It may be a few months in to 2013, but never too late for a best of 2012 list. Did I put Wes Anderson's newest film, "Moonrise Kingdom" on my list? Did Drew put "Frankenweenie" and "Battleship" on his? Guess you'll just have to listen to find out...
It's getting near Christmas, so we though not only would we finally record a new podcast, our gift to you, but that we would also fill it with seasonal films. Which is exactly why we reviewed Looper -- a futuristic, time-travelling sci-fi film about hitmen hired to kill their future selves -- and Killing Them Softly -- a gritty, violent, hard-hitting picture centered around a New Orleans mob.So pull up a chair, warm your chestnuts, and spike your egg-nog! Christmas season is here!
Could The Dark Knight Rises really ever be the movie that everyone wanted it to be? All Nolan would have to do would be to make not only the greatest comic book movie of all time, but maybe one of the best movies in general. Well I hate to spoil things for you, but TDKR did not outdo it's predecessor, or perhaps it is even the worst of the bunch...at least to one of us. Then we thought it was a good idea to watch Lockout. I have never shared the same dislike for the French that many Americans seem to have, but if this is the kind of films they are going to make, I may jump on the wagon. To be fair, I also blame Patrick Morris, who told me it was soooo good! Patty also suggested I watch Running Scared, which I also talk about in this show.
Damn you Pat!!!
Or instead of ever watching Lockout, watch this trailer instead. We both think it looks pretty awesome.
You may not see the connection, but I believe these two movie share a common thread. To many people, Spiderman and the newest film by Wes Anderson seems like just more of the same thing that we've seen before. It would be easy to dismiss either film based on that assumption, but would you be missing out on the best example in both line of films? I guess you will just have to listen to what we have to say, ignore what we say, and make up your own mind.
A lot of revelations in this podcast, in particular Drew admits John Carter wasn't as bad as he though it would be (although it is hard to be disappointed by a film like John Carter when your expectations are so low). And speaking of expectations, Prometheus didn't meet either of ours, although we did delight in Fassbender's turn as a mostly malevolent android. But the podcast also leaves a lot of questions hanging. Who are the "engineers" in Prometheus? Did they have some greater plan in mind? Who's a better actor, Taylor Kitsch or Noomi Rapace? Why are so many of the "martians" just humans in different colored capes? And, even though it was written a 100 years ago, couldn't Carter's "super power" be more exciting than jumping real high?
Of course everyone in the world will be watching The Avengers, so our opinion is just a drop in the sea of comments about Joss Whedon's crazy successful film. Rather, enjoy learning about the Treat Williams/Joe Piscopo horror/comedy/action/buddy cop film, Dead Heat. Few movies are as bonkers as this one. Remember that time you dropped a few tabs of acid and thought you were being attack by lunch meat? All of that basically happens in Dead Heat, and I dare say that isn't even the weirdest part of the movie. It was the perfect movie to pair with one of the biggest movies of the year. Which of the two movies were better? I guess you'll just have to listen to the show. ...The Avengers was better.
What? Two podcasts in one week? I know, your dreams have finally come true. And what a podcast this one happens to be. The Whedon/Goddard penned (and long shelved) Cabin in the Woods, and the highly overlooked...............horror? film, BIRDEMIC. Shudder in terror as "eagles" dive bomb unwitting townsfolk. Laugh as a man is attacked by a unicorn. Cower as Alan Bagh delivers each and every line of dialogue. It's all here friends, all here.
Believe it or not, we originally planned on watching Wrath of the Titans.It appears as though some higher power is looking out for us, because we watched The Hunger Games instead. I can't say for certain that Wrath of the Titans was going to be a bad film, but the first Titans films was one of the worst movies Ryan and I have watched together. I know that we should be watching more bad films, but until theaters start letting us walk in for free, you are going to have to listen to reviews of movies were are actually interested in watching. I wouldn't hold you breath for a review of The Three Stooges...you might get one for The Raven.
I kept expecting a talking lion and some Christian allegory, but perhaps I was thinking of a different Chronicle. Has the "found footage" genre finally jumped the shark? Can a low budget superhero movie possibly hope to succeed in a world with $250,000,000 behemoths like John Carter out there? Can the snap of a Slim Jim be picked up on on our microphones during the show? These answers and more in the new episode.
The second part of our Academy Awards Podcast Extravaganza. How did Billy Crystal do hosting the show? Who won the coveted Best Supporting Costume and Make-up Intern award? What was the biggest surprise? Who made the best acceptance speech? All of these answers and more...
