Under the Wheels

Under the Wheels Episode 99: Top 10 of 2025 and Wheelie Awards

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 21:00:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt review 2025 in all of it's glory. Will there be a surprise pick for number one?

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Under the Wheels Episode 98: Avatar: Fire and Ash

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:19:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt wade their way through the latest overbloated, familiar-feeling James Cameron technological tour-de-force, Avatar: The Way Of Water Expansion Pak: Fire and Ash

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Under The Wheels Episode 97: Wake Up Dead Man

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 9 Jan 2026 20:13:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt review the latest Kentucky Fried Mystery from Rian Johnson: Wake Up Dead Man, a Benoit Blanc Mystery (or a Mystery with a special guest appearance from Benoit Blanc).

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Under the Wheels Episode 96: Frankenstein

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Mon, 1 Dec 2025 21:00:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt discuss Guillermo del Toro's latest passion project "Netflix Presents Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein". Along the way, the two hosts relitigate Guillermo del Toro as a director and Gabe makes one of his hottest takes yet!

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Under the Wheels Episode 95: One Battle After Another

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 21:00:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt dissect the latest PT Anderson epic of monumental proportions: One Battle After Another (a name Matt still thinks is the coolest thing ever). We also discuss Paul Thomas Anderson as a filmmaker and why one of our hosts think that he may just be one of the best filmmakers of all time.

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Under the Wheels Episode 94: Superman and Materialists

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 15:05:00 -0700

Gabe and Matthew discuss two very popular movies in very different areas of cinemaspace and try desperately to find a connection between the two.

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Under the Wheels Episode 93: Sinner and Havoc

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sun, 18 May 2025 12:02:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt look at two movies by two filmmakers: Ryan Coogler's Sinners and Gareth Evan's Havok.

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Under the Wheels Episode 92: Mickey 17

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 18:51:00 -0700

Matt and Gabe get funky with double the Bobby Pats and an incredibly subtle Bong Joon Ho in the latest big budget passion project: Mickey 17!

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Under the Wheels Episode 91: Top 10 of 2024, Wheelie Awards, and Oscar Talk

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 19:39:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt celebrate their annual Top 10 list, a little Oscar talk, and Matt can't seem to remember all the Wheelie categories. Gabe has his obscure films, a surprising turn in his list, and some fun past favorites. Matt shills desperately and caters his picks for clicks.

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Under the Wheels Episode 90: Nosferatu

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 04:31:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt review Robert Egger's latest insanely-researched Gothic Horror Romance film Nosferatu.

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Under the Wheels Episode 89: GladIIator

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Mon, 6 Jan 2025 15:01:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt review Ridley Scott's latest Swords-and-Sandals-Sequel: GladIIator.

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Under the Wheels Episode 88: Anora

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 17:12:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt discuss director Sean Baker's latest complex character study/Oscar contender involving sex workers: Anora. Also, they get very, very, very off-track discussing literature and the golden age of the internet.

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Under the Wheels Episode 87: Meegalopolis

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 10:09:00 -0800

Matt and Gabe delve into the depths of the latest Francis Ford Coppola Financial Sinkhole: Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis!

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Under the Wheels Episode 86: Rebel Ridge

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 3 Oct 2024 18:43:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss the latest Streaming hit of the season (though we wish it were in theaters) - Jeremy Saulnier's Rebel Ridge.

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Under the Wheels Episode 85: The Bikeriders

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 16:24:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss the latest Jeff Nichols Cinematic Experience with The Bikeriders. Matt still doesn't "get" Jodie Comer, and certainly doesn't help. Horrible accents abound.

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Under the Wheels Episode 84: Hit Man

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0700

Matt and Gabe delve into the genre-bending unknown in philosopher/director Richard Linklater's new Glen Powell acting demo Hit Man! Also featured is a Latina named Madison and quite a number of questions that are not asking for an answer (even though they are).

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Under the Wheels Episode 83: Furiosa

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 7 Jun 2024 06:53:00 -0700

Matt and Gabe go back to the wasteland for the latest George Miller epic.

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Under the Wheels Special Spotlight: Spartan

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 31 May 2024 21:00:00 -0700

*Please note - this episode was recorded back in July 2022. Due to Matthew's generally slow editing and various real-life delays, and because the nature of the episode was not time sensitive, this episode exists outside of the normal Under the Wheels canon timeline of continuity.*

Gabe and Matt delve deep into one of Matt's favorite movie by fan-favorite screenwriter and all-around insane nutjob David Mamet, starring one of Matt's favorite actors - Val Kilmer! Will Gabe enjoy the movie? Will the movie be an inconsistent trainwreck? Will either host get any enjoyment out of the process? Oh baby, I can't wait for you to find out! And remember, it'll hopefully be more fun than minigolf.

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Under the Wheels Episode 82 - The Ambivalence Episode (Challengers, Civil War, Rebel Moon pt. II)

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sat, 25 May 2024 21:00:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt review a trifecta of movies that... well, you read the title. Movies reviewed (in order) are Luca Guadagnino's Challengers, Alex Garland's Civil War, and Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon Theatrical Cut Part Two The Scargiver.

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Under the Wheels Episode 81: Dune Eternal

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Mon, 20 May 2024 17:24:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt review Dune Part II, discovering a difficult relationship with crowd-pleasing sensibilities at the expense of the integrity and faithfulness to the source material. Discussions ensue.

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Under the Wheels Episode 80: Top 10 of 2023, Wheelies Awards, and Oscars 2023

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 15 May 2024 17:24:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt talk about their favorite films of 2023, their annual Wheelie Awards, and the Oscar telecast.

Time Codes

10: 00:07:08
9: 00:13:39
8: 00:18:07
7: 00:20:00
6: 00:26:15
5: 00:32:04
4: 0:40:52
3: 00:54:00
2: 1:02:17
1: 1:07:26
Honorable Mentions: 1:23:03
The Wheelies: 1:44:23
Academy Awards: 1:58:20

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Under the Wheels Episode 79: The Boy and the Heron and Saltburn

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sat, 9 Mar 2024 09:49:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt wander into a new world in search of Wario-sounding birds in Hayao Miyazaki's latest "final*" film The Boy and the Heron. They also talk a little bit about Saltburn and muse about the movies of the 1990's.

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Under the Wheels Episode 78: Rebel Moon, Godzilla Minus One, Napoleon (The Epic Fanfic Episode)

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 6 Mar 2024 15:03:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt delve into the cesspool of big budget fan fiction films... and one boutique-budget fan film... in the hopes of finding something that may be shiny and chrome.

Time Stamps:

Rebel Moon: 00:00:00
Godzilla Minus One: 00:58:21
Napoleon: 1:34:30

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Under the Wheels Episode 77: The Killer

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 19:43:00 -0800

Matt and Gabe dissect the latest David Fincher Net-Flick starring Michael Fassbender's American R's.

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Under the Wheels Episode 76: Killers of the Flower Moon

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 6 Feb 2024 15:57:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt talk about Marty's latest picture.

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Under the Wheels Episode 75: The Creator

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sun, 3 Dec 2023 18:38:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt discuss the latest film that Neill Blomkamp wished he made - the fresh-yet-familiar "The Creator".

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Under the Wheels Episode 74: Strikezone

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 8 Sep 2023 17:27:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss the WGA/SAG-AFTRA Strike and some Kurosawa.

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Under the Wheels Episode 73: Barbenheimer

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 17:37:00 -0700

Matt and Gabe weigh in on the biggest event of the summer by the biggest director of the summer with the most epic moment in any film this summer. They also talk about Oppenheimer.

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Under the Wheels Episode 72: Asteroid City

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 4 Jul 2023 11:40:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt explore Wes Anderson's latest film experience Asteroid City!

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Under the Wheels Episode 71: Across the Spider Verse

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 12:29:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss the "Greatest Spiderman and Animated Film Ever Made". We will see if this declaration holds true.

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Under the Wheels Episode 70: Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 1 Jun 2023 07:38:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt dissect the latest James Gunn Jukebox Super Hero Musical. At least, they do for the first hour... then things go Under the Wheels from there.

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Under the Wheels Episode 69: Beau is Afraid

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 18 May 2023 18:29:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt explore Ari Aster's very interesting "Jewish Lord of the Rings", featuring Joaquin Phoenix and heavy doses of meekness and guilt.

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Under the Wheels Episode 68: John Wick Chapter 4

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sat, 6 May 2023 09:23:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss the latest 3-hour epic movie of the year - John Wick Chapter 4.

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Under the Wheels Episode 67: Top 10 of 2022, Wheelies Awards, and Oscars 2022

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 18:50:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt talk about their favorite films of 2022, their annual Wheelie Awards, and the Oscar telecast.

Matt finally got an episode out before his deadline!

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Under the Wheels Episode 66: The Menu and All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sat, 4 Mar 2023 14:31:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt give in to their inner foodie and delve into "foreign films" when they review The Menu (Cheezeburrgurr) and All Quiet on the Western Front (directed by Edward Burrgurr).

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Under the Wheels Episode 65: Avatar 2

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 18:24:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt discuss the latest blockbuster from the self-proclaimed king of the world in hopes that Sam Worthington will come back and be a thing again while dealing with a lot of High School Musical malarkey.

Jim, come on our show and tell us what we are getting wrong, please!

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Under the Wheels Episode 64: Glass Onion

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 16:51:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt get Kentucky-fried on a Greek island with Benoit Blanc's latest Knives Out-style mystery: Glass Onion.

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Under the Wheels Episode 63: The Banshees of Inisherin

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 18:38:00 -0800

Gaibe and Matha get Irish, dull, and a fecking mess with their shortest episode on the most Irish movie ever made: Martin McDonagh's "The Banshees of Inisherin".

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Under the Wheels Episode 62: Blonde

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 4 Jan 2023 18:02:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt watch the latest Oscar try-hard movie Blonde! They also go on a LOT of tangents. Matt does the laziest thumbnail he's ever done.

