Words and Movies

In Part 2 of our episode we look at Barry Levinson's Liberty Heights, from 1999. This was the fourth time that Levinson went to the well of life in Baltimore, and the second we've looked at (we still need to get to Tin Men and Avalon). The film is not a response to any of his Baltimore films, but was a response to his portrayal of Dustin Hoffman's character in the film Sphere, which got him thinking about his youth and led to the story seen here. COMING ATTRACTIONS: In our next episode we'll be looking at some men who are searching for God in their own way. We start with A Serious Man (2009), directed by the Coen Brothers, and move on to The Tree of Life (2011), directed by Michael McCracken. Join us, won't you?

FIlm directors have to have a thick skin when it comes to criticism. But once in awhile, it gets to them and they let it show. More often than not, they say that the critics are out of touch with audience tastes. Others will own their failures: Roland Emmerich, for example, admitted that Independence Day: Resurgence didn't work and that he probably shouldn't have been the director. And some directors respond by making another movie that takes the criticism head-on. That's the topic of this episode. We open with Intolerance (1916), directed by D.W. Griffith. It's a three-and-a-half hour movie intercutting four different-but-parallel storylines. It's specifically a response to Griffith's glorification of the Ku Klux Klan in his earlier Birth of a Nation. Griffith invariably framed it as a response to the critics and not an apology. In Part Two, we go to the Baltimore neighborhood of Liberty Heights.

We continue this episode with To Have and Have Not, a 1944 production directed by Howard Hawks. In this film, Bogart plays a sport tourism fisherman who's asked to use his boat to assist the French Resistance in Martinique. He meets up with Marie "Slim" Browning (Lauren Bacall) and that's where the fireworks started, both on and off screen. If you don't know how to whistle, Bacall offers up a fine lesson for you. COMING ATTRACTIONS: Next time, we take our first foray into silent films, with DW Griffith's Intolerance, from 1916, and Liberty Heights, from 1999, directed by Barry Levinson. These films were made in response to criticisms of earlier films from those directors. Join us, won't you?

Casablanca is a film that Sean and I have wanted to cover for a long time, but there was a little bit of a struggle to find a good film to pair it with. Not because there were so few, but because there were so MANY. Finally we came up with focusing on Humphrey Bogart himself rather than on the overall theme of the film. And then there was the realization that Bogart had a couple of films where he was a reluctant hero in a World War Two setting, with the key word being "reluctant." So we open with Casablanca, from 1942, directed by Michael Curtiz. Hal Wallis got the rights to the play just a few weeks after Pearl Harbor, so it wound up having a much bigger impact than it might have had before we entered the war. In Part Two, we see how Howard Hawks would handle a reluctant hero.

In the second half of our episode, we take a peek at THE COMPANY (2003), a fictional story involving a real ballet company, with a couple of actors thrown in who aren't professional ballet dancers. As with any Altman film, there's a lot going on, usually simultaneously, and there are are a couple of throughlines making their way through a bunch of set pieces. But once you get used to Altman's cadences, you'll enjoy yourself throughout. COMING ATTRACTIONS: In our next episode, Humphrey Bogart joins the Resistance. We begin with CASABLANCA, which we could have easily spent the entire episode reviewing. Fortunately for you we showed some restraint and moved on to TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT, which takes a very different tack on the subject. Join us, won't you?

In today's episode we're going to have a look at a couple of films made several decades apart that look at the goings-on behind the scenes in ballet companies. In this half of the episode, we're reviewing THE RED SHOES (1948), directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. We have impresario-type behavior, composers with big egos, love triangles, and all of it rather thinly overlaid on a Hans Christian Andersen story. But that's not a bad thing, even though there's at least one sticking point where Sean and I disagree. (It's minor, but we're each staying to our own side of the street on this one.) In Part 2 we jump into this century for a Robert Altman film.

In Part 2 of today's episode, we look at TRISTRAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULL STORY, directed by Michael Winterbottom. Steve Coogan is an exaggerated version of himself (we hope), playing the title character in the film adaptation of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. He's constantly sparring with another actor in the film over the relative importance of their roles. The director doesn't appear to have a good handle on the source material, but oddly enough the two people who do are constantly ignored. If you've ever watched a film and wondered "How did this get made?", this might provide the answer. COMING ATTRACTIONS: Next time, we go to the ballet, starting with the 1948 film THE RED SHOES, written and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Sean and Claude both enjoyed this film while having some rather different opinions about it. From there we move on to 2003's THE COMPANY, directed by Robert Altman. It follows a season of rehearsal and performances at the Joffrey Ballet. It stars Neve Campbell, James Franco, and Malcolm McDowell. As with any Altman film, it's a little hard to follow at first but once you relax into his rhythms, you'll have a great time. Join us, won't you? .

