Magnolia (1999) – 25th Anniversary Rerelease

In honor of the 25th anniversary of Paul Thomas Anderson’ Magnolia (1999), Bald Move is rereleasing their coverage. Special thanks to Lauren, Anne, and Rick who chipped in to commission this podcast on Magnolia for Alex Myers as a Christmas (!!!) present. Jim and I had never seen Magnolia, the Paul Thomas Anderson classic before now, and wow is it a doozy. Starring greats such as William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, to name just a few, it involves a day in the life of a dozen or so characters on a collision course with fate and coincidence, and what they’ll learn about themselves and each other along the way. Fueled by raw emotion and melodrama, we were intrigued by the complex tale being woven before our eyes. If you haven’t seen it, check it out before we spoil it for you on this podcast, because it’s an amazing film.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

This podcast, should you choose to listen, will recount the adventure of Jim and A.Ron watching M:I 7. Zooooom! Tom Cruise runs faster than he’s ever run before. Marvel alumni, Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff, join the cast. There are great stunts and fun performances by characters new and old to the franchise. What impossible mission will Ethan Hunt tackle this time?

Days of Thunder (1990)

Days of Thunder is the semi-dramatic car-racing cousin of Talladega Nights. Director Tony Scott has helmed other high caliber projects such as Top Gun and Crimson Tide. It’s written by Robert Towne who penned Chinatown and Mission Impossible 1 and 2. So why did this movie turn out to be silly? Well, it could be the relationship between Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise. Maybe it’s Michael Rookers’ lack of caution with his brain bleed. Whatever it was, it didn’t stop Robert Ebert from breaking the ethos of Tom Cruise down to a science.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Top Gun: Mission Impossible does not disappoint. With some astounding face-stretching fighter jet stunts and a story with a good amount of heart, watching this movie is an exciting experience. Though at times formulaic, there are enough cool things going on to distract you from asking, “But does this really make sense?” too many times. Watch the era of the manned fighter jets come to a close in this heart-racing sequel keeping step with its 36-year-old predecessor. We’ll be back in two weeks with another first run movie: Jurassic World Dominion.

Valkyrie (2008)

Not many people know this, but in 1944 Tom Cruise attempted to assassinate Hitler and bring World War II to an end. He came really, really close. So close that they made this documentary about the attempt in 2008. Join us for the podcast to hear our thoughts on Valkyrie.

Risky Business (1983)

Everyone has seen the video of a young Tom Cruise gyrating his way through his parents’ living room in his tighty-whiteys but did you know there’s a whole movie that happens after that? That movie is “Risky Business”, the topic of this week’s Prestige podcast.

The Color of Money (1986)

Last year we checked out the 1961 classic Paul Newman film, “The Hustler”. This week we’re looking at the sequel, 1986’s the Color of Money. What has Fast Eddie Felson been up to for the last 25 years? This movie has all the answers. Directed by Martin Scorsese and featuring some early work by Tom Cruise, this is the film that finally won Newman an academy award for Best Actor.

Rain Man (1988)

Tom Cruise has a problem. His imported car flipping business is failing and he just found out that he has a secret brother who is an autistic savant. But those aren’t his problems. His problem is that he’s an asshole. But there’s a cure for that and it’s a movie called Rain Man. Join us for a discussion of this critically acclaimed classic film to hear what we think of it 30 years later.

Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

We seem to be on a Vietnam kick with a couple of our movie choices lately. Oliver Stone’s 1989 adaptation of Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic’s autobiography of the same name, recounting his journey from a combat-thirsty young man to a disabled anti-war activist, is worthy of the two academy awards it won. Join us for a discussion about the film, this American folly, and its lingering effects on our society today.

A Few Good Men (1992)

Special thanks to our commissioner for today’s podcast, Sean Ray. You may recognize him as the man behind such classics as It Follows, and Black Rain, which if nothing else is unique. Today he selects the great A Few Good Men, where a gruff Colonel in the US Marine Corps takes issue with the USMC’s kinder, more gentler ways of discipline and organization, leading to the death of one of the men under his command. Tom Cruise and Demi Moore are effective as the counsel for the defense, and are given a lot of juicy material to work with. Written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Rob Reiner, the script is packed with Sorkinisms and shot with a steady, confident eye. The performances are phenomenal, especially Jack Nicholson’s elemental performance of Col. Jessup.