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Under the Wheels Episode 61: Don't Worry Darling

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 2 Nov 2022 18:28:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss the latest movie where Florence Pugh goes crazy.

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Under the Wheels Episode 60: 3000 Years of Longing

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 20:13:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss George Miller's latest fantasy epic 3000 Years of Longing. And talk about Hostess.

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Under the Wheels Episode 59: Nope

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 17:39:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss the latest Jordan Peele film Nope. The ending has a strong diversion that links together Elvis, Wong Kar Wai, and Ben Affleck's Daredevil.

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Under the Wheels Episode 58 - CODA

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 08:25:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt fulfill their promise and talk about the Best Picture of the Year* CODA**!

* Not the opinion of Under the Wheels.

** We really only talk about it for 75% of the podcast.

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Under the Wheels Episode 57: Crimes of the Future

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 12:12:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss the latest David Cronenberg "social commentary" "epic" Crimes of the Future, featuring Viggo Mortensen and a bunch of people doing caricatures.

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Under the Wheels Episode 56: Men

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 8 Jun 2022 21:29:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss Alex Garland's newest horror film Men, and get severely off topic in the process.

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Under the Wheels Episode 55: Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 17 May 2022 13:50:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss the latest entry into Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series: Wanda Maximoff and the Multiverse of Madness featuring Dr. Strange as an annoying dude. Also we cover why Thanos was wrong and written in an annoying way.

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Under the Wheels Episode 54: The Northman

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 4 May 2022 10:00:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt go primal while discussing Robert Egger's Icelandic epic The Northman.

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Under the Wheels Episode 53: Everything Everywhere All At Once

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 09:31:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt talk about Everything Everywhere All At Once.

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52 - 2022 Top 10 Films and 2022 Oscar Predictions

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 18:32:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss their favorite movies of 2022 and try to make predictions on the 2022 Oscars as well as hand out a few of their own awards. Recorded prior to the airing of the Academy Awards.

Time Stamps:

Top 10: 1:10

Oscar Predictions (done prior to the Academy Awards): 42:42

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51 - The Batman

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 18:27:00 -0700

Matt and Gabe discuss the newest iteration of the Dark Knight, with Robert Pattinson helming the cowl and Matt Reeves behind the red, yellow, and black-soaked camera lens. Spoilers start at 00:40:00.

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Under the Wheels Episode 50: tick, tick... BOOM! and The Power of the Dog

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 19:28:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss some British actors faking American accents (to varying degrees of success) in two of Netflix's Oscar fare with tick, tick... BOOM and The Power of the Dog.

Time Codes:

00:00:00 - tick, tick...BOOM!

00:56:00 - The Power of the Dog

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Under the Wheels Episode 49: Nightmare Alley

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 1 Mar 2022 20:15:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt talk about modern video games and the crazy lore to connect them all together, spoil pretty much all of Nightmare Alley, and then ramble on about a few other movies they found interesting.

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Under the Wheels Episode 48: Licorice Pizza and Matrix Resurrections

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sun, 6 Feb 2022 04:00:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt discuss Licorice Pizza and The Matrix Resurrections.

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Under the Wheels SPECIAL: Tarkovsky's STALKER

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 21:00:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt tread lightly and avoid the direct path while discussing Andrei Tarkovsky's masterpiece STALKER.

Originally recorded February 2021.

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Under the Wheels Episode 47: Spider-Man No Way Home

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sat, 8 Jan 2022 07:00:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt discuss the latest Sony/Marvel crossover event of the year: Spiderman: No Way Home, as well as the Sony Spiderman franchise in general.

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Under the Wheels Episode 46: Midnight Mass

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 5 Jan 2022 08:28:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt dissect the latest monologue-saturated miniseries from Mike Flanagan and we see where Gabe is on the Flanagan Fandom. #HoratioLives. #HamishLinklaterForYourConsideration.

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Under the Wheels Episode 45: Gabe's Eternals Struggle

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 9 Dec 2021 07:00:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt shoot the breeze about movies. Topics include the Cowboy Bebop Live Action Remake, Netflix and American Anime Live Action Adaptations; Frank Miller’s The Spirit; Gabe’s epic struggle with and Matthew’s horrible plot synopsis of The Eternals; the peculiarities of Wes Anderson’s idiosyncratic style; The French Dispatch in greater detail; the strange discourse around Wes Anderson; Matthew’s critique about people who are “die hard” Ghostbusters fans based off reaction to Ghostbusters Afterlife; the strange experience of Titane; movies where our expectations were dashed for the worst; talk about what kind of future episodes we might do; and some thoughts on The Wind Rises.

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Under the Wheels Episode 44: DUNE

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 05:00:00 -0800

Matt works with Gabe to see if Dune is just fine or if it’s a Shiny and Chrome. Topics include adaptations of novels in novel forms; the history and failings of Dune adaptations; relating Kojima to Dune; a case for Dave Bautista as the best wrestler-turned-actor; how Dune takes science fiction and evolves it to Fantasy; why book-to-movie adaptations are not a binary good or bad thing but more of a non-lateral scale; the problem with four-hour movies, strange “director’s cut” and “extended cut” profit releases, and part one-part two pacing issues; the surprising box-office history of Blade Runner and The Thing; some good John Carpenter talk; how actors who ask for certain regards or are critical of work they are in are seen as difficult by Hollywood (and Matt’s) standards somewhat without merit or bad marketing; if Gabe and Matt made Dune; the return of good diffused fog effects; and Martin Scorsese’s take on how to make a proper superhero in New York.

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Under the Wheels Episode 43: The Last Duel

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 3 Nov 2021 16:18:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt talk about The Last Duel. Topics include The Limey; Hard Eight; the difficulty of rating The Last Duel; comparisons to Rashomon and why Rashomon is not one of Gabe and Matt’s favorites; how the Criterion Collection knows how to market to their targeted demographic really well (and has some of the best cover art); some divergence to Branded to Kill; the difficulty of talking about truth in film; if The Last Duel is just a movie of the moment or if it can be timeless; the odd conflict between Ridley Scott as a director and as a producer on the same movie; how the movie criticizes common notions of medieval life; Charles VI’s portrayals in movies; how the movie balances its messaging; and the expert filmmaking of Ridley Scott.

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Under the Wheels Episode 42: No Time To Die

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 21:00:00 -0700

Matt and Gabe talk about the latest James Bond epic No Time to Die.

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Under The Wheels Episode 41: The 90-Minute Episode

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 7 Oct 2021 21:00:00 -0700

Matt and Gabe try to keep the run time down as they discuss some movies they’ve watched lately. Again. Topics include language changes over time; Taste of Cherry; Roger Ebert’s strange reviewing style; blank-check filmmaking vs. limitation filmmaking; a brief tangent on Alita: Battle Angel; First Love by Miike; “Visionary” James Wan’s Malignant; No More Heroes 3; Dr. Zhivago; epic-length movies, and some Endgame talk.

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Under the Wheels Episode 40: The Green Knight

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 21:00:00 -0700

Matt and Gabe discuss the new David Lowery epic The Green Knight. Topics include The Piano and Holly Hunter; Sam Neill in the 90's; a few odd comparisons between The Green Knight and Promising Young Woman; how episodic storytelling should not be considered negative criticism; deconstruction of the chivalrous knight; respect for Sean Harris and how he tends to work in roles that he really shouldn't work in; The Green Knight's ties to other classic and not so classic medieval films; strange narrative choices and faltering endings in otherwise great movies; the delicate relationship between what a movie asks of the audience and what the audience will accept; how it is a movie about living life; A24 as a brand; debating whether everything SHOULD be like A24; a brief review of Shang Chi; Matt confuses two fantastic Hong Kong actors; finding the key to open the door to styles not normally traversed; a brief review of Reminiscence; defining "Asian American Representation"; and a small shout-out to Simu Liu and Kumail Nanjiani.

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Under the Wheels Episode 39: The Suicide Squad

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 21:00:00 -0700

Gabe and Matthew discuss DC Comic's James Gunn's The Suicide Squad (redirect from Suicide Squad 2 or Suicide Squad Gaiden). They also talk a lot about media criticism controversies.

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Under the Wheels Episode 38: No Sudden Move

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 10:35:00 -0700

Matt and Gabe closely watch Steven Soderbergh's new HBO Max film No Sudden Move. Topics include Soviet-style pornography; Soderbergh’s strange and brilliant career; Soderbergh’s evolution regarding themes and style; where No Sudden Move falls in the canon of Soderbergh; his increased reliance on political environment and wealth inequality in his filmmaking; the only three movies you’ll ever need to see (instead of going to film school), and an open invitation to Steven Soderbergh to come on the show and tell us all about how the industry works.

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Under The Wheels Episode 37: Black Widow

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 5 Aug 2021 05:00:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss the latest controversial Marvel movie weeks after it has already set COVID box office records.

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Under the Wheels Episode 36: The Ketchup Episode

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Mon, 24 May 2021 16:38:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt recount what they've been watching lately and divert from the main path even more than usual.

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Under The Wheels Episode 35: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Lost Episode)

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 11 May 2021 14:37:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt discuss why or why not plays should be adapted into movies and how to do it badly and not as badly. Topics include The Elephant Man, Star Wars as failed Dungeons and Dragons characters, what serves as the best introduction to David Lynch movies (hint here), what Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and One Night in Miami do similarly and differently, Matt's odd fascination with Hitchcock movie adaptations of stage plays like "Dial M for Murder", Denzel Washington's desire to make the August Wilson Cinematic Universe, actors as filmmakers, including Mel Gibson, the strange accusations of the film world of culturally appropriating Theater, and H Bomberguy's Youtube Channel.

