Popcorn 'N Roses

Subject:CINEMA #117 - "State Of Independence, Part Two - Indie Film Spotlight"

TC and Kim (she's back, yay!) continue their look at independent films and the state of the independent industry.

On the second part of State Of Independence, TC speaks with some of the people involved with a closely watched indie film called Still Green - writer/producer Georgia Menides, producer Doug Lloyd, and the filmmaker behind the documentary Making Still Green, Steven Petty. You can catch Making Still Green now in weekly segments on Film Threat's website at http://filmthreat.com.

Also check out the film site at http://stillgreenmovie.com and Steven's documentary at http://makingstillgreen.com.

And since she's back, Kim talks about what has been plaguing her for the past couple months, and how it landed her in the hospital for a week, and also chats about some of her favorite indie films. Plus, a trip into the Wayback machine for the original review of Still Green!

Coming this weekend: "Into the Sunn....Classic Pictures, That Is!" See you then! And don't forget, we're only ONE WEEK AWAY from PNR's 3rd annual Rising Stars show, "To Rise And Fall In L.A. III"!

Our scheduled interview with IFS and ProMedia's Larry Richman will appear in a future podcast - sorry for the delay!

Subject:CINEMA #116 - "State Of Independence, Part One - Indie Film Spotlight"

TC (sans Kim) explores the current world of indie film in the first of a HUGE two part special focus on PNR's website, Indie Film Spotlight.

This is the BIGGEST Show we've ever done, with a look at how indie films are made, what goes into them, how they're written and much more.

Joining TC this week are two very special guests: Michael Colford, the founder and president of Boston's Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, and the writer, producer, and director of the quirky indie comedy Once Upon A Film, Decker.

Also, TC discusses his own view of indie films, what some of his favorite indies are (betcha you can just GUESS which movies he's going to talk about, heh heh heh) and Wayback reviews of Once Upon A Film and Paranoid Park!

On the second part of State Of Independence this Thursday, TC will speak with some of the people involved with a closely watched indie film called Still Green - writer/producer Georgia Menides, producer Doug Lloyd, and the filmmaker behind the documentary Making Still Green, Steven Petty. You can catch Making Still Green now in weekly segments on Film Threat's website at http://filmthreat.com.

Don't forget to join us Thursday for part two of State of Independence, where we'll also speak with one of todays top indie blog writers, Larry Richman!

PERSONAL STUFF...

This week has been one of the most gut-wrenching weeks i've ever lived through - Kim has been hospitalized since last Tuesday with what appears to be an unknown stomach ailment. As she is a type 2 diabetic, they've had to take extra care to find out what's wrong. She is having a stomach scope tomorrow to try and see what the problem is, and there's a good chance she'll be there for the better part of another week at least, depending on what they find out.

It has been a godsend to have this show to work on because it helped me keep my mind off of what has been going on, because she's had both good days and bad, and a couple of times when we went to see her she was virtually comatose, or seemed like it - she could really hear everything, but was too medicated to respond.

I spoke with her yesterday - the first day I was unable to visit because my rides were busy elsewhere - and also her nurse. She's finally able to keep some food down, and that's definately a step in the right direction. I was sitting in the living room last night trying to get our worthless DVD player to work on the Brick dvd when she called me out of the blue and sounded better than she has in almost a week - back to her irasible self, drugs out of her system, bored out of her skull, and finally asking for her puzzle books and her latest mystery novel. YAY!  You have NO Idea how much that bounced me up because when Stacy, Jenn, and I went to see her on Friday she was back to being unresponsive after being fairly awake on Thursday.

Spending this week alone has been very trying, and with her condition going back and forth, i've had very little good sleep - Kim is EVERYTHING to me, and not having her here has made me realize that I would HATE living alone...but last night, I slept VERY well...that call was a real boost. Hosting the show alone was another matter - without her to play off of, I hope you won't be too bored as I ramble on about indie films...

I can't say how she is today yet, as I usually wait until around noon to call in and check with the nurses about her condition. And we're going to see her today also.

Your letters of support and encouragement have also been an element of what's kept me going this week, and for that I am FOREVER grateful.

Thanks to everyone whom I interviewed this past week and who knew what was going on - Decker, Georgia, Doug, Steve, and Michael - they were incredibly patient and understanding when I had to reschedule a few things this week.

Thanks again to everyone who listen to the show, who read the various websites regularly, and know that without you guys and the sites, I would be going stark raving CRAZEE this week....

Don't miss part two of State Of Independence on Thursday...and watch for a brand new VIDEO REVUE from Monica and Johnny Swanson sometime in the next day or so!

