Cinecast #65: Eye For An Eye

Munich: For the past couple of decades, Steven Spielberg has oscillated between history and fantasy -- "The Color Purple," "Empire of the Sun," "Schindler's List," "Saving Private Ryan" ... "ET," "Hook," "Jurassic Park," "Minority Report." In 2005, Spielberg released one of each: popcorn muncher "War of the Worlds" and now Munich. And both films have as much to say about the present as they do about the past and future. "War of the Worlds" resonates with post-9/11 dread while "Munich," an account of the aftermath of the 1972 Munich Olympics hostage crisis, reflects on the on-going battle between Israel and Palestine. Adam was moved by "Munich," concluding that it could be Spielberg's "most graceful and least manipulative" film yet. Although Sam admired the filmmakers' thoughtful approach to the difficult subject matter, he didn't find the story nearly as compelling as Adam did.

Also on this super-sized, post-Christmas show, Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre, Week #2 of our Hitchcock Marathon: "Notorious," and our Top 5 Holiday Movies.

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



Cinecast #65
:47-19:06 - Review: "Munich"
Music: Johnny Society, "Don't Talk Me Down"
20:19-29:31 - Notes/Corrections/Clarifications
29:32-40:06 - Listener Feedback (King Kong, Top 5 Villains)
40:32-42:27 - Listener Voicemails
Music: Johnny Society, "Witch's Plea"
43:29-46:17 - Voicemails Response
46:18-49:04 - 'Villains' Feedback cont.
49:05-1:00:18 - Hitchcock Marathon: "Notorious"
Music: Johnny Society, "Coming To Get You"
1:01:06-1:03:51 - Massacre Theatre
1:03:52-1:20:19 - Top 5 Holiday Movies

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.

Bye Bye Rebecca

It wouldn't be a Cinecast Marathon if we didn't have to revise our schedule, would it?

As a few of you have noted, Hitchcock's "Rebecca" is not available through Netflix. Sam and I thought for sure we could find it in a video store somewhere back home in Iowa (me) or New Hampshire (Sam), but no such luck. So, we've decided to bump "Notorious" up in the schedule and we'll discuss it on Friday's podcast. The following week we're planning to do "Shadow of a Doubt" instead of "Rebecca." If you're playing along at home, we hope this doesn't throw you off too much. Thanks for your understanding.

Happy Holidays!

Update: I just wanted to clarify that I'm quite certain we'd have no problem finding "Rebecca" in Chicago. The problem is that Sam and I waited until we went back to our (small) hometowns for the holidays to look for it.

Cinecast #64: 39 Steps Lead Down

Hitchcock Marathon #1 - The 39 Steps: Six weeks of tongue in cheek slasher pics have put Adam and Sam in the mood for more classic fare. Cinecast kicks off its six-week Master of Suspense Marathon with 1935's "The 39 Steps." A fun, suspenseful film with great dialogue and witty period acting, "Steps" doesn't have the psychological power of later Hitchcock. But Adam and Sam agreed that it serves as a great entry point to the auteur's body of work.

Also on the show, we hand out The Haddonfields, the Best of the Horror Marathon Awards, and reveal our Top 5 Villains. Sam would like to note that he is embarrassed by the diabolical obviousness of his picks.

Music by Alejandro Escovedo courtesy of Bloodshot Records ... Cinecast theme music by Age of the Rifle.



Cinecast #64
:35-11:05 - Hitchcock Marathon #1: "The 39 Steps"
11:06-17:17 - The Haddonfields (Horror Awards)
17:17-19:11 - Listener Voicemails
Music: Alejandro Escovedo
20:23-22:05 - Voicemail Response
22:06-36:43 - Top 5 Villains

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 #63: Jackson's Monkey Trial

King Kong: The undisputed "big movie" of the holiday season, Peter Jackson's follow up to his Oscar-winning "Lord of the Rings" trilogy has Adam and Sam in a rare fighting mood. At three hours, and with three distinct chapters, King Kong has lots to like, and lots to dislike -- Adam and Sam just happen to disagree about what those things are. Is Kong a solid story with indulgent effects? Or a failed concept that nevertheless offers a fantastic spectacle? Also, some talk about previous incarnations of the great ape story, featuring lengthy digressions about Jessica Lange's you've-got-to-see-it-to-believe-it performance in the 1976 version.

Also on the show, some thoughts on the impending awards season, Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre, and our Top 5 Villains Preview.

Music by George Prentice ... Cinecast theme music by Age of the Rifle.



