'Get Out' take two: Movie is just as rewarding the second time

The success of Get Out has been so gratifying for me,  even though I had nothing to do with it.

As both an African-American trying to break into the entertainment business and a lover of original, thought-provoking genre cinema, I am both proud of what Jordan Peele did and thrilled that the public has across the board embraced it.

This low budget movie -- with no big name stars -- which dares to say some pretty provocative and insightful things about race, has been widely embraced by the public (it's grossed upwards of $170 million) and has managed to sidestep the inevitable backlash that normally greets break out hits (*cough* La La Land *cough*)

After seeing it the first time I immediately was compelled to see it again in theaters at a later date, I think, because like a lot of viewers. I imagined that some of its first act moments would have new meaning now that I knew the third act revelations.

This blog post will contain SPOILERS, so if you are one of the few people who aren't hip enough to have seen this masterpiece, move along.

First off, I will stay I was and am repeatedly struck by how smart the movie is. Before I saw it this time I saw several trailers that really depressed me. Among them were the smugly self-satisfied big screen Baywatch movie, which seems to want to both poke fun at the campy show but also revel in its same puerile objectification of hot bodies, and even worse Amy Schumer's upcoming comedy Snatched, which seems so culturally tone deaf -- it's about privileged white women who get kidnapped during a getaway in Latin America -- that it seems like it belongs in another decade.

This man deserves an Oscar nomination

Get Out could have been simplistic. I remember being prepared for the white family our hero visits to be closet white supremacists, but the movie took a totally different tack, instead suggesting that this strange society covets aspects of black life in a proprietary way that is extremely problematic but not necessarily about hatred.

The movie is also effortlessly funny and comfortable in its pacing. It is never boring, but unlike so many broader comedies if makes no effort to smother you with "bits." The closest thing to a purely silly joke -- Allison Williams eating individual Fruit Loops while cruising for NCAA athletes -- is so pitch perfect and well earned that the movie gets away with it.

And a word on Allison Williams' performance. I have never watched Girls and likely never will so I have nothing to gauge her work here against, but her role is the one that plays most curiously on second viewing.

Was her rebuff of a traffic cop about not wanting her black boyfriend's identity known, therefore eliminating anyone tracing him back there? Her attempts to play flirt with her boyfriend's best friend (played brilliantly by Lil Rel Howery) also a scheme to lure him to become her next victim?

She has to walk this very careful line between being cute and loyal and yet, also somewhat suspicious. I have heard people claim that they thought she was up to no good from the beginning. But I am not so sure. I remembered wondering if she was "in" on it, but her reactions seemed genuine at the time, but on second viewing there are little hints at a rehearsed nature to her embarrassment at her families' behavior.

There are also other little interesting bits that pay off -- for instance that image of the 'groundskeeper' running -- which is unsettling in both the trailer and the film -- is a callback to the fact that the grandfather (who lives inside him) never quite got over losing to Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympic Games.

And the joys of the movie don't end there -- not that there will ever be a sequel -- but the concept of "The Sunken Place" is very ripe for deeper exploration, as if the idea of this pseudo secret society (which borrows a big from Being John Malcovich) that wants their brain to live on as their bodies give way to father time.

I have no idea if Peele could ever top this film, but he has made a piece of art that will last and stand the test of time, that much I know for sure.

RIP Jonathan Demme: A tribute to his remarkable run as a director

Demme directing Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs

Director Jonathan Demme has died at age 73. I'm sorry to say I wasn't even aware that he had been ill. Demme, despite winning an Academy Award for The Silence of the Lambs was a truly underrated talent. He didn't make all that many films, but he had a remarkable streak of original, eclectic hits that defied any one genre.

I am particularly a big fan of a series of films he made between 1984 and 1993 -- and I will get to those in a moment. Demme was so versatile, he could make documentaries, dramas, comedies and top-notch thrillers. And he always made sure to put interesting characters and faces front in center.

When I think of him as a filmmaker I always remember his dramatic close-ups. The close-up has fallen out of style in recent years, but Demme was never shy about it. He -- like Sergio Leone -- would fill up a frame with an actor's face, often having them address their dialogue to another character straight to camera, lending a kind of intimacy to the performances.