Subject:CINEMA #111 - "A Piece Of The Action - The Chicago Gangsters"

In the second installment of Made May, TC and Kim take a look at real-life and fictional gangsters based in Chicago during the 1920s.

Plus - This week's Callback, Dancing With The Stars coverage, E-Mail, and a VERY indepth review of the new film SPEED RACER starring Emile Hirsch.

Then, TC addresses the film community about what being a podcaster means to him, and why Speed Racer had an effect on the conclusions he came to...

Be forewarned - although not profanity laced, TC and Kim do drop the S word several times during the last hour...sorry if we offended anyone!

See you next week for the next installment of Made May, and throughout the week with columns and such!

Subject:CINEMA #108 - "Summer Blockbuster Preview"

TC and Kim bring you the 411 on the hot blockbuster movies of the summer!

Plus, this week's edition of The Callback, Kim's first "Resolution Solution" for American Grafitti, wrapping up two weeks of Dancing With The Stars, and a full review of the Michael Angarano/Jackie Chan/Jet Li blockbuster The Forbidden Kingdom!

Don't miss our special Thursday edition of Subject:CINEMA this week, with complete coverage of the 2008 Independent Film Festival of Boston, with tons of coverage including reviews, impressions and more!

Revisiting my score for Cloverfield...

It is a very very VERY rare occasion when I change my inital score of a movie. It happens only once in a blue moon (as the old cliche' goes...)

Since we reviewed Cloverfield on Sunday's edition of Subject:CINEMA, I have been giving the movie a lot of thought.  This lot of thought was triggered by the fact that nobody I went with - Kim and our friends Stacy and Jenn - liked it, while I did.

Kim wasn't able to put her finger on WHY she didn't like it, she just didn't. I HATE those kind of "Because I said so" arguments, but she knows what she likes, and she definately did NOT like it.

Initially, I scored the movie a 4.0 out of 5 - pretty high as it is -  citing the beginning of the movie, which I felt was awfully whiny and self-absorbed.

But isn't that exactly WHAT we were supposed to see? Maybe I was a little harsh in my expectations. You're NOT supposed to care about the partygoers, really...not until the trouble starts. And by that point, you ARE learning to care about Rob, and Lilly, and Marlena, and Hub...and Jason as well...

Stacy and Kim both didn't think there was enough of the monster. Ok, fine...but if that's the case, let me ask this question - What amateur with a camcorder could possibly be expected to capture more than a glimpse of a monster that's killing people right and left without rhyme or reason while running from it?

If that's what you're looking for, you're asking WAY too much of this movie. And you're ignoring that very fact - this isn't SUPPOSED to be a filmmaker; it's supposed to be a terrified 20-something carrying a video camera while running for his life.

Besides, you get a REALLY GOOD LOOK at the monster - IMHO - in the final 8 or 9 minutes of the movie, and not once but TWICE - first, from the helicopter, and then from the first person shot. Is it enough? That's an individual call, but for me...yes, it was. And is.

I also called the movie "innovative", which Stacy took issue with. She pointed out that "The Blair Witch Project" came first. SO What? It's been almost nine years since that movie...and what movie has used the first person techinique since then? I can't even think of ONE. And there has NEVER been a first person camera movie of this scale...Cloverfield takes the innovations used in Blair Witch and blows them away by a hundredfold at least. The Blair Witch Project is cataloging the goings on of three or four people out in the woods somewhere - Cloverfield is cataloging the destruction of a major US city and the thousands of people it's affecting.  Comparing the techinques - fine. Comparing the scale - not even close.

So as I was thinking of the basic arguments, I began to think of WHY I liked Cloverfield so much. As I said on the show this week, I normally HATE monster movies. Then it dawned on me...

The critics calling it a monster movie are wrong...Cloverfield is NOT a giant monster movie...giant monster movies are about the monster...Godzilla, Gorgo, even Reptilicius...they're the focal point of those movies.

No, Cloverfield is a DISASTER movie. It's primary focus is NOT the monster, but the havoc and destruction he's causing, and how it affects one group of friends in Manhattan. It's the scale of the disaster that's happening that is the focal point...the monster is there and is the cause, no doubt, but it's the HUMAN factor that's the true story.

The question that the audience asks first (apart from my little group, heh heh) is not "How are we going to kill this thing?" but "Are Rob and his friends going to survive this attack?".

It is on that very point that everyone's personal perception hinges. If you're asking yourself the first question, you're not going to like this movie. If you're asking yourself the second question, then you are.

