Cinecast #24: Bearly Watchable

Despite his success with Jack Black in "School of Rock" and his obvious affection for Michael Ritchie's 1976 original, Richard Linklater seems surprisingly out of his element directing Billy Bob Thornton and a host of obnoxious kids in this "Bad News Bears" remake. For the director of Gen X classics such as "Slacker" and "Before Sunrise," "Bad News" is a rare misfire.

Also on the show, we unveil our Overlooked DVD Picks of the Week and count down our Top 5 Movie Antiheroes.

Music by Johnny Society courtesy of Messenger Records ... Cinecast theme music by Age of the Rifle.



Cinecast #24
:34-11:20 - Review: "Bad News Bears"
12:19-15:29 - Listener Voicemails
15:30-21:19 - Overlooked DVD Picks of the Week
22:22-34:03 - Top 5 Antiheroes

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 Mailbag (7/28)

In today's mailbag, listeners defend "The Island" ...

On Cinecast #23, I "reviewed" Michael Bay's "The Island." Adam and I didn't really give it the typical Cinecast treatment (i.e., BRILLIANT, thoughtful, critical consideration). Neither of us was really curious to see what Bay had to say about human cloning, but due to considerable listener interest, we decided that one of us ought to make the effort. I didn't so much review the film as I did rant for two minutes about what I considered the movie's utter lack of redeemable qualities.

I hope it's clear by now to regular Cinecast listeners that I take no pleasure in being disappointed by movies. Yes, I went into "The Island" with lowered expectations (who didn't?), but I also went in with the sincere hope that I would be entertained. I wasn't. I thought the movie was loud and dumb and cynical and had not a shred of wit or intelligence. And I stand by that opinion. But like all the films Adam and I review on Cinecast, "The Island" deserves recognition for those things that it gets right (or partially right ... or maybe there's at least one decent performance ...), and I should have been more diplomatic in my analysis.

I asked listeners who had seen the film -- particularly those who liked it -- to e-mail me and share their thoughts. Consensus from those that have written seems to be that I took Bay's film too seriously and that I missed the boat on a fun, somewhat thought-provoking summer popcorn flick. Here's one:

Seems like you were looking for someone who enjoyed "The Island," and I suppose I'm guilty. I was taken for the ride from the very beginning. While the movie was a giant Michelob, Puma and Mack Truck commercial, I still found myself having fun watching this summer flick. Even though the plot had its share of implausibilities and holes, I liked the characters, felt sorry for the ones who died, happy for those that escaped, and enjoyed the now-typical Michael Bay explosions and chases. And although the filmmaking offered nothing refreshing or original, I liked the ideas the film brought up (cloning as a business) and the over-the-top chases. -- Alex Hengen

Listener David Seybert has a provocative suggestion for what he considers Michael Bay's proven movie-making skill set:

While in a movie like "The Island" Bay's style seems like a frontal assault, it got me to wondering where (his) frantic style might be better served. I decided that comic book movies would be perfect. Imagine Bay directing "Fantastic Four" and you can easily picture a high energy, plot-be-damned visual extravaganza that would thrill comic fans and regular moviegoers alike. In fact, let Bay handle any disappointing comic movie adaptation of recent years, (Daredevil, Punisher, Electra, etc.) and I'll wager the results would be spectacular.

I think I'd much rather have "Batman Begins" director Christopher Nolan handling comic book adaptations, but David has a point. If Michael Bay is going to keep making films -- and, really, is there any point pretending that he's going to stop? -- maybe it's best to keep him away from the high concept ("The Island") and the historical ("Pearl Harbor"), and assign him truly mindless action movies where his strengths are assets.

Cinecast Mailbag (7/27)

A couple of quick dips into the Mailbag regarding our Top 5 Screen Duos list from Cinecast #22...

