Movie Memory Machine

In this Movie Memory Machine: Five For mini-episode, Landen and Truman salvage the vibes Loser forgot with five better movies about young adulthood, awkwardness, and post-graduation growing pains. From classic Billy Wilder masterpieces to peak 90s party flicks, these picks show that coming-of-age comedies can be heartfelt, hilarious, and, crucially, not cursed with inexplicable symbiotic sex kitten scenes.

Films Discussed:

In this Movie Memory Machine: Five For mini-episode, Landen and Truman celebrate the surprisingly tender vibes of The Last Song with five more films that capture the spirit of young love, bittersweet endings, and life-changing summers. From classic dance floor rebellions to indie heartbreakers, these picks offer a full spectrum of emotional rites of passage—and a few lingering regrets about DVDs lost to strawberry-eating potheads.

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In this week’s Movie Memory Machine: Five For mini-episode, Landen and Truman float through five films that, like Don Juan DeMarco, revel in myth-making, larger-than-life stories, and dreamlike quests for meaning. From tall tales spun in German hospitals to grand adventures told through strawberry-eating potheads, they recommend movies that blend fantasy, memory, romance, and the occasional Chaplin impression. Because sometimes lif...

In the season finale of Movie Memory Machine, Landen and Truman descend into the dark fantasy depths of Damsel(2024), Netflix’s Millie Bobby Brown-led twist on the fairy tale formula. We talk sacrificial princesses, cave horror, feminist inversions, and whether this dragon flick earns its roar—or just bellows at walls. Along the way, we dig into fantasy aesthetics, the Netflix Original paradox, and the shifting image of the Final G...

In this Movie Memory Machine: Five For mini-episode, Landen and Truman dive into five movies that explore memory, identity, and reality with more precision, elegance, or weirdness than Reminiscence managed. Whether you're craving memory-altering noir (Dark City), elliptical love stories (2046), or the very real terror of a dystopian mall (Minority Report), we've got you covered with sci-fi that's smart, stylish, and—most importantl...

In this Movie Memory Machine: Five For mini-episode, Landen and Truman dig into five films that handle hostage standoffs, media critique, and moral panic with more precision, depth, and directorial vision than Money Monster. Whether it's Ned Beatty yelling about the gods of commerce or Denzel outwitting a hostage scenario in style, these films ask big questions about what media shows, what it hides, and who gets hurt in the process...

In this week’s Movie Memory Machine: Five For mini-episode, Landen and Truman unpack five films that more meaningfully—and sometimes more messily—explore marriage, communication, and relationship evolution than Hope Springs ever dared. From cozy golden pond chats to sci-fi couples therapy gone wrong, this list offers everything from prestige Swedish drama to 1930s slapstick divorce. Hope might spring eternal, but these movies bring...

In this Movie Memory Machine: Five For mini-episode, Landen and Truman attempt to recover from Simone (aka S1M0NE) by spotlighting five films that do a better job exploring fame, technology, artificial intelligence, and the surreal nightmare of modern media. From the precision of The Truman Show to the spiraling ego of Synecdoche, New York, these picks offer richer commentary, stronger characters, and (most importantly) more compel...

In this week's Movie Memory Machine: Five For mini-episode, Landen and Truman conjure up five hauntingly memorable films that connect thematically or spiritually to the 2015 Poltergeist remake (and its vastly superior 1982 predecessor). From analog tech horror and haunted houses to emotionally resonant ghost stories, this list bridges spectral dread and storytelling depth—plus a little Dan Harmon chaos and a found-footage gem that’...

In this special crossover episode, the Movie Memory Machine smashes headfirst into the Grunt Work feed for a tag-team takedown of Redbelt (2008), the only dramatic performance in Tim Allen’s catalog that doesn't involve a dog costume or a Santa suit. Join Landon and Truman as they dive into David Mamet's mixed martial arts noir drama starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, grapple with Mamet's obsession with honor, and ask the big question: how...

In this week’s Movie Memory Machine: Five For mini-episode, Landen and Truman take the barn door off its hinges and run wild through five films that share DNA with Barnyard—whether through animated anarchy, animal allegories, or vibes of chaos barely contained. From Orwellian pigs to vengeful foxes, they reflect on how kids’ movies used to get weird (and sometimes disturbingly real), how barn animals became cartoon icons, and why K...

In this week’s Movie Memory Machine: Five For mini-episode, Landen and Truman sashay into the glittery chaos of 54with five more films that capture the highs, lows, and polyester-drenched parties of music, nightlife, and subculture. From Boogie Nights to Velvet Goldmine, we discuss the intersection of vibes, identity, and dance floors as cinematic crucibles for fame, transformation, and fabulous outfits. Bonus: a historical tangent...

In this Movie Memory Machine: Five For mini-episode, Landen and Truman follow The Legend of Tarzan with a grab bag of muscled vengeance, pulp nostalgia, and jungle-adjacent chaos. From Skarsgård's berserker vibes in The Northmanto Warren Beatty's color-coded midlife crisis in Dick Tracy, we celebrate films that echo the mythic, the pulpy, and the wildly ambitious spirit of Tarzan. There are dinner table lion roars, noir vigilantes,...

In this second installment of Movie Memory Machine: Five For, Landen and Truman recommend five films that pair—however weirdly—with Life or Something Like It. Whether you're here for existential questions, platinum blond archetypes, or broadcast journalist existential crises in Seattle, we’ve got a lineup that’s weird, wild, and unexpectedly sweet. From Bill Murray eating pastries to Jane Russell taking a surprise dive into a pool,...

In this first-ever installment of our weekly Movie Memory Machine mini-series, we spin off from Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre to bring you five stylish spy flicks that deliver the charm, tension, and flair Guy Ritchie's film tried to summon. From De Palma's Mission: Impossible to Hitchcock's North by Northwest, we spotlight the genre’s high points—and a few chaotic curiosities (looking at you, Casino Royale 1967). We also ponde...

In this chaotic, music-fueled Movie Memory Machine mini-episode, Landen puts Truman through the ultimate Season One trivia challenge: a game entirely about needle drops from the forgotten films we've watched so far. From Miley Cyrus to MC Hammer, Spoon to Social Distortion, it’s a deep dive into the best, worst, and weirdest pop songs awkwardly dropped into these movies. Can Truman identify the movie (and the scene) based on just t...

In this Movie Memory Machine mini-episode, we follow our full-length Sahara discussion with even more mayhem: digressions, discoveries, and one deeply haunted dog name. Landon and Truman spiral into the mind of Clive Cussler as they unpack his lesser-known children’s books (The Adventures of Vin Fiz and Hot Sooty!), question Steve Zahn’s alleged catchphrase, and debate whether Dirk Pitt is doing anything cool in his room. Also: pri...

In the season finale of Movie Memory Machine, we dig deep into Sahara (2005)—a film that cost a fortune, confused genres, and kicked off exactly zero franchises. Starring Matthew McConaughey as treasure hunter Dirk Pitt, Sahara is the kind of action-adventure that wants to be Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Blood Diamond all at once. We dive into the absurd production history, the book’s wild differences, and why this movie still so...

In this episode of Movie Memory Machine, we row our way through The Boys in the Boat, George Clooney’s adaptation of the best-selling book about the University of Washington’s scrappy rowing team and their improbable journey to Olympic glory. We discuss whether the film captures the thrill of sports triumphs or just kind of... floats along. Plus, we question some creative choices, geek out over our favorite underdog sports movies, ...