It seems that people are often quick to locate themselves firmly on one or the other end of the following spectrum: “podcast person” or “definitely not a podcast person.” But, if you are a movie person (and I imagine you are, if you’re reading this), I promise the medium has much to offer. Podcasts about movies are a huge genre within podcasting, with its own ecosystem and sub-genres. For instance, if you want to find a show featuring a group of comedians talking about bad movies, you can have your pick. (My allegiances are with sub-genre stalwart The Flophouse, discussed below, but others will go to bat for We Hate Movies or How Did This Get Made?) To help you sort through it all, here are
Title: Colossal (2016) Genre: The film's IMDB page lists action, comedy, drama, fantasy, and sci fi, which are all accurate, but I'd say that the film is mainly a drama with a sci-fi premise. Director: Nacho Vigalondo Stars: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Austin Stowell, Tim Blake Nelson, Dan Stevens Grade: A- In a Nutshell: Following a difficult break-up and a career downturn, NYC party girl Gloria (Anne Hathaway) returns to her hometown to live in her abandoned childhood home. Right away she runs into Oscar (Jason Sudeikis), an old friend who now owns and operates a bar. Oscar offers Gloria a job waitressing, and helps her get back on her feet. This is when things get weird. A giant kaiju
Emma Greenleaf 1) Master of None (2015-2017) - I've been trying to space out the episodes of this Aziz Ansari helmed Netflix original, but they are just so easy to watch. I loved the first season and how it delved into topics which previously haven’t been explored on TV, and taught valuable life lessons in a way that avoids all clichés. This second season has really stepped up its game. With the first two episodes taking place in picturesque Italy, Ansari has combined the indulgent images of a cooking show with the incisive comedy the show is known for. Not to mention, it is nice to see a protagonist the audience can root for, and that actually succeeds in life. 2) Lovesong (2016) - I also
The 2014 film John Wick is full of contradictions. The action is (rightfully) praised for the high-degree of verisimilitude that it becomes hyper-stylized. The revenge narrative is motivated not so much by the much talked about puppy scene, but by what that represents – the last connection a grieving man has to the woman who likely saved his life. Even the trophy of traditional masculinity – the 1969 Mustang stolen from Wick – is revealed to have a deeper meaning. Hidden depths are at the heart of the film, and its sequel, John Wick 2 (2017). Over the course of the two films we’re led on an Orphean journey into an underworld with its own clearly-established language, economy, laws, and cultu
Title: Raw (2016) Genre: Horror/Drama/Comedy Director: Julia Ducournau Stars: Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, Rabah Naït Oufella Bias: I am only a very casual horror fan, so some of Raw’s generic reference points may be lost on me. But the film has a lot of elements I tend to go for, such as its general artsiness. Grade: A- In a Nutshell: Raised in a family of vegetarian veterinarians, 16-year-old Justine (Garance Miller) is about to embark on her own veterinary training at a school where her older sister, Alexia (Ella Rumpf), is already an upperclassman (or the French equivalent). At school, Justine immediately encounters strange hazing rituals—new students are forcibly roused from their dor
Matt Linton 1) What We Do in the Shadows (2014) – Director Taika Waititi directs, co-writes, and co-stars in this hilarious mock-umentary detailing the lives of immortal vampires sharing a house in New Zealand. The film works as a send-up of both vampire tropes and reality TV, and features a brilliant performance by co-writer and co-star Jemaine Clement. 2) Sicario (2015) - Denis Villeneuve is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors, with the one-two punch of this film and his follow-up, Arrival. Here, he follows a DEA agent played by Emily Blunt as she’s drawn by Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro deeper into the drug war south of the border. The film is tense, surprising, and engaging.