Cinecast #63
:34-18:32 - Review: "King Kong"
Music: George Prentice, "Overwhelmed"
20:45-22:03 - "King Kong" cont.
22:04-27:32 - Notes/Corrections/Golden Globes
27:33-37:37 - Listener Feedback (Syriana, So Bad They're Good)
Music: George Prentice, "How Much"
38:59-42:59 - Massacre Theatre
43:00-51:24 - Top 5 Villains 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 #62: So Bad They're Good

Horror Marathon Week #6 - Evil Dead 2: Whether by accident or design, Adam and Sam managed to stock their Horror Marathon with as many comedies -- including, Sam would say, Dario Argento's unintentional laugh riot "Suspiria" -- as they did scary movies. Way over the top and a little campy, "Evil Dead 2" is a cinematic tour de force ... bravura filmmaking on a budget.

Plus, listeners take over the Top 5 -- your favorite So Bad They're Good Movies.

Music by The Pale Pacific ... Cinecast theme music by Age of the Rifle.



Cinecast #62
:34-9:49 - Horror Marathon-Week 6: "Evil Dead 2"
10:26-12:53 - Listener Voicemails: So Bad They're Good
Music: The Pale Pacific, "Into the Sun Pt. 2"
14:19-38:02 - Listener Picks: So Bad They're Good

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 #61: Snake Oil

Syriana: Though falling just shy of true greatness (because, as you know, we here at Cinecast are the final arbiters of greatness), writer/director Stephen Gaghan’s "Syriana" is never short of ambition. For his sophomore effort as a director -- no, it's not his debut, as Adam mistakenly says during the show -- the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "Traffic" dives headlong into the dense thicket of international politics and emerges with a film that is timely, well-informed and genuinely exciting. Impressively, Gaghan is able to illustrate the self-interest and corruption that fuels the global economy without drowning the audience with cynicism; if he can't quite resist the temptation to editorialize occasionally, you can hardly blame him.

Also on the show, listeners share their Top 5 Death Scenes, explain the appeal of "Aeon Flux," and wonder if we've ever seen "L.A. Story." Plus, Massacre Theatre and a look ahead to this week's Top 5 Movies So Bad They're Good.

Massacre Theatre presented by the Elemental-Gear podcast, bringing you insightful computing technology opinions, discussions and reviews.

Music by the Waco Brothers courtesy of Bloodshot Records ... Cinecast theme music by Age of the Rifle.



Cinecast #61
:32-18:14 - Review: "Syriana"
Music: Waco Brothers, "It's Amazing"
19:26-25:40 - Notes/Corrections
25:41-39:03 - Listener Feedback (Aeon Flux, Shopgirl, Death Scenes)
39:04-39:41 - So Bad They're Good Voicemails
Music: Waco Brothers, "Missing Link"
42:10-43:45 - Voicemail Response
43:46-47:43 - Death Scenes Feedback cont.
47:44-50:19 - Massacre Theatre
50:20-58:42 - Top 5 So Bad They're Good 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.

#61 Up Soon...

Sorry, we got a bit long-winded in our latest show. It will be posted before 11 am. Also, something we briefly discuss during the show... no Cinecast A/V this week. The state-of-the-art Cinecast 'studio' is currently occupied. We'll update you soon on the A/V schedule.

Update: Sorry! Up by 12:30... having laptop issues (I know, damn PCs). Thanks for your patience.

Cinecast #60: Body Shopgirl

Shopgirl: If Adam had spent more time with his in-laws Thanksgiving weekend, Cinecast might not have bothered with a review of what Sam calls, "One of the biggest surprises of the year." Adam and Sam were finally able to catch up with director Anand Tucker's adaptation of the Steve Martin novella "Shopgirl". A detail-rich, modern day fairy tale that is refreshingly free of melodrama and sentimentality, "Shopgirl" was worth our attention.

Also on the show, Week 5 of our Horror Marathon -- a discussion of director Stuart Gordon's 1985 comic bloodbath "Re-Animator". And we reveal our Top 5 Death Scenes.

Music by The Pinetops courtesy of Bloodshot Records ... Cinecast theme music by Age of the Rifle.



Cinecast #60
:36-14:45 - Review: "Shopgirl"
Music: The Pinetops, "Mt. St. Helens"
15:43-24:18 - Horror Marathon - Week 5: "Re-Animator"
24:19-27:30 - Listener Feedback (Date Scenes)
27:31-39:56 - Top 5 Death Scenes

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 On Air, In Print

The latest Cinecast with a review of "Aeon Flux" can be found directly below this post or by clicking the 'Listen Now' button above ... Cinecast #60 with a review of "Shopgirl," a discussion of "Re-Animator" and our Top 5 Death Scenes will be up Friday morning.

