Let’s Finally Watch This is a podcast for casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies. Hosts Timothy Deal and Nick Hayden guide you through film history as they highlight one movie from each decade for the last century, exploring how each film sits in its time period, why it’s well-known, and whether it’s actually worth your time. We’re finally getting around to movie we’ve always heard about. Why don’t you join us?
It’s 1954. The American occupation of Japan had ended a few years before, and Japanese cinema is beginning to make an impression on the world scene. Released the same year as the original Godzilla, Seven Samurai is an essential classic from director Akira Kurosawa. Poverty-stricken farmers threatened with bandits decide to hire samurai to protect…
Read More
It’s 1964. The Golden Age of Hollywood is over, and New Hollywood is about to begin, an era known for anti-heroes, changing morality, and less traditional plots. At the same time, the spaghetti western emerges, ushered in with A Fistful of Dollars, starring Clint Eastwood as the “man with no name” and directed by Sergio…
Read More
It’s 1974. It’s the height of New Hollywood, and Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski, is a quintessential example of the darker subject matter and bleak outlook often associated with the movement. Considered one of the greatest movies of all time, this neo-noir crime drama follows private investigator J. J. Gittes, played by Jack Nicholson, as…
Read More
It’s 1984. A glance at the year’s top ten grossing movies shows we’re deep into the blockbuster era. Director James Cameron makes his mark on science fiction with The Terminator, an action-thriller that combines the relentless threat of a horror movie with a time travel backstory–and it captured the culture’s imagination. It’s a film that…
Read More
It’s 1994. The top-grossing film is The Lion King, but right after that is Forrest Gump. Gump, played by Tom Hanks, wins audiences with his memorable phrases (“Life is like a box of chocolates”), his optimistic outlook, and his “right place, right time” escapades through American history. It’s a comedy, a drama, and a movie…
Read More
It’s 2004. Teen movies exploded as a genre in the 1980s and have continued largely unabated since. With Mean Girls, comedian Tina Fey helps bring forth a teen movie that resonates with its viewers, both reflecting high school girl culture and critiquing it. The plot follows previously homeschooled Cady Heron’s involvement in the popular girl…
Read More
It’s 2014. Franchise movies abound, and American blockbusters are making bank around the world. But some directors, like Wes Anderson, are making movies that defy blockbuster conventions and that experiment with film style. The Grand Budapest Hotel, considered by many to be Anderson’s magnum opus, follows concierge Monsieur Gustave and his Lobby Boy protege Zero…
Read More
It’s time to wrap up our third season of Let’s Finally Watch This. We start by making a few observation about this season as a whole before diving into the heart of the episode–our Ranking of Essentialness for this season’s movies! We also share our personal favorites from the season. Thanks for joining us for…
Read More
Here’s a surprise mega-length bonus episode for you! We join forces with Kordell Cabe and Justin Warfle, hosts of The Consensus Movie podcast, to journey through the last century of cinema history and share our favorite movies from each decade. Join us for a wide-ranging discussion of the movies that have impacted us from the…
Read More