Think about the monologues from Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs, or Tom Hanks' scenes opposite Denzel Washington in Philadelphia. Demme was someone who wasn't afraid to inject big emotions into his scenes and bring a deeply humanistic approach to all his work.

For an appreciation, here is a look back my favorite films of his:

Stop Making Sense (1984) - One of the best concert films of all time, featuring one of (if not the best) new wave band of all time. Demme stages this rocking documentary beautifully, starting with David Byrne alone on stage doing his quirky schtick, and with each new song he is joined by another band member, until the final numbers where the stage is filled with percussionists, singers and dancers and the whole thing feels so alive and infectious

Something Wild (1986) - A sexy and unpredictable black comedy featuring star-making roles for Jeff Daniels, Ray Liotta and Melanie Griffith. This is one of those often overlooked gems that is ripe for rediscovery. Daniels plays a bored executive who gets caught up in the hijinks of a flighty woman (Griffith) that danger has a way of finding. The movie has a funky 1980s feel and it walks a delicate line between laughter and violence.

Swimming to Cambodia (1987) - The documentary that made Spaulding Gray a breakout star. The whole film is one enthralling and invigorating monologue, delivered by the silver-tongued and silver-haired gray. Demme adds so dramatic sound and visual effects, but never distracts from Gray's wonderful storytelling which really opens up what a movie can be.

Married to the Mob (1988) - This mob comedy, starring an against type Michelle Pfeiffer, could have been a silly farce, but Demme's direction keeps it grounded. Pfeiffer plays a recently widowed gangster's wife who is now a target for FBI investigators and her ex's old pals. Amazing music, costume and set design, and energetic performances make this another delightful 80s keeper.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Understandably, Demme's best known film and biggest hit. It's a flawless thriller, brilliantly constructed, performed and executed. It's also never gratuitous, despite its grisly subject matter (sadistic serial killers). So much more power is derived from what you don't see and this is something the inferior sequels failed to understand. One of the most quotable and memorable movies of the past 30 years.

Philadelphia (1993) - While some aspects of this AIDS drama are dated now, there is no denying what a groundbreaking and important film it was when it first came out. Besides establishing Tom Hanks as a serious dramatic actor, the movie also humanized the gay community and the AIDS crisis at a vital point and helped move the national conversation to some degree from fear to empathy. The all-star cast all has moments to shine, but its the connection between Hanks (as attorney dying from the diseased) and Denzel Washington as his initially prejudiced attorney that give this film its real power.

'Never Seen It' - Episode 15 - It's not tumor, it's 'Kindergarten Cop'

Hey millennials, before Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor of California and a perpetual thorn in the side of Trump, he used to be the biggest movie star on the planet. And he occasionally made movies that somewhat veered away from his action persona into broad comedy.

Whether those outings were entirely successful is a big question, and my wife and I took our first shot at this genre of 'Ahnold' films by watching one of his biggest hit: the 1990 movie Kindergarten Cop.

We've both seen scenes from it over the years, but for whatever reason never took it in as a whole. So here are our first thoughts after watching it separately and coming together to take it on for the first time.

Needless to say we found this movie more than a little bit problematic. This is one of those movies where people probably remember individual lines (the famous "it's not a tumor") but not necessarily much of the substance of it.

For the initiated and the uninitiated, here's our take:


'NEVER SEEN IT' EPISODES:

Episode 1: Some King of Wonderful
Episode 2: XXX
Episode 3: Varsity Blues
Episode 4: Xanadu
Episode 5: An Affair to Remember
Episode 6: Blue Steel
Episode 7: Spy Kids
Episode 8: The Frisco Kid
Episode 9: Rising Sun
Episode 10: The Conjuring 2
Episode 11: Zootopia
Episode 12: Fear
Episode 13: The Cell
Episode 14: Nocturnal Animals

Stay tuned for more!

