Caught Stealing (what to expect)
Scorecard, Watchlist Worthy, ICYMI
Even though we are still sweating through shirts (NMD) and living poolside (Kelly and Eric), we can’t believe summer is almost over. Along with cooler weather usually comes a stacked lineup of Oscar contenders hitting the big screen. The Crew is stoked for a handful of fall/winter releases, but we’d love to know what you are most excited to see. Hit reply or drop a comment and let us know!
Here’s what we have for you this week:
Concession Stand Scorecard: Caught Stealing
Watchlist Worthy: Yorgos is teaming up with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons AGAIN
ICYMI Pod: Episode w/ Sweet Friend Sarah Eden
This week’s movie - Caught Stealing
Letterboxd Description:
2 Russians, 2 Jews, and a Puerto Rican walk into a bar…
Hank Thompson was a high-school baseball phenom who can’t play anymore, but everything else is going okay. He’s got a great girl, tends bar at a New York dive, and his favorite team is making an underdog run at the pennant. When his punk-rock neighbor Russ asks him to take care of his cat for a few days, Hank suddenly finds himself caught in the middle of a motley crew of threatening gangsters. They all want a piece of him; the problem is he has no idea why. As Hank attempts to evade their ever-tightening grip, he’s got to use all his hustle to stay alive long enough to find out
Best Watched With
Diehard Giants fans and mama’s boys (complimentary)
End Credit Thoughts
We’re split when it comes to Darren Aronofsky movies. So when it was announced he was coming out with a new movie, we weren’t too thrilled. Until they announced the cast. This cast, there is no splitting. We are all on the same page when it comes to Austin Butler, Zoe Kravitz, Regina King, and Bad Bunny. Because of this, our expectations were regulated but we expected every actor to show up and show out. And that they did.
Set in the late 1990s New York City, this grunge action crime thriller scratched an itch and tickled our fancies from the first scenes. We love a creative title card and a beautiful cinematic shot to kick off a movie. We were immediately dropped into pre-Y2K. We’re talking swapping cell for pay phones, listening to AM/FM stations, and land lines with voice messages played out loud on speaker after a long day. The stage is set for a gritty wrong place at the wrong time story.
Amid the raw and real of shift work in the Lower East Side, the characters bring a warmth and playfulness that balances this dark and heavy movie. Austin Butler, who seems to be one of the white boys of the month since he freaked us out as Feyd-Rautha (in bad and good ways) in Dune Part Two, embodies a wholesome mama’s boy with a troubled past and a failed pro-ball career. The marketing made Butler and Zoe Kravitz out to be this sexy couple, however, you quickly fall in love with their love outside of the bedroom. Two things can be true.
Matt Smith is full English in this one and is the poster child for British Punk-Grunge with his towering mohawk and studded leather jacket as Russ. He has moments of hilarity, bringing levity to intense scenes. He isn’t the only character Aronofsky dives deep into a culture. Liev Schreiber (Lipa) and Vincent D'Onofrio (Shmully) are Hasidic Jews who are ruthlessly violent and religiously observant to their tradition.
Regina King, a powerful queen. Bad Bunny, a cultural icon. Every character, maybe except for one or two, are charming in their own right, whiplashing us from fear to joy, smitten to devastated, laughter to emotional tears. One of the best parts of the movie is that you actually care about the characters. The stakes gradually rise, increasing the risks and our support to see the characters we’re rooting for win.
Like the humor and drama, the action is well crafted and interweaved into the story, leaving no gaps for dragging or dullness. Surprisingly funnier than expected, matching the level of violent acts we anticipated. Every joke, every bit, and every act is tied well together in a beautiful bow by the time the end credits roll. We heavily lean towards catching this one on the silver screen.
Watch in theaters.
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@justjoshperez
@ericharrison
@kellyharrison
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Bugonia 2025 by Yorgos Lanthimos
Lets be honest, Yorgos Lanthimos movies are an acquired taste. The S&C crew is split 50/50 on loving them or hating them, but we've got to admit this guy can make a damn movie.
The Lobster? Killing of a Sacred Deer? Kinds of Kindness? Poor Things? All extremely disturbing and distressing movies. But damn are they great.
Burgonia looks to be one of his more (dare I say??) normal movies but we cannot freaking wait. Cast is crazy—we know Yorgos loves himself some Emma Stone. But also Jesse Plemmons? Get real. We are all seated whether we want to be or not.
Added to my watchlist.
-Eric
Letterboxd Description:
Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.
Also Directed by Oliver Hermanus:
The Lobster (2015)
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Poor Things (2023)
Kinds of Kindness (2024)
Barbie w/ Special Guest Sarah Eden: Living A Stream #60
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube
Josh welcomes guest Sarah to dive deep into Barbie (2023), directed by Greta Gerwig. They discuss the film's layers of comedy, emotion, and social commentary, guided by Jimmy V's 1993 ESPY Speech—what held them in thought, made them laugh, and moved their emotions to tears—while interweaving the movie's narratives with their life narratives.
Sarah shares her personal connections to the film, particularly its take on existential themes, consumerism, and the pressures of womanhood.
13:10 Diving into the Barbie Movie
40:30 Emotions to Tears
46:34 Humor and Fourth Wall Breaks
Tune in next week for | Twinless
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