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  • 01 Mar

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    Cinecast Episode 248 – Frog Dog

    57

    A lengthy show today as Kurt and Andrew spend far too much time talking Oscar, not so much who won what, but the details of the TV Broadcast, the nature of award shows and the aging of Billy Crystal. We grade homework assignments, and it is pretty “A”s all around as the listener-ship turns in some fine examples of ‘adult animation.’ Kurt talks about the major face-lift of Toronto’s venerable Bloor Cinema. Gamble pops in to discuss the much lauded Indonesian action film, The Raid. He also offers a mostly positive review of John Carter of Mars, which leads to all sorts of tangents, particularly on the woeful marketing that Disney has done for the film as well as the films long and storied production history. The Watchlist sees everything from extended onscreen equine-death and flying dog-dragons to poliziotteschi to headhunting natives to Korean exercises in style to Jodie Foster busting heads to an Algerian ‘best-teacher-ever’ Oscar nominee to Cate Blanchett modelling period costumes in the boddice-ripping period epic, The Golden Age. Either fast-forward or stay all the way to the end whereupon Gamble lays on one of the strangest homework assignments yet. One that is predicated on the strange and unusual neighbor that is seemingly taunting Gamble with strange goings on. It’s a doozy.

    As always, please join the conversation by leaving your own thoughts in the comment section below and again, thanks for listening!

     
     

    Cinecast Episode 248 [ 4:05:33 | 168.6 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup

     

    To download the show directly, paste the following URL into your favorite downloader:
    http://rowthree.com/audio/cinecast_12/episode_248.mp3

     
     
    Full show notes are under the seats…
    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 29 Feb

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    Good Virus

    0

    About two years ago, I read an article in “Reader’s Digest” about a guy who tried an experiment: he looked directly into the eyes, smiled and said “hello” to every single person he encountered over the course of two weeks (or a month or something). He found the idea in practice to be a more difficult task than it actually sounds on paper. A few people were put off and even suspicious of him, but mainly he saw very positive results. People would usually smile back and after time number of folks on the street actually recognized him. They would say “hi” before he had chance to tip his hat. Most significantly, he found his esteem and general well-being were heightened significantly. I pitched this idea to a documentary film maker as potential fodder for a movie. He thought it could work as some sort of interesting investigative short; but probably not as a full length feature.

    Well golly! It seems someone has stolen my idea. Sort of.

    Good Virus is a feel-good documentary that’s all about being nice and the benefits of being nice. They profile bleeding-edge scientists and authors from Berkeley to Harvard and everywhere in between as well as real life people whose lives illustrate their shocking discovery: that nice guys do indeed finish first!

    I think the idea of using “nice” to help solve some of the world’s bigger problems is an interesting one, if a little bohemian. Seeing the evidence given to us by scientists and people of practice is that lends credence to the idea that being nice is not only contagious, but also has healing effects on a global scale is certainly something I’m personally interested in checking out further. Turns out, I don’t have to wait long. The movie is almost complete!

    You can check out more information about the movie over at the movie’s official web page. Also, if this seems like a worthwhile endeavor to you, you can help fund their kickstarter campaign for some post production help as well as promotional material funding and distribution.

    If nothing else, you should check out the trailer that I’ve stuck beneath the seats…
    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 28 Feb

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    Top 10 Films Based on Real-Life Crimes

    8

    Looks like everyone is into making movie lists. Even the dudes over at the criminal justice department. As always, I can’t see I completely agree with all of the choices on this list – or the order they’re in. But I can at least be happy these guys did their homework. And I’d be hard pressed to argue against their #1 pick. Also, lots of Johnny Depp. So because it’s Tuesday and the Oscar talk is done (heh, yeah right), here’s another movie list for you to mull over. The Top Ten Films Based on Real-Life Crimes…

    10) Blow (2001)
    Blow tells the real-life story of American cocaine smuggler George Jung, played by Johnny Depp, and his journey to becoming one of the world’s most prolific drug dealers. But his success and wealth come back to haunt him when he’s betrayed by his wife, Mirtha, who plants a stash of cocaine in his car which lands him a 60-year prison sentence.

     

     

    9) Monster (2003)
    Monster is a crime drama based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a real prostitute-turned-serial killer who was executed for murdering six men in Florida. Wuornos’ first victim was killed in self-defense, but she continues to rob and murder her clients to support her and her lover, Selby Wall, played by Christina Ricci. Actress Charlize Theron won an Academy Award for her critically acclaimed portrayal of Wuornos in the film.

