Jan 15 2017

Episode 85 – La Dolce Vita

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La Dolce VitaThis episode is a return to the world of Federico Fellini with two guests as we all try to determine if Melissa’s hatred of the film is misplaced.  La Dolce Vita is considered one of Fellini’s masterpieces.  But is it? We watch the film and do our best to appreciate it as film geeks.  You can decide for yourself how well we do

Please note: this episode was hacked.  The episode is fine but the post itself was meddled with.  Sorry about that.

Our next episode will be about The Man Who Would be King!

La Dolce Vita (1960)
La Dolce Vita poster Rating: 8.0/10 (84,519 votes)
Director: Federico Fellini
Writer: Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli
Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimée
Runtime: 174 min
Rated: TV-14
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: 19 Apr 1961
Plot: A series of stories following a week in the life of a philandering tabloid journalist living in Rome.

Jan 02 2017

Episode 84 – Josie and the Pussycats

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Josie and the PussycatsIt is a new year and we celebrate with a ridiculous movie that may not be great but is way better than it had any right to be.  Kelvin Hatle joins us to watch Josie and the Pussycats, a subversive comedy about product placement and corporate greed. It is also exceptionally silly and features an absolutely amazing performance by Parker Posey.  You have probably never watched this movie and while it is surprisingly dated for a film only fifteen years old, it is still a lot better than anyone could have expected.

Our next film will be an entirely different experience as we watch La Dolce Vita!

Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
Josie and the Pussycats poster Rating: 5.7/10 (26,253 votes)
Director: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan
Writer: Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont, Richard Goldwater
Stars: Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, Rosario Dawson
Runtime: 98 min
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Music
Released: 11 Apr 2001
Plot: A girl group find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy to deliver subliminal messages through popular music.

Dec 27 2016

Episode 83 – A Hard Day’s Night

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A Hard Day's NightWe have a first this week – it is the first episode of our podcast that doesn’t feature Tim at all!  Instead, Melissa is joined by Lauren Haven and John Youker.  They are present to watch the classic Beatles Film, A Hard Day’s Night!  This rather light and frothy mixture of Beatles music and a rather limited plot proved to be far more popular than the producers had dreamed.  John, Lauren, and Melissa discuss reactions to the film as well as spending some time talking about Christmas movies!

Our next film will be Josie and the Pussycats!

A Hard Day's Night (1964)
A Hard Day's Night poster Rating: 7.5/10 (50,043 votes)
Director: Richard Lester
Writer: Alun Owen
Stars: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison
Runtime: 87 min
Rated: G
Genre: Comedy, Musical
Released: 07 Jul 1964
Plot: Over two "typical" days in the life of The Beatles, the boys struggle to keep themselves and Paul McCartney's mischievous grandfather in check while preparing for a live TV performance.

Dec 01 2016

Episode 82 – Purple Rain

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Purple RainFor our latest episode, we watched Purple Rain with our good friend and podcasting mega–star, Matt Allex.  In spite of being from Minneapolis, Matt has somehow never seen the film and we were able to enjoy him trying to unpack everything that is going on.  For such an iconic film, it is surprisingly clunky whenever Prince and the Revolution are not on stage performing.  We talk about the dichotomy between what takes place on stage at First Avenue and what takes place off stage in the steam tunnels of Minneapolis.  We also talk about the differences between the venue of First Avenue as it exists and the venue of First Avenue as it appears in the film.

Our next movie will be A Hard Day’s Night!

Purple Rain (1984)
Purple Rain poster Rating: 6.5/10 (25,841 votes)
Director: Albert Magnoli
Writer: Albert Magnoli, William Blinn
Stars: Prince, Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day
Runtime: 111 min
Rated: R
Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
Released: 27 Jul 1984
Plot: A young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise.

Nov 15 2016

Episode 81 – Stop Making Sense

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Stop Making SenseFor this episode, we are joined by Kyle Dekker from Hot Chocolate Media.  He joins us to watch the Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense! Directed by Jonathan Demme of Silence of the Lambs fame, this bare bones concert film is considered to be one of the best in the genre.  We talk a bit about the film itself, the band featured, and our personal experiences with the film in the late 80’s and the early 90’s.  Then we all go out and listen to the soundtrack.

Next up, we’ll still with some 80’s music nostalgia as we watch Purple Rain!

Stop Making Sense (1984)
Stop Making Sense poster Rating: 8.7/10 (22,811 votes)
Director: Jonathan Demme
Writer: Jonathan Demme, Talking Heads
Stars: David Byrne, Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir
Runtime: 88 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Documentary, Music
Released: 16 Nov 1984
Plot: A live performance of the band Talking Heads shot over the course of three nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theater in December of 1983 and featuring their most memorable songs.

