TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” Update for November 2020

I am watching all 50 movies listed in the cool book from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) called Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies that Are Out of This World by Sloan De Forest (Running Press, 2018; available at Amazon.com and Shop TCM). The complete list of 50 films is here.

Here’s the rundown of the November movies courtesy of the Movies Past and Present Instagram feed.

The Matrix (1999)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Only three more movies left in this project, which is kind of a bummer. I’ve really had fun with this one. Still, some exciting movie watching projects await for 2021. Stay tuned…

TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” Update for October 2020

I am watching all 50 movies listed in the cool book from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) called Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies that Are Out of This World by Sloan De Forest (Running Press, 2018; available at Amazon.com and Shop TCM). The complete list of 50 films is here.

Here’s the rundown of the October movies courtesy of the Movies Past and Present Instagram feed.

Brazil (1985)

Robocop (1987)

Jurassic Park (1993)

November 12, 2020 Podcast

Welcome to this week’s podcast!

You can listen below as well as on Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle Podcasts, and Stitcher. And follow me on Instagram (my handle is @moviespap).

Now in Theaters

Put on a mask and enjoy some “comeback classics” in the theaters! Check your local listings.

Three by…

I’m continuing my “Three by…” series where I watch three different films from the same director. This month’s director is the French director, photographer, and artist Agnès Varda. The three films I watched were:

Varda received an honorary Academy Award for her body of work in 2017.

The Criterion Collection has recently released a boxed set with all of her films.

Thanks for Tuning In!

Subscribe to the Movies Past and Present podcast on Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle Podcasts, and Stitcher. I hope that watching some great movies will bring you peace and comfort this week. Be safe out there! Thanks again.

October 30, 2020 Podcast

Happy Halloween! Welcome to this week’s podcast!

You can listen below as well as on Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle Podcasts, and Stitcher. And follow me on Instagram (my handle is @moviespap).

Now in Theaters

Now Streaming

Reviews

Thanks for Tuning In!

Subscribe to the Movies Past and Present podcast on Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle Podcasts, and Stitcher. I hope that watching some great movies will bring you peace and comfort this week. Be safe out there! Thanks again.

Pixar’s “Soul” Coming to Disney+

It has been a wild ride for the distribution of Pixar Animation Studios’ upcoming film, Soul. Due to the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, the folks at Disney and Pixar have decided to release the film on December 25 to Disney+ rather than move the film to a 2021 theatrical release date. While I’m sad not be able to enjoy the artistry of this Pixar film on the big screen (hopefully, we’ll get a chance in the future), I feel grateful that we at least get to see it this year.

Here’s the latest trailer.

Also, check out this cool track by Jean Batiste who is one of the songwriters on the film.

Here’s the latest poster for the upcoming Disney+ release.

©️ Disney/Pixar

Soul is coming to Disney+ on Christmas Day, December 25.

October 15, 2020 Podcast

Welcome to this week’s podcast!

You can listen below as well as on Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle Podcasts, and Stitcher. And follow me on Instagram (my handle is @moviespap).

New in Theaters

  • Honest Thief (Briarcliff Entertainment)
  • Comeback Classics: The Nightmare Before Christmas (Disney; 1993); check your local listings

“Three by…”

A new monthly category for the podcast is going to be an exploration of three different films from a specific film director. I’m calling the section “Three by…”. The three films will be sample representation from the director’s entire body of work and/or some of my favorite films from the director.

This month’s director is Carl Reiner. Reiner passed away this summer at the ripe old age of 98. Turner Classic Movies recently had a tribute day where they showed six of his films. I recorded them on my DVR and finally had a chance to watch the three films which I discuss in the podcast, each from a different decade of his career: Enter Laughing (1967), Oh, God! (1977), and All of Me (1984).

Thanks for Tuning In!

Subscribe to the Movies Past and Present podcast on Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle Podcasts, and Stitcher. I hope that watching some great movies will bring you peace and comfort this week. Be safe out there! Thanks again.

Our Mega Marvel Cinematic Universe Re-watch!

With the rescheduling of Marvel Studios’ Black Window from November 8, 2020 to May 7, 2021 (thanks, COVID-19…), I’m embarking on a new movie watching project to ease the disappointment. I’m watching all 23 films of the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” (MCU) starting this weekend.

