Episodes
Wednesday Jul 24, 2019
#34: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Wednesday Jul 24, 2019
Wednesday Jul 24, 2019
Ashley HATES westerns, generally speaking, which is why Dave has been reluctant to make Sergio Leone’s restored 1968 classic ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST required viewing. Then our local art cinema happened to have a showing, and Dave couldn’t resist the urge to see it on the big screen once again. This film has everything: saloons, vengeful sharpshooters, corrupt railroad entrepreneurs, a retired lady of the evening with requisite gold heart, and XCUs, which are that thing where the camera zooms in so close you can see the molecular structure of Charles Bronson’s face. Plus an Ennio Morricone soundtrack! Dave is all in on this one. Will Ashley come around?
The book Dave mentions:
- Once Upon a Time in the West: Shooting a Masterpiece - Christopher Frayling (2019)
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send your feedback to shutupwatchthis@gmail.com
Please consider leaving a review or a star rating on iTunes, so other folks can find us.
© 2019 Ashley Carr & Dave Wilson
Wednesday Jul 10, 2019
#33: Hands on a Hardbody (1997)
Wednesday Jul 10, 2019
Wednesday Jul 10, 2019
This week we finally review HANDS ON A HARDBODY: THE DOCUMENTARY (1997) thanks to a tip from Ashley’s brother about streaming options. This surprisingly moving film by S.R. Bindler documents the human drama surrounding an endurance competition to win a Nissan Hardbody pickup where 24 contestants stand with their hands on the truck until only one is left standing. This was Ashley’s introduction to the wonderful world of independent documentaries. Somehow Dave never managed to see it even though it was still playing at the dearly departed Dobie Theater across from UT when he started film school there.
Links:
- Stream Hands on a Hardbody
- "You Gotta Have the Mettle" - Leah Churner, Austin Chronicle. 4/19/2013
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send your feedback to shutupwatchthis@gmail.com
Please consider leaving a review or a star rating on iTunes, so other folks can find us.
© 2019 Ashley Carr & Dave Wilson
Tuesday Jun 25, 2019
#32: The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
Tuesday Jun 25, 2019
Tuesday Jun 25, 2019
Dave’s been sitting on this one for awhile, a little hesitant about Ashley’s reaction. This week’s pick, THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER (1989) is definitely not for everyone. Peter Greenaway’s film is visually and structurally bold. It is shocking in it’s portrayal of violence and barbarism, and the titular Thief is perhaps one of the worst humans to ever appear on screen. Yet there is something about it, a teetering balance, like a waiter carrying an overloaded tray. Will Ashley find this film as rich and fascinating as Dave does, or will it leave her cold?
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send your feedback to shutupwatchthis@gmail.com
Please consider leaving a review or a star rating on iTunes, so other folks can find us.
© 2019 Ashley Carr & Dave Wilson
Friday Jun 14, 2019
Extra #2: The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)
Friday Jun 14, 2019
Friday Jun 14, 2019
Home is one of the most powerful words in any language. It is not simply a place, but a symbol of something more, a visceral feeling of safety, of belonging, of community. So what happens to a person when that place, that community, that belonging is slowly but surely dismantled? In this week’s extra episode, we review THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO. This film confronts the effects of gentrification on identity and belonging through the eyes of tragic hero Jimmie Fails. This film is a swirl of poetry and music made visual, and we just had to talk about it.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send your feedback to shutupwatchthis@gmail.com
Please consider leaving a review or a star rating on iTunes, so other folks can find us.
© 2019 Ashley Carr & Dave Wilson
Tuesday Jun 11, 2019
#31: Woman on the Run (1950)
Tuesday Jun 11, 2019
Tuesday Jun 11, 2019
When Ashley first saw WOMAN ON THE RUN at the Noir City Film festival in 2015, she just knew her good friend Dave, a proud San Francisco native, would absolutely love it. It only took four years for him to see it, partly because Ashley couldn’t remember what it was called. Shot on location in mid-century San Francisco, this noir thriller by director Norman Foster features great visuals, an outstanding lead performance by Ann Sheridan as a woman searching for her husband after he witnesses a mob murder, and some top-rate character actors to keep things interesting. Twice thought lost forever, the story of saving and restoring this film has almost as many twists as the film itself, almost...
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send your feedback to shutupwatchthis@gmail.com
Please consider leaving a review or a star rating on iTunes, so other folks can find us.
