Watch This With Rick Ramos

Latest Episodes:

#592 - Wag the Dog (1996) Barry Levinson's Political Black Comedy - WatchThisW/RickRamos Mar 17, 2026

Show notes

Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog

Nothing's Changed/Nothing's New and we learned that in 1996 with Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog. As important 30 years later as when it was released, this week Mr. Chavez & I sit down to understand a film that predicted its own time (being released a few weeks before The Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky White House Scandal would break), but is also a simpler and almost quaint version of Epstein, Donald Trump, and Ol' Billy Jeff returning to relevance. A Sex Scandal covered up by a Manufactured War, revealing the spin doctoring and propaganda that fuels every election, Wag the Dog is the rare film that grows bolder and more prescient as years pass and facts fight to be discovered. Featuring great performances from Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman (hilarious, exaggerated, and on point), and a supporting cast including Anne Heche, Willie Nelson, Denis Leary, William H. Macy, and a ridiculously unhinged Woody Harrelson, Wag the Dog has volumes to say about our government, The White House, political parties, and the lying, cheating bastards that run the machine. Take a listen for a fun and enlightening conversation. As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com - Many, Many Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

#591 - Arrival (2016) Alien Political Sci-Fi - WatchThis W/RickRamos Mar 10, 2026

Show notes

Denis Villeneuve's Arrival

Since the beginning of this new century Popular Cinema has become increasingly obvious and simplistic. It is rare that a major studio will take a chance with "challenging, thought-provoking" material. In 2016 Denis Villeneuve would adapt Tony Chiang's 1998 novella "Story of Your Life" with a beautifully executed non-linear narrative. A sci-fi drama incorporating alien contact, geopolitics, diplomacy, and the perception of time, Villeneuve's film is a powerful and optimistic take on a genre that is often driven by pessimism and hopelessness. What could have easily been an overly formulaic bore is instead an intellectually demanding and cinematically rewarding experience that was recognized as one of the best pictures of 2016. Featuring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and - the always reliable - Forrest Whitaker, Arrival is a gift to the starved cineaste. As always, you can reach us at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many, Many Thanks.

#590 - Tokyo Story: Ozu's Post-War Family Drama - WatchThis W/RickRamos Mar 04, 2026

Show notes

Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story

Recognized as "The Greatest Film of All Time" in the 2012 Sight and Sound Magazine poll, Yasujiro Ozu's 1953 masterpiece is a quiet, contemplative examination of generational conflict, modernization, and aging in Post-War Japan. Masterfully directed and beautifully acted by Ozu's stock company, including Chishū Ryū and Setsuko Hara, Tokyo Story is arguably the greatest film in Ozu's ouvreau and one of the most powerful examples of slow cinema. A minimalist masterpiece that few directors have attempted to emulate, Ozu is a director that all cineastes eventually arrive at and - often. - find themselves unable to forget. This is a beautiful film that we are thrilled to bring to you. Take a listen and let us know what you think. As always we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many, Many Thanks.

#589 - Eyes Wide Shut: Kubrick, Epstein, & Conspiracy - WatchThis W/RickRamos Feb 24, 2026

Show notes

Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut

In 1999 filmmaker Stanley Kubrick would shoot his final cinematic statement. Adapting a 1926 Freudian novella, Kubrick would (seemingly) explore the dark mysteries of sexual trafficking, secret societies, infidelity, and the paranoia inherent in all of it. A Psycho-Sexual Drama centered around a Masked Ball Orgy and images that would haunt the minds of popular culture, Kubrick's Final Film is troubling, but not for the reasons one may think. Heralded as his "Final Masterpiece" upon its release, Eyes Wide Shut has become far more relevant in the 27 years since its debut. The controversy surrounding Jeffrey Epstein has forged new relevance for Kubrick's swan song, presenting a narrative that far too many film, political, and social critics have latched onto with a misplaced fervor. Celebrated for the light it shines on the powers that control this world, the depravity of their sexual practices, and the honesty Kubrick is credited with exposing, the film is - in actuality - an obvious and simplistic handling of the material.

This week Mr. Chavez & I examine Eyes Wide Shut with a focus on on the reality of Jeffrey Epstein, The Epstein Files, National & International Politics, Wealth, and the Ruling Classes. Take a listen for, yet, another discussion of this troubling narrative.

Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Our Continued Thanks.

#588 - Saló, or The 120 Days of Sodom (1975) - Italian Fascist Abuse Film - WatchThis W/RickRamos Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

Pier Paolo Pasolini's Saló, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)

For most serious cineastes, Pier Paolo Pasolini's Saló, or the 120 Days of Sodom is a bridge that we all arive at and struggle with crossing; a cinematic rite of passage that challenges each of our ideas of art. Is Pasolini's final film - an interpretation of the Marquis de Sade's The 120 Days of Sodom - A Political Critique exploring Fascism and Fascist Abuse or simply an opportunistic and transgressive exploitation piece designed to simply shock without artistic merit? Fifty-one years later, audiences continue to be disgusted, angered, confused, excited, and polarized by a film that many consider a masterpiece of Italian Cinema. This week Mr. Chavez & I struggle with these same reactions as we watch this film in the long shadow of a 2026 rife with controversy: ICE, The Epstein Files, Murder, Political Lies & Propaganda and - of course - the heavy and hateful hand of the Trump Administration and its Leader. Take a listen and ask yourself how you truly feel about these issues. As always we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many, Many Thanks.