Some cult movies are loved for being bad and campy. Others are celebrated for breaking taboos and creating controversy. Many more were ignored and forgotten in their own day, and have only been appreciated years after their original release. Cult movies are often strange and unique . Sometimes, as in the five examples here, the backstories behind cult movies are just as weird and fascinating as the movies themselves. 5. Snuff Sparked A Snuff Movie Panic Made on an extravagant budget of $30,000 in Argentina, Snuff follows the murderous misadventures of a poorly-dubbed hippie gang and their Charles Manson-like leader, Satan. When it was originally released in 1971 under the name Slaughter, th
Title: Dr. Strange (2016), Blue-ray Genre: Superhero/Adaptation/Fantasy/Action Director: Scott Derrickson Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton, and Chiwetel Ejiofor Bias: I am a Marvel fanboy. Whether it’s the comics or the films, I’ve been a fan of Marvel superheroes for most of my life. Grade: B In a Nutshell: Dr. Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch), a brilliant and arrogant neurosurgeon, suffers permanent nerve damage to his hands after surviving a near-fatal car accident. After exhausting the limits of medical science, he travels east in search of a fabled healer known only as The Ancient One (Swinton). Under the Ancient One’s tutelage, he enters a dark an
Shelby Cadwell This weekend I plan to continue to watching the animated show Gravity Falls on Hulu. The series features voice acting from Jason Ritter, Kristin Schall, and Linda Cardellini, among others (and some notable guest appearances from big names like Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Stephen Root, Nathan Fillion, and Will Forte). Gravity Falls follows the story of twin siblings - Mabel and Dipper Pines - who are spending the summer with their Great Uncle Stan, who runs a "mystery shack" tourist trap in the town of Gravity Falls. This is probably my favorite animated show since I first discovered Bob's Burgers, and even though it originally aired on the Disney Channel (and later on Disney XD), it
Ah horror, one of the most maligned genres. For good reason, too. Simply put, the modern era has not been kind to this film style. The majority of what’s out there are remakes of remakes, or they rely too heavily on special effects to do the work, oftentimes both. One of the benefits of the recent rise in digital filmmaking is the new life that’s been breathed into this genre. When filmmakers have a small budget to work with, they are forced to get creative and find ways to scare the audience. The end result: films which are reminiscent of horror classics from the 60’s and 70’s. It’s no coincidence that almost every film on this list was made for a budget of less than $5 million. Recent indi
Title: Operator (2016) Genre: Drama Director: Logan Kibens Stars (Primary Actors): Martin Starr, Mae Whitman Bias: I’ve been in love with Martin Starr since that first endearingly nerdy smile in Freaks and Geeks (1999). I’m also a huge Mae Whitman fan and have been since her comical approach to Ann Veal on Arrested Development (2003). I am so into the “man falls in love with technology” subgenre [a la Her (2013)] so when I heard it was getting a more down-to-earth spin, I was immediately excited. The writer and director are both women from Michigan, so there is also a bit of built-in pride and obligation for me to want to support them. Grade: A In a Nutshell: Joe (Martin Starr), an anxiety-r
Matt Linton I’m going to be cliché, but this being “May the 4th” weekend, I’ll be using that as an excuse to revisit Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Each film, in its own way, duplicates the original trilogy’s greatest strengths – iconic and engaging characters and thrilling plots and action. To round out the viewing, I’ll also add in Guardians of the Galaxy, both in anticipation of the sequel out this weekend, and because it’s a spiritual descendent of Star Wars. On the TV front, I’ll continue watching One-Punch Man, a ridiculous and ridiculously entertaining anime series that also effectively sends up the superhero genre while being a really great superhero s
Vulnerability can be a major theme across movie genres. Dramas, comedies, sci-fi, horror, thrillers, and westerns often use this element to add dimensionality to characters and generate audience sympathy for them. Though generally buried beneath storyline and persona, this trait underlines most movies as the internal point of contention and/or the outcome of a physical threat that launches and defines the protagonist’s journey. But despite its subtle, omnipresent workings, there is one subgenre that defines itself by exposing vulnerability stark naked and raw, visibly tackling it head-on: the revenge film. And within that group, few offer a more direct pay-off to the injustices that create t
Title: The Handmaiden (2016) Genre: Thriller, Romance Director: Chan-wook Park Stars: Min-hee Kim, Tae-ri Kim, Jung-woo Ha, and Jin-woong Cho Bias: Every screenplay I’ve ever tried to write has been a rip-off of a Chan-wook Park movie. Grade: A In a Nutshell: During the Japanese occupation of Korea in the 1930s, Count Fujiwara, a Korean art forger who poses as a Japanese aristocrat, plots to steal the fortune of a Japanese heiress named Hideko. Fujiwara’s scheme is to marry Hideko, and then send her off to an asylum. Having lived on her eccentric uncle’s estate most of her life though, Hideko is naive and sheltered, so Fujiwara hires the pickpocket Sook-hee to coach her into marriage with hi
