Eddington (what to expect)
Scorecard, Watchlist Worthy, ICYMI
The Summer I Turned Pretty final season has dropped and has Kelly (and Eric and Josh) in a chokehold. Wednesday night until September 17th will be booked. We’re figuring out live watch parties, so if you’re remotely interested, connect with us on social media.
There is no new podcast episode this week, but please bear with us. We have some great episodes with incredible guests in the pipeline.
Until then, this is what we have for you this week:
Concession Stand Scorecard: Eddington
Watchlist Worthy: Romantic getaway after four months of dating gone wrong
ICYMI: 21st Century Movies
This week’s movie - Eddington
Letterboxd Description:
Hindsight is 2020.
In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.
Best Watched With
Your New Mexican relatives or your cinephile friend
End credit thoughts
Eddington gives a modern Western vibe, drenched in high-tension politics and small-town living. High caliber acting, brilliant directing, and top-notch cinematography; this movie has all the elements for a stellar movie-watching experience. A slow burn that ends in a bonfire. It holds you in thought, and it invokes a spectrum of feelings—but are they the thoughts you want to think and the feelings you want to feel?
All of us are New Mexican folks, and some of us were living in New Mexico in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and on lockdown. Eddington is a time capsule that hits extremely close to home for many, especially those in the 505/575 area codes.
Eddington, New Mexico, is a small town with a smaller population. Fun fact: The movie was shot in the real small town of Truth or Consequences (T or C), NM. The landscape and environment are significant characters in this film. The New Mexican desert, the adobe homes, and Southwestern colors were a highlight.
The cast is what first put this movie on our watchlist. Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, and Austin Butler are names with enough gravitational pull to draw a mass just because they are in it, and give performances that are worthy of that kind of influence. The standout of the bunch is Joaquin Phoenix, giving us an intense, conflicted, and reactive Joe Cross, Sheriff of Eddington.
The movie is riddled with anxiety-inducing characters, plots, and dialogue that are saturated in satire and political discourse, where the discomfort is palpable. The movie comments on everything 2020: town, city, and state politics, social media, activism, healthcare, you name it, doing so by throwing jabs at the left, right, and the spectrum in between. We left feeling uneasy, disturbed, and the shitty version of nostalgia.
However well made, it might be too early for COVID movies. The two-and-a-half-hour runtime felt drawn out to four hours. All said and done, the theater does not enhance the experience enough to justify the price of admission, and you’ll enjoy or hate this movie just as much if you wait until it’s available for streaming.
Follow us on Letterboxd for our individual movie ratings:
@justjoshperez
@ericharrison
@kellyharrison
@newmexicodrew
Oh, Hi! by Sophie Brooks
After Eddington’s 2 hr and 28 minute runtime, I want to draw our attention to a solid 90 minute banger. Oh, Hi! is a Rom-Com but with some dark and thriller adjacent spice thrown into the mix. I was able to watch this early at an AMC Screen Unseen and had a hell of a time (AMC sells tickets on some Mondays for $7 but you don’t know what the movie is until the opening credits roll. It’s a blast.)
As a life long fan of Logan Lerman, and getting introduced to Molly Gordon through the award winning TV show The Bear, it’s an easy recommend. The comedic timing is fine tuned and the characters are well balanced, no one is overbearing the other in their role in this romantic getaway gone very wrong flick.
Opens next week. Check it out!
-JP :)
Letterboxd Description:
When you find the one, lock them down.
Iris has met her perfect guy, Isaac, and is enjoying their first romantic getaway together — what could go wrong?
Also Directed by Sophie Brooks:
The Boy Downstairs (2017)
Maple Leaves (2014)
ICYMI: 28 Years Later, Best of 2025 & The Century So Far: Spoilers #57
🎧 Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube
Josh, Eric, and New Mexico Drew deep dive into the movie '28 Years Later' with spoilers, favorite movies of 2025 so far, and their top ten list for best movies of the 21st Century.
10:31 28 Years Later Discussion: Spoilers
33:52 Favorite Movies of the Year So Far
45:09 Top Movies of the 21st Century
Tune in next week for | The Fantastic Four: First Steps
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