Post-Movie
Emphatic for the cinematic!

Can't say we didn't warn you. But then, we all know what to expect from Michael Bay, right? So John and I endured the mega-mechanical CGI onslaught of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. All 156 minutes of it. Do we really have to explain why this is such a giant chunk of Hasbro-mash, you might ask? Sure, the movie is critic proof, but it's our job. And we will not shy away from it. We might cower and squirm in pain.Beyond that, the energizing act of eviscerating a movie is fun, and Michael Bay is an easy target. This is a pretty much a giant turkey shoot.

We did however enjoy Larry Crowne, which Tom Hanks wrote, produced, directed and stars in. It's a wonderful character-driven film, with Julia Roberts delivering her best performance in years. Do see it.

For our picks of the week, John says White Lightnin', starring Edward Hogg and Carrie Fisher, is worth a look. And we both agree the Criterion Collection's release of Kiss Me Deadly (1955) is truly a must see.

We recorded this episode outdoors, sitting on a bench in Boston Common - where there happened to be some sort of Anime festival taking place; a lot of college students dressed as anime characters. And they cheered from time to time. So... our apologies for any obtrusive and/or amusing background noises. Stuff happens on the Common, you know?

Visit the Post-Movie Podcast online at Post-Movie.net

Intro music by Stereo Soul Future (stereosoulfuture.com)

Questions? Email us at contact@post-movie.net

Direct download: Ep-79-Transformers-3.mp3
Category:Film Reviews -- posted at: 5:44pm EDT

Joining John Black and Steve Head this week is film critic Greg Vellante. Greg writes for the Eagle Tribune, a New England daily. And you can find all of his reviews at GregVellante.com. This week they lament Pixar's dive into cold commercialism with Cars 2. Sure, Cars was Pixar's arguably least well received film. And, at least by Pixar's standards, it did alright at the box office. But the real money here is in its merchandising. It's billions, people. Billions. We also discuss the new Cameron Diaz comedy Bad Teacher. To enjoy it, we needed to willingly suspend our disbelief. But that didn't happen. We did, however, enjoy the new Pixar short Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation, which plays before Cars 2.

For our picks of the week, John and Steve recommend the documentary American: The Bill Hicks Story, Steve can't say enough about the comedy Cedar Rapids, and Greg says you definitely have to check out Louie: Season One.

Visit the Post-Movie Podcast online at Post-Movie.net

Intro music by Stereo Soul Future (stereosoulfuture.com)

Questions? Email us at contact@post-movie.net

Direct download: Ep-78-Cars-2.mp3
Category:Film Reviews -- posted at: 5:00pm EDT

Bob Chipman (a.k.a. MovieBob and The Game Overthinker, and contributor to Escapist Magazine) joins film critics John Black and Steve Head again this week to discuss the new Warner Bros./DC Comics offering: Green Lantern.  Again it all leads to 135-minutes of wrath and bewilderment.

John, Steve and Bob also discuss the new Jim Carey family comedy, Mr. Popper's Penguins. Plus the new Blu-ray releases of  Funimations Dancing in the Vampire Bund, the Coen Brother's True Grit, and the 1979 musical Hair, starring Treat Williams.

Visit the Post-Movie Podcast online at Post-Movie.net

Intro music by Stereo Soul Future (stereosoulfuture.com)

Questions? Email us at contact@post-movie.net

Direct download: Ep-77-Green-Lantern.mp3
Category:Film Reviews -- posted at: 3:56pm EDT

Film critic Brett Michel (The Boston Phoenix and the Boston Herald) joins Steve Head and John Black to discuss J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg's nostalgic fantasy adventure Super 8. They also attempt to figure out Terrence Malick's Palme d'Or winner The Tree of Life, which is now playing at The Coolidge Corner Theater and Kendal Square.

For our Picks of the Week, Steve explain why United Artists' Harry in Your Pocket (1973), starring James Coburn and Michael Sarrazin, is worth checking out. And John recommends Kino International's release of five new films from documentarian Nicolas Philibert, including Louvre City (1990), In the Land of the Deaf (1992), and Every Little Thing (1997).

This episode was recorded at Panera Bread, across the street from the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, MA. As always, they tried to find a quite spot to record. Apologies for any obtrusive background noise.

Visit the Post-Movie Podcast online at Post-Movie.net

Intro music by Stereo Soul Future (stereosoulfuture.com)

Questions? Email us at contact@post-movie.net

Direct download: Ep-76-Super-8.mp3
Category:Film Reviews -- posted at: 8:53pm EDT

It's all X-Men this week, as Bob Chipman (a.k.a. MovieBob and The Game Overthinker, and contributor to Escapist Magazine) joins John and me to discuss director Matthew Vaughn's excursion into the world of Marvel: X-Men: First Class. So many characters. So many mini-plot-lines. It seemed a recipe for a $160-million dollar mess. But... well... things ain't so messy. Turns out this darn X-Men prequel is perhaps the best of the lot. This we attempt to explain in 54 minutes.

For our picks of the week, John and I both admit our amazement for Fumihiko Sori's TO, the newly released Blu-ray/DVD anime set from Funimation. As for a couple more new titles, I say you've gotta check out director Leslie Zemeki's documentary about the history of burlesque in America,  Behind the Burly Q; John says the Sofia Loren Award Collection 4-disc set is an absolute Must See, in particular, her 1964 film Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; and Bob says the Nicolas Cage actioner Drive Angry is all the over-the-top goodness it was intended to be.

This episode was recorded at Panera Bread, across the street from the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, MA. As always, we tried to find a quite spot to record. Our apologies for any obtrusive background noise.

Direct download: Ep-75-X-Men-First-Class.mp3
Category:Film Reviews -- posted at: 1:28pm EDT

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