     

     

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 27 Feb

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    Mondays Suck Less in the Third Row

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    Last Day to Watch Any of These on Netflix Instant:
    Toy Story 3, Tron: Legacy, That Thing You Do!, Elizabeth, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Peter Pan, Scarface, Apocalypto, Hackers, JFK, Teen Wolf, Scream, Airheads, Twins, Tank Girl, Rumble in the Bronx, Spy Hard, Airport, The Nutty Professor, Young Frankenstein, Beetlejuice, Sparticus, Let Me In, Howl’s Moving Castle

     

     

    Jimmy Kimmel. Movie: The Movie. Starring (in order of appearance): Ryan Phillippe, Jessica Alba, Taylor Lautner, Antonio Banderas, Edward Norton, Josh Brolin, Colin Farrell, Air Bud, explosions, some kid and a latino guy, Charlize Theron, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeff Goldblum, Gary Oldman, Cameron Diaz, Sam Jackson, JJ Abrams, Martin Scorsese, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Jessica Biel, Justin Bateman, Kevin James, Tyler Perry, John Goodman, Kate Beckinsale, Chewbacca, Danny DeVito, Don Cheadle, Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren, Christoph Waltz, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Gabourey Sidibe, Jimmy Kimmel and Steven Tyler:

     

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 26 Feb

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    84th Annual Academy Award Winners [Oscars]

    10

    So it’s all over but the drinking. Crystal came back and delivered his thing. Sacha Baron Cohen was a moron. And Berenice Bejo looked ravishing. Those were the only locks of tonight. Well, that and The Artist winning best picture. But there were a few upsets as well. There will be much dissection of the Academy Awards over the next couple of days I’m sure (including a couple of our own podcasts here in the third row), so let’s just get to it. And the winners are…


    BEST MOTION PICTURE:
    The Artist
    The Descendants
    The Help
    Hugo
    Midnight in Paris
    Moneyball
    The Tree of Life
    War Horse
    Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

     
     

    DIRECTOR:
    Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
    Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)
    Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
    Martin Scorsese (Hugo)
    Alexander Payne (The Descendants)

     
     

    ACTOR:
    Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
    Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
    George Clooney (The Descendants)
    Demian Bichir (A Better Life)
    Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

     
     

    ACTRESS:
    Viola Davis (The Help)
    Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)
    Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)
    Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
    Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

     
     

    SUPPORTING ACTOR:
    Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
    Nick Nolte (Warrior)
    Jonah Hill (Moneyball)
    Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)
    Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

     
     

    SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
    Octavia Spencer (The Help)
    Berenice Bejo (The Artist)
    Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
    Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)
    Jessica Chastain (The Help)

     
     

    ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
    The Artist
    Midnight in Paris
    Bridesmaids
    Margin Call
    A Separation

     
     

    ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
    The Descendants
    Moneyball
    Hugo
    The Ides of March
    Tinker Tailor Solder Spy

     
     

    FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
    A Separation (Iran)
    In Darkness (Poland)
    Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
    Footnote (Israel)
    Bullhead (Belgium)

     
     

    ANIMATED FILM:
    Rango
    Kung Fu Panda 2
    A Cat in Paris
    Chico & Rita
    Puss in Boots

     
     

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 26 Feb

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    26th Annual Independent Spirit Award Winners

    0

    All anyone is talking about today is the Oscars. Which is absolutely fair. But tonight were the much more intoxicating Independent Spirit Awards and quite the night it was! The stars are looser, the films and performances nominated are slightly more on par and it doesn’t take 6 hours to get through the whole thing.

    We’ve got the full list of winners listed below. What kind of precursors to Oscar wins do you foretell? Anything that makes you want to stand up cheer? Sound off in the comments below.


    Best Feature:
    50/50
    Beginners
    Drive
    Take Shelter
    The Artist
    The Descendants

    Best Director:
    Mike Mills, Beginners
    Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
    Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter
    Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
    Alexander Payne, The Descendants

    Best First Feature:
    Another Earth
    In The Family
    Margin Call
    Martha Marcy May Marlene
    Natural Selection

    Best Male Lead:
    Demian Bichir, A Better Life
    Jean Dujardin, The Artist
    Ryan Gosling, Drive
    Woody Harrelson, Rampart
    Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

    Best Female Lead:
    Lauren Ambrose, Think of Me
    Rachel Harris, Natural Selection
    Adepero Oduye, Pariah
    Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
    Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 24 Feb

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    Sorry Weinsteins. Rules are Rules.