I know this is entirely subjective, and what I love you might hate, but how in the world did Woody and Buzz not make the top five???? I know its easy to forget them due to their cartoon origins, but over two Toy Story flicks, they have had the kind of repartee that few live action characters ever find. Who would have ever thought that Tom Hanks and Tim Allen could be such a strong pair? The comic timing between both is impeccable. The strengths and weaknesses of each character acts a catalyst for growth in the other. And most importantly, you truly believe the evolution of the two as friends. By the end of Toy Story 2, you really do believe the two will, in a metaphorical way, ride into the sunset together. Without a doubt, they would have been at the top of my list. -- Stuart Kazanow, Reisterstown, MD

Stuart, you weren't the only one to suggest Woody and Buzz deserved a spot in the Top 5. You won't get much of an argument from me. I liked "Toy Story" even before I had children, but I appreciate it even more now that I have a 3-year-old son who spends at least half his day pushing an imaginary button on his chest saying, "Come in Star Command, Star Command come in. Do you read me? They don't answer!" A few weeks ago our babysitter told him he was lucky because we were going to a baseball game that night. His response: "Lucky? Are you shrink-wrapped? I'm missing my arm!" When I think of great duos, I ask myself whether I could imagine anybody else in those roles. And I can't imagine anybody else but Hanks and Allen as Woody and Buzz. Hanks' aw-shucks, nice-guy persona is perfect, as is Allen's over-the-top bravado.

Hey guys, How could you live in/near Chicago and not put "The Blues Brothers" on the top of your top 5 buddy movies list. I guess you're just saving it for the top of your top 5 'undisputable best movies ever' list. This is MY desert island movie. I know you guys get a lot of these types of emails and you'll probably be saying that this was number 6 or something, but it doesn't make me feel better. It really deserves NUMBER 1! Anyways... great job on the show. Makes my commute a lot more enjoyable. -- Jim Altieri

Well Jim, since we can't really provide any solace, I'll simply admit that your email left me feeling very, very ashamed. If ever there was a no-brainer duo -- particularly coming from two Chicagoans -- this was it. Oh, please, don't kill us. Please, please don't kill us ... It wasn't our fault!

Cinecast #23: Do The Hustle

It's been a while since your Cinecast hosts have shared mutual enthusiasm for a new movie. Well, director Craig Brewer's "Hustle & Flow" -- a smart and frequently funny character-based drama about a North Memphis pimp (the brilliant Terrence Howard) who has dreams of becoming a hip hop star -- is that movie. Brewer's film is filled with great performances and music, and is a welcome alternative to your typical summer fare.

Also on the show, Sam reluctantly reviews "The Island," the new one from dumb action movie director extraordinaire Michael Bay. To stay entertained during the movie's visual and aural assault, Sam used listener Blane Granstaff's "Arbitrary Movie Rating System." Just how low did "The Island" score? Tune in to find out. Plus, Listener Feedback and Massacre Theatre.

Note: Cinecast #24, featuring a review of Richard Linklater's "Bad News Bears" remake, will be available Friday, July 29. Also on Friday's show -- our Top 5 Movie Antiheroes.

Music by Jon Rauhouse courtesy of Bloodshot Records ... Cinecast theme music by Age of the Rifle.



Cinecast #23
:37-13:20 - Review: "Hustle and Flow"
14:12-18:55 - Review: "The Island"
18:56-26:40 - Listener Feedback
27:34-31:09 - Cinecast News and Notes
31:10-33:58 - Massacre Theatre
33:59-35:41 - Top 5 Antiheroes Preview

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 Mailbag (7/25)

[Cinecast #23 will be available Tuesday morning. With our new two-shows-a-week format (more on this below, and in our next show), we'll be updating the Mailbag here every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Sorry for the delay since our last installment. We were both out of town with limited web access for the second weekend in a row.]

"Podcasting is soooo over": According to an article that appeared Friday on Yahoo Finance, your Cinecast co-hosts -- and other "newly minted iTunes microstars" -- are dreaming if they hope to turn a profit from their podcast. Yahoo's Greg Lindsay writes: "[F]or podcasters like the cohosts of Cinecast (podcasting's answer to Siskel & Ebert), who have 50,000 subscribers already, a living wage for each is just $2 per subscriber away. And the number of subscribers will only go up, right?" Wrong, writes Lindsay. "An unknown number of those Apple-made microstars will convince themselves that they hold a first-mover advantage in an untapped medium and that there is at least a modest living to be made from a popular weekly podcast that maybe, just maybe, could become a bona fide media brand. Eventually they'll fail, and they'll fail faster than ever before." Ouch. Anybody want to make a bid on "Cinecaster" the Cinecast yacht we just made a down payment on? Read the rest of Lindsay's article here.