In honor of 4/20: My favorite cinematic trip is '2001'

The supposed "trippy-ness" of movies can often be an unbearable cliche. I have not (yet) watched The Wizard of Oz set to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I have never, quite frankly, tripped while watching a film -- so perhaps I haven't really lived.

Still, it being 4/20 and all, I figured I would indulge this aspect of the filmgoing experience, especially since some have argued that it can enhance of detract from viewing something, depending on your point of view. When I have been, let's say enamored, I have not tended to go for the comedic fare -- although I will say that it struck just the right balance for me to enjoy both Hot Tub Time Machine and MacGruber, two ridiculous movies that I contend are just as funny if you're sober.

And tonight I am partaking in one of Cheech and Chong's best Nice Dreams, but really more as homage to their legendary status than as a drug-fueled excursion.

No for me I like to go cerebral and there is no film in recent memory that gets my brain firing on all cylinders quite like Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey.

It's not even my favorite Kubrick film, that'd be The Shining, but his epic sci-fi meditation keeps getting better and more profound each time I see it, and I remember it being particularly arrested that last time I watched it, when I was in a particular state of bliss.

This is not like a groundbreaking observation. The film's success when it first came out back in 1968 was due in part to the stoner culture's embrace of it, it did not get rave reviews from most mainstream critics who found its cold detachment and unorthodox storytelling off-putting.

But, just like all of Kubrick films, it has become widely embraced now as one of the greatest films of all time, routinely ranking near on within the top 20.

Why has the movie help up so well? I think it has a timeless quality. The special effects are still really awesome, and the film's empty spaces -- which confounded 1968 audiences -- can and have been filled with all sorts of hidden, deeper meanings by audiences which have obsessively consumed it.

It's a movie that makes you think -- not just about what you're watching -- but the nature of the universe, about the inherent violence of man (and whether it really is inherent) and the future of our world. I have no idea what quite a bit of it really means, but that is part of the fun of it.

I get chatty when I am under the influence -- I love to get into impassioned, if not entirely articulate, debates about subjects both profound and perfunctory. 2001, despite its minimalism, feels like a profound movie -- it's not pretentious at all either -- just grand in terms of its ambition, pacing and symbolism.

Not only was the film ahead of its time in terms of predicting our technological advances -- it also takes subtle shots at our burgeoning culture of cold commercialism and the tension between automation and humanity.

When I'm in that state I like to have my mind stimulated and blown, and if you are celebrating this faux holiday today I couldn't recommend this one more.

Why Walter Matthau is my kind of leading man

Walter Matthau was a one-of-a-kind kind of movie star. Modern audiences, if they're familiar with him at all, probably know him best for his late career Grumpy Old Men comedies, but he had a long and fruitful, acclaimed career before that as both a character actor but also, most curiously as an orthodox leading man.

Matthau was by no means traditionally handsome, he was preternaturally elderly-looking with a unique, goofy-sounding voice. He would almost certainly never get the lead role in any movie today, but there was a time when he was bankable, and even more important -- he was cool.

In the 1970s in particular, he had a great run of badass, but lovable roles as the hero of some quirky genre films.

And while Matthau was never going to seduce the leading lady or take center stage in a stunt-heavy action sequence, he brought an authentic, and wonderfully world-weary presence and gravitas to nearly ever role he played.

For instance there's 1973's Charley Varrick, where he plays an aging thief who must improvise to survive after his latest heist goes tragically wrong. His performance as Varrick is sly and sardonic, but never silly, And by the end of the film (where he has to square off against a very scary Joe Don Baker) he comes across as a totally credible tough guy in an action film.

In the classic 1974 thriller The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, (which was remade into a subpar film starring Denzel Washington) Matthau is a politically incorrect, blue collar New York City transit cop. He would at first appear to be no match for Robert Shaw's ruthless villain, but he relies on his wits and his instincts to get to the bottom of a high stakes hostage situation on an underground subway train.

And then there's the beloved hit comedy film The Bad News Bears, not an action picture obviously, but a lot more sophisticated than the usual family fare, too. Matthau's iconic hero -- the appropriately named Morris Buttermaker -- is a truly grizzled drunk, a deeply flawed character who has no business watching children, but becomes unexpectedly good at it, when they inspire his natural competitive instincts (he played an ex-pro who's fallen from grace).

