Tag Archives: Stephen Root

Podcast

MOV050: “The ones with Yodas and shit on ‘em”

The boys go back in time to revisit the Coen Brother’s classic “Raising Arizona”? Does the ensemble still hold up today? Then they spend…um, waste…their money and hour and a half of their lives watching “Your Highness”. Ooops…guess that review is already spoiled, so let’s just move on. They also review the teaser trailer for Kevin Smith’s “Red State”. Is the unique distribution model going to get this movie enough exposure so that we can all see it when it comes out in October? All of this and movie news about the Governator, post-apocolyptic Zorro, the re-release of LOTR at AMC, and ANOTHER Beiber movie?

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The Past: Raising Arizona (1987)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Fresh / 82% Audience

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Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson, John Goodman, William Forsythe, Sam McMurray, Frances McDormand

Trivia:

  • Fifteen babies played the Arizona quintuplets in the film. One of the babies was fired during production when he learned to walk
  • Kevin Costner turned down the lead role
  • The Coen brothers wrote Holly Hunter’s character specifically for her.
  • Nathan, Jr. doesn’t cry at all throughout the entire movie. But all the other main characters do at some point.

Talking Points:

  • Was the biker H.I’s father?
  • Maricopa County Jail – check out Lock Up on MSNBC

What We’ve Learned:

  • If a frog had wings, he wouldn’t bump his ass a’hoppin
  • With chairs you got a dinette set. No chairs, you got dick.
  • When preparing crawdads, be sure to add sand
  • When digging yourself out of prison, it’s always a good idea to scream really loud. Nobody will hear you.
  • It’s customary for the Tempe police department to shoot aimlessly into a residential neighborhood, even if their suspect is an unarmed diaper bandit wearing ‘hose over his head.
  • When robbing a bank, make sure to check the bag for exploding canisters of paint
  • Keep your grenades secure to avoid accidental pulling of the pin.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: Classic Coen Brother’s movie, so good but not for everyone. Occasional rental for me but may be worth a buy to others.
Ray: Good movie if your into Coen Bro’s type of comedy… sometimes dark, almost always bizzare
Steve: Probably my favorite Coen Brothers movie. I’m a big Holly Hunter fan. Worth a rental!

The Present: Your Highness
Rotten Tomatoes: 24% Rotten / 49% Audience

Director: David Gordon Green

Starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Rasmus Hardiker, Natalie Portman, Justin Theroux, Toby James, Zooey Deshanel

Trivia:

  • Although the film was written by writer Ben Best and actor Danny McBride, the dialogue is heavily improvised. Director David Gordon Green said there was never a script used on-set. Only the plot outline and written notes were used

Talking Points:

  • Would this have been a better movie if they didn’t try so hard to be funny?
  • Who the hell did Natalie Portman piss off to get stuck in this?
  • Stoner movie?
  • Will the Razzies even consider this one?

What We Learned:

  • You know a movie is going to be high class when it has boob jokes in the opening credits.
  • Beating off in front of a Pegasus is elementary
  • What the potentially worst movie ever made may look like
  • If you can’t take the horns, take the penis.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: While it had it’s funny moments, not a good movie. But that’s Danny McBride for you.
Ray: I don’t think its possible to smoke enough weed to make this movie funny.
Steve: Absolutely hated it. Enough said. Don’t waste your time or money.

The Future: Red State

Director: Kevin Smith

Starring: Michael Parks, John Goodman, Kevin Pollak, Melissa Leo, Stephen Root

Trivia:

  • The Westborough Baptist Church planned to protest Red State at its premier at the Sundance Film Festival. Kevin Smith in turn planned a counter protest which he and his fans took part in. At the premier the counter-protesters heavily outweighed the handful of Westborough protesters who showed up. This occurred 12 years after Smith’s first film to tackle religious controversy, Dogma (1999), drew protests from certain sects of the Catholic Church. One of which Smith jokingly took part in himself.
  • There is no score for this film. The entire soundtrack consists of songs sung within the film itself.
  • Smith has an quick off-camera cameo at the end of the film, as a prison inmate, yelling the last line in the film.
  • Kevin Smith’s lowest budget film since Chasing Amy (1997).
  • Kevin Smith wrote the role of Abin Cooper for Michael Parks after seeing his performance in From Dusk Till Dawn. Smith has said that if Parks had not agreed to be in the film he would have dropped the project entirely.

