FS #203: Stop-Loss / All About My Mother / Top 5 Up-and-Coming Actors

March 28: This week... Adam and Matty ship off for an extended tour of duty with Ryan Phillippe as they discuss "Stop-Loss," the latest film from "Boys Don't Cry" writer/director Kimberly Peirce. Plus, in honor of Adam's "don't ask, don't tell" man crush on "Stop-Loss" co-star Channing Tatum, the boys share their Top 5 Up-and-Coming Actors.

Also on the show: Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre and our Pedro Almodóvar Marathon continues with 1999's "All About My Mother."

Music by Dick Prall from the album "Weightless" courtesy of Authentic Records.

Filmspotting is presented by SpoutBlog and the FilmCouch podcast. Find out why The New York Times says, "SpoutBlog's got it all," at blog.spout.com.

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Filmspotting #203
:24-14:35 - Review: "Stop-Loss"
Music: Dick Prall, "Halfway To Hollywood"
15:36-19:10 - Corrections, Notes
19:11-27:03 - Listener Feedback (Fourth Wall Movies)
Music: Dick Prall, "The Cornflakes Song"
28:09-31:42 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: Renee Stern)
31:43-39:56 - Almodóvar #3: "All About My Mother"
Music: Dick Prall, "If It Bends"
40:28-45:38 - New DVDs, Contests, Donations
45:39-49:38 - Top 5 Setup, Poll Questions
49:39-1:03:40 - Top 5: Up-and-Coming Actors
1:03:41-1:06:10 - Close/Next Show/Outtake

NOTES/CORRECTIONS
- Studio 360 interview with Kimberly Peirce.

- Matty and I realize that we have a tendency to lump any 'war on terror' movie into the same category even if that's not really appropriate. For example, "Taxi To The Dark Side" is a movie about the U.S. policy on torture and not really an 'Iraq movie', though a good chunk of it does deal with Abu Ghraib.

- Matty commented that "Stop-Loss" is basically "Varsity Blues" goes to war. Am I crazy, or were the marketing folks apparently thinking the same thing? Check out the posters here and here.

- Who is Sargent Shriver? Find out here.

- A Tale of Two Pedros by Michael Atkinson.

FS #202: Funny Games / Paranoid Park / Live Flesh / Top 5 Fourth Wall Movies

March 21: This week Adam outfits Matty in requisite black sweater and beret and forces him to enjoy an arthouse double feature. Will Matty reject Michael Haneke's ultra-violent "Funny Games" and Gus Van Sant's languid "Paranoid Park," or revel in both? Plus, the boys dabble in Verfremdungseffekt for a countdown of their Top 5 Movies That Break the Fourth Wall.

Also on the show: Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre and the Pedro Almodóvar Marathon continues with a pregnant Penelope Cruz and a wheelchair bound Javier Bardem in 1997's "Live Flesh."

Music by The Nadas from their new album "The Ghosts Inside These Halls" courtesy of Authentic Records.

Filmspotting is presented by Spout, a gathering place for people who love movies. Spout.com presents BUTTERKNIFE, a new generation detective series made by a new generation of filmmakers. Up now at butterknife.spout.com!

...And by Audible.com. Download a free audiobook of your choice today at audiblepodcast.com/filmspotting.

...And by TLAVideo.com. Buy DVDs online at the Filmspotting store!



Filmspotting #202
:35-12:33 - Review: "Funny Games"
12:34-20:08 - Review: "Paranoid Park"
Music: The Nadas, "Loser"
21:09-25:01 - Anthony Minghella, Notes, Polls
25:02-34:53 - Listener Feedback ('60s Movies)
Music: The Nadas, "Blue Lights"
36:11-39:36 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: Josh Jenkins)
39:38-46:05 - Almodóvar #2: "Live Flesh"
Music: The Nadas, "Goodnight Girl"
46:56-50:04 - New DVDs, Donations
52:37-1:02:54 - Top 5: Fourth Wall Movies
1:02:55-1:05:50 - Close/Next Show/Outtakes

NOTES/CORRECTIONS
- Lest you think my No Country-ish reading of "Funny Games" is completely nuts, check out this video interview I found with Michael Haneke discussing his original "Funny Games" -- note particularly the last 45 seconds or so. "All the rules that exist to keep society functioning are nothing to them. And faced with characters like that, you don’t stand a chance. I think that’s what is so shocking." Indeed, Mr. Haneke. Indeed.

- Check out Frederick Wiseman docs on DVD from Zipporah Films.

- Alas, no "Matty's Movie Minute" this week as Matty just couldn't squeeze in another film.

- During the '60s movies feedback it was suggested that "Shampoo" was a Warren Beatty movie. Of course, Hal Ashby directed it; however, Beatty wrote it and it has his fingerprints all over it. I still say it's a bit overrated. It was also suggested that "Shampoo" was Beatty's first movie; it wasn't.

- You can find a decent plot summary for "Live Flesh" here.

