The Movie Shelf

Special guest Titus Techera joins Eric and Sannah to discuss Preston Sturges' second film as writer-director, “Christmas in July” (1940), starring Dick Powell and Ellen Drew. Themes discussed include advertising, our need for acceptance, America's obsession with aristocracy, using “science” as a way to elevate our status, and more! Titus Techera is the Executive Director of the American Cinema Foundation and hosts the ACFmovie podcast. He is a contributor to Law & Liberty, Modern Age, and other publications. He's also on Substack at pomocon.substack.com, and he tweets as @titusfilm. You can find Eric on Twitter at @confilmbuff and Sannah at @sannahmcdonough.

In episode 13, Sannah and Eric talk about “Rear Window,” one of the best of the best from the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. This film came around the beginning of Hitchcock's great string of films in the 1950s that showed the master in peak form. We talk about the surface-level reading of the film as a perfectly constructed thriller, but also delve into the deeper themes that come out after multiple viewings, including how the director uses the angle of the “voyeur” to show how Jeff puts his own dilemma with Lisa into the lives of those who live around him. Join us for this discussion and subscribe to the podcast for more.

For its 30th anniversary, Sannah and Eric talk about the 1991 live-action Disney adventure film, The Rocketeer, based on the comic of the same name by Dave Stevens. Inspired by old serials and newer hits like the Indiana Jones movies, The Rocketeer hits a sweet spot between old school Disney magic and well-constructed, classic adventure. Directed by the always-inventive Joe Johnston, this stylish, pulpy family film is a classic in our house. It stars Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, and Timothy Dalton, fresh from his turn as James Bond.

Coming to you from Kansas City, where everything's up to date and where we've gone about as “fur” as we can go, is episode 11 of The Movie Shelf. Eric and Sannah visit the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic “Oklahoma!”, directed by Fred Zinnemann, where the corn grows as high as an elephant's eye, and a simple backdrop of a country dance gives way to an exploration of naivety, optimism, romance, and morality in the face of changing times. And all that in a family musical! We begin by discussing the blu-ray release and its differing Todd-AO and CinemaScope versions, and its release on Disney+. Then we talk about the movie, its characters, and its themes, and why it deserves a revisit. Eric is on Twitter at @confilmbuff and Sannah is @SannahMcDonough. Thanks for listening!

Sannah & Eric are back to talk about movie adaptations of the Titanic disaster. There have been many through the years. We start by comparing the two must-sees from the list: Roy Ward Baker's adaptation of Walter Lord's famous book of the same name, “A Night to Remember” (1958), and James Cameron's wildly successful “Titanic” (1997). The bulk of our discussion focuses on these two. Then we spend the rest of the time discussing various other adaptations we've seen, giving our recommendations for the ones we feel are worth seeing. Other films included are: Saved from the Titanic (1912) (Lost film) La Hantise (1912) In Nacht und Eis (1912) Atlantic (1929) Cavalcade (1933) Titanic (1943) (aka “Nazi Titanic”) Titanic (1953) The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) S.O.S. Titanic (1979) Raise the Titanic (1980) The Legend of the Titanic (1999) Titanic: The Legend Goes On (2000) Ghosts of the Abyss (2003) Titanic's Final Mystery (Smithsonian documentary from 2012) Thanks for listening!

In episode 9, join Eric & Sannah as they revisit one of the most entertaining movies ever made: that Technicolor, swashbuckling spectacle starring Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havilland, Basil Rathbone, and Claude Rains. Yes, they're talking about “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” from 1938. They talk about Warner Bros.'s decision to reinvent their crime movie image in the 30s and how they led not only to the decision to make this movie, but also to making it in Technicolor. They also go through the perfect cast before eventually describing their favorite scenes, and what makes this movie work so well and age so little, including its enormous influence on later adventure films such as Star Wars. Thanks as always for listening. You can find Eric on Twitter @ConFilmBuff, and Sannah @SannahMcDonough.

