Popcorn 'N Roses

From Bad to Good and Back To Bad..and then worse...

Greetings to our PNR readers out there...and everywhere else this ends up getting posted. I need to talk to my friends and fans out there, because we both agreed that we wanted you to know what was going on...

I'm sitting here alone waiting for the storms to hit later this evening, having just finished an interview for this weekend's indie special.

We thought things were getting better with Kim...she had a good weekend after two visits to the ER last week...

We were wrong...Kim was admitted to the hospital this evening, and is likely to be there for a couple of days at least.  She got violently ill after lunch yesterday, and then started non-stop vomiting about 4:30 this morning. Her mother rushed her to the ER (man, they must be getting sick of us...heh heh heh), while I, with no time off left, headed to work. After work, we went to visit her - she was still in the ER but they were prepping her to be admitted, and had given her a battery of tests. She was out of it, and still vomiting about every 20 minutes or so, despite several IV's of saline and nausea medicine, and was being wheeled to the X ray department when her mom and I left the hospital tonight, under the admonishment that I NOT cancel the interview we had scheduled.

Mom Pat called me tonight with the news that she had finally been given a room, and there was no answer when she called the room - hopefully, they've given her something to sleep, because with this heat wave, even with the AC in the bedroom, she had precious little sleep on Sunday night, and none last night because her stomach was hurting so bad.

As our SC listeners know, she's been battling illness since late March, when she came down with a nasty case of the stomach flu. Since then, she's had good days and bad days, often vomiting once or twice in the morning and then feeling fine the rest of the day (and before you ask, NO it WASN'T Morning sickness...). She'd have days where she would not be sick at all, except for a nagging cough that developed after the stomach flu had passed and she still hasn't shaken it.

Over the past three months, she's been to her doctor or one of their nurse practioners four times, to the clinic ER twice, and to the hospital ER twice. She's had two CAT Scans on her stomach, both of which were completely negative. Over the past weekend, when she was feeling ok except for eating (she's barely had anything to eat for the past week due to the nausea and the physical soreness of the stomach from all the vomiting), she developed a sore of sorts on, of all places, her uvula, which they swabbed when she was there last week to check for throat infection, but the sore went away with constant gargling.

Kim has Type 2 diabetes, which was diagnosed about three years ago, and takes medication regularly to keep it under control.  But her sugar levels have been abnormally high, and they're testing her for a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be very serious if not treated correctly. Look it up on Web MD and it will scare the HELL out of you. And when I looked it up, it DID. I've been a basket case ever since. And I made sure to have her have the docs test her for it today, but the results take 24 hours, so we won't know anything for sure until tomorrow.

If that IS the problem, she'll probably be spending the next week or so in the hospital, and i'll be sure to keep everyone up to date on it. But to me, and to her, the most important thing right now is for her to rest and let the doctors find out WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG. We're both getting increasingly scared that this might be a serious illness, and they just can't find it. I'm trying to keep the faith, but it's been hard - there's nothing harder than seeing the one you love the most so sick and being totally helpless other than to stand by and hold their hand or their head or whatever...this is the first time i've had to deal with something like this first hand and it's absolutely killing me...she IS my Imzadi, after all...

I'm under orders from Kim to keep working on the shows, and so I will. Here's hoping we find out ONCE AND FOR ALL what's wrong...and that they can fix it. Until then, please keep both of us in your thoughts and prayers, and know that we love all of you so much, and cannot thank you enough for the wonderful greetings and get well wishes that she's already recieved...

Thanks for your love and support...we couldn't make it through without it..

TC

Words are failing both of us right now...

HEATH LEDGER 1979-2008

The news of Ledger's sudden death today has hit both Kim and I like a ton of bricks.  We were both fans of his work, and his untimely death, coming just prior to what would have cemented him as a true superstar, his work as the Joker in the upcoming The Dark Knight, is truly a tragedy. You are NOT supposed to die when you're just 28 years old, with a career that was making him one of the most in-demand actors in the business.

Drugs may have been involved in his death; police will know more tomorrow, but right now, all the articles I've read indicate it may have been an accidental overdose of the sleeping pill Ambien, which he was taking to combat his insomnia and fatigue during the filming of the aforementioned Dark Knight. Contrary to rumors, he was NOT found in Mary Kate Olsen's apartment; apparently Ledger owned an apartment in the same building as the Olsen twin.

More will be out tomorrow, and i'll be commenting then...right now, i'm just so completely stunned, I don't know what to say...

Godspeed, Heath...you will always be Skip Englblom to me...your Oscar-worthy performance in Lords Of Dogtown cemented you as one of my favorite actors...no matter what happened, I wish you peace and happiness in the afterlife...

A few random thoughts about film and the people involved with them...

While sitting at home in pain and nursing my sore back today after yet another fall on the ice last night, I have been thinking about film, and about the people involved with films. Not so much the pros as the fans and professional film critics, both of which I lay claim to being (well, SEMI-pro on the latter...).

I took a survey sent to me today by the Toronto Film Festival. It's a festival I've never been to, and after taking their survey, I'm not sure I'm interested in going. Ever.

Why?

The questionnaire positively REEKED of pretentiousness. The VERY THING that turns me off when it comes to the independent film scene. I cannot stand "film snob" types who put on airs, and look down your nose at you when you mention something ::GASP::: MAINSTREAM.