    18

    Just wanted to weigh in quickly on this latest controversy between the Weinstein Company and the MPAA. If you’re not aware, the short of it is that the MPAA slapped the Weinstein’s documentary Bully with an “R” rating. Really wanting to show the film in schools and have kids come to screenings as much as possible, the studio appealed the decision but by a very small margin (one vote I think), the MPAA stuck to their guns and said, sorry guys: R.

    Now the internet is up in arms about it. Twitter is a flood with cries of bullshit and pleas to the MPAA to change their minds. I’ll be honest, I’m no fan of the dunder-heads over at the MPAA. And for the most part I’m in agreement with the protestations. But allow me to play devil’s advocate for a moment.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 23 Feb

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    And the Crowd Goes “Whooah!” [Brave Trailer]

    2

    The right way to market a film in my opinion (or one of the right ways): release a small clip from the film rather than a hodge-podge of elements from the best parts of a movie. This way gets me far more interested in checking out the rest of the movie. And to be honest, that last twenty seconds or so is pretty much all it took. I mean, let’s be honest, I’ll pay to see any Pixar movie that comes down the pike anyway (yes, even after the semi-disaster that was Cars 2), but I have to admit I had some serious doubts about Brave. Not anymore. I’m in. See you there on June 22nd.

     

  • 23 Feb

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    Cinecast Episode 247 – That’s Just The Kind of Pretentious Twaddle I like!

    39

    Here we are a week before Oscars and there is so little to talk about on that front other than that there is so little to talk about. Gamble gives a run-down on the Best Animated Shorts which are always worth a look. Kurt gives a sparkling review of the latest Studio Ghibli animated feature; a Japanese spin on the classic British children’s novel The Borrowers. Re-titled The Secret World of Arrietty, the film is surprisingly adult in tone and theme and worth looking at on the big screen. We spend a tangent-driven span of time grading the homework assignments (criminal clowns) before diving into The Watch List: Wil Wheaton, Elliot Gould, Alain Delon, Brian DePalma, Michelangelo Antonioni, Billy Bob Thorton and Anna Faris! Andrew goes to town on smashing Tiny Furniture. Matt goes to town on pummeling the seven-year-delayed Margaret (and in the pejorative sense thinks Kurt and Rot will love it).

    As always, please join the conversation by leaving your own thoughts in the comment section below and again, thanks for listening!

     
     

    Cinecast Episode 247 [ 2:48:15 | 115.53 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup

     

    To download the show directly, paste the following URL into your favorite downloader:
    http://rowthree.com/audio/cinecast_12/episode_247.mp3

     
     
    Full show notes are under the seats…
    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 20 Feb

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    Mondays Suck Less in the Third Row

    4

     

     

    Movie States of America

     

     

    And these designers get paid big bucks | source

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 16 Feb

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    Cinecast Episode 246 – Intrinsic Compass

    31

    With February really slumming it in theaters, the boys don’t have anything new to talk about this week. But why talk new when our listeners are so much smarter than us and provide us with lots of ponderous material of yesterday to talk about? The homework assignment this week turned out to be much more rich than we thought possible and so we have a good time with that stuff. The Watch List is equally entertaining this week with some old school Kubrick, time travel, unrelenting martial artistry and the much needed Indiana Jones fawning. Stay tuned near the end of the show for next week’s homework assignment and some general film related rambling as the boys try to kill as much time as possible just shooting the bull. Welcome.

    As always, please join the conversation by leaving your own thoughts in the comment section below and again, thanks for listening!

     

    Cinecast Episode 246 [ 1:59:32 | 82.08 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup

     

    To download the show directly, paste the following URL into your favorite downloader:
    http://rowthree.com/audio/cinecast_12/episode_246.mp3

     
     
    Full show notes are under the seats…
    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 14 Feb

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    Criterion Valentine Sale [50% off everything!]

    26

    HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! HALF OFF EVERYTHING AT CRITERION.COM!

    Starting at noon EST today, February 14, all in-stock Blu-rays and DVDs will be 50% off the suggested retail price (SRP). Just enter the promotional code SWAK on your shopping cart page at Criterion.com to apply the discount.

    See you in the poor house.

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