Great Movies Under 90 Minutes

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour: "Great Movies Under 90 Minutes" - Episode Summary

Release Date: December 3, 2024

In this engaging episode of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, hosts Linda Holmes and Glen Weldon, alongside longtime contributor Bilal Qureshi, delve into the art of concise storytelling by recommending three exceptional films, each clocking in under 90 minutes. The discussion highlights how brevity can amplify narrative impact, offering listeners a curated selection of short yet powerful cinematic experiences.

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Introduction: The Challenge of Time-Constrained Viewing

Linda Holmes opens the conversation by posing a relatable dilemma: balancing the demands of work, family, and personal life while finding time to watch a good movie. She asks, “What do you do when you need a good movie but you don't have much time? You’ve got work, family, pets, friends. How are you going to fit in a film?” [00:22]

Glen Weldon responds with a straightforward solution: opting for shorter films that deliver substantial content without requiring a significant time investment. “The answer is that you find a short one. And there are plenty of films that deliver a lot of punch without taking up your whole damn day,” he asserts [00:30].

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Movie Recommendations

1. Run Lola Run (1998)

Presenter: Glen Weldon
Timestamp: [03:05]

Glen introduces "Run Lola Run," a German film directed by Tom Tykwer, renowned for its innovative exploration of time and its dynamic storytelling within an 80-minute runtime. He shares his personal connection to the film, recalling, “I saw it when I was, I think 16 and it made me think, wow, movies with subtitles can be really cool” [03:05]. Glen praises its kinetic energy and visual design, emphasizing its compelling electronica soundtrack and the protagonist’s relentless pursuit to save her boyfriend, encapsulated in three 20-minute runs through Berlin.

Linda Holmes adds her appreciation for the film's real-time narrative structure. “This one is so much fun and kinetic and great and so beautifully designed,” she remarks [04:56]. She highlights the film's ability to maintain a tight, engaging pace, making it a perfect choice for viewers with limited time.

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2. Attack the Block (2011)

Presenter: Glen Weldon
Timestamp: [05:28]

Glen selects "Attack the Block," a British sci-fi comedy thriller directed by Joe Cornish. Running 88 minutes, the film is set on Guy Fawkes Night in South London, where a group of Black youths confront alien invaders. He lauds the film’s efficiency and rich character development within its concise timeframe. “The remarkable thing about this film is how much characterization Cornish kind of shoves into an hour and 28 minutes,” Glen explains [05:28].

He delves into the film’s social commentary, particularly its portrayal of systemic oppression and racial tensions. Glen observes, “Government probably bred those creatures to kill black boys... they decided to speed up the process” [07:36]. The inclusion of John Boyega in his debut role adds an extra layer of charm and charisma, making the film both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Linda Holmes expresses her excitement to watch "Attack the Block," appreciating its compact storytelling and the opportunity to see Boyega in a groundbreaking role. “I'm so excited to watch it... it has especially Boyega, who I know I love, just waiting for me to watch it,” she enthuses [07:42].

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3. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Presenter: Linda Holmes
Timestamp: [05:47]

Linda presents "This Is Spinal Tap," a seminal mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner. At 82 minutes, the film satirizes the rock music industry through the fictitious band Spinal Tap. She praises its bone-dry humor and understated satire, noting, “They are never pointing at the comedy, which is what I love about it” [05:47]. Linda emphasizes the film’s authenticity and efficient use of time, stating, “the worst thing that can happen to it is that it goes on too long” [10:55].

She highlights the film’s influence on American comedy and its pioneering role in the mockumentary genre. Linda underscores the importance of understanding the subject matter to effectively satirize it, “to make fun of something efficiently, you have to understand it” [07:47]. The understated performances and naturalistic dialogue contribute to the film's enduring appeal, making it a timeless classic.

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Insights and Discussions

Throughout the episode, the hosts engage in a thoughtful dialogue about the merits of shorter films versus long-form television series. Glen Weldon reflects on the modern preference for extended TV narratives, expressing a yearning for the efficiency and satisfaction inherent in shorter films: “I think I still like movies... because it has almost all of Berlin contained in this film at that time. And all these characters and these stories, just a lot of feelings” [10:55].

Linda Holmes adds a light-hearted note, humorously contemplating longer formats: “I'll tell you what I think is funny. I could also do a show that is my favorite movies that are over three hours long. It just depends on the thing” [11:57]. Both hosts agree that the chosen films exemplify how concise runtimes can enhance storytelling by necessitating focused narratives and deep character development.

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Conclusion: Celebrating Concise Storytelling

As the episode draws to a close, the hosts reiterate the value of efficiency in filmmaking. They emphasize that impactful storytelling does not require extensive runtimes, but rather, a keen understanding of narrative mechanics and character development. Linda Holmes concludes with an invitation for listeners to share their favorite short films, while Glen Weldon reflects on the enduring appeal of movies that manage to "pack in story, characters, people, faces" within a limited timeframe [12:42].

