Shows
Shut Up and Watch This#104: Repo Man (1984)This month we explore REPO MAN, the endlessly inventive 1984 cult movie by Alex Cox. Dave remembers catching the movie on late-night cable as a teen, but it was a true blind spot for Ashley until we sat down to watch it together. Emilio Estevez stars as Otto, a bored LA punk who falls under the spell of veteran repo man Harry Dean Stanton. Along the way, we encounter rival repo gangs, government ops, junkyard philosophers, UFO conspiracy theorists, and a mysterious 1964 Chevy Malibu with something terrifying in the trunk. Join us as we dissect the Repo Code, the amazing...2024-05-071h 20Shut Up and Watch This#103: Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)This time, Ashley chooses HAPPY-GO-LUCKY and it's a Mike Leigh rematch!
Long ago on Ep.8, Dave chose Leigh's NAKED (1993), which featured male characters so repellent that Ashley found the entire viewing experience to be extremely unpleasant.
Now six years later, we discuss a Mike Leigh film she adores, longtime favorite HAPPY-GO-LUCKY, a seemingly lighthearted comedy simmering with tension and darkness. Sally Hawkins gives a brilliant, compulsively watchable performance as Poppy, a cheerful, free-spirited schoolteacher whose big heart and impulsive nature lead her straight into a series of unsettling encounters that her unshakeable sense of humor m...2024-03-151h 01Shut Up and Watch This#102: My So-Called Life (1994)Introducing our lost episode! Three years ago, we started prep work for a rewatch podcast about the groundbreaking 90s teen series, MY SO-CALLED LIFE, which ran on ABC-TV from 1994 to 1995. The plan: record and bank a few episodes before committing to the launch. Then life happened…you can guess the rest.
Just in time for the 30th anniversary of the series, here is Episode 1 of our MY SO-CALLED LIFE rewatch. Join us as we dissect the Pilot, share our connections to the show, and get reacquainted with introspective 15-year-old Angela Chase (Claire Danes) as she navigates the up...2024-01-311h 21Shut Up and Watch This#101: Something Wild (1986)We were going to introduce Jonathan Demme’s SOMETHING WILD by saying that not a lot of movies start with the kidnapping of the main character in the first five minutes, but according to Wikipedia’s “Films about Kidnapping” list, that isn’t true. And our main character, straitlaced banker Charlie Driggs (Jeff Daniels), isn’t exactly kicking and screaming when he’s picked up by Lulu (Melanie Griffith), an attractive Soho hipster with a Louise Brooks bob. What follows is a genre-defying film that is part road movie, part off-kilter rom-com, and part suburban nightmare crime thriller, featuring a truly terrif...2024-01-031h 33Shut Up and Watch This#100: The Big 100! Calm Down & Share This EditionFive years ago on a drive back from Lubbock, we came up with the concept for this podcast. Here we are, celebrating 100 episodes, by switching it up, with patience and love.
Dave picks a movie Ashley adores, COLUMBUS (2017). Ashley chooses RASHOMON (1950) for Dave.
Are we in for a Kogonada/Kurosawa rap battle? Or just a kinder, more generous show? No enforced viewing this time. Just the gift of time and attention during Ashley’s recent visit home from grad school.
Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Android.
Follow us on Facebook and Ins...2023-10-261h 20Shut Up and Watch This#99: Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010)We're back and it's Ashley's choice!
Joan Rivers was known in her later years for over the top plastic surgery and for participating in the celebrity bullying culture that was rampant in the early ‘00s.
The documentary, JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK sought to look beyond this image to better understand River’s place as a groundbreaking comedian, and possibly the hardest working person in show business. The result is a compelling look at the effects of fame and the insecurity of trying to make a life and a living in the limelight.
Su...2023-09-211h 18Shut Up and Watch This#98: Ikiru (1952)In what is turning out to be a very existential few months for the podcast, this month we take a close look at Akira Kurosawa’s IKIRU, in which we follow a lifelong civil servant played by Kurosawa regular Takashi Shimura as he comes to terms with his impending death, and maybe, just maybe figures out what the point of all of this is. And in the third act, Kurosawa, ever the keen observer of humanity, gives us a glimpse of the man’s legacy to those left behind. And so, can the living ever really learn what the dead...2023-06-151h 08Shut Up and Watch This#97: Harvey (1950)If you're like Ashley and remember from the height of the blog era a Tumblr called “Sketchy Bunnies," then you might be a little intimidated by the hero of this week’s pic, a 6 foot 3 and a half inch invisible rabbit named HARVEY. But it turns out that Harvey and his best friend Elwood P. Dowd have a lot to teach us about what is important in life: like being kind to others, finding joy in simple things, and making sure there are strong policies in place to limit the powers of private mental health institutions.
Check out...2023-05-191h 12Shut Up and Watch This#96: La Dolce Vita (1960)There are some who believe, and we’re among them, that the creative spark is what makes us human, but making art is frequently hard, emotionally taxing and the results often fall short of our ideal. So is it any wonder that some would-be creators might lose themselves in hedonistic pleasure seeking, rather than doing the work to find meaning? This is perhaps the central question of Dave's choice, Fellini’s LA DOLCE VITA. Rife with symbolism and references to Dante’s Inferno, the soul of our hero is at stake. What choice will he make: to make his own me...2023-04-171h 27Shut Up and Watch This#95: Certified Copy (2010)Intriguing, enthralling, enigmatic and ultimately moving, words that go some ways towards describing this month’s pick, CERTIFIED COPY (2010). Directed by Abbas Kiarostami and starring Juliette Binoche and William Shimmel, the film depicts two people with an undetermined relationship to one another as they spend the day in Tuscany. And so questions arise: What is the exact nature of their relationship? Does objective truth exist? And does it matter if it does?
ubscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Android.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send...2023-03-081h 07Shut Up and Watch This#94: Tootsie (1982)We're back from our hiatus with an all-new deep dive into Dave's pick. This week we're talking about TOOTSIE (1982) and we have questions: Can someone who disguises himself as another type of person really understand what it's like to be that kind of person? And more importantly, did the screenwriters of Tootsie actually intend to convey a subtle message that indeed you can not understand what it is like to be a woman in a patriarchal society by disguising yourself as one? Is Michael Dorsey, a.k.a. Dorothy Michaels (Dustin Hoffman), actually an anti-hero here? And what was...2023-02-051h 26Shut Up and Watch This#93: A Letter to Three Wives (1949)A LETTER TO THREE WIVES is an odd film; it begins with the film’s villain, who we never see, providing character introductions, then proceeds to tell the story largely in flashbacks. Flashbacks are introduced by what we can only describe as an early vocoder effect that seems strangely out of place in a post-war drama. But the actors and the script really draw you into the domestic drama, most notably, Linda Darnell and national treasure Thema Ritter. Writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz would go on to win Best Director and Best Screenplay Oscars for this film, a feat he...2022-11-031h 25Shut Up and Watch This#92: Seconds (1966)There is a lot more to John Frankenheimer’s SECONDS than a synopsis or even first viewing can convey. First of all, what is it? Is it sci-fi à la The Twilight Zone or pre-Cronenberg body horror, or a thesis on man’s search for meaning? As it turns out, it’s a little bit of all of this, and maybe some other things too. Beautifully photographed and masterfully paced and edited, Seconds turns a relatively simple premise into a tense and multilayered examination of purpose, meaning and existence.
Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Android.
Follow us...2022-10-191h 40Shut Up and Watch This#91: Phantasm (1979)To celebrate the changing of the seasons, we have an introspective look at how family death impacts the life of a young man, causing his retreat into a fantasy world that includes flying murder balls, corpse theft, slave labor on a mysterious red planet, and a tall man filled with what appears to be nacho cheese. Actually, maybe PHANTASM isn’t very introspective at all. This cult horror film is odd, plotless, dreamlike and yet somehow still compulsively watchable.
Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Android.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter.
Visit ou...2022-10-071h 05Shut Up and Watch This#90: The Conversation (1974)Can we ever be sure of the motives of others? Can we even be sure of our own? Coppola’s THE CONVERSATION explores how emotions like greed, pride and fear shape our actions through the eyes of Harry Caul (Gene Hackman), a professional wiretapper who wrestles with the implications of the information he is supplying. Lives are at stake, nothing is as it seems, and it may be Harry who loses his soul.
Subscribe on Spotify. Apple Podcasts, or Android.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
...2022-09-071h 37Shut Up and Watch This#89: That Thing You Do! (1996)While we certainly can’t claim to be in the know about all things mainstream, THAT THING YOU DO! (1995) seems to have been one of those flash in the pan films that came and went from the popular consciousness. Which is fitting since the film follows The Wonders, a fictional band that writes one catchy song and then fades away like so many Surfaris, Lemon Pipers, or Mysterians. Tom Hanks does an admirable job in his directorial debut. With its contagious soundtrack, and extremely likable cast, this movie is still a lot of fun, 25 years later.
Subscribe on...2022-08-251h 22Shut Up and Watch This#88: Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)We open on a snowy plain, a tiny figure approaching from the horizon. What follows is a 32 part quasi-biography of the eccentric 20th century pianist told in the style of a multi-part TikTok video. Made in the early 90’s, THIRTY TWO SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD is clearly ahead of its time with its fractal storytelling. We get bits of music, interviews, sketches, animations and audioscapes that each give us a glimpse into the man and the artist that was Glenn Gould. Don’t be intimidated by the large number of films. There is a little something for everyone, and...2022-08-101h 27Shut Up and Watch This#87: Now and Then (1995)Before the surge of coming of age films in the late 90s/early 00s, there weren’t many films that addressed adolescence from girl’s perspectives the way that films like STAND BY ME did for boys. So it is perhaps no surprise that the 1995 film NOW AND THEN captured the imaginations of a generation of girls. It has everything: relatable stories of growing up, a killer soundtrack, a passable mystery, the stars of Casper to crush on, and of course a trip to the library archives. Though the “now” story feels tacked on, the “then” storyline totally makes it worth a...2022-07-271h 21Shut Up and Watch This#86: Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)Where does Alice live? Not Socorro, NM anymore. Ellen Burstyn plays a recently widowed housewife looking for a new start for herself and her son in ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE. Martin Scorsese, master of urban violence, brings a sense of danger and isolation to this otherwise heartfelt story. Highlights include the very authentic relationship between mother and son. It's not easy to be a single mom looking for work in 1970s America, but Alice meets the challenges with hope, a touch of exasperation and some deep cuts from the Great American Songbook.
Subscribe in Apple Pod...2022-07-131h 24Shut Up and Watch This#85: Fire Island (2022)Times are dark, but while we can still choose our podcast topics, Ashley chose 2022 gay Pride and Prejudice adaptation, FIRE ISLAND, written by and starring Joel Kim Booster. This film is clever and snarky, expertly updating P&P’s major plot points while incorporating lots of in-jokes and pop culture references. Even if you aren’t an Austen fan there is a lot of humor and heart that make this film worth a watch.
Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send...2022-06-291h 07Shut Up and Watch This#84: The Piano (1993)There’s no question that THE PIANO is a very good film–everything from photography, to music, to performances, and story casts a spell. Writer/Director Jane Campion is at the full height of her formidable powers as a storyteller. She expertly revives and inhabits the emotional landscape of novels like Jane Eyre, offering us glimpses into the mind and will of our heroine. But this is a modern story, so maybe the themes of Man vs. Self and Society vs. Freedom are more interesting than the love story. And what is our responsibility when responding to this work? Can...2022-03-311h 37Shut Up and Watch This#83: My Fair Lady (1964)Dave has missed out on a good number of the musical spectacular films from the mid-twentieth century. And maybe it’s not such a loss to miss out on OKLAHOMA or HELLO, DOLLY and the like, but there is something interesting about MY FAIR LADY. Maybe it is the classical subject matter by way of a George Bernard Shaw play, Audrey Hepburn’s charming performance as Eliza or Rex Harrison’s odd talk-singing. And sure, the gender politics are a little dated, but there is something delightful about a man, once again, learning that when he tries to make someon...2022-02-161h 15Shut Up and Watch This#82: Kieslowski’s Three Colors Trilogy (1993-1994)If you’re like Ashley, you have probably seen the posters for the THREE COLORS TRILOGY floating around video stores, movie theaters or dorm rooms most of your life. But maybe, also like Ashley, you have never quite gotten around to seeing what BLUE, WHITE and RED are all about. And maybe the words “Polish,” “Independent,” “Film” don’t have you rushing out to plug the holes in your film knowledge. But Ashley (and maybe you also) has been remiss in seeing these very watchable and moving films. Go watch them and then unpack them here with us.