The cinema style used - and NOT used - in Cloverfield - and how effectively it was utilized - will make it go down in history as a movie that becomes part of your basic curriculum in film school - and unlike Blair Witch, which didn't really spawn any major imitations (unless you count this movie) until now, Cloverfield WILL.

So after thinking long and hard about it, I've decided to revisit my original assessment, and regrade the movie. After taking into account the above, and my own thoughts that were bugging me after seeing it the first time, I am changing my score for Cloverfield from a 4.0 to a 4.5 - it still had one or two little flaws that bugged me, but not enough to knock the score down a whole point.

And as I was composing the above, Kim finally put her finger on WHY she didn't like the movie:

"The reason's been kicking around in my head for a few days, and you making me think about it has brought it to the surface.

There's no POINT.  We don't know why things are happening the way they are.

Real Life is random like that.

When I go to the movies, I want more than Real Life.

And THAT'S why I don't like "Cloverfield".

Now it makes sense to me, for her and even more for me.

Subject:CINEMA #89 - "Walking In A Winter Wonderland"

TC and Kim take a look at movies where winter, and snow in particular, play a large part.

Plus, The Callback, a HUGE E-Mail section, a discussion of Empire magazine's sexiest stars list, the VH1 Greatest Songs Of The 90s list, this week's Bonehead Of The Week, and a review of Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd" - is it a hit or a miss?

Thanks for listening, and don't forget to join us next Monday, December 31, for our biggest event of the year - the Third Annual Poppies And Rosies Awards!

MOVIE REVIEW: The Final Season not a home run, but it easily makes second base

THE FINAL SEASON
RATED PG
STARS: SEAN ASTIN, POWERS BOOTHE, RACHAEL LEIGH COOK, MICHAEL ANGARANO, TOM ARNOLD, MARSHALL BELL, DANIELLE SAVRE, LARRY MILLER, JAMES GAMMON, LUCINDA JENNEY
DIRECTOR: DAVID M. EVANS

I can't think of a more appropriate film for release during the height of the baseball playoff season than this true story of the Norway Iowa Tigers and their ultimately failed struggle to keep their small team alive and together when their tiny school district is faced with consolidation in the early 1990s.

The 19-time state champions, the Tigers were coached by legendary coach Jim Van Scoyok (Boothe), a no-nonsense man who believes in instilling the love and desire for the game in his players. Joining him for the last two months of the 19th season is assistant coach Kent Stock (Astin), a lifelong lover of Norway and it's baseball team, even though he grew up elsewhere. He leaves a coaching position in another nearby school to have the opportunity to work with his idol Van Scoyok and his team, so he can learn from him.

When the school board, against the wishes of the town and with the help of statehouse statistician Polly Hudson (Cook), votes to consolidate Norway's school district with nearby Madison, the board grants Norway one final year, and one final season to play baseball. But because Coach Van Scoyok let it be known his opposition to the plans, school board president Makepeace (Bell) forces the coach out, and is determined to make sure Norway doesn't do well it's final season, for he fears they will go out as martyrs.

Stock, who left for a bank job in St. Louis, returns to try and take over the team, and to try and convince Hudson that her studies indicating consolidation was good for the district has actually driven some other nearby towns to near extinction. The final spring's team isn't sure of Stock, who's a newcomer except for the last two months the previous season, and it's gotten around that he used to coach girls volleyball, not baseball.

Complicating things is Mitch Akers (Angarano), a recent arrival to Norway from Chicago. His father (Arnold), who grew up in Norway, sends Mitch to live with his grandparents after he gets in trouble back home. A chip on his shoulder, and still grieving for his recently deceased mother, the city-bred Mitch is more interested in finding places to buy cigarettes and score some weed than he is in school. But after getting into trouble with the local law, Mitch takes to heart his grandfather's advice that he get a hobby. He seeks out Coach Van Scoyok, whom he's had a run in with previously in Van Scoyok's classroom. The coach takes Mitch seriously, and tells him a story about Mitch's father's days on the team 20 years earlier. When new coach Stock sees Akers working out in a batting cage and sees his talent, Stock knows the troublemaker-with-a-heart would make an excellent addition to the team.

