Real Recognize Reel

For the month of February, we watch "Sing Street," a 2016 Irish moving picture streaming on Netflix about a boy who tries to impress a girl by forming a band. Will likes that the development of the characters' musical talents seems realistic. It also has a message that resonates with him. He thinks it's a film, but the others disagree. Will he be able to convince them? Luke, Tito and Will discuss. Then they come up with their own band name. Up next for March 2018, Luke recommends "Arrival," which is streaming on Amazon Prime. Outro song: “Funk,” by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

We begin 2018 just like we ended it — with another Christmas picture. Or did we? Luke, Tito and Will discuss Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" from 1999 starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman and try to determine whether or not it's a Christmas movie. Or maybe it's a post-Christmas film. What is the legendary auteur saying about sex, desires, human nature, relationships, consumption and even Christmas? And is all of the nudity in the film actually necessary, or does it reach the level of gratuitousness? We don't have all the answers, but this moving picture, which was Tito's selection, does pose a lot of questions. For the month of February, Will nominates the 2016 Irish musical comedy, "Sing Street" which is streaming on Netflix. Outro song: “Funk,” by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

To close out 2017, Luke, Tito and Will discuss Luke's festive recommendation of "The Muppet Christmas Carol." The 1992 musical dramedy stars Michael Caine as the infamous Ebenezer Scrooge in this adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Is it a flick trying to make a classic piece of literature available for kids, or is the moving picture actually intended for adults? The gang determines whether this is a flick, movie or film and then talks about the best and hardest holiday moving pictures. Up next for January 2018, Tito recommends "Eyes Wide Shut," directed by Stanley Kubrick, which is streaming on Netflix. Outro song: “Funk,” by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