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Under the Wheels Episode 34: Oscar Preview

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 21:19:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt talk about the Academy Awards for the 2nd year in a row and discuss their top ten of the year. Gabe goes on quite a few rants that are well worth hearing, if just for the entertainment value.

Notes:

How does Oscar Voting Work

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Under the Wheels Episode 33: Zack Snyder's Justice League

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 21:09:00 -0700

Matt, Gabe, and Austin assemble together in the Hall of Justice to discuss the latest Zack Snyder slow-motion-fest Zack Snyder's Justice League.

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Artwork by Heather Painton.

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Under the Wheels Episode 32: Judas and the Black Messiah

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sat, 13 Mar 2021 20:22:00 -0800

Matthew and Gabe discuss Judas and the Black Messiah, its merits, the acting, and how it is so much more than just the equivalent to "A Very Special Episode". Later Matt gets flummoxed over the Golden Globe Nominees for 2021 and desperately shills again for HBO Max.

Subjects:

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Under the Wheels Episode 31: Soul

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 18:29:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt discuss Disney/Pixar's Soul.

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Under the Wheels Episode 30: The Midnight Sky

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sat, 13 Feb 2021 21:00:00 -0800

Matt and Gabe try to find the meaning of The Midnight Sky. Other topics include a discussion on difficult videogames, the merits of drinking straight coffee, independent theaters, Neal Breen movies, Jack Kirby's writing abilities, why some Netflix projects look generic and others turn out unique, the bad filmmaking of Robert Rodriguez, George Cloony: The Last Old-School Movie Star (and his somewhat rocky ability to direct movies), the cliche of science fiction movies in space on IMAX, how Anthony Minghella walked so Tom Hooper could ruin movies, Matt SHAMELESSLY shills for HBO Max, the depressing state of "the industry", the rollercoaster that is Azerbaijani television, Brad Pitt's track record as a producer, and Barry Jenkins getting paid.

References

Dark Souls 3
Spiderman 2 - The Game
Funky Flashman - the Mister Miracle Parody of Stan Lee
Pieces of a Woman
The American Friend
Cowboys and Aliens
Dr. Sleep
The Raid 2
The English Patient

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Under the Wheels Episode 29: Wonder Woman 1984 and Invisible Man

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0800

Matt and Gabe discuss Wonder Woman 1984 and Invisible Man, both connected by a common thread - invisibility.

References:

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Under the Wheels Episode 28: Possessor and VFW

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 5 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0800

Matt, Austin, and Gabe discuss Brandon Cronenberg's new film Possessor, Jeff Bezos's film VFW, and video games. Lots of video games. And Best Damn Root Beer, if you would like to sponsor us please do.

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Under the Wheels Episode 27: The Problems with Mando (Season 2)

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 21:00:00 -0800

Matt, Gabe, and Austin try to dissect why the second season of The Mandalorean doesn't live up to the first season while also pondering what it means to "save Star Wars".

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Under The Wheels Episode 26: Mank

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 9 Dec 2020 21:00:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt go old school to talk about David Fincher's new "biographical" "drama" Mank, where Matt stumbles upon pronouncing everything and Gabe can't pronounce Amanda Seyfried. They also get depressed about the impending top 10 of the year.

References:

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Under The Wheels Episode 25: Ghost of Tsushima

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sun, 6 Dec 2020 21:00:00 -0800

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---

Matt and Gabe slice and dice through the good, the bad, and the ugly of Ghost of Tsushima and try not to get Sucker Punched along the way (apologies for the terrible pun).

Mike's Youtube playlist of Ghost of Tsushima

Reference:

#prestigetelevision, #snydermoment

Under the Wheels Episode 24: The Haunting of Bly Manor

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 10:19:00 -0800

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Matt and Gabe attempt to unravel The Haunting of Bly Manor.

References:

Under the Wheels Episode 23: The Efficient Beach Episode (ft. Nosferatu)

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 6 Nov 2020 03:00:00 -0800

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In the filler episode of Under the Wheels, Matt and Gabe discuss Quibi, how Matt can't say Cerebus correctly, the legacy of Cerebus, the actual draw of Batman: The Killing Joke, an observation on the works of the late Stuart Gordon, a sidebar into the unrealized Honey I Shrunk the Kids sequels, a Rick Moranis Appreciation, Gabe's issue with the Superhero Movie Equivalent of 1950-60 (as well as the creepy age gap between some leading men and women), for some reason a long diatribe about musicals, John Lee Hancock (who Matt calls John Lee Miller for some reason), Gabe's famous "Tangential Biopic Theory" and why he hates it, an elongated discussion on The Natural, Greengrass's Greenzone, Jason Isaac's sometimes-regular radio appearances, a brief analysis of Neill Blomkamp, why the uncanny valley of practical effects look better than the uncanny valley of visual effects, the complete closure of any good movies coming out in theaters, a summary of some of the basic points of the novel Dune, Neal Adams Presents Hollow Earth Theory, Matt (once again) misses Gabe's metaphor completely, a small debate on positive, negative, and self help books, Athlete's relationship to God, quarterback talk, homosexuality in sports, and Matt's rant about the injustice of Zach Snyder's Justice League.

Discussion Links:

Special Edition - Some fun facts about Frank Sinatra:

1. He learned how to skateboard in the 1970's

2. He was married twice - his first wife died in the 1950's and he didn't remarry until the 1980's (though his wife was 45 years younger than him at the time)

3. He was so nuanced that he recorded the same dance sequence twice, on two different sets, and the two dances are almost identical movement-wise

4. He never thought he was good enough and couldn't watch his routines on film

5. He was to dance choreography as Hitchcock was to screenwriting - he rarely took credit but his influence was usually pretty large.

6. To keep costs down on film shoots (since film is expensive) he would spend 2 or 3 weeks rehearsing and training so they could get the whole thing in only a few takes.

[Credits Wikipedia]

Under the Wheels Episode 22: Tenet and Devil All The Time

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 04:00:00 -0700

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Matt and Gabe discuss two films featuring Robert Pattinson as a supporting actor: Tenet and Devil All the Time.

Under the Wheels Episode 21: I'm Thinking of Ending Things

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 20:24:00 -0700

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Gabe and Matt dive deep into the mind of Charlie Kaufman and attempt to make meaning of his latest film I'm Thinking of Ending Things, not sponsored by Dairy Queen. Along the way, they stumble their way through how Mulan the Movie is having a direct negative effect on Hong Kong, they get demonetized and banned in China for... well, obvious reasons, Matt is wrong in most of the assumptions he makes, how movie theaters can make a killing on concessions by appealing to people's need to not wear a mask, the evolution of expensive food, a very strange tangent about Pauline Kael, the crazy theories around The Shining, how Gabe knows more about the flag physics of the moon than Matt, and the Roger Ebert video-games-as-art controversy.

Referenced:

Don't Look Now

Battles Without Honor and Humanity

Suburban Sasquatch

Heat

The Town

Bill and Ted Face the Music

Pauline Kael

The waving US Flag on the moon

Ad Astra

Under the Wheels Episode 20: The Old Guard

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 05:00:00 -0700

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Opus Overtones can be found here.

Sponsored by Jif Peanut Butter (please?) - Matt and Gabe get back into movies made in 2020 with the "hit" Netflix movie "The Old Guard" starring Dudley Dursley from Harry Potter with some other somewhat famous international stars. Topics include how awesome Rutger Hauer is/was, Sly Stallone's steroid-enhanced Ego and his drag sensibilities, the odd style choices of Julie Taymore (and how they sometimes work), Vincent D'Onofrio's voice, the qualities of a biopic, the Under the Wheels version of a Harriet Tubman biopic, Brian Tyree Henry, Matt Damon through the years, poor execution of moral quandries, the makeup of good villains (and really lazy ones), a few of Gabe's rules for Action Scenes, multiple mentions of Rhiz Ahmed, the horrible new trend in movie soundtracks (not score), and answer some viewer questions!

Referenced on this Episode:

Under The Wheels Episode 19: Ronin

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 5 Aug 2020 08:40:00 -0700

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Matt and Gabe go into a thorough analysis of John Frankenheimer's Ronin.

Discussed on the episode:

Under the Wheels Episode 18: Da 5 Bloods

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 17 Jul 2020 13:25:00 -0700

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Matt and Gabe review a more recently released movie - Spike Lee's newest joint Da 5 Bloods. Topics including creative content generation theories, knowing what not to include, subtle science fiction elements, kitchen sink realism, the "Disney Business Model", confusing Ken Burns and Ed Burns, how big-name actors writing a script for themselves is an automatic red flag, the idiosyncratic style of Spike Lee joints, the agelessness of Chadwick Boseman, Jackie Robinson dissonance, how and why Spike Lee breaks rules, Delroy Lindo's track record of never playing an easy role, Dave Franco's acting ability, strange behind the scene shenanigans with That 70's Show's cast, Jean Reno's career, the Rock - the Movie Star, 2 Vin Diesel references, the problem with media, the very strange barbarism of boxing, wondering how Timur Betmambetov and Ruben Fleisher still have careers,

Show Notes
The Outer Worlds
The Guest
Tangerine
Sean Baker interview regarding using the iPhone -
Understanding Comics
The Witcher
Dunkirk, 1917, and Saving Private Ryan
Mr. Plinkett reviews Picard: A Star Trek Story
42
Jackie Robinson Press Conference (for context)
Rossatron

Under the Wheels Episode 17: Austin Returns

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 7 Jul 2020 16:32:00 -0700

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The boys are back! Matt and Gabe are joined by Under the Wheels co-founder Austin where they discuss such topics as what they've been watching lately, authors who go on to direct motion pictures, Nicholas Winding Refn, The Snyder Cut, the perplexing reception of Star Wars Rogue One, the studio problem in regards to cheap reboots, a whole lot of Star Wars talk, Christopher Nolan, the self-created problem of Hollywood Studios and the culture behind them, the majesty of Nicholas Cage, the film stylings of one Guillermo Del Toro, the directing style of Mel Gibson, the dialectic of journalism on the internet, and why the current philosophy of drafting a quarterback in the NFL makes no sense.