Subscribe in A...2022-01-211h 27Shut Up and Watch This#81: Enter the Dragon (1973)Here it is: the ultimate podcast about the greatest martial arts film of all time. Wilson, Carr and Lee (Bruce Lee) give it to you straight. In this episode, we discuss ENTER THE DRAGON, Bruce Lee’s entrance into the American film industry and the last film completed before his untimely death. We can’t get enough of Bruce Lee as star, co-writer and fight choreographer. But this film has more to offer, most notably an intense fight scene featuring the talented Angela Mao. Along the way, we also share our love for Lee's exuberant, offbeat directorial debut, THE WAY...2022-01-061h 12Shut Up and Watch This#80: Fish Tank (2009)Many films tell stories of people who when put in precarious situations are miraculously able pull themselves out at the last second. Andrea Arnold’s FISH TANK doesn’t attempt this kind of cliched hero’s journey. Here the danger to 15 year-old Mia (Katie Jarvis) is real and hope takes the form of the freedom offered by a boy and his car. And yet in spite of this more subdued take on storytelling, this film is a joy to watch. We root for Mia to find her way up, out, or away, to create something different for herself. Hope comes...2021-12-131h 10Shut Up and Watch This#79: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)Just in time for Halloween we have something a little creepy, a little campy, and a whole lot disturbing. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? quickly became a cult favorite in large part due to Bette Davis’s unhinged performance as aging former child star Baby Jane Hudson caring for her disabled sister Blanche (Joan Crawford). Hugely influential in popular culture, Baby Jane has been imitated and parodied countless times. But there is something about this film that rises above its cult-camp reputation. There is real pain and terror and mental illness here that leaves us unsure whether to la...2021-10-2756 minShut Up and Watch This#78: Mona Lisa (1986)This week we travel to gritty 80’s London via Neil Jordan’s MONA LISA. Our hero is the elegant and inscrutable Simone (Cathy Tyson), a high end call girl who has gained a degree of independence in her work. Our narrator is her driver/bodyguard George (Bob Hoskins), recently released from prison, who is looking to reconnect with his estranged daughter. George wears his heart on his sleeve, and Simone never shows her hand, but they are (maybe) able to find some degree of connection in spite of complicated circumstances.
Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Android, or Spotify.
F...2021-09-181h 10Shut Up and Watch This#77: Mildred Pierce (1945)Is it noir? Is it a woman’s picture? Why not both? On this week's episode we talk MILDRED PIERCE. Joan Crawford is the hardest working woman in the greater Los Angeles area, at least. She cooks, she cleans, she founds a successful chain of mid-range restaurants through a series of increasingly strange real estate maneuvers, all while raising two daughters and fielding advances from various contemptible men. Maybe you can have it all! Actually, maybe not.
Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwat...2021-08-251h 02Shut Up and Watch This#76: The Conformist (1970)In the words of noted 90s philosopher, Jack Handey, “If you ever discover that what you're seeing is a play within a play, just slow down, take a deep breath, and hold on for the ride of your life.” Bertolucci’s 1970 classic THE CONFORMIST is similarly layered; a flashback within a fantasy within a frame story. Beyond the complex structure, this film is also rife with striking imagery, symbolism and camera movement. Dave and Ashley discuss how The Conformist has influenced generations of filmmakers from Coppola to Gerwig, plus how Freud ruins everything.
Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Android...2021-07-071h 10Shut Up and Watch This#75: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)Perhaps HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY is an odd choice considering our general weariness with sequels and franchises and Dave’s aversion to superhero films. But this is a different kind of sequel and Hellboy is a different kind of hero, and it doesn’t hurt to have Guillermo del Toro directing, too. Del Toro is clearly having a great time bringing all kinds of interesting and creepy creatures to life. This film is a whole lot of fun, proving that there is an exception to every rule even among the seemingly endless superhero movies.
Subscribe in iTune...2021-06-1859 minShut Up and Watch This#74: Ruthless People (1986)This week’s pick is about some ruthless people and some not so ruthless people acting in some very ruthless ways, but also some not very ruthless ways. Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold and Supergirl star in RUTHLESS PEOPLE, a 1986 revenge comedy with a whole lot going on. We’ve got attempted murder, kidnapping, failed blackmail plots, a history of stereo retail sales practices, and an amazing house which is either a tribute to the Memphis style or a ruthless takedown of it.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram...2021-05-2757 minShut Up and Watch This#73: Tank Girl (1995)Film and other art forms are in near constant dialogue, influencing each other. This is particularly true in genre films, where quotations of influential works are used to draw viewers in. And so this week we have a film about a female tank driver in a post-apocalyptic wasteland that is controlled by one man who has all the water, and all the power. But this is not Mad Max: Fury Road, it is TANK GIRL (1995), an adaptation of an underground, post-punk comic, which was in turn almost certainly inspired by the original Mad Max series. A financial failure at...2021-05-0555 minShut Up and Watch This#72: Stolen Kisses (1968)This week we have a little truffle of a Truffaut film, romantic comedy-drama STOLEN KISSES. Third in Truffaut’s series of films about Antoine Doinel, this film concerns the misadventures of Antoine in his early 20s as he tries to figure out work and love, largely failing at both. With a cast of delightful side characters and involving the strange goings-on at a Paris detective agency, Stolen Kisses feels like something of a mix between Peter Seller’s Pink Panther films and The Graduate. A perfect cinematic treat to go with the beautiful spring weather we’re having in Texas...2021-04-151h 00Shut Up and Watch This#71: SXSW 2021 - Inbetween Girl / Islands / The FalloutIt’s Springtime in Austin, which means bluebonnets, beautiful weather and South by Southwest Music, Film, everything Festival. SXSW 2021, like many festivals during the pandemic, was held entirely online and we were there on our couch watching it all (or some of it). Listen as we share our reviews of INBETWEEN GIRL, ISLANDS, THE FALLOUT, and INTRODUCING, SELMA BLAIR, plus a few other favorite narrative films, documentaries, and shorts from the festival. We hope to pique your interest and nudge you to seek out and support these great films and their talented filmmakers.
02:26 - Inbetween Girl
...2021-03-251h 09Shut Up and Watch This#70: Celeste & Jesse Forever (2012)Why don’t we have a word for a breakup comedy? Anti-romantic comedy doesn’t quite get the idea across in the right way. Maybe it's because breakups aren’t funny in the conventional sense. Maybe there just aren’t enough of them, but there should be more films like Ashley’s pick, CELESTE & JESSE FOREVER. Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg play a couple having the best breakup ever until complications come along. Like the best relationships this film is funny, sad and maybe we even learn a little something from it.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
...2021-03-181h 03Shut Up and Watch This#69: A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)What do you get when you mix horror, comedy, and romance with martial arts, stop motion, and a ghost story. Something that feels a little like Evil Dead, a little like Princess Bride, and a whole lot like a kung fu Ray Harryhausen film. Dave’s pick this week is A CHINESE GHOST STORY, a Hong Kong cinema gem that never saw a wide release in the U.S, but has since become a cult film. This film is jam-packed with action, plot, and imagery. It’s all a little too much in a really good way.
Subs...2021-03-0457 minShut Up and Watch This#68: Wet Hot American Summer (2001)WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER (2001) was at one point in the mid to late 00’s required viewing for those interested in the comedy world, or at least it felt that way to someone who had just discovered comedy podcasts by way of Marc Maron. It certainly stars many up-and-coming actors and comedians who are now major names in television and film, including Amy Poehler, Ken Marino, Michael Showalter, and….Bradley Cooper.. But does it continue to deserve its required viewing status or has time and comedy moved on?
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Faceb...2021-02-1153 minShut Up and Watch This#67: Old Joy (2006)Two guys, one dog, a remote hot spring, and some palpable tension. This week’s pick, Kelly Reichardt’s OLD JOY, couldn't be more stripped down, just two old friends going on a weekend trip. And yet, the scenes are subtle and emotionally fraught. There is a lot going on just below the surface. At the end of the weekend it’s not clear that anyone had a good time except for Lucy the dog and maybe Dave and Ashley as they unpack it.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.2021-01-261h 05Shut Up and Watch This#66: Election (1999)If there is any movie that proves that how you feel about art can change over time, or even during the course of a single conversation, it is Ashley’s pick, Alexander Payne’s ELECTION (1999). This pitch black comedy features a usually likable Matthew Broderick playing teacher, Mr. McAllister against a difficult-to-love Tracy Flick, an against-type Reese Witherspoon. Though this seems like a simple story about what happens when a mid-life crisis mixes with a high-school election, it actually is a more subtle character study about how people use boredom and jealousy to justify some truly heinous actions. This film...2020-12-301h 12Shut Up and Watch This#65: Witness (1985)This week we are reviewing WITNESS, the 1985 film starring Harrison Ford and directed by Peter Weir. Not, The Witness, not Witness for the Prosecution, Witness for the Defense, and definitely not Silent Witness or Hostile Witness. Name confusion aside, this film has a lot more to offer than one would expect from what seemed at first to be a Harrison Ford thriller, but is actually a more subtle exploration of the role of violence in modern life.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpre...2020-12-101h 04Shut Up and Watch This#64: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991)DON’T TELL MOM THE BABYSITTER’S DEAD is perhaps a strange choice for a podcast that has covered such illustrious films as Notorious, Seven Samurai and Pan’s Labyrinth. It is very much a B movie, but there is just something about this film. Certainly part of it is Christina Applegate’s charming performance, and David Duchovny’s standout turn as a general slimeball. But also, this story subverts expectations again and again. Far from perfect, this is a fun, silly fable that has something to say about growing up, taking responsibility, and finding yourself in the process.
Also...2020-11-2559 minShut Up and Watch This#63: City Lights (1931)We open on an unveiling ceremony. The genteel folk of the city are dedicating a monument to “peace and prosperity." Speeches are made, benefactors are thanked and the sculpture is revealed. A man lies sleeping in the lap of the central statue. He wakes to the sound of the disapproving crowd, tips his hat politely and begins to make his way down. This is our first glimpse of The Little Tramp in Dave’s pick, CITY LIGHTS (1931) directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin at the height of his career. This film is charming and bittersweet, and feels timeless despite its...2020-11-1957 minShut Up and Watch This#62: The Wicker Man (1973)Have you ever found yourself in some remote place where you suddenly realize that you don’t know all the rules, or that the rules are different than you thought? Perhaps you felt unmoored and uneasy. (Perhaps this has lasted roughly 4 years?) In this week's pick, 70’s horror classic, THE WICKER MAN, we follow Officer Howie (Edward Woodward) as he tries to find his footing while investigating the disappearance of a child on a remote Scottish island. With Christopher Lee, some wacky pagan rituals, and a lot of fun folk music this is an unusual kind horror film, and a re...2020-10-281h 06Shut Up and Watch This#61: Moonlighting - TV Series (1985-1989)Thirty-five years is a long time between viewings of a former hit TV show, especially one that leans heavily into “battle of the sexes,” as Dave discovered with his pick this week, the 80’s screwball detective series, MOONLIGHTING, which ran from 1985-1989 on ABC. Starring Cybill Shepherd and rising star Bruce Willis as bickering partners in the Blue Moon detective agency, Moonlighting was once must-see TV, but now is mostly forgotten. Will Ashley be able to see beyond the very dated gender politics to appreciate the weird charms of this very unusual show? Maybe.
Links:
10 Episodes that H...2020-10-221h 05Shut Up and Watch This#60: The Wings of the Dove (1997)Luminous, sumptuous, rich, devastating. If this already sounds like a list of overused words from literary book reviews, you’re right. But they also describe this week’s film, Ashley’s pick, THE WINGS OF THE DOVE (1997). Helena Bonham Carter gives one of her best performances while positively draped in rich velvets, silks and handmade lace. This film definitely has a look, and Dave and Ashley think it has performances to match.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send your feedback...2020-10-0253 minShut Up and Watch This#59: Wild at Heart (1990)It seems incredible that we’ve made it to episode 59 without featuring a David Lynch film. Dave is a documented super fan of Twin Peaks, after all. But Ashley had already seen most of his major works, excepting WILD AT HEART, which had the potential to invoke a Naked-type reaction (see episode 8). But the time has come. Join us for a winding discussion of dream logic, terrifying mother figures, unexplained side characters, 50’s style crooning and, as always, the magic of Laura Dern.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visi...2020-09-171h 01Shut Up and Watch This#58: The Adventures of Pete & Pete (TV Series)This one’s for the millennials raised by Nickelodeon, and anyone else who enjoys good things like songs with unintelligible lyrics, golden autumn light, endless summers, and personal superheroes. This week Ashley’s pick is 90’s television series THE ADVENTURES OF PETE & PETE. Dave is struck by the wonderful oddness of the world inhabited by two brothers named Pete. Ashley is just happy to be able to share such an important part of her childhood.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send yo...2020-09-031h 07Shut Up and Watch This#57: Days of Heaven (1978)That thing where you avoid seeing a film or films because the trailers and descriptions make them sound too sentimental and cliche. That. This is how Ashley felt about Terrence Malick’s films, and studiously avoided his work outside of a viewing of BADLANDS some 15 years ago. So it was with some trepidation that we approached this week’s film, Dave’s pick DAYS OF HEAVEN (1978). Will Ashley’s fears be founded or will she be drawn in?
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis...2020-08-2152 minShut Up and Watch This#56: Serial Mom (1994)Let us hope that serial lateness with a podcast is not a homicide level offense. It might be for the hero (?) or villain, rather, of this week’s film, John Water’s SERIAL MOM (1994). Kathleen Turner stars as happy, unhinged homemaker Beverly Sutphin in one of Waters’ most mainstream films. This dark comedy parodies the rising obsession with true crime, and turned out to be astonishingly prescient in predicting crime-related media extravaganzas such as the one surrounding the OJ Simpson trial a year later. Weird, funny and dark, this is right up Ashley’s alley, but will Dave be similarl...2020-07-301h 04Shut Up and Watch This#55: Black Narcissus (1947)This week we’re talking nuns, and not just any nuns, 1940s Himalayan nuns. The nun movie genre is kind of a mixed bag ranging from horror, to comedy, to drama, and is a genre that Ashley has largely been skeptical of, excepting Sister Act, of course. But BLACK NARCISSUS is singular among them all for its otherworldliness and veiled eroticism. The haunting use of Technicolor and incredible matte paintings that set the scene only enhance the beautiful strangeness of this fascinating film.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Vi...2020-07-161h 08Shut Up and Watch This#54: Marie Antoinette (2006)This week’s pick is Sofia Coppola’s 2006 history and period-defying MARIE ANTOINETTE. Ashley fought choosing this cream puff of a film for a long time because, though it is delightful, it just didn’t stick with her the way other films by Coppola have. A story of a privileged woman seemingly oblivious to the pain and suffering of a nation. What does it mean? Does it mean anything? Is it all frivolity, pretty shoes, and macarons or is there some substance after all? Dave and Ashley try to figure it out.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.2020-07-021h 07Shut Up and Watch This#53: My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)Stephen Frears’ MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE is an odd film. Set in South London during the Thatcher Era, our main character Omar, son of an immigrant from Pakistan, is working for his uncle to make a run-down coin-op laundry profitable again. He enlists his childhood friend Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis), a recovering fascist punk to help out. Together Omar and Johnny find humor, danger, and improbably, love. It is an interesting ride, join us.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send your feed...2020-06-1258 minShut Up and Watch This#52: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)Can a podcast have an existential crisis? In this case, yes. Spurred by a viewing of 1987’s truly dreadful, sexist Overboard, Ashley decided that the original concept just wasn’t working for her anymore. So we decided to watch a film that both had seen before, but not together, and some balance was restored to the universe. This week we talk Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman’s ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, a film that is beautiful and melancholy and hilarious and thought-provoking. And frankly, blows Overboard out of the water, despite a luminous Goldie Hawn.