The Final Season easily gets to second base with a cast of young actors that come across as true small-town value kids. Newcomer Brett Claywell as Patrick, a member of the Norway team who's younger sister Cindy is sweet on newcomer Akers, shines in his efforts to try and help Mitch adjust by instructing him on small-town values and what it means to be a part of Norway as a whole. Boothe is fantastic as Van Scoyok, who lives and breathes baseball (he lives across the street from the school's baseball field), and I for one wish Boothe would play more roles like this, for movie-makers all too often cast him as a heavy. Astin (also the executive producer) is spot on as Stock - he has a real affinity for underdog roles like this, as witnessed in the college football movie classic Rudy as well as his turn as Samwise Gamgee in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. And longtime personal favorite Angarano, PNR's 2006 #1 Rising Star, brings his formidable acting chops to a role which could have been in so many ways a rip off of the Kelly Leek character in the Bad News Bears movies of the 70s, but Angarano takes it so much further, from the pathos and angst of his estranged relationship with his father and his mother's recent passing to the grit and determination we see progressing through the movie as Mitch learns to buckle down, determining to make his life in Norway a peaceful and somewhat pleasant, albeit reluctant, one.

Larry Miller is hilarious as a Des Moines sportswriter following the team around, advising Stock on what others are saying about him as well as what he, who has followed the team for years, thinks. And Tom Arnold, in what amounts to little more than a cameo, nails Mitch's still-in-mourning, work-obsessed father Burt perfectly, in what I think is his finest role to date. Dealing with trying to get his wild son to settle down, still deeply missing his wife, and being confused by the blows life is dealing him, Arnold is excellent in his small role.

But the movie does have its problems. Sometimes the plot gets a little too contrived, such as when one player's father gets so involved he has a heart attack and told he can't be so deeply involved with baseball anymore by his doctor. And the romance that crops up between consolidation rivals Stock and Hudson seems rushed, almost forced at times. And when one player suddenly gets depressed and develops an almost anti-team sentiment, his solution to win back the respect and friendship of his confused teammates during the final game is a bit much, although it really may have happened that way, I don't know for sure.

Definitely facing an uphill battle at the box-office, The Final Season is a worthy successor to the long string of "underdog gets the championship" movies over the years. There's very little that's not totally safe for kids, and it's the kind of movie that a baseball-loving family will really love to watch together. It might not be quite a home run, but The Final Season is long long way from a total strikeout. Give it a look, you won't regret it.

MY SCORE: 3.25 (out of 5)

On The Web - http://www.finalseason.com

Subject:CINEMA #75 - "Diamond Dreams - Baseball At The Movies"

Better late than never...I am SO sorry for being so late getting the show up this week, but it couldn't be helped...

This week, we take a look at baseball in the movies (and I have to admit, due to a screwup on my part, we TOTALLY forgot "The Natural" with Robert Redford).

THE SHOW: We got a TON of baseball movies in, and also, the regular features - Callback, Bonehead, Poll results - plus a preview of "The Final Season", coverage of "Attack Of The B-Movies" and complete reviews of "December Boys" and "Fierce People"!

THIS WEEK'S NOTES:

Full notes coming as soon as I can get to them...

In the meantime, don't forget that Masters Of The Macabre begins next Sunday with Boris Karloff!!

MOVIE REVIEW: "Fierce People" a hidden masterpiece for too long

FIERCE PEOPLE

RATED: R

STARS: ANTON YELCHIN, DIANE LANE, DONALD SUTHERLAND, CHRIS EVANS, KRISTEN STEWART, PAZ DE LA HUERTA,  ELIZABETH PERKINS,  CHRISTOPHER SHYER, AARON BROOKS, BLU MANKUMA

DIRECTOR: GRIFFIN DUNNE

********

Fierce People has taken a long, roundabout road to the big screen. Filmed in 2004, and having premiered at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival in New York, it has been thisclose to release several times since then, only to be scuttled at the last minute. This time, more than two years after it's initial showing at Tribeca, it's finally been released.

It was WELL WORTH the interminable wait.

Fierce People follows the story of Finn Earl (Yelchin), a fifteen year old living with his coke-head mother in New York. He is planning to spend the summer of 1980 with the anthropologist father he's never met, observing the Yanomani people. But when Finn gets busted while making a score for his mother, Mom Liz (Lane) decides it's time she straighten out her life, and her son's life. She calls an old friend, Ogden Osbourne (Sutherland), who owns his own ten square mile city-state in New Jersey, and faster than Finn knows what's happening, he and mom are off to live on Osbourne's estate.

Finn is convinced that his masseuse mother and Osbourne are getting it on, and so are all the residents of Vlyvalle. But, as he says in the voiceovers that are actually letters to his father, just because he can't join his father in South America doesn't mean he can't make a study of the natives of this detached country-within-a-country.

Finn quickly makes friends with Osbourne's grandson, Bryce (Evans), by saving him from his searching, drunk mother, and also makes friends with the granddaughter, Maya (Stewart) after being caught in one of her bear traps that are meant for poachers on the estate, and his relationship with her quickly grows to something more than just friends.