Crashing Wedding Crashers: Adam and I were surprised to receive a couple of e-mails last week that accused us of giving too much away in our review of "Wedding Crashers" (Cinecast #22). Matt Singer from NYC wrote:

"I was somewhat distressed by the review of WEDDING CRASHERS simply because you guys seemed to give away a bit too much of the plot and the jokes for my liking. You certainly didn't "spoil" anything in the typical sense, but at certain points I had to take off my headphones to keep from knowing all the "best" lines or the particulars of Vaughn and Wilson's relationship."

Listener Omar Awad went even further, threatening to unsubscribe to Cinecast and writing "next time I want somebody to spoil a movie for me, I'll listen to your podcast again."

"Wedding Crashers" isn't "The Crying Game" or "The Sixth Sense," so I don't think it occurred to either of us that it was possible to spoil the movie. And what's ironic is that we actually edited something out of our "Wedding Crashers" conversation that did reveal what I considered to be a genuine surprise in the film ... a cameo that appears late in the film. In the future, we will try to speak more generally about the plot, and try to restrain ourselves from sharing a movie's best lines (though, certainly, "Crashers" has far more funny lines than the 4 or 5 we divulged). Apologies to anyone else who felt like we spoiled the experience of watching the movie.

Cinecast Mailbag (7/20)

I'm forsaking the Mailbag today in order to do a little housekeeping, and to suggest a little extra reading...

Double Your Cinecast Pleasure: Due to repeated requests for MORE CINECAST, Sam and I have decided to start podcasting twice a week. Instead of one (1) 40-50 minute show, our plan is to do two (2) 30 minute shows. The podcasts will be available every Tuesday and Friday. The format will essentially be the same, but we'll only do Massacre Theatre in the Tuesday show and only do the Top 5 on Fridays, along with a preview of what's opening that weekend. We hope to start this new schedule next week. If anybody has any strong feelings about the change one way or another, please let us know.

No Cinecast is an Island: Sure, it's only 107 votes as of this moment, but the whopping response on the Cinecast Poll in favor of us discussing "The Island" has Sam and me truly baffled. We have to be honest here... we have no desire to see this movie. In fact, our ranking would go "Last Days," "Hustle & Flow," "Bad News Bears" and "The Island." We want to be responsive to our audience, but this might be asking too much. We'll have an update in the next few days.

War of the Slate Writers: For those handful of Cinecast listeners who thought we were looking too hard for the 9/11 references in "War of the Worlds," check out Slate when you have a chance. Political writer Timothy Noah not only caught all of the references...

The annihilation of people and buildings is signaled by white ash falling from the sky; photo snapshots of missing loved ones are posted on walls; at one point, the space aliens even crash a passenger jetliner into the house where Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning have taken refuge. Let's roll!

...he was offended by them. "Because War of the Worlds has nothing to say about 9/11, its appropriation of 9/11 imagery can only be described as pornographic," Noah concludes. Sam and I had a similar take, at least in terms of Spielberg using 9/11 without really giving us anything compelling to consider, but it wasn't "pornographic" enough to get us worked up. Noah's article was posted yesterday. Today, film critic David Edelstein responded with a defense of Spielberg:

But this is still a great film, and one that fully earns the right to invoke 9/11. It by no means tells the whole story, but in its focus on the ways in which people respond to horrific tragedy, it has much to teach us.

Some of the same problems Edelstein acknowledges, Sam and I simply weren't able to overlook. And whether or not the film does have anything meaningful to teach us, I'm willing to buy Edelstein's point that Spielberg probably does "earn the right to invoke 9/11" by focusing more on the way we respond to overwhelming tragedy. In any event, it's an interesting point-counterpoint if you have the time.