Hey there! LTNS!Today we take a look at a pair of films that deal with the creation of a film, but the catch is that the source material is notoriously difficult to adapt. Consequently the crux of the story we see involves the difficulty the creators are having putting the thing together. We start with ADAPTATION (2002), directed by Spike Jonze. We've got a terrific ensemble cast including Nicolas Cage, Chris Cooper, Meryl Streep and more. Cage is a man who suffers from anxiety and depression, and he can't get his act together to write an adaptation of the book The Orchid Thief. His twin brother shows up and decides that he wants to write a movie script. Hijinks ensue. Now that we've seen the struggles with the script writing process, move on to Part 2, where we observe the struggles with the filmmaking side of things.

As you no doubt know, actor/director/producer Robert Redford died last week at the age of 89. Now, lots and lots of people took the time to look back at his film career, so Sean and Claude took a different tack and reviewed a different aspect of Redford's legacy: the Sundance Film Festival. Redford wasn't one of the original founders, but he came in very early in the process, and just having his name attached to it gave the festival a new focus and level of prestige.

Way, way back in Episode 12, we looked at Stage Door and All About Eve, a couple of films about the theater industry that had practically no theater in them. We're going back to that well only only 76 episodes later, with today's look at two films that also deal with stage performers and the things that go into getting something on the boards. But where Part 1 stuck to the United States, this time around we take you to Europe. Here in the first half we bring you Topsy Turvy (1999), a British film that gives us a (mostly true) account of how Gilbert and Sullivan managed to put together one of their most famous works, The Mikado. In Part 2 we take on a more Continental flavor with The Clouds of Sils Maria.

In the second half of our episode, we check out Clouds of Sils Maria (2014), which is definitely a tonal shift from the first half. Kristen Stewart is the American assistant to an international star of stage and screen played by Juliette Binoche. The death of a former mentor leads her to consider the implications of time, aging, culture in general, and the blurring lines between relationships. We're making it sound a little dry here, but it's truly compelling. COMING ATTRACTIONS: In Reel 89 we look at some self-aware adaptations. We start with Adaptation (2002), then move on to Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2005). Join us, won't you?

From New York we head down to Baltimore, Maryland for DINER (1982) written and directed by Barry Levinson. This film was, in fact, shot in and around Baltimore, and Claude takes the time to flex his Baltimore geography knowledge. (By the way, when you're visiting the gravesite he mentions during the episode, you can also visit the grave of John Wilkes Booth, perhaps the best-marked unmarked grave in America.)COMING ATTRACTIONS: Next time we'll be doing a follow-up to Reel 12, with more Backstage Drama, with a slight twist. We'll start with TOPSY TURVY (1999) and move on to THE CLOUDS OF SILLS MARIA (2014). Join us, won't you?

This episode takes you to the places where a pair of directors grew up. Coincidentally, these places are also the stomping grounds for Your Humble Hosts. We begin with MEAN STREETS (1973) . directed and co-written by Martin Scorsese, which is set in New York City. (Yeah, it was filmed in Los Angeles, but they found good locations so you don't really notice.) Scorsese weaves a tale through several incidents which were likely lifted from his life. In Part 2, we'll go to Baltimore and have a bite at a DINER.

In Part Two of our episode, which isn't quite as packed as Part 1 (largely because it's a shorter, more straightforward story), we look at Wes Anderson's THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, starring Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston and a half-dozen or so other people as their adult children and in-laws. At the start of the film, the family isn't hanging together very well, until a little bit of deceit brings them closer. Then it separates them again. Then...well, just tune in. COMING ATTRACTIONS: In Episode 87 we're keeping our focus on directors (heh), with two films that are semi-autobiographical in nature. We'll begin with MEAN STREETS (1973), directed by Martin Scorsese, and finish with DINER (1982), directed by Barry Levenson.

In today's episode we are looking at the work of two directors named Anderson, although they're not related to one another. We begin with Paul Thomas Anderson's MAGNOLIA, from 1999. This is a film that has the complexity of a Robert Altman film, in that we have many parallel stories in a few different spaces, and they do manage to bump into one another from time to time. PT Anderson sets us up for this in the opening scenes of the film, and it's a heckuva ride from one end to the other. Stay tuned for Part 2, when we look at a film by Wes Anderson.

