Alison Stewart: This is All Of It. I'm Alison Stewart. We're guessing you could use some entertainment and distraction. Gothamist's Ben Yakas is back today to give us some counter-programming and easy viewing ideas. Ben, you are very welcome at this moment.

Ben Yakas: Thanks for having me again.

Alison: These are some counter-programming options for people who just don't want to think about politics at the moment. What vibe were you going for when you created this list?

Ben: There has been a lot of dread and anxiety and stress this week. I think a lot of people have been glued to their cable news networks or to their Twitter accounts or to The New York Times home page waiting for all of the dust to settle on this.

I was thinking about what kind of movies would be the antithesis to political movies and the political mood. I thought about a lot of movies and shows in which people learn to get along and work together, a lot of films that have more or less happy endings and show what teamwork and working together can bring us.

Alison: All right. A new Netflix series is up first. I've been reading about this. This keeps showing up in my feed, The Queen's Gambit. It's about chess. Am I right?

Ben: Yes. I'm not someone who knows a huge amount about chess. I haven't played that much in my life, but I became like addicted to this series. I've been binge-watching it over the last couple of days. It is an incredibly compelling, fictional story about a female chess prodigy in the '50s and '60s and it stars Anya Taylor joy as Beth Harmon and she is mesmerizing in the lead role as a slightly anti-social orphan who finds focus in chess and it's a great showcase for her. If you are someone who likes chess, you're going to be addicted to it. If you're someone that doesn't know that much about chess, it's a really easy way to get into that world.

Alison: Your next movie is Michael Bay's The Rock, which stars Sean Connery, who passed away on Halloween. Aside from what he's done in his personal life, we can still separate art from artists. Why did you pick this one of all of Sean Connery's films.

Ben: Sean Connery had a very long career and this came at the very tail end really as one of last five or six films that he made. This is like the epitome of the like absolutely great over the top '90s action films. This was one of Michael Bay's first films. It is masterful in terms of that over the top style. One of the things that I always come back to is how compelling and sympathetic the villain is. Ed Harris plays the bad guy in this. Every time I rewatch this movie, I'm like, "You know, Ed Harris had some good points. He really was on to something here."

Alison: Well, let's take a listen to a clip from the movie, The Rock.

Goodspeed: This is a pardon and release contract from the Attorney General's office. Now, if makes you a free man provided you cooperate. So if you'll just sign where it says-

Mason: Signature?

Goodspeed: Yes, signature.

Mason: Well, time danaos et dona ferentis.

Goodspeed: I've fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts.

Mason: Oh, an educated man. That rules out the possibility of you being a field agent.

Goodspeed: In point of fact, I am a field agent, Mr. Mason.

Mason: Really?

Goodspeed: Yes.

Mason: In which field?

Goodspeed: Antiterrorism.

Mason: Then you're trained in weaponry, explosions and mortal combat.

Goodspeed: Well-trained.

Mason: Then it's the Fairmont Hotel.

Goodspeed: Okay.

Mason: I want a suite, a shower, a shave, and the feel of a suit

Goodspeed: May I also suggest a haircut?

Mason: Am I out of style?

Goodspeed: Unless you're a 20-year-old guitarist from Seattle. It's a grunge thing.

Mason: Grudge.

Goodspeed: Well. Thank you very much.

Alison: The late Sean Connery there. You next have a series, the working together movie franchise Ocean's 11, 12, 13, and 8. Why are you recommending this series or do I have to watch them all or can I watch one or what's the deal?

Ben: You can just watch one or two. Just like sports movies, which are all about teamwork and people coming together for a larger goal so to our heist movies. In heist movies everyone has a role to play and there's always a pretty repetitive but really enjoyable structure. There is like introducing the aim, getting the team together, planning the heist, executing the heist, escaping and then maybe the fallouts and complications from the heist.

The rhythms of these movies are just like they will [unintelligible 00:05:45] you into enjoyment, they are so right on. The thing about the Ocean's movies, in particular, is that these are very light movies. These are not heavy films. They could have been laborious and they are really fun. They're charming when they could have been smug. They're filled with really fun little details, character moments, Elliott Gould is in all of these movies. Especially the first two, 11 and 12, I think are just really great fun light movies that are good to revisit.

Alison: My guest is Ben Yakas, Gothamist's arts and culture editor. He is giving us some great recommendations if we just want to get away from our phones for a couple of hours and just enjoy some great entertainment. This is a lovely movie that you've put on this list. We have actually had the director and actors on the show from First Cow. You say it's one of your favorite movies of the year. Why did you like it so much?

