I Think I Like This Movie

Ep. 10: Consider the Lobster — "In the Bedroom" (2001)

Guest and fellow Baseball Prospectus contributor Mike Gianella classes up the joint with this five-time Oscar-nominated entry, a somber, minimalist affair featuring Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek and Marisa Tomei.

There’s an unintentional amount of baseball chat, including about these two Red Sox games, the radio calls of which both are featured in the film:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS200007080.shtml

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS200007090.shtml

This manages to be one of the few fairly timeless films in the ITILTM catalogue to date, as well as one of the few that wasn’t particularly painful to watch. That’s a hint, albeit not a particularly subtle one, for potential future guests.

Bonus points if you got the David Foster Wallace reference.

Ep. 9: Cocaine or Kabbalah? — “Revolver” (2005)

We break into the Guy Ritchie catalogue with this obscure entry from guest Zeke Hartner. Regrets? He has a few.

A note: Apologies for the few sections that sound like we’re stuck in a dryer. There was some weird feedback on certain parts and this was the least distracting filter Will could find to keep everything listenable.

Also, apologies if you haven’t seen this film (and, I suppose, if you have) for any confusion in trying to make sense of what happened. I promise you it wasn’t any easier for all of us, and we actually watched the thing.

As always, make sure you’re following us on Twitter and Instagram @LikeThisMovie and use the hashtag #ITILTM to jump into the conversation.

Ep. 8: Cage the Olyphant — “Gone in 60 Seconds” (2000)

Sit down and buckle up as we pierce the bubble of the Nicolas Cage Cinematic Universe with “Gone in 60 Seconds,” brought to us by this week’s guest, Justin Klugh.

It’s a classic slice of early-aughts that, despite being a car-centric film, does not appear to have been made by “car porn enthusiasts.”

We manage to get references to everyone from Conan O’Brien to Bryce Harper squeezed into this bad boy, which may help explain its longest-episode-yet run time.

Apologies to “Galaxy Quest,” which I misnamed late in the pod, while everyone owes an apology to Frances Fisher for her lack of screen time. Enjoy!

Ep. 7: Shaqxploitation — “Steel” (1997)

Our guest Rob Woodfork brings us the Shaquille O’Neal 1997 superhero (?) action flick “Steel,” ostensibly an extension of the DC Comics universe, but truly not in practice.

There will be a high body count. There will be missed free throw jokes. There will be one of the worst-rated movies in all of IMDB.

This episode’s got some fun bonus nuggets, including Rob’s odd connection to the film and a bonus clip from an actual interview Noah did with Shaq in 2017, in which he predicts that LeBron will not join the Lakers. Whoops!

Ep. 6: Hanks for the Good Time — “Big” (1988)

Will dives into his childhood treasure trove and digs out the 1988 fantasy comedy "Big" starring Tom Hanks, but almost starring an insane number of other leading men, all of which we get into in the pod.

There's one major plot issue with this one, and a couple of surprises along the way, given its PG rating, but it's a generally harmless tour of an extremely locked-in-1988 time capsule. And, crucially, it's (spoiler alert) actually fairly enjoyable.

Be sure to join the conversation online using the hashtag #ITILTM and follow along with us on both Twitter and Instagram @LikeThisMovie.

Ep. 5: Knee Depp in Shit — “The Ninth Gate” (1999)

Our guest Dan Weber brings us to hell and halfway back with Roman Polanski’s “The Ninth Gate,” featuring a prime Johnny Depp, Frank Langella and Lena Olin.

We unintentionally landed on the same general takeaway as Roger Ebert did in his original review of the film, which we reference, and which you can read here.

We do our best to try to explain just what the hell happened in this thing without, as Dan did to us, forcing you to actually have to watch it. If you did see it, let us know what you thought on social using the hashtag #ITILTM.

Ep. 4: Real Love Is a Car Crash — “Meet Joe Black” (1998)

Noah brings the resplendent, spacious, nearly-three-hour-long “Meet Joe Black,” an oddball, small ensemble fantasy romance that’s well-acted, beautifully-shot, and just a little bit...off.

If you haven’t seen the film, but want to see the car crash scene that thrust the movie back into the discourse, here’s the tweet that started that discussion. Also, be sure to read Rachel Handler’s hilarious story about how that scene came together.

The episode title, which Will references about 42 minutes in, is from a Big Thief song. You can, and should, listen to that here. We’ll be back with a new guest next week. Until then, keep the conversation going with #ITILTM and be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram @LikeThisMovie.

Ep. 3: Joss Whedon’t, IMO — “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1992)

Will and Noah revisit the film version of the much more popular eventual TV show spinoff of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which stands out in stark contrast from its sharply-written, empowering small screen cousin.

While plenty of stuff from the early '90s (and even a decade or more later) doesn't hold up terribly well in 2021, nearly every aspect of this one stands out.

Regrettably, I could not find the song from the soundtrack allegedly sung by Kristy Swanson (referenced at 38:20).

So grab your stakes and get your DiCaprio pointing GIFs ready for the Ben Affleck scene as we send this remnant of pop culture back to the graveyard, hopefully for good.

Ep. 2: The Tool that Time Forgot — “Big Trouble” (2001)

We welcome our first guest to the pod as Noah’s college roommate Matt Poldberg (Twitter: @NotSpamIPromise) brings us the nearly memory-holed, 2001-I-mean-2002 box office dud “Big Trouble.” No, not “Big Trouble in Little China,” this is a sweaty, 85-minute ensemble slapstick comedy caper flick in the Miami swamp that’s as light and low-calorie as a plate of arugula.

You’ll notice a few spots where Matt’s words slur—that’s a technical/streaming issue on our end, not due to any voice/health/drunkenness issues on his part. These things happen.

Late in the episode, I reference the Ted Lasso pilot script. You can read that here. 

If you’d like to watch the movie, it’s available for a few bucks on most streaming platforms, the cheapest as of publication is on iTunes ($2.99). As always, join us on Twitter and Instagram @LikeThisMovie and use the hashtag #ITILTM to join in the conversation.

Ep. 1: Sandy Sells Three Seashells — “Demolition Man” (1993)

Join us as we revisit the explosive, quirky, fluid exchange-free futurescape of "Demolition Man," a film that does a surprisingly good job of predicting some world events while existing very much in its own time of campy, muscle-bound superstars.

Learn the bits, soak in the '90s nostalgia, and enjoy the brave new world of San Angeles. As always, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @LikeThisMovie and join in the conversation using #ITILTM (I Think I Like This Movie...simple enough).

We'll announce next week's watch on Wednesday and we'll see you back here next Friday for Episode 2.