Our annual Academy Awards Pre-Game Podcast! We were joined by Courtney Felix and Chad Jewsbury to talk about our predictions and hopes for the evening to come.
So, if you DVR'd the Oscars, or just live under a rock and don't know who won yet - this podcast is perfect for you. Even if you already know who won everything, this show will still make you chuckle. Enjoy!
I know everybody is filled with fingernail-biting anticipation to hear me and Drew's favorite films of 2011, so I have placed two pics here on the page as a sort of podcast teaser. One represents a top five film for me, and one represents a top five film for Drew. I don't want to give away which is which, so I supposed you will just have to listen in...
This should have been up sooner, but you know how it is this time of year. Every free minute has to be spent catching up on nominated Oscar films. Plus if you think these shows are already too long, you should hear them before I edit out that random chatter and beer breaks. Just wait until we do the best/worst of 2011 episode...it might be 5 hours long. I will probably spend at least 2 hours talking about how much I hated Bridesmaids. For now, you will just have to enjoy this show.
This will probably be our last show of 2011. Luckily, we were able to go out on top with The Descendants and the new Mission Impossible film, which should not be confused with the terrible Commadore 64 game, Impossible Mission. Goodbye 2011, you were really full of ups and downs, and then some more downs, then really bottoming out with the The Human Centipede 2. If this show doesn't interest you, at least listen to the first 2 minutes to find out what sadly constitutes as a nightmare for me. Happy Holidays, and all that jazz.
I'd say there's a 50/50 chance you'll like troll-based "found footage" Norwegian film, Troll Hunter, but a 100% chance you will love our podcast on 50/50. HAHAHHAHAH, you see what I did there? Pure, unadulterated wit. And I'm pretty sure that's what you come here for.
Halloween is here again, and that means an episode of horror films. There are some terrifying things in this episode: creepy children, sadistic torture, Ryan sporting a mustache that would make Polanski proud. If you haven't watched any of the previous Paranormal Activity or Human Centipede films, you might not want to listen. We do spoil the plots of all the older films in setting up our conversation for the new installments. Maybe our spoiling the films will prevent you from listening to this episode. If so, I'm sorry. Perhaps in listening to this podcast you choose to avoid certain films. If so, you're welcome.
We don't want you to think that we have sold out, only doing big budget, wildly popular films, like Tree of Life. To help out our indie cred, we watched Attack the Block, a British alien invasion movie, and Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, not British, no aliens, but rather hillbillies and a twist on the horror genre. You may have to work a little harder to if you want to watch these movies, but sometimes movies are worth a little extra effort. Don't worry though, we do spend a few minutes talking about Over the Top for those people who like their movies packed with arm wrestling and Kenny Loggins music.
I know it has been a long time since we posted a show, but Ryan is just now recovering from Cowboys and Aliens. I think you will find that this show was worth the wait. Where else are you going to find out about Dream Home? Ebert? Not likely. You also get a little ape action too. This is a fine show with which to say "goodbye" to the summer. Enjoy
Blockbuster season is upon us, and we invited Amanda Trice to sit in with us to discuss one of the biggest of the summer. Stalwart leading man Brad Pitt plays the lead in “Tree of Life.” Pitt plays O’Brien, an inventor and thrill seeker. He and his estranged wife, played by Jessica Chastain, get themselves in to a number of ill-advised predicaments in this rom/com/thriller which can only be described as Inspector Gadget meets Mission Impossible. In the middle there’s some sort of hokeyness about our place in the universe, and how we deal with loss, and the nature of God, but that portion of the film is fleeting. Mostly it’s about Brad Pitt fighting dinosaurs.
After 10 years and 8 movies, the Harry Potter Saga has finally come to a close. Was the last installment everything we hoped it would be? Were the different arcs resolved as well as they were in the books? What parts of the movie made us cry? Why did Morgan sign on to be in Dolphin Tale? Come on Morgan! You were in The Shawshank Redemption! Now you are giving tailless dolphins prosthetic tails? And...Harry Connick Jr. is in it, and being in a movie with him has never helped anyone's career. Did you lose a bet? Yes, there are a great many questions that are posed in this weeks show. I can't promise that we will answer them all, but we certainly had fun making fun of Dolphin Tale.
Also joining us this week were Courtney Felix and Tyler Johnson.
