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PODCAST

Let"s Finally Watch This

Derailed Trains of Thought

A podcast for casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies. Hosts Nick Hayden and Timothy Deal guide you through film history as they highlight one movie from each decade for the last century, exploring how each film sits in its time period, why it"s well-known, and whether it"s actually worth your time. We"re finally getting around to movies we"ve always heard about. Why don"t you join us?

tv & film film history

All Episodes

00:21:03

Episode 25 – Sherlock Jr. (1924)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2024/09/20

It's 1924. Buster Keaton, one of the cinematic greats of this era, is at the height of his career. Called "The Great Stone Face" due to his distinctive stoical expression, Keaton's films include dangerous physical stunts and impeccable comedic timing. Sherlock Jr. is no exception. Keaton plays a movie projectionist who hopes to become a great detective as he tries to untangle mysteries and win the girl both in real life and in his daydreams.What Sherlock Jr. offers casual movie fans who have

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00:24:08

Episode 24 – Cabiria (1914)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2024/09/13

It's 1914. Out of Italy comes what many classify as the first film epic. In this silent film, the girl Cabiria survives an eruption from Etna, is kidnapped by pirates, nearly offered to the god Moloch, and spends years as a servant. Meanwhile, Roman soldier Fulvius Axilla and his Samson-like servant Maciste cross paths with Cabiria and their destinies are entwined as Rome wars against Carthage and years pass.What Cabiria offers casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies: an

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00:18:10

Episode 23 – The Impossible Voyage (1904)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2024/09/06

It's 1904. French director Georges Méliès is at the height of his career, creating fantastic, creative movies in the early days of cinema. Like his earlier A Trip to the Moon, this film is about a fantastic voyage, but as the Institute of Incoherent Geography visits mountain villagers, the surface of the sun, and monster-infested oceans, it is in some ways a more frantic and adventurous movie.What The Impossible Voyage offers casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies: a

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00:38:47

Season 2 Wrap-up & Epilogue

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2023/12/29

It's time to wrap up another season of Let's Finally Watch This. We start by making a few corrections, filling in a few gaps in this season's discussion of film exhibition, and discussing how film continues to change up to the present.But, then, the heart of the episode--our Ranking of Essentialness for this season's movies! We also share our personal favorities from the season. Thanks for joining us for another journey through the decades of film! Show Notes

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00:52:38

Episode 22 – The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2023/12/01

It's 2013. The top-grossing film of the year is Disney's Frozen, but that's not the only important fairy-tale based animated film released this year. In Japan, Studio Ghibli released The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, a beautiful, compelling retelling of the Japanese folk tale, "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." It's a film that lets us experience Japanese history, Japanese animation, and the creative ability of Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata. What The Tale of the Princess Kaguya offers

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00:46:00

Episode 21 – Elf (2003)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2023/11/24

It's 2003--and it's the holidays. Many of our standard Christmas movies were released in the 1940s, but since the 1990s, there has been a resurgence of Christmas movies, creating a number of new holiday classics. Among those is Elf, directed by Jon Favreau, a movie nearly everyone has seen, except for Let's Finally Watch This co-host Timothy Deal. What Elf offers casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies: a modern Christmas comedy that is both family friendly and heartfelt;

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00:46:59

Episode 20 – Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2023/11/17

It's 1993. Multiplexes have arrived, and there are plenty of movies to show—Jurassic Park, Tombstone, Schindler's List, the original Super Mario Bros. movie.... Okay, not all are great, but it was a time of the blockbuster. In the middle of this comes Sleepless in Seattle, an iconic romantic comedy with the now-classic pairing of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. What Sleepless in Seattle offers casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies: a near-religious search for romantic "magic,"

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00:51:26

Episode 19 – The Right Stuff (1983)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2023/11/10

It's 1983. The blockbuster age has started, and the top-grossing movie of the year is The Return of the Jedi. However, another pivotal space movie is also released this year, The Right Stuff, a film examining the early years of the space race. Based on the book by Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff follows the journey of the Mercury Seven as they undergo grueling trials and first-of-their-kind flights. What The Right Stuff offers offers casual move fans who have always meant to watch classic movies:

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00:41:39

Episode 18 – The Sting (1973)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2023/11/03

It's 1973. We're in the middle of the New Hollywood era, when movies tended to be more uncoventional and often darker. However, some movies are still all-around fun. The Sting, an Academy Award-winning caper movie featuring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, dives into the underworld of the 1930s with effortless skill. Two con men attempt to take revenge on a crime boss by swindling him out of his money, and the audience is along for the ride. What The Sting offers offers casual move fans who have

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00:47:28

Episode 17 – 8½ (1963)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2023/10/27

It's 1963. We're crossing the Atlantic to visit Italy, a preeminent filmmaking country. In the 1950s-60s, Italian film was largely known for Commedia all’Italiana (“Comedy in the Italian way”), spaghetti Westerns (westerns made in Italy), and Post-Neorealism (a movement moving past realism to explore existential themes). Famed Italian director Frederico Fellini pushes past this last in his critically acclaimed 8½, an avant-garde surrealist comedy-drama about a director trying to figure out what he