FS #201: Director's Cut

March 18: Put the kiddies to bed, don your best housecoat, break out the scotch (any type of Glen will do), and join Adam and Matty for some Filmspotting After Dark ... or, um, Filmspotting: The Director's Cut... or Filmspotting: The Feedback Show. We're not really sure what we're calling this thing. In any event, we're trotting out a short bonus edition of Filmspotting focusing on your feedback and whatever else pops into our heads. May become a regular thing, may not. Hope you enjoy.

FS #201: Chicago 10 / Flower of My Secret / Top 5 '60s Movies

March 14: The boys are back after a week off and ready to blow off some steam, fight the man, and storm the old Chicago Amphitheatre alongside Abbie Hoffman, Rennie Davis and David Dellinger in director Brett Morgen's latest kaleidoscopic gonzo-documentary "Chicago 10." Featuring the vocal talents of Hank Azaria, Mark Ruffalo and Jeffrey Wright, the film chronicles the 1968 Democratic National Convention riots and subsequent trial of its alleged instigators -- inspiring Matty and Adam to share their Top 5 '60s Movies (movies set in the '60s, not from the '60s).

Also on the show: Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre and Filmspotting's Pedro Almodóvar Marathon launches with a review of 1996's "The Flower of My Secret."

Music by Wilder Embry from his new album "Squander."

Filmspotting is presented by Spout, a gathering place for people who love movies. Spout.com presents BUTTERKNIFE, a new generation detective series made by a new generation of filmmakers. Up now at butterknife.spout.com!

...And by Audible.com. Download a free audiobook of your choice today at audiblepodcast.com/filmspotting.

...And by TLAVideo.com. Buy DVDs online at the Filmspotting store!



Filmspotting #201
:35-17:34 - Review: "Chicago 10"
Music: Wilder Embry, "Karaoke"
18:23-24:25 - Voicemail, Polls, Notes
24:26-25:25 - Matty's Movie Minute: "Semi-Pro"
25:26-34:39 - Feedback (Actors We Wouldn't Cast)
Music: Wilder Embry, "Answers"
36:10-39:36 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: John Damer)
39:37-47:00 - Almodóvar #1: "The Flower of My Secret"
Music: Wilder Embry, "Two Hearts Beat"
47:27-52:36 - New DVDs, Donations
52:37-1:03:50 - Top 5: '60s Movies
1:03:51-1:06:34 - Close/Next Show/Outtakes

NOTES/CORRECTIONS
- Brett Morgen was kind enough to respond to my follow-up query about the use of music in "Chicago 10." Here is what he had to say about the use of music: "There was no music added or cut since Sundance and all the cues are the same." So there you have it. Frustrating indeed to not be able to account for the difference in my perception of the music from then to now. That said, I'm starting to realize that your festival experience can often be very different from your non-festival one.

- Turns out we were right the first time... Josh Brolin is playing Dubya in Oliver Stone's upcoming "Bush," not Bush 41. Apparently IMDb has the credit incorrect.

- 'IKEA' Knightley and Orlando 'Bland' are names popularized by the BBC's Mark Kermode.

- During our Almodóvar discussion, we pronounced Leo's name (short for Leocadia) as LEE-oh. It should have been LAY-oh. We are Midwestern hicks, after all; but in our defense, watch the movie and you barely hear the distinction when the characters pronounce the main characters name.

- My apologies to Zach in Atlanta. I misspoke when saying that he left a voicemail thanking Matty for introducing him to "After the Wedding" and "This Is England." It was actually "England" and "The Wind That Shakes the Barley."

FS Interviews Revisited: Josh Brolin / Todd Haynes / Ellen Page-Diablo Cody

March 7: Filmspotting is celebrating its three-year anniversary with a week off... Adam is spending time with the kids who no longer know his name, while Matty is acquainting himself with the filmography of Apichatpong Weerasethakul (it's about time!). But lest we leave you without a Filmspotting fix, we offer this look back at three Oscar-themed interviews from the past year -- conversations with Josh Brolin ("No Country for Old Men"), Todd Haynes ("I'm Not There") and Ellen Page and Diablo Cody ("Juno.")

Of course, it occurs to us now that rather than going with three (recent) interviews connected by Oscar, it probably would have been more fun to really dig into the vault and revisit conversations that newer Filmspotting listeners may have missed -- Richard Linklater, Todd Field and Rian Johnson, for example. There's always next anniversary... Sorry.

Note that the memorable "Transformers" voicemail was the handiwork of Greg Rice from Valencia, CA. Great stuff, Greg.

Music by Waco Brothers courtesy of Bloodshot Records.

Filmspotting is presented by Spout, a gathering place for people who love movies. Spout.com presents BUTTERKNIFE, a new generation detective series made by a new generation of filmmakers. Watch now at butterknife.spout.com!

...And by TLAVideo.com. Buy DVDs online at the Filmspotting store!