In this half of our episode we lighten the tone just a little bit for another Carl Franklin joint, Out of Time, starring Denzel Washington again (of course) along with Eva Mendes, Dean Cain and the always-delightful John Billingsley. In this film Denzel plays a police chief in Florida who needs to clear a murder before he, himself, becomes a suspect. COMING ATTRACTIONS:Our next episode is titled The Magnificent Andersons, as we review films directed by Paul Thomas, and then Wes, Anderson. We'll start with Magnolia (1999), and finish with The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). Join us, won't you?

This is the second of two episodes in which we look at films in which Denzel Washington is a lawman of some kind. We start with the 1995 neo-noir Devil in a Blue Dress, directed by Carl Franklin and co-starring the likes of Don Cheadle and Jennifer Beals. It's a period piece, set in post-WW2 California, and it deals with a man looking for a job but finding a mystery instead. Stay tuned--in Part 2 we look at 2003's Out of Time (not to be confused with 1987's No Way Out, which has a few plot similarities.)

In the second half of our episode, Denzel returns to the United States, and to New York City for Inside Man (2006), a Spike Lee joint. This is a crime thriller that has Denzel's character matching wits with a bank robber. There are lots of twists and turns and you're never sure who the titular "inside man" is until you're very close to the end—although there are lots of breadcrumbs to help you figure it out. If, that is, you know how to read them. COMING ATTRACTIONS: From the modern-day pieces of today's episode, we're going to jump to a period piece. Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) is set in post-war California. There's a mystery to be solved, and Denzel's the man to solve it. Finally, we wrap this package up with Out of Time (2003), which returns Denzel to the present day, but he's back in a tropical (well, subtropical, anyway) location to solve a murder before it can be pinned on him. Join us, won't you?  

This is the first of two episodes we'll be doing, featuring Denzel Washington as a law enforcement officer of some kind. We open up with The Mighty Quinn, a 1989 film that Washington made right on the heels of his stint in the television show St. Elsewhere. (Don't mistake it for his film debut, though.) Denzel is a police officer on a Caribbean island and there are some strange doings happening, which point to a good friend of his as the culprit. It's a story of comedy, corruption, government interference, voodoo, cool drinks and hot music as he works to crack the case. In Part Two we come back to the states for Inside Man, from 2006.

In Part 2 of our triumphant return (shrug), we look at 2015's The Martian, directed by Ridley Scott. This film is set on two different planets: one of them has billions of people on it, and the other has...one. And we manage to jump back and forth between the two with tension and humor, and it's a fun ride the entire way. Does it make awesome scientific sense? Mostly, and the places where it doesn't, even the author (whose work is rather faithfully reproduced for this film) concedes that he needed to pull a couple of fast ones to get the story to work out. COMING ATTRACTIONS: We hope you like Denzel Washington, because we'll be seeing a bunch of him. First up is The Mighty Quinn, where he's fresh out of St. Elsewhere (but this isn't his film debut by a long shot). From there we check out The Inside Man, a movie with an ending you probably didn't see coming.

The show returns to begin 2025 with a look at a pair of films that, on their surface, couldn't possibly be more different from one another--but in fact they have more in common than you'd think. Both of them owe some debt to Howard Hawks, whether in visual style or dialogue patterns, or something else. And we start with 1994's Speed, directed by Jan de Bont in his American directorial debut. Quick wit combined with action sequences make this a tight thriller with a light rom-com overlay. In Part 2, we'll jump to 2015...and beyond!

In this half of the episode, we look at Bergman Island (2021), written and directed by Mia Hansen-Løve. It stars Tim Roth and Vicky Krieps as a couple who have come to Faro Island as fans of Ingmar Bergman and want to take the tourist view while they complete their own work in a house they've rented. Like some Bergman films, as the characters move deeper into the story, the line between the audience and the actors begins to dissolve, and we're reminded that we're watching a movie starring these actors-as-characters. It's hard to describe in writing but Bergman fans will understand instantly when they see the film. COMING ATTRACTIONS: Next time around, the directorial inspiration is Howard Hawks, with a couple of fairly recent films: Speed (1994) directed by Jan de Bont, and The Martian (2015), directed by Ridley Scott. Join us, won't you?