Cinecast Mailbag (7/19)

Before we get to today's mailbag...

VOTE FOR CINECAST!: Cinecast is one of 5 nominees for Best Movies/Films Podcast at Podcast Awards. To vote, go to podcastawards.com. Thanks to everyone who nominated us.

Today's email comes from Clarence Moye:

I'm amused at (your) discussion of Depp's Wonka as Michael Jackson, and, while reading other articles, I stumbled upon this discussion by David Poland of The Hot Button:

"If Wonka was a take on Michael Jackson, none of that is present. Wonka is MJ's nightmare ... he doesn't like kids, he is happy to see kids get their comeuppance for bad behavior, he didn't have to work under his father's thumb for most of his life, he has no siblings, he has no pets, his relationship with the Oompa Loompas is symbiotic and respectful, not sycophantic or abusive, etc, etc, etc."

I'd love for you to comment on this either on the website or on your show. Looking forward to it and more shows from you.

Thanks for the email, Clarence. Although I had seen a "Charlie" preview or two, Depp's Jacko-isms didn't really stand out, nor was I aware that the Michael Jackson connection had been made previously by others. The fact that so many people seem to have arrived at this conclusion independently is reason enough, I think, to give it credence.

That being said, I think it's important not to overstate the comparison. I don't think Depp is doing a Jackson impersonation, nor is he (or Burton) making some commentary on Jackson's reputation or behavior. Whether Depp's evocation was intentional or not is not really the point; my problem with his portrayal is that it lacks humanity, which creates an emotional vortex at the center of the film. Depp's performance made it impossible for me to accept Willy Wonka as a real man with real feelings, which in turn made it impossible for me to believe in his factory, which, ultimately, left me uninvested in the story.

Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka is eccentric and menacing, but he's also a "real" man, and his behavior is based on coherent (if occasionally mean-spirited) motives. At the end of Burton's film, Wonka's decision to reward Charlie with his chocolate factory seems arbitrary; in the 1971 version, Charlie's integrity is tested by Wonka (will Charlie return the Everlasting Gobstopper?), and only when he passes the test does Wonka reward him. Burton turns Dahl's story into a funhouse that's frequently amusing to look at, but the film, like Depp's performance, has no heart.

Sam

Cinecast #22: Willy Scissorhands

Tim Burton needed to satisfy not one but two groups of adoring fans with his version of Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" -- those who love Dahl's book AND those who love the 1971 musical version starring Gene Wilder that's become a well-deserved cult classic. Unfortunately, it's possible that the only person Burton satisfied here is himself. Despite "Charlie's" strong first act, the familiar story starts to lose its magic once Burton introduces us to Johnny Depp's enigmatic (and ill-conceived) Wonka.

Also on the show, a review of the new comedy "Wedding Crashers," featuring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as the titular aging hooligans. "Crashers" doesn't quite deliver as a buddy movie or entirely overcome a lazy screenplay that goes for jokes at the expense of any logic whatsoever, but there are more than enough big laughs to recommend it (thanks mainly to Vaughn's manic performance.) Most importantly, it's eminently quotable. Plus, Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre and our Top 5 Movie Duos.

Music by Chris Whitley courtesy of Messenger Records ... Cinecast theme music by Age of the Rifle.



Cinecast #22
- Review: "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
- Review: "Wedding Crashers"
- Listener Feedback
- Top 5 Screen Duos
- Massacre Theatre

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 Gets Wired

In an article on Wired.com entitled iTunes Mints Podcasting Stars, writer Steve Friess reports on the mixed blessings that the iTunes podcasting launch has brought to many "mom and pop" podcasters. On page 2 of the article, Friess uses Cinecast to illustrate the surprising phenomenon of shows that have "remained perennials in the (iTunes) rankings despite no prior following." As I type, Cinecast is currently ranked #20 on iTunes list of "Top Podcasts."

Thanks to Friess and Wired.com for the exposure!

Cinecast #22 will be up tonight. We'll review "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Wedding Crashers," and count down our Top 5 Screen Duos.

Next Show...