Ben: Yes, this was directed by Kelly Reichardt. Like a lot of her films, it is about people surviving amidst sparse environments and they are all struggling, but the details and the character work is so fine and so specific. In this film, it's incredibly gentle. It's an incredibly gentle film about male friendship in the 19th century in the Oregon territory. It revolves around them starting basically a frontier biscuit imperium using a milk from a cow.

It's a little bit about economics and capitalism and a little bit about the struggle of survival, but most of all, it is a tender film and it shines in all of these warm quiet conversations between these two men who are sharing their very modest dreams with each other. I walked away with it just feeling so good and so, I don't know, glowing a little bit from what she was able to do with this film.

Alison: I believe I'm right on this, that Kelly Reichardt said that she read some cookbooks from the times it takes place in the Oregon trail, to really understand what life was like at the time, which I found interesting.

Ben: This film really transports you to that period. It looks muddy in the way that we have read and we think about that period.

Alison: Let's look at some family programming, The Paddington movies. These have become cult favorites among adults. I have several grown-up friends who love particularly Paddington 2. What do you think?

Ben: I think I'm one of those grown-up friends, because when Paddington 2 came out, it was one of my top five movies of the year. Yes, these films, I think, what works about them so well they're very sincere films. There is not the kind of cynical wink-wink humor that you get with some new Shrek sort of comedies for children. That's good for what is, but there's something about the sincerity of these Paddington films that is refreshing and they're all about kindness. The moral of the story that it's infused in Paddington is be nice, be kind to each other.

Everything can work out better and everybody would be happier if we did this and almost like a virus, everyone that Paddington talks to everything that he touches becomes nicer and kinder. They both are great movies. Paddington 2, I do think is a little better. I have been thinking about why is it that it's a little bit better? I think part of it is just that Hugh Grant is so unbelievable as the bad guy, he's so charmingly bad, and the stakes are-- Paddington goes to prison and it's the most delightful thing, the prison scenes, and the way that he cheers everybody up in prison and teaches them about baked goods and such things.

Alison: I think we might have time to slip a clip in. This is Paddington in prison and his family is visiting.

Judy Brown: We think the thief you saw is part of a criminal gang.

Jonathon Brown: Using the pop-up book as a treasure map.

Henry: Well, it's a theory.

Paddington: Have you found out who they are?

Mary Brown: Not yet, deary.

Knuckles: Maybe I should take a look.

Henry: I'm sorry, this is a private conversation.

Paddington: Oh, it's all right Mr. Brown. This is my friend, Knuckles.

Knuckles: How are you?

Paddington: And this is Phibs.

Fibs: Good day.

Paddington: Spoon.

Spoon: Hello

Paddington: Jimmy the Snitch.

Jimmy the Snitch: All right.

Paddington: T-Bone.

T-Bone: Wotcha.

Paddington: The Professor.

The Professor: Who?

Paddington: Squeaky Pete.

Squeaky Pete: Hello.

Paddington: Double bass Bob.

Double Base Bobo: Hello.

Paddington: Farmer Jack.

Farmer Jack: How do?

Paddington: Mad Dog.

Mad Dog: Woof.

Paddington: Johnny Cashpoint.

Johnny Cash Boy: Kerching.

Paddington: Sir Geoffrey Wilcott.

Sir Geoffrey Wilcott: I hope I can rely on your vote.

Paddington: And Charlie Rumble.

Charlie Rumble: [rumbling]

Mary: It's so wonderful to meet you all. I must say its a great relief to know that Paddington's all ready made such sweet friends.

Henry: Would you excuse us a moment. What are you doing?

Mary: Talking to the nice men.

Henry: Nice men? Mary, we can't trust these people. I mean, look at them. Talk about a rogues' gallery. Hideous. And as for that bearded baboon in the middle, he's hardly got two brain cells to rub together.

Knuckles: We can still hear you Mr. Brown. That was the light you turned off. The microphone is on the other side. It's got microphone written on it.

Alison Stewart: Paddington, First Cow, The Ocean Series, The Rock and The Queen's Gambit. That is on Ben Yakas' list for a little bit of escapism this weekend. Ben Yakas, Gothamist's arts and culture editor. Thank you so much for being with us, Ben.

Ben: Thanks.

 

Copyright © 2020 New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use at www.wnyc.org for further information.

New York Public Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline, often by contractors. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of New York Public Radio’s programming is the audio record.