Tag Archives: Behind the Hype

Justin Timberlake: In Time (2011)

Our month of May takes a bit of a downturn with the film In Time, which just can’t seem to make up its mind what movie it wants to be. There are a few solid hooks throughout, but they never really pan out and never get much deeper than surface level. It’s quite the frustrating watch, but the cast is strong and our main man JT continues to impress with his charisma and utter watchability, even if he struggles a little as the leading man. Really, we just wished this movie could have picked a path and stuck to it.


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Justin Timberlake: The Social Network (2010)

Our month of May continues with another winner for good ol’ Justin Timberlake: The Social Network, from writer Aaron Sorkin and director David Fincher. There’s so many things to love about this film, from the standout performances of everyone involved to the masterful score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Obviously, our focus is on JT and his scene-stealing portrayal of Sean Parker, but everything else is just so dang good that we struggle to find much fault in the film.

We also talk about some of JT’s older SNL sketches and performances for this week’s “Where Have They Been Doing” segment.


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Justin Timberlake: Alpha Dog (2006)

IT’S GONNA BE MAAAAYYYY! That’s right. We’re talking about Justin Timberlake in the month of May because we couldn’t help ourselves, and like…why not? To start off, we’re going to talk about the huge bummer known as Alpha Dog. But don’t worry, it’s not a bummer because of quality; it’s just going to completely and thoroughly bum you out. Justin proves in this film that he’s got some serious acting chops and we can’t gush about his performance enough.

We also briefly discuss his voice work in the Trolls movie, which is pretty awesome and elevates a surprisingly not bad children’s animated film. Let’s get our May on!


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Scarlett Johansson: Iron Man 2 (2010)

To celebrate our last week of ScarJo month we’re discussing perhaps one of the worst of the MCU fare, the film that put Scarlett on our radars and Black Widow in our hearts. That’s right, we’re talking about Iron Man 2. It…doesn’t hold up, but not for lack of trying. You’ve got Robert Downey Jr. in top form, Sam Rockwell killing it as usual, and Scarlett Johansson kicking ass and taking names. You’ve even got Mickey Rourke in there hamming it up as the villain and despite having a bit of a mangled role, he manages to make an entrance.

We also discuss Ghost World and Jojo Rabbit in brief, as well as try to figure out why this month’s selections were all over the map quality-wise. It’s a great episode that wraps up a really fun month.


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Scarlett Johansson: Under the Skin (2013)

Our strange ScarJo retrospective takes a turn for the better as we discuss the Jonathan Glazer film Under the Skin. It’s quite a bit different from the other movies of hers we’ve seen this month and it’s a far cry from her more action-heavy roles. The thing is, it works and her performance really makes this thing pop. If anything, the experiential nature of the film loses a bit in the watch from home. We get into that as well as discuss some of the themes that stood out in the movie, so you probably want to hit that play button ASAP.


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Scarlett Johansson: Lucy (2014)

We continue our trek upward in our month of ScarJo and reach the Luc Besson oddity Lucy, which we didn’t mind as much this time around. Sure, there are a lot of flaws in this film and as soon as we start tugging at those loose threads the whole thing falls apart, but ScarJo is good in this, Morgan Freeman is entertaining, and the car chase sequence is rather exciting (even if she could have just flown over all the cars).

We also discuss The Avengers briefly, and ScarJo’s run as Black Widow. She has fun in the role, but there’s a particular scene that’s a bit of a sticking point for our hosts. Anyway, there’s a lot here so come join us, won’t you?


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Scarlett Johansson: Girl With a Pearl Earring (2003)

First Rough Night and then Girl With A Pearl Earring. We swear we didn’t intend to review two clunkers back to back in our month of ScarJo, but here we are. Truth be told, Girl With A Pearl Earring isn’t a bad film and in fact has some really good moments in it. The problem is that everything surrounding those good moments is just…boring. You’ll be happy to know, however, that the painting remains a masterpiece.

We also briefly discuss The Island, from director Michael Bay, and Sing, from Illumination. There’s a lot here, so don’t waste another minute and hit play on this bad boy.


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Scarlett Johansson: Rough Night (2017)

A new month means a new subject for our retrospective series, and this month we’ve chosen ScarJo. That’s right. We’re following the varied career of Scarlett Johansson. First film on the docket: Rough Night, a movie that tests her comedic acumen and finds her wanting. It’s not like her performance is bad, it’s just that she has nothing to do and doesn’t have any moments that really push her to do anything anyone in the world would consider funny. We had a rough time with Rough Night, folks.


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Dede Allen: The Final Cut (2004)

We wrap up our month of Dede Allen with a bit of a flop, and for that Jon apologizes. We’re talking The Final Cut, starring Robin Williams, Jim Caviezel, and Mira Sorvino. You would think based off the talent alone that we were in for a treat, but you would be mistaken. The movie is more interested in raising questions than answering them, and after awhile it becomes painfully tedious. Production design is sound, and of course Dede Allen edits the hell out of it.

Bryan and Chewie also discuss 1991’s The Adams Family, which ended up being way more entertaining and featured some really fun editing.


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Dede Allen: The Wiz (1978)

This week in our Dede Allen retrospective we take a sharp left turn from the tense crime dramas of Bonnie and Clyde and Dog Day Afternoon to the leisurely paced stage musical adaptation of The Wiz. It’s quite the shift and the results are…mixed. There’s a lot to like here, from the imaginative sets, to the strong choreography and impressive musical numbers. There’s also a lot that has us scratching our heads like the rough lighting and that unbearably slow dance number in the middle just before meeting the Wiz. Join us as we attempt to unpack what worked and what didn’t for us and enjoy a wholly unique and compelling take on The Wizard of Oz.


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