Sorry, no Mailbag today... Sam's out of town and I'm taking off soon myself. Let's see, Sam's at a wedding somewhere in Wisconsin... I'm meeting college friends in Seattle to see the Mariners play the Orioles. Whose weekend will be more exciting?

Reminder: Cinecast #22 will be up Monday night. We sincerely apologize for the delay. We'll review "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Wedding Crashers," and count down our Top 5 Screen Duos.

Cinecast Mailbag (7/14)

Not Dark Enough: I'd like to start out by saying that you guys said that Dark Water had no false scares. That's because the film had no scares. I completely hated this film and was very close to asking for a refund after seeing this troubling film. My biggest problem, other than the lack of scares, was the character development. I felt like I never got to know these characters, despite the insane amount of time they spent on character development. I feel that in order for this film to be truly scary, you have to care about the characters and the writing and direction never really got me there. I was more interested in how much popcorn I had left than what was actually going on. The characters are flat and one dimensional, despite little details about the lawyer not having a family. I felt like sometimes they were trying to be subtle, but they weren't obvious enough. Other times, I felt like they were trying to beat us with the same tidbits of background about these characters repeatedly.

And what was up with the film's score? It was worse than cliche, it was cheesy and ruined any possible scares this film had. The only positive I have about the film is the acting by Tim Roth. You guys mention teenagers walking out and I feel that I should have done the same, but I refuse to walk out of a movie unless I drunkenly walked into a Uwe Boll flick. I'd also like to say that despite the film sucking, I enjoyed Fantastic Four far more than Dark Water.

Alex Love

Thanks for the email, Alex. You weren't the only listener to disagree with our assessment of "Dark Water" -- a film I didn't even want to see when I first caught the trailer for it. You didn't feel like you ever truly got to know the characters -- not enough to empathize with them, anyway -- whereas I felt like I knew everything I needed to know about Jennifer Connelly's Dahlia within the first 10 minutes of the film (a testament to the writing, directing and acting). We just got snippets of insight into her failed marriage, her traumatic upbringing, etc... but that was enough for me to make a connection. And I certainly don't agree that all of the characters are one-dimensional. With the possible exception of John C. Reilly's character -- who does have some texture in that he's one of the nicest scumbags you could ever meet -- I thought there were layers to everyone. For example, you couldn't just write off the husband (Dougray Scott) as an uncaring jerk because you got a real sense of how difficult it must have been to love someone as troubled as Dahlia; plus, you could tell he genuinely cared for his daughter.

I'm intrigued by your comments about the music because, frankly, I never noticed even one note of it -- which is the highest compliment I can pay to a score. It never got in the way, never distracted me. I'll have to listen closer when the film comes out on DVD.

Adam

Cinecast Mailbag (7/13)

We've got mail...

* "Google Translator Sucks!": We're sorry, Susanna Montezemolo. Google Translator Massacre Theatre was a failure. We admit it. We've had a few correct entries, but we've had even more listeners let us know that the new format takes a lot of the fun out of playing. Let's call it Cinecast's version of New Coke. An experiment that failed. Thanks to everyone who wrote in to share their thoughts. We'll return to the old format on Cinecast #22 (which won't be available until next Monday evening).

* Dark City vs. The Matrix: On Cinecast #20, Adam chose "Dark City" as his #5 Sci-Fi film. He discussed how the film, which was released in 1998, contained striking similarities to 1999's "The Matrix." No one is claiming that the Wachowski Brothers ripped off a film released only a single year before their own, but listener Dusty Calbertson sent us an interesting link that shows how the two films have much more in common than a menacing vision of the future. Worth checking out...

Sam

Cinecast #21 Finally Available

Just FYI everyone... Cinecast #21 finally appears to be available via iTunes.

Cinecast Mailbag (7/12)

Some quick dips into the Mailbag...

