Peak Viewing

Bram Stoker's Dracula

In many ways, Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the most faithful adaptation to the source novel. In many other ways, it is approximately ten times hornier. In between trying to make sense of those two contrasts, we also grapple with the American actors in this movie, the many physical transformations of Dracula himself, the barrage of unique stylistic visual effects, and our own personal feelings on a certain election that happened recently. (Look, we usually record a month in advance, sometimes we’re a bit late on breaking news.)

Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht

Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (which was simply called Nosferatu the Vampyre in America) is perhaps the most “out there” movie in this series so far. It is slow, nihilistic, and cruel, but those are all things we really appreciate about it. (Or maybe not, Samuel might hate this movie by the end of the podcast!) Join us as we recap it and talk about what wet foods Jonathan reminds us of, the terrible true stories behind the rat infestation shots, and Henry goes on a long tangent about how this movie helped alleviate an anxiety we all probably felt in the beginning of November 2024.

Dracula (1958)

Hang on a minute, is the Hammer Film version of Dracula the definitive Dracula movie? This adaptation from 1958 (which was called Horror of Dracula over here in the States) takes some intense tonal swings, while somehow staying the truest to the source novel. Topics discussed include what would happen if we drank a lot of blood, why this movie is so much better than the other Hammer productions we’ve seen, and saving Dracula sequels for prison.

Dracula (1931)

Is there any vampire performance more iconic than Bela Lugosi as Dracula? Probably not, but boy do we wish the movie around him were a bit more compelling! Before recapping this frankly kind of dry movie, we also do a deep dive on the original 1897 novel, along with its themes and some theories about Bram Stoker. We also go on several tangents around confusing vampire lore, half-buried gigantic skeletons, and the Spanish language version of this movie.

Nosferatu (1922)

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is by far the oldest movie we have ever covered. The 102-year-old German Expressionist film is perhaps one of the most beloved works of horror from the silent film era, and it was almost lost forever. We unpack the incredible behind the scenes story of this unauthorized Dracula adaptation, along with our thoughts on how this movie adapts (and changes!) the story from Bram Stoker’s iconic novel.

The Tragedy of Macbeth

It should come as no surprise that a film adaptation of one of the greatest plays of all time directed by a visionary auteur starring some of the greatest actors of their generations is a wonderful time at the movies. But what no one could have predicted was simply how much this movie is for the sickos! Freaky witches, light from nowhere, Macbeth as a tragic pawn versus an inevitable tyrant, sparse landscapes, Shakespeare dialog that no one understands, it’s all here this week! Plus our closing thoughts on Denzel Washington and the announcement of our next miniseries!

Fences

This week we’re getting in the backyard (or maybe it’s a stage?) and covering the play-to-movie sensation that is 2016’s Fences. In addition to being a directorial effort from Denzel (the first we’ve covered in this miniseries), this also marks the start of his August Wilson adaptations, and his transition into more producing behind the scenes. We get into all that, plus Viola Davis’ astonishing monologues, how niche it can be to actually seek out and experience plays, and the difficulty of finding a new newborn baby.

Flight

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! Wait, specifically it’s a plane being flown upside down by a drunk Denzel Washington! That’s right, we’re covering Flight this week, a movie with incredible peaks and valleys. The peak of course being Denzel’s performance and the stunningly authentic portrayal of addiction, and the valleys being… kinda everything else? Other topics discussed include Robert Zemeckis’s shaky 2000s career, Don Cheadle’s scene-stealing performance, and our woeful ignorance of drugs in all forms.

Inside Man

A bank heist! A hostage situation! A man! Inside! 2006’s Inside Man marks the fourth collaboration between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington, and for the occasion they made an incredibly fun thriller. Is Clive Owen kind of a wet bag? Yes! Is Jodie Foster’s character really cool but ultimately kinda pointless? Also yes! We get into all that plus Spike’s distinctive dolly shots, his New York sensibilities, and the tagline this poster desperately needs.

