Movie Night with Josh Barry

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryOn the Waterfront (1954), directed by Elia Kazan from a script by Budd Schulberg and starring Marlon Brando, is a crime drama set among longshoremen on the Hoboken, New Jersey docks. It combines a morality tale about courage and conscience with a realistic portrait of union corruption, elevated by Leonard Bernstein’s score and some of the most influential acting and writing of Hollywood’s “method” era.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryOn the Waterfront (1954), directed by Elia Kazan from a script by Budd Schulberg and starring Marlon Brando, is a crime drama set among longshoremen on the Hoboken, New Jersey docks. It combines a morality tale about courage and conscience with a realistic portrait of union corruption, elevated by Leonard Bernstein’s score and some of the most influential acting and writing of Hollywood’s “method” era.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryJaws (1975), directed by Steven Spielberg from Peter Benchley’s novel, follows a small‑town police chief, a shark expert, and a salty fisherman as they hunt a great white shark terrorizing the New England resort town of Amity Island. Its tight story, John Williams’ iconic score, and a famously troubled production combined to create the prototype modern summer blockbuster.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryJaws (1975), directed by Steven Spielberg from Peter Benchley’s novel, follows a small‑town police chief, a shark expert, and a salty fisherman as they hunt a great white shark terrorizing the New England resort town of Amity Island. Its tight story, John Williams’ iconic score, and a famously troubled production combined to create the prototype modern summer blockbuster.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryBoomerang (1992), directed by Reginald Hudlin from a story conceived by Eddie Murphy with writers Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield, is a sleek romantic comedy about a womanizing ad executive whose world flips when he meets a female version of himself. Set in a high‑end Black corporate milieu and backed by a powerhouse R&B/New Jack Swing soundtrack, it became a commercial success and an important touchstone for Black studio comedies of the 1990s.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryBoomerang (1992), directed by Reginald Hudlin from a story conceived by Eddie Murphy with writers Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield, is a sleek romantic comedy about a womanizing ad executive whose world flips when he meets a female version of himself. Set in a high‑end Black corporate milieu and backed by a powerhouse R&B/New Jack Swing soundtrack, it became a commercial success and an important touchstone for Black studio comedies of the 1990s.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryWhen Harry Met Sally… (1989), directed by Rob Reiner from a screenplay by Nora Ephron, follows Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) over 12 years of chance encounters, friendship, and romantic confusion around the question: “Can men and women ever just be friends?” Set largely in New York City, it pairs Ephron’s dialogue with Reiner’s staging, a Harry Connick Jr. standards soundtrack, and a small, sharp ensemble (Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby) to create one of the defining modern romantic comedies.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryWhen Harry Met Sally… (1989), directed by Rob Reiner from a screenplay by Nora Ephron, follows Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) over 12 years of chance encounters, friendship, and romantic confusion around the question: “Can men and women ever just be friends?” Set largely in New York City, it pairs Ephron’s dialogue with Reiner’s staging, a Harry Connick Jr. standards soundtrack, and a small, sharp ensemble (Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby) to create one of the defining modern romantic comedies.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryAll 3 movies together with the podcast and the essays combined