Talking Points:

Summary:

Three teenagers come across an online personal advertisement from an older woman looking for kinky group sex. But what begins as a fantasy takes a dark turn as they come face-to-face with a terrifying fundamentalist force with a fatal agenda.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: I want to see it, but still not sure if I’d like it.
Ray: I’m excited, simply because I want to see how Kevin does a horror flick.
Steve: Looks good to me…even though it’s just a teaser trailer, it packs some awesome images that really draw me in.

Coming Attractions

The Past
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The Present

The Future

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MOV049: “This Is Our Once A Year Day”

In the 49th reel, the boys go back in time to check out the musical about working in a 1950’s pajama factory.  Yes, that’s correct..working in a 1950’s pajama factory!  Does “The Pajama Game” still fit today?  (Ba-dum-dum)  In current film, they FINALLY check out the ILM animated feature “Rango”.  Did they find any redeeming qualities in the random cast of desert animals searching for water or should they have just died of thirst?  Lastly, the boys check out the trailer for the upcoming “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”.  Is Jack Sparrow still relevant or should he just down with the ship?  All of this and movie news about remakes of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Crow” (yeah, that’s what we thought too!), along with updates on the sequels to the not yet released “Thor” and “Captain America”, and what’s going on with George Takei (rhymes with gay).  Don’t pass up this “jammy” packed episode!

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The Past: The Pajama Game (1957)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Fresh / 66% Audience

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Director: George Abbott, Stanley Donen

Starring: Doris Day, John Raitt, Carol Haney, Eddie Foy Jr., Reta Shaw, Jack Straw, Ralph Dunn, Barbara Nichols, Thelma Pelish

Trivia:

  • 39% of the cast is from the original Broadway production.
  • The soundtrack LP, released by Columbia Records, vaulted to ninth position among “Billboard”‘s popular albums.
  • A song written specifically for Doris Day, “The Man Who Invented Love” (music and lyrics by Richard Adler), wound up on the cutting-room floor. Currently, the recording can be listened to on the soundtrack CD from Collectables, and the footage can be watched on the DVD from Warner Home Video.
  • The original Broadway production of “The Pajama Game” opened at the St. James Theater in New York on May 13, 1954, ran for 1,063 performances and won the 1955 Tony Award for the Best Musical. Shirley MacLaine was in the ensemble and was an understudy to Carol Haney. Miss MacLaine did go on for Miss Haney at least once during the Broadway run, allowing her to perform the popular songs “Steam Heat” and “Hernando’s Hideaway”. John Raitt, Carol Haney, Eddie Foy Jr., Reta Shaw, Thelma Pelish, Ralph Dunn, Ralph W. Chambers, Mary Stanton and Buzz Miller were in the original cast and recreated their roles in the movie version.
  • Frank Sinatra turned down the lead role in The Pajama Game (1957), which would have paired him up with Janis Paige, who played the role on Broadway. As a result, Paige lost out on playing the part to Doris Day, who was considered a bigger box-office draw

Talking Points:

  • What does this say about the state of society at the time it was made?
  • Undertones of Romeo and Juliet?

What We’ve Learned:

  • The second hand doesn’t understand that your back may break and your fingers ache and your constitution isn’t made of rock
  • 7½ cents doesn’t buy a heck of a lot
  • Its not ok to hit employees, but its ok to shove them
  • Not only is free beer at a company picnic acceptable its encouraged!
  • Just knock 3 times and whisper low that you and I were sent by Joe

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: There’s a special place in my heart for this movie as I had an amazing time being in the play in High School. Best shape I’ve ever been in.
Ray:I dig musicals, but this one was a no go for me.. I kept falling asleep
Steve: I am a huge fan of musicals…especially many classics in film. However, it was difficult for me to get into this one, despite knowing it was highly successful.

