Cinema Besties

It's a Wonderful Life

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 08:00:00 -0800

To ring in the new year, we watched It’s a Wonderful Life. It was our first time seeing the film, and now we understand why it’s a classic.

Videos Referenced:

Track: Your Gentle Touch — Artificial.Music & Syiphorous [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: https://youtu.be/5ThbUjaIiDg
Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/your-gentle-touch

Besties Rating: 9/10

Black Christmas 1974 and 2019

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0800

Happy Holidays everyone! What better way to start the Christmas season with two horror movies? Yes, we're reviewing Black Christmas 1974 and 2019. ⁠

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This episode may be distressing for some individuals.

Videos referenced in this episode:

Silent Night (Dark Piano Version) by myuu https://soundcloud.com/myuu

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_silent-night

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/UFpuFyzy1L8

1974 - Besties Rating: 9.5/10

2019 - Besties Rating: 3/10

Black Dynamite

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 16:00:00 -0800

Not gonna lie, Black Dynamite was the funniest movie we’ve seen this year. It’s a parody film that pays homage to the blaxploitation genre of the 1970s. Join us for lots of laughs as we review Black Dynamite.

Movie Summary: An ex-CIA agent, Black Dynamite, sets out to avenge his brother’s death and clean up his neighbor from drugs that are ravaging his community.

Items referenced in this podcast:

https://youtu.be/EoJV26trSpU
Blaxploitation Definition/Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaxploitation

Vampires vs The Bronx

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 -0800

Halloween may be over, but that's not stopping us from reviewing Vampires vs The Bronx.

Movie Summary: A group of friends from the Bronx discovers a sinister plot to destroy their neighborhood. They band together to save their community from vampires and gentrification.

Film analysis referenced in this podcast:

https://www.highlandernews.org/75202/vampires-vs-the-bronx-utilizes-a-frail-plot-that-even-its-humour-cant-redeem/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhlmifSE74A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai9CmXxWwMc

Portrait of Lady on Fire

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 22:00:00 -0700

From the words of director Céline Sciamma, Portrait of Lady on Fire is a "patient look how love and desire are born; how it grows and how it flourishes." Reptile and I couldn't agree more!

Movie Summary:
Marianne, a painter, is hired to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a reluctant bride-to-be. Since Héloïse refuses to pose for her portrait. Marianne must paint her in secret. As the pair spend time together, intimacy and attraction grow.

Film analysis referenced in this podcast:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMUC584ppNQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq09zsqgFOc
https://youtu.be/Y5S4PyBR364

The Love Witch

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0700

We review another dark film, The Love Witch. It centers Elaine Parks who is determined to get a men to fall in love with her. She uses magic and potions in her quest, but her spells lead to deadly consequences.

Film analysis references in this podcast:

https://jynarro.com/2020/10/30/feminist-film-analysis-the-love-witch/
https://generallygothic.com/2019/05/02/enamoured-with-the-love-witch/
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/fangrrls-on-film-gender-norms-make-everyone-miserable-in-the-love-witch
https://www.vox.com/culture/2016/11/18/13641412/the-love-witch-review-anna-biller-horror
https://www.anothergaze.com/crazy-love-transgressive-femininities-anna-billers-love-witch/

The Handmaiden

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0700

In this episode of Cinema Besties, we discuss the 2016 psychological thriller, The Handmaiden. ⁠It focuses on Sookhee, an orphaned pickpocket, who teams with a con man to steal the inheritance of a Japanese noblewoman, Lady Hideko.⁠

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This episode may be distressing for some individuals. Please skip this episode if you find the themes discussed difficult to hear.

Film analysis referenced in this episode:

Death Becomes Her

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0700

This week, we're keeping things short and sweet with our review of queer cult classic, Death Becomes Her. It's a black comedy film starring Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, and Bruce Willis.

Since childhood, Madeline Ashton (Streep) and Helen Sharpe (Hawn) have been fierce rivals. When Madeline steals Helen's fiancé, she descends into a downward spiral. Years later, she vows to get revenge by winning her ex-fiancé back and killing Madeline. Unknowingly, Madeline and Helen take the same elixir of youth and soon discover that it comes with a price.

Track: Your Gentle Touch — Artificial.Music & Syiphorous [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: https://youtu.be/5ThbUjaIiDg
Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/your-gentle-touch

Besties Rating: 9.5/10

Promising Young Woman

Fri, 30 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0700

The besties watch revenge thriller, Promising Young Woman. Protagonist Cassandra, or affectionately known as Cassie, is a 30-year-old med school dropout living with survivor’s guilt. Cassie straddles the line between revenge and forgiveness as she makes the so called “nice guy" take a hard look in the mirror.

This episode may be distressing for some individuals. Please skip this episode if you find the themes discussed difficult to hear.

Film analysis referenced in this episode:

Besties Rating: 8/10

Twilight - Middle School Besties

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0700

In the first episode of Cinema Besties, Lilly and Reptile take a trip back to their middle school days by reviewing Twilight. The pair discuss how their feelings have evolved since the film’s release.

Track: Your Gentle Touch — Artificial.Music & Syiphorous [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: https://youtu.be/5ThbUjaIiDg
Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/your-gentle-touch