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryThe Godfather Part III (1990), again directed and co‑written by Francis Ford Coppola, concludes the story of Michael Corleone as he tries, late in life, to legitimize his empire and escape his past. Starring Al Pacino as an aging Michael and Andy Garcia as his volatile heir Vincent Mancini, it weaves Mafia intrigue together with Vatican finance scandals, family guilt, and a final tragic reckoning.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryThe Godfather Part III (1990), again directed and co‑written by Francis Ford Coppola, concludes the story of Michael Corleone as he tries, late in life, to legitimize his empire and escape his past. Starring Al Pacino as an aging Michael and Andy Garcia as his volatile heir Vincent Mancini, it weaves Mafia intrigue together with Vatican finance scandals, family guilt, and a final tragic reckoning.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryThe Godfather Part II (1974), again directed and co‑written by Francis Ford Coppola, is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather. It intercuts Michael Corleone’s consolidation of power in the late 1950s with the early 20th‑century rise of his father, Vito, turning a crime story into a grand meditation on family, power, and the cost of ambition. Many critics consider it one of the rare sequels that deepens and even surpasses the original.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryThe Godfather Part II (1974), again directed and co‑written by Francis Ford Coppola, is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather. It intercuts Michael Corleone’s consolidation of power in the late 1950s with the early 20th‑century rise of his father, Vito, turning a crime story into a grand meditation on family, power, and the cost of ambition. Many critics consider it one of the rare sequels that deepens and even surpasses the original.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryThe Godfather (1972), directed by Francis Ford Coppola from Mario Puzo’s novel, is a crime epic about the Corleone family that doubles as a meditation on power, loyalty, and the corruption of the American dream. Across a decade, it charts Michael Corleone’s transformation from decorated war hero and reluctant outsider to ruthless Mafia boss, framed by Nino Rota’s melancholy score and one of the most storied productions in Hollywood history.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryThe Godfather (1972), directed by Francis Ford Coppola from Mario Puzo’s novel, is a crime epic about the Corleone family that doubles as a meditation on power, loyalty, and the corruption of the American dream. Across a decade, it charts Michael Corleone’s transformation from decorated war hero and reluctant outsider to ruthless Mafia boss, framed by Nino Rota’s melancholy score and one of the most storied productions in Hollywood history.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryMy Favorite Year (1982), directed by Richard Benjamin from a script by Norman Steinberg and Dennis Palumbo (story by Palumbo), is a 1954‑set comedy about a young TV writer assigned to “babysit” a washed‑up swashbuckling movie star through a chaotic week of live television. It mixes backstage farce, affectionate homage to early TV, and a surprisingly touching mentor‑protégé story built around Peter O’Toole’s Oscar‑nominated turn as Alan Swann.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryMy Favorite Year (1982), directed by Richard Benjamin from a script by Norman Steinberg and Dennis Palumbo (story by Palumbo), is a 1954‑set comedy about a young TV writer assigned to “babysit” a washed‑up swashbuckling movie star through a chaotic week of live television. It mixes backstage farce, affectionate homage to early TV, and a surprisingly touching mentor‑protégé story built around Peter O’Toole’s Oscar‑nominated turn as Alan Swann.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryBoyz n the Hood (1991), written and directed by John Singleton, follows Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and his friends Ricky (Morris Chestnut) and Doughboy (Ice Cube) as they grow up in South Central Los Angeles amid violence, racism, and limited opportunity. The film combines an intimate coming‑of‑age story with social commentary, powered by a hip‑hop/R&B soundtrack and a breakthrough ensemble cast, and became both a critical landmark and a strong box‑office success.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryBoyz n the Hood (1991), written and directed by John Singleton, follows Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and his friends Ricky (Morris Chestnut) and Doughboy (Ice Cube) as they grow up in South Central Los Angeles amid violence, racism, and limited opportunity. The film combines an intimate coming‑of‑age story with social commentary, powered by a hip‑hop/R&B soundtrack and a breakthrough ensemble cast, and became both a critical landmark and a strong box‑office success.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryBeverly Hills Cop (1984), directed by Martin Brest, is an action‑comedy about a fast‑talking Detroit detective whose murder investigation drags him into the slick, alien world of Beverly Hills. Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley, Harold Faltermeyer’s synth score (especially “Axel F”), and a tight blend of comedy and cop‑movie plotting turned it into the biggest box‑office hit of 1984 and a defining 80s film.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryBeverly Hills Cop (1984), directed by Martin Brest, is an action‑comedy about a fast‑talking Detroit detective whose murder investigation drags him into the slick, alien world of Beverly Hills. Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley, Harold Faltermeyer’s synth score (especially “Axel F”), and a tight blend of comedy and cop‑movie plotting turned it into the biggest box‑office hit of 1984 and a defining 80s film.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryApocalypse Now (1979), directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, and Dennis Hopper, is a Vietnam‑War reimagining of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Its hallucinatory images, rock‑and‑classical score, and notoriously chaotic production turned it into both a landmark war film and a legend of directorial risk.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryApocalypse Now (1979), directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, and Dennis Hopper, is a Vietnam‑War reimagining of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Its hallucinatory images, rock‑and‑classical score, and notoriously chaotic production turned it into both a landmark war film and a legend of directorial risk.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman, is a witty, melancholy Western about two charming outlaws out of step with a changing West. Paul Newman as Butch and Robert Redford as Sundance turn a loosely fact‑based story of train robbers into a buddy film that blends comedy, action, and fatalism, helped enormously by Burt Bacharach’s pop‑infused score and the song “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head.”

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman, is a witty, melancholy Western about two charming outlaws out of step with a changing West. Paul Newman as Butch and Robert Redford as Sundance turn a loosely fact‑based story of train robbers into a buddy film that blends comedy, action, and fatalism, helped enormously by Burt Bacharach’s pop‑infused score and the song “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head.”