In our last episode we took a look at films that followed Alfred HItchcock's filmmaking style. This time around we're looking at films that have deep echoes of the work of Ingmar Bergman. We start with Away From Her (2006), written and directed by Sarah Polley. Julie Christie plays a woman whose Alzheimer's is starting to advance, and her husband (Gordon Pinsent) has to deal with the guilt, the loneliness and all the other unexpected complications that come with placing her in a facility. It's probably one of the best films about Alzheimer's you'll see, and it's simultaneously sad and uplifting. In Part 2, we'll talk about a movie that's a little more on the nose, with Bergman Island.

In this half of the episode, we're looking at Tell No One, a French film from 2006 directed and co-written by Guillaume Canet. COMING ATTRACTIONS: In our next episode we go from Hitchcock to Bergman, as we look at a pair of films styled after that director. We start with Away From Her (2006) and then to the aptly-named Bergman Island (2021). Join us, won't you?

In today's episode we explore films that look like they could be produced by Alfred Hitchcock, but they weren't. We start with Diva, from 1981.

In this half of the episode, we're reviewing the 1969 film Z, directed by Costa-Gavras. In this film we're in a European country that totally isn't Greece, and we see both sides of an ideological war between two extreme factions. It's a gripping story with an ending that's all too familiar, if you're politically cynical. COMING ATTRACTIONS: Episode 81 will be the first of three episodes where we look at films which are made in a very specific style. Perhaps it's homage to a director, perhaps it's unconscious imitation. Find out with us as we review 1981's Diva, directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix. From there we move to 2006 and Tell No One, directed by Guillaume Canet, both of which appear to be shot in the style of Alfred Hitchcock. Join us, won't you?

In this episode, we'll be taking a look at a pair of political thrillers, both of them based on real-life events. (It should be noted, however, that one of them is definitely fiction. Thinly-disguised fiction, but fiction nonetheless.) We start with The Battle of Algiers (1966), co-written and directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. We're not talking about a military battle here so much as a story of terrorism and counter-terrrorism at work. In Part 2 we'll be looking at 1969's Z (or Zed, if you prefer).

We conclude this overstuffed episode with a look at 1976's Network, directed by Sidney Lumet and starring William Holden, Peter Finch and Faye Dunaway. Finch plays a television news anchor who decides to say exactly what's on his mind, and the audience reaction comes as a huge surprise to everyone. His bosses are only too happy to capitalize on this renewed popularity. But even though he's starting to show signs of mental instability, they continue to exploit him...until it stops paying off. COMING ATTRACTIONS: In our next episode we take a look at a pair of political thrillers from overseas. We start with The Battle of Algiers (1966), and move on to 1969's Z (or Zed, if you prefer). Join us, won't you?

Both Sean and I like both of these films so unabashedly that we wound up with a truly overstuffed episode. This time around we're looking at a pair of films that turned out to be oddly prophetic in their vision, although one of them missed the mark, but only slightly. In this part of the episode we examine the 1957 film A Face in the Crowd, directed by Elia Kazan and starring Patricia Neal and Andy Griffith as two people whose lives become intertwined when one of them becomes a media sensation. It's a brilliant examination of the "absolute power corrupts absolutely" ethos and leaves us wondering what happens next.

In this half of the episode, we look at When Harry Met Sally... and we learn that not all rom-coms are alike, even if most of them look alike and--unfortunately--sound alike. COMING ATTRACTIONS: Next time around we take a look at the dark side of television, starting with A Face in the Crowd (1957) and finishing up with Network (1976). Join us, won't you?

We're wrapping up our brief series of films that can definitely be enjoyed on the individual level, but the ripple effects they caused tend to make the films that follow in their wake to be somewhat less than amazing. And this week we begin with Halloween, from 1978 and directed by John Carpenter. Jamie Lee Curtis is a teenager who has some truly supernatural adventures in babysitting. This film set some of the slasher film template, but alas some people just have to color outside the lines. In the next segment we'll find out what happened When Harry Met Sally...

In Part 2 of our episode, we review The Accidental Tourist (1986), directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring William Hurt and Geena Davis. Hurt plays a man who's learning to navigate his life after a broken heart, a broken marriage and a broken leg. It's a truly delightful, quiet film that will warm your heart...but there's still an unfortunate side effect to deal with. COMING ATTRACTIONS: Next time around we view a pair of films that are wildly different in both tone and content. We begin with the original Halloween from 1978, directed by John Carpenter and starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance.  From there we go to 1989 for Rob Reiner's When Harry Met Sally... starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. Join us, won't you? 

