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Season 19, Episode 11 I used to deliver the paper. I didn't love it. The early mornings, getting people to pay for the paper, the early mornings. I don't remember when I quit or how I quit, but one day, it stopped and I was happy. I remember catching this film in 1994 and coming away with a positive experience. I didn't realize how many known-faces were in this movie back then, but now, yikes. So many people! The Paper was one of those movies that helped push my dream of becoming a storyteller. The dialogue, the performances, the different character story arcs weaving in and out of the plot — it all added up to sparking my desire to recreate what was on screen. I never wanted to be a journalist, but I do like researching and investigating a mystery. And isn't that what a new story is? A mystery that needs solving so I can tell the best possible story to the audience. Check out what we thought about our latest movie on Forgotten Cinema. The Paper Written by David Koepp & Stephen Koepp Directed by Ron Howard Starring Michael Keaton, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei, Randy Quaid, Jason Robards, Jason Alexander and 56 other people you'll recognize. Or listen to us on your favorite podcast portal... Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links

This week on Forgotten Cinema, we’re talking about Charlie Wilson’s War (2007), the sharp, witty, and surprisingly accessible political dramedy written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Mike Nichols. Both of us really enjoy this one, not just for the tight writing and historical intrigue, but for the absolutely stellar performances across the board. Tom Hanks brings his trademark charm as the flawed but charismatic congressman Charlie Wilson, Julia Roberts oozes confidence as socialite Joanne Herring, and Philip Seymour Hoffman… well, he completely steals the movie. The Hoffman Factor Hoffman’s portrayal of CIA operative Gust Avrakotos is a masterclass in energy and nuance. Every scene he’s in feels electric, and one particular exchange (highlighted above) ranks as one of Field’s favorite movie moments of the last 30 years. It’s the kind of performance that makes you remember just how much depth Hoffman could bring to any role. Sorkin and Nichols in Sync We also dive into how Aaron Sorkin’s script strikes that perfect balance between sharp humor and political insight. The story covers complex geopolitical maneuvering without ever feeling like homework, and Mike Nichols’ direction keeps the tone buoyant and human. The film manages to be both funny and thought-provoking, a rare combination in political cinema. Power, Ego, and Consequence While Charlie Wilson’s War plays like an upbeat, quippy look at Cold War politics, it’s impossible to ignore the film’s final message, how charm, ego, and well-intentioned meddling can reshape history in unintended ways. It’s both a celebration and a cautionary tale about the power of influence. Let's Talk Charlie Wilson's War Listen to our full discussion on Forgotten Cinema, available wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube. Because in politics, as in movies, sometimes the real story isn’t about what’s on the surface, it’s about who’s writing the script. Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links

Big Nick in France! I'd be okay with that subtitle. After we watched the first film, Den of Thieves, for the main show, it was a no-brainer to have a Now Showing episode surrounding the sequel, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, especially since many of the people behind the camera and in front of the camera are returning. And while this movie carries over from the characters and events of the first film, it truly is its own movie. I make a point in the episode that we may have been conditioned, with the prevalence of world building, to expect sequels to simply be a continuation of the move prior and not it's own adventure. Sure, we're not ignoring what's happened before, but we're also not relying on your need to know what happened before to enjoy this new movie. That make sense? You don't need to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark (The only title I will accept) to watch any of the other films. They're all separate adventures. There's no tesseract popping up in movie 23, that you learned about in movie 3 and then 6. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera Written and Directed by Christian Gudegast Starring Gerard Butler, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Evan Ahmad, Salvatore Esposito, Oril Shuka Find out what we thought about our latest entry into the Now Showing franchise! Or listen on the podcast! Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links

