"I'm a big fan of the 80s Chevy Chase starrer, Fletch, and yes, even a fan of most of the sequel, Fletch Lives, but what we get in Confess, Fletch is a movie that delivers a Fletch that lives in the real world and one where I would've love to have seen more adventures of the Jon Hamm Fletch." - Field That's right! We both agree that Jon Hamm does a great job of playing the title character, and Greg Mottola steered this story well enough to deserve more chapters in the Fletch series. I mean...what're we doing here? Don't we want these types of movies? Aren't we tired of superheroes? Yes, we liked the new Spiderman, but at what cost? Eight other mediocre superhero films that get replaced when they inevtiably get rebooted, retooled and re-done badly again. This took a turn. And if you watch and listen to our show, you know we can get on a tangent. So let's bring it back to Confess, Fletch. It's good. It's witty. Hamm is good. Marcia Gay Harden is great. Find out more of what we thought! Or find us on your favorite podcast platform. Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | More Links We just started Season 26! Have you seen our Payback episode?

Let me start off by saying that I’m biased towards indie cinema. I’m not ashamed of it, and it certainly doesn’t cloud my opinions on independent films. I still expect the same high level of writing and filmmaking from indie films, as I would from big studio productions. Just because the big studios have more money, more toys, more tools, more people…and just plain more of everything, they sometimes get a pass when it comes to storytelling. Indie cinema doesn’t get that pass. More often than not, an audience doesn’t know the actors and actresses in the movie. There’s no expensive blue-screen enhanced action scene. No script that’s been written by numerous uncredited writers, workshopped by focus groups and noted to death by studio executives. Middle Life is an independent movie that presents two people, each struggling in their lives, suddenly thrusted together by fate in the form of a one-vehicle accident. It’s not quite a meet-cute, but this isn’t only a rom-com. It’s a coming-of-age tale for adults, something many people experience at various stages of their adulthood. Yes, it’s a weird secret that no one talks about, but we don’t stop learning or growing or coming of age when we become adults. It’s an ongoing process. Leah Fay Goldstein as Andie We meet Andie, played by Leah Fay Goldstein, a wedding planner who relies on her calendar to navigate through her life. Andie’s life seems like it should be a good one, right? New bab. Loving husband. But something is missing. Something is off, and no matter how much Andie tries to control her life, it’s not solving the problem. When Andie meets Ryan one night, after the aforementioned car accident, it sets her down a path to rediscover herself. But she’s not the only one. Ryan, played by Peter Dreimanis, is a plumber who struggles with the aftermath of the accident that has left his father mentally impaired. He, too, is experiencing a life less extraordinary. Peter Dreimanis as Ryan Director Pavan Moondi weaves this story with confidence, having a firm grasp on the characters’ internal dilemmas. He knows these characters just as much as Goldstein and Dreimanis, and that knowledge is evident on the screen. Nothing feels forced. Conversations don’t feel like their written, but lived in. Middle Life is the type of story you would see regularly in the late 80s and early 90s. Smart writing, sincere performances and ultimately a story where you’re rooting for these two main characters to find happiness, even if it’s not with each other. Yes, we can see the cracks in the ‘perfect’ life of Andie, and she knows those cracks are there, but pushes forth hoping she and her husband will figure it all out. But as we already know, that’s never how it works. Ryan’s life is a bit more of a mystery to the audience. He wears the mask of a man who loves life, treasures spontaneity, and finds joy in the little things, but he’s hiding from the truth which manifests itself in a biological way. The movie is at its a strongest when Andie and Ryan are together. Goldstein and Dreimanis have a great chemistry in their scenes together. The conversations are rooted in reality, creating a world where we’re all friends with two people like this. These characters are flawed with each other and the world. Ryan’s naivety about things is highlighted when he befriends a man living out of his own car. Middle Life is well-written, confidently directed film that, yes, is a rom com, but it’s also so much more. If you’re one of those cinema-goers who crave films and stories written for adults, look no further than Middle Life.

Season 26 begins with two versions of the same movie. That's right! Out of sheer idiocy, we watched both Payback and Payback: Straight Up in preparation for this late 90s Mel Gibson movie. By late 90s, we're talking arguably one of the best years in cinema...1999! But we digress. There are significant differences between these two films, and we talk about that in this episode. The entire ending, in action, tone and actual storytelling are completely opposite! Even the image in this blog article was used in the theatrical cut, but not the director's cut. There are so many changes! Find out all about it. So, join us, won't you? Or find us on your favorite podcast platform. Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | More Links