The episode successfully showcases three diverse films—Run Lola Run, Attack the Block, and This Is Spinal Tap—each demonstrating how brevity can coexist with depth and entertainment. Listeners are left with a curated list of must-watch short films that promise rich experiences without demanding significant time commitments.

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Notable Quotes:

• Linda Holmes [00:22]: “What do you do when you need a good movie but you don't have much time?”
• Glen Weldon [00:30]: “The answer is that you find a short one. And there are plenty of films that deliver a lot of punch without taking up your whole damn day.”
• Glen Weldon [03:05]: “It's about what you can achieve in 80 minutes. And it's one of my absolute favorite movies.”
• Glen Weldon [05:28]: “The remarkable thing about this film is how much characterization Cornish kind of shoves into an hour and 28 minutes.”
• Linda Holmes [05:47]: “They are never pointing at the comedy, which is what I love about it.”
• Glen Weldon [10:55]: “I like the idea of efficiency in a time when that seems like it's disappeared.”
• Linda Holmes [11:57]: “There's no right length for a movie. There's no right length for a book. It just depends on what the individual form is.”

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This episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour serves as a testament to the enduring power of succinct storytelling in cinema, providing listeners with insightful recommendations and fostering an appreciation for films that make every minute count.

Transcript

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[Linda Holmes]

What do you do when you need a good movie but you don't have much time? You've got work, family, pets, friends. How are you going to fit in a film?

[Glen Weldon]

The answer is that you find a short one. And there are plenty of films that deliver a lot of punch without taking up your whole damn day. I'm Glen Weldon.

[Linda Holmes]

And I'm Linda Holmes. Today we're recommending three movies under 90 minutes on Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR, so don't go away.

[Bilal Qureshi]

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[Linda Holmes]

Welcome back. You just met Glenn Weldon of the NPR Arts Desk. Also with us, longtime NPR contributor and culture writer Bilal Qureshi. Welcome back Bilal.

[Glen Weldon]

Hi Linda, and thank you for having me.

[Linda Holmes]

Absolutely. So we are doing, as I said, a compact show. We are trying to Move through a couple of films that we can recommend that are under 90 minutes. That's the rule that we set. Bilal, what did you pick to recommend?

[Glen Weldon]

Well, as soon as this prompt came through, I have to say I had an immediate reaction, which was Run Lola Run, the German film from 1998. 99 that came out in the States. In 99 it's 80 minutes, so a very crisp 10 minutes under your 90 minute given time period. And it's actually a movie about time. So it's about what you can achieve in 80 minutes. And it's one of my absolute favorite movies. And I think that when people think of world cinema, it sort of feels like a very pretentious, annoying idea. Subtitled, you know, movies from Germany. This was a movie that I saw when I was, I think 16 and it made me think, wow, movies with subtitles can be really cool. And this movie to me is one of the coolest films I've ever seen. And happy to talk more about sort of the plot too, but let's just say it explains a girl with red hair trying to save her boyfriend's life by running through Berlin with a 20 minute clock down three times over and set to the most amazing electronica soundtrack. And when I think about Renault Laurent, it's like Tom Tickford, who directed it, who went on to collaborate with the Wachowski sisters on the very dubious Cloud Atlas. But the Matrix and Renlo La Ronde both came out in 1999 around the same time. And I remember it because it was like these movies, just like I still think about them and there was so much packed into their running length and just like nothing you've ever seen. And honestly, I rewatched it in anticipation of this conversation and it's still one of my favorite movies.

Yeah, I watched it for the first time last night. You know why? Because I had time. Because I rewatched my film and then it was 9:30 and I thought, oh, I can watch another whole movie. And I did, and I'd never seen it before. Really tight, yet loose. There's a shagginess to it that's really pleasing. And her boyfriend is no gift.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah, yeah, I like this one because I like a film that plays around with time. And as Bilal mentioned, it's sort of a real time kind of thing. And I think those things are often really fun because most films and TV shows are really kind of spread out. They take place over the course of a year or five years or 10 years. I like a movie that's sort of in real time like this. So I like this movie too. This one is so much fun and kinetic and great and so beautifully designed. Yeah, love this one. Great pick. All right, Glenn Weldon, what is your pick for a movie under 90 minutes?

[Glen Weldon]

All right. Clocking in at a lean, propulsive, and I would say, ruthlessly efficient 1 hour and 28 minutes. The 2011 British Sci Fi comedy thriller horror social critique called Attack the Block is my pick. It's the debut feature of Joe Cornish, who wrote and directed it. It all takes place on one night, Guy Fawkes night on a council estate in South London. There's this group of black kids who fancy themselves gangsters, but that remains to be seen. They're a little sweet, they're a little soft. They're led by Moses, who's played by John Boyega in his very first feature role. That character doesn't say much and he's very serious, kind of a grump. But Boy Boyega is just Boyega. He's so incredibly charming and charismatic. The film starts off when they mug a nurse who is played by Jodie Whitaker. A monster the size of a small dog falls from the sky. The kids dispatch it, and then much bigger, much more scary monsters come after that. You know, I said at the top that it was efficient. When you ask a screenwriter what that means, they'll say, well, it's every character moment, every emotional beat moves the story forward. And I guess that's true. But the remarkable thing about this film is how much characterization Cornish kind of shoves into an hour and 28 minutes. We get to know each one of these kids and they're like, there's like five of them. The aliens are incredibly well designed. Their fur seems to absorb light. They're completely like matte black, but they have these glowing green teeth. Mostly, though, this film just moves the scene where we get the explanation of what's going on. You know, the scientific explanation, which is the deadliest scene in any sci fi film, stops things dead. I counted 28 seconds. And the way the characters interact with the police feels kind of strangely relevant today. There's a moment when Whitaker's character just says, you know, we should call the police. And they give her this very brief but very withering look. And then they just go on with the film. Government probably bred those creatures to kill black boys. First they sent drugs to the ends, then they sent guns. Now they sent monsters to get us. They don't care, man. We ain't killing each other fast enough. So they decided to speed up the process.