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00:48:55

Episode 16 – Shane (1953)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2023/10/20

It's 1953. We're in the middle of the Golden Age of Hollywood; we're also in the pinnacle decades of the western, a truly American plot. Westerns have been around almost as long as movies (see The Great Train Robbery). Shane is an essential and quinessential example of the genre. It tells the story of homesteaders in an isolated Wyoming valley defending their land from land-hungry ranchers, with the help of enigmantic gunslinger Shane. What Shane offers casual movie fans who have always meant to

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00:47:14

Episode 15 – Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2023/10/13

It's 1943. World War 2 is raging, and nearly all the movies are war-related in some way. Into this comes a story of evil visiting idyllic small-town America. The director is the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock; and the movie, Shadow of a Doubt, is not as flashy or as well-known as some of his others, but it is a compact, character-driven story. Hitchcock himself said several times that it was his favorite film. What Shadow of a Doubt offers casual move fans who have always meant to watch

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00:42:28

Episode 14 – 42nd Street (1933)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2023/10/06

It's 1933. It's the Depression, and audiences want movies that don't sugarcoat the truth, but they want escapism too. That means it's time for a new type of musical. Hollywood released more than 100 musical films only three years earlier in 1930, but by 1933, they had largely disappeared as a genre. Choreographer Busby Berkeley helped revive them with several films, including this episode's movie, 42nd Street. What 42nd Street offers casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic

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00:46:44

Episode 13 – The Ten Commandments (1923)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2023/09/29

It's 1923. The building blocks of classic Hollywood are coming together and the people are enjoying silent movies in their movie palaces in the years following the Great War. Director Cecil B. DeMille, known for the biblical epic 1956 movie The Ten Commandments, releases a movie with the same title in this year. What this first The Ten Commandments offers casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies: an epic Biblical "prologue," engaging pre-noir framing of light and dark, a

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00:34:22

Episode 12 – Mabel’s New Hero (1913)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2023/09/22

It’s 1913. The movie industry is starting to move from the East Coast out west, and nickelodeons are a growing staple of American society. Out of those burgeoning years of the movie industry and newly minted movie stars come Mabel Normand, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and the Keystone Cops, all of whom are involved in this episode's short, Mabel's New Hero. WhatMabel's New Herooffers casual movie fans who have alwaysmeantto watch classic movies: a loveable but bumbling boyfriend, a dastardly "divil

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00:35:56

Episode 11 – The Great Train Robbery (1903)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2023/09/15

Welcome to season 2 of Let's Finally Watch This, a podcast for casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies. Once again we're traveling through the century, highlighting one movie from each decade from 1903 to 2013. In each episode, we'll highlight what's going on film history, how the chosen film affected future movies, and, of course, whether the movie itself is actually worth watching. ~~ It's 1903. Moving pictures are still an novelty, and narrative films are still in

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00:27:48

Let’s Finally Watch This: Season 1 Wrap-Up

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2022/12/30

It's the end of Season 1. It's been a trip. Now it's time to look back at the constants and changes that accompanied a century of film. We'll also give our own Ranking of Essentialness for this season's movies. We've enjoyed this trip through cinema history, and we hope you've enjoyed this initial season of Let's FInally Watch This as well. See you next year!

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00:46:44

Let’s Finally Watch This: Episode 10 – Life of Pi (2012)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2022/12/09

It's 2012. Movies are experimenting with 3-D and Blu-ray is making inroads. This movie, considered a prime example of good 3-D storytelling, follows Pi, an Indian man whose story will, according to some, "make you believe in God." That story involves being adrift at sea with a Bengal tiger. What Life of Pi offers casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies: a gorgeous, visually brilliant experience, even in non-3-D; an exciting journey combined with spiritual questions; iconic

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00:45:37

Let’s Finally Watch This: Episode 9 – Gangs of New...

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2022/12/02

It's 2002. Sequels and franchises are everywhere, and digital filmmaking is just beginning. This movie, however, is the exception that proves the rule. Gangs of New York, directed by Marin Scorsese, fully embodies 1862 New York as it examines tribalism, crime, and revenge in the relationships of immigrant and "native" Americans. What Gangs of New York offers casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies: an immersive, fully realized setting; exploration of a largely unexplored

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00:45:37

Let’s Finally Watch This: Episode 8 – Unforgiven (1992)

Let"s Finally Watch This ·

2022/11/25

It's 1992. The Age of Blockbusters continues, but a wide assortment of genres are making their way to the box office. New independent filmmakers are up and coming. This movie, Unforgiven, is a revisionist western following a reformed outlaw and assassin as he decides to take on one last bounty to help provide for his two children. What Unforgiven offers casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies: a morally ambiguous story about justice and sins, current and past; scenes of

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