Matthau's great run culminated with 1980's Hopscotch, not a masterpiece, but a charming little movie which derives most of his pleasures for the fact that it casts the jowly actor as a CIA smoothie even though he looks and sounds the way he does.

Like I said earlier, modern Hollywood would have no patience for someone as unconventional as Matthau. And that's a real shame. The character in his face, voice, even gait -- make him stand out in any movie, and with so many bland leading men trying to seize the movie star mantle and failing, perhaps because they have no distinct style or equality.

Meanwhile a special brand of movie star in Matthau mold is dying a slow death. With the notable of exception of Jeff Goldbum -- who is uniquely himself -- that he brings a smile to my face whenever he pops up on screen. He too is no typical movie star -- but boy, is he one.

More, please.

'Colossal' is not the cute movie it's being advertised to be

Colossal is definitely not the movie that it's advertised to be. It's got a clever, original premise -- which I presume is why it's enjoyed mostly good reviews -- but the execution is all over the place and the tone grows from jarring to off-putting fairly quickly.

I was prepared to really like this movie. Unlike a lot of people, I've never had a particularly deep-seated revulsion for Anne Hathaway. I quite liked her Oscar-nominated performance in Rachel Getting Married and I thought she nearly stole The Dark Knight Rises with a surprisingly sexy performance as Catwoman. But I also see that she is not for everyone's tastes.

I get that she has that "lead in the high school play" vibe about her -- but I believe she is talented, and she may be the best part of this film, although her character is not really all that fully realized.

She is supposed to be an alcoholic burnout who returns to her hometown after being callously booted out by her obnoxious boyfriend. If you've seen the amusing trailer, you'll know she connects with what seems to be an affable old friend (played by a woefully miscast Jason Sudekis) and soon learns that her physical behavior in a certain space at a certain time of day channels the behavior of a giant monster terrorizing South Korea.

Anne Hathaway

This is all handled in a lowkey, manner-of-fact way that I appreciated. But eventually the plot takes some twists and turns which really took me out of the movie and made certain characters irredeemable to me.

This wouldn't necessarily be a problem if the film had a more acerbic, bleak sensibility from the beginning (like Young Adult, a movie which reportedly inspired it) but the shift here doesn't feel earned, so when the film enters darker territory (and some uncomfortable violence) I was turned off.

While I appreciate that this is a movie that has some really broad ideas in it, I also think it's a little too all over the map. I never felt emotionally invested in the characters, and for a movie that is at least ostensibly a comedy, I barely chuckled throughout.

Frankly, I am kind of shocked by the raves this movie has been receiving. It's well-made, and it definitely deserves kudos for trying to tell an ambitious story -- but if I am watching a movie and trying to understand what genre it is, it can't be all that effective.

I'm curious, also, whether this film will create any Hathaway converts. She has a way with neurotic, damaged characters, and perhaps some viewers can relate better to unresolved childhood grievances and angst than I did.

For me Colossal is an interesting misfire, a movie unsure of what is trying to do, but that somehow seems to wow a lot of people who see it.

Carrie Fisher's 'Star Wars' swan song will hopefully be fitting

Star Wars fans got a surprising bit of news this week from the late Carrie Fisher's brother. He revealed that this sister, who died suddenly last year, would not only be appearing in The Last Jedi (due out later this year) but also the still untitled Episode IX, which will complete this new trilogy of movies.

What is even more surprising, especially in light of Rogue One's controversial but I thought effective use of special effects to bring Peter Cushing back from the dead and to render a younger Princess Leia, apparently Fisher's performance will be without the aid of technical enhancement.

This comes as a shock -- but a welcome one. Apparently Carrie Fisher completed work on not just The Last Jedi, but at the very least shot some scenes for the the follow-up film.

Therefore, for those of who wanted to see her deliver fully realized on-screen performances in her most iconic role, one last time, this is huge and welcome news.