There were a lot of choices on various questions that were specifically designed to slam on mainstream films:

"I like films strictly for their entertainment value"

"I prefer films that don't make me think"

"I love films that make me realize that I can change the world"

"Independent films are higher quality because they are made outside the studio system"

And on and on. Now I'm paraphrasing a few choices, yes. But the result is still the same. The above, and at least 10 other questions on the survey, were specifically designed to make you think you're better than everyone else if you like Independent films.

It's that attitude among film fans that I LOATHE. 

I love independent films. Indie films ARE where it's at 9 times out of 10. This much is a true statement.

But it does NOT mean you have to dislike or look down on mainstream films either.

And let me tell you a secret...everyone out there standing up and talking in a funny voice about what a masterpiece the latest movie by Wong Kar-Wai or Wes Anderson is... ALSO ::GASP AGAIN:: has a copy of "The Simpsons Movie" or "Porkys" on their DVD shelves...turned spine-in of course, to avoid being embarrassed and to limit the chance of discovery...

GIVE ME A BREAK, PEOPLE!

I'm a member of the Chlotrudis Society For Independent Film, the American Film Institute, and Film Independent. I love being able to vote in this year's Spirit Awards, and being on the Chlotrudis Nominating committee.

I also love "Transfomers", "Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix", and ::GASP YET AGAIN:: "Happy Feet". And GOD HELP my weakness for "Mystery Science Theater 3000" and Showcase Cinema's recent "Attack Of The B Movies" series.

What are you gonna do?  Put me in film jail? Take away my Zhang Yimou collection? Tell me I can't belong to Friends Of Landmark anymore?

For your information, three indie films rank in my Pantheon Top Five list - my ALL-TIME Favorite Films - "Brick", "Wristcutters:A Love Story", and "Fierce People".

Joining them in the top Five - Zhang Yimou's exquisite "Hero" and Catherine Hardwick's unfairly and much-maligned masterpiece "Lords Of Dogtown". And - get ready to scream - Peter Jackson's take on "King Kong" won my Poppy for Best Picture in 2005! So there!

(I can hear people running away screaming....Michael, you're not going to cancel my Chlotrudis membership now are you? Heh heh heh...)

Now, we come to all this awards coverage...and what do I see? A bunch of pundits lauding how much better indie films are than mainstream films. One critic I read this week was having an aneurysm because ::Ga...oh, never mind you get the idea:: John Travolta got nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes AND the cast of Hairspray got nominated for Best Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild awards.  And, oh, how utterly WRONG it was that these nominations happened, because they ROBBED some poor, unfortunate indie film of their nomination.

As the late, great Nell Carter used to say, "Gimme a break!"

GUESS WHAT, Mr. Critic? NONE of my favorite films of the year have been nominated for ANYTHING!  Where are the deserved nominations for "Wristcutters", "Fierce People", "Once", "December Boys", "Black Irish", "Man In The Chair" and other equally worthy films? At least "Once" is getting musical nominations, but the others? Zilch. How unfair is that?

Hell, even the year's most widely praised indie film, "Waitress", is getting snubbed in most circles.

I reinterate - How unfair is that?

Should indie film be celebrated? Absolutely! At the expense of smaller indies that don't attract much attention? Unfortunately, it happens...

But at the expense of mainstream crowdpleasers like "Hairspray" that are every bit as good as indie darlings like "Romance and Cigarettes"?

NOT IN YOUR LIFE!

I haven't seen "No Country For Old Men" yet. I plan to see it this weekend. And I plan on trying to catch "There Will Be Blood" before the Poppies are decided, though the trailer left me less than enthused.

But I can tell you this..and you "professional" film critics out there, prepare for a heart attack...

I've seen several other Coen films - "Fargo", "Raising Arizona", "Miller's Crossing" , and most of "The Big Lebowski".

Didn't like any of them. Sure there were moments, but overall, I didn't care for ANY of them. So the odds are NOT on the Coen's side when I try to get to the theater this weekend.

I've had the odd PNR visitor or two, and a few industry pros as well, question my validity as a film critic because I gave rave reviews to "Hairspray", "Transformers", and in past years, "Clerks II" and "Rent".

Apparently, these people feel I've officially flunked out of film critic school.

Well, when I started Popcorn N Roses a little over two years ago, it was my goal to shake things up a bit. I believe in trying to represent the Average Fan's Point Of View. I'm not trying to be Mr. #1 Film Critic - hell, even Roger Ebert RAVED about "Smokin' Aces" (so did Kim, come to think of it...haven't seen it, can't comment on it...)

Those who question my thinking because I love mainstream films too, I point you to my rave reviews of "Wristcutters", "Brick", "Fierce People",  and two as-yet unreleased films, "Once Upon A Film" and "Still Green", among many many other indies.

I'm even doing my part to help try to promote those indie films without major visibility or without a major distribution deal as yet; A brand new site devoted to those films - Indie Film Spotlight - launches in January.

But don't be surprised when the four or five movies on seemingly ALL the critics' lists for this year probably don't show up on mine. I'm not about to jump on the bandwagon if I think some other movie out there is better. Never have, never will.

Sure, I'd like to have major film studios use quotes from my reviews for their publicity. Sure, I'd like to get more traffic and turn PNR into a full-time gig.