Season 19, Episode 10 Shattered was a movie I knew very little about when I first watched it in the 90s. It was one of those films I consumed at a ferocious pace back, which was how I usually watched films. You think I watch a lot of movies now? It pales in comparison to my intake when I first fell in love with storytelling and cinema. After I watched it, I liked it quite a bit. It has a pretty big twist, which I didn't see coming, so that had an favorable impact on my memory of the movie. So, when we had it on the list for Season 19, I instantly got worried. Was I romanticizing this film? Will an older, more seasoned movie-goer Field realize Shattered isn't good? To be fair, there are a dozen films throughout our run where I have held this fear. Only one way to find out. Check out the episode! Shattered Based on the book "The Plastic Nightmare" by Richard Neely Screenplay by Wolfgang Petersen Directed by Wolgang Petersen Starring Tom Berenger, Bob Hoskins, Greta Scacchi, Joanne Whalley, Corbin Bernsen Watch us on YouTube... Or listen to us on your favorite podcast portal... Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links

What a perfect holiday movie for the family to take in this holiday season. Keep your Mufasa and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 , we decided to take a trip to 1838 Germany for the classic tale of Dracula...er, I mean Count Orlok in Nosferatu, a remake over 100 years in the making. Of course, we're not dismissing the 1979 Nosferatu the Vampyre , which went ahead and used the Dracula name, and if you're looking to watch that, you can find it streaming on Peacock (with a subscription). We caught a 4:10pm show of Nosferatu at our former employer, each noticing the lines at the concession stand and box office, and equally not missing working during those times. The theater was a bit busy, bit not too bad. Aside from the guy who had a coughing fit, and walked to the front of the theater and stared into the corner for a good 5 minutes, while standing underneath the screen, it was a decent viewing expeience. And no, we're not kidding. Nosferatu Written and Directed by Robert Eggers Starring Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe Check us out on YouTube! If podcasts are your thing... Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links

Season 19, Episode 9 I hate that they don't capitalize the 'C' in the title "Timecop". It just looks better than the lower case 'c'. I know this is a weird hill to defend, but I'm not moving on that. This is why I capitalized it in the title and why I'll continue to do so throughout this article. Before we discussed the movie, TimeCop , for the main show, I've always held that this movie was one of my favorite Jean-Claude Van Damme films. I'm sure I've also said it was his best, but I stopped making blanket statement like that in the late 90s. Movies, like all art, is subjective and for one to exclaim one piece of art is better than another is, in reality, saying that they prefer it, or it speaks to them more. So, I liked TimeCop quite a bit. Then I watched it again. I still enjoy it, but boy did I forget about a lot of inconsistencies, baffling plot points, and the entirety of Gloria Reuben's character, Agent Sarah Fielding. I'll leave those for the podcast episode, but there were some pieces I never forgot. The split, as you can see in the image above, is one of them, although the believability of how Walker needs to do the move tests the limits of common sense. I also always remembered Senator McComb's fate, but his motivation to letting himself die in the end, which we also discuss on the episode, is mind-blowingly (not a word) dumb. Check out this episode where we answer the ultimate question: Does the character, Walker, always roll up his sleeves, or does Jean-Claude Van Damme? TimeCop Story by Mike Richardson & Mark Verheiden Screenplay by Mark Verheiden Directed by Peter Hyams Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mia Sara, Ron Silver, Bruce McGill, Gloria Reuben Watch us on YouTube! Or on your favorite podcast portal... Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links

Season 19, Episode 8 Merry Christmas! What a way to celebrate the holiday then by listening to a brand new episode of Forgotten Cinema. We take on the 2016 film Office Christmas Party, which has its roots in the tradition of office holiday parties across the country combined with the always hyped up expectation of having an all-time rager. (Project X, Superbad, Can't Hardly Wait, Animal House, the Hangover series deals with the aftermath, and more I'm probably forgetting.) Hollywood has a history of party movies where the characters are looking to have an all-time party they will never forget. When in reality, those types of parties rarely happen. Office Christmas Party carries on the tradition of party films and adds the common experience those employed face at the end of every year. The office holiday party. The tradition of throwing a party at the same spot where you work is weird, isn't it? When I was working at the movie theater, our holiday parties would take place on a Monday night, while we were still open. It was fun, but surrealistic. I've never experienced a full-on rager that lasts all night and changes your life for the better. But there's still time, right? It didn't happen this year, but maybe one year, I'll experience joy, embarrassment, jubilation and regret all in one night. Office Christmas Party Directed by Josh Gordon & Will Speck Screenplay by Justin Malen and Laura Solon and Dan Mazer Starring Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, T.J. Miller, Jennifer Aniston, Kate McKinnon, Courtney B. Vance, Jillian Bell and more! Check us out on YouTube: If podcasts are your thing... Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links

