The post Tombstone Is Not OK, by Tyler Smith appeared first on Battleship Pretension. If you were to gather a number of American men, age 40-50, and ask them their favorite movies, you won’t be waiting long before somebody mentions George P. Cosmatos’ Tombstone, the 1993 Western about Wyatt Earp and the gunfight at the OK Corral. Between the film’s action and one-liners, Tombstone is often cited as among the best Westerns of the modern era (maybe even the best).  A quintessential “guys’ movie,” the film’s rewatchability is touted as one of its many virtues. I myself have seen the film mu ..read more

The post The One Where I Met Your Mother: Season Seven, Episode Five: “The One with the Engagement Picture”/”Field Trip” appeared first on Battleship Pretension. Natalie and David have an inappropriate relationship with their assistant with Rachel in “The One with the Engagement Picture” and have an inappropriate relationship with their therapist with Robin in “Field Trip.” Friends season seven, episode five, “The One with the Engagement Picture”: Joey tries to teach Chandler how to smile for the camera. Phoebe and Ross bicker over their divorcing friends. How I Met Your Mother season seven ..read more

The post Home Video Hovel: Werckmeister Harmonies, by Scott Nye appeared first on Battleship Pretension. I’ve seen Werckmeister Harmonies three times – first in 2012 on 35mm at a Los Angeles retrospective dedicated to its director, Béla Tarr; then in 2018 at a one-off screening, also 35mm, in New York; and finally this past week, via the new 4K UHD edition Criterion has just released. Each screening was six years apart, and each came about through some element of chance – in 2012, I was working nights, and happened to have that evening free; in 2018 I happened to be in New York for work and i ..read more

The post Home Video Hovel: La haine, by Rudie Obias appeared first on Battleship Pretension. When we think about movies from France, it’s very likely that we automatically go to films from the French New Wave with directors, like Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Agnès Varda, Jacques Demy, and others. (Somewhat) modern French cinema is still as full of life and exciting with a dash of American and influences that give it a bit of edge (as it was in the 90s, as it was in the 60s). The Criterion Collection re-released Mathieu Kassovitz’s seminal 1995 film La Haine (Hate) with a new 4K Ultra H ..read more

The post Monday Movie: A Fish Called Wanda, by Mat Bradley-Tschirgi appeared first on Battleship Pretension. Every Monday, we’ll highlight a piece of writing from our vaults. This review of A Fish Called Wanda originally ran as part of our top 50 comedies list. It’s rare when comedies win Academy Awards, but nobody deserved it more than Kevin Kline when he won Best Supporting Actor in 1988 for playing Otto West in A Fish Called Wanda. Even more impressive is how the film juggles so many genres while serving as a knowing commentary on British and American styles of humor. It’s a romance ..read more

The post Episode 892: Beyond the Sight and Sound Canon appeared first on Battleship Pretension. David and Scott Nye discuss the recent Beyond the Sight and Sound Canon list as well as their different viewpoints on Alex Garland’s Civil War. The Beyond the Sight and Sound Canon list includes Spike Jonze’s Her and more! Battleship Pretension is a movie discussion podcast started in 2007 by Tyler Smith and David Bax. Since then, we’ve done live comedy shows, written reviews, commentaries and more. Battleship Pretension is a film discussion show and a film review website founded by Tyler Smith an ..read more

The post The One Where I Met Your Mother: Season Seven, Episode Four: “The One with Rachel’s Assistant”/”The Stinson Missile Crisis” appeared first on Battleship Pretension. Natalie and David lie about being into Tag with Rachel in “The One with Rachel’s Assistant” and lie about being into Barney with Robin in “The Stinson Missile Crisis.” Friends season seven, episode four, “The One with Rachel’s Assistant”: Rachel is in a quandary when a sexy but unqualified man applies to be her assistant. How I Met Your Mother season seven, episode four, “The Stinson Missile Crisis”: Robin attends court-m ..read more

The post Monday Movie: Les Visiteurs du Soir, by Scott Nye appeared first on Battleship Pretension. Every Monday, we’ll highlight a piece of writing from our vaults. This review of Les Visiteurs du Soir originally ran as a home video review. Given that Marcel Carné, along with screenwriter Jacques Prévert, pretty much perfected poetic realism, it seems only natural that they would abandon the “realism” for “fantasy” and craft a truly stunning, resonant medieval fable like Les Visiteurs du Soir. Translating directly to “The Night Visitors,” but more commonly released in English-speaking t ..read more

The post Sting: Harmless, by Tyler Smith appeared first on Battleship Pretension. I’m terrified of spiders. And so are you. Everybody is. Those who say they are not are either liars or not paying close enough attention. Spiders are monsters. As proof, we need only look at the horror genre. Whether big or small, spiders are depicted as lethal, ravenous and relentless. Many of the scariest movies feature spiders feasting on humans. Many of my own worst nightmares are centered around spiders, more often than not ending in me screaming myself awake. Truly there is nothing that petrifies ..read more

The post Episode 891: Los Angeles Festival of Movies 2024 Wrap-Up appeared first on Battleship Pretension. In this episode, David and Scott Nye discuss the Los Angeles Festival of Movies 2024 as well as the benefits of seeing an old movie with a crowd. Movies seen at the Los Angeles Festival of Movies 2024 include Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross’ Gasoline Rainbow and more! Battleship Pretension is a movie discussion podcast started in 2007 by Tyler Smith and David Bax. Since then, we’ve done live comedy shows, written reviews, commentaries and more. Battleship Pretension is a film discussion sh ..read more