Discussed in this episode:

Invisible Man (2020)
Maximum Overdrive
VFW (2019)
Too Old to Die Young
"Miles Teller is kind of a Dick"
Justice League The Snyder Cut
The Clone Wars
Color out of Space
Nicholas Cage Performance Essay on Youtube
Crimson Peak
Chronos
Night of the Hunter
Apocalypto
The Loft
The Lodge

Under the Wheels Episode 16: Inception

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 09:41:00 -0700

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Matt and Gabe share the dream with special guest Mike and discuss Christopher Nolan's Inception. Topics include too much Star Wars in an episode that should not have any Star Wars, the tenants of a Christopher Nolan film, a Harrison Ford and Blade runner drop (what a surprise), strange shows that somehow were real things, the issues with escalation as tv series evolve, how Matt can't come to grips with the last major action set piece at the hospital, Hans Zimmer's recycling music, the undercurrent of cynicism in the film, why the world of Brick feels so familiar, Terrence Malick's influence on Christopher Nolan, a small Mya Deren tangent, and why everyone is wrong and now is still the best time to live in.

Discussed in this episode:

Atlantics
Dead Ringers
Roman Holiday
Little Shop of Horrors
Harley Quinn
The Green Hornet
6 Underground
Triple Frontier
Star Wars Episode IV
Steven Knight (Eastern Promises, Burnt, The Hundred Foot Journey, and Locke)
The Slap
Brick
Meshes of the Afternoon

Under the Wheels Episode 15: Lawless

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 15 May 2020 18:42:00 -0700

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Gabe and Matt hope the years have fermented Lawless into some shiny and chrome moonshine. Topics include Lore (with a capital "L"), a thorough analysis of the business-side of textbook publishing, essay writing theory, the "cinematic stylings" of one Baz Luhrmann, The Great Gatsby, story structure in movies vs. books/novel adaptations, triangular structure and art theory, the complex relationship to John Hillcoat movies, the budding friendship between Richard Linklater and Alex Jones and the afterschool special we really want, Shia LaBeouf in 2012, everyone's favorite questioningly leading man Jason Clarke, Australian cinema, how Gareth Evans should do action scenes for all movies, filmmakers who have made it to the point of self-parody, lifeless sequels to a passion project, and ideas and propositions for ad reads.

To be clear, this episode was not sponsored by Ball mason jars.

Discussed in this Episode:

Under the Wheels Episode 14: Bad Taste

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Mon, 4 May 2020 13:24:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt throw Peter Jackson's first film Bad Taste under the wheels. Topics include Michael J. Fox's post-film career, super hero movies in the good old days, Michael Caine is an amazing actor, the good and bad of docuseries and documentary filmmaking, Maori slang, New Zealand Pride, the mystique of low budget special effects, Peter Jackson's obsession with goofy gore, how bad Goldfinger and the James Bond franchise really is, George Lucas's non-Star Wars legacy, Marcia Lucas - unsung hero in editing, surprising casting choices in Lord of the Rings, and the secret heroics of the New Zealand Film Commission.

Discussion on Bad Taste begins at 1:09:10.

Show Links:

As Good as it Gets
Vengeance is Mine
Branded to Kill
Takeshi Kitano
Tiger King
Louis Theroux - BBC Documentary Filmmaker
The Master
The Jinx
This film is not yet [R]ated
Waltz with Bashir
Grizzly Man
Double Indemnity
Walt Disney's Robin Hood
The Prestige
Captain America - The First Avenger
Lindsay Ellis Hobbit Trilogy
New Zealand Film Commission

Under the Wheels Episode 13: The Apartment

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 19:56:00 -0700

Matt and Gabe travel deep into Billy Wilder's Apartment. Topics include Tom Hardy once again being the greatest actor of a generation, a Michael Shannon drop, Gabe hates Masterpiece Theater, roaring Christmas parties of the 1950's, cameo-fest movies of the '90's, where the Golden Age of Hollywood ranks upon the pantheon of greatest movies, a Harrison Ford reference, Paul Thomas Anderson talk, Hitchcock's horrible movie endings, the true value of Fred MacMurray's name, and the last black and white movie to win Best Picture.

Discussed in this Episode:
- Shadow
- Warrior
- Frank and Lola
- Jay and Silent Bob Reboot
- Oliver and Company
- Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Lindsay Ellis Hunchback of Notre Dame
- The Rose and Crown

.

Under the Wheels Reborn Episode 12: Death Stranding

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sat, 11 Apr 2020 22:18:00 -0700

Matt and Gabe throw Hideo Kojima's latest passion project Death Stranding under the wheels. Topics covered include a look into Steven Soderberg as a filmmaker, Genndy Tartakovsky's career, an alternate Under the Wheels perspective on the production side of Adam Sandler's movies, a Hideo Kojima semi-career overview, video game design philosophy, our respective issues with God of War, love for Borderlands, some middling Assassin's Creed talk, the David Hayter-Hideo Kojima "controversy", and a lot of bad COVID 19 jokes.

Discussed in this episode:
Haywire
Steven Soderbergh
Phantoms
Primal - Adult Swim.com
Genndy Tartakovsky
8 1/2
Hideo Kojima on Sticks and Ropes
Dragon's Dogma
Platinum Games

Under the Wheels Reborn Episode 11: Harley Quinn in Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey [And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn]

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 19:13:00 -0700

Matt and Gabe discuss the relative merits of Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey - the Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley Quinn (#harleyquinn). In the interim, we wonder why Ewan McGregor is in this movie, what a potentially good Obi Wan movie might look like (spoilers: it's definitely not the one that Disney wants to green light), why they would make Black Canary Black, how to balance tonal issues in a movie, what "mature" fandom content actually means by "mature", the conversation around diversity for diversity sake or if diversity only if it is high-quality or good, the DC Cinematic Euvre, and a special stinger regarding another Aaron Sorkin stage play.

Discussed in this Episode
- The Help: It's a very standard movie.
- The Photograph
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Hail Caesar!
- Watchmen - Comic book series
- Aquaman - Just Write
- Nostalgic Woman: The Host and Studios Blaming the Wrong Reasons for Box Office Failure

Under the Wheels Reborn Episode 10: Get Owned by Steve Jobs and Aaron Sorkin

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 21:06:00 -0700

Gabe and Matt attempt to talk about Danny Boyle's Aaron Sorkin's Steve Jobs starring Michael Fassbender et al (and not the Ashton Kutcher "Jobs" movie) while also digressing into talk of James Bond and budgets and looking ahead to an uncertain, nostalgia-infused future with a lack of futurists. Discussion also includes talk of the Academy Award and excitement over Alex Garland's new television series.

Discussed in the episode
Highlander
The Conversation
I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale
Bad Boys Trilogy
Patrick Willem's Video on Michael Bay
Bong Jun Ho's Best Director Speech
Devs
The Beach
Bill Burr - Steve Jobs is Nerd Jesus
Future Crimes

Under the Wheels Reborn Episode 9: Top 10 of the Decade

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 5 Mar 2020 19:58:00 -0800

In today's episode, Gabe and Matt go toe to toe in their predictions for the Academy Awards. Later, they revolutionize Top 10 Movies of the Decade by having two completely different list theories. Somehow Jean Luc Godard is mentioned in passing. Twice.

Time Codes:
#10: 1:30:25
#09: 1:37:55
#08: 1:47:42
#07: 2:03:18
#06: 2:12:58
#05: 2:22:22
#04: 2:36:15
#03: 2:44:30
#02: 2:47:52
#01: 2:55:47

Brows Held High Godard's King Lear - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrR6BY4e8tU
Lindsay Ellis's Youtube Channel, since it's a good place regarding film theory: https://www.youtube.com/user/chezapoctube

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Email us! We love to think we have fans: underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com

Under The Wheels Reborn Episode 8: Top 10 of 2019

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 4 Feb 2020 17:45:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt discuss their respective top-ten of 2019.

Time markers for each place:
10: 0:32:39
09: 0:54:00
08: 1:10:21
07: 1:28:00
06: 1:31:43
05: 1:42:02
04: 1:44:51
03: 1:57:23
02: 2:07:44
Honorable Mention: 2:19:04
01: 2:26:26

Under The Wheels Reborn Episode 6: The Irishman and Knives Out

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 18:24:00 -0800

Matt and Gabe discuss the relative merits of The Irishman and Knives Out. Topics include if Robert De Niro and Al Pachino are able to act like 20 year olds, how good the de-aging of the faces are (or are not), Scorsese and his obsession with long movies, Daniel Craig - Foghorn Legham, Rian Johnson - subverter of everything - kinda, cartoon characters in mystery movies, lots of Gangs of New York stuff, and Baseball ratings for movies.

Under the Wheels Reborn Episode 5: Ford V Ferrari with Special Guest Mike!

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 19:26:00 -0800

Matt, Gabe, and special guest Mike discuss the new movie Le Mans 66 starring that one guy who is an asshole and that other guy who yells a lot and chews scenery. They follow this up with a discussion of the merits of James Mangold as a filmmaker. Special Thanks to Mike for the new music!

Under the Wheels Reborn Episode 7: The Rise of Skywalker and Decline of a Franchise

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 1 Jan 2020 16:56:00 -0800

Matt and Gabe discuss the newest "Star Wars" "Film".

Under the Wheels Reborn Episode 4: Blade Runner: The Final Analysis of the Final Cut

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 3 Dec 2019 18:05:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt talk about one of the greatest movies ever made and rereleased in four different versions. They also talk about the creator of the movie and some other guy who did a movie that takes place in the 80's version of the future and finish by theorizing how the world of Blade Runner would look now (hint: a lot of fruit and mice).

