The Suggestion Box #116: Batman, and Nielsen, and Zendaya, Oh My!

Posted on by Lauren

Wondering what to do with your upcoming free time? Good thing we have some suggestions for what you should be watching, playing, reading, listening to, etc.

Lauren’s Movie Pick: Challengers – Admittedly I haven’t seen a large percentage of the Oscar nominated films revealed yesterday. Having said that: CHALLENGERS WAS ROBBED. How did it not get nominated for best original score at the very least!? I am genuinely baffled. Say what you will about the directing, script, performances, editing, etc. — all top of their game, just FYI — you cannot tell me that any original score had more of an impact on its film than Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score for this. It makes the movie, honestly. It had me on the edge of my seat. Every conversation suddenly becomes the most charged back and forth no matter the words being spoken. Everything becomes a world class competition of manipulation and ego, and it’s enthralling. And it’s 100% foreplay for all characters involved. The tension between Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor is palpable (especially between Faist and O’Connor), and I loved every minute of it.

Ben’s Movie Pick: The Naked Gun – While I’ve always remembered The Naked Gun as a terrific film, it had been at least fifteen years (probably closer to twenty) since I had last watched it.  That absence is a contributing factor for sure, but combined with the even deeper appreciation and understanding of filmmaking I’ve gained in that time made me realize that this isn’t just one of the best comedies from my childhood, but one of the best comedies of all time. The sheer volume of jokes in this movie would be astonishing alone, but all of them hitting their mark exactly where they need to (aside from one or two that haven’t aged well) feels like it shouldn’t be possible. The wet paint, the reminiscent domes, the tearaway suit, the beach clothesline, the wordplay, the entire cast committing to the bit 110% and Leslie Nielsen’s iconic, deadpan performance – it’s all perfectly executed. The Naked Gun is a slapstick masterclass, one of which I’m all but positive we’ll never see the likes of again.

Ben’s TV Pick: Batman: Caped Crusader – Anyone who has seen more than ten seconds of Batman: Caped Crusader and Batman: The Animated Series can tell that the spiritual successor to the latter owes quite a lot to its groundbreaking predecessor: the aesthetic, the classic noir feel; hell, even the action. All of that worked in the 90’s, and you know what? It still works now, with a few new tricks up its sleeve to boot. Hamish Linklater follows in the voice acting footsteps of the iconic Kevin Conroy, and is genuinely great throughout. The new twists on Batman’s rogues gallery are pretty intriguing too: my personal favorites this time around being Clayface, Two-Face, and the shockingly different Harley Quinn (fun fact, the OG Harley Quinn’s first appearance ever was in Batman: TAS). All in all, this Batman fan is more than happy with it, and anyone who enjoyed The Animated Series should definitely check out Caped Crusader.

So what do you think about these picks? What content did we miss over the past two weeks while we were spending time with these? Be sure to leave a comment below letting us know about everything (both current and simply new to you) you’ve been consuming lately!

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