On today's podcast we discuss the new documentary, which can currently be found on the Discovery Channel, "Apocalypse '45." Erik Nelson, the director, is here to tell us about getting the footage, restoring the footage, interviewing service members, and the all-important role of the director.
A new movie opening in theaters shouldn't be a very big deal, especially when what we're talking about is just a generic movie opening. However, everything in 2020 is a big deal and that's because, just like the title of the movie we're going to talk about today, one of the two major political parties is "Unhinged."
There are some films which exist as streaming originals that one can't imagine ever having been released to a theater. This week, we're looking at one of them, "An American Pickle," and contemplating just what makes it non-theatrical, what makes it brilliant, and where those two might overlap.
There are so very many things to like about the Amazon series "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan," but that doesn't mean that it is perfect. In this week's episode, we take a look at one of season two's big failings and consider how it might be fixed in season three.
"Easy Does It" is a new film which features a couple of (bad) robbers trying to make their way across the country to what they hope is a fortune out in California.
On the podcast, director Will Addison tells us about the price of making the low budget film, why he set it in the 1970s, and just what Linda Hamilton brought to the table before and during filming.
We do it too irregularly -- stop, assess, and correct. It is, however, one of our greatest strengths. We can all stop what we're doing for a minute, assess whether it was the right course of action, and then correct as needed. Today's podcast looks at HBO's "The Outsider" and the classic comedy, "Airplane!" to provide examples.
Turning 25 years old this summer is "Clueless" a (then) modern update to "Emma." It is a movie turned up to 11 but with good cause and great results. On the other side of things is "Trolls: World Tour," a movie turned to 11 presumably because claiming it was turned to 31 would just be silly.
One works. One doesn't. Let's discuss.
The 1990 "classic" (because it's 30 years old) film "Ghost" is arriving in a new Blu-ray release next week. So, this week we're looking at the movie, what it means to pretend that someone isn't there who is, and whether there's a "joke" that goes too far in the film (it does).
Back in the 1970s, Peter Medak directed Peter Sellers in "Ghost in the Noonday Sun." The movie never got a theatrical release, arriving years later on videotape and then DVD. Now though, Medak has put together a documentary on his experiences shooting "Ghost" and he's here to tell us all about it.
In 1980's "Urban Cowboy" we see John Travolta as a deplorable human being even if they don't use that word. In fact, the movie doesn't really seem to recognize him as such, but he is and the movie is the worse for not knowing it. "The Hunt" does use the word deplorable, but in a totally different context. Like "Urban Cowboy," the movie is brutal, but in completely different fashion. Let's discuss
It is amazing to get to sit down and experience a series of films one right after the other. The highs remain just as high, but the lows are diminished (or maybe raised... or maybe made more shallow). New connections appear, the scope of the work is more obvious, and the breadth of the affair is revealed. This week on the podcast, we are enthralled by the first three phases of the MCU.
What we have here is one great movie and one movie that makes you feel great. It's not that "Escape from L.A." is bad in any way, it's just that it's not Michael Cimino's completely gripping "The Deer Hunter." That said, given the choice, Josh would rather watch Snake Plissken do his thing.
Josh regularly tries not to let little things bother him. And yet, there they are, the little things. They slowly chip away at his sanity. Bit by bit. Piece by piece. They gnaw at him. Sometimes, despite his best efforts, they must be discussed.
This week we tackle that all important question: how do we possibly see the breath of the invisible man in "The Invisible Man?"
This week's podcast takes a look at four different movies: "Flashdance," "Days of Thunder," "War of the Worlds" (the Spielberg/Cruise one), and "Downhill." Sure, that's three older films and one newer one or two Tom Cruise films and two not or some other weird bunching, but they kind of all work together. Sort of. Maybe.
Why don't you listen and decide for yourself?
"The Call of the Wild" is the story of Buck learning to survive in the harsh Alaskan environment. Watching the movie is the story of people attempting to accept this Scooby Doo-like version of Buck interacting with Harrison Ford. It doesn't work.
Jesus Quintana is a minor character in "The Big Lebwoski," but he's front and center now in the new John Turturro written & directed (and starring) film, "The Jesus Rolls," which is out on Blu-ray today. So, for this week's podcast, we're going to examine the movie and just what it takes to make a successful spinoff.
This week on the podcast we look at "The Rhythm Section," "King Creole," "Fatal Attraction," and "To Catch a Thief." All are sporting new Blu-ray editions and all offer up a few words on their cases about what to expect before we ever dig in. Just what are those words and what should they tell us?
Once again we find it impossible to escape the real world by diving into a little bit of fiction. The comedy "Like a Boss" is out on Blu-ray today and it just may offer a connection to the fools who suggest that shutting a business is worse than the death of thousands.
Filmed entirely in The Philippines, WGN's new show, "Almost Paradise" features actor Christian Kane. Star of shows such as "Leverage" and "The Librarians," Kane stops by the podcast today to tell us stories of days past as well as what we should expect from this new show.
The final chapter (allegedly) in The Skywalker Saga, "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker" is now out on Blu-ray. Let's take a minute and discuss how this franchise that has produced so much mediocrity has managed to make people so angry.
Is it the great moments getting buried (and there are great moments) or is it something else?
Both "The Wizard" and "1917" are out today on Blu-ray and one of these movies is all about placing the audience there with the main characters as they struggle. The other most definitely features a character struggling but is more concerned with how to sell video games than what the struggle means and how it should be approached.
Let's discuss.
In "Spoiler Alert!: The Badass Book fo Movie Plots: Why We All Love Hollywood Cliches" Chris Vander Kaay and his fellow authors breakdown 38 different movie genres, telling us the essential elements to each and every one in comedic form. How did the book come about and what movies does Vander Kaay like most? Listen as we discuss it all.
The 1923 and 1956 versions of "The Ten Commandments," both made by Cecil B. DeMille, are out now in a single Blu-ray set. That gives us the perfect opportunity to discuss a filmmaker getting the opportunity to rework the same source material. So, as that's something we often suggest, let's take a look at how that worked out here.
As the Mark Ruffalo-starring "Dark Waters" is all too happy to tell us, companies don't care about us, they care about the bottom line. Not only that, they care about the bottom line to the point where they will allow people to die to protect it.
No, it's not science fiction, it's disturbing fact and we're talking about it today.
The original "Frozen" is spectacular. So, how can "Frozen II" be such a disappointment as it's nearly the exact same?
And there, right there within the question, lies the answer: because it's nearly the exact same.
Let's take a look at what might have been, what shouldn't have been, and see if we can't freeze future mistakes in their track.