Subscr...2020-05-2059 minShut Up and Watch This#51: Chop Shop (2007)Good things come to those who work hard, we’re told. Those who’ll do anything to accomplish their goals will surely succeed because that is the promise of America; freedom, success and a new car. 12-year-old orphan Ale has a plan to earn a life for himself and his sister Izzy in Willets Point, Queens in this week’s pick, CHOP SHOP by director Ramin Bahrani. Symbolizing freedom for Ale is a beat up old food truck he hopes will lead him and Izzy to a better life. Life is a struggle every day, but somehow Ale finds hope...2020-04-3049 minShut Up and Watch This#50: Things That Bring Us ComfortOur 50th episode just happened to fall during a global pandemic that has upended everything everywhere, so we decided to talk about what brings us comfort, hope, and a little laughter in scary times. We’re listing our top five(ish) comforting things, which are *mostly* movies. Spanning from the 1930’s to last Tuesday, Film Noir to YouTube, we hope at least one will soothe your troubled mind, or at least distract you for a while.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
...2020-04-161h 02Shut Up and Watch This#49: Mr. Show (1995) - TV SeriesPart of the magic of college is that you get to learn a bunch of new stuff, not just from your professors, but also all the weird stuff that you get introduced to from a jumble of friends, friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends that you meet. A visit to someone’s trashed out apartment can introduce you to something that could change the course of your life. For Ashley that something was David Cross and Bob Odenkirk’s MR. SHOW, which aired on HBO from 1995-1998. This influential comedy sketch show is a must watch for...2020-04-0354 minShut Up and Watch This#48: Jean de Florette (1986)We suddenly have a lot of time on our hands, so why not watch a few epic French films? Dave’s pick this week is Claude Berri’s JEAN DE FLORETTE, a tale of rural betrayal, drought, and broken dreams set in the beautiful Provençal region of France. Ashley is taken with what at first seems to be a simple story about a man who wants to grow flowers, but quickly takes on the weight of a Greek or Shakespearian tragedy. A man plans, and God (and farmers) laugh.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow...2020-03-2054 minShut Up and Watch This#47: Zodiac (2007)Much like Titanic, we all know how this one is going to end. So as with most films based on real events, David Fincher’s ZODIAC (2007) is all about the journey. But also a little bit about the unreliability of handwriting analysis, how communication amongst law enforcement agencies is hard, and that the press isn’t always so good at supporting the public interest. Part police procedural, part journalism film, and part one of those films where a regular citizen is obsessed with uncovering the TRUTH, Zodiac offers a lot to discuss.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify...2020-02-261h 05Shut Up and Watch This#46: Exotica (1994)Sometimes the marketing people get it all wrong and they do it on purpose. Case in point is this week's film, Atom Egoyan's EXOTICA (1994). No, it's not a grade B mid-nighties erotic thriller, but a quiet, introspective film about several emotionally damaged people, the tenouous threads that connect them, and the complicated ways in which they heal and hurt each other. This week Dave introduces Ashley to the beautiful, sad world of Canadian independent director Atom Egoyan, the exotic strains of Mychael Danna’s score, and the brilliant, understated performances by Bruce Greenwood, Mia Kirshner and Don McKellar. And fo...2020-02-1259 minShut Up and Watch This#45: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)Werner Herzog’s BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS, or BL:POCNO as we like to call it (no one calls it that), is a very weird movie. It is also a pretty good movie. A good-weird film that somehow Dave missed despite his film school education and fondness for New German Cinema directors. There is plenty for us to unpack here from the highs and lows of Nicolas Cage’s varied career to Herzog’s unique talent for portraying the darkness and folly of the human condition with a relatively light touch. All that, plus iguana cam (patent...2020-01-221h 03Shut Up and Watch This#44: Paris, Texas (1984)Take almost any state highway in Texas and you’ll find a trail of little towns, each with a square of brick buildings arranged around a courthouse, or just a row of storefronts in older towns. Towns like Goldwaithe, Zephyr, Santa Ana, Archer City, Paris, and the roads between them. Wim Wender’s 1984 film PARIS, TEXAS explores what is lost and found in these little places and the spaces between; what is between a man and woman, father and son, mother and child. Dave and Ashley are along for the ride to discuss loneliness, redemption, and what it all mean...2020-01-081h 03Shut Up and Watch This#43: Idiocracy (2006)This week we discuss Ashley’s pick, Mike Judge’s little seen cult film IDIOCRACY. In 2016, much of the independent press made comparisons between Idiocracy and the current political situation in the United States. Find out why they are wrong. Plus, we’ll answer questions like: Does Ashley even like this film? What IS the most nuanced stoner film of the mid-oughts? And...just what was 20th Century Fox trying to hide when they buried this film?