As Finn begins to adjust to his surroundings and make friends with the natives, he also discovers the truth about how his mother and Mr. Osbourne became friends. In the process, he's befriended and even given a job by Mr. Osbourne, who reveals exactly WHY he and Finn's mother can't be lovers, making Finn respect Mr. Osbourne even more.

Finn finally begins to feel at ease about his mother's recovery and his own new life and friends. More importantly, his feelings of acceptance by Mr. Osbourne and his rich friends as one of "the tribe" as Bryce calls it, make him finally feel at home and at east. Then, an incident while walking to his home on the grounds late one evening, and its brutal and cruel nature, leaves the once smartalecky Finn emotionally shattered, physically devastated, his innocence and trust forever voided, and determined not to leave, despite his mother's frantic wishes, until he finds out who was responsible for the incident, and more importantly, why it happened.

Why this movie has taken so long to reach the screen is beyond me, because without a doubt, Fierce People features some of the finest performances of this, or any other, year. Without a doubt, this movie belongs to young Yelchin. Just 15 when the movie was shot, he turns in a fun, bouncy, and ultimately emotionally charged performance as the films' protagonist, Finn. Diane Lane, as Finn's frazzled and sometimes unstable mother Liz, hasn't delivered a performance this electric in years - the chemistry flows between Lane, Yelchin and Donald Sutherland as Osbourne.  Chris Evans, best known as Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four movies, turns in a fantastic performance as Osbourne grandson Bryce, who becomes one of Finn's first friends, a 20-something man who lives for the approval of his grandfather. And Kristen Stewart is fantastic as Maya, a girl who is discovering who she is, and her sexuality, just as Finn arrives on the scene.

On a personal level, I was not even sure I was interested in this movie, save for the fact that I had heard Yelchin's performance was amazing. So we took a chance on it, and I'm REALLY glad we did. I was completely absorbed and the story was absolutely fantastic. Actor/Director Griffin Dunne has made a masterpiece with this film. The lush, green estate sets are undeniably beautiful, and wonderfully filmed.

Because of its style, its substance, and its writing, but most importantly, its HEART, Fierce People has already grabbed one of those elusive spots on my all time favorites list, the third film to do so this year. And like Wristcutters:A Love Story before it, Fierce People grabs your throat, wraps itself around your heart, and then won't let go. It's a movie you'll remember with fondness, and you'll be telling everyone you run into to see it.

Fierce People is a CAN'T MISS movie. Seek it out at your local theater....you'll be "fiercely" glad you did!!!

MY SCORE: 5 (OUT OF 5)

On The Web: http://fiercepeoplemovie.com

Subject:CINEMA #74 - "Underrated Incorporated"

This week, by request from listeners, we name another dozen movies we thought were underrated - movies that didn't really get a fair shake, from the critics, the public, or both!

THE SHOW: Kim and TC reveal their dozen Underrated picks for this installment of underated movies, and try to give you reasons why you should check them out. Also, TC reviews Julie Taymor's "Across The Universe", the usual stuff - Email, Bonehead Of The Week, poll results - and coverage of this past week's National Amusements "Attack Of the B-Movies" series.

THIS WEEK'S NOTES:

I'll have some more notes, and the video clip mentioned in the e-mail, up later this evening. Of course I always say that and sometimes it's a week or two later, but I PROMISE they'll be up by early Monday Morning at the latest this time!

MOVIE REVIEW - "King Of Kong" will delight even non-video game fans

THE KING OF KONG - A FIST FULL OF QUARTERS
RATED PG-13
DIRECTOR: SETH GORDON
FEATURING: STEVE WIEBE, BILLY MITCHELL, WALTER DAY, STEVE SANDERS, DORIS SELF, BRIAN KUH, ROY SCHILDT

If you had told me a year ago that a movie about obsessed video game players would become a hit film, I would have laughed in your face. And I would have been wrong.

The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters tells the story of Billy Mitchell, who set a world record high score in Donkey Kong in 1982, and of Steve Wiebe, a Redmond, Washington father of two who, while laid off from his job at Boeing, set out to break that record.

And what a story it is.

Filmmaker Seth Gordon follows both sides of what happened when Steve Wiebe sent his videotape of his record-breaking game to Twin Galaxies, one of the official video game record keepers. And how his life has been topsy-turvy ever since.

