Denis Villeneuve's two Dune movies from 2021 and 2024 have created a massive cultural impact and are being considered a new generation's "Star Wars." Thorin, Richard, and Monte pierce the hype of these films after multiple viewings and discuss how they lack a thematic core and end up pedantically issuing a message instead of raising thoughtful questions or being open to interpretation. The films certainly present a shiny, compelling aesthetic, but the vibes are only skin deep and pale in comparison to the texture and depth of the novels. Unlike other Villeneuve films that reward rewatching, the Dune films flaws show up more heavily on repeated viewings and are unlikely to age well in the years ahead.
Denis Villeneuve's 2015 film Sicario focuses on the drug trade and the law enforcement war on the Mexican-American border, leading the viewer into a morally ambiguous quagmire where the ends always seem to justify the means. An outstanding cast is led by Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Josh Brolin offering some of the most iconic performances of their careers and lending weight to a relatively simplistic story. As our hosts explain, Sicario works because of the performances, characters, and weighty themes that prop up a predictable narrative filled with tropes.
In Four Play's second Denis Villeneuve film, we go back to the 2013 thriller, Prisoners. Starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal in what may be career-defining performances, Prisoners foreshadows the first season of True Detective by exploring a terrifying mystery undercut by dense symbolism. Thorin, Richard, and Monte dissect the compelling moral quandaries that serve as the foundations of the film and dive into the deeper themes of Christian behavior and ends justifying the means. Prisoners is a must-watch film and only improves on multiple viewings as the viewer better appreciates the dense foreshadowing and complex plot.
We start our new Four Play arc with our first focus on a director, Denis Villeneuve. Lately celebrated for his Dune films, we dive into his back catalog and begin with 2016's Arrival. Like Dune, Arrival is an adaptation of a science-fiction text, and takes an intellectual approach to the concept of first contact and the ensuring geo-political consequences. Ultimately, Arrival focuses on personal decisions made in the freedom of non-linear time and calls upon viewers to examine their ethics and the nature of life and death.
The Robert Redford-led Sneakers from 1992 serves as an interesting time capsule to the late Cold War era and the dawn of computer hacking. However, the movie mostly fails in delivering a consistent tone and can't figure out whether it would rather be a high-stakes thriller or a comedic caper that relies on the quirkiness and synergy of its characters. Thorin, Richard, and Monte laugh at the hilarious plot holes and ridiculous final heist scene, but also point out the serious themes of remaking the world order and the destruction of capitalism that underpin the plot.
Sidney Lumet's 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon focuses on an intimate cast of characters during a tense hostage negotiation after a robbery gone wrong. Touching on American social issues and adapted from a true story, the film provides a vehicle for a sympathetic powerhouse performance from a young Al Pacino. The movie deals with modern themes, such as the distorting power of the media and the implications of going to prison as the central crime spirals out of control. Monte, Richard, and Thorin discuss the historical context in which the film was made as well as the real robbery that inspired Dog Day Afternoon.
The 1999 remake of The Thomas Crown Affair presents Pierce Brosnan as the slick, titular character indulging in a heist dripping in male fantasy. John McTiernan directs a film, in the downswing of his career, that could have been much more if it focused principally on the cat and mouse game between Brosnan and Renee Russo. The film is beautifully shot and revels in the splendid aesthetics of New York, the art world, and even Brosnan's buttocks. Watching this movie left our hosts questioning what could have been with a better script writer, supporting cast, and a more ambitious director.
Michael Mann's 1995 film Heat finally arrives on Four Play, an inevitable addition to the show since it's one of all of our hosts' favorite films. Not only an excellent heist movie, Heat is unbelievably well-crafted with characters and a scope that smacks of Shakespearian or Greek tragedies. Richard, Thorin, and Monte discuss the themes of criminality, compulsion to vocation, and the satisfying conclusion to every character's arc. They celebrate the incredible cast, particularly the iconic performances of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Tom Sizemore, and Val Kilmer whose interplay forms the heart of the film. Heat deserves your attention and multiple viewings. We keep coming back to it, and so should you.
Satoshi Kon's seminal 2003 film Tokyo Godfathers explores the touching stories of three homeless people who have created a found family on the streets of Japan. While not as fantastical or surreal as Kon's other work, the film still indulges in the fantastical with a series of charming miracles and coincidences that befall the main characters. Tokyo Godfathers tackles a variety of taboo subjects in both Japan and the wider world: homelessness, sex work, organized crime, queer identities, alcohol abuse, immigration, and more with extraordinary sympathy. We recommend this film for everyone's regular Christmas viewings.
Four Play revisits an all-time Christmas classic, Frank Capra's 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life. Notable for its saccharine ending and celebration of human kindness, the film provides a warm holiday glow in spite of overtly dark themes that permeate the majority of the story. Thorin, Richard, and Monte discuss the movie's many merits, its exploration of socialism vs capitalism, and provide historical context of post-war America. On the way, our hosts have a few laughs at some of the more ridiculous aspects of It's a Wonderful Life and James Stewart's character, George Bailey, but ultimately agree that the film deserves its reputation as a holiday staple.