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com...2019-12-1155 minShut Up and Watch This#42: 8 1/2 (1963)Conveniently this week’s episode is about a man suffering from creative block, and I’m currently too drifty to be able to write this blurb. I may need some time at an Italian spa to get going again. If you hadn’t guessed, Dave and I are talking Fellini’s 8½ (1963), Dave’s pick. This film is madcap and chaotic, but also nostalgic and deeply meaningful. Join us for one of our best conversations as we discuss the creative process, Jungian archetypes, Lynchian dreamscapes, and how the essence of great art springs from the nonsense of the human mind. Surely it a...2019-11-271h 05Shut Up and Watch This#41: Pan's Labyrinth (2006)What criteria defines a classic film? An advancement in film technology? A technically flawless script? A unique blend of genre? For Ashley the criteria has to include some expression of humanity. The depth of humanity on display in Guillermo del Toro’s dark fantasy, PAN’S LABYRINTH (2006) made it an instant classic in Ashley’s mind. Dave started watching years ago, but he never saw the whole film. A hard watch in parts, the rewards of this masterful blend of fantasy and cruel reality are well worth braving some momentary discomfort.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Foll...2019-11-131h 02Shut Up and Watch This#40: The Fly (1986)You know the feeling when you meet a really great guy at a press/scientist mixer and he takes you back to his warehouse and shows you his teleporting machine? And then your ex-boyfriend/boss starts stalking you and making veiled threats via science magazine covers? So you go to deal with ex-guy and then new guy gets sad and drunk-teleports himself, accidentally fusing his DNA with a house fly. You know that feeling? Geena Davis surely does in this week’s pick, David Cronenberg’s body horror classic THE FLY (1986). The only available men are jerks, exes, or fly...2019-10-2352 minShut Up and Watch This#39: The Good Girl (2002) / Enlightened (2011)People are complicated, neither wholly bad nor good; they make bad decisions, they hurt people they love, and yet they are also capable of great kindness and laughter. They long for things: to be better, to be different, for connection with others. Writer Mike White is able to capture that humanity in characters that are simultaneously the best and worst of us. Ashley’s picks, THE GOOD GIRL (2002) starring Jennifer Aniston and HBO's ENLIGHTENED (2011) with Laura Dern, showcase White’s unique gift. Dave is along for the enjoyable, if somewhat uncomfortable, ride.
2019-10-021h 02Shut Up and Watch This#38: All the President's Men (1976)Ashley has a major gap in her knowledge of American history, and it is shaped like the modernist Watergate Hotel in Washington DC. This week, Dave’s pick, ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976) seeks to fill that gap with intrigue, secret parking lot meetings, inappropriate nicknames for anonymous sources, and a whole lot of phone calls. For Dave this is a flashback to film school and one of his favorite screenwriting books by William Goldman. A good time for all involved, except perhaps the US democracy and Richard Nixon.
Book: Adventures in the Screen Trade - William Goldman...2019-09-1855 minShut Up and Watch This#37: Pride and Prejudice (1995)Some films become so much a part of who you are that you can’t remember a time that they were not part of your life, and so it is for Ashley with this week’s pick, the 1995 BBC miniseries PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Staring Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet and Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, this is the definitive adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1813 novel, and it has been beautifully restored for the Blu-ray release. Dave was too busy with fencing lessons, brooding near fireplaces, and other man things to see the series before. This oversight has now been correc...2019-09-0457 minShut Up and Watch This#36: Beverly Hills Cop (1984)This week we’re going back to 1984 to review BEVERLY HILLS COP. What could possibly go wrong for a street smart detective from Detroit who heads to Beverly Hills for an unauthorized investigation into his friend’s murder? Apparently, much less than one might expect from that sort of set up. This fun, breezy film featuring a star-making turn by Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, was one of teen Dave’s favorites. Ashley is a little astounded by how this film seems to be from another era entirely, certainly a time before “gritty” cop shows like NYPD BLUE, THE WIRE, or e...2019-08-2142 minShut Up and Watch This#35: My Man Godfrey (1936)Sometimes you just need to watch something delightful and frivolous. Screwball comedies like Gregory LaCava’s MY MAN GODFREY (1936) are just the thing. Fueled by a major crush on William Powell, this is one of Ashley’s favorite films. She’s tried to show it to Dave before on a few occasions, but due to circumstances and sleepiness, he’s never made it through until now. On this episode we talk the joys of escapism, the talents of Carole Lombard and finding the right time to introduce your partner to your favorite films.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify...2019-08-0751 minShut Up and Watch This#34: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)Ashley HATES westerns, generally speaking, which is why Dave has been reluctant to make Sergio Leone’s restored 1968 classic ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST required viewing. Then our local art cinema happened to have a showing, and Dave couldn’t resist the urge to see it on the big screen once again. This film has everything: saloons, vengeful sharpshooters, corrupt railroad entrepreneurs, a retired lady of the evening with requisite gold heart, and XCUs, which are that thing where the camera zooms in so close you can see the molecular structure of Charles Bronson’s face. Plus an Enn...2019-07-241h 06Shut Up and Watch This#33: Hands on a Hardbody (1997)This week we finally review HANDS ON A HARDBODY: THE DOCUMENTARY (1997) thanks to a tip from Ashley’s brother about streaming options. This surprisingly moving film by S.R. Bindler documents the human drama surrounding an endurance competition to win a Nissan Hardbody pickup where 24 contestants stand with their hands on the truck until only one is left standing. This was Ashley’s introduction to the wonderful world of independent documentaries. Somehow Dave never managed to see it even though it was still playing at the dearly departed Dobie Theater across from UT when he started film school there.
2019-07-1053 minShut Up and Watch This#32: The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)Dave’s been sitting on this one for awhile, a little hesitant about Ashley’s reaction. This week’s pick, THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER (1989) is definitely not for everyone. Peter Greenaway’s film is visually and structurally bold. It is shocking in it’s portrayal of violence and barbarism, and the titular Thief is perhaps one of the worst humans to ever appear on screen. Yet there is something about it, a teetering balance, like a waiter carrying an overloaded tray. Will Ashley find this film as rich and fascinating as Dave does, or will it le...2019-06-261h 07Shut Up and Watch ThisExtra #2: The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)Home is one of the most powerful words in any language. It is not simply a place, but a symbol of something more, a visceral feeling of safety, of belonging, of community. So what happens to a person when that place, that community, that belonging is slowly but surely dismantled? In this week’s extra episode, we review THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO. This film confronts the effects of gentrification on identity and belonging through the eyes of tragic hero Jimmie Fails. This film is a swirl of poetry and music made visual, and we just had to...2019-06-1544 minShut Up and Watch This#31: Woman on the Run (1950)When Ashley first saw WOMAN ON THE RUN at the Noir City Film festival in 2015, she just knew her good friend Dave, a proud San Francisco native, would absolutely love it. It only took four years for him to see it, partly because Ashley couldn’t remember what it was called. Shot on location in mid-century San Francisco, this noir thriller by director Norman Foster features great visuals, an outstanding lead performance by Ann Sheridan as a woman searching for her husband after he witnesses a mob murder, and some top-rate character actors to keep things interesting. Twice thought lo...2019-06-1251 minShut Up and Watch This#30: Chungking Express (1994)As it turns out, this week’s pick is not a hardboiled modern noir set on a train, as Ashley expected. Instead Dave’s pick, Wong Kar-wai’s CHUNGKING EXPRESS (1994), features the stories of two lovelorn policemen as they try to move on from their past relationships. Equal parts sweet and quirky with a good mix of interesting camera work, a pretty killer soundtrack, and thirty cans of pineapple, Chungking Express is miles away from Ashley’s expectations, and has her wanting to see more of Wong’s films. Dave is particularly taken with pixieish heroine Faye from the second sto...2019-05-2945 minShut Up and Watch This#29: Parenthood (1989)This week Ashley’s pick is Ron Howard’s 1989 ensemble comedy/drama PARENTHOOD. Supported by some fine performances by the likes of Dianne Wiest, Steve Martin, and even Keanu Reeves, this film does a pretty good job of representing the ups and downs of parenthood from the viewpoint of a large, multigenerational family. Ashley is pleasantly surprised that this childhood favorite seems to stand the test of time with a few notable exceptions. And Dave is ultimately charmed despite some initial misgivings about content and a Randy Newman song with lyrics that are perhaps a tad precious.
