On the BiTTE

Wild Things (1998) is a film that we couldn't wait to record. This film has a legacy that precedes itself. The best part is...Ryan had never seen this film. Can you believe it?

It's that time of year again. Every February, couples unite in celebrating their love and single lonesome souls lament or celebrate their single-dom. Some call it Valentine's. Other's call it Galantine's. Since Ryan isn't a woman, he's stepping out on this one and taking a break from editing and telling jokes to spend some time on an island and Laura has invited her best friend Renée to fill in to talk about the top shelf romantic comedy: FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL.

This one broke some boundaries back in 2008 and persists as a wonderful romantic comedy, mixed in with some real raw emotion, and of course, full-frontal male nudity.

Sit back and enjoy a change of pace and far less cynicism in this special all-ladies edition of On The Bitte.

Part two of Schrader-thon! It wasn't deliberate BUT, the quality takes a bit of a knock the further we go on. Like life, it is full of peaks and troughs, ebbs and flows and Malcolm McDowell. There's some cool stuff to enjoy here (even if it's too long)!

2003: a wonderful year. The same year both Ryan and I graduated from high school, the year Chicago (2002) weirdly won Best Picture at the Academy Awards (even though Sam Raimi’s glorious Spider-Man was also released). 2 Fast 2 Furious came out, as well as Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, I mean, what total gems we were gifted...and then In the Cut.

Ryan may never forgive me, but what makes it worthwhile is Mark Ruffalo’s nude scene. Cheers to Jane Campion, who was, until very recently, the only woman to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes. She now shares that honor with Julia Ducournau for Titane (2021). I wonder if it will also feature a nude Harvey Keitel as in The Piano (1993)?

This is another Director’s Cut film, so if you want to see the same version you’ll have to purchase it. Grab it from whichever video outlet you prefer. I haven’t seen a blu ray version, other than it being included in a 2-pack that comes with Trapped (2002). If you want to witness the nonsense without the nudity, but why would you want to do that since the Ruffalo nudity is the only reason to watch this tripe, you can stream it for FREE on Hulu. The theatrical cut is also available to stream (paid) on Google, iTunes, and Amazon.

In our New Year's Ross-o-lution! (Laura's genius addition to this series) a limited series dedicated to the films of Matt Ross, we begin where you are likely to start; the debut feature 28 HOTEL ROOMS.

We give it a strong C+, a good start. But what you kinda get is a risky film that doesn't take the risks it needs to stand out a bit more. You can make up your mind about it but welcome back and here's to another successful year!