Because Twin Galaxies recieved hundreds of video tapes each year - and because Mitchell is one of their top players - they sent a team to Wiebe's home in Redmond, and while he wasn't home, began taking apart his Donkey Kong machine, especially when they found a box addressed to Steve from one Roy "Mr. Awesome" Shildt, a California-based "Missile Command" player with whom Mitchell has had an intense rivalry, and with whom Twin Galaxies and its owner and chief official, Walter Day, has also had problems with. Because of this, Wiebe's attempt becomes suspect, and his top score is rejected. He is, however, invited to come to a New Hampshire arcade to try for the top score in person.

When Wiebe shocks them by taking them up on the offer and arrives at Funspot Arcade in the classic arcade video gaming mecca of Wiers, New Hampshire (!), Mitchell's posse is waiting for him and do everything they can to distract him, and it immediately becomes clear that most of Twin Galaxies upper staff is also wishing Wiebe would just go away. The worse of these videogaming nerds is Brian Koh, a longtime Mitchell protege who regularly telephones Mitchell at his Hollywood, Florida home with score updates, as another one of Gordon's cameras catches Mitchell's smug reactions.

Another competitor at this particular weekend's events is another Hollywood Florida native, Doris Self, who has travelled to New Hampshire to try and break the world record on Q-Bert. And she has brought with her a video tape of her mentor Mitchell scoring over a million points on Donkey Kong. And she shows it to the Twin Galaxies gang just after Wiebe successfully breaks Mitchell's long standing record on the game. So Wiebe, after being the world champion for only an hour or so, is once again relegated to second place, despite the questionable quality of the videotape - since Twin Galaxies refused to acknowledge Wiebe's videotaped record-breaking game, it is surprising to him that Hill accepts the tape almost without question after a brief phone call to Mitchell. And Steve is rightfully upset that they won't even let him see the tape. So it's back to square one.

The movie plays Mitchell and his posse - Kuh, Steve Sanders, and even Twin Galaxies official Walter Hill - as the bad guys, with Steve Wiebe cast as the would be-David who takes on the video game Goliath. Or more accurately, because Kuh and Sanders so blatently bow to the every whim of Mitchell, they come off more as Draco Malfoy and his cronies, and Wiebe the would-be video gamer version of Harry Potter.

Later, Wiebe heads to Mitchell's backyard of Hollywood Florida for the Guinness World Records weekend of video gaming, but Mitchell won't give him the time of day, and even when Mitchell and his wife show up at the arcade where the gaming is going on, all he does is remark how he wouldn't give some people the time of day. Of course, it's not lost on the viewer that he's standing almost directly behind Steve Wiebe at the time, who is very obviously upset by the remark.

The King Of Kong is an intensely interesting, and often hilarious, profile of obsessive videogamers and their love for their chosen "sport". It's also an interesting case study of a group of sycophants that are so enamoured with one person that they would do anything for that person, even at the risk of looking like a total moron.

And the rivalry portrayed in the film continues...Steve Wiebe recently tried to break Mitchell's record yet again, this time at a gaming weekend held at the legendary Austin Draft House in Texas. And several more attempts have been recorded since the movie ended filming. A quick look at the Twin Galaxies websites' news area continues to prove Billy Mitchell's continuing influence on the "Offical Electronic Scoreboard" and Walter Hill's seeming willingness to continue to accept questionable results when it comes to offical scores.

Are these people REALLY this way? Well, it's a documentary. Somehow I have a feeling Mitchell and his cronies aren't REALLY that bad..., and so the filmmakers viewpoint is what matters, but it DOES make good theater, doesn't it? No hard feelings, guys...but you really DO come off looking like a bunch of self-involved jerks willing to do anything - including playing dirty -  to keep Mitchell on top.

A quick aside to director Gordon and his team if I may. They are now developing The King Of Kong into a feature film, and have said they would love to see Johnny Depp play Mitchell and Greg Kinnear play Wiebe. That's fine, guys, but if I were you, instead of Depp, who I personally think isn't quite right for the part, it might be worth your time to search out a young actor named Craig Hurley. Hurley, a longtime character actor, actually bears an uncanny physical resemblence to Mitchell, and I'll bet you with the beard you'd have a dead ringer. Not to mention that Hurley is a top-notch thespian with a long resume. I think that in the long run, your movie would be for the better for it.

Now, with that out of the way...where's my Pac-Man game? I have some records to break...

MY SCORE: 4.5 (out of five)

On the Web:

The King Of Kong - Official WebSite
Twin Galaxies - official website

Subject:CINEMA #66 - "Go Ahead...Make My Day!"

I apologize for the slight delay in getting this up...I was having problems with Podshow's uploader...but it turns out it uploaded this week's show three times...it would have been nice if my browser had indicated that...could have saved all those choice swear words for another time...heh heh heh...