Season 19, Episode 7 Nicolas Cage plays David Spritz, a depressed weatherman, trying to figure out how to "fix" his life on so many levels. If he's not trying to reconcile with his wife, during a separation clearly headed toward divorce (She has a boyfriend!), then he's attempting to connect with his children, including stopping a predator from taking advantage of his teenage son. We talk plenty on this episode about the many different facets of David's life that seem to be in flux and not in a good way for him. But one of the main subplots involves the strained relationship between David and his father, Robert Spritzel, played by Michael Caine. David actively seeks his father's approval, even going so far as to plant a letter from Hello America (Basically, The Today Show ), looking to have him come and audition for their national weatherman slot. We learn about the science-fiction novel David wrote that his father, an award-winning writer in his own right, never read. Robert consistently befuddled by his son's actions and words, you start to feel for David's uphill battle for his father's love. The love is there, but Robert struggles with how to truly connect with his son. There are plenty of movies that deal with the many different relationships that fathers and sons have. In the case of The Weather Man, the ending leaves you feeling that the struggle between David and Robert is still there, but it's getting better. Here are a few favorite father-son movies I enjoy: Field of Dreams (You cried at the end. You know it.) Road to Perdition (We covered this movie!) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Finding Nemo Frequency And there plenty more that I've forgotten or maybe haven't seen yet. The Weather Man Written by Steve Conrad Directed by Gore Verbinski Starring Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Hope Davis, Nicholas Hoult, Gil Bellows Check out our episode on YouTube! If podcasts are your thing... Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links

Season 19, Episode 6 This film legit scared me when I first watched it in theaters. Perhaps, I believed in aliens more than I expected. I remembered leaving the theater and being genuinely shook about what I just witnessed. Even today, after a rewatch for this episode, the scenes that take place on the alien craft are frightening and shot in a realistic nature to evoke a sense of the potential for an abduction, not only could happen, but could possibly be this terrifying. And then we did the episode. I went through the notes and discovered...it was all made up. Even the movie's director, Robert Lieberman, doubted the claims of Travis Walton from the novel The Walton Experience . Inconsistencies and the validity of the abduction claims aside, the biggest disappointments in this rewatch was learning all those scary abduction scenes were created by Lieberman based on dreams he was having while prepping for the production. What a bummer. But don't let that fact dissuade you from revisiting Fire in the Sky . There are some decent scenes in this movie, and if you love The X-Files (like we do), this movie feels like one big stand-alone (or mythology) episode from the show. Check us out on Youtube! If you prefer audio only, because we're just too ugly to look at, here you go... Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links

Season 19, Episode 5 I'm not sure when it happened. It might be a reflection of my added years on this Earth or the amount of movies I've seen, but I have developed an affinity toward 70s cinema over the years. This week's Forgotten Cinema episode — The Candidate — was a movie I watched while going down a rabbit hole of 70s films over the span of a few weeks. But, like I say on the podcast, I'm not really sure how I found my way to this movie. We all come with baggage to a movie and it's very hard to separate what you believe in or what you might be feeling when we start watching a film. I'm not a political person, so coming into my first watch of The Candidate , I was focused on the character piece it's meant to be. And much like my second watch, I was into it. Redford, much like, Paul Newman and many actors of their caliber, has such an effortless feel when he's performing on screen. Nothing feels fake. Nothing feels like a performance. He just is. Is that born from the style of cinema in the 70s? Does that feel of becoming a character, rather than performing a character, more prominent in acting of yesteryear, than now? I don't know. Sometimes, it feels like that. Like anything, it comes down to preference. I highly recommend you watch The Candidate and many other films from the 70s. You might be amazed how much you come to enjoy them. This might be a good place to start. If you haven't already watched our latest episode, please check it out here on YouTube. If you prefer audio only, because we're just too ugly to look at, here you go... Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links