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryWhite Men Can’t Jump (1992), written and directed by Ron Shelton, stars Woody Harrelson as Billy Hoyle and Wesley Snipes as Sidney Deane in a streetball hustling comedy set in Los Angeles’ Venice Beach courts. Rosie Perez shines as Gloria Clemente, Billy’s sharp‑witted girlfriend obsessed with $5,000 for a Lotto dream. Technical advisor Rob Ryder trained the cast for authentic pick‑up games, making the basketball electric amid Shelton’s raunchy banter on race, trash talk, and hustles.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryWhite Men Can’t Jump (1992), written and directed by Ron Shelton, stars Woody Harrelson as Billy Hoyle and Wesley Snipes as Sidney Deane in a streetball hustling comedy set in Los Angeles’ Venice Beach courts. Rosie Perez shines as Gloria Clemente, Billy’s sharp‑witted girlfriend obsessed with $5,000 for a Lotto dream. Technical advisor Rob Ryder trained the cast for authentic pick‑up games, making the basketball electric amid Shelton’s raunchy banter on race, trash talk, and hustles.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryThe Killing Fields (1984), directed by Roland Joffé, stars Sam Waterston as New York Times correspondent Sydney Schanberg and Haing S. Ngor (in his debut) as Cambodian interpreter Dith Pran, chronicling their friendship amid the Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia in 1975. John Malkovich (Al Rockoff), Julian Sands (Jon Swain), and Craig T. Nelson co‑star in this harrowing drama, which won three Oscars including Best Supporting Actor for Ngor.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryTrain Dreams (2025), directed by Clint Bentley (co‑writer with Greg Kwedar) and starring Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, adapts Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella about an early 20th‑century logger navigating loss, love, and change in the American West. Shot in the Pacific Northwest, it’s a meditative character study praised for Edgerton’s subtle performance, stunning cinematography by Adolpho Veloso, and Bryce Dessner’s score.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryTrain Dreams (2025), directed by Clint Bentley (co‑writer with Greg Kwedar) and starring Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, adapts Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella about an early 20th‑century logger navigating loss, love, and change in the American West. Shot in the Pacific Northwest, it’s a meditative character study praised for Edgerton’s subtle performance, stunning cinematography by Adolpho Veloso, and Bryce Dessner’s score.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryTrain Dreams (2025), directed by Clint Bentley (co‑writer with Greg Kwedar) and starring Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, adapts Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella about an early 20th‑century logger navigating loss, love, and change in the American West. Shot in the Pacific Northwest, it’s a meditative character study praised for Edgerton’s subtle performance, stunning cinematography by Adolpho Veloso, and Bryce Dessner’s score.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryCat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), directed by Richard Brooks and adapted from Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize‑winning 1955 play, is a claustrophobic Southern family drama built around grief, desire, and the lies people tell to preserve power. Anchored by Paul Newman as Brick and Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie “the Cat,” it became one of the year’s biggest box‑office hits and a major awards contender, even as it softened some of Williams’ darkest themes for 1950s Hollywood.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryCat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), directed by Richard Brooks and adapted from Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize‑winning 1955 play, is a claustrophobic Southern family drama built around grief, desire, and the lies people tell to preserve power. Anchored by Paul Newman as Brick and Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie “the Cat,” it became one of the year’s biggest box‑office hits and a major awards contender, even as it softened some of Williams’ darkest themes for 1950s Hollywood.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryF1 is a sports drama about aging F1 driver Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), who returns to the sport after a decades‑long absence to help resurrect a struggling team, APXGP. In the 1990s, Sonny drove for Lotus and was tipped as a future champion before a near‑fatal crash at the 1999 Japanese Grand Prix ended his career. Now, in his late 50s, he lives as a nomadic “racer‑for‑hire,” competing in various minor series around the world, still addicted to speed but far from the F1 spotlight.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryF1 is a sports drama about aging F1 driver Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), who returns to the sport after a decades‑long absence to help resurrect a struggling team, APXGP. In the 1990s, Sonny drove for Lotus and was tipped as a future champion before a near‑fatal crash at the 1999 Japanese Grand Prix ended his career. Now, in his late 50s, he lives as a nomadic “racer‑for‑hire,” competing in various minor series around the world, still addicted to speed but far from the F1 spotlight.

<p>@movienight-with-Josh-BarryBonus: Earlt Release - Good Will Hunting (1997), directed by Gus Van Sant from a script by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, is a Boston‑set drama about a working‑class mathematical prodigy whose life changes when he’s forced into therapy with a grieving Southie psychologist. The film’s emotional power comes from its character‑driven story, the intimate score and songs by Danny Elfman and Elliott Smith, and the real‑life journey of its young writers from struggling actors to Oscar‑winning screenwriters.</p>