Bill Murray led film Scrooged as a 1988 re-telling of the classic Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol, directed by Richard Donner. Four Play examines the success of this modern framing, which sees Murray as television station executive Frank Cross, who undergoes encounters with the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. The film serves up some brilliant satire and witty dialogue, but stumbles at the finish line with a wordy ending and a failure to live up to the meta-narrative the film creates. Our hosts still had fun and memorable time with Scrooged, but as the screenplay writers themselves admitted after the fact, it falls a tad short of being an all-time Christmas classic.
We thought Batman Returns was good. As it turns out, Tim Burton's 1992 movie lived in Richard, Thorin, and Monte's minds in rosy nostalgia that simply didn't hold up 30 years later. The terrible writing, plot, and dialogue drags down a film with a large budget, extraordinary visuals, and a good cast. Filled with a strange mélange of campiness and blatant sexuality, the tone completely misses the mark. Furthermore, why would anyone ever make a Batman film with hardly any Batman in the movie?
Con Air takes flight this week's Four Play, featuring a cast brimming with top stars and character actors from 1997. The film serves up some amazing action sequences, stunt work, and excellent over-the-top performances, which should leave viewers satisfied if they "buy in" to the absurd premise. Even the movie's obvious flaws, such as the overly fast pacing, terrible writing, and massive plot holes are also hilarious to discuss given the over-the-top tone. While certainly not a subtle or artistic piece of cinema, Con Air serves its role well as one of the ultimate popcorn action flicks and stands as a symbol of the genre's excesses in the late 1990's.
Total Recall stands apart from our other 90's action films in this Four Play cycle through its cutting satire, intriguing themes on the nature of reality, and genuine intelligence. Paul Verhoeven's 1990 science-fiction banger was frequently misinterpreted upon its release but has aged beautifully in spite of the gratuitous violence and cheesy acting by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film toys with its main character's reality through his memory implants and leaves interpretation to the audience as to whether the film's plot happened on Mars or in Quaid's head. Total Recall injects gratuitous violence and action as a send-up of American cinema while raising intriguing questions on the manipulations of mass media and authoritarianism.
The first Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible film debuted in 1996 and created a multi-decade film franchise that continues to this day. Director Brian De Palma created a surprisingly complex storyline, at least for a Hollywood popcorn flick, that focuses around an espionage mole hunt with a surprising twist. The movie delivers the single most iconic scene of computer hacking in film history as well as other highly memorable sequences that have held up well as the decades passed. While not entirely coherent and with some questionable cinematography at times, Mission: Impossible remains a fun and iconic movie worth revisiting.
John Woo's 1997 film Face/Off kicks off a fierce debate among our hosts about whether or not the film succeeds in a fun, yet stupid, premise or if it's too ridiculous to be considered good. The film's Hong Kong style seems out-of-place in a Hollywood movie, but can a viewer buy into its heightened style and find enjoyment. Thorin, Richard, and Monte fiercely debate if watching Face/Off is a pleasurable experience considering the total lack of subtlety as well as the memorable nature of the premise.
The logical endpoint of Film Noir, Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential stands apart as a buffet of Noir tropes devoured by a masterful cast. It serves as the ultimate movie of its genre, mashing together institutional corruption, prostitution, drugs, the seedy Hollywood underbelly, racism, and ethical policing. Upon re-viewing, Richard, Thorin, and Monte agree that it must be one of the most criminally underrated movies and possibly deserving a place on lists of the 100 best films of all-time. They discuss the intricate interplay between the three leading actors, played by Russell Crowe, Guy Pierce, and Kevin Spacey, the superb location scouting and cinematography, the intelligent complexities of the plot, and more.
Often considered one of the greatest films ever made, Roman Polanski's 1974 Film Noir masterpiece Chinatown explores themes of corruption and the futility of fighting against institutional power. Richard, Monte, and Thorin discuss the devastating ending, the banality of the water rights subject matter, the impeccable pacing, and more. They ask if Jack Nicholson's performance is even necessary to this film, especially contrasted to John Huston's dazzling acting in a supporting role, and explore Faye Dunaway's diva turn. Why even call the film Chinatown and what does it say about the perception of the Chinese as The Other?
Touch of Evil, directed by Orson Welles in 1958, is the second step on our journey through Film Noir. Thorin, Richard, and Monte discuss Welles' spectacular performance as a despicable detective, the racial themes behind the film, the casting of Charlton Heston as a Mexican police officer, and more. They dive into the films theme of the ends justifying the means and the racial commentary on the Mexican-American border as part of this surprisingly deep film.
We put on our trench coats and fedoras to investigate four different movies in the Film Noir genre, beginning with John Huston's The Maltese Falcon from 1941. This film remains the perfect starting point for exploring Film Noir and served as a blueprint for dozens of future movie in the following decades. It brims with exceptional acting performances by Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre, underscored by fantastic and memorable dialogue. While not exploring the deeper and more artistic themes of subsequent films, it delves into the extreme extent that individuals will go to satiate their greed. Ultimately, The Maltese Falcon remains a cornerstone movie that must be understood to appreciate a huge swath of film history.