlett Johansson wearing a sweaty tank top in jungle full of dinosaurs. We'll let you know if it's extinct or not. Then we all went and saw "F1: The Movie" (as opposed to "F1: The Broadway Musical) which stars Brad Pitt as a Formula One driver who comes out of retirement to mentor and team up with a younger driver. Does he put his pedal to the metal? And then there's the streaming series "Dept Q" starring Matthew Goode as a former top-rated detective wracked with guilt following an attack that left his partner paralyzed and another policeman dead. We've also got a slew of documentaries starting with "Cold Case: The Tylenol Muders" which explains why you need a chainsaw to open a bottle of pills these days. And there's "Pee-wee As Himself" which traces the life of the reclusive Paul Reubens. Then Neil Rosen tells us about "Billy Joel: And So It Goes" and he tells us a story that's almost as long as the movie itself. Neil and Bill McCuddy will fill you in on "Materialists" in which Dakota Johnson plays a young, ambitious New York City matchmaker who finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex. And finally Bill Bregoli brings us to a fitting conclusion with the Netflix documentary "Trainwreck: Poop Cruise" We're a classy bunch.