Subs...2019-05-1551 minShut Up and Watch This#28: Notorious (1946) - HitchcockA US government agent (Cary Grant), the daughter of a convicted spy (Ingrid Bergman), and a scheming Nazi in Brazil (Claude Rains). Add a whole lot of repressed emotions and you have the makings of this love-triangle thriller, Alfred Hitchcock's 1946 masterpiece NOTORIOUS. Ingrid Bergman is luminous as Alicia, a patriot who risks everything for love and country. Cary Grant as Dev is…..kind of a dick, though a charming one. This is a top ten film for Dave, one of those seminal films that reveals the storytelling power of cinema. Can Ashley get past her unease watching a man th...2019-05-0151 minShut Up and Watch This#27: Much Ado About Nothing (2012) - Joss WhedonThis week we have committed false report; moreover, we have spoken untruths, secondarily, we are slanders; sixth and lastly we have belied a lady; thirdly, we have verified unjust things; and, to conclude, we are lying knaves. All this is true, except the lady bit, as we did not watch Hands on a Hardbody as promised. Instead we watched Joss Whedon’s adaptation of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. This is Ashley’s favorite Shakespeare play due largely to the spirited banter of Beatrice and Benedick. Dave talks about settling into the Shakespearean dialect for the first time since college and...2019-04-0540 minShut Up and Watch This#26: Seven Samurai (1954)People are complicated, at once noble and cowardly. We laugh at inappropriate times and cry over morning tea; find beauty and terror in the wind and rain. And somehow Akira Kurosawa captures all of this humanness in a film that is somehow both epic and intimate all at once. That’s right, this week we tackle Kurosawa’s 1954 film SEVEN SAMURAI. This film shaped Dave’s understanding of cinema and probably life in general. It is an exercise in vulnerability to show such an important film to someone you love, and a bit intimidating for the new viewer as well. I...2019-03-2159 minShut Up and Watch This#25: Party Down (2009) - TV SeriesAre there times in your life when you’re more open to a particular show or movie? We find out when we revisit a series that Dave just couldn’t get into the first time Ashley brought it up, long before they ever started dating. PARTY DOWN was Rob Thomas’s (the writer-director, not the singer of “Smooth”) follow-up to VERONICA MARS. The series follows Adam Scott as a washed-up actor and his co-workers at a second-rate catering company in LA as they work disastrous parties and events, while trying to figure out their careers, or lack thereof, in and around...2019-03-0739 minShut Up and Watch This#24: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy / Gallifrey One 2019This week we’re talking Slartibartfast, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and Ford Prefect. No, we aren’t advertising for some weird diet shake, an odd new laundry detergent, or a car that ceased production in 1961…it’s just a few of the interestingly named characters from the 1981 BBC TV adaptation of THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY. Ashley, a huge fan of the book series, wonders if one needs a live action version of a near perfect story. For Dave, who knew the story from books, radio and the series, his pick is pure nostalgia. Will it stand the test of time? Sp...2019-02-1758 minShut Up and Watch ThisExtra #1: ROMA (2018)Dave and I saw a truly outstanding film this weekend, and although it breaks the rules for our podcast, we really wanted to talk about it. The film was ROMA. Director Alfonso Cuarón takes us into his childhood in the Colonia Roma neighborhood of Mexico City. Told from the perspective of the beloved nanny who helped raise him and his siblings, this film is gorgeous from first shot to last, and it is all the things a film should be: engaging, evocative, deeply moving, and most of all profoundly human. Go see it if you haven’t, and may...2019-02-0532 minShut Up and Watch This#23: Anne of Green Gables (1985)It seems everything gets a gritty remake these days, but did LM Montgomery’s classic book series ANNE OF GREEN GABLES really need the Batman Begins treatment? Disapproving of the recent remakes, this week Dave and Ashley review the original, Kevin Sullivan’s 1985 adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (yes we realize there is a 1934 film as well). Ashley tries and (perhaps) fails to be somewhat objective about her pick and one of her childhood favorites. And Dave waxes poetic about the joys of watching Anne (Megan Follows) find her chosen family and make a place for herself in the...2019-01-3147 minShut Up and Watch This#22: Fanny and Alexander (1982)It’s a Bergman bonanza as Dave and Ashley review FANNY AND ALEXANDER (1982). This portrait of a large family seen through the eyes of young Alexander is both joyful and devastating. Ashley is drawn in by the powerful and grounded female characters, and the wonderful, terrible portrayals of characters coping (or not) with their own mortality. Dave finds some connection to his past, and is inspired by the contrast of Alexander’s Christmas spent with a large, warm family versus time spent in the austere home of his sadistic stepfather, the Bishop. All this plus Dave’s review of Criter...2019-01-1646 minShut Up and Watch This#21: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)A listener poll of Ashley’s Christmas related picks decided our next film. By a landslide listeners chose THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, an actual Christmas/Halloween classic, over some lesser known and less well respected films (MIXED NUTS has a 10% Rotten Tomatoes rating). Dave is on the record as having complicated feelings about Tim Burton films. And Ashley was a little hesitant to revisit a childhood favorite, considering how mainstream Nightmare has become. Will they be charmed by the spirit of this film nonetheless?
