Cut the Cord: Decades
January 2025. Volume 4, Issue 1.
Welcome back to Cut the Cord.
If you've ever questioned my commitment to this newsletter (no one does that, but just go with it for a second), just know that when my local library canceled video streaming on Hoopla, I drove to another county and signed up for a library card through them. That's the kind of journalism I provide.
That's how much I'm committed to bringing you a bi-monthly list of great movies on free streaming services. This month's theme: through the decades.
Dial M for Murder (1954)
An ex-tennis pro carries out a plot to have his wealthy wife murdered after discovering she is having an affair, and assumes she will soon leave him for the other man anyway.
I've seen Dial M for Murder on Laserdisc, I've seen it in 3D at a revival screening (why did this film ever get a 3D release?), and I've even seen Jeffrey Hatcher's stage adaptation in a regional theatre production last year. And guess what! It works every freaking time!
It's always suspenseful, always one step ahead of you, and it has a reputation for a reason. It's one of my favorite Hitchcocks (third behind Psycho, Rear Window, and Rope, if you're asking) and there's no better value than free Grace Kelly.
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.
The following previously appeared in Staff Picks: Courtrooms.
Many courtroom dramas thrive when they let the actor playing the slimeball attorney slime it up over the courtroom. This movie has one of those all-time great performances from Maximilian Schell as Hans Rolfe, the defense counsel for Nazis put on trial for war crimes in Nuremberg, Germany, just after the war. They never mention whether or not he is a Nazi, but he's a Nazi sympathizer at the very least, arguing that what they did was merely an order from the top down and that these men were just doing as they were told. (He also poses the question: If these men are guilty, how many more are? It's an unprecedented question.) In an Oscar-winning performance, he's brash, he's big, he's intimidating, but you are compelled to listen to his case. It seems like an outrageous defense until you hear it come out of his mouth. Surrounded by excellent performances from Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, and a powerful late-career Judy Garland, he comes out above the rest.
Dark Star (1974)
A group of scientists are sent on a mission to destroy unstable planets. Twenty years into their mission, they have to battle their alien mascot as well as a “sensitive” and intelligent bombing device that starts to question the meaning of its existence.
About two years ago, I opened up Letterboxd one fine summer day and said to myself, "Why the hell is everyone watching Dark Star?"
Turns out it was one of the movies featured in the debut episode of Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary's Video Archives Podcast (which, unlike this newsletter, is no longer free!) and everyone was prepping for the highly-anticipated show. (This also means that Cocaine Cowboys, a movie that nobody, including myself, had heard of, also blew up - it's still conveniently free on YouTube - because every random-ass movie they talk about takes over Letterboxd that week.)
So I joined in and checked it out. I do have to watch every John Carpenter movie, after all. And while the VA guys offered an hour's worth of critical commentary, I'll give you my Letterboxd review: Juuuuuuust didn't do it for me.
But maybe this space-hippie student film-turned-feature will do it for you!
Young Guns (1988)
A group of young gunmen, led by Billy the Kid, become deputies to avenge the murder of the rancher who became their benefactor. But when Billy takes their authority too far, they become the hunted.
Young Guns is often known as "the Brat Pack western" because of the obvious fact that the cast is filled with young stars of the '80s or Brat Pack-adjacent actors: Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, and Casey Siemaszko. (Typing up that list makes me think we should do a Brat Pack edition of Cut the Cord. Anyway, I'll stop saying Brat Pack now...)
And that's what it is! I think it's awesome that these stars made a genre picture. Could you imagine Timothée Chalamet, Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Rachel Zegler making a big-budget western? I can't!
Pusher (1996)
A drug pusher grows increasingly desperate after a botched deal leaves him with a large debt to a ruthless drug lord.
This is very impressive debut from both director Nicolas Winding Refn and Mads Mikkelsen. It’s definitely an addition to the canon of "it only gets worse and worse for this guy and you can't believe how bad it actually gets" movies - After Hours and Uncut Gems are considered at the top of this heap. However, in those films, the main character is likable to a certain degree and you have fun balancing rooting for him and rooting for the wild ride of the movie. When a character is as unlikable as Pusher's Frank, it doesn't exactly make for a pleasant watch as you follow a horrible person through horrible circumstances.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
A socially awkward and volatile small business owner meets the love of his life after being threatened by a gang of scammers.
I hate to be that guy (I don't), but I'm not the biggest Paul Thomas Anderson fan. To be fair, when I saw Boogie Nights on 70mm at a recent repertory screening, it blew my freakin' mind and all I could think was, "I'm doing this guy and his work a total disservice by watching his movies at home." But still, after Boogie Nights, I kinda tap out.
So now that you know that Punch-Drunk Love is available for free streaming, go give it a rewatch, and come back here to tell me what I'm missing about this movie! Please! Other than Philip Seymour Hoffman - I got that part.
Grand Piano (2013)
Moments before his comeback performance, a concert pianist who suffers from stage fright discovers a note written on his music sheet.
If you liked 2024's holiday thriller Carry-On, good for you! (Gosh, I'm being such a hater in this edition of the newsletter. This is supposed to be about movies I like!) More importantly, if you like Joel Schumacher's 2003 claustrophobic thriller Phone Booth, let's be friends!
You get the idea, if you're a fan of the "bad guy yapping in the ear of the protagonist who has to accomplish specific tasks" specific sub-genre, you're in the right place! In this one, John Cusack is the guy in the ear, while Elijah Wood is the concert pianist who can't play a wrong note or he'll get sniped. The biggest surprise of all? It's written by Damien Chazelle! I guess that makes it his second-best movie!
Sanctuary (2023)
Confined to a claustrophobic hotel room, the heir to a hotel empire and the dominatrix who has primed him for success become locked in a battle of wits and wills as he tries to end his relationship with her.
I could've chosen so many different titles for the 2020s pick. Kanopy's Most-Watched Titles of 2024 include Past Lives, Anatomy of a Fall, Talk to Me, You Hurt My Feelings, Immaculate, and Blackberry, but hey, I need to save some great movies for future editions!
So instead, I'll go with this kinky two-hander between Margaret Qualley (she just gets better and better) and Christopher Abbott that's essentially just a really sexy play committed to film. It keeps you on your toes, totally upending what you know every few minutes. If you liked Babygirl, you'll like Sanctuary.
Credit: Each plot synopsis comes from Letterboxd via TMDb.