#587 - Modern Times (1936) Chaplin's Industrial Class Struggle - WatchThis W/RickRamos Feb 09, 2026

Show notes

Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times

In 1936 Charlie Chaplin (arguably the most iconic figure of Silent Films) would produce his final (mostly) silent masterpiece, Modern Times. This week Mr. Chavez & I continue our look at Cinema that challenges the status quo, with a film that examines the de-humanizing drive of capitalism to push profit over people and the subsequent endurance of the individual to survive all of it . Modern Times is a beautifully realized film that was born out of the imagination of a filmmaker whose own background ensures the honesty of the narrative. Modern Times is both funny and heartbreaking, honest and thought-provoking. Chaplin's final masterpiece (in this reviewer's opinion) is as relevant today as it has ever been. It's time we take a look at a brutal statement delivered to us in a manner that slowly works its way into our psyche and forces us to see that today's struggles are anything but new. Take a listen and let us know what you think. As always we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many, Many Thanks.

#586 - Metropolis (1927): Silent German Sci-Fi - WatchThis W/RickRamos Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

Fritz Lang's Metropolis

In 1927 Cinema was still in its relative infancy. The great German auteur, Fritz Lang would revolutionize the film industry with his first masterpiece, Metropolis. Nearly eleven years earlier D.W. Griffith had established the "grammar of cinema" with his epic masterpiece, The Birth of a Nation. The subsequent decade would showcase spectacles (Ben-Hur, Intolerance), comedies (The Gold Rush, The General), and dramatic classics (Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, The Last Laugh). Cinematic Science Fiction would be attempted as early as 1902 with Melie's A Voyage to the Moon, however it would take nearly a quarter of a century for Sci-Fi to reveal its technical brilliance and possibilities with Lang's masterpiece. While an incredibly innovative, beautiful, and groundbreaking film, Lang's narrative (from a treatment and screenplay by his wife and artistic partner, Thea von Harbou), continues - or is the beginning - of the lazy and apologetic "White Savior" cinematic trope that has continued from Lawrence of Arabia thru Dances with Wolves, and most recently, Avatar and Dune. This week Mr. Chavez & I go back to the argument that we have made before and will continue to make regarding this insulting and problemtic cinematic trope. Each generation seems to want to tell its own version of this story without recognizing the inherent hypocrisy of a society and culture victimized by the elite while simultaneously needing to be saved by a blonde-haired, blue-eyed messiah (in this case a billionaire suddenly aware of his "mediator destiny" and responsibility to his "brothers"). Yes, we recognize the technical and production brilliance of this film, while at the same time being unable to ignore (or excuse) the obvious and insulting simplicity of its narrative. It is possible to simultaneoulsy admire and take issue with a work of art. Take a listen and ask yourself if you agree. Let us know what you think. As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com - Many, Many Thanks.

#585 - Manchurian Candidate (2004): Brainwashing Denzel Washington - WatchThis W/RickRamos Jan 27, 2026

Show notes

Remakes, Re-Imaginings, Expansions. In 2004 Director Jonathan Demme would explore the world of Politics, Espionage, and Cold War Brainwashing with a new and novel take on John Frankenheimer's 1962 Cold War Classic The Manchurian Candidate. Demme would expand and manipulate Richard Condon's source material (a best-selling novel from 1959), replacing the Korean Conflict with an updated Persian Gulf - and a replacement of Soviet and Chinese Communist manipulation with International Global Corporations holding the strings. Demme's update would be both more timely, relevant, frightening, and - somehow - reveal the problems with both films (at least in the mind of one of your hosts). This week Mr. Chavez & I discuss this very important film, its predecessor and its relevance in the current global environment. We discuss great performances from Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, and - a criminally underused - Meryl Streep. Take a listen and decide for yourself if we are correct, misguided, missing the point, or if we don't go far enough with our assessments. We'd love to hear from you - gondoramos@yahoo.com - Many, Many Thanks.

#584 - The Manchurian Candidate (1962): Cold War Politics and Mind Control - WatchThis W/RickRamos Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

John Frankenheimer's The Manchurian Candidate

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Mr. Chavez & I sit down to discuss a classic of Cold War, Political Cinema, John Frankenheimer's groundbreaking 1962 The Manchurian Candidate. Based on the 1959 novel by Richard Condon, Frankenheimer's film would captivate audiences with a paranoid and chilling story of American soldiers brain-washed by Soviet and North Korean intelligence agencies to act as hypnotized robots. There are aspects of the film that are certainly far-fetched, however the core of the story is very real and a credible warning in its depiction of national and international struggles for power. As always, Mr. Chavez & I look at the film in the broader context of the world it depicts. There is a great deal to discuss here as well as the comparison/contrast that we will undertake when we discuss Jonathan Demme's 2004 re-interpreation in our next episode. It's a fun and exciting talk concerning one of our favorite topics. Take a listen and let us know what you think. As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com - Our Continued Thanks.

#583 - Tetsuo: The Iron Man - Body Horror Japan - WatchThis W/RickRamos Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

Shinya Tsukamoto's Tetsuo: The Iron Man

2026 finds us digging into the Beautiful, Strange, and Challenging filmography of auteurs unafraid of being misunderstood or the offensive nature of the stories and images they deliver. It would be difficult to find a film that challenges it audience more than Shinya Tsukamoto's 1989 Cyber-Punk Classic Tetsuo: The Iron Man. There is no simple way to describe this film, except that it is an over-powering assault on the mind. What Tsukamoto achieves is unlike anything else you will find in popular cinema, but also cult cinema, midnight movies, or experimental films. A commentary on capitalism, workforce, the poor, middle, and upper classes, and - finally - the human spirit. This is an incredible film that magnifies the struggles of the human experience, doing so with a production design that leans into the limited budget available to its director. A Powerful Film, unlike anything else on celluloid, Tetsuo: The Iron Man is an incredible achievement that rewards its audience in the most beautifully realized way. Take a listen and let us know what you think - gondoramos@yahoo.com - Many, Many Thanks.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Watch This With Rick Ramos

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected