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Lass is More with Josh Lasser

Focusing on the media, "Lass is More" sits down with the individuals who make the movies and shows that people are, or will be, talking about. The things we watch are not created in a vacuum, but rather as responses to far larger thoughts and issues. From why someone took a role to what it means to them to where they’re going next, we put the pieces of the puzzle together. The "Lass is More" podcast gets to the core of the issue, offering perspective on both the people involved in a project, and the project itself.
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Lass is More with Josh Lasser
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Now displaying: 2016
Dec 20, 2016

The Frank Capra classic has been released to blu-ray once more and the transfer is certainly better than the one Josh has on DVD from 15 years ago.  It is a movie that Josh watches every year and which continually impresses him.  This year, however, he may have found new resonance in the tale's message.

 

 

audio clip credit: Paramount Home Entertainment

Dec 6, 2016

This week's podcast discusses two upcoming DVD/Blu-ray releases, one of which has caused Josh to go vaguely apoplectic.  Listen as he offers up a political note which, all things being equal, he'd rather avoid having to give.

But, what if the movie that caused this political anger wasn't the one about Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson?  What if it was the one where Meryl Streep pretends like she can't sing?

Nov 29, 2016

How do we pull ourselves out of our every day lives and every day problems?  How do we go to sleep after staying up too late to buy tickets to a movie and having that process not go brilliantly?  

The super-peppy "Secret Life of Pets" may not help calm one down, but it certainly removes the drudgery of every day life.

Nov 22, 2016

Alan Eustace decided that he was going to take a balloon into the stratosphere, detach himself from it, and plummet to Earth.  Now, he didn't just decide to do it, he actually did it and lived to tell the tale.

Today, Eustace is here to promote "14 Minutes from Earth," the documentary that delves into the jump, how it came to together, and how Eustace was able to survive such an incredible plummet.

Nov 15, 2016

This year has featured an inordinate number of sequels for films that are a decade, or more, old.  Some of these movies feel like bits of crass commercialism intended to do nothing more than make a buck off of nostalgia.  Others, however, are genuinely enjoyable.

Case in point: "Finding Dory."

Nov 8, 2016

The lead characters in "Morris from America" and "Bad Moms" both make decisions to walk off the proverbial cliff -- to deviate from that which is acceptable, in pursuit of something different.  

Today's podcast brings those decisions into stark relief, including looking at the ramifications of them.  Minor spoilers, major fun.

Nov 1, 2016

"Star Trek Beyond" follows on the heels of "Into Darkness," a not very good entry in the franchise.  Does the new film, helmed by Justin Lin, return to form or does it indicate a potential death spiral for this new crew?

Oct 25, 2016

There are movies that purport to impart a message, that supposedly want to offer up some sort of meaning as they close, something for the audience to walk away having learned.  But, what of the movies like "Nerve," where the filmmakers only claim to have a message, but actually don't?

Oct 18, 2016

"Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" is a classic, an utter classic, and the newly restored Blu-ray is a solid (but not perfect) effort.  Why though does Frank Capra hate New York?  Why does he hate all cities?  Why are the only nice places small towns whose name ends in "Falls?"  

This week, "Lass is More" both celebrates and laments.

Oct 11, 2016

Is "Shin Godzilla" a horror movie?  Is "The Thing?"  What is it that defines horror and is that the same as what makes a movie truly scary?

This week, we look at two maybe-horror movies, see where they fit the tropes, where they differ, and try to draw some conclusions. 

Sep 27, 2016

We don't always know what we're looking for in this world, but with any luck we know when we find it.  In "Beauty and the Beast," Belle wants nothing more than adventure, while Ricky Baker in "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" just wants a family who loves him.  Interestingly, by looking for one, each finds the other.

Sep 20, 2016

The movie "Warcraft" does so many things right.  It looks gorgeous.  It offers an epic scale.  It offers a brilliant world (or worlds, really).  And yet, it is not a good movie.  Why?  Because it utterly fails in the story department, offering up the worst sort of videogame cutscene storytelling.

Sep 13, 2016

Josh watched a lot of television when he was younger.  A lot of television.  

