December 2012

Does Django Unchained continue Tarantino’s hot streak or is it a misstep? Find out on a not especially Christmas-y Christmas episode of the podcast.

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As an entertaining revenge flick with roots in exploitation films and spaghetti westerns, Django Unchained succeeds. But it never rises above its genre to become a real, affecting emotional experience.

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Hooper actively undermines what is powerful about the stage version of ‘Les Misérables,’ and doesn’t use his camera’s frame effectively to add anything of value.

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Judd Apatow’s latest film about age, parenting and everything in between features some bright spots, but is a flawed film overall.

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Tom Cruise’s ‘Jack Reacher’ is a well-plotted mystery thriller filled with tough-guy talk, a simmering romance, and exciting action. But along the way to becoming the fun, disposable piece of Hollywood trash that it is, it has a scene or two that may turn the stomachs of those still reeling from the tragic school shooting last week.

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Besides the similarities in playing with time and structure (see also The Prestige and Inception), in Following, Nolan is already zeroed in on his favorite cinematic theme: obsession.

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Crystal, Midler and Tomei recently sat down to speak about parenting, their favorite movies growing up, and whether or not Tomei can play Crystal’s wife.

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The boys return with the next-to-last podcast before the holiday break. This week, Trey discusses the Kansas City Film Critics Circle’s annual awards voting, Eric and Trevan jump into Jack Reacher, the latest from Tom Cruise and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, and everyone dives into Judd Apatow’s This is 40 before moving on to Tom Hooper’s take on Les Miserables. […]

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The 1980s smash-hit stage musical Les Misérables arrives on the big screen in a punishing movie adaptation from director Tom Hooper that may very well prove to be the “adult” equivalent of the Twilight series.

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The movie is shot from a five-year-old’s point of view, so everything has a magical, dream-like quality to it. You’ve seen tales of courage before, but never one told with such an original, focused eye on the person telling it. By the time ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ is over, you may be hypnotized by its strange beauty and individualism, even as you feel the tragic depth of Hushpuppy’s situation.

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The second oldest film critics group in the country tonight named The Master the best film of 2012 during its 46th annual awards meeting. The Master led all films with three wins, including Best Supporting Actor for Philip Seymour Hoffman and Best Original Screenplay for it’s director Paul Thomas Anderson.

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This week Eric, Trevan and Trey return to Middle-earth with Peter Jackson for a lengthy discussion of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey before moving on to Sacha Gervasi‘s take on Alfred Hitchcock in the appropriately titled film, Hitchcock. Is the return to The Shire and Rivendell worth your time? Is 48 Frames-per-Second filmmaking the downfall of […]

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‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ could have felt like a visit from an old friend, but sadly it doesn’t.

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Despite some minor missteps, watching The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey feels like welcoming an old friend into your home. He may ramble a bit and slightly overstay his welcome, but hanging out with him reminds you of why you’re friends in the first place.

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Michael Caine and Peter Billingsley headline two obscure cult thrillers from the 1980s out now on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy the Scream Factory arm of Shout! Factory. Do they hold up?

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