A big thank you to Dr. DeVito for commissioning Southpaw, the 2015 boxing movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a Raging Bull-type who just can’t get out of his own way while recovering from a traumatic accident. If you’ve seen any boxing movie ever made, you’ve seen some portion of this movie, as it borrows every trope you can think of. It does manage to deliver the emotional punches though, due mostly to the excellent cast.
We’re filling a huge gap in our nostalgic movie catalog with our 35th anniversary coverage of Stand By Me, the 1986 coming-of-age story about 4 young friends who hear rumor of the body of a boy in the woods and journey into the wilderness to find it. It stars someone both beloved and reviled by Star Trek fans around the globe, as well as River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and a very young, very chubby Jerry O’Connell. It’s considered a classic by many. Will it hold up 35 years later? Join us on the podcast to find out.
This week’s prestige film is Pump Up the Volume. Christian Slater plays a mild mannered highschooler by day who transforms into pirate radio station DJ Happy Harry Hard-on by night, to scandalize his conservative town with profanity laced tirades about sex, drugs, and the utter meaningless of life. Is this movie just teen-agey angsty bullshit, or does it have something relevant to say in 2021 where everyone has a microphone and a public platform? Join us for the podcast to find out.
This week, we’ve got my absolute favorite Paul Giamatti movie, Sideways. It’s a well-written but also hilarious movie where an extremely depressed Paul Giamatti begrudgingly helps his college roommate philander his way through northern California wine country. It has some all-time classic Giamatti moments that we can’t wait to talk about. Get Sideways with us this on this podcast.
Forrest Gump is an artifact of a more innocent age; a time before Tom Hanks learned to make fire. Before Robin Wright made binge-watching a lifestyle. Before Hollywood acknowledged that Pulp Fiction had changed the way audiences engaged with movies. Join us for the podcast to take a trip back in time and find out if this Academy darling still holds up.
This is in the running for the worst podcast Bald Move has ever released. One of us was feeling what this movie was doing. The other, not so much. We also struggled to figure out exactly what this movie’s thesis was. Regardless, we talk for about an hour about Liam Neeson’s wolf-based Taken follow-up.
Marriage Story is deceptively named, it has a deceptive poster, and its characters are deceiving (or at least deluding) themselves and their spouse. It’s a passionate movie that also feels real in the way that it could happen to anyone anywhere, even though its happening to two exceptionally successful people. Join us for the podcast to hear our full review.
Almost famous is one of those movies that shouldn’t feel as real as it does. It’s an outrageous story about a teenaged musical critic who goes on tour with an up and coming rock band in the 1970s and accidentally finds himself writing the cover story for Rolling Stone. Totally relatable, right? Well, turns out it’s a semi-autobiographical depiction of the writer / director Cameron Crowe’s childhood, who spent his formative years touring with the likes of Skynyrd and Zeppelin as a music critic. You have to wonder how deep the similarities go when you see some of the stuff that happens in the movie, but it’s immensely enjoyable and the soundtrack is fantastic. Join us for the podcast to hear our thoughts on Almost Famous.
Maybe it’s young Anthony Hopkins? Maybe it’s the exceptional sound design? Maybe it’s just that his style hadn’t fully blossomed? Whatever the case, it’s possible that we’ve found a David Lynch movie that’s un-Lynchian enough for even Jim to love!
I was honestly nervous about this one. It’s supposedly going to be Daniel Day-Lewis’ final film and I’d heard mixed reviews before checking it out. It’s also a movie about the stuffiest of dressmakers which is paced very… precisely. However, thanks mostly to a few incredible performances, it held my interest long enough to get to the moments that set this movie apart. There are some serious spoilers for those moments though so watch the movie, then come back and give our podcast a listen if you’re so inclined.