It's a White Water Summer as our Forgotten Summer season winds down. We're braving nature with our trusty, and not weirdly psychotic guide, Vic, played by Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon fame...Kevin Bacon. But let's not forget Sean Astin...at two different ages in this movie. Yes. It's one of those shelved movies that has a new life. This movie is the one you would've discovered on the Coming-of-Age end-cap at your local video store one Saturday evening. (We miss you video stores!) in this episode, we talk about the movie's initial limited release in the late 80s for only the Northwest portion of the United States. And since the reception was less-than enthusiastic, the studio opted to avoid a larger release schedule. Hence, why we get Sean Astin, circa Goonies age, and our narrator, Sean Astin, circa Toy Soldiers age. It kinda works. Kinda. Find out what we thought! Or find us on your favorite podcast platform. Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | More Links Make sure you catch our other Forgotten Summer episodes! War of the Worlds Flight of the Navigator Blown Away Kingdom of Heaven

It's a couple of bonus episodes coming your way this week! We're getting vertical as we discuss Autonomous, the micro-horror short from indie filmmakers Kyle Valle and Erin Áine. You remember part of the team that brought us ZombieCON Vol. 1. They're back and so are we...but we're always here. Autonomous is the story of a couple who boards a Gomo — a self-driving rideshare cab — only to find themselves trapped with no way out. 16 episodes of pure claustrophobic terror. The micro-short is available exclusively on Screamify — a streaming platform dedicated exclusively to independent horror content. It's a community-driven platform that funds, promotes, and celebrates independent horror filmmaking. And you know how much Forgotten Cinema loves indie films. I mean...we're indie filmmaker ourselves! Check out our latest Now Showing episode where we talk about Autonomous! Bonus! We also sat down, virtually, with Kyle and Erin to catch up about their new project and a few other odds and ends. As always. you can find us oin your favorite podcast platform. Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | More Links

Forgotten Summer continues with the director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven. Ridley Scott adds more to this epic film set during the crusades. This updated version fleshes out the characters, their choices, and then story itself. Things makes sense! Like many epics, the scope of the film and its overall message, can overshadow characters and that's the same case here. Not bad. Don't worry. Balian (Orlando Bloom) is the straw that stirs the drink, it's just that, the crusades are simply loaded with subtext. But we're not loaded with anything but caffeine. Watch us go! Or listen to us go! Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | More Links Make sure you catch our other Forgotten Summer episodes! War of the Worlds Flight of the Navigator Blown Away

Calm yourself. That's right, it's a race against time for the Boston Bomb Squad on our latest Forgotten Summer episode. It's Jeff Bridges trying to outrun his past and mad bomber, and former friend, Tommy Lee Jones in this 1994 action(?) movie, Blown Away. This Stephen Hopkins film has one of the largest explosions ever recorded in cinema history. You don't need to look that up. What're you doing?! But seriously, the boat explosion caused havoc on nearby building windows and we think it was worth it, for what we got on screen was awesome. Now, yes...there are some things in this movie that test the patience of Butler and Field. for Butler, as always, it's the accents or is that what we're calling them? And for Field, it's what exactly is Forrest Whitaker doing with his character in this movie. Find out all we had to say below! Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | More Links Miss our last two Forgotten Summer Episodes? We've got you covered. War of the Worlds Flight of the Navigator

Oh man, we got a mouthful of dead people and there are ripped clothes all over the place! Yup. We're talking about War of the Worlds this week on Forgotten Summer. The Tom Cruise one...not the Ice Cube one. Maybe one day, we'll cover Ice Cube talking on his computer screen for 75 minutes, but for now, we're talking Spielberg, Cruise, Morgan Freeman narrating and "Look at the birds!" We freely admit that this movie may not qualify for "forgotten" status, but hear us out...seriously, hear us out on our latest episode! We're on YouTube! (See below) We're on all the social platforms (see lower than that) Enjoy! Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | More Links Did you catch our last episode? Don't worry. Check out Flight of the Navigator!

It might be the 250th birthday of The United States of America, but that's not stopping Forgotten Cinema from looking to the skies wondering if we're alone. We're not. We think that's pretty obvious at this point. We've got a special Now Showing episode for you. It's the independent alien drama movie, Abductee. This is a movie you won't find at your local Cineplex. Writer-Director-Producer William Hopp is currently taking his movie, Abductee, across the country for his own indie roadshow. Right now, he's down south, but he may be at a locally owned theater near you. Bookmark the calendar on his website now! We also got to interview Will about the production process throughout the making odf the movie. If you're an indie filmmaker, check this interview out. Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | More Links

Forgotten Summer is here! And what a way to start it off. We've got an 80s kid's film that we think you forgot! (Hence the title of the entire podcast) It's Flight of the Navigator. And yes, that's Paul Reubens as the voice of the ship. We're starting our slate of 5 films this July with one that Field completely forgot several strong subplots in the movie. He questioned how much he paid attention back in 1986, but to be fair, he was 11 and probably all over the place. There's the 8-year time jump. The schematics of the universe locked inside David's brain. Sarah Jessica Parker is in this movie? Is that the robot from Space Camp? (It's not. Just wanted to drop a Space Camp reference.) "Max and Jinx. friends forever!!!" Ok, we're done. Find out what we had to say about Flight of the Navigator. Enjoy! Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | More Links