Under The Wheels Reborn Episode 3: The Lighthouse King Has A Parasite Starring Robert Pattinson

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sat, 16 Nov 2019 13:16:00 -0800

Gabe and Matt are back. In Episode 3 the duo discuss a trifecta of For Your Consideration-er's: The Lighthouse, The King, and [The] Parasite, and various other smaller movies. Some will get shiny and chrome, some will be added to top ten lists, and some of them have memorable performances from Under The Wheels fan favorite Robert Pattinson. Listen in to see what happens when you go... Under the Wheels!

Under The Wheels Reborn Episode 2: Joker V Ad Astra

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 16:48:00 -0700

Matt and Gabe throw Todd Phillip's JOKER under the wheels and attempt to tackle the difficult job of sifting through the controversy to find the ultimate truth of the piece. Later, Matt and Gabe take a rocket ship to Neptune to throw Ad Astra through the good old rocketship to see if they can find out the reason no one is seeing this fantastic piece of media.

Under the Wheels Reborn Episode 1

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 22:09:00 -0700

From the ashes comes the Under the Wheels Podcast... Reborn! Minus one dude and a whole lot of production value, of course. Today's episode covers Martin Scorsese's controversial comments on Marvel Movies, among other things.

Review: Sorry to Bother You

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Tue, 24 Jul 2018 21:16:00 -0700

All I knew going into Sorry to Bother You is that a black telemarketer starts using a “white voice” to become a hotshot salesman. Sounded funny enough as a gag. It’s probably for the best that it was the only thing I knew about the movie, and it’s probably the only thing you need to know going in. That and the fact that it’s amazing.

Sorry to Bother You is the story of Cassuis Green (Get Out’s Lakeith Stanfield), a down on his luck loser who shoots up the corporate ladder, from encyclopedia salesman to mythical “Power Caller”, through a set of increasingly surreal feats of salesmanship. It’s worth noting that this film is pretty surreal in general, and isn’t afraid to bend the rules of reality (frequently) to crack a joke or make a point, so it’s worth it to go in with an open mind and roll with whatever happens (trust me, you’ll enjoy it more that way). If you’re into comparisons, think Office Space meets Synecdoche NewYork, though arguably funnier than the former and less depressing than the latter. Another way to think about it is it’s like a really good episode of BoJack Horseman or South Park.

Credit goes to writer/director/musician Boots Riley for putting together this wild, weird, and exceedingly clever ride. It’s a Charlie Kaufman-esque dream of a film that entwines politics, pop-culture, and economics in a broad and sweeping satire. Riley creates an excellent sense of atmosphere from the first set of scenes and escalates everything as he goes. The film starts feeling slightly off kilter before slowly transforming into a wild comedic fantasy, a grotesque cracked-mirror reflection of the world we live in. There are great performances across the board, from the lead and especially from secondary players like Armie Hammer, Tessa Thompson, and the many voice cameos.

I’ve probably said too much already. This movie is great. I laughed my ass off. Go see it.

Rating: Shiny and Chrome

You Were Never Really Here: A (Again, Way Too Late) Review

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 5 Jul 2018 19:56:00 -0700

Full disclosure: I was extremely hyped for this movie. A stylish thriller with sequences of brutal hand-to-hand combat, directed by a one of a kind auteur, featuring great performances and great music sounds like something that I am destined to love. Needless to say, I set my expectations too high and ended up kinda disappointed.

First, the good.

Lynne Ramsay delivers, with her technical brilliance once again taking center stage. She’s a master of synecdoche, focusing on specific, clear details suggestive of the greater whole, and her directorial powers are on full display here. This attention to detail pervades the movie and allows for excellent work both visually and aurally, especially Johnny Greenwood’s jarring score. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Joe, the taciturn hitman, is as good, if not better, than advertised. He goes all the way into the character, bringing him to life with every hammer swing, bad joke, and garbled phrase. As for the other characters, well, there aren’t any.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The focus is squarely on Joe, his memories, his traumas, and his experience of events. The film does a great job placing the viewer in his fractured point of view, weaving memory, speculation, hallucination, and suppression into the events as they unfold to give us an idea of how Joe sees the world.

Now the bad.

The film is very stingy in how it parses information. Much of the violence and horror goes unseen, cut around or mediated by CCTV feeds and broken mirrors so it’s never really ~~here~~ clear. Part of this is Ramsay’s style, part of this is thematic: reflecting Joe’s internal suppression of violent memories and events. And we as the audience know what happens, but without seeing it, it loses much of the impact it would otherwise have. As a result we have a thriller that isn’t very thrilling, and is really more of a drama. This is a film where the primary danger, and the primary source of tension, is physical (Joe saving the girl as a metaphor for saving his own soul aside) and if the audience is removed from the physical violence and danger associated with it, then the film becomes devoid of tension or violent catharsis, which I ultimately found unsatisfying.

Where the movie excels is in other scenes. Scenes of Joe at home, on the street, and interacting with those in his life are interesting and funny. The movie also has its share of strange, dreamy moments that outshine pretty much anything else that happens in it.

You Were Never Really Here is extremely well-made; it’s stylistically and thematically coherent, but in the end, I wasn’t crazy about the final product. My problems with it aside, this is a very good movie and deserves to be watched.

Rating: Witness

~ G

Annihilation: (A Way Too Late) Review

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 13:46:00 -0700

People on the web these days seem to complain about Hollywood movies quite a lot. Not enough roles for women. Not enough minorities. The movies are so stupid they cause viewers to lose IQ points with each passing minute.

Well fret not dear reader, our savior is here. Annihilation is the answer to all these problems and more, so surely it will be a smashing success, right?

Oh, wait…Nobody saw it.

Annihilation is a riveting, genre bending, sci-fi survival/body horror film that is, to be blunt, fucking excellent. It follows five female scientists (All well developed characters, and of different racial backgrounds no less, how's that for Strong Female Characters^TM) who journey into a mysterious bubble that’s been designated a no-go zone in order to figure out just what the hell is going on in there, and what they are made to confront is something truly staggering. A force that takes all aspects of nature: plants, animals, humans, and even the laws of physics, and violently transforms them into something unrecognizable and alien, something that challenges every conventional view of our existence. It’s vintage body horror ideas played out on a massive ecological scale.

Credit goes to writer/director Alex Garland and his team for managing to balance ideas, exposition, mood, and narrative much better here than in his previous effort Ex Machina (which suffered a bit from the all-to-common “let’s stop the movie dead and explain basic science to people” type of exposition dump), as well as for the brilliant technical fireworks and pure aesthetic pleasure that comes with this movie. The environments and world are rich and beautifully rendered, imaginative and full of color, and brought to life with expert sound design. Not to mention the last 45 or so minutes, which are an overwhelming audio/visual spectacle that kept me in a state of low-grade euphoria.

Credit also goes to producer Scott Rudin, who saw he had a gem on his hands and used his final cut powers to have it released as the director intended.

The other producers, who essentially paid to have the movie buried, can all go fuck themselves.

Annihilation is clever, unique, well made, and at times downright spectacular. The fact that anyone would try to shelve this is baffling to me. It’s a film that begs to be seen in theaters, but unfortunately it’s long gone by now. So do yourself a favor when Annihilation reaches Netflix: find the biggest screen you can, in the darkest room you know of, with the loudest sound system you can get your hands on, and watch this movie.

Rating: Shiny and Chrome

~ G

P.S. - Annihilation isn't perfect. Its main problems come from some clunky dialogue, or otherwise difficult dialogue delivered in a clunky manner. This is less of an issue later on, as the final third or so of the film has very little talking.

The Top Ten Best Damn Movies of 2017. Period.

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 20:12:00 -0800

Buy and large, 2017 was one of the best years for movies we’ve had in a while (mediocre superheroes and a few sci-fi abominations not withstanding). It’s safe to say that making this list was very difficult, as there was an embarrassment of riches to pick from. Needless to say, several great movies will get little more than an honorable mention here.

But enough preface. In a post-truth world full of lies, scams, and fake news around every corner, the people need a Top 10 Movie list they can trust, so without further ado:

10) Raw

What’s not to like about a stylish French body-horror movie about college-aged cannibals? While it didn’t blow me away, Julia Ducournau’s genre-bending effort was more engaging than most films this year. And despite all the salacious headlines, the film is, at its core, a coming of age story, one that focuses on an often overlooked part of growing up: facing down one’s demons and coming to terms with the dark, unpleasant aspects of one’s self. And it does this very well, using stylish cinematography, art direction, and great performances to tell a thoughtful, gross, and engrossing story of a young woman’s struggle with her own demons, ones that blur the line between sex, love, hunger, violence, and self destruction.

9) I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore

The directorial debut of writer/actor/Jeremy Saulnier’s best friend Macon Blair is basically a Jeremy Saulnier movie if the guy was into comedies. And it’s great. When lead actress Melanie Lysnkey’s Betty becomes fed up with literally everyone and all their bullshit, she goes on a quest for revenge against the burglars who stole her grandmother’s silverware, accompanied by a wonderfully weird Elijah Wood. They end up stumbling into more than they bargained for as the movie offers up more surprises and genuine suspense than most Hollywood thrillers can manage along with plenty of laughs. Macon Blair proves himself to be a creative force on in his own right, and this movie only makes me even more excited for 2018’s Hold the Dark.

8) It Comes at Night

Some people judge movies based on their marketing. Those people are very stupid and should not be allowed to operate heavy machinery.

