It's On My List IOML

When you love someone, you’ve gotta trust them. There’s no other way. You’ve got to give them the key to everything that’s yours. Otherwise, what’s the point? And for a while, I believed that’s the kind of love I had.
Ace Rothstein, Casino
FIRST TIME VIEWERS:  ALISA, ANDREW, BETHANY
The eighth collaboration between director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert DeNiro, Casino brings the mob mentality of Goodfellas to the gambler’s paradise of Las Vegas. It’s a city filled with hustlers, junkies, hit men, cheaters, and questionable business practices; all controlled by the Kansas City mob and potentially destroyed by one man’s delusional love.
Are DeNiro and Joe Pesci just playing their characters from Goodfellas in this film? Is this a spiritual sequel to Goodfellas? Is there any way to watch this movie without constantly thinking about Goodfellas? Is it possible to put an equal amount of blueberries in mass produced muffins? And is the eye in the sky really watching us all? Take a gamble and join us as we hit the tables to talk about Casino.
Click here to listen to Episode 41: Casino.
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Before this war began, many of my regiment had never seen a Negro. Now the roads are choked with the dispossessed. We fight for men and women whose poetry is not yet written but which will presently be as enviable and renowned as any.
Col Robert Gould Shaw, Glory
FIRST TIME VIEWERS:  ALISA, ANDREW, JOE
Director Edward Zwick brings us this late 80’s look at the first black regiment enlisted to fight for the Union during the Civil War. Populated by a cast of incredible actors including Morgan Freeman, Andre Braugher, Matthew Broderick and Cary Elwes, the film includes a standout performance from Denzel Washington, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role.
Does this 33 year-old film offer a perspective that holds up under the scrutiny of current understanding? Can Matthew Broderick effectively embody a character so charged with authority? Did people really use the term “secesh” for those who favored the Confederate cause? And is the ending of this story quite what we expected? Join the charge as we raise our Union flag and bravely march into our discussion of this story of the Civil War, race, bravery and emotion.
Click here to listen to Episode 40: Glory.
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I would like to think that you are all my friends, for to be without friends is a serious form of poverty.
Aloysius T. McKeever, It Happened on 5th Avenue
FIRST TIME VIEWERS:  ALISA, ANDREW, BETHANY, CHERYL, JOE
The holidays are upon us and it’s time for the movies we all know and love and have watched a hundred times. But, for our purposes, those won’t do. We searched high and low for a holiday film none of us had ever seen before. We found it in director/producer Roy Del Ruth’s 1947 romantic comedy, It Happened on 5th Avenue.
Can a lesser-known winter-time movie be any good? Is there a reason this film didn’t become a holiday classic? Is it a screwball comedy, a romance, a social commentary, a musical or all of the above? Could this actually be a Scrooge story in disguise? Does it’s two hour run-time make sense? And just how romantic is it to shoot holes in a wall with a shotgun? Join us in the O’Connor mansion as we try It Happened on 5th Avenue on for size.
Click here to listen to Episode 39: It Happened on 5th Avenue.
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This is the nature of war. By protecting others, you save yourselves. If you only think of yourself, you’ll only destroy yourself.
Kambei Shimada, Seven Samurai
FIRST TIME VIEWERS:  BETHANY, CHERYL, JOE
When faced with a three and a half hour, subtitled, black and white 1954 movie about samurai in the 16th century, it was admittedly a bit daunting for those of us who hadn’t yet seen Akira Kurosawa’s fabled epic. But, we harvested our rice, packed our meager bags, and set out on a journey to find our heroes.
Is this the most Western Eastern movie we’ve ever seen? How does it compare to the multitude of remakes, reimaginings, and takeoffs it’s inspired? Does it feel as long as its runtime? Can modern Western viewers find relevant themes in this story of ancient warriors? How incredibly awesome is Toshiro Mifune? Listen to find out whether we’ll battle like samurai and bandits, or join our magnificent five personalities together in harmony to defeat our fear of this lengthy classic.
Click here to listen to Episode 38: Seven Samurai.
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“Whatever happened to chivalry? Does it only exist in 80’s movies? I want John Cusack holding a boombox outside my window. I wanna ride off on a lawnmower with Patrick Dempsey. I want Jake from Sixteen Candles waiting outside the church for me. I want Judd Nelson thrusting his fist into the air because he knows he got me. Just once I want my life to be like an 80’s movie, preferably one with a really awesome musical number for no apparent reason. But no, no, John Hughes did not direct my life.”
Olive Penderghast, Easy A
FIRST TIME VIEWERS:  ALISA, CHERYL, JOE
Remember that time in high school English class that you were supposed to read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter? Did you read it? Or did you watch one of the movie versions? We decided to watch director Will Gluck and writer Bert V. Royal’s movie version that talks about all the other movie versions, while turning the concept into a John Hughes style high school comedy.
Does this movie really have anything to do with The Scarlet Letter? Why do we decide we’d like to see Emma Stone in a 30’s style screwball comedy? Can a movie character tell you exactly what’s going to happen in their movie and still have it be a surprise to watch? What’s the deal with Ojai? And why have some reviewers criticized this movie as anti-Christian? Join us as we spend our gift cards to watch and discuss this modern take on a very old story.
Click here to listen to Episode 36: Easy A
Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app, so you never miss an episode!