* Agree to Disagree: "Though I don't always agree with your reviews..." is a phrase we see with some regularity in listener emails. And that's great. In fact, we EXPECT you not to agree with us a good portion of the time. In all of the feedback we've received so far, only one person was so bothered by a review that he vowed not to continue listening to the show. He thought "Batman Begins" -- a film Sam and I both recommended, I'll remind you -- was so amazing it was impervious to ANY criticism. How boring (and, frankly, self-centered) to only read or listen to people who are going to validate your thoughts. Sam and I aren't judging a movie based on whether we think "audiences" will like it or not. All we can do is try to articulate our reaction, and if we give you something new to chew on or a different perspective to consider, then we've done our job.

* So Much For Originality: Jeff Powell from Guelph, Ontario wrote in to let us know "that a Canadian radio show, Definitely Not the Opera(http://www.cbc.ca/dnto/), has been using the Google translator in a contest for a year now (maybe two?). As far as I know, they were the first to do this so they deserve some credit." And here we thought we were being clever. Sam and I haven't decided whether we'll continue doing Google Translator Massacre Theatre or not. It definitely has trimmed down the number of correct entries so far -- not that we were hoping to accomplish that -- but that could also be due to the number of people who haven't been able to get Cinecast #21 yet through iTunes...

To Break Or Not To Break: In an otherwise positive email, Toby in Costa Rica asks, "Why do you take a break? And why do you play stupid music during the break? If anything, you should be true to the show and play cinema music from some of the greats like Bernard Herrmann, Miklos Rosza, Jerry Goldsmith and others." Grant Mordecai in Austin, Texas has a different view: "Obviously your insightful movie reviews are the main reason to tune into the casts each week, but I also really appreciate that you are turning your listeners on to new and interesting music as well. I feel that having a short pause in the discussion and listening to a quick shot of great music really rounds the show out and makes the show seem polished and professional. Keep up the great work!"

As Grant said, Sam and I believe that a shot of music makes the show seem "polished and professional," but our real motivation lies in his comment about "having a short pause in the discussion." We think it is better for us AND our listeners to break up the monotony of two people talking for 40-plus minutes. Plus, it gives us a chance to quickly collect our thoughts and discuss how to approach the next segment.

Why not play movie soundtracks and scores? We'd love to! In a perfect world, each break would feature a song from a movie that tied in to our Top 5 theme for that week. But due to copyright restrictions, we can't just play whatever we want. We need permission from the record labels/artists to play their music, and we approached Messenger Records and Bloodshot Records specifically because we are big fans of many of their artists, including Dan Bern on Messenger and Kelly Hogan on Bloodshot. If we can convert a few of you into fans as well... what's the harm in that?

Adam

Cinecast Mailbag (7/11)

Before we jump into the first Mailbag, a correction and some good pub for Cinecast...

* A handful of listeners have already written in to correct one of Adam's comments from our latest show (Cinecast #21, below) -- and to vindicate me! The little girl on the train in "Superman: The Movie" IS Lois Lane!

* Writing in the Saturday, July 9 Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin, columnist Patrick Stephenson responds favorably to the new iTunes podcasting launch and offers capsule reviews of his favorite podcasts. Topping his list is Cinecast: "In a way that is informed and intelligent, the show's co-creators discuss movies both large (studio-made) and small (independently financed). They're also, in their insightful analyses, intimate and unpretentious." Click here to read Stephenson's article.

To the Mailbag...

Cinecast has the most articulate listeners in the podcasting universe. So we created the Cinecast Mailbag to give us a chance to respond to some of your comments off the air due to time limitations during the show. We'll feature a new listener e-mail each weekday.

"Hey fellows,

I think you need to change the name ("Massacre Theatre") to "Yoda Theatre."

Regarding the Fantastic Four? To quote MY personal #1 quotable film (True Romance): "I have more taste in my penis."

I agree that there are far too many really disappointing comic book films in the past few years. I put them in the same category of film with those that are remakes of 70s TV shows. There is one big success that does it right which opens the floodgates for more Hollywood brain pabulum. I cringe inside every time I hear of a new comic book film based on anything I may have enjoyed. It seems crazy to me that screenwriters can have literally thousands of pages of really excellent material to draw from, yet still can not find a story worth telling. "Spiderman" did it right, everyone should just be poaching those writers and paying them a mint.