While not a horror movie, It Comes at Night is a nauseatingly suspenseful drama with enough tension and anxiety to make most popcorn horror films look tame by comparison. The acting, production design, sound, and cinematography are all excellent and this bleak-as-hell story about survivors of a viral apocalypse is executed flawlessly. The grimness becomes a bit much as the film goes on, but I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

7) The Lost City of Z

I’m still not sure if Charlie Hunnam can act, but this movie is so good, he doesn’t really have a chance to do any damage. The film follows real life explorer Percy Fawcett (Hunnam) and his many expeditions to South America, all of which lead to his eventual obsession with finding a supposed lost civilization and the many conflicts that arise from that obsession. The movie is an excellent example of technique and atmosphere making up for a story that, while surprisingly true to the facts, feels like it has a few too many contrivances thrown in for drama’s sake. Every frame is gorgeous and the film does a great job of explaining the right things and leaving the right things ambiguous. It’s totally enthralling from beginning to end and, as a bonus, features a great performance from Robert Pattinson, who is proving himself to be one of the great chameleonic actors working today.

6) Brawl in Cell Block 99

A gritty grindhouse thriller with enough gore and great dialogue for two movies, Brawl is pure genre excellence. S. Craig Zahler, the writer/director/composer behind Bone Tomahawk, outdoes himself here, with a much leaner and meaner flick. It’s story and technical aspects are fairly straightforward, but the dialogue and simple, yet devastatingly effective fight sequences take precedence here. And to boot, Vince Vaughan (who was always better suited for drama than comedy) delivers his best performance yet as a taciturn criminal who has to fight his way into the nastiest prison on earth in order to save his wife and unborn child in a thrilling videogame-style dungeon crawl.

5) Logan Lucky

People these days seem to talk a lot about how serious blockbuster movies are and how they need to be more “fun”. Well, no movie in 2017 (except one) was more fun than Logan Lucky. Steven Soderberg, Mr. “Not Boring” himself, is back and as great as ever. The film features many of Soderberg’s favorite topics (heists, double-crosses, clever underdogs going up against more powerful people, money) as well as his signature off kilter, never-use-the-same-angle-twice camera work. It’s also impeccably cast, with a few winks at the audience thrown in (i.e. Daniel Craig and Hillary Swank). While held back a bit by some odd choices near the end, Logan Lucky is a blast to watch, a rare movie that does almost everything well.

4) The Killing of a Sacred Deer

The Lobster writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos doubles down on all his stylistic eccentricities in this tale about a father who must choose a family member to sacrifice as part of a bizarre, mystical revenge scheme. An interesting mix of multiple genres, deadpan deliveries, excellent camerawork (so many zooms!), and plenty of tar-black comedy makes this one of the most unique and well-executed ideas to come out in the past few years. It’s dark, strange, obtuse, and wonderfully funny. Comparisons to Kubrick are dime a dozen for this film, especially in relation to the late master’s best and final work, Eyes Wide Shut. But Lanthimos does plenty to help this movie stand well enough on its own, outside of the great Kubrick’s long shadow. While not for everyone, and hampered by a weak ending, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is well worth the price of admission.

3) Dunkirk

What I’m about to say might sound insane, but I think Dunkirk is criminally underrated. The conventional western narrative structure demands a clear, single protagonist, who has a clear goal, and is impeded by a single, defined antagonist. Dunkirk is often faulted for not fitting into this basic paradigm, but that’s kinda the point. Dunkirk may be the first slice-of-life war film, more documentary than narrative, more Battle of Algiers than Saving Private Ryan. It’s not about following an individual character, it’s about getting the audience to experience and understand the totality of the Battle of Dunkirk, and in that respect the film succeeds masterfully. Dunkirk captures the essence of a single event with immense clarity and precision and as a result, creates more tension, suspense, and anxiety than most blockbusters could ever hope to muster. One goes through the entire film with a knot in one’s stomach, truly feeling like anyone could die at any time. The film's editing is superb; it’s toying with time an excellent vehicle for exploring the battle. All the technical aspects are great and Tom Hardy’s in it, so extra brownie points for that.

2) John Wick: Chapter 2

When I walked out of the theater on opening night, I was worried I had seen the best movie of 2017 with 10 months left in the year. I was (almost) right. John Wick 2 is fucking awesome. It’s so fucking awesome that all I could think about while watching every other action movie this year was, “I could be watching John Wick 2 instead”. It’s the 2^nd best action movie of the last few years (behind Mad Max: Fury Road) and one of the best of all time. Chad Stahelski and Co. manage to perfectly balance ridiculousness and seriousness while walking the tightrope of badassery all the way from beginning to end. It takes everything that made the first one good: great choreography, stylish lighting and production design, precise camerawork, disciplined editing, and a comically blunt performance from Keanu Reeves, and raises it all to dizzying new heights while managing to raise the stakes to a level that manages to be both enthralling and absurd in a self-aware way. The film also features a roster of great character actors like Lawrence Fishburn, Ian McShane, Peter Serafinowizc, Peter Stormare, and Franco Nero all delivering hilariously hammy performances. And the action…my God…I can’t even begin to describe how great it is. I was giggling like a schoolgirl for over 2 hours. John Wick 2 was the most fun I had at the movies all year.

1) Good Time

It’s hard to give John Wick 2 the #1 slot, mainly because it isn’t “about anything”, at least anything other than stylish murder. Good Time, however, is the “serious” movie that matches John Wick 2 in terms of excellence. From New York’s Josh and Ben Safdie, Good Time is a film about desperate people trying to survive in a world that’s entirely too much to bear. Its style and mood reminded me a lot of the original Bladerunner, oddly enough. It follows Connie Nikas (Robert Pattinson) who has to scrap together enough money to get his mentally handicapped brother out of Ryker’s Island before he gets himself killed. But Connie, a generally shitty person, finds himself getting farther from his goal over the course of a single night, as his antics and manipulations continually make things worse and worse. The story, like Connie’s scheming, becomes more convoluted as it progresses, strange characters come and go, problems are solved only to introduce new ones, until the whole damn thing threatens to crumble under its own weight. The whole movie oozes style, with fittingly frenetic cinematography, excellent on-location lighting, and the best score of the year from musician Daniel Lopatin as well as a great original song from Iggy Pop. To boot, the entire cast delivers great performances. The movie pulls off a difficult high-wire act: It indulges in plenty of absurdity, but lets that absurdity comment on the narrative without overwhelming it. It manages to be sincere without being mawkish. And ultimately, it’s a story about a bad man trying to do one good thing: to save his brother and, by extension, himself. It’s about trying to care for and do right by the people you love, even if you’re not the right person to love them. It’s a movie that left a strong impression on me, one that’s lasted long after the screen faded to black and it’s the best damn movie of 2017.

So that’s that. The 10 best. Period.

Now of course this year’s was a crowded field, and a lot of good and great films were left on the outside looking in. Films like: PhantomThread, The Disaster Artist, Super Dark Times, Baby Driver, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Get Out, Personal Shopper, and A Ghost Story.

~ G

Austin's Top 10

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 10:54:00 -0800

Austin here -

So I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really planning on actually writing this list, but then I saw how inconceivably bad Matt’s list was and decided that you readers deserve a list worth reading. I did not see nearly as many movies as the other two did because I somehow even have more of a life than those two nerds.

I'm not going to have any summaries of the movies in my list because it's boring and nobody cares. Y'all gotta trust me and just see the movies I've listed.

Blah blah blah something witty, blah blah blah. Here’s my list:

10 - The Lost City of Z

I was actually looking forward to this movie because I had read the book the film was based on and it didn’t disappoint. Who knew Charlie Hunnam could act?

9 - It

If you look at It as purely a scary movie, it’s mediocre. But as a coming-of-age film, it’s really entertaining and fun. I was never really scared in this movie, but all the characters were fun and the Pennywise dancing scene was amazing.

8 - Mayhem

I thought Mayhem was going to be right up my alley and it is to a certain point. It’s ridiculous and entertaining, but it just feels like they didn’t go far enough. The pay off lacks and the action isn’t very interesting. That being said, I did really enjoy this movie and Steven Yeun is awesome in it!

7 - I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore

This movie is weird in all the right ways. It’s sooo indie, which would usually turn me off, but I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore is so fun, funny, exciting, and ridiculous that it earns a big, fat gold star.

6 - Dunkirk

Okay, Matt diss round 1. This one might get me in trouble, but I think we all know by now that I don’t really care.

OF COURSE, THIS GODDAMN MOVIE DOESN’T HAVE FEMALE CHARACTERS IN THE FOREGROUND BECAUSE IT’S ABOUT A SCENARIO IN WHICH NO GODDAMN WOMEN WERE PRESENT. I swear, I almost had a stroke when I read Matt’s paragraph about this movie. If Matt wants to make a WWII movie about women's role in WWII, then he can do that, but why does Nolan need to shoehorn women into a movie that they’re not supposed to be in??? Hey Matt, are you going to denounce Saving Private Ryan and your beloved Spielberg? No, I didn’t think so. Oh, and before Matt starts with the Austin hates women thing, TWO OF THE MOVIES IN MY TOP 7 MOVIES HAVE FEMALE LEADS.

Now, let’s talk about the movie. Dunkirk is awesome. It’s 2 hours of pure suspense and it’s so well directed and shot. Everything about this movie is executed so amazingly and this is the movie I’m hoping wins best picture!

5 - The Blackcoat’s Daughter

It’s been established that I’m UTW horror movie guy and I have to say it was a down year for horror movies. However, The Blackcoat’s Daughter stands out as easily the best of the year (I don’t count It Comes At Night as a horror film). It’s eerie, it’s atmospheric, and has really good performances from some young actresses. This movie has what most modern horror movies don’t: subtlety. This movie will probably bore the average viewer. Luckily, we don’t care about them.

4 - It Comes At Night

This movie is so agonizingly suspenseful. It’s also extremely well done. I know audiences hated this movie because it was mismarketed, but audiences have an average IQ of about 40 so I don’t really care what they have to say. Do yourself a favor and watch this movie.