This is the first of two episodes where we look at a pair of films that don't have a ton in common with one another, but instead have created some cultural ripples that haven't always had a positive effect. We begin with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), the first time we've ever gone to the 1939 well after more than 140 films reviewed. This film, directed by Frank Capra, stars James Stewart as a rather naive young man who finds himself at the center of a political storm. Stick around for Part 2, when we talk about The Accidental Tourist.

In this episode we review the 1981 film Thief, directed by Michael Mann and starring James Caan and Tuesday Weld. Caan plays a safecracker who's finding it quite impossible to break out of his life of crime. On the other hand, maybe he does find a way... COMING ATTRACTIONS: In our next episode we'll be looking at a pair of beloved films that have had unfortunate side effects. We'll start with 1939's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and then move on to 1988's The Accidental Tourist, a film Claude has loved ever since he attended a showing in which he was one of four people in the audience (but that wasn't a knock on the film--tune in and find out the whole story). Join us, won't you?

Both Episode 75 and 76 (this one) have been called "allegory" episodes, but in the interest of transparency we should note that in both cases they're specifically anti-Capitalist allegories. Last time around it was Westerns, and this week we're looking at Gangster movies. And we begin with The Long Good Friday (1981), directed by John Mackenzie and starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. Hoskins is a man who learns that respectability doesn't necessarily mean legitimacy. In Part 2, we'll be reviewing Thief, from 1980.

In Part 2 of our episode, The Claim (2000) was directed by Michael Winterbottom and stars Peter Mullan, Sarah Polley, Wes Bentley and Milla Jovovich. This one has a similar theme to McCabe, though the romance side is pushed a little more forward. But there are many striking similarities between the two films, as different as they are. COMING ATTRACTIONS: In Reel 76, we look at another pair of allegorical films. We begin with Thief (1981), directed by Michael Mann, and move on to The Long Good Friday (1982), directed by John Mackenzie. Join us, won't you?

This week (and next) we'll be looking at films that use genre as an overlay for their larger message. And we begin with two films that use the Western genre to convey their messages. We start with McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), directed by Robert Altman and starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie, along with several others from the Altman stable of actors. We often see this film listed as an "anti-Western" because it inverts so many tropes in the genre, and we can't really argue with that. In Part 2, we'll look at a perhaps lesser-known film, The Claim, from 2000.

In Part 2 of our episode, we look at There Will Be Blood (2007), directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, along with Paul Dano and Kevin J. O'Connor. Day-Lewis is one of the early oil tycoons whose greed takes him down a strange and destructive path. COMING ATTRACTIONS: In our next episode, we look at Westerns being used as an anti-Capitalist allegory. What? Yes, indeed, just come along for the ride. We start with McCabe and Mrs. Miller, and finish up with The Claim. Join us, won't you?

Never mind what Gordon Gekko told you, for lack of a better term. Greed almost invariably leads to a downfall of some kind, and in some cases people learn their lesson and in others, they don't. In this episode we see both sides of that coin, and we start with The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt and Walter Huston. They're three Americans who are after a remote gold mine in the Sierra Madre Mountains. They encounter hardship getting there and back, and in between there's all kinds of adventures. In Part 2 we jump to 2007 and There Will Be Blood, part of which is contemporary to Sierra Madre.

In Part 2 of our episode, we look at A Most Wanted Man, a 2014 film directed by Anton Corbijn and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, and a host of others. Again, a powerful cast of actors. Hoffman stars as the head of a covert German team that's trying to root out Islamic terrorist cells. While it's not a Cold War story specifically, there is some Russian involvement and Hoffman is at odds with German and American security officials regarding the ultimate goal. In addition to being a tremendous film, it's also notable for being the last film that Philip Seymour Hoffman starred in before his untimely death. (He'd completed work for the last two Hunger Games films but we're not counting those as starring vehicles for him.) COMING ATTRACTIONS: In our next episode, we explore the wages of greed, starting with The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and finishing with There Will Be Blood. They're a pair of films that feature a couple of famous lines that have been endlessly parodied, and we'd bet few people know the original source. Join us, won't you?

We conclude our series of spy films with another pair of movies based on the novels of John LeCarre. In Episode 72 we had a strictly Cold War vibe going on; this time it's more of a mixed bag. So we'll start with a Cold War story with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the 2011 film directed by Tomas Alfredson and featuring an amazing ensemble cast including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch and many more. It's a tense story that deals with a potential mole in MI-6 who may have been operating for many years. In Part 2, we'll look at the Islamic terrorist threat to the UK in A Most Wanted Man.