[Linda Holmes]

Believe.

[Glen Weldon]

So that's Attack the Block is my pick. It's so fun.

[Linda Holmes]

You know, I realized when I saw this as your pick that I haven't. I've never seen it.

[Glen Weldon]

Oh, it's good.

[Linda Holmes]

And my first thought was, like, I'm so excited to watch it, because it's one of those that's been on my list of I gotta watch this for a really long time, and I've just never got to it. And I'm like, oh, here's a nice short, compact movie that's sitting there with particularly Boyega, who I know I love, just waiting for me to watch it. I'm so excited. So my pick for a movie under 90 minutes is also one that I think of as a classic. And it comes. Mine's the oldest of the ones that we chose. It's from 1984, 82 minutes long. It is Rob Reiners and, Of course, Michael McKeon and Christopher Guest and Harry Shearers. This is Spinal Tap. There was a time when mock documentaries were not as common as they are now. This is certainly not the first. First mock documentary by any means, but it is one of the ones that I think really introduced it to American comedy audiences as a form that had a lot of potential to kind of do very, very, very dry satire. And that's what I love about this, is how it's just bone dry. And I think because of the form, because of the documentary form and also because of the acting styles of the people who are in it, they are never pointing at the comedy, which is what I love about it. They say things kind of under their breath. And some of the classic moments when they're talking about, for example, their Stonehenge stage set and stuff like that, it's all sort of understated in this weird way where everything's very matter of fact. This is before Christopher Guest kind of branched off and started doing his whole kind of set of mock documentaries with his kind of very particular repertory company. And, you know, look, I'm not the first person to say this. I won't be the last person to say this, but it is a great lesson in the fact that to make fun of something efficiently, you have to understand it. You can't have so much distance from it that you hold it in obvious contempt. That causes you to not know it real well. That's true. If you're satirizing romance, romantic comedies, action movies, no matter what, you're sort of teasing, you have to know your stuff. And this is one of those movies where this band could so almost be a real band. Like the Skew is so modest and careful that that is what I have always really loved about it. And I will say, a movie like this, the worst thing that can happen to it is that it goes on too long. That is why almost every Saturday Night Live sketch in the history of Saturday Night Live has been too long. That is one of the reasons why I so appreciate the fact that they get in, they get out, that's it. And then everybody goes home and you feel kind of satisfied. And please, there are a million people that you love who pop up in this movie as well. I would say some of whom were not as famous then as they are now. So just take a deep breath. Sit down. This is Spinal Tap. I'm not going to vouch for every single bit of humor in any movie from 1984. It's a long time ago, but I think there is still a lot in there that makes me laugh and that is worth appreciating.

[Glen Weldon]

You just used the word efficient, and I think Glenn did as well. And I have to say that that is something that I find myself also craving so much now because I've been trying to keep up with a lot of the TV series that win all the awards. And I know long form is very much what we're all in the mood for now. And for me, it's often very mixed results. Like, sometimes I feel like, could this show have ended four episodes ago? I might have been fine with that. And I found that, you know, to me, this exercise also really reminded me of how much, like both of you said, you can pack in story, characters, people, faces, and if you actually really embrace that challenge. And that's why I think I still like movies. And maybe there could be a one episode show once in a while. I would totally sign up for that. A show could be contained in one episode. But Run la la Run to me is. That's the. That's the reason I keep coming back to it, because it has almost all of Berlin contained in this film at that time. And all these characters and these stories, just a lot of feelings. So, I don't know. I like the idea of efficiency in a time when that seems like it's disappeared.

[Linda Holmes]

I'll tell you what I think is funny. I could also do a show that is my favorite movies that are over three hours long. It just depends on the thing. There's no right length for a movie. There's no right length for a book. It just depends on what the individual form is. And I think all of these are good examples of people who made good use of a nice compact fit. So tell us your favorite movies under 90 minutes. Find us at facebook.com PCHH that brings us to the end of our show. Thank you both for being here.

[Glen Weldon]

Thank you, thank you for having us.

[Linda Holmes]

And of course, thank you for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. If you have a second, subscribe to our newsletter. It's at npr.org popculture newsletter. We will see you all back here next time.

[Bilal Qureshi]

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