Episode 216 begins our pairing in honor of comedy legend Carl Reiner, who passed away on June 29th, 2020. The first film in the pairing is a feat of technical brilliance and comedy genius that sends up classic film noir in a way different from any other, in 1982's "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid!" Directed by Reiner, written by Reiner, George Gipe, and Steve Martin, the film follows Martin as hardboiled private dick Rigby Reardon, about to head out on vacation when he meets Juliet Forrest, played by Rachel Ward. Forrest hires Reardon to find her father whom she fears dead, but that's just the start of the story! Featuring clips from nineteen other classic film noir movies, this is a blending of past and present that reveals the true genius in the writing, directing, cinematography, editing, and acting that this film has to offer! Also starting Reiner and veteran character actor Reni Santoni, who also recently passed away, this is a comedic package sure to please discerning fans of funny, whether you're also a fan of film noir or not!

Episode 215 is, perhaps, one of the finest films ever made, and one of the most impactful. Finishing our Films You Should Definitely See Once, we turn to 1993's "Schindler's List." Directed by Stephen Spielberg, with a screenplay by Steven Zaillian based on the book by Thomas Keneally, this film details the real life of Oskar Schindler, a German entrepreneur during World War II who became an unlikely hero to the 1,200 Jewish prisoners he employed in his factories. Schindler (Liam Neeson) brings Jewish prisoner Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley) into his business as his bookkeeper to help him rescue Jewish prisoners from the Holocaust by employing them in his metalworking factory. He meets Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes) who is in charge of the camp the Jewish prisoners are incarcerated in. Slowly, Schindler's factory gains a reputation as a haven, somewhere where workers aren't abused or killed. As the war goes on, and the atrocities continue, Schindler begins to see that his haven may just be his chance to help change the lives of so many unfortunate victims of the Third Reich. Make sure you watch to the very end! Plus, the trio reveal which films they're going to review in the next pairing as a tribute to Carl Reiner!
Episode 214 begins our pairing of Films You Should Definitely See Once with 1986's Oliver Stone vehicle, "Platoon." Directed and written by Stone, the film stars Charlie Sheen as Chris Taylor, a soldier in the infantry newly cycled into Vietnam during the war. His troop includes Tom Berenger as Sgt. Barnes, Willem Dafoe as Sgt. Elias, John C. McGinley as Sgt. O'Neill, Keith David as King, Forest Whitaker as Big Harold, Francesco Quinn as Rhah, Kevin Dillon as Bunny, Reggie Johnson as Junior, Corey Glover as Lt. Wolfe, Johnny Depp as Lerner, and Tony Todd as Warren. The film follows Chris through three different time-periods during his "365 and a wakeup" in Vietnam, and his gradual loss of innocence throughout the year as well as the transformation he undergoes. An incredibly powerful film, based on Oliver Stone's actual experiences as an infantryman during the Vietnam war.
Acclaimed director, writer, and producer Joel Schumacher passed away on June 22nd, 2020, so this is the second part of our pairing in tribute to him. For Episode 213, it's a story of racial justice and injustice in the deep south in 1996's "A Time to Kill." Based on a controversial John Grisham novel, Jake Tyler Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) is a lawyer in Mississippi, trying to keep his firm afloat after his mentor, Lucian Wilbanks (Donald Sutherland) was removed from the Bar. With office manager Ethel (Brenda Fricker) and his friend and shady divorce lawyer Harry Rex Vonner (Oliver Platt), he's just trying to keep the lights on. But after Carl Lee Hailey's (Samuel L. Jackson) daughter is raped, abused, and almost lynched, and Carl takes the law into his own hands, Jake may be his only hope. And he finds help going up against C. A. Rufus Buckley (Kevin Spacey) and cantankerous Judge Omar Noose (Patrick McGoohan) in the form of idealistic, genius law student Ellen Roark (Sandra Bullock). But amidst and against the rampant racism and violence of Mississippi, do Brigance and associates have any hope of sparing Carl the death penalty? The film also features Charles S. Dutton, Kiefer Stutherland, Ashley Judd, Chris Cooper, Kurtwood Smith, and the final big-screen appearance of Joe Seneca! Plus, the trio announce the names of the next two films in a pairing they're calling "Movies you only ever need to see once!"

