Dick Tracy is a peculiar beast – a comic book adaptation and an art film, a promotional tie-in machine and slice of auteur cinema. Everything Warren Beatty, the biggest movie star on the planet at the time, does here from a stylistic standpoint is fascinating, its just a shame its wasted on a generic story.
Category: Debt to Cinema
Debt to Cinema 062: West Side Story
This week I tried something different, I didn’t watch our selection. Coming out of my whirlwind romance made me reluctant sure, but the last time I viewed this Best Picture winner was with my late grandfather, Barry, and I wasn’t quite ready for a revisit. Instead of technical details I share my recollections from having been in a production at the onset of high school #IdBuyThatForADollar
Debt to Cinema 061: Detroit Rock City
Remember those teen films from your childhood you couldn’t seem to get enough of? Just the title on the TV guide would get you excited. It didn’t matter where you tuned in, just being in the presence of the characters made you feel a certain way. Well, despite how awesome the journey is here, this sadly is one of those films, but one however, that lost its luster along the nostalgia highway.
Debt to Cinema 060: The Ruling Class
Topicality is a funny thing in that what is special for a given moment doesn’t always retain its luster. This pick, Steve’s second consecutive selection from Peter Medak, in particular is strange for a non-British audience. Its a quirky, black comedy about politics, but its length and run-on jokes make it hard to recommend. This is one of the few moments where we sacrificed our time so you don’t have to – enjoy!
Debt to Cinema 059: Love & Basketball
I’ve been telling people recently how strange it is that I don’t care about sports anymore. Football, baseball, and basketball were all such big parts of my identity at different points of my life, and yet I have moved on. I can point at this podcast as a more worthy time suck, but chances are the only game I pursue now is love. This magically, emotional film, despite its title, aligns with my heart, leaning one way more than the other despite its makeup #IdBuyThatForADollar
Debt to Cinema 058: The Changeling
Sometimes when you don’t know anything going into a film, this magical moment happens where you’re so stunned by its brilliance you feel almost stupid for never knowing about it. This week’s selection is that feeling two fold as Steve and I praise this masterful “horror” mystery which is better than the sum of its parts. #IdBuyThatForADollar is quite the understatement this time around, but if the shoe fits..
Debt to Cinema 057: Phantasm
I usually don’t have the balls to watch these kind of movies, so what better selection is there than something remembered for its killer balls? This film kinda has it all (except for explanations) and I’m still not sure what to make of it, but I hope you find our convo on Don Coscarelli’s late 70s classic dreamy.
Debt to Cinema 056: Plan 9 From Outer Space
While the concept of a list of shame is generally reserved for acclaimed things, we believe in equality on this show and give the bottom of the barrel features a shot as well. Steve’s pick this week is a perfect example of why since Ed Wood’s sci-fi, zombie flick is often considered “the worst film of all time,” yet we both agree its hardly bad at all. This B-budget landmark might not be as enjoyable as Catwoman, but its definitely a spooky attraction worth a visit.
Debt to Cinema 055: The Toxic Avenger
If I was smarter I would have picked Michael Crichton’s Westworld to tie-in with HBO’s hit series debut, but I was in the mood for splatter instead. Halloween is quickly approaching after all and I felt like paying off my annual debt to the horror genre here first with the Troma superhero film that started it all #IdBuyThatForADollar
Debt to Cinema 054: Victoria (2015)
This film is a different breed, a single night in Berlin, a single girl falling in love, and its told in a single shot. This isn’t a movie, this is cinematic truth. With minor detractions, Sebastian Schipper offers us an illusion of reality that defines genre. If High Noon, Before Sunrise, Birdman, and Unfriended had a baby it still wouldn’t be as beautiful as this glimpse at the future of digital filmmaking #IdBuyThatForADollar
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