Cinema on Tap

S2E41 21st Century Coen Bros - True Grit

It’s the start of a new month here on Cinema on Tap, and we’re spending it with another famous director…well, a famous pair of directors. The Coen Brothers!

Joel & Ethan Coen are some of the most acclaimed filmmakers of recent memory, and we’ll be taking a look at some of their 21st century output. We’re starting with their most financially successful film: True Grit.

The western starred Jeff Bridges and introduced us to Hailee Steinfeld as they formed an unlucky duo tracking down a murderer in the Old West. What will our hosts think?

What’s your favorite Coen Brothers movie? Let us know at cinemaontappodcast@gmail.com

S2E40 Deserted Island - Blink Twice and the Island Movie Grab Bag

We finally escape the cinematic island we’ve been stranded on this month with our final review of August. We’re heading to the theaters to discuss Zoe Kravitz’s directorial debut, Blink Twice.

The new release follows Frida, a woman who is invited to a getaway on a billionaire’s private island. After a while, she realizes she is struggling to remember the events of the trip. Fearing something sinister, she sets out to figure out what happened to her memories and what is happening on the island.

After we review Blink Twice, we have our Island Movie Grab Bag. We share a few other island movies that are streaming, most of which we recommend…a few of which we definitely don’t. 

Stay until the end of the episode to hear Christian’s plan for September! 

Did you see Blink Twice? What did you think? Send us your thoughts at cinemaontappodcast@gmail.com

S2E39 Deserted Island - Shutter Island

Stranded on an island month finally leaves the year 2000, jumping 10 years ahead to one of the biggest films of Martin Scorsese’s career: Shutter Island.

The 4th DiCaprio-Scorsese team up follows Teddy Daniels, a federal marshal dispatched to search for a missing patient at Ashcliffe, a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane off the coast of Massachusetts on the titular island. Strange things start happening, and Daniels has to figure out what’s real, what’s not, and whether he will be able to leave the island alive.

For the first time this month, our hosts are both re-watching a film instead of seeing something for the first time. One of them liked it more the second time around, one of them less—stay tuned to see who’s who.

Plus, our thoughts on Alien: Romulus!

What’s your favorite Scorsese-DiCaprio collaboration? Let us know at cinemaontappodcast@gmail.com

S2E38 Deserted Island - Battle Royale

Stranded on an Island month continues. This week, we’re taking a look at the influential cult classic Battle Royale.

A predecessor to The Hunger Games, Battle Royale is set in a dystopian Japan and follows a group of teenagers trapped on an island and forced to fight to the death until only one remains.

Controversial upon release, Battle Royale wasn’t even widely available to watch in the US until a direct to video release 10 years after its Japanese debut. Nevertheless, the film has remained popular, especially as it continues to reach a wider audience. Stay tuned to find out our takes!

Do you agree or disagree with our takes? Let us know at cinemaontappodcast@gmail.com

S2E37 Deserted Island - Cast Away

SOS! This month, Cinema on Tap is talking about movies with characters  trapped, stranded, or worse on deserted islands. we’re kicking things off with a big blindspot for both Christian and Scott: Cast Away.

It’s our second Robert Zemeckis movie of the year, and our first Tom Hanks movie in a while. Cast Away follows Chuck Noland, a FedEx systems analyst involved in a plane crash which leaves him stranded on an island in the Pacific. With only Wilson the volleyball to keep him company, Chuck must fight to survive and figure out a way off the island. 

Hanks was nominated for an Oscar for the role, but our hosts will see if he can carry the movie with no co-stars.

Do you have thoughts on Cast Away? Let us know at cinemaontappodcast@gmail.com

S2E36 Top 5 Movies of 2024 So Far

We are back! After our customary July break, the boys are locked back in to talk movies. We’re kicking off August by talking about our Top 5 of 2024 so far. This year, Christian and Scott shared quite a few movies, and they almost shared a #1. Stay tuned to find out which movies made their lists. Plus: their favorite performances of the year so far and producer Lalo‘s current favorite movie of 2024!

What’s your favorite movie of 2024 so far? Let us know at cinemaontappodcast@gmail.com

S2E35 Kathryn Bigelow - Top 5 Kathryn Bigelow Characters + Kathryn Bigelow Rankings

We wrap up Kathryn Bigelow month by having talking through the movies we didn’t cover on the show and discussing her entire filmography. We start by sharing our respective top five characters from her films. Then, we compile a shared ranked list, trying as best as we can to smash together our two perspectives. Stay tuned to see which film gets the top slot.

How did we do on our lists? Let us know your thoughts at cinemaontappodcast@gmail.com.

Programming reminder: we are taking our customary July break. We will be back August 5 with our top five movies of 2024 so far. See you then!

S2E34 Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker / Zero Dark Thirty

After last week’s controversial discussion (who would have thought Christian would be anti-Point Break?), we step into the most controversial period of Kathryn Bigelow’s career.

After two critical and commercial flops, Bigelow found redemption and earned success at the highest level, becoming the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director for The Hurt Locker. She followed up the Iraq war thriller with Zero Dark Thirty, a film depicting the United States manhunt for Osama bin Laden. 

These two films have been both widely acclaimed and derided, and are considered controversial for their content, as well as Bigelow’s approach to the material. What will our hosts think? Looking back from 2024?

Do you have thoughts on these movies? Let us know at cinemaontappodcast@gmail.com

S2E23 Kathryn Bigelow - Blue Steel / Point Break (feat. Title Designer - Elias Hoxsie)

Last week, we looked at Kathryn Bigelow’s genre films. This week, we turn our attention to her cop movies! Released back to back in 1990 and 1991, Blue Steel and Point Break vary drastically in tone, but both feature Bigelow’s signature: entertaining thrills hiding interesting ideas.

We dive in to these two with friend of the show Elias Hoxsie, the designer of our logo, because Point Break is one of his favorite movies. We discuss Jamie Lee Curtis and Keanu Reeves lead performances, talk about the best scenes in each movie, and try to unpack the subtext in each film. Stay tuned for Produer Lalo’s thoughts.

What is your favorite Kathryn Bigelow movie? Let us know at cinemaontappodcast@gmail.com.

Check out Elias’s artwork @eliashoxsieart on Instagram.

S2E22 Kathryn Bigelow - Near Dark / Strange Days

We’re sticking with a famous director for June, as we start our month long coverage of Kathryn Bigelow! We’ll be talking two a week and pairing them up based on theme.

To start, we’re looking at two of her genre movies: 1987’s Near Dark and 1995’s Strange Days.

Near Dark is a vampire story set in the American South. Strange Days is a tech noir featuring a technology that allows the user to experience other people’s memories. Both are worth your time! Whether you’ve seen them or not, Christian and Scott will talk you through them both.

Do you have a favorite Kathryn Bigelow movie? Let us know at cinemaontappodcast@gmail.com