But NOT at the expense of my gut feelings. Because what I like is what many average fans will like. And there will be differences of opinion, that much goes without saying (although I just said it...).

But at least I don't make fans of PNR and Subject:CINEMA feel they're any less of a film lover just because one or two of them happen to like a gawd-awful piece of garbage like "The Lost Skeleton Of Cadvera"...just because I don't like it doesn't mean I don't enjoy their friendship and listenership any less...

As Linda Ellerbee would say..."And So It Goes..."

Of Vulcans And Robots...OR...JJ and Michael, GET A CLUE!

Two of the biggest movie projects for the next two years are gearing up for war with the fans.

Star Trek (release date scheduled for Christmas Day 2008) and Transformers II (scheduled release date June 26, 2009) are two of the most highly anticipated movies of the next 24 months. But are the people in charge of them actually setting themselves up for a fall?

Michael Bay declared war with the fans earlier this week in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, where he said the following:

"One thing I do know is I know how to screw them up more. We're going to leak a lot of false information all over the place. I now know their game. They're going to get a lot of script treatments that they think are going to be the script. They will never see the script. We've got scripts and treatments written up that we're going to leak. No one's going to know. Scoopers who currently think they're sitting on a hot one, here's a head's up. "There's one out that's fake right now. There are going to be many others."

This from the man who bent over backwards to make sure the fans were informed of every little detail of the original movie and watched as those same movies turned the movie into the third highest grossing movie of 2007, with nearly $300 million in it's coffers.

Why change your attitude now, after the fans were so loyal to the first movie?  I'm confused. And if that attitude is in play from now until the next movie, it wouldn't surprise me to see the fans out there scream a collective "F**K YOU" on opening weekend, and cause the movie to tank...just to show you their gratitude for your present "f**k the fans" attitude...

And JJ Abrams, writer, director, and producer of the Star Trek reboot, is having similar thoughts. He's doing his damndest to keep ANYTHING from leaking. He's paranoid about things leaking - look at the trailer for Cloverfield last year - not even a minute long teaser, really...and absolutely NOTHING about the movie...but BOY OH BOY it started a buzz.

But JJ has NEVER had to deal with the world of Star Trek fandom as yet...and it's the biggest and by far the LOUDEST group of fans on the planet. They have shown their anger and support in the MILLIONS AND MILLIONS over the years. Why close that huge fandom off before it even begins?

Abrams is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars just trying to hide what the uniforms look like, for pete's sake...and he must be having "kittehs" (apologies to CuteOverload.com) about the photos of Zachary Quinto in full Spock makeup that got out onto the net last week. He can't stand the thought of having someone know what they are doing until HE says so.

That kind of thinking is the exact opposite of what Gene Roddenberry would have done.

Abrams should follow Gene's blueprint - starting with a photo of the cast, in uniform, in the new bridge set, IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS, as Gene did when the first film, STAR TREK:THE MOTION PICTURE began production. You can keep the plot under wraps, Mr. Abrams, that's fine with us..but we want to see how the new reboot cast looks, how much you have kept or changed things, and most importantly, whether or not you're going to prove to be a WORTHY successor to the Great Bird Of The Galaxy.

If you are too paranoid to include the fans in your vision, it means that chances are good you are NOT going to be the worthy successor...or you're deathly afraid the fans won't give you a chance.

Let me tell you something, Mr. Abrams. As a nearly lifelong Trekker (please do NOT call me "Trekkie"), I can say this - you can TRUST the Trek fans to be honest and upfront. Sure, there are some who are a bit more obsessed with the show than most, but they're important too. And as longtime fans of the show know, it's Gene's vision that is first and foremost in their minds.

BUT... I can say this in all honesty as a Trek fan...

If you've managed to piss off Harlan Ellison already, you MUST be doing something right...

Coming soon...Part two...why some Trekkers need to LIGHTEN UP about the new Star Trek movie

An indie film you do NOT want to miss...

A couple of weeks ago, New York Times writer David Carr spotlighted this fall's glut of indie films, pointing out that films that used to have the luxury of opening in New York and Los Angeles and then gaining wider exposure by word of mouth barely have that chance anymore, thanks to the number of large studios that have created "independent" marquee spinoff companies. Paramount Vantage, Fox Searchlight, Warner Independent Productions - all are owned by major studios yet are distributing films that cater to the indie fan.

Too many times those little films get lost anyway. They come to small indie theaters, usually the Landmark chain, play for a week or two, and then disappear until it comes time to release them on DVD. That's fine...sometimes.

But sometimes there's a film that nobody counts on to do well that will knock the socks off of people, whether they're casual filmgoers or film critics, and suddenly explode. The 2006 critics darling Little Miss Sunshine did that - and now there's another film that is deserving of the same thing.

Watch your local independent theaters in the next few weeks for a little gem from indie distributor Anywhere Road called Black Irish. Chances are very good you're seeing the next "little movie that could".

Shot in the summer of 2005 in Boston and the surrounding area, Black Irish follows the trials and tribulations of the middle child in the McKay family, 15 year old Colin, as played by 2006 Popcorn N Roses number one Rising Star Michael Angarano (best known as Will Stronghold from the Disney film Sky High and as Sid from Lords Of Dogtown), who yearns for the attentions of his emotionally remote father, played by Brendan Gleeson (Mad Eye Moody from the Harry Potter movies).