© 2019 Ashley Carr & Dave Wilson
Wednesday May 29, 2019
#30: Chungking Express (1994)
Wednesday May 29, 2019
Wednesday May 29, 2019
As it turns out, this week’s pick is not a hardboiled modern noir set on a train, as Ashley expected. Instead Dave’s pick, Wong Kar-wai’s CHUNGKING EXPRESS (1994), features the stories of two lovelorn policemen as they try to move on from their past relationships. Equal parts sweet and quirky with a good mix of interesting camera work, a pretty killer soundtrack, and thirty cans of pineapple, Chungking Express is miles away from Ashley’s expectations, and has her wanting to see more of Wong’s films. Dave is particularly taken with pixieish heroine Faye from the second story who recalls new wave and neo-realist heroines Patricia (Jean Seberg) and Cabiria (Giulietta Masina). Both Dave and Ashley found this film to be a delight, and there is even a femme fatale for those of you that need a little noir with your whimsy.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send your feedback to shutupwatchthis@gmail.com
Please consider leaving a review or a star rating on iTunes, so other folks can find us.
© 2019 Ashley Carr & Dave Wilson
Wednesday May 15, 2019
#29: Parenthood (1989)
Wednesday May 15, 2019
Wednesday May 15, 2019
This week Ashley’s pick is Ron Howard’s 1989 ensemble comedy/drama PARENTHOOD. Supported by some fine performances by the likes of Dianne Wiest, Steve Martin, and even Keanu Reeves, this film does a pretty good job of representing the ups and downs of parenthood from the viewpoint of a large, multigenerational family. Ashley is pleasantly surprised that this childhood favorite seems to stand the test of time with a few notable exceptions. And Dave is ultimately charmed despite some initial misgivings about content and a Randy Newman song with lyrics that are perhaps a tad precious.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send your feedback to shutupwatchthis@gmail.com
Please consider leaving a review or a star rating on iTunes, so other folks can find us.
© 2019 Ashley Carr & Dave Wilson
Wednesday May 01, 2019
#28: Notorious (1946) - Hitchcock
Wednesday May 01, 2019
Wednesday May 01, 2019
A US government agent (Cary Grant), the daughter of a convicted spy (Ingrid Bergman), and a scheming Nazi in Brazil (Claude Rains). Add a whole lot of repressed emotions and you have the makings of this love-triangle thriller, Alfred Hitchcock's 1946 masterpiece NOTORIOUS. Ingrid Bergman is luminous as Alicia, a patriot who risks everything for love and country. Cary Grant as Dev is…..kind of a dick, though a charming one. This is a top ten film for Dave, one of those seminal films that reveals the storytelling power of cinema. Can Ashley get past her unease watching a man throw away happiness with both hands to appreciate this Hitchcock classic? As Dev puts it, “A man doesn't tell a woman what to do. She tells herself.”
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send your feedback to shutupwatchthis@gmail.com
Please consider leaving a review or a star rating on iTunes, so other folks can find us.
© 2019 Ashley Carr & Dave Wilson
Thursday Apr 04, 2019
#27: Much Ado About Nothing (2012) - Joss Whedon
Thursday Apr 04, 2019
Thursday Apr 04, 2019
This week we have committed false report; moreover, we have spoken untruths, secondarily, we are slanders; sixth and lastly we have belied a lady; thirdly, we have verified unjust things; and, to conclude, we are lying knaves. All this is true, except the lady bit, as we did not watch Hands on a Hardbody as promised. Instead we watched Joss Whedon’s adaptation of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. This is Ashley’s favorite Shakespeare play due largely to the spirited banter of Beatrice and Benedick. Dave talks about settling into the Shakespearean dialect for the first time since college and the fine stable of actors that Joss Whedon has pulled together. Plus passing mentions of Buffy, Kurosawa, Cary Grant, and Keanu Reeves’ finest performance, for man is a giddy thing, and this is our conclusion.
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send your feedback to shutupwatchthis@gmail.com
Please consider leaving a review or a star rating on iTunes, so other folks can find us.
© 2019 Ashley Carr & Dave Wilson
Thursday Mar 21, 2019
#26: Seven Samurai (1954)
Thursday Mar 21, 2019
Thursday Mar 21, 2019
People are complicated, at once noble and cowardly. We laugh at inappropriate times and cry over morning tea; find beauty and terror in the wind and rain. And somehow Akira Kurosawa captures all of this humanness in a film that is somehow both epic and intimate all at once. That’s right, this week we tackle Kurosawa’s 1954 film SEVEN SAMURAI. This film shaped Dave’s understanding of cinema and probably life in general. It is an exercise in vulnerability to show such an important film to someone you love, and a bit intimidating for the new viewer as well. In one of our best conversations we talk art, humanity, the history of feudal Japan, and a kinder, gentler cinematic education. Won’t you join us?
Subscribe in iTunes, Android, or Spotify.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our site: shutupwatchthis.wordpress.com
Send your feedback to shutupwatchthis@gmail.com
Please consider leaving a review or a star rating on iTunes, so other folks can find us.
© 2019 Ashley Carr & Dave Wilson