Thanks to our fan Brady, we’re talking about one of my favorites, Sofia Coppola’s 2003 tale of ennui and self-discovery, Lost in Translation. Come listen to me discuss the early beginnings of my ScarJo crush as well as what makes this movie so personally identifiable to me and to probably everyone.
The Verdict is a movie about a medical malpractice lawsuit that marks a milestone in Paul Newman’s career. Join us for a discussion of this deceptively good film that turns the charismatic leading man into a sad, old, washed up lawyer trying, and perhaps succeeding, to rekindle his life.
At it’s heart, Gran Torino is about an old, set-in-his-ways (racist) war veteran realizing that he has more in common with the hardworking, honest Asian family next door than he does with his own spoiled American family. The trouble is, the guy is just so damned racist that it’s hard to get comfortable with him. And even when his opinion of the family next door changes, the offensive language he uses to describe them doesn’t. Gran Torino is a tough movie to talk about.
Road to Perdition is the only movie we could think of that features Tom Hanks as anything other than a wholesome heroic type. It turns out he’s an honest-to-goodness actor and he can absolutely pull off the Irish gangster dead set on avenging his murdered family, especially when he’s sharing the screen with other talented actors such as Paul Newman and Daniel Craig. Who knew!
Join us for a discussion about teenage trauma and angst filtered through Bobby Cannavale playing an accidental pedo and Paul Giamatti getting pile drived into the grass by a 15 year old. Thanks again to Dave from California for commissioning this podcast.
Our belated obsession with The Queen’s Gambit has lead us back to our formative years to cover a movie that also has a young chess prodigy at its center, Searching for Bobby Fischer. It’s an under-celebrated classic about being successful without losing your decency in the process.
Today we’re talking 1961’s The Hustler, which might just be the greatest movie about the game of pool that has ever been made. Starring Paul Newman, Piper Laurie, and George C. Scott, it’s a tale of an up-and-coming pool hustler trying to make it big but, more importantly, it’s the story of a man trying to figure out what makes a person a “winner”.
Bald Move Prestige is where the best of the best come to shine. In the Prestige podcast, we talk about serious dramas, excellence in filmmaking, and everything in between; on television or on the big screen. Prestige doesn’t cover sci-fi, but if that is your thing, you might be looking for Bald Move Pulp.
Special thanks to Hatorian, the commissioner of the various Bald Move FFL divisions, and two time BMFFL champ, once again shows up to claim his prize in the form of a movie commission. His choice is the 2013 crime thriller, Prisoners, directed by Denis Villeneuve, whom we admire a lot in these parts. Starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, it’s as much a meditation on ethics and morality as it is a tightly plotted thriller with several twists and turns. It features confident direction and great performances by all of the leads, and leads to a lot of discussion on vigilantism, the importance of good process, self-reliance, and notions of good and evil.
This 2016 Baldies Awards deliberation is on “Best Drama”! Perhaps the most prestigous of all the Baldies, Jim and A.Ron do some soul searching and plenty of debate and arguing to figure out the Best of the Bald for 2016.