Now, so much about the new trilogy is shrouded in mystery. The Force Awakens was immensely satisfying, but like many Star Wars films, it left many unanswered questions and cliffhangers in the minds of audiences. Who are Rey's parents? What has Luke been up to all this time? Where's Lando? I could go and on.

Carrie Fisher, I felt, was not used enough. Now, Mark Hamill only appeared in the final shot of the film, and didn't utter word, so this is all relative. But I do hope that in the ensuing films Princess Leia-now-General Leia, would have more to do.

Seeing as she will be starting The Last Jedi not only estranged from her twin brother but effectively widowed due to the loss of her longtime love and companion Han Solo, she should have a lot of powerful notes to play.

I've always thought he character's arc over the first trilogy is one of the coolest and most underrated. She went from someone who was being rescued to someone doing the rescuing, and if Return of the Jedi is be believed, she was at least starting to get in touch with her own innate abilities when it came to the force.

The Force Awakens didn't address that at all, and perhaps the new films won't either, but I think whatever she does will have even more weight and power now, especially since, tragically, we know that we have already lost Fisher, a groundbreaking writer and feminist hero.

It's hard not to feel emotional about this stuff. The premature death of Heath Ledger leant even more power and mystery to his off-the-charts performance in The Dark Knight. Even the death of Paul Walker, made the last Fast & Furious movie feel like more than the sum of its parts.

Star Wars is probably always going to have a rabid, built-in fanbase, especially now that the product is starting to consistently live up the hype.

But Carrie Fisher is not someone who can be easily replaced and she had an authenticity which no CGI slight of hand could capture. I for one loved the little cameo in Rogue One, but it's a cute button, a note of uplift, and that's all.

There can only be one Princess Leia, and while she may have passed away, she'll be preserved for two more movies.

What is the deal with Morgan Freeman's filmography?

When you think about actor Morgan Freeman what first comes to mind?

Probably his iconic voice, which has become such an American treasure that its become almost a parody of itself, hence its presence in the blockbuster animated film The Lego Movie, the broad comedy Ted 2 and the most recently in the preludes of Dave Chappelle's excellent new stand-up specials on Netflix.

But Freeman is much more substantial than his admittedly terrific set of pipes. At 79, he is something akin to a cinematic institution, and he remains an appealing box office draw in an era when starpower has become a decidedly less vital fixture in Hollywood successes.

He was, ostensibly, the most recognizable human in both the Dolphin Tale and Now You See Me movies. And this weekend, he appears in what critics are widely calling a forgettable remake of the likable 1979 codger-caper film Going In Style.

Sure, Freeman scored a lead Oscar nod for his work in 2009's Invictus, but for nearly the last 20 years or so he seems to be content on coasting on his formidable gravitas.

Which is kind of a shame because although Freeman is a big-screen star very late in his life (his breakout role came exactly thirty years ago, when he would have been pushing 50), he can be one of the most interesting, unorthodox movie stars in film history when a part has really challenged him.

I have often thought it'd be interesting if Freeman played more roles closer to his real life persona -- no nonsense, irascible and outspoken. Instead, for whatever reason, he has delivered unassailable but largely supporting performances as avuncular father figures in movies like The Dark Knight films or literally as God in Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty.

In Gone Baby Gone, he played a surprisingly complex, nuanced character, that I thought showed interesting new shades to his persona. The same goes for one of his most underrated roles -- 2000's Nurse Betty -- where he played an eccentric hitman who develops an unrequited crush for his prey.

Street Smart

Clearly, because he doesn't fit in traditional leading man categories, Hollywood has never quite been sure how to best represent Freeman's talent.

More often than not he is paired opposite a younger, white co-star who he can mentor. Some of these films (Seven, The Shawshank Redemption) are quite great, and Freeman's authority and specificity elevates what could be a thankless role into a sublime one.

I remember being particularly taken with his work in Glory, which is by any standard an ensemble film (in which Denzel Washington has the showiest role). Freeman, however, stands out as a natural leader among men whose very manhood has been suppressed for years.