The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

Podcast listeners. Peak Viewing podcast listeners. Peak Viewing listeners. You want to turn on this episode and listen to Henry and Samuel discuss the forgotten 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate, starring Denzel Washington. You will listen to their tangents and anecdotes about the brilliant ’62 film, the messed up ’59 book, Pokemon that look like they’re wearing diapers, and their woeful miscalculations of who stars in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Of course, when it’s over you’ll have no memory of ever listening to it…

Training Day

Have you ever had an awful first day on the job? Multiply that experience by a thousand, and you might have something resembling Training Day. This movie might not feature Denzel’s best performance, but is it the performance where he’s having the most fun? What movie has the most realistic portrayal of being high? What’s Henry’s ultimate theory on sleep? When did we stop dual-wielding pistols? What are glue balloons?

Remember the Titans

Remember the Titans? We saw them play this week, and even we barely can. Join us for the fourth episode in our Denzel Washington miniseries as we discuss several hot and controversial topics, including: high school football not being that good, treacly movies like this generally aging terribly, and the subpar naming of Kansas City’s two premier soccer teams. Also, can we solve racism by giving up all our awards?

Crimson Tide

We’re taking control back from Gene Hackman this week with 1995’s Crimson Tide! This tense thriller might be one of the most watchable films we’ve covered so far, but is it even the best submarine movie? Where do all the officers belong on the alignment chart? Should we cover Tony Scott?! All that, plus some shocking implications for our oldest president!

Philadelphia

For the second film in our Denzel Washington miniseries, we’re heading to the streets of Philadelphia. This episode has everything: tangents about wine prices, punny Halloween costumes, where to sit while watching this movie, and our thorny feelings about this ostensibly being a movie made for straight people. Nothing we say is advice!

Malcolm X

What better way to start our next miniseries than with maybe the greatest biopic ever made? Look, nobody needs our opinions on Malcolm X, both the film and the person, but we’re gonna give them to you anyway! Spike Lee is directing his ass off, Denzel Washington is disappearing into his role, and we’re patenting ideas on how to break up long movies (The Popcorn Pause™).

Borderlands

Listen up all you vault hunters, it’s time to travel to Pandora! No, not the moon with blue people, the desert hellscape where that forgettable 2024 movie Borderlands takes place! This might be the ultimate “dead dove do not eat” of bad movies, but Samuel’s here to provide us with all the Borderlands video game knowledge, including all the shocking ways this movie changes major aspects of characters. Plus: our video game movie rankings, and the announcement of our next miniseries!

Uncharted

It’s time for the third and final treasure hunting movie in our video game adaptations series, 2022’s Uncharted. This might be the ultimate forgettable Covid movie, but there’s enough charm here that Henry’s got a theory on the likability behind these actors. Other topics discussed include the optics of treasure hunting, the storytelling shortcuts in this film, and the “honor among thieves” stakes feeling about as serious as a game of Monopoly. This episode is brought to you by Papa John’s.

Detective Pikachu

Get your Sherlock Holmes hat and about five cups of coffee, it’s time for Detective Pikachu! Are the visual effects remarkable in this thing or what? Is Ryan Reynolds shtick painfully bland? Do you have to be a Pokemon fan to enjoy this movie? Is Torchip a thing? All that, plus all the reasons why Henry did not have a peak viewing experience this week.
Here’s the video Samuel recommended at the end!

Tomb Raider

Two weeks ago Angelina Jolie was playing Lara Croft, and this week it’s Alicia Vikander’s turn! The 2018 adaptation of Tomb Raider might be the new barometer for a Just Fine Movie, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about how it relates to the 2013 game, British money sounding made up, proper procedure for stab wounds, and of course, color puzzles.

Hitman (2007)

2007’s Hitman might be the worst video game adaptation we’ve covered so far, but it’s almost unfair to call it a video game adaptation when this film is clearly more inspired by *cough* Bourne *cough* something else. What’s the deal with these inconsistent city title cards? Is Nika the worst female character in cinema history? What makes the Hitman video games the perfect sandbox? All that, plus our recommendations on hitman movies that are actually good.