This week, we take a look at Dirty Harry Callahan, as our "Hero Heat" month continues...

The Show:

Spotlighting the five Dirty Harry movies: Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, Sudden Impact, and The Dead Pool, plus an analysis of the character, and whether or not there might be a future for the shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later anti-hero from San Francisco...

Plus, reviews of the Hitchcock classic Strangers On A Train and the animated hit Ratatouille, plus our usual antics, E-Mail, Bonehead Of The Week, Hero Heat Trivia, Attack Of The B-Movies, and our feature on Adam Curry's Podfinder!

Full show notes coming tonight!

Subject:CINEMA #65 - "Along Came A...Aw, You KNOW The Rest!"

This week's show kicks off HERO HEAT month with a bang, as Kim and TC discuss all things Spider-Man, from the comic beginnings, to ALL the different TV incarnations (yes, even the Japanese one!), and the big screen blockbusters.

This Week's Show Lineup:

A bit of Spidey History

The TV Series, from the original Spider-man cartoon (1967) to Spider-man:The NEW Animated Series (2003) and everything in-between

The feature films - Spider-man, Spider-man 2, and Spider-man 3

This week's Callback with E-Mail

A brand new Trivia Challenge, which will be running the duration of Hero Heat

X-Games coverage

Attack of The B-Movies

Marvel Vs DC on You Tube

THIS WEEK'S NOTES:

Boy oh boy has there been a TON of Spider-man projects on TV...nine in total so far (and a tenth is in the works)

In chronological order, they are (all links are to Wikipedia's entries on the topics, which is where we got most of our information):

Spider-man, animated, 1967

Spidey Super Stories, live action segment of The Electric Company, 1974

The Amazing Spider-Man, live action, 1978

Supaidamon, live action Japanese adaptation, 1978

Spider-Man, animated, 1981

Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends, animated, 1981

Spider-Man:The Animated Series, animated (duh!), 1994

Spider-man Unlimited, animated, 1999

Spiderman: The NEW Animated Series, animated (duh again!), 2003

Then of course, there are the three movies:

Spider-Man (2002)

Spider-man 2 (2004)

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

It's highly possible that only Superman and Batman have been involved in more projects on TV and in the movies; we'll find that out as we go through the weeks and begin research on the Batman show scheduled as the final installment of this month's HERO HEAT shows.

This Tuesday, on our Trailer Trove segment, we will feature the opening credits for ALL of the above TV series, so don't miss it!

IN OTHER AREAS...

Marvel Vs DC can be found here; they are worth checking out, as most are HILARIOUS, and Mike does a GREAT job with the imitations!

Get well, Jake Brown...you scared the living HELL out of me (and millions of other X Games viewers) on Thursday night

LATE BREAKING NEWS!!!

CONGRATS TO SHAUN WHITE on winning his first ever X Games Summer Gold medal in Mens Skateboard Vert this afternoon! It was on his third and last run, but he put it together and STOMPED the HELL out of PLG, making the Flying Tomato the first ever Olympic Gold Medalist to win an X-Games Gold Medal!!!

NEXT WEEK....

Hero Heat continues with "Go Ahead...Make My Day!", our salute to Dirty Harry Callahan! See you there!!!

Subject:CINEMA #64 - "X Marks The Spot, Part Deux!"

This week, Kim and TC investigate summer X Sports at the movies!  Plus, Hanson, Hansard (and Irglova), Hairspray, and Homer (with a little Hollywood After Dark thrown in, heh heh heh)!

This week's show lineup:

X Sports At the Movies - Skateboarding, Surfing, BMX, and Motocross, plus a little (gasp) Sidehacking!

Review - "The Simpsons Movie"

Review - Hanson in concert, Boston Avalon, July 21 2007

Review - The Swell Season (Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from "Once") in concert, Brattle Theater, Cambridge MA, July 25, 2007

Review - "Hairspray"

Review" - The Film Crew - "Hollywood After Dark"

Plus Email, Bonehead of the Week, Listener Movie Review and more!

Watch this space Monday for extensive show notes!

Subject:CINEMA #62 - Son Of Scenes That Sizzle

I made the announcement that starting next week, Subject:CINEMA is expanding to two hours...

We got a little long-winded on this one folks, it runs EXACTLY 2 hours...

This week, TC and Kim tackle four more fun subjects and what scenes they love in those subjects: Mark Out Moments, Toe Tapping Scenes, What The BEEP scenes, and Blood Boiling scenes....

Plus some announcements about the future of Subject:CINEMA, and our review of Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix...

