Weekend Watchlist, 9/25: Bang Bang
What to watch this weekend
Happy Friday, PV Guide readers! I hope you have a great weekend ahead of you.
Earlier this week, I reviewed my Monster Mash double feature at the movies: Resident Evil and Hope. Here are this week’s picks.
The Conversation or Blow Out
The crime thriller Tuner, starring Leo Woodall, just landed on Paramount Plus. I’ve had my eye (ear?) on it because of the premise – a piano tuner who uses his sensitive hearing to crack safes to pay for his mentor’s medical debt. That got me thinking about other audio-inclined thrillers, including two of the very best American films ever made: The Conversation and Blow Out – both about audio professionals who hear things they shouldn’t, unravelling a deep conspiracy.
A John Woo movie
The great action master John Woo turned 80 this week, so let’s watch one of his movies. It’s hard to go wrong, especially if you stick to his run of Hong Kong hits from the late 80s to early 90s. My personal favorite is A Better Tomorrow, but The Killer and Hard Boiled are equally must-sees. I’ll be watching his epic Red Cliff – something I’ve been looking forward to but put off for far too long!
Home From the Hill
Partway through 2020 and desperate for social interaction, Tristan and I joined a fantastic online community called the Quarantine Movie Club, where two dogged curators picked out some classic movies (and readings to go along with them) for us to dive into and discuss. We watched a ton of great movies through that club, but the one that stuck with me the most was Vincente Minneli’s Home From the Hill, starring Robert Mitchum. It’s a gorgeous Western melodrama about a Texas family that explores masculinity, guilt, and what we ultimately leave behind. It’s leaving the Criterion Channel at the end of the month – don’t miss it.