1. Spider-Man 2 - another one where I think the sequel surpassed the original.
2. X-Men 2 - this is the film that X-Men wishes it could have been.
3. The Crow - I loved this movie...but I hated the legions of Goths who took it as their "Citizen Kane" at the time.
4. Men in Black - the first one was funny...
5. Ghost World - also could have made the "quotable" film list."

Cheers,
Fraser Anderson
Böblingen, Germany

Sam responds:

Hey Fraser,

Thanks for the e-mail.

1) Massacre Theatre: It's possible that Adam and I made this one a little too difficult. Time will tell. It certainly wasn't our intention to take the fun out of the segment; we just thought we'd try a new spin on it. I think if we continue to do "Google Translation Massacre Theatre," we'll try to pick a more familiar excerpt.

2) Fantastic Four: I couldn't have said it any better myself. "Fantastic Four" couldn't be more uninspired or incompetently assembled. It shows a total disregard for fans of the comic book and for movie making in general. Great quote, too, from one of my favorites -- the Tarantino-scripted "True Romance."

3) Comic Book Movies/Top 5: Not sure some people would agree with you that comic book movies are comparable to big screen remakes of 70s TV shows. Certainly Hollywood frequently treats them with the same respect -- as a brand that can be exploited to make money -- but movie adaptations of comic books provoke a special kind of frenzied debate among fans that is difficult to compare to adaptations of books or TV shows. It is shocking -- though, sadly, not surprising -- that with the success of the Spiderman and X-Men films, more comic book adaptations aren't being handed over to people who understand what works. That being said, tapping a director like Christopher Nolan to handle the Batman franchise gives me confidence that Hollywood doesn't have a complete disregard for the genre, and hopes are high for Bryan Singer's Superman. I've been disappointed a thousand times, but I'm an optimist, Fraser -- I go into every movie with the hope that it will surprise me. Great top 5 list. I liked The Crow a lot, too, though I haven't revisited it since seeing it in the theater. I remember it being stylish and well-acted. Good soundtrack, too. It can't rain all the time.

Sam

Cinecast #21: The Fantastic Bore

Finding the precise imbalance between melodrama and uninspired special effects, the new "Fantastic Four" has Cinecast hosts Adam and Sam performing oratorical gymnastics trying to find something nice to say.

Also on the show, a review of "Dark Water," director Walter Salles' remake of "Ringu" creator Hideo Nakata's 2002 psychologically-charged ghost story "Honogurai Mizuno Soko Kara." Starring Jennifer Connelly and featuring a great supporting cast (John C. Reilly, Tim Roth and Pete Postlethwaite), "Dark Water" surprised us with its subtlety, intelligence and genuine creepiness. Despite a slightly unsatisfying ending, it's a movie worth seeing that earns its scares ... Plus, Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre and our Top 5 Comic Book Movies.

Music by Neko Case courtesy of Bloodshot Records ... Cinecast theme music by Age of the Rifle.



Cinecast #21
:32-10:54 - Review: "Fantastic Four"
11:44-20:55 - Review: "Dark Water"
21:53-36:43 - Listener Feedback
37:10-47:41 - Top 5 Comic Book Movies
47:42-51:07 - Massacre Theatre

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 Schedule

Cinecast #21 with a review of "Fantastic Four" and possibly "Dark Water" will be available Sunday afternoon. We'll also count down our Top 5 Comic Book Movies. There's a possibility the show could be up Saturday night, but Sunday seems more likely at this point.

Looking ahead to Cinecast #22... I'll be out of town July 15-17, returning on Monday the 18th, so Sam and I won't be able to record until sometime Monday. We apologize in advance for the wait. We're planning to have reviews of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Wedding Crashers."

Slowly But Surely

Thanks to Scott Smith for the mention in today's Chicagoist... See it here.

As a couple of listeners have pointed out, Cinecasts #19 and #20 seem to be downloading properly now through iTunes (via our iTunes feed, the link accessible on the Podcast Directory main page). Multiple shows are still appearing for some reason -- it's the first #20 and the middle #19 -- but this is a pretty minor problem in the grand scheme of things. As long as multiple shows aren't downloading to your iPods...

