Movie Memory Machine
Movie Memory Machine is your guide to the forgotten films of the ’80s, ’90s, 2000s, and beyond. Every week, our rogue time machine drops us into a different year to revisit wide-release movies that history left behind—cult favorites, forgotten flops, and everything in between. Along the way, we uncover behind-the-scenes trivia, oddball production choices, and the cultural baggage these movies left behind. Then we decide: does this movie deserve to return to modern memory—or stay lost in time?
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Episodes
Friday Apr 26, 2024
Friday Apr 26, 2024
"Guy Ritchie tried to steal the spy movie crown, but instead we got Jason Statham in God Mode and Hugh Grant charming his way into another paycheck."
Episode Description
In this episode of Movie Memory Machine, Landen and Truman dive headfirst into Guy Ritchie's Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre—a film that somehow combines spy hijinks with NFT-level convolutions. From Jason Statham's invincible persona to Hugh Grant's unexpected charm, we unpack the movie's attempt at reinventing the suave spy archetype and debate whether it’s a slick spy thriller or just an overlong wine commercial with explosions.
Major Cast and Crew
Director: Guy Ritchie
Writers: Guy Ritchie, Ivan Atkinson, Marn Davies
Main Cast:
Jason Statham as Orson Fortune
Aubrey Plaza as Sarah Ravin
Hugh Grant as Greg Simons
Josh Hartnett as Danny Francesco
Cary Elwes as Nathan Jasmine
Bugzy Malone as JJ
Film Synopsis
After a mysterious device known as "The Handle" is stolen, freelance spy Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) is recruited to save the day alongside tech wizard Sarah Ravin (Aubrey Plaza) and Hollywood star Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett). Together, they face billionaire arms dealer Greg Simons (Hugh Grant) in a mission that involves video game logic, fine wine, and a lot of testicle abuse.
Episode Highlights
The evolution of spy films from Cary Grant's North by Northwest to Operation Fortune.
Why Jason Statham's "perfect spy" feels like he’s in God Mode.
A breakdown of Hugh Grant’s bizarrely charming arms dealer character.
A look at how wine, wit, and Aubrey Plaza steal the spotlight in a world of Jason Statham's action dominance.
A toast (and roast) of the film’s fixation on fine wines.
What’s your favorite Guy Ritchie movie, and where does Operation Fortune rank for you? Let us know in the comments or on social media!
Enjoyed the episode? Tell us what you think by leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform—we’d love to feature your thoughts in future show notes!
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Operation Fortune podcast, Guy Ritchie movies, Jason Statham spy films, Hugh Grant comedy, Cary Grant spy influence, Aubrey Plaza, spy movie reviews 2023, Movie Memory Machine podcast
Friday Apr 12, 2024
Friday Apr 12, 2024
Movie Memory Machine makes its first transmission Friday, April 26, 2024.
Subscribe now on your favorite podcatcher!
Friday Apr 05, 2024
Friday Apr 05, 2024
Coming April 26th, 2024.
Movie Memory Machine is a podcast dedicated to films that are forgotten but not gone.
Each episode the Machine will send us backward and forward through time and force us to blow the dust off a wide release film that history has forgotten.
In this trailer episode, you get to meet the captives of the Machine: Landen Celano and Truman Capps.
Join us on this adventure through the foggy ether of memory and movies!