Just a couple of quick notes before Friday's show... Sam and I are scheduled to do a segment on WCRX Radio, 88.1 FM (Columbia College), for its 3rd annual Holiday Food Drive this Thursday morning at 9:30 am CST. You can listen to the live stream here. We're going to discuss Holiday Movies -- the upcoming films we're most looking forward to and some of our past favorites, plus a bit of Oscar talk.

If you're interested in learning everything there is to know about podcasting, check out "Podcasting Hacks" from O'Reilly (August 2005). Cinecast gets some love in Chapter 4 on Formats. Thanks to author Jack Herrington and O'Reilly for including us. Yes, Sam and I find it a bit surreal to see our names in the index of a book.

Cinecast #59: Aeon Re-Flux

Aeon Flux: An exercise in what might have been, director Karyn Kusama's (Girlfight) Aeon Flux establishes an interesting, if mostly familiar, vision of the future that has characters questioning the true nature of their existence. Instead of exploring this theme or establishing fully-realized characters, however, Kusama settles for a pretty straightforward sci-fi action film, complete with a lot of poorly-edited sequences featuring leather-clad revolutionary Charlize Theron kicking ass and blowing things up. But if "Flux" isn't as ambitious as it should have been, it's not quite as bad as it could have been, either. Sam actually employs the word "Shakespearean" at one point, while Adam can be heard spouting pop culture criticism care of Chuck Klosterman.

Also on the show, listeners implore Adam and Sam to spend another 5 hours with Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, and explain why "Rent" may be the worst date movie ever in Listener Feedback. Plus, another edition of Massacre Theatre and a look ahead to this week's Top 5 Death Scenes.

Massacre Theatre presented by the Elemental-Gear podcast, bringing you insightful computing technology opinions, discussions and reviews.

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



Cinecast #59
:32-17:50 - Review: "Aeon Flux"
Music: Chris Whitley, "New Lost World"
19:30-28:24 - Cinecast Notes (So Bad They're Good, Upcoming Marathons)
28:25-39:19 - Listener Feedback (Pride & Prejudice, Rent)
Music: Chris Whitley, "Hotel Vast Horizon"
40:26-42:48 - Massacre Theatre
42:49-46:36 - Listener Feedback (Date Movies)
46:37-52:44 - Top 5 Death Scenes 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 #58: La Vie Austen

Pride and Prejudice: Only the most obsessive Jane Austen fanatic could have been clamoring for another adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" (according to IMDb, there have been at least eight screen adaptations of Austen's novel). But there's a reason why writers, actors and directors keep returning to the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. It's the ur-romantic comedy: the first and still one of the best. Adam and Sam agree that director Joe Wright's adaptation is well cast and nearly note-perfect -– Adam just wasn't as moved by the 'music' as Sam was.

And speaking of music ... Cinecast #58 is full of it. We take a quick look at Chris Columbus' new screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical "Rent", and wade through a pile of Listener Feedback regarding our Top 5 Music Moments. Plus, Massacre Theatre, Adam's thoughts on "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" and our Top 5 Date Movies.

WARNING: This show contains a potentially lethal dose of Cinecrack. There's a reason we do two shows a week -- to avoid shows like this one that run well over an hour. Please forgive us.

Massacre Theatre presented by the Elemental-Gear podcast, bringing you insightful computing technology opinions, discussions and reviews.

Music by Bobby Bare Jr. courtesy of Bloodshot Records ... Cinecast theme music by Age of the Rifle.



Cinecast #58
:41-12:12 - Review: "Pride and Prejudice"
12:13-22:50 - Review: "Rent"
Music: Bobby Bare Jr., "Valentine"
23:54-28:34 - Quick Review (Adam): "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang"
28:35-34:29 - Cinecast Notes
34:30-44:18 - Listener Feedback (Stuck in the Middle w/ Sweet Caroline)
Music: Bobby Bare Jr., "Don't Follow Me (I'm Lost)"
45:19-49:37 - "Suspiria" Feedback
49:38-53:31 - Horror Marathon: John Carpenter's "Halloween"
53:32-58:01 - Massacre Theatre
58:02-1:10:45 - Top 5 Date Movies

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.