Feed Your Head

We've received a couple of emails/comments recently like this one from Matt: "Hey guys -- if you subscribe through the iTunes store, it uses some strange feed to download the show... if you are using iTunes and want the latest two shows to load, the solution is to go to ADVANCED > SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST and enter the normal feed (shown on the home page) for Cinecast... this will sort everything out :)"

Yes, in a nutshell, there are two feeds now for our show: Our normal feed -- http://feeds.feedburner.com/cinecast -- and our iTunes feed. The iTunes feed is definitely not functioning properly as, last time I checked, multiple shows are appearing (such as two Cinecast #20's and three Cinecast #19's) and none of them seem to be downloading when you subscribe. Shows #10-18, however, are downloading.

Basically, Matt is right... if you want to make sure you get #19 and #20 (and #21 when we post it this weekend), your best bet would probably be to follow his instructions. Go to Advanced-->Subscribe to Podcast and enter our FeedBurner feed. At this point we don't have any control over our iTunes feed, so whatever problems there are, we can't do anything but wait for Apple.

My one concern is that subscribing through this feed (let's call it Cinecast v.2) won't help maintain/improve our spot in the Top 20 Podcasts list because the ranking is based on subscriptions to the iTunes feed (Cinecast v.1). But ultimately I'm much more concerned with people being able to get our shows than where we fall on that list.

I hope this all made sense. Please feel free to email or comment on this post if you have any further questions or concerns. As always, thanks for listening!

Podcast of Record?

Reminder: If you are still having problems downloading our latest shows through iTunes, you can listen to Cinecasts #19 and #20 by clicking the "Listen Now!" image in the header or by scrolling down to the show descriptions on this page.

It's just our logo, but hey, we'll take it! There's an article about podcasting and last week's iTunes launch on p. 3 of the Sunday New York Times Business section called, "The Battle for Eardrums Begins With Podcasts." (Link - Free registration required) As you can see on the right, there are 11 show logos featured in the accompanying graphic and Cinecast is one of them! (You can view an enlarged version of the graphic by clicking the story link above, but I'm told it looks much bigger and better in print. I still need to run out and get a copy.)

You Didn't Really Want To Hear Us Discuss "Be Cool," Did You?

Thanks again to everyone who has checked out Cinecast lately. We've received a ton of emails from new listeners around the world who discovered us through iTunes, and Sam and I are both ecstatic about the response. Unfortunately, we didn't really plan for such a response when we signed up for our web hosting service back in March. We're only 3 full days into July and have already zapped more than 50% of our allotted monthly bandwidth! We do expect to have a solution in the next few weeks, but until then, I'd like to make sure we avoid a crash... So, I've temporarily disabled all of our shows prior to Cinecast #14. Sorry for the trouble and again, thanks for your patience.

Cinecast #20: Attack of the 9/11 Metaphor!

Steven Spielberg re-stages 9/11. This time with Martians. Is nothing sacred? Cinecast asks whether Spielberg's intermittently entertaining "War of the Worlds" crosses the line into exploitation, and ponders whether its real subtext isn't terrorism... but occupation. Adam enjoyed the explosions, special effects and all the summery goodness -- right up until Tim Robbins brought the story to a screeching halt; Sam had already tuned out by the time Robbins showed his creepy little head. Also on the show, Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre and our Top 5 Sci-Fi Movies.

"After the Parade" and "God Said No" by Dan Bern courtesy of Messenger Records ... Cinecast theme music by Age of the Rifle.

Note: iTunes is still working out some kinks. For at least a little while longer it appears that both this show and Cinecast #19 will not automatically download if you have subcribed through iTunes. So, you can listen to the shows here or just wait until Apple figures everything out and download the latest shows all in one batch. Thanks again for your patience.



Cinecast #20
:35-13:48 - Review: "War of the Worlds"
14:43-25:03 - Listener Feedback
26:25-39:17 - Top 5 Sci-Fi Movies
39:26-41:04 - Massacre Theatre

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.