The Bikeriders
Scorecard, Movies for personalities, and Kieran Culkin returns
In some box office news, Inside Out 2 beat all estimates and had a $155M opening weekend. This had film Twitter going from it’s so over to we’re so back in the matter of three days. It comes off the heels of both Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Bad Boys: Ride or Die outperforming box office predictions.
Have you made it out to see any of the summer box office hits? Hit reply and let us know what you’ve seen and what you thought of it!
Here’s what we have for you this week:
Concession Stand Scorecard: The Bikeriders
Temp These Takes: What movie best describes your personality?
Watchlist Worthy: Roman Roy fans rejoice.
This week’s movie - “The Bikeriders”
Letterboxd Description:
LEGACIES DON’T COME EASY.
After a chance encounter at a local bar, strong-willed Kathy is inextricably drawn to Benny, the newest member of Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals led by the enigmatic Johnny. Much like the country around it, the club begins to evolve, transforming from a gathering place for local outsiders into a dangerous underworld of violence, forcing Benny to choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.
Best Watched With
The rough & rowdy life-long friends you dreamed of being in a gang with and those who enjoy a beer & a shot.
End credit thoughts
A straight up movie with a straight up story. No bells and whistles. A leader worthy of being followed who wants hang out with his friends who share the same passion, and young romance where someone has to choose between their love and their lover. A rise and fall of something good and, in an gritty way, beautiful that involves booze, brawling, and some bad teeth. All of our biker movie expectations were met, but just because it isn’t trying to be profound, doesn’t mean it isn’t.
A movie with a cast this strong—Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, Austin Butler are the stars, supported by Mike Faist, Michael Shannon, and Norman Reedus—creates the potential for stuffy, crowded scenes with everyone trying to take the lead. But every performance here supports the story. Everyone seemed to know how, what, and when to show up in each scene, which says a whole lot about the writer/director Jeff Nichols.
As a viewer, the gears don’t kick into overdrive. The story doesn’t make the audience work hard to engage. It does add the element of non-linear storytelling, but does so in a way that is consistent and easy to follow. You peer into the rough riding world of bikers through the window of an interview, and, at times, makes you want to be a part of this world. Until it doesn’t with some intense scenes involving some heavy subject matter revealing that it’s more than a sense of belonging that comes along with being in a biker gang. Not much of a laughing movie, but the emotions do pay a visit, giving us the downs and ups of life.
Overall, an enjoyable movie with great direction and solid performances, especially by Comer. Despite the fact that it may not be sweeping at award ceremonies, The Bikeriders is the kind of story that we’re happy to see being told. This one feels like a a star-studded cast making a movie for the people of biker culture. A movie about belonging, love, and making a way forward for those on the outskirts of American society.
While there will be some who really vibe with this movie and it has a cast with mass appeal, this movie will be better viewed in the comfort of your own home. Wait till streaming.
What movie best describes your personality?
Sarah
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010). Because what compares more closely to spending WAY too long in grad school than the frustrating, mostly fruitless meanderings of Harry, Hermione, and (sometimes) Ron than their extended camping trip when they relentlessly revisit the very few pieces of information they have in hopes that it will magically help them complete the insurmountable task (aka kill Voldemort).
Eric
Scary Movie (2000) This movie describes me to a T. I'm mostly a good time, with not a lot going on upstairs. I'll throw 100 jokes your way in a day and 10-15 of them might land. The other 85-90 will just make you feel sorry for my wife and kids. Additionally, I'll force laughter in traumatic moments as a coping mechanism as well as try to force laughter out of YOU if YOU are going through something traumatic. Lastly, my sweetheart wife Kelly will tell you that I truly don't take things seriously when I should. Example: l responded "OOF" in a group text when someone had just spilled some deep trauma and asked for advice on something serious happening in their lives. What can I say? My comedic timing is impeccable(?)
Kelly
I would like to apologize in advance for my take. It is not light hearted. TRUST ME I tried to find something funny, 100% happy and flowery but I realized my personality is just not that. *gasps* I think that’s why I related to Inside Out 2 so much. My personality is definitely dictated by Joy. She is someone who steals the limelight most of the time. I can just picture her in my head spraying Febreze on all my problems. (Hello compartmentalizing 🤝🏼) However, I do suffer with anxiety and the way this movie portrayed it was perfect. As I’ve gotten older I have realized bad and good emotions balance who I am. I for a long time tried to be perfect and happy ALL the time, and that’s how most people know me, which led to people thinking I have a perfect life, which inevitably put immense pressure on me thinking that’s what I had to be in order for people to accept me. Now I think I’m in a place where anxiety and joy both have a healthier place in my brain. I can have toxic positivity, sadness, anger, I can get tattoos, set boundaries, yet still love everyone. This movie brought light and peace to my soul and made me really happy.
Josh
I decided to ask the people what they thought about this prompt and received four: The Social Network (2010) (“A little melancholy with a side of 3am boozy hustle.”— Amber, shoutout the sister-in-law), Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) (s/o Sarah), and Happy Feet (2006)(s/o Movie Maven Carsen), and Hereditary (2018)(s/o Brenna.)
I see the vision. The feeling of being misunderstood, longing for connection, and doing and creating stuff because I’m always seeking a sense of belonging in a world where I feel I do not. There are elements of this in each movie, but the one that drives it home might be Happy Feet. Mumble being different from literally every other penguin when it comes to finding a soul mate by not being able to sing but has the ability to dance brilliantly is similar to how I feel that everyone else has life figured out but thinking I don’t, I can’t, and I won’t. I may be bad at being like everybody else and doing things the way it’s “normally” done, but I’m learning to embrace what I am best at that no one else can do: being myself.
New Mexico Drew
The Big Lebowski (1998) - Not because I'm even remotely as cool as The Dude, but because I so desperately want to be as cool as The Dude. I have dreams of doing nothing (only I would read more books and watch more movies, drink less White Russians) but I have the nervous energy of Brandt (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the self-consciousness, anger, and paranoia of Walt (John Goodman) and the awkwardness and intensity of Jesus (John Tuturro) keeping me from ever wearing a robe to the supermarket and drinking straight from the milk carton.
I have the talent of never shutting up, so a dialogue-heavy movie like TBL makes sense. The last parallel I'll draw between me and The Big Lebowski is that people either love me or can't stand me, not a lot of people hanging out in the middle 😅.
What’s your take? Hit Reply or leave a comment below and let us know!
A Real Pain - directed by Jesse Eisenberg
It’s not just because of my obsession with The Social Network (2010), or my love for Jesse Eisenberg in drama roles like The End of Tour (2015), or Kieran Culkin coming off an incredible 2023, getting his flowers for his role as Roman, the youngest sibling and Black Sheep of the Billionaire Roy family. It’s all of it.
A Real Pain looks like Eisenberg dug deep into his artistic soul, finding that story he has to tell, to bring us a movie that is close to home that has the potential to touch the hearts of audiences who live in the tensions that families can create. Eisenberg and Culkin take on the role of cousins who go on a trip to Poland, Eisenberg’s real-life ancestral homeland.
This movie was one of the first to land a major deal at Sundance this year, and Emma Stone is one of the producers. Stone has started wearing a producer hat relatively recently, 2022, but is already making a (bigger) name for herself with titles such as Poor Things (2023), Problemista (2023), and I Saw The TV Glow (2024) attached to her producer name.
Eisenberg teaming up with Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe winning Kieran Culkin and Oscar nominated producer for Best Motion Picture of the Year Emma Stone forecasts a perfect storm for a perfect movie. Hits theaters October 18th. Add this one to your watchlist.
-jp:)
Letterboxd Description:
Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
Other movies Jesse Eisenberg has been in:
The Social Network (2010)
Zombieland (2009)
Now You See Me (2013)
Three Milk Media Podcasts:
🎙️ Living A Stream: Apple Podcasts and Spotify
🎙️ The Medium Project: Apple Podcasts and Spotify
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