THE SHOW:

Segment One - Blood Boiling Scenes

Segment Two - "What the BEEP?" scenes

Segment Three - Toe Tapping Scenes

Segment Four - Mark Out Moments

Segment Five- THE CALLBACK - E-mail, some serious announcements about S:C and Marquee Mix, Go Daddy Plug, Bonehead Of The Week, and our review of "Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix"

More notes coming on Sunday!

MOVIE REVIEW: "Transformers" MUCH more than meets the eye

TRANSFORMERS

RATED PG-13

STARS: SHIA LEBEOUF, MEGAN FOX, JOSH DUHAMEL, TYRESE GIBSON, RACHAEL TAYLOR, ANTHONY ANDERSON, JOHN ROBINSON, JOHN TURTURRO, JON VOIGHT, PETER CULLEN, HUGO WEAVING

DIRECTOR: MICHAEL BAY

I freely admit I was never a follower of the animated series from the 80s, nor the revival in the 90s. But I have been looking forward to seeing the big screen version, because I wanted to see how they'd pull it off. And Steven Spielburg was involved.  So I thought it would be an entertaining night out.

Guess what, folks? This is one summer blockbuster that doesn't disappoint.

The story follows nerdy but cool teen Sam Witwicki (LeBeouf) as he schemes to get a car so he can cruise around and hopefully score with chicks.  When he goes car shopping with his father, the car actually picks him, as we see a beat-up old yellow Camaro pull into the used car lot just in time to gain the attention of Sam.

Soon, Sam and his best bud Miles (Lords Of Dogtown's John Robinson, in a hilarious cameo paying homage to the quintessential valley dude - think "Bill and Ted") are crashing a pool party just in time to see Sam's dream girl Mikaela dump her boyfriend. Sam gallantly offers her a lift back to her house, but the car has other ideas, conking out and playing highly inappropriate (but totally hysterical) tunes on the radio.

After seemingly blowing his one chance with his dream date, that evening, Sam hears his car start and thinks it's being stolen. Following it on his mother's bicycle, he witnesses the car's transformation into a robotic being sending messages with lights from it's chest. It isn't long before Sam is thought crazy by his parents, but Sam and Mikaela discover the following evening just who these beings are.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, another robotic being attacks a US military installment in Qatar, leaving only a handful of survivors. They are ordered home for de-briefing but not before they are attacked by another transforming robot, this one a scorpion-like sand crawler. When footage of these attacks, which are being used to launch a computer virus attack on the US, is beamed to the Pentagon, a super-secret government agency gets involved, and then all hell breaks loose, as the agents soon find out that the aliens are all looking for one thing - a mysterious cube called the Allspark that was discovered by Sam's great grandfather back in the early 20th century. And soon, the Pentagon, the military, and Sam and his girlfriend Mikaela are thrust into a war between the two robotic races - Autobots and Decepticons - that could envelop and destroy the whole of Earth.

LeBoeuf, fresh from his star-making turn in Disturbia, is a delight as the somewhat nerdy yet still cool, wisecracking Sam, a character that could have gotten on one's nerves very quickly. It is to his credit that he is able to make Sam likable as well as a smart aleck. Fox is brilliant as his somewhat shallow yet caring girlfriend with a hidden past. Duhamel and Gibson are perfect as the two military men who survived the Qatar attack to regroup in time to help out with what is taking place in the States. Turturro is absolutely great as the slimy yet somehow still likable government agent. Taylor and Anderson, as two computer experts helping the government out, have a great chemistry together. And as noted above, in a cameo of just two short scenes, with a total of about 8 lines, Robinson proves he can do comedy as well as the dramatic roles he's so far best  known for (Elephant, Lords Of Dogtown, Serephim Falls) as he steals the quick scenes he's in right out from underneath LeBoeuf. It's a shame they didn't use Robinson's character Miles more - I would have loved to have seen his spacey character try to deal with the revelation of the existance of the Autobots to best friend Sam. Here's hoping that the inevitable sequel will see them explore the two young men's obviously lifelong friendship.

In a summer so far filled with disappointing sequels (Spiderman 3, Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End), mindless but entertaining fluff (Fantastic Four:Rise Of The Silver Surfer), and more animated critters (Surf's Up, Ratatouille), Transformers is a much needed breath of fresh air. The action sequences are breathtaking, and ILM really outdid themselves on the fantastic special effects with the CGI Transformers characters themselves.

To use the oft-turned catch phrase, Transformers really IS more than meets the eye. Without a doubt, it is very easily the BEST of the summer blockbusters released so far in what has been a very so-so summer blockbuster season.

MY SCORE: 4.5