All 19 Shows Accessible Again

All 19 installments of Cinecast are available again through this site. You can click on Previous Posts or the Archives in the right rail, but as I mentioned earlier, it would be easiest just to visit the Top 5 page... When will the first 9 be available for download through iTunes? I'm not sure yet, but I'll keep you posted. Thanks.

7 Shows Available Here/10 Through iTunes

OK, all 19 editions of Cinecast will be available Friday... In the meantime, our last 7 shows -- Cinecasts #13-19 -- are accessible again through this site. The easiest way to listen to these podcasts is to click the "Listen Now" player in the header above, or to visit our Top 5 List Archive, which contains links to all of our shows. Once again, we appreciate your patience.

Through iTunes, you can access our last 10 shows and also subscribe.

Cinecast #20 with our review of "War of the Worlds" and Top 5 Sci-Fi Movies will be posted Saturday morning.

Do You Really Wanna Jump? Do You Wanna?

Just a note for anyone who has listened to Cinecast #18 and is thinking of submitting a Massacre Theatre answer (as many of you already have)... Thanks so much for playing, but we announced that winner in our most recent show, Cinecast #19 ("Land of the Dead," "Me and You and Everyone We Know"). For some reason Cinecast #19 isn't appearing in our list of shows on iTunes yet. However, you do get it if you subscribe through iTunes. Please take a shot at this week's Massacre Theatre challenge.

Scratch That, Reverse It

OK, I lied... I've had to take Cinecast #18 and #19 down now as well due to bandwidth restrictions. Believe me, this is just as frustrating for us as it is for all of you, if not more so. Every show will be accessible by Friday morning if not sooner. Thanks again for your patience.

Status Report

Thanks and welcome again to everyone who is sampling Cinecast for the first time. Unfortunately, being near the end of the month, the iTunes launch pretty well zapped our bandwidth. For at least today and possibly tomorrow, the only podcasts that will be accessible through this site -- and likely through iTunes as well -- are the two most recent shows, Cinecast #18 and #19. We'll be back up and running at full speed in short order. We hope you enjoy the shows... the ones you can actually listen to, anyway.

Welcome... Plea For Patience

Cinecast would like to welcome all of our new visitors/listeners thanks to today's launch of iTunes 4.9. Sam and I are extremely pleased to be one of Apple's Featured Podcasts. Due to the overwhelming traffic, we're having some hosting issues and, as you've probably noticed, our podcasts are not accessible at this time through this site. However, if you have downloaded iTunes 4.9, you should be able to download and listen to our shows with no problem. I'll have the issue resolved ASAP. Thanks!

Cinecast #19: We're Here, We're Dead, Get Used To It

Admitted horror naifs Adam and Sam wax philosophic about social commentary in "Land of the Dead," George Romero's long-awaited return to Zombie movie fare after a twenty year absence. While Adam ponders the relevance of Zombie flicks post-"Shaun of the Dead," Sam admits to having fun with Romero's satiric vision, which brings surprising intelligence to a film that consists largely of 'stenches' munching on human intestines.

Also on the show, a quick review of the excellent new film "Me and You and Everyone We Know" from performance artist and first-time filmmaker Miranda July. (We reviewed "Me and You" in greater detail on Cinecast #9 from Roger Eberts Overlooked Film Festival.) Sam also shares his thoughts on a couple other new releases: Nora Ephron's "Bewitched" and the American release of the 2003 French horror film "High Tension." All that, plus Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre and our Top 5 Quotable Movies.



Cinecast #19
:36-10:47 - Review: "Land of the Dead"
12:00-21:43 - Short Reviews: "Me and You...", "Bewitched," "High Tension"
22:59-32:24 - Listener Feedback, Faye Dunaway Challenge
33:58-45:24 - Top 5 Quotable Movies
45:25-48:02 - Massacre Theatre

Cinecast #18: Fear and Loathing in Gotham City

Unable to ignore the voice of his inner adolescent, Sam is underwhelmed by "Batman Begins," Christopher Nolan's back-to-basics remounting of the Dark Knight franchise. Adam also has issues -- the film's muddled ruminations on justice vs. revenge, and the distracting, hyper-edited action scenes -- but was won over by Christian Bale's inspired turn as the psychologically-challenged crusader. Which supporting actor steals the show for Sam and almost ruins it for Adam? Listen to find out...

Plus, we introduce the Faye Dunaway Challenge, which will give one Cinecast listener a shot at a free DVD, and count down our Top 5 'Summer' Movies (i.e. guilty popcorn pleasures, movies set in summer or make you think of summer).



Cinecast #18
:34-12:29 - Review: "Batman Begins"
13:36-22:46 - Listener Feedback
22:47-24:18 - Faye Dunaway Challenge
24:57-33:34 - Top 5 'Summer' Movies
33:50-36:11 - Massacre Theatre

"Bad Case of the Nothings" and "Microscope" by Wilder Embry from the album "Your Sweet Heart" ... Cinecast theme music courtesy of Age of the Rifle.

Have a comment or Top 5 list you'd like to share? Send us an e-mail at cinecast@cinecastshow.com. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.

Cinecast #17: Mr. Smith Goes To Counseling

It took 17 shows, but at last the truth is revealed: Sam's a hedonist and Adam's a masochist. Reviews of two very different new films reveal your Cinecast hosts' cinematic appetites. First, director Doug Liman's entry in the summer blockbuster sweepstakes "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," starring Angelina Jolie and the ex-Mr. Jennifer Aniston. Sam loved it; Adam is embarrassed for him.

Also, "Mysterious Skin," cult auteur Gregg Araki's unflinching look at the consequences of child molestation. Adam thought is was smart and original; Sam is sure that he will never feel wholly clean again. Plus, this week's Top 5 -- Movies with a 'Heart of Gold' (i.e., movies about prostitutes). No, we have no shame.



Cinecast #17
:40-9:12 - Review: "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"
10:09-19:32 - Review: "Mysterious Skin"
20:33-29:43 - Listener Feedback ("Revenge of the Sith," Top 5's, "X-Men 3")
30:27-35:42 - Top 5 Movies with a 'Heart of Gold'
35:42-36:51 - Massacre Theatre

Music by Anne McCue from the album "Soul" courtesy of Messenger Records ... Cinecast theme music courtesy of Age of the Rifle.

Have a comment or Top 5 list you'd like to share? Send us an e-mail at cinecast@cinecastshow.com. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.

'Mysterious' Change of Plans and Thank You

Sam and I planned to post Cinecast #17 with our review of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" on Saturday, but we've decided to hold off until Monday afternoon so that we can make time for Gregg Araki's "Mysterious Skin," which has garnered quite a bit of critical acclaim and is playing exclusively at the Landmark here in Chicago. We'll still review "Smith" -- despite our pessimism based on the previews; we're both big fans of Doug Liman's previous work -- but it's possible we'll end up leading with "Skin" ...

As of 12:45 this morning, Cinecast #15 ("Layer Cake") crossed the 1,000 download mark -- and the two previous shows aren't too far behind. Plus, we now have more than 200 subscribers. We understand that neither of these achievements puts us up in the rarified air with some of podcasting's 800-pound gorillas, but we also know that there are many more podcasters out there who haven't seen this kind of success yet. Sam and I were always pretty confident we could produce a decent show, but the response has really exceeded our expectations. Thank you for making it all worthwhile.

Cinecast Unmasked

Cinecast #16 with reviews of "Cinderella Man" and "Lords of Dogtown" is available below. Our three previous podcasts can also be accessed on this page.

It's just like KISS appearing without makeup for the first time! Or not at all.

If you've ever wondered what the boys from Cinecast look like, here's your chance. (Adam's going for the NPR/Carl Kasell look, while Sam is clearly inspired by the fashion stylings of 'The Dude'.)

Scott Smith from Chicagoist stopped by our makeshift studio a couple of Sundays ago to catch the last two segments of our "Layer Cake" show and interview us. The conversation was a lot of fun and our thanks go out to Scott and all the fine folks at Chicagoist for giving us our first real taste of publicity.

Cinecast #16: Will Fight For Food

How do your stoic Cinecast hosts hold up against the inspiring tale of Depression-era boxing champ James Braddock, as told by master manipulator Ron Howard in "Cinderella Man"? We went the distance, but were KO'd in the final round. Howard shows atypical restraint and lets the powerful story speak for itself.

Also on the show, a review of "Lords of Dogtown," director Catherine Hardwicke's follow-up to her debut film "Thirteen." "Dogtown" takes an interesting real-life premise -- teenage skateboarding pioneers from the streets of Santa Monica find unexpected worldwide fame -- and turns it into an incompetent mess of countless montages. We recommend you avoid this fictional account and check out the 2001 documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys" instead. Plus, we count down our Top 5 Inspirational Movies.



Cinecast #16
:39-12:00 - Review: "Cinderella Man"
12:50-13:04 - Music: "Paris Air Show," narrowcasting
13:05-21:23 - Review: "Lords of Dogtown," Cinecast Confession
21:40-21:54 - Music: "A Seconding Salvo," narrowcasting
21:54-30:45 - Listener Feedback ("Revenge of the Sith," Top 5's, "X-Men 3")
31:13-31:28 - Music: "Foreign Corresponding," narrowcasting
31:28-37:30 - Top 5 Inspirational Movies
37:31-39:31 - Massacre Theatre

Music by narrowcasting from the album '...current or the tide' ... Cinecast theme music courtesy of Age of the Rifle.

Have a comment or Top 5 list you'd like to share? Send us an e-mail at cinecast@cinecastshow.com. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.

Third 'X-Men' Not The Charm For Vaughn

Next Podcast: Please note that Sam and I will record and post Cinecast #16 with reviews of "Cinderella Man" and "Lords of Dogtown" on Monday afternoon (6/6) rather than our usual Sunday. Thanks for your patience!

In Sam's "Layer Cake" intro last weekend, he mentioned that director Matthew Vaughn had been tabbed to direct the next "X-Men" movie. But just months before production was supposed to start, Vaughn has backed out citing "personal reasons."

In his "Wired" section, Jeffrey Wells recalls Vaughn telling him back in April that "he'd just come from a meeting an hour or two earlier at 20th Century Fox to discuss [whether he was going to direct "X-Men 3"], and said he didn't want to do the X-Men sequel if he couldn't give it a particular flavor and inner life of his own." Fox wants you to believe that Vaughn had some family concerns that led to his leaving the project, but Wells' tidbit has to make you think that creative differences contributed significantly to the split. Who would you like to see direct the next X-Men installment? Email your candidates to us at cinecast@cinecastshow.com