Nov 02 2016

Episode 80 – 2001: A Space Odyssey

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2001: A Space OdysseyToday, we return to the world of Stanley Kubrick to experience 2001: A Space Odyssey in 70mm glory.  We are joined by a panel of guests including regular Allee Ellingsburg, Scott Keever, and Richard Brantley.  Almost everyone had seen the film before but this was the first time most had seen it in a theater.  Few other movies are as transformed by sitting in a movie theater as 2001.  We talk about a lot of things but one thing we didn’t record is a pre-movie segment.  We just dive right into the film on this one so if you are used to listening to our opening segment and then watching the movie, look out!  Spoilers are right out of the gate!

Next up, we are going to shift gears and watch Stop Making Sense.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey poster Rating: 8.3/10 (765,944 votes)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke
Stars: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester
Runtime: 149 min
Rated: G
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi
Released: 12 May 1968
Plot: When a mysterious artifact is uncovered on the Moon, a spacecraft manned by two humans and one supercomputer is sent to Jupiter to find its origins.

Oct 18 2016

Episode 79 – The Shining

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The ShiningAs we continue with our October horror theme, we take journey to the Overlook hotel to watch Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining!  Our newcomer to this journey is Sean O’Loughlin, who joined us a while back to watch Hugo!  Once you’ve watched this film, we suggest you watch the documentary Room 237, this video by Imagine Dragons, and a trailer for the film cut to make it look like a romantic comedy!

Next up, we’ll be sticking with Stanley Kubrick as we watch 2001: A Space Odyssey!

The Shining (1980)
The Shining poster Rating: 8.4/10 (1,190,174 votes)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick, Diane Johnson
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd
Runtime: 146 min
Rated: R
Genre: Drama, Horror
Released: 13 Jun 1980
Plot: A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter, where a sinister presence influences the father into violence. At the same time, his psychic son sees horrifying forebodings from both the past and the future.

Oct 01 2016

Episode 78 – Halloween

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HalloweenThis week, Susanne Becker joins us to watch the horror classic Halloween!  Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence star in a movie that pretty much served as the source for every masked killer horror trope from the 1980’s.  Make no mistake, though, this film did them all first and, in many ways, it is still the best.  While the film may not have aged as well as some of the other classic titles we’ve watched, it is still some very impressive work by Horror virtuoso John Carpenter.

Next up, we will be watching The Shining!

Note: You may be wondering where our episode of Bringing up Baby has gone.  Sadly, we had severe technical difficulties with the recording and we were unable to salvage anything.  Sorry.

Halloween (1978)
Halloween poster Rating: 7.7/10 (328,213 votes)
Director: John Carpenter
Writer: John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Stars: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran
Runtime: 91 min
Rated: R
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Released: 27 Oct 1978
Plot: Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, to kill again.

Sep 01 2016

Episode 77 – The Shawshank Redemption

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The Shawshank RedemptionThis episode focuses on one of the best films of the 1990’s (or any decade): The Shawshank Redemption!  Alee Ellingsburg returns to watch this prison drama that is structured about as well as a movie can be structured.  Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman star in this movie that was one of the first true home video phenomenons.  Tim pretty much takes over this episode because he really loves the film.  You’ll have to forgive him for that.

Our next film will be Bringing Up Baby.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption poster Rating: 9.3/10 (3,104,274 votes)
Director: Frank Darabont
Writer: Stephen King, Frank Darabont
Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton
Runtime: 142 min
Rated: R
Genre: Drama
Released: 14 Oct 1994
Plot: A banker convicted of uxoricide forms a friendship over a quarter century with a hardened convict, while maintaining his innocence and trying to remain hopeful through simple compassion.

Aug 15 2016

Episode 76 – Taxi Driver

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Taxi DriverThis week, we take a look at one of the most iconic films of the 70’s, Taxi Driver! We are joined by movie know nothing Salsa Sterling as we explore Martin Scorsese’s dark masterpiece.  We follow Jody Foster from The Silence of the Lambs to her breakout role more than decade prior. This film also established Robert DeNiro on the A list where he has remained there ever since.  And, of course, it features one of the most iconic scenes in film.  It is so well known, the odds are you have seen dozens of parodies even if you have never watched the original.  Join us to explore this dark vision of psychosis.

Our next movie will be, surprisingly, more upbeat as we watch The Shawshank Redemption.

Taxi Driver (1976)
Taxi Driver poster Rating: 8.2/10 (1,000,221 votes)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Paul Schrader
Stars: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd
Runtime: 114 min
Rated: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Released: 09 Feb 1976
Plot: A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.