3 - Happy Hunting

I only watched this movie because the poster looked almost identical to that of Blue Ruin. Oh man, was that a great decision. This movie was probably so cheap to make, but it is so goddamn entertaining. First, the cinematography is amazing. Second, it has so much amazing schlock. I know that probably nobody has ever heard of this movie, but thanks to me, you have. Now, go on Netflix and watch it! And then, you can come back here and thank me. Oh, and one of the main characters looks like a domesticated Henry Rollins so that’s fun!

2 - Brawl in Cell Block 99

Okay, I don’t know where Matt is getting this overt “America!” message in this movie, but he also loves Hook so maybe we shouldn’t put much credence into his thoughts on movies… This movie is so good it’s annoying. The movie starts with Vince Vaughn literally ripping a car apart with his bare friggin’ hands. He then proceeds to punch everybody and everything in front of him. This is probably Vince Vaughn’s best performance.

1 - John Wick 2

Gabe and I saw this when it came out and we were giggling like little girls the whole time. C’mon it’s Keanu Reeves murdering everybody for over 2 hours. What’s not to like?

Honorable Mentions: Justice League and Wonder Woman:

I feel like I have to talk about these movies because I’m the token DC apologists at UTW.

Yes, Justice League is stupid, schlocky, and has a bad villain. However, I had such a good time watching this movie that I can’t help but give it a shoutout.

As far as Wonder Woman goes, it’s in a gruesome battle with Logan as the most “it’s fine” movie of the year.

Worst Movie of the Year: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

I don’t know if mere words can convey how I feel about TLJ. This movie is so terrible in so many ways. And no Matt, this movie is not a mature Star Wars movie. What the hell is mature about Luke milking an effing space cow??? This movie is boring, the plot is meandering, and it pretty much acts like no other Star Wars movies exist. I’ll probably need to write a separate post about why this movie is terrible, but that will likely be at a later date.

Oh, and the hyperdrive scene was not cool. It made no sense and was very awkward when all the sound cut in the theater.

x

Matt's Top 15, 2017

underthewheelspodcast@gmail.com (Under the Wheels) — Fri, 9 Feb 2018 16:44:00 -0800

Matt here--

In lieu of the trio doing an episode, we all agreed that we would start to use this blog the way it was meant to be used - to say stupid things and hope people try to debate us (at least, that's what I thought a blog was supposed to be). To kick it off, and before we get into double digits in February, we wanted to post our favorite films of 2017. While there will be some overlap of movies (due to us being in fairly constant contact), there is a good chance that the lists won't match up 100%. While some people (Gabe) will tell you that their list is objective and 100% fact and you are wrong if you don't agree, mine is much more just my opinion as a moviegoer who went to quite a few flicks this year. My taste is probably the most modest of the three of us.

Without further ado, and in no particular order, I give you my top... 15 (because I couldn't decide on ONLY 10):

Wind River
I like any movie that shows me something I don't normally see. I also enjoy a good Jeremy Renner movie. I also like a movie that pleasantly surprises me. I'll be honest - a movie about an employee from Fishing and Wildlife solving a murder on Native American soil in the dead of... August(?)... when it is bitter cold in Wisconsin sounds like the kind of movie I would probably stay away from. But there was something about the dedication to show the world of these people and their way of life, and in some ways how they are completely disconnected from their heritage and from the rest of the world, that I absolutely loved. I will say that the camera work can be better, and the editing is a little choppy... but the dedication from the cast and crew to bring the world to life in a way that both entertains, educates, and depresses is worth the price of admission. It's an insult that this movie wasn't considered at all for any major awards.
Blade Runner 2049
I think there are two types of people who watch Blade Runner 2049: those that will hold their bladder till the almost-three-hour film ends, and those that won't. I was the former. Most people complained about the pace of the film, wished it was faster, that it was too cold and sterile, that there was too much packed into the film, what-have-you. I totally dug the flick from beginning to end. I thought Ryan Gosling did a great job as K, I thought the philosophical undertones were great, and I couldn't stop laughing at old-ass Harrison Ford running himself ragged through the flick. I will say that I never felt Ford was playing Deckard as much as he was just playing himself, but that's a minor nitpick (that and his lame costume... I'm not sure what they were thinking in a film with such visually rich outfits). The production design, camera work, performances, directing - all stellar. I love long movies, and this is certainly one I'll come back to a few times.
John Wick Chapter 2
If you don't like John Wick Chapter 2 then you should never visit this blog again. Expanding on the world created in John Wick, the film boasts amazing cinematography, editing, production design, pacing, character development... the film is the Bee's Knees. Keanu Reeves plays the role perfectly - the clashing motivation is set up perfectly and the action is top notch - better than the first film. I could sit here and praise the movie all day, but it's much better to just sit down and watch the damn thing. "Will somebody PLEASE get this man a gun?"
Wonder Woman
It's fitting that the first female super hero film of this generation of superhero films be Wonder Woman. It's also fitting that it is one of the best films of the year. A lot of people have complained that it feels too much like a generic Marvel movie and that the ending is fairly "blah" or corny. I think that sums up the superhero genre perfectly - a bit corny, but a whole lot of fun. The production design is phenomenal, Gal Gadot proves she can carry the movie (though this one gets by on playing off the character's naivete - something that made all the interactions interesting but not something that can be replicated in a second film). Chris Pine is excellent (as usual), and the supporting, diverse cast adds a bit of texture to the movie. I will say that the first time I saw it, I felt the ending was spiraling out of control, and I would like a better villain than a digital David Thewlis... but that's a minor nitpick in what is one of my favorite Superhero films ever made.

Also, I want to see a Robin Wright action film.
Dunkirk
It's not perfect, and it probably won't win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It's another WWII film that leaves women as background. While everyone has gone gaga over the cinematography, I'm not sold on it - the color timing is horrible and if you're creating these beautiful vistas, why are you framing shot-reverse shot so close and not taking advantage of the gorgeous 70mm canvas? With those complaints aside, the movie goes back to the best of Christopher Nolan's roots - playing with cinematic time to create suspense and dramatic potential. As a fan of Tom Hardy, I decree that he steals this movie as the coolest character - vastly downplayed in the trailers, he is the ultimate thinking-man's pilot who has the best ticking clock in the movie. Outside of Hardy's storyline, though, I didn't much care for any of the other storylines (special shout out to Kenneth Branaugh, who makes two appearances on the list, as probably my second-favorite character). I do like the ultimate conclusion of Mark Rylance's story, but the one that takes the center stage - the boy running away from the fight - is also my least favorite and the one that, to me, struggles to find its footing (as it takes place over a week). Still, the film game is fun in this movie and, at a tight 106 minutes, moves at an almost perfect rate.
The Last Jedi
People who want a mature Star Wars movie but complain about this film should shoot themselves for their own stupidity. Is the movie perfect? No. The Canto Bight sequence is boring (as is the running animals), the film struggles to give Finn and Rose anything to do (hence the boring sequence) - tragic since John Boyega is all in with these movies (he deserves a better character), the film struggles to create a tense ticking clock and then twarts its own efforts by making characters planet-hop, Luke never really goes all "Force Unleashed" like we were all hoping he would, there's still no really good reason aside from dashing Poe's pride that Holdo doesn't tell him (and Holdo should have been given more badass stuff to do aside from what she does at the end)...

But what it does right more than makes up for any issues I have for it. Rey becomes a much more complex character with this movie (she was interesting in The Force Awakens, but was very rarely challenged). She is also a new archetypal character for Star Wars - a person birthed of no particular significance who shows that she has a gift. I also like how she faced down the dark side of the force and realized, unlike most characters, that there is nothing for her in the Dark Side. The fight where Kylo Ren and Rey face the Praetoriate is awesome as well - visually very rich. I think the production design takes a step back from The Force Awakens - look at Kylo Ren in TFA and then in TLJ, or look at Snoke's outfit. But it's a minor point of contention in a film that is shot spectacularly.

Really, though, the movie belongs to Mark Hamill. I don't think he had a single poor line read, and the jokes he makes play off a lot better than most of the jokes in the movie. He also fulfills the final Sensei archetype that was missing from Star Wars - the bitter, defeated, reluctant sensei who finally finds a worthy pupil. His scene with Yoda is perfect, as is his final showdown with Kylo Ren.