As written and directed by filmmaker Brad Gann, Black Irish has been one of the most successful films on the film festival circuit for the past 18 months. It has been an official selection at almost a dozen prestigious film festivals, and has taken either the official award or the audience award for best picture at FIVE of those festivals - Method Fest, Florida Film Festival, Jackson Hole Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, and the Palm Springs International Film Festival. In addition, Angarano has picked up two best actor awards, and co-star Tom Guiry has picked up a supporting actor award for the film.

So if all this is true, and the movie is THIS GREAT, I know you're asking yourself "Why haven't I ever HEARD of this movie"?

The answer to that question is just as simple - "Because it's an indie."

Indie movies frequently don't have the kind of budget to engage in massive ad campaigns. As noted above, they rely primarily on word of mouth - and the press - to get the word out.

So...i'm getting the word out. You do NOT want to miss this film.

Black Irish is having it's official openings this weekend, in Boston and Los Angeles. After that, it will spread to the rest of the country over the next few weeks. It's a movie you'll want to take the time to seek out, because if you don't, you'll have no doubt missed one of the best movies of the year.

Popcorn N Roses will keep you up to date on openings in more cities over the next month.

On Spout: http://www.spout.com/films/319579/default.aspx

Subject:CINEMA #77 - "Masters of The Macabre: Bela Lugosi"

This week, TC and Kim continue their fright fest for Halloween with a look at the man who became known as the definitive Dracula, Bela Lugosi.

THE SHOW: The films of Bela Lugosi, plus our usual antics (The Callback, Trivia Challenge, Attack of The B-Movies, E-mail - sorry, no Bonehead this week!). Plus, a review of Michael Angarano's new movie, The Final Season, and a look at indie filmmaker Michael Geoghegan's AFTERFALL from the New England Film And Video Festival!

THIS WEEK'S NOTES:

Rob Collier sent in a voice mail review of Mr. Bean's Holiday, which we didn't have room for on this week's show - Rob, we''ll get it in next week's show!

If you would like more information on Michael Geoghegan's AFTERFALL, check out the trailer for the film at his MySpace site; he will sell you a copy for $7!

Masters Of The Macabre continues next week with the great Christopher Lee!

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!

CHRIS BENOIT 1967-2007

As you all can guess, Kim and I, along with the whole of the wrestling world, were completely blindsided last night with the news of the death of WWE Superstar Chris Benoit and his wife and child.

It has only gotten worse since the initial shock with the news that authorities in the Atlanta area investigating the situation now firmly believe that it was a double murder-suicide, and that Benoit murdered his wife Nancy, known to wrestling fans worldwide as legendary manager Woman, on Saturday, and their 7 year old son Daniel on Sunday, and then killed himself Monday.

Chris had been scheduled to wrestle CM Punk at Sunday's Vengeance PPV, but called WWE officials on Saturday and said he couldn't make it due to a "personal emergency".

When we first got the news, flipping into last nights WWE Raw about 10 minutes into the show, and heard that his whole family was dead, I instinctively knew that a whole family dead added to "personal emergency" would most likely mean it was a murder-suicide situation. I didn't want to believe it, though - I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT - and with news trickling in about the police investigating it as a homicide, I thought I was overreacting and put it out of my mind. But just as we were going to bed, at 10:58 PM ET, Fox News' Greta Von Susteren broke the news about that aspect of what was happening, and I just dissolved into tears, and so did Kim - and we'd held up well most of the rest of the evening.

What the HELL Happened?

Here was a man that by all accounts was the most respected, most cherished wrestler of his generation, a product of the Hart Family Dungeon training school. He was worshipped by fans worldwide as the most perfect and pure technical wrestler of the past 15 years. He worked his way through the ranks, his skills, his drive, and his respect for his chosen profession serving to make him someone who was respected by his peers as well as the fans. He had served the fans well, and truly made himself worthy of the title "legend in his own time" during the years he spent with ECW, WCW, and finally, WWE. His name was destined to be revered throughout the years and even now was already often mentioned with other legends like Lou Thesz, Harley Race, and Ricky Steamboat.

All of that has been wiped out in one fell swoop.

He will now likely be reviled as a hero who fell and who rather than face whatever problems there were on the horizon, deliberately chose to take the lives of those people he professed to love and then take his own life.

He will likely be forever branded a coward for that action. Does he deserve to be? Only his individual friends and fans can decide that for themselves.

I will never forget watching him lose it on camera when Eddie Guerrero died. His emotions spilled out, and he didn't care who saw him weeping over the loss of the man that all wrestling fans knew was his best friend.

What would Eddie think of you now, Chris? 

Obviously there were problems that the fans didn't know about. And it sounded like none of his fellow wrestlers knew about them either. Maybe in the weeks and months ahead, some sense will be made of what happened. Maybe something will come out that will comfort his closest associates, and the millions of fans who literally threw themselves at Benoit's feet screaming "We're Not Worthy" whenever he was on-screen.

Maybe. Or maybe not. Maybe we'll NEVER make any sense of it. Which is actually the most likely scenario.

Right now, I am just so confused. I don't understand why he would do this. I don't understand how he could have killed his own wife, and especially, his own 7-year-old son. 

I don't understand how someone who knew he was worshipped by millions of fans, and who always acknowledged and respected his fans (something else you rarely find among most wrestlers these days) could forget what this would do to them, how it would devastate them.