For the month of November, Luke, Tito and Will talk about "The Founder," which is on Netflix. It's a 2016 biopic directed by John Lee Hancock and starring Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc, the businessman behind the expansion of McDonald's into what we know of it today. Will points out that there is very little character development in Kroc — if any at all. What kind of takeaway does this leave the audience, who grows from watching the film more so than the characters do? Coming up in December is Luke's recommendation, "A Muppet Christmas Carol," which you can find on HBO. Outro song: “Funk,” by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Luke, Tito and Will discuss "Boogie Nights," Paul Thomas Anderson's epic story about the rise and fall of porn star Dirk Diggler — and the rise and fall of the porn industry itself. The 1997 moving picture stars Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heather Graham. Are porn stars members of society, or do they ostracized from it? How has that changed since the setting of the moving picture? Up next in November, Will recommends "The Founder," which is available on Netflix. It's a biopic of Ray Kroc, the businessman behind the expansion of McDonald's into what we know of it today. Outro song: “Funk,” by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Luke, Tito and Will discuss "Circle," a 2015 psychological thriller on Netflix that was Luke's selection for the month of September. Are the filmmakers suggesting there's no morality and only effectiveness matters? Is it a thrilling representation of current American politics? Or does this moving picture throw too many interesting observations without offering insightful comments? For the month of October, Tito recommends "Boogie Nights," which is available on Netflix. Why does he recommend that moving picture? well, why not? Outro song: “Funk,” by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Luke, Tito and Will discuss "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World." The 2012 dramedy was written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, who wrote "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist," and stars Steve Carrell and Keira Knightley. They compare this moving picture to The Lobster and Her, the two latest discussions, and talk about how this one fell short. How important is character development to a compelling narrative, and how can plot devices take away from that narrative? For the month of September, Luke recommends "Circle on Netflix." The 2015 thriller should not be confused with "The Circle," which came out this year and stars Tom Hanks and Emma Watson. Outro song: “Funk,” by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Luke, Tito and Will discuss the 2013 romantic science-fiction feature, "Her," written and directed by Spike Jonze and starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson. Tito appreciates the world building done by Jonze, particularly in the characters' attire, and the group notes the questions Jonze poses about customization and perfection. What does it mean to be human, and how are we human? There's a two-to-one vote in favor of this moving picture as a flick, movie or film. For the month of August, Will selects "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World," which is streaming on Netflix. Outro song: “Funk,” by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Luke, Tito and Will are joined by special guest Pat to discuss "The Lobster," a 2015 black comedy directed, co-written and co-produced by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz. Luke appreciates the subtle details that present this either-or world. There's no grey area. The group cannot agree on whether the moving picture is a flick, movie or film, but they generally agree that the last third or so of the moving picture was lacking. Up next is Tito's recommendation, "Her," which can be found on HBO. Outro song: "Funk," by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Luke, Tito and Will discuss the 2012 German-American epic "Cloud Atlas," directed by the Wachowskis and Tom Twyker, famous for The Matrix and Run Lola Run, respectively. They try to determine whether the moving picture is a flick, movie or film. Will and Tito feel one way, and Luke disagrees. Will presents the moving picture as a symphony featuring six moving parts that all work together to tell one story with one overall message: the actions that we take determine what role we play in our lives and the lives of others. Tito sees elements of Buddhism in the moving picture. Luke believes the message of the moving picture is that all actions or drops in the proverbial ocean are of equal importance or size, with which he disagrees. Up next is Luke's recommendation, "The Lobster," which can be found on Amazon Prime. Outro song: "Funk," by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Luke, Tito and Will discuss the 2013 Palestinian drama, "Omar," which was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 86th Academy Awards in 2014. They try to determine if the moving picture is a flick, movie or film and the effect the picture's unique setting has on people's opinion of it, and they question whether or not they're knowledgeable enough about its topics to be able to judge it effectively. Up next is Will's recommendation, "Cloud Atlas," which can be found on HBO. Outro song: "Funk," by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Luke, Tito and Will discuss the 1998 comedy-drama "Rushmore," directed by Wes Anderson about eccentric teenager Max Fischer starring Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Olivia Williams. They try to determine if the moving picture is a flick, movie or film and the messages Wes Anderson tries to say in his films — if he has anything substantial to say. Up next is Tito's recommendation, "Omar," which can be found on Netflix. Outro song: "Funk," by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Luke, Tito and Will discuss Will's recommendation, "The Hunt," which is a 2012 Danish drama film starring Mads Mikkelson on Netflix. They try to determine if the moving picture is a flick, movie or film. They talk about the terrifying nature of the film's narrative and how it can be applied to any similar situation around the world — and to other situations as well. Up next is Luke's recommendation, "Rushmore," which can be found on HBO Go/HBO Now. Outro song: “Funk,” by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Luke, Tito and Will discuss the animated moving picture, "Fantasia," which can be found on Netflix. They try to determine if the Walt Disney animated classic from 1940 is a flick, movie or film. The group disagrees about whether or not this picture was an exhibition by Disney to wow the audience or if there is a deeper, more meaningful message. Up next is Will's recommendation, "The Hunt," which is on Netflix. Outro song: "Funk," by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Luke, Tito and Will discuss the 2014 Australian psychological horror "The Babadook." They talk about what's scarier: fighting an external or internal demon? And they all agree on the classification of this moving picture as a flick, movie or film. Tito recommends "Fantasia" on Netflix as the moving picture for January. Outro song: “Funk,” by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Luke, Tito and Will discuss the 1998 satirical science-fiction feature, "The Truman Show," starring Jim Carrey and directed by Peter Weir. The three agree the moving picture has a negative view of humanity's media consumption and perhaps on art and artists, but they cannot agree on the classification of the moving picture as a flick, movie or film. For the month of December, Luke recommends "The Babadook" on Netflix. Outro song: “Funk,” by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Luke, Tito and Will discuss Tito's recommendation, "Cinema Paradiso." The 1998 Italian drama was written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. The Bildungsroman, or coming of age story, typically deals with someone's formative years, but Tito argues people are always changing, adapting or growing up. Tito also references Thomas Wolfe's "Look Homeward, Angel" and wonders whether or not you have to leave home in order to fully realize your potential. For the month of November, Will nominates "The Truman Show," which is on Netflix. Outro song: “Funk,” by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Luke, Tito and Will discuss Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket." The 1987 war film stars Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio and R. Lee Emery. Luke, Tito and Will talk about the duality of man and how this moving picture seems to have two distinct narratives. For the month of October, Tito recommends "Cinema Paradiso" on Netflix. Outro song: “Funk,” by Podington Bear Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/