Some of the best days were snow days and various holidays when he was able to sit there in front of the TV for the day and absorb it in all its glory.  Oh, he didn't just watch TV though, he watched movies as well, and now he's figured out just why sitting there for days in front of the TV is so important.

Sep 6, 2016

Some in our society would choose to denigrate experts; choose to deride genius.  It is part of a strain of anti-intellectualism which we should all fight against, but that isn't to say that all genius is equal.

The very way in which we depict genius in films differs greatly as well -- look no further than "Now You See Me 2" and "Genius" for two exceptionally different viewpoints.

Aug 30, 2016

Sequels and remakes and reboots are favorite targets when people look to find a cause of box office woes and lackluster audience sentiment, but we think that to be off the mark.  

What if the true cause of box office woe was... quality.  Look no further than the updated, live action, "Jungle Book" to see just how a good movie can succeed.

Aug 23, 2016

"Stand and Deliver" is the gold standard of movies focused on the math student-teacher relationship.  The classic film finds that it has a lot in common with a new one, "The Man who Knew Infinity."  This week, we look at how the latter compares to the former.

Welcome to our greater than-less than back-to-school comparison episode!

Aug 16, 2016

Director Josh Bishop and his latest subject, Stefan Pokorny join our Josh today to talk about their collaboration, "The Dwarvenaut."  The documentary is all about Pokorny, his life, and his work building miniature gaming terrain to aid D&D players.

 

Aug 9, 2016

Earlier this year, the final film from director Garry Marshall arrived on the big screen.  At the time, of course, no one knew that it would be his last.  Now, that movie, "Mother's Day," is out on Blu-ray.  This week, Josh takes a look at the movie to see if it really is as bad as the reviews suggest.

 

 

Jul 26, 2016

Is Phoebe Buffay's explanation of coupling as it relates to lobsters one of the single greatest moments in sitcom history?  

Who knows, all we can say for certain is that her thing about lobsters mating for life greatly affected Josh's perception of the film, "The Lobster," and we wonder if it does the same for you.

Jul 19, 2016

Nostalgia is a funny thing -- it makes us want that which was never very good in the first place.  Consider the fact that I used to tape six hours of B-movies on Friday and Saturday nights because there was nothing good on at other times.

Of course, it introduced me to the wonders of "Return of the Living Dead," "The Toxic Avenger," and more.  How do people find such movies these days?

Jul 12, 2016

"Everybody Wants Some!!" and "Elvis & Nixon" are two period pieces that focus very heavily on music.  In fact, "Everybody Wants Some!!" might not exist without its fantastic soundtrack where as "Elvis & Nixon" does something entirely different than one might expect from such a film.  What exactly?  Oh, you'll just have to listen to find out.

Jun 28, 2016

There is a moment when a bad movie becomes a good one, when the horror of the ridiculous plot or dialogue or acting or whatever turns from being a negative to a positive.  That exact point is ill-defined, but on today's podcast we look at a new movie which manages to make that pivot.

Jun 21, 2016

There is fantasy and there is reality and they are two separate and distinct things... or are they.  Does one bleed into another?  Can one will fantasy into reality?  Can fantasy turn into reality despite one's wishes?  

On the surface, "Hello, My Name is Doris" and "10 Cloverfield Lane" seem like completely opposite sorts of films, but there just may be more to them than meets the eye.

Jun 14, 2016

What is it to be a part of a genre?  Well, to some extent, it is an easy way for folks to classify your movie.  But, if you ask us, some of the best movies broaden the definition--or our expectations--of a genre.

Today, "Lass is More" looks at two such movies -- movies which, while animated, prove that animation can be more than silly "kids' stuff."

Jun 7, 2016

In this episode we have a great discussion with Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, the director of a new film starring Nick Jonas, "Careful What you Wish for."  Our website, The TV and Film Guy's Reviews also offers up one bonus follow-up question and answer from Rosenbaum.  

As Rosenbaum's movie is a genre update we also include a bit of discussion on "Triple 9" and "13 Hours" in the podcast and on the site as those two are also examples of genre updates (one successful, one not).

 

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