To mix it up, I’m going to watch the films in story chronological order rather than by release date, which really should be fun.

Here’s the watch order (with the year of original release in parenthesis):

  1. Captain America : The First Avenger (2011)
  2. Captain Marvel (2019)
  3. Iron Man (2008)
  4. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
  5. Iron Man 2 (2010)
  6. Thor (2011)
  7. Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)
  8. Iron Man 3 (2013)
  9. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
  10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
  11. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
  12. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
  13. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
  14. Ant-Man (2015)
  15. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
  16. Spider-Man: Homecoming  (2017)
  17. Black Panther (2018)
  18. Doctor Strange (2016)
  19. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
  20. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
  21. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
  22. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
  23. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

The goal is to watch one of these films a week. I’ll update the blog periodically, but will be tracking most of the action on the Movies Past and Present Instagram feed (@moviespap). Please follow or watch along if you’re into this sort of thing!

Speaking of Marvel Studios, I love this Avengers poster art by Matt Ferguson (@mattfergusonartist on Instagram).

©️ Marvel Studios, Matt Ferguson

October 8, 2020 Podcast

Welcome to the podcast!

You can listen below as well as on Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle Podcasts, and Stitcher. And follow me on Instagram (my handle is @moviespap).

New in Theaters

  • The War with Grandpa (101 Studios)
  • Yellow Rose (Sony)
  • Comeback Classics: Coco (Pixar; 2017), Hocus Pocus (Disney, 1993), Beetlejuice (Warner Bros., 1988), A Nightmare on Elm Street (New Line Cinema, 1984), and Akira (Funimation; 1988). Check your local listings.
  • TCM Big Screen Classics: Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (Universal, 1960)—October 11, 12, and 16. Details at fathomevents.com/tcm.
  • Fathom Events: Other films include a 40th anniversary screening of Friday the 13th (Paramount; 1990) on October 9 and 10, and a 30th anniversary screening of Total Recall (Rialto Pictures/StudioCanal; 1990) on October 10, 13, and 27. Details at fathomevents.com.

Reviews

Enola Homes (2020); watched on Netflix

TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” Project

Brazil (1995); rented from the Apple iTunes Store. Part of this year’s TCM science fiction movie watching project.

Thanks for Tuning In!

Subscribe to the Movies Past and Present podcast on Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle Podcasts, and Stitcher. I hope that watching some great movies will bring you peace and comfort this week. Be safe out there! Thanks again.

Ranking of All 24 “James Bond” Films

I have just finished watching in order all 24 of the James Bond 007 films in preparation for the 25th Bond film (aka “Bond 25”), No Time to Die, which is scheduled to open in theaters in November 2020. (Correction: No Time to Die has been moved to an April 2021 release date. #covid19sucks) It’s been a total blast and just the escape that was needed during COVID-19.

Here’s my ranking of the 24 films, starting with the bottom (and courtesy of my Instagram feed).

All images ©️ Eon Productions

24. A View to a Kill (1985)

23. Octopussy (1983)

22. Moonraker (1979)

21. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

20. The World Is Not Enough (1999)

19. Live and Let Die (1973)

18. Thunderball (1965)

17. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

16. You Only Live Twice (1967)

15. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

14. Quantum of Solace (2008)

13. Die Another Day (2002)

12. License to Kill (1989)

11. From Russia with Love (1963)

10. Spectre (2015)

9. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

8. The Living Daylights (1987)

7. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

6. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

5. GoldenEye (1995)

4. Dr. No (1963)

3. Casino Royale (2006)

2. Skyfall (2012)

And No. 1 Is Goldfinger (1964)

TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” Update for September 2020

I am watching all 50 movies listed in the cool book from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) called Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies that Are Out of This World by Sloan De Forest (Running Press, 2018; available at Amazon.com and Shop TCM). The complete list of 50 films is here.

Here’s the rundown of this month’s movies (courtesy of my Instagram feed).

Blade Runner (1982)

The Brother from Another Planet (1984)

The Terminator (1984)

Back to the Future (1985)