@movienight-with-Josh-Barry“Unforgiven” (1992), directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, is both a Western and a critique of the Western myth. It tells the story of an aging killer, William Munny, dragged back into violence for money, only to discover that the past he thought he’d buried still defines him. The film’s restrained storytelling, spare but evocative music, and lean, almost ascetic production make it one of the key late‑20th‑century Westerns, and it became a major critical and commercial success, winning four Academy Awards including Best Picture.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryThe Godfather (1972), directed by Francis Ford Coppola from Mario Puzo’s novel, is a crime epic about the Corleone family that doubles as a meditation on power, loyalty, and the corruption of the American dream. Across a decade, it charts Michael Corleone’s transformation from decorated war hero and reluctant outsider to ruthless Mafia boss, framed by Nino Rota’s melancholy score and one of the most storied productions in Hollywood history.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryThe Godfather (1972), directed by Francis Ford Coppola from Mario Puzo’s novel, is a crime epic about the Corleone family that doubles as a meditation on power, loyalty, and the corruption of the American dream. Across a decade, it charts Michael Corleone’s transformation from decorated war hero and reluctant outsider to ruthless Mafia boss, framed by Nino Rota’s melancholy score and one of the most storied productions in Hollywood history.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryApocalypse Now (1979), directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, and Dennis Hopper, is a Vietnam‑War reimagining of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Its hallucinatory images, rock‑and‑classical score, and notoriously chaotic production turned it into both a landmark war film and a legend of directorial risk.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryApocalypse Now (1979), directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, and Dennis Hopper, is a Vietnam‑War reimagining of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Its hallucinatory images, rock‑and‑classical score, and notoriously chaotic production turned it into both a landmark war film and a legend of directorial risk.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryTender Mercies (1983), written by Horton Foote and directed by Bruce Beresford, follows a washed‑up country singer in rural Texas as he stumbles into sobriety, faith, and family with a young widow and her son. Quiet, spare, and music‑soaked, it became a critics’ favorite, earned Robert Duvall an Oscar, and stands as one of the great American character studies of the 1980s.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryTender Mercies (1983), written by Horton Foote and directed by Bruce Beresford, follows a washed‑up country singer in rural Texas as he stumbles into sobriety, faith, and family with a young widow and her son. Quiet, spare, and music‑soaked, it became a critics’ favorite, earned Robert Duvall an Oscar, and stands as one of the great American character studies of the 1980s.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryBonus: Earlt Release - Good Will Hunting (1997), directed by Gus Van Sant from a script by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, is a Boston‑set drama about a working‑class mathematical prodigy whose life changes when he’s forced into therapy with a grieving Southie psychologist. The film’s emotional power comes from its character‑driven story, the intimate score and songs by Danny Elfman and Elliott Smith, and the real‑life journey of its young writers from struggling actors to Oscar‑winning screenwriters.

@movienight-with-Josh-Barry“Unforgiven” (1992), directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, is both a Western and a critique of the Western myth. It tells the story of an aging killer, William Munny, dragged back into violence for money, only to discover that the past he thought he’d buried still defines him. The film’s restrained storytelling, spare but evocative music, and lean, almost ascetic production make it one of the key late‑20th‑century Westerns, and it became a major critical and commercial success, winning four Academy Awards including Best Picture.

@movienight-with-Josh-Barry“Unforgiven” (1992), directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, is both a Western and a critique of the Western myth. It tells the story of an aging killer, William Munny, dragged back into violence for money, only to discover that the past he thought he’d buried still defines him.

@movienight-with-Josh-Barry“The Philadelphia Story” (1940), directed by George Cukor and starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart, is a sparkling romantic comedy of remarriage that doubles as a character study of class, vulnerability, and second chances. Adapted from Philip Barry’s hit Broadway play, it revived Hepburn’s career, showcased Grant and Stewart at the height of their charm, and became both a critical and commercial success that helped define the sophisticated Hollywood comedy of its era.

@movienight-with-Josh-Barry“The Philadelphia Story” (1940), directed by George Cukor and starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart, is a sparkling romantic comedy of remarriage that doubles as a character study of class, vulnerability, and second chances. Adapted from Philip Barry’s hit Broadway play, it revived Hepburn’s career, showcased Grant and Stewart at the height of their charm, and became both a critical and commercial success that helped define the sophisticated Hollywood comedy of its era.

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryWelcome to Movie Night, the essay edition.“One Battle After Another” (2025) is a darkly comic action thriller directed, co written, and co produced by Paul Thomas Anderson, adapted loosely from Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland. It marks the long anticipated first collaboration between Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio—an actor Anderson originally wanted for the lead in Boogie Nights—and uses DiCaprio’s star power to anchor a story about failed revolutions, compromised ideals, and the long...

@movienight-with-Josh-BarryWelcome to Movie Night, the essay edition.“One Battle After Another” (2025) is a darkly comic action thriller directed, co written, and co produced by Paul Thomas Anderson, adapted loosely from Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland. It marks the long anticipated first collaboration between Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio—an actor Anderson originally wanted for the lead in Boogie Nights—and uses DiCaprio’s star power to anchor a story about failed revolutions, compromised ideals, and the long...