In Part 2 of our episode, we look at 1990s The Russia House, starring Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer. This film, directed by Fred Schepisi, features Connery as a British Intelligence agent (wait...what?) who's looking for the author of a sensitive Soviet manuscript whose contents, if true, could mean a great deal to the Intelligence Community. COMING ATTRACTIONS: Next time, we stick with LeCarre novels rendered on film, with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), and A Most Wanted Man (2014), Join us, won't you?

Our look at Spy films takes a more serious turn with this look at a pair of movies based on John LeCarre novels. We start with The Spy Who Came In From the Cold (1965), directed by Martin Ritt and starring Richard Burton and Claire Bloom. It's a tale of a spy who chooses one more mission instead of coming in after a Cold War mission goes wrong. In Part 2, we'll move on to The Russia House, from 1990.

In the second half of our episode, we're reviewing the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker parody Top Secret! starring Val Kilmer playing an Elvis/Beach Boys pop star who is invited to perform in East Germany as a means of distraction from a plot to destroy NATO submarines. Typical of most ZAZ films, it's chock full of weird sight gags, bent cliches and multi-layered jokes that don't distract (much) from the main story's ability to make progress and give you an outcome you didn't realize you were invested in. COMING ATTRACTIONS: We stick with the spy genre for a while, but on a less-comedic note as we visit several movies based on John LeCarre novels. In our next episode we start with The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965) and from there we visit The Russia House (1990). Join us, won't you?

What happens when you're an Ordinary Schmoe who suddenly gets sucked into the spy game? This is what we're exploring this week, as we look at a pair of films dedicated to the proposition that anyone can become a spy, if they're stupid enough. We start with The In-Laws, from 1979 and directed by Arthur Hiller. Peter Falk and Alan Arkin are soon-to-be in-laws who get caught up in an international incident shortly before their children get married. In Part 2, we'll take a peek at Top Secret! from 1984.

In Part Two of our episode, we review Cold War, a film from 2018 that follows a couple that can't seem to get their act together, not until the very end, when it's far too late to do anything about it. Wiktor and Zula find themselves on opposite sides of several things, ultimately on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain. He's smitten enough to return to Communist Poland, sacrificing his freedom and delaying their reunion for years. She finds a way to get him released early, which ends up being a huge sacrifice for her as well. Whether it was worth it for the two of them to be together, we'll leave it for you to decide. COMING ATTRACTIONS: Episodes 71-73 will cover--or maybe it's "undercover" spy films, but we're going to start off light, with a pair of spy comedies. First up will be The In-Laws, from 1979, starring Alan Arkin and Peter Falk. After that we'll look at Top Secret!, a 1984 spoof that asks what might happen if Elvis did a spy movie.

Welcome Back! Sean and Claude took a little Spring Break and we hope you were able to do the same. For our 70th episode, we take a peek at two films that involve couples dealing with life on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Part One features The Unbearable Lightness of Being, directed by Philip Kaufman and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche and Lena Olin. In this film we have a couple who find themselves going from the Prague Spring to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and the events afterward. How they deal with life, love and the things that are thrown their way, you'll find quite touching. In Part Two, we'll look at a rather star-crossed couple that finds itself on opposite sides of many different lines, in 2018's Cold War.

In this half of the show, we jump to the early 1960s as four more icons come together ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI...(2020). This meeting is a little more contentious than in INSIGNIFICANCE, and while this meeting didn't happen, the characters and their reactions have a truthful feel that allows you to believe it would have been exactly like this. COMING ATTRACTIONS: Next time around, we look at love during wartime, as we screen THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING (1988), a story that takes place in the late 1960s in Prague and Switzerland. Then we skip back to post-WW2 Poland for COLD WAR (2018). Both films have similar endings but how they get there is vastly different. Join us, won't you?

We stick with the fantasy thing for one more week, but with a different spin, as we examine a pair of films that have more of a "What If?" thing going on. In the first half of our episode we have INSIGNIFICANCE (1985), based on the play of the same name by Terry Johnson and directed here by Nicolas Roeg. We see four almost-unnamed famous people come together in a very interesting way in the late 1950s. Whether you believe the events here could have happened is up to you, but you'll be entranced nonetheless. In Part 2, we'll see another quartet of icons meeting in the early 1960s, in ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI...(2020).

In this half of the episode we're talking about Hanna, directed by Joe Wright and starring Saoirse Ronan in the title role. This is truly a modern-day story, with story beats that have fairy-tale aspects to them...and a couple of scenes that are more overtly related to fairy tales. This film was the basis for the Amazon Prime TV series of the same name, and we spend a little time exploring the differences between the two.