And in Unforgiven, while he is once again sidled with a sidekick role opposite Clint Eastwood, his more vivacious, modern gunslinger helps put Eastwood's in context.

Freeman finally won a long deserved Oscar for his wonderful, solid supporting work in Million Dollar Baby, where he effectively lost himself in the role of a not-as-washed-up-as-you'd-think former boxer, but somehow the prize felt like too little too late.

As he reaches more advanced age and continues to deliver swan-song type performances, I hope people will make an effort to see him as more than the kindly geezer who narrated March of the Penguins, and instead appreciate the versatile and capable character actor he really was.

He's on full display in the ripe-for-remake 1987 Street Smart. It's a far from perfect movie about a journalist who makes up a story about a black pimp to enhance his career only to have a real life one (played to terrifying effect by Freeman) seek him out to be his alibi in a criminal proceeding.

Freeman is a force to be reckoned with throughout the movie, and scary in a way like he never was before or since. Hollywood wasn't prepared for what he was bringing to the table at the time. But we still can look back in awe of who he was and is now.

Flashback 1987: My top 10 favorite movies from 30 years ago

The year is 1987. I'm 5 years old and in kindergarten, and probably only slightly less self aware and maybe even significantly more confident than I am right now.

Probably my idea of a great movie at that point in my life was The Chipmunk Adventure, which I remember being obsessed with and I have vague memories of dragging my father to a theater to let me see it.

It's an amazingly adorable movie. I recommend the 'chip-ette' Eleanor's song, which she sings to cheer up a sad baby penguin, to anyone in need of a good guy. And the number about the girls vs. boys "of rock n' roll" may have been oddly prescient about the gender wars writ large that our country is still fighting.

But alas, my palette has grown more refined over the years and I have consumed a lot more sophisticated fare.

1987 is an interesting year. A movie like Three Men and a Baby managed to be the year's biggest box office hit, but it was a banner year for commercial filmmaking. And it was certainly a highlight year for Michael Douglas and Cher, who both took home top acting Oscars for roles in films that year, and who also both headlined more than one iconic hit. Which leads me to ...

10) Moonstruck - An irresistibly cute romance which seems to exist in a fantasy, culturally uniform version of New York City, where the accents are broad and the stakes are farcical. What makes it work, besides the lovely score, atmosphere and cracking dialogue, is Cher and Nicolas Cage, who have unlikely chemistry as a middle aged woman coming into a late bloom sexual awakening and an eccentric, but romantic baker with a wooden prosthetic hand. This is not a deep, profound movie, but it is a lovely diversion and Cher is luminous in the lead.

9) Lethal Weapon - Before Mel Gibson alienated a lot of us with his Anti-Semitism, racism, and alleged abuse of women -- he charmed us by playing a truly unpredictable and volatile cop opposite and gruff but lovable Danny Glover. 48 Hrs. may have modernized the black-white buddy crime film, but Lethal Weapon set a new gold standard, and flipped Hollywood conventions on its head by making the white character the unstable one. The sequels got sillier, but the original was a tightly constructed, exciting and brutal action classic.

The Witches of Eastwick

8) Broadcast News - A sensitive and knowing homage to the frustrations and flaws of office romance, the media business and really, how people's hard work is valued. An excellent trio of actors -- William Hurt, Holly Hunter, and Albert Brooks -- lend real pathos to journalist characters who are written as types but emerge as complex, needy people. A fascinating snapshot of the descent of television news into infotainment, as well as a touching romantic comedy.

7) Wall Street - A modest hit when it first came out, Oliver Stone's ferocious expose of insider trading and the go-go world of 80s finance has only grown in esteem and influence since its first release, for better or worse. Not unlike Scarface, far too many people have missed the anti-corporate message of this movie, and instead romanticized its villain Gordon Gekko (played unforgettably by Michael Douglas). Oh well, it's still wildly entertaining -- and showed that even Charlie Sheen could carry a picture before he devolved into self parody.

