The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

Slick 70s heist movie with a fantastic soundtrack.

The premise is that four similarly dressed gentlemen who refer to each other by colors (Mr. Blue etc, sound familiar?) take over a subway train car. They demand one million dollars in an hour and will kill a civilian for each minute the city is late on payment. Walter Matthau is an MTA cop who has to piece it all together and bring these crooks DOWN! Hector Elizondo and Robert Shaw (from Jaws. god he’s amazing) play two of the criminals and they tear it up.

When I wrote ‘slick’ earlier I meant that everyone in this movie has style and attitude. This is dirty 70s New York City full of pimps and drug dealers. It’s a town where children laugh when bad guys brandish guns and one old lady is so nonplussed she sleeps through the whole thing. Fabulous.

Perfect for late nights, rainy days and when you’re feeling under the weather.

I will not give the remake the time of day.

OH MY GOD. Parker Posey is a NYC party girl (24 and unemployed— just like me!) who has to get a job in a stinky old library. She has a crush on a hot Lebanese falafel street vendor. She dances. She has endless incredible outfits. She learns the Dewey Decimal System. Girls and gays will love this movie.

-Vicki

Thief dir: Michael Mann 1981

OK!!! OK. Alright. Oh god this movie has my number so hard. It’s summertime you guys and if you’re in the US you know that we are in the middle of a heat wave that keeps threatening to turn into massive thunderstorms. Shit is hot and humid and the only reasonable thing to do is grab some popsicles, open the windows, point a fan at yourself and watch a movie.

James Caan is a thief (hence the title) who wants to complete one final job that will allow him to retire to the suburbs like a “normal” person. All he needs is a girl to agree (Tuesday Weld) a house in the burbs, a child and to get his father figure (Willie Nelson) out of prison.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT?! James Belushi? check. Dennis Farina playing a henchman? check. Crazy synth soundtrack by Tangerine Dream? check. Wet streets, nighttime, James Caan strutting around in tight jeans, cowboy boots and a leather jacket paired with a gold chain and no shirt? CHECK! A cameo by the Green Mill cocktail lounge in Chicago? Oh yes, check.

I really love Michael Mann. After spending years working on television this was his first feature and he came out swinging. The style and attitude of this movie is strong as hell.

It’s got bad ass and cool down pat and I was consistently surprised by the dialogue,  which is incredible. There’s a beautiful scene in a coffee shop between James Caan and Tuesday Weld where he’s trying to convince her to be his suburban wifey. “often cited as the film’s high point, Caan has long considered the scene his favorite of his career” (wikipedia).

Every search I’ve made for this movie also brings up Drive (2011) and people have referenced it as though it’s a remake or homage and although there are some tonal similarities and referential shots they are not terribly similar. You will not go wrong having a double feature night with these two movies.

I used to like to pretend that the guys I dated were hot Edward Scissorhands and I was a fatter, less popular Winona Rider. In my fantasy I had to save them from their tortured lives as isolated, misunderstood artists or the townspeople would revolt against them (townspeople = my parents). Unfortunately, most of these guys turned out to be Beetlejuices who made me feel like a disembodied pair of legs.

Am I talking about two different Tim Burton movies right now? Yes. But really only one- I watched Edward Scissorhands over the break and dude- I was sobbing. It’s time for you to watch this movie again. 

Crunch: Candlelight Yoga

Sometimes I use Netflix instant watch to work out. Maybe “work out” isn’t exactly what I mean. Crunch: Candlelight Yoga is closer to a really good, long stretch. It’s my favorite! The aesthetic is very last season of Melrose Place, even the candles have a late 90’s Bed, Bath & Beyond feel to them, and the outfits are equally turn of the last century. Picture the yoga class that Phoebe from Friends would be in. Fun, right? It’s lead by Sara Ivanhoe, who’s actually kind of badass. She has a masters in yoga philosophy and produced her own series called “Yoga on the Edge” in which she improvises yoga programs in single takes, and lets you see her mistakes. She has the most soothing voice I have ever heard and she says things like, “you work hard the rest of your life, now is your time to relax.” Nice. Usually when I do Crunch: Candlelight Yoga I haven’t been working hard, I’ve been watching the complete second season of The Hills on Netflix, and I need something to justify my day. Crunch: Candlelight Yoga never disappoints. 

-Aggie