In this, the third part and final part of their 1985 comedies series, Eric & Sannah talk about “Lost in America,” written and directed by the one and only Albert Brooks. It's not only one of their favorite comedies of 1985, it's one their favorites, period. Also starring the funny and charming Julie Hagerty, this film has wealthy married couple David and Linda Howard modeling their lives after Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in “Easy Rider,” dropping out of society in a “bold” experiment that leads to some predictably disastrous results, especially for the couple's precious “nest egg.” Listen as Eric & Sannah go through the film and reminisce about their favorite parts. Eric is on Twitter @ConFilmBuff and Sannah is, too, @SannahMcDonough.

Continuing our series of comedies from 1985, Sannah, Eric, and guest Matthew Allred discuss “Pee-wee's Big Adventure,” that zany brainchild of Paul Reubens and director Tim Burton. It's also Burton's first feature film and first collaboration with composer Danny Elfman. Join us as we share what we love about this odd twist on a road movie. Find Matthew on Instagram @map_entertainments and on Twitter @map_entertainme. Find Sannah on Twitter @SannahMcDonough and Eric @ConFilmBuff. Thanks for listening!

In episode 6, Eric & Sannah were inspired by the recent passing of actor Ian Holm to revisit his role in Terry Gilliam's dark comedic vision of the future, “Brazil.” We talk about the song that inspired the film, and the infamous story of the film's troubled distribution in the U.S., before going into the film itself. Listen, share, and connect! Find Sannah on Twitter @SannahMcDonough and Eric @ConFilmBuff.

In Episode 5, Eric & Sannah celebrate the tenth anniversary of Christopher Nolan's "Inception" by taking it off the shelf to watch and discuss it. For context, we briefly discuss the highest grossing film of 2010 (Eric has a criticism that may not be popular...) as well as the Best Picture winner. We then move into our favorite parts of the film itself. We also hit topics such as whether or not it's all a dream, fan theories, Hans Zimmer's score, and much more... For example, can you enter a projection's dream?? We then finish the episode with our own Nolan movie rankings. Give it a listen and let us know what you think.Also, don't forget to follow us on your podcast app of choice and leave a review.Follow Sannah on twitter @SannahMcDonoughFollow Eric on twitter @ConFilmBuff

On this episode of The Movie Shelf, Eric & Sannah delve into the wonderful world of silent comedy with one of their favorite Charlie Chaplin films, "The Gold Rush." This film was originally released in 1925, but later rereleased by Chaplin in 1942 with his own music and spoken words added, and a few edits made (George Lucas-style!). We go into the history of the film and talk about our favorite moments.We fell in love with this film when we brought home the excellent Criterion blu-ray a few years ago, and we think you will too!

Eric & Sannah spent the last few weeks watching many movie adaptations of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol," and they have some opinions about each of them! They start at the very beginning, talking about how Edison brought the story to cinematic life in the 1901 "Marley's Ghost," and continue on from there, discussing each of the following versions at least briefly, and spending more time on some of the more famous ones: the 1935 Seymour Hicks version, 1938 MGM version, 1951 Alastair Sim version, 1954 Fredric March version, 1970 ("Scrooge" with Albert Finney), 1971 animated short, "Mickey's Christmas Carol," the 1984 George C. Scott version, "The Muppets Christmas Carol," and the 2009 Robert Zemeckis version with Jim Carrey. Phew!At the end, they give awards for the best of various categories, including "Best Scrooge," "Best Bob Cratchit," and more.This is a big episode, so listen along. Oh, and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

In honor of Noirvember, Eric & Sannah pick Jacques Tourneur's 1947 classic noir, "Out of the Past," off the shelf to discuss. The film stars Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. They start with a general discussion on the meaning of film noir before going into the film itself.

Eric & Sannah discuss some of their favorite movies to watch around Halloween time as people who generally don't like horror or gore. They each give a top 5. They then focus on a tradition they're quite fond of -- "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."