Also I was a fan of Flying Force Leia. And your dismissive comments won't change that.
Logan Lucky
Adam Driver Double Feature. Stephen Soderberg is back doing his usual thing - making a film efficiently and having a good time doing it. There are a couple of lame moments (specifically with the ex-wife's husband), but overall it's nice to see a master of efficient movie making. Working as DP and editor, his use of two-shot, 3-shot, deep focus cinematography... you could learn how to make a movie by watching this film. He also pulls great stuff out of Daniel Craig who steals the show as a convict who also should have a degree in chemistry (the lesson on ene-gy is a particularly perfect moment) goes all-in with his character, and Adam Driver is perfect as the slow-talking, one-handed bartender brother who is hard on luck. Just be wary any time someone yells "Cauliflower" at you.
Coco
The obligatory animated film on the list is a very emotionally resonant film that is gorgeous to look at. Yes, you can see the twists coming a mile away, but it's good that they didn't bury the lead with this movie too much. Very heart-felt and perfectly composed, Coco is another movie that explores culture, both good and bad. Once again, Pixar gets great milage out of child actor Anthony Gonzales, who carries the movie incredibly well. The animators and designers are, again, top-notch and bring a lot of character to skeletons that, under normal circumstances, would all look the same. While it tackles a bit of what was done in Book of Life, this movie is a lot more accessible and moves at a much better pace. I want to say more about the movie, but it's hard when it's a good, solid film that proves its worth by what it shows on-screen.
Molly's Game
I'm a sucker for Aaron Sorkin screenplays. I love how Idris Elba plays the moral center of the film. Jessica Chastain disappears from the screen and becomes Molly Bloom. Michael Cera does an excellent job playing off-type as the cocky celebrity composite character. The movie moves at the rate that every Sorkin film moves at. Sure, the camera work isn't fantastic. Sure, it's not the most brilliantly edited film. Sure, it feels like some of the story strands don't close neatly. Sure, some of the information about the movie was made up. It was still a fascinating movie full of great characters and tense drama.
Atomic Blonde
It's messy. Very messy. And it's missing the interesting world of John Wick. It also takes way too long to get to the first action scenes in the film, but once they start they don't stop. Charlize Theron does a... well, she commits to the role of action hero whole-heartedly, and the action scenes are pretty awesome. The red herrings, the main plot, James McAvoy... they're there, but they are also very confusing and the less paid attention to them, probably the better. And yes, I am a fan of the long-take fight scene in the film.
Thor Ragnarok
Also known as "Comedy undercuts the drama, the movie". No, I was not a fan of all of the jokes that most people were. I don't think they had a problem representing Thor in the Marvel universe. This is a poor representation of Hulk and of Planet Hulk (one of the best storylines of recent times), and the art design (and some of the weapons) literally look like toys. Also, Karl Urban is mostly wasted, and the Warriors 3 die in stupid, unforgivable ways. WHERE THE HELL IS SIF?!? However, the tone of the film, established early, is maintained effectively throughout, carefully balancing between the comedy and the drama (Odin's death scene is a particular high mark of the movie, which is great because Sir Anthony Hopkins gets to let loose with the comedy a few scenes earlier). Also, I found Cate Blanchett surprisingly hot as Hela... not sure that was intended (but Zoe Bell as her Stunt Double is excellent). Some of the music video moments work fantastically well, such as the last stand of the Valkyries and both uses of The Immigrant Song in the movie. Jeff Goldblum is fantastic as Grandmaster and has a little bit too much fun. Ruffalo and Hemsworth play off each other perfectly in the movie. And it was smart to hire LotR veterans Ra Vincent and Dan Hennah as the production designers, who help to give more class to the overall art direction of the movie. Plus the "Disney Ride Scene" when Thor gets to Sacaar is great. I do feel that Taika Waititi put himself a little too front and center around the movie, and it does detract from the overall product for me. Also, Mark Mothersbaugh's music is unique, but I don't think it's as memorable as he would have liked it to be - my favorite song is still Thor's Theme from the first Thor movie, which makes an appearance at the end of the movie and then immediately undercut by a stupid comedy moment to END THE MOVIE, which is a horrible choice. In fact, the movie almost didn't make my list because of how much it undercut EVERY dramatic moment with a "comedic" one-liner.
Murder on the Orient Express
Okay... I saw the 1970's version (directed by Sidney Lumet) before watching this version. That version is much more subtle and it is much more insightful. This version is high on the melodrama and has random action scenes for... no real reason..? Some of the characters are changed (not necessarily for the better) and the ticking clock of the story is altered, as is Poirot's motivation at the end of the film. Still... the all-star cast is good in the movie (Daisy Ridley makes a second appearance on this list!), and Patrick Doyle's score is... well, it's Patrick Doyle's score - very good but hard to remember exactly what it was. I love Kenneth Branagh films, especially his production designs (they always feel very majestic), so I thoroughly enjoyed this somewhat melodramatic romp through an entertaining mystery.
The Post
As a huge Spielberg fan, this movie has to be on my list. It felt a little bit like "The Crown", with Meryl Streep not knowing what do to with her paper, and Tom Hanks playing against-type as the crochety publisher who doesn't get along with anyone. It's another showcase of Janusz Kaminski and Steven Spielberg's phenomenal ballet of camera work and staging, making what could be a series of shot-reverse shots bland filmmaking into something where the camera literally pulls us into the story. A great cast with a ton of television and movie faces pop up to add additional flavor to the movie. In a film so cast-heavy and fact based, it is surprising that Spielberg wasn't nominated for best director; at the same time, this isn't one of his showy-er films - his DNA is in the film but in a much subtler way.
Beauty and the Beast
Why is this movie still on my list?!? Probably because I've seen it four or five times and I still love watching it. I will say that Bill Condon does about half as well as he should with the material and that the second unit direction isn't particularly good. Most of the staging of the characters is average on average, with quite a bit being fairly poor. However, it benefits from great cast members (though the cast isn't entirely strong or particularly inspired in sections). Dan Stevens holds his own as the Beast, becoming one of the strongest characters in the film; Luke Evans is perfect as Gaston, who makes even his murky motivations ring true. And it's always great to see Kevin Kline in a role. The songs are fantastic, with the new ones not quite as memorable as the original but still very moving in their own way (especially Days in the Sun). And Emma Watson isn't horrible as Belle (though people are critical of her singing), bringing enough of her own particular charm to the role. The movie operates on subtlety in a way the animated film never could. However, a bit of sloppy direction here and there (about 80% good stuff, 20% "what were they thinking") prevent it from transcending the animated classic.
Kong: Skull Island
Tom Hiddleston goes full Ninja Gaiden in the movie. Is it great? No. Does it have a giant gorilla go God of War with a boat motor? Yes! There is enough adventure, fun, self-depricating humor, and John C. Reilly (who is used to the full extent in this) that it really allows you to sit back and have a fun ride. Shut your brain off, enjoy the actors having a good time hamming it up, and prepare yourself for a great Kaiju movie.

Honorable Mention

Free Fire
It's a bit too off-the-wall to really recommend for everyone, but the cast is fantastic and it really takes the premise as far as it can go. As per usual, I love seeing Cillian Murphy work, and the added flavor of Charlto Copley adds a good weight to the final product.
Logan
I don't really need to praise Logan more than it already has. It was good. It worked as a futuristic western. But there was something about the movie that just holds it back - whether it was the pace, the obscene amounts of F-Bombs, or the ending feeling like it needed one more pass to really draw out the gravitas. Most people might disagree with me, but it just didn't make that final mark for me.
Get Out
Another movie that doesn't really need anything more said. It's heavy handed in its message and the film is delivered perfectly. Just not something I want to go back to time and again, and the best character (the TSA Agent) has the least amount of screen time. Still, it has a very clever solution and is a very tight movie.
Life
It's got an ending that will make your skin crawl and was much better than it had any right to be. Thoroughly enjoyably with an excellent opening shot, and great use of their actors.
Going in Style
The cast alone is reason to rent this. The movie itself is pretty standard comedic fair, but all parts involved have fun.
Baby Driver
It's pretty good. I like Lily James so that works. The camera work is fantastic as well. Good stuff overall.
Spiderman Homecoming
It's good, solid Spiderman stuff. I just never felt like I needed to revisit it, which is a mark against it. Still not as good as Spiderman 2, in my mind.
War for the Planet of the Apes
The problem is that this felt too much like Logan, and yet is given even less credit. It would have made my list of best-of, but I only visited it once. I do enjoy how, in the end, the Apes proved more tolerant and malleable for change than the humans, even after Caesar saved the human's life. If I had seen it one more time, this might have knocked out the other Ape movie on the list.
It
It's fun. It's scary. It's riding the wave of 80's nostalgia, but it did have some parts that had me eating my fist in tension (especially when Pennywise comes OUT OF THE SCREEN!)
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
It has the problem of not being as good or clever as the first Kingsman, and of dragging a bit in the middle of the film. Otherwise, Taron Edgerton is still great to watch as Eggsy and the cast has a lot of fun.
American Made and I, Tonya
It's fun to watch once. Tom Cruise does a great job of holding down the movie and acting his ass off, but it's not as clean a movie as some of the films it attempts to homage. Ditto for I, Tonya, which benefits from great performances from Margot Robbie and Allison Janney and is a very watchable film (with some stuff that is shot so normally that it makes it harder to watch), but not quite something I'd come back to over and over.
Happy Death Day
Turned out to be the perfect movie to make fun of all the films it was inspired by.
Justice League
Two words: Superman Smiles. Three more: He cracks jokes. We finally got a Superman film where he felt like Superman. Not nearly as bad as most people say it is.
Lady Bird
I don't get why people think this movie was brilliantly shot. Either that, or it just had really bad editing. Of course, Greta Gerwig's personal touch and the acting performance by all involved (though Laurie Metcalf most of all) drive this movie to keep you watching. Otherwise it's a movie where we watch a main character that, personally, I didn't like very much doing stupid teenage things.
Battle of the Sexes
A little too on-the-nose with its politics, and it's ironic that Steve Carrell's name was ahead of Emma Stone's in most of the marketing, which didn't seem to understand the message of the film. Still, it's interesting to look at how someone can pose a generic arguement, be wrong, then adjust their arguement to say it was about something else. Unfortunately, it doesn't make you any more wrong. The film drags a lot in the middle, though.
Phantom Thread
It's a bit too strange for me to recommend to people, and I left the theater wondering what in high heavens I watched. Some great performances and that Paul Thomas Anderson touch with long scenes evolving over time are still a treat to watch.
The Shape of Water
It's Guillermo del Toro. He subverts the genre just enough and has fun in the time period with the production design. I liked it. I didn't best-picture or best-director like it (since he's done the same with Pan's Labyrinth and Crimson Peak), but I liked it.
Brawl in Cell Block 99
Vince Vaughn dominates this movie. It's tone is perfect, the scenes are smooth, the acting from Vaughn is awesome, the action is brutal and gritty. It has somewhat lackluster camera work and production design, and the overt "America!" message felt completely unnecessary, which held the movie back for me. If he wasn't so gung-ho about America minus immigrants, I think I would have liked it a lot better. Still, it's always fun to see a bit of videogame level structure invade a movie.

Worst Film of the Year

Baywatch. And Pirates of the Caribbean 5
Baywatch was BAD. VERY BAD. Both stars were in significantly better movies this year. And the only good parts about Pirates 5 were the Orlando Bloom scenes, which were over all too quickly. The entire retcon of the series was a strange direction to go, but having no strong characters was even worse!

Now that you know how my year wrapped up, I'd love to know how much you hated this list. Leave a comment below and I might reply to it.

Cheers!