2018-12-0843 minShut Up and Watch This#20: Bagdad Cafe (1987)A stranger walks into a small town cafe somewhere in the California desert and proceeds to change the lives of everyone connected to said cafe. Interesting how so many American stories start in nearly the same way and end up in very different places. This week we’re talking about BAGDAD CAFE (1987), a charming indie by German director Percy Adlon. This movie has Dave nostalgic for the Mojave Desert of his youth, and sends Ashley on a tangent about American idealism, interstates, and the slow starvation of small towns. All this plus lederhosen, magic kits, later days romance, and an...2018-11-2140 minShut Up and Watch This#19: Halloween (1978)We’re finishing off a very eventful October by reviewing John Carpenter’s 1978 horror classic HALLOWEEN…on Halloween! Dave has somehow never seen this film due to his general disdain for the dead teenager/slasher genre. Ashley thinks he’ll love this homage to Hitchcock’s genre-defining PSYCHO, or at least enjoy watching her jump a foot and a half off the couch with every jump scare. So let’s watch the film that launched a thousand horror movie cliches and at least as many sequels. Turn on the lights, check the backseat, and always, always pay attention to warnings fro...2018-10-3135 minShut Up and Watch This#18: Don't Look Now (1973)October’s here and we, like the rest of the western world, have gone into spooky mode. This week we're talking about obscure psychological thriller, DON’T LOOK NOW (1973) directed by Nicolas Roeg. A portrait of grief with a bit of the supernatural mixed in, Dave’s pick stars Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie as a couple coping with the loss of their young daughter. A fan of late 60s and 70s psychological horror, Ashley finds plenty to love here, especially in the abandoned, labyrinthine Venice that serves as both backdrop and symbol in this film. Can this couple escape f...2018-10-0749 minShut Up and Watch This#17: Citizen Ruth (1996)As an actor, how does one follow a performance in a record breaking blockbuster like JURASSIC PARK? If one is Laura Dern, you star in a controversial indie film by a first-time director about the abortion debate, of course. This week it’s her movie, her choice as we discuss Ashley’s pick, dark comedy CITIZEN RUTH (1996) by Alexander Payne. Ashley and Dave marvel at Laura Dern’s ability to render a character with virtually no redeemable qualities as vaguely loveable, and the fact that this film still feels extremely relevant even 20 years later. Plus an appearance by the late...2018-09-1638 minShut Up and Watch This#16: Mad Max EditionGather your gas cans, canteens and studded leather chaps, this week we go traveling through a post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland with a very unlucky but ultimately heroic man named Max. On this episode we are watching not one, but two films from the Max Max series, namely 1981’s THE ROAD WARRIOR (MAD MAX 2) and MAD MAX: BEYOND THUNDERDOME (1985). Dave saw Thunderdome when he was 14 and has been a fan of the series ever since. Ashley has only seen the latest installment, FURY ROAD. What will Ashley make of the origin material? And how well does Thunderdome stand up against the ra...2018-08-2745 minShut Up and Watch This#15: The Jerk (1979)This week Ashley introduces Dave to the delightful silliness of Steve Martin and THE JERK, a movie that was not only one of her dad’s favorite comedies, but also a constant source of quotes and in-jokes around the house when she was growing up. Will Dave be able to look past some of the more problematic aspects of this movie to see the pathos in this madcap story about the rise and fall of simple, sheltered Navin Johnson and his love for a girl named Marie (Bernadette Peters)?
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follo...2018-08-0541 minShut Up and Watch This#14: The Remains of the Day (1993)This week Dave and Ashley discuss THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, based on Kazuo Ishiguro's novel about the life and regrets of Stevens (Anthony Hopkins), dutiful butler of Darlington Hall, who values housekeeper Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson) a great deal. Dave discusses some of his own regrets, which may extend to selecting a film for the show that no longer resonates the way it once did. Curious thing, looking back on one's life. Nevertheless, Ashley welcomes the opportunity to carry on her acquaintance with spirit animal Emma Thompson and to utter witticisms at regular intervals.
Subscribe in iTunes, Andro...2018-07-2341 minShut Up and Watch This#13: Pushing Daisies (2007) - TV SeriesWhen Ashley was 26 years, 51 weeks, 3 days, 6 hours and 26 minutes old she discovered a delightfully dark new television series. Ten years, 36 weeks, 6 days, 4 hours and 2 minutes later, after a chance encounter in the DVD section of a used-book store, Ashley shared this same series with her new beau. Dave and Ashley continue to explore cult TV with Ashley’s pick, psychedelic twee fantasy, PUSHING DAISIES (2007-2009). What will Dave make of the day-glo colors and dark comic sensibility? And will the show live up to Ashley’s fond memories?
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on F...2018-07-0842 minShut Up and Watch This#12: The Prisoner (1967) - TV SeriesThis week Dave and Ashley wander into a brave new world: cult TV. First up is Dave’s pick, psychedelic/spy/sci-fi classic THE PRISONER (1967-1968). This genre-defying series about a kidnapped former spy (Patrick McGoohan), who awakens in a seemingly idyllic coastal enclave called The Village, has Ashley looking for information, information, information. Dave counters with “that would be telling,” while attempting to explain what makes this bewildering series a cult phenomenon. To give Ashley a taste of the show, we watch and discuss 2 episodes: “ARRIVAL” and "FREE FOR ALL.” All this, plus our first email from a fan of The P...2018-06-2341 minShut Up and Watch This#11: The Incredibles (2004)It’s nearly Summer, and you know what that means….superhero movies. So many superhero movies... This week Dave and Ashley take on the Disney industrial complex in the form of Ashley’s pick 2004 Pixar film THE INCREDIBLES. Listen as Dave confronts his aversion to all things superhero, and Ashley geeks out over the mid-century production design. Does THE INCREDIBLES soar above the competition to be a classic or are we doomed to yet another basic hero film? Find out this week on Shut Up and Watch This.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Face...2018-06-0734 minShut Up and Watch This#10: Reservoir Dogs (1992)This week Dave and Ashley may have stumbled on a previously unknown life defining event. Did you come of age before Tarantino or after Tarantino? Dave was a film student at UCSD when his pick, cinematic earthquake RESERVOIR DOGS was released. Ashley was…..in middle school. There’s a lot to unpack here as Dave describes how shocking this film was when he saw it in the theater, and Ashley reveals the ice that flows through her veins having grown up in a post-Tarantino world. All this plus speculations on an alternate timeline where John Travolta never had a care...2018-05-0843 minShut Up and Watch This#9: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)Find out what happens when Elrond the Elf King (Hugo Weaving), a British Gangster (Terence Stamp), and that guy from MEMENTO (Guy Pearce) take a drag show on the road across the Australian desert in a ramshackle bus. We’re talking great characters, small towns, and nordic pop music when we cover Ashley’s pick, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT. This 1994 Australian cult film has great performances, stunning photography, and manages to find a balance between very silly and very dramatic.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook
Visit our site: sh...2018-04-2336 minShut Up and Watch This#8: Naked (1993)On this week’s very special episode of Shut Up and Watch This, differing viewpoints lead to one of our most interesting, and certainly longest, discussions. Dave’s pick is NAKED, a 1993 film by Mike Leigh, a favorite director of both Dave and Ashley. Does Dave accurately express what this film meant to a young man out in the world for the first time? Will Ashley be able to look past her visceral reaction to the violence to truly appreciate the manic magnetism of Johnny? Yes! No! Maybe?! Plus, discussions of Greek classics, modern anti-heroes, and the worst date movie...2018-04-0946 minShut Up and Watch This#7: Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)Ashley and Dave are proud to review COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER, the story of country singer Loretta Lynn (Sissy Spacek). Along the way, they confront Dave's country music blind spot and argue over the correct pronunciation of the word "biopic."
Subscribe in iTunes or Android
Follow us on Facebook
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send your feedback to shutupwatchthis@gmail.com
Please consider leaving a review or a star rating on iTunes, so other folks can find us.
© 2018 Ashley Carr & Dave Wilson
2018-03-2536 min