The Present: Rango
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% Fresh / 72% Audience

Director: Gore Verbinski

Starring: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Stephen Root

Trivia:

  • This is the first animated feature produced by special effects company Industrial Light & Magic.
  • Rattlesnake Jake was modeled after Lee Van Cleef.
  • Ned Beatty based his performance on that of John Huston’s in Chinatown (1974).:
  • Johnny Depp character Rango was modeled after Don Knotts character Barney Fife from “The Andy Griffith Show” (1960).
  • The first cat that Beans talks to in Dirt is an obvious vocal impression of staple western actor Pat Buttram.
  • Spirit of the West was modeled after Clint Eastwood.
  • The wanted posters in the sheriff’s office offer rewards for “Lockjaw Smith” and “Disco Lovejoy.”

Talking Points:

  • Anyone catch the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas reference?
  • Lots of facial close ups.
  • Does knowing how this movie was filmed make you appreciate it any more or less?
  • What do you think about the animation itself?
  • Did you have a favorite character?

What We Learned:

  • If you want to find water you must find Dirt
  • The desert and death are the closest of friends
  • Cactus root is a natural laxative

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: A couple of funny reference moment, but the movie overall was just okay. Amazing animation though.
Ray: Kudos to ILM for amazing visuals… Story was ok, but I felt it went on way too long.
Steve: I thought it looked great, although some of the characters were creepy looking (Dark Crystal). Not sure that I feel it’s a kid’s movie – kind of in the vein of Nightmare Before Christmas – but I overall liked it. The voice acting was very good.

The Future: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane

Trivia:

  • The title was revealed by Johnny Depp in character as Jack Sparrow, at Disney’s D23 Expo on September 11, 2009.
  • Disney’s Head of Production Oren Aviv said that this would “hopefully be the first of another trilogy.”
  • Johnny Depp said he agreed to star in this, before “there was a script or anything”.
  • This film is loosely based on the 1988 pirate novel ‘On Stranger Tides’, by Tim Powers. The novel’s protagonist is a pirate named Jack, but his character is significantly different from Jack Sparrow
  • In May 2010, Disney announced that this movie will be filmed using 3-D cameras. The special effects, however, will be rendered in 2-D then converted to 3-D to keep the budget lower.
  • This is the only “Pirates” film to not be directed by Gore Verbinski.
  • Penélope Cruz was pregnant during the filming of the movie

Talking Points:

  • Penelope Cruz – draw or detraction?
  • Is this franchise worth our time or has it “jumped the shark”?

Summary:

When Captain Jack Sparrow crosses paths with the enigmatic Angelica, he’s not sure if it’s love — or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard, Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Yes, we do need another Pirates Movie. I like the idea of just making each one an individual story.
Ray: I have really no interest in this series anymore, it’s hard to get excited about it.
Steve: I am not particularly interested in the franchise anymore…but I do admit that this one looks better than any of the previous to me.

Coming Attractions

The Past
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The Present

The Future

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MOV011: “You Musn’t Be Afraid To Dream A Little Bigger, Darling!”

Tron reveals too much, Comic-con in review, Beauty and The Beast in 3D, Is “The Kid’s All Right” All Right, Quentin Tarantino shows us True Romance, We find out if it’s all just a dream, and Jeff yawns at Johnny Depp’s lizard.