6) Fatal Attraction - Another movie that has really permeated the pop culture lexicon. People who have never even seen the film remember the "bunny scene." A movie whose sexual politics are at best debatable -- modern viewers may find Glenn Glose's 'other woman' sympathetic at first -- that really changed the way people think about affairs and obsessive romances. Douglas has a difficult balancing act here, to play a jerk who we still sort of root for. It's action packed climax is a copout but it's fun nevertheless. The rare movie for and about adults that we almost never see anymore.

5) The Witches of Eastwick - A gorgeous, stylish fable featuring a trio of glamorous stars at their best (Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michele Pfeiffer) opposite a kinetic and amped up Jack Nicholson, giving one of his most memorable star turns as the Devil himself. Director George Miller uses his Mad Max style of filmmaking on this wacky romantic comedy, which combines elements of horror with humor, eroticism and supernatural undertones. It's a lot of fun, albeit not for everyone's tastes. But if you're a Nicholson fan, this is one of his signature roles; he chews all the scenery and is having a ball.

4) Full Metal Jacket - Another Stanley Kubrick war movie masterpiece, a bookend with his classic Paths of Glory. This film takes dead aim at the dehumanization of the military. It's first, famous half, provides the most rigorous and unflinching portrait of basic training ever caught on film (with real life drill sergeant R. Lee Ermey blowing the doors off, and Vincent D'Onofrio as the victim of most of his abuse). The second half is just as stirring, as the film plunges into some truly harrowing war scenes and a kind of cold cyncism missing from some of the more romanticized Vietnam films.

3) Raising Arizona -This is one of the Coen brothers' funniest and most accessible films. They put Nicolas Cage's eccentricity to perfect effect opposite Holly Hunter as a couple that irrationally kidnaps a baby because they can't have one. The camera work is extraordinary, and the laughs are gut busting, but what makes this film so special and so fun to rewatch, is its sincerity. The leads are genuinely likable and the story has a fairy tale like quality to it. If Blood Simple announced the Coen brothers' arrival, this movie showed they were here to stay.

2) Robocop - A brilliantly realized satire of corporate greed and excess disguised under the veneer of an uber-violent sci-fi action movie. What the remake and even some viewers of the original never understood is how deeply funny this movie is. At its heart is a soulful, sympathetic performance from Peter Weller as a good cop who is horribly maimed and reconstituted as a killing machine for law enforcement. It still holds up as an iconic entry in director Paul Verhoeven's impressive filmography.

1) The Untouchables - One of the great gangster movies of its time, or any time -- Brian DePalma took what could have been a hokey remake of a television show and supercharged it with star turns from the likes of Sean Connery (who won an Oscar for it), Robert De Niro and Kevin Costner and unforgettable action sequences like a slow motion gun battle on the steps of a train station. A big, bloody  commercial breakthrough hit that is satisfying from start to finish. This was an after school staple for me growing up.

'Never Seen It' - Episode 14 - Claws out over 'Nocturnal Animals'

My wife Elizabeth Rosado and I are back with our longest, and perhaps most lucid podcast yet about the polarizing noir drama Nocturnal Animals from director and fashion icon Tom Ford.

If you give us a chance and a listen I think we have some worthwhile things to say about this Oscar contender from last year.

But, I should also warn you that many, many SPOILERS abound, so if you haven't seen the movie yet and intend to, this may not be the podcast for you.

As per usual with our "Never Seen It" series, we watched this movie separately (we started to watch it together, albeit in silence, but one of us fell asleep and had to revisit it the following day ... it was late so don't necessarily take that as a rebuke of the film per se).

I will say that for better or worse this movie provoked very strong reactions from both Liz and I, and it probably produced more thoughts than any previous film we've tackled in this series.

Click on the YouTube below for more...


'NEVER SEEN IT' EPISODES:

Episode 1: Some King of Wonderful
Episode 2: XXX
Episode 3: Varsity Blues
Episode 4: Xanadu
Episode 5: An Affair to Remember
Episode 6: Blue Steel
Episode 7: Spy Kids
Episode 8: The Frisco Kid
Episode 9: Rising Sun
Episode 10: The Conjuring 2
Episode 11: Zootopia
Episode 12: Fear
Episode 13 - The Cell