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The Past: True Romance (1993)

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Director: Tony Scott (Written By Quintin Tarantino)

Staring: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Michael Rappaport, Bronson Pinchot, Saul Rubinek, Dennis Hopper, James Gandolfini, Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore, Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer, Samuel L. Jackson

Trivia:

  • Bronson Pinchot Ad-Libbed the scene when he was caught with the cocaine
  • The screenplay of True Romance (1993) was originally part of a very long screenplay written by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary. The other half of it was used for the film Natural Born Killers (1994). In both films Tom Sizemore plays a cop.
  • The word “fuck” and its derivatives are said 225 times
  • There are 21 on-screen deaths, all male, all from death by gunshot
  • Dennis Hopper was concerned about being “shot” by Christoper Walken in the eggplant scene with the gun so close to his head and the possibility of being burned, Director Tony Scott had the propmaster use the same gun to fire it against his own head. Apon Firing the gun barrel extended about a third of an inch, and scott ended up on the floor with blood pouring from the wound.
  • Michael Rappaport has a fear of roller coasters, and suffers from accute motion sickness.. the scene was filmed over 2 days, and if you look closely you can tell which scenes were shot on the first day (he looks apprehensive and nauseous) and the second day (he looks calm and oblivious to his surroundings) due to the crew giving him “something” to calm his nerves
  • Tarantino’s original ending had Clarence dying in the gun battle, leaving Alabama a widow. Tarantino said that he intended Alabama to turn to crime and join with Mr. White, a character from Reservoir Dogs (1992) (which he wrote and directed). In a flashback scene in Reservoir Dogs (1992), Mr. White is asked about “Alabama”
  • Director Tony Scott is brother to other famous Director Ridley Scott

Talking Points:

  • Lots of cameos/actors before they were big.
  • Impressive how Alabama gets beat up and survives a fire fight, yet has perfect teeth!
  • Had some “Heathers-ish” vibes to it (gun toating Christian Slater, righting wrongs, music)

What We’ve Learned:

  • It aint white boy day.
  • If your going to accidentally steal cocaine from the mob, its best not to leave your drivers license in the hand of your wife’s dead pimp.
  • Theres a difference between a Whore and a Call-Girl
  • Its better to have a gun and not need it, then to need a gun and not have it.
  • If you’re going to have an imaginary friend, it may as well be Elvis!

Trailer:

Recommendations:

Jeff: Meh, good enough Rental.
Ray: Love it, I can watch this movie over and over and over again.
Steve: Enjoyed it! Had no idea this movie existed, but liked it a lot.

The Present: Inception

Director: Christopher Nolan

Staring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphey, Tom Berenger, Michael Cain, Marion Cotillard

Trivia:

Talking Points:

  • Basically we saw all the special effects set pieces in the trailer.. was anyone surprised by anything in the movie?
  • Was this movie overly complicated?
  • This movie had a unrelenting pace.. did you find it hard to keep up with it?
  • Did anyone else feel some of the music sounded like Mortal Kombat?
  • Would 3-D have enhanced this movie?

What We’ve Learned:

  • Don’t trust reality…it could all just be a dream.

Trailer:

Recommendations:

Jeff: Avatar-ish in that it’s just another heist movie but done differently in a very good way.
Ray: While I enjoyed it, I found the whole thing rather cold and uninspired.
Steve: Enjoyed it, especially Tom Hardy! (who by the way is the new Mad Max) 🙂

The Future: Rango

Starring: Voices of Johnny Depp, Timothy Olyphant, Ned Beatty, Ray Winstone, Stephen Root, Harry Dean Stanton, Bill Nighy

Trivia:

  • Director Gore Verbinski was the creator of the Budweiser Frogs
  • This is Industrial Light and Magic’s first full length animated film.

Talking Points:

  • Anyone see the original teaser trailer? Bizzare.
  • Supposedly this is using motion capture tech to capture Johnny’s performance, does it look mo-capped to you?
  • At 1:47 in the trailer, is it just me or does the guy driving the car look very much like Johnny Depp’s version of Hunter S. Thompson from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas?

Trailer:

Excitement:

Jeff: Another animated movie to roll my eyes at.
Ray: I think it looks fun, I’m interested to see what Johnny Does in an animated movie not directed by Tim Burton.
Steve: Next… 🙂

Coming Attractions: Steve

The Past: The Pirate Movie
The Present: Salt
The Future: Paranormal Activity 2

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