I just don't understand why.

There's a scene near the end of my all time favorite movie,  the Zhang Yimou film HERO,  that sums up my emotions right, now and probably millions of others as well - the sight of Flying Snow screaming in anguish having just inadvertently killed the love of her life, Broken Sword. Only in this case, rather than being run through by his lover, it looks like Benoit has fallen on his own sword...

And so, I’ll do all I know how to do to deal with this situation...ask the one question that millions of people are asking right now...

WHY, CHRIS, WHY?

Subject:CINEMA Special Edition - On The Road Again...

As we mentioned on this week's regular edition of Subject:CINEMA, Kim and I, and our friends Stacy and Jenn, attended a special screening of STAR TREK II:THE WRATH OF KHAN at the Coolidge Corner theater in Brookline MA last Monday evening. We recorded the conversation we had on the way home for this special podcast. It's all over the road, and explicit in some places, so be warned.  But Kim and I thought it would be a fun way to introduce the friends we've talked about off and on for a year to our regular listeners. We hope you find it fun...AND Funny, too!

Comments can be send to our usual address, or use the contact pad below!

See you next Saturday!

Subject:CINEMA #57 - Happy Anniversary! Subject:CINEMA Turns One! The Popcorn N Roses Top 20 Personal Pantheon Movies!

It's HERE! Finally!  This week's show is our first anniversary, and as a result, we have prepared a special countdown of Kim and TC's top 20 movies of all time - our Personal Pantheon movies, if you will...these are the movies we judge all other movies by!

The show comes in at a whopping 2 hours and 12 minutes...we tried to get it under two hours, really we did! But in all modesty, I think this is one of, if not THE, best show we've ever done.

THE SHOW:

Segment One - Movies #20-16

Segment Two - Movies #15-11

Segment Three - Movies #10-6

Segment Four - Reminising about the first year of shows, E-Mail, Voice mail from Monica and Johnny between segments

Segment Five - we each count up the remaining movies - our top five movies of all time!

Full show notes coming tomorrow...it took three hours of recording, five and half hours of editing and we're still late getting it on the air by almost 15 minutes! 

THANKS FOR A FANTASTIC FIRST YEAR!!!

A plea to director Godfrey Reggio - Please Bring "Koyaanisqatsi" to IMAX!

After attending this past weekend's IMAX movie for the PNR Summer Tour (see review from Monday), I started thinking about other films that would lend themselves to the IMAX format.

One movie in particular stands out to me as the perfect candidate for the IMAX treatment. It has long been one of my all-time favorite films, and its visual style was way ahead of its time.

And now, as the 25th anniversary of the film's release is looming in 2008, I think it's time to take the next logical step into IMAX. I've been saying so for YEARS and now is the perfect time for it.

The film is Godfrey Reggio's incredible 1983 visual masterpiece, Koyaanisqatsi (see Popcorn's Pix here). Backed with it's mesmering Philip Glass score, this movie is just SCREAMING to be brought to the IMAX or IMAX 3-D format.

For those of you unfamiliar with Reggio's work, Koyaanisqatsi (the title is Hopi indian for "life out of balance") is a visual and aural masterpiece about our world and how man's search for progress has affected it. In many ways, it was "An Inconvienient Truth" 24 years BEFORE that movie came out and without the presence of former Vice President Al Gore.

I have watched the movie dozens of times since it came out on DVD, and remain a strong proponent of it. I have talked it up on Subject:CINEMA several times, and there is little doubt it will be among my Top 20 Films of ALL TIME when that list is announced in June on the first anniversary edition of Subject:CINEMA.

The first part of the "Qatsi" trilogy of movies, it is the strongest and best of the three, and just the opening 15 minutes alone would make an IMAX experience unlike any other.  Think of what it would be like to see those images of the desert and sky on the humongous IMAX screen. Kim often describes this part of the movie as "What it must feel like to be flying on Superman's shoulders", and she's absolutely right.

Think of being immersed in IMAX 3-D during the time lapse flights through skyscrapers, or during the mind-blowing time-lapse traffic sequence - it would feel like the most incredible motion odyssey movie ride in history.

For those of you who have never seen the movie, it might be hard to understand, but in many ways, Koyaanisqatsi is almost a religious experience. And to me, the chance to see it larger than ever before postively makes me drool.

So I have decided to take matters into my own hands, so to speak.

I have launched the Bring "Koyaanisqatsi" to IMAX petititon over at petitiononline.com. I will be bringing this petition up to as many people as I possibly can, and hopefully the esteemed Mr Reggio will take us to heart and allow his masterpiece to be prepped for an IMAX run during it's 25th anniversary year.

It will only take you a moment or so to sign the petition and add your voice to the hopefully millions of voices that will join us in asking for one of the greatest movie experiences of all time to be brought to the most visually rich and incredible movie screens of all time in celebration of its' 25th anniversary.

You can visit the petition by clicking here - and please spread the word to your friends as well.

It is my hope that within the next 18 months or so, I can sit down in our local IMAX theater (possibly donning 3-D glasses) and enjoy the breathtaking splendor that is Koyaanisqatsi like i've never seen it before. So please - sign the petition!

YOu will NEVER regret doing so.

Subject:CINEMA #50 - Super Summer Sneak Peek!

Subject:CINEMA celebrates its 50th show with TC and Kim's look at this summer's box office bonanza!

THE SHOW (Times may be slightly off due to Podshow inserts):

Segment 1 (1:30) - Summer Blockbusters - MAY

Segment 2 (21:02) - Summer Blockbusters - JUNE

Segment 3 (42:12) - Summer Blockbusters - JULY

Segment 4 (1:02:23) - Hardsell items, new features, upcoming shows, E-Mail, Trivia Answer, double Bonehead Of the Week, tributes to Jack Valenti and Bobby "Boris" Pickett

Segment 5 (1:28:36) - Summer Blockbusters - AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER, AND NO DATE YET ANNOUNCED, plus Dancing With The Stars...

THIS WEEK'S NOTES:

Watch for a list of movies coming as the weekend progresses - I want to make sure we list everything we talked about. No doubt there are going to be some huge blockbusters and some unexpected hits, as well as mega flops and those that bomb that no one expects to...

CALL TO ACTION

Please help us out with the following stuff, gang!

1. TOP 5's - we need your Top 5 favorite films of all time AND your top 5 Rising Stars for 2007. We will be featuring both on upcoming shows, and we would very much like to include your lists on these shows. Please try to have them to us by no later than June 1st.
2. MOVIE REVIEWS - We need YOUR movie reviews. We'd like to start featuring a guest movie reviewer every week on the show. To do a movie review, simply record an MP3 or WMA file no more than 3 minutes long and drop it to us in an e-mail. Although we may get deluged and not be able to feature them all on the show, they will ALL be made available eventually on the website. So please help us out, ok?
3. AUDIO COMMENTS - we also need your audio comments! We've played some throughout the year on the show, and we would love to keep doing it! You can submit audio comments the same way we do movie reviews, or you can use the My Chingo voice mail button on the site, or you can use the hotline!
4. WE NEED YOUR VOTES - PLEASE don't forget to vote for us each month on Podcast Alley, to Digg us EVERY WEEK on both Digg.com and Podshow, and leave comments for us on I-Tunes. Plus you can vote for us wherever you may subscribe to the show. Any votes count, no matter where they're left!
5. DONATIONS - This summer, we're embarking on a huge overall improvement plan to make S:C and PNR (and MM too!) bigger and better than ever, and to do it, your help would be greatly appreciated. The more donations we can collect, the more we can do. If you as a listener like the show, then by all means, support us by your purchases from the Swag Shop, and also by donating a few dollars to help our movie fund grow. We'd like to be able to afford to hit a couple of the big film festivals in the next year, but to do so, we're going to need your help!  You can donate a one-time donation, or make a committment to a $2, $5, or $10 per month auto donation through PayPal. So please help us out, and send some spare bux our way in the next few days....just click on the Donate button on the contact pad! And thanks for your help in advance!

SUBJECT:CINEMA POLL

This week, we're asking our listeners to take two minutes and take the poll we've set up at Bravenet. It is a quick 10 question multiple choice survey, and your input will help us determine what directions to go in the next year. Click below to take our survey! And a big THANKS for your input!

Cast Your Vote
Free Vote Casters by Bravenet.com

NEXT WEEK - YOU THINK WE WON'T COVER LOONEY TUNES? WARNER BET?

Subject:CINEMA #49 - Art House Confidential

On this month's Wednesday edition, TC and Kim take a look at art films, and whether or not the terms "art film" and "indie film" are interchangable. Also, complete audio reviews of "Air Guitar Nation" and "Wristcutters: A Love Story"!

THE SHOW (times may be off due to Podshow insertions):

Segment 1 (1:52) - What makes an art film; are "art film" and "indie film" interchangable?

Segment 2 (16:20) - Continuing the debate; what directors usually make art films?

Segment 3 (30:55) - Review - Air Guitar Nation

Segment 4 (46:11) - Review - Wristcutters: A Love Story

THIS WEEK'S NOTES:

Kim and I neither one considered ourselves "art house" fans until a couple years ago, and many of the movies that you can consider "art" films never make it to your local cinema. We were extremely lucky to get a chance to see the elusive "Wristcutters" and it's the perfect example of that type of film.

SATURDAY: SUPER SUMMER SNEAK PEEK!

PNR METRO BOSTON SUMMER TOUR 07 - The Tour Launches!

(POST ONE OF THREE)

Well, we kicked off the PNR MBST '07 yesterday, with two films.

We did cheat, however.

Both films were at The Brattle Theater in Cambridge. And it's not a theater we're unfamiliar with, having been there many times before...we LOVE the Brattle, with it's quirky mix of oddball and offbeat movies, and mainstream indies, and cartoons, and everything else.

The Brattle is without a doubt Metro Boston's most satisfying moviegoing experience, even with its often too-hot (first movie) or too-cold (second movie) cinema, its sometimes good, sometimes bad popcorn, its always too small if ultimately comfortable seats (for us anyway), and it's marvelous balcony.

Oh My Lord, the Balcony. MST's Kevin Murphy was correct - they ARE the best seats in the house. No, forget just the house --They are the best seats in METRO BOSTON. Period. End of discussion. We love the Brattle Balcony...there isn't a bad seat in the entire level, you can hear everything...and you can sit and watch all the unfortunates below who don't realize what they're missing by NOT sitting in the Balcony. No multiplex even comes close...and none of the older theaters in the area have a set up quite like this.

We had planned to catch a total of four movies during the day, but ended up getting a late start out of the house due to some problems with the podcast uploading properly, so we opted to go in later than we'd originally planned, do a little shopping at the Pru's Barnes And Noble, then catch the Green Line to Park Street, and the Red Line back to Harvard Square. We had some dinner at the local Uno (an experience made extremely pleasurable by our wonderful server, Amanda), then walked around until seating began for the first of the two shows, AIR GUITAR NATION, at 7:30. Between flicks, we took a bathroom break, went out for a breath of air, grabbed some more snacks, and then settled in, in different seats but still in the balcony, for the 9:30 New England premiere of the 2006/07 festival circuit favorite WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY. (full reviews for both films follow in posts two and three)

As it was a special screening sponsored by the Boston Jewish Film Festival, WRISTCUTTERS was almost 20 minutes LATE in starting (something which I normally LOATHE), and then there were the obligatory announcements by one of the Brattle's creative directors (not sure which one, I didn't catch his name, perhaps it was Ned Hinkle), who then introduced author Etgar Keret, who penned the short story the movie is based on, Kneller's Happy Campers. After the movie he was to conduct a Q&A from the audience, but since it was so late starting, we were unable to stick around for it for fear of missing our train home.

We finally arrived home at about 12:50 AM (it's a LONG train trip from Harvard back to Beachmont in Revere via Park Street and Government Center, then a cab back to our apartment) and happily collapsed into our chairs for a few moments before heading to bed.

All in all it was an enjoyable day, and a nice evening in our favorite Metro Boston theater, and a fantastic start to our summer tour!

We are hoping to continue our summer tour next weekend, but our finances are a bit tight right now, so we might not get to the flicks we're hoping to see at the Independent Film Festival of Boston, being held jointly by the Somerville Theater (where we've never been as yet), Coolidge Corner theater, and (where else) the Brattle. But we're gonna try...

A lot more theaters to visit and flicks to see this summer....we hope you'll be along for our tour....

DWTS - YEAAAAAHHHH! A GOLD MEDAL Performance from Apolo and Julianne!!!

OK,ok, it's NOT a movie, but....

Can you say PERFECT 30, ladies and Gentlemen?

YEAAAAAAAHHHHH!

On last night's installment of Dancing With The Stars, PNR's personal favorite, 2-time Olympic speedskating Gold medalist Apolo Anton Ohno and his partner Julianne Hough danced the Samba and came away with the first perfect 30 score of the SEASON!

PNR has been backing Ohno all season, and will continue to do so right up until the very end.

In case you missed it...here's the whole segment from YouTube...and it's WORTH EVERY SECOND!!

Don't forget to vote for Apolo every week at ABC.Com (you can still vote online for last night's performance), and every Monday at 1-800-868-3411!

Getting past this week's results show should be smooth sailing....

CONGRATS TO APOLO AND JULIANNE! WOW, WHAT A PERFORMANCE!!!!!

The Great MetroBoston Movie Theater Summer Trip Extravaganza 2007!

Kim and I have both admitted that one of the reasons we decided to launch PNR was, in addition to our general love for movies, our love for MST3K's Kevin Murphy and his wondeful and hilarious book, A Year At The Movies.

Kim and I have been talking for a couple of years about what we could do in a similar vein, but in our own way of course. 

And so after much thought, we've now hit on the PERFECT idea for us.

We don't have a car anymore, so we tend to think in a rut when it comes to going to the show. We usually go to the same two movie theaters - Revere's Showcase Cinema, which is a ten minute walk (or 2 minute bus ride) from our house, and Boston's Boston Common theater, which is central to everything in downtown Boston and right on the T (the Boston Public Transportation System, for those who aren't in the area).

Sure, we take the occasional trip to other favorite spots for special fare,including the Coolidge Corner Theater, the Brattle Theater, and if we're in the mood for a bit of a walk, the Kendall Square Theater (great movies, but about 10 blocks from the nearest T Stop).

All of this started me to thinking...just how many movie theaters in the Metro Boston area are directly accessable from Boston's T system? If we include the bus routes and commuter rail lines in the total, the answer is "quite a lot"!

Between now and Labor Day, we're going to see if we can get to EVERY theater on the Basic T system. Subway first, then the buses, and finally, if we can manage it, the commuter rail.

There will be the ones we know about and are easy to get to on the four main subway lines (Red, Green, Blue, or Orange Lines) but that we haven't had a real reason to go to because closer theaters were showing the same movie. These would include Regal's Fenway 19 in Boston, AMC Harvard Square Theater in Cambridge, and so on.

Then there are the ones that are a bit more remote that are (or should be, I haven't finished my mapping yet, heh heh heh) accessable by Bus - Fresh Pond Cinemas in Allston, West Newton Cinema in West Newton, Liberty Tree AMC 20 at the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers, Cinema:Salem in Salem, etc.

Finally, if we get REALLY ambitious and can justify the trip and expenses (and the time), we may try hitting the commuter rail to get to some of the really distant theaters, such as those in Worcester, Lowell, Leominster, Fitchburg, and Providence. Yes, that's RHODE ISLAND. But the commuter rail goes there, and so it might make a fun day trip.

Why are we going to do this? Well, first of all there's the excitement of setting a goal and trying to reach it. And what we don't reach this year...well, there's always NEXT YEAR! Second, it's the fun of going places we've never been before. We love finding new favorite spots, and quite frequently surrounding good theaters you will discover fantastic restaurants, good shops, or good places to hang out in general.

Occasionally, we might try to drag some of our friends in on this as well (that means YOU, Stacy and Jenn...heh heh heh), to theaters you can only get to by car.

And in the end, we'll blog each trip, review the film AND the experience, post our review of the theater on our site AND with our friends at SimpleMovieReview.com, and feature a short rundown about each excursion as a new segment on our weekly podcast, Subject:CINEMA.

If any of you would like to join up with the idea in your own hometown area, by all means, please DO! And be sure e-mail or voice mail us with your own experiences and travels.

The summer adventure is beginning Saturday April 21 - we've planned an ENTIRE DAY of movies in Boston and Cambridge, ending with a special New England premiere of 2006 Festival favorite "WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY" at the Brattle, complete with the screenwriter in attendance. Some last minute changes could happen, but even when they do, you'll hear about those too.

So here's to our great summer adventure!  And we hope you'll be along for the ride!

Grindhouse - What Happened?

Sooooo.....

You remember last week at this time, don't you? All the buzz was about a hot, avant-garde horror film with segments directed by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. "Grindhouse" paid homage to the old grade-z horror flicks of the 60s and 70s, complete with film fuzz, missing reels, bogus trailers, and more. Critics couldn't stop praising the bloody show when it came out on Friday, and all the prognosticators online were pinpointing the movie to be a huge blockbuster. It would be #1 for the weekend, and gross (depending on which oddsmakers you were listening to) between $22-26 million on it's opening weekend. It was THE movie to beat this past weekend.

Guess what happened?

It WASN'T the movie to beat. In fact, THREE films beat it at the box office, and it pulled in less than half of the bucks it was predicted to gross. Despite universal praise, the movie was simply NOT the be-all, end-all that the industry thought it was going to be.

Now, the question is "Why"?

Well, there are several reasons that are possible...

1 - The three-hour plus running time. "Grindhouse" is actually two movies - one by Tarantino, one by Rodriguez -  run back to back, with about 12 minutes of bogus trailers between the two films, making the running time clock in at the same level as a "Lord Of The Rings" installment. Could it be that audiences don't really want to spend that much time bathing in on-screen blood?

2 - It's spring, and there's no audience for gore now - well there IS, but most teenagers and college students don't like to waste their time. So this goes right back to reason #1.

3 - It's EASTER WEEKEND. Come on, folks!  Easter weekend is about family for a lot of people, and family films dominated the box office this weekend. Who in Hollywood thought it would be a good idea to open a film THIS gory, THIS bloody, THIS....well, horror-filled on the most religious holiday weekend of the year?

Had they waited just one week, I think they would have made their money as predicted, and possibly even more, spurred on by the incredibly favorable reviews...and they still MIGHT too...

SUNDANCE: One who has to sit back and laugh....

...while the schmoes in Park City look idiotic as usual....

Seriously, as I said over the weekend, as a fledgling site, going to Sundance this year was out of the question.  But I've been trying to keep up on all the goings on there and at Slamdance up the road...and I've got to say it's been a trip.

Yes it would have been fun to do it in person for the first time. But I think I probably would have dropped dead of exhaustion two days ago...or have laughed myself into a coma even sooner.

You sit back and read the big trades (and their bloggers) and there's a lot of kvetching about "oh, poor us, we have to go higher than we wanted to" when talking about a major sale. Now for some companies, like ThinkFilm which is a small, niche indie distributor (and very good at what they do), it's understandable. But when a major indie distributor (no names, please...)is whining the same way about the deals he's doing, I'm sorry...I have NO sympathy whatsoever.

There have been some very lucrative deals floating around for movies made with the kind of indie budgets we usually think of. Sure, $4 million might seem piddly to a big name, big studio guy like Steven Spielberg, but I can assure you it's NOT piddly to the small filmmaker of Grace Is Gone, now looking for distribution.

Of course, the fest has had it's share of controversy, the biggest of which has been a total non-issue, really...that of Dakota Fanning doing a rape scene in her new movie, Hounddog. For the past two weeks, fueled mainly by the overly excitable Sean Hannity on Fox News, the conservative media have been FREAKING OUT over this, demanding to know how Dakota's parents DARED to let her do such a thing on celluloid.

Yesterday, the day after the premiere of the movie (which got mostly bad word of mouth except for her performance), Dakota faced reporters for a few interviews.... and boy, was she PISSED....and rightly so.  How dare reporters bring her parents into the matter, when she's growing up and is interested in doing more daring parts, she told people.

As well she should have. This is such a non-issue that it's not funny, and I'm one of those conservatives that Hannity is supposedly watched by (I've got news for them....). The press simply had no right to start questioning whether or not Fanning's parents were good parents simply because they let her do a scene which LOOKS WORSE ONSCREEN than it really would have been filming, with 50 or so other people standing by.

The right-wing media should be ASHAMED of themselves on this one...they took a non-issue and blew it so completely out of proportion that it makes me shudder....

Give young Ms Fanning a break please....she's not being led around by her parents. She seems to be a smart young lady, wise beyond her years, and more than capable of telling fantasy from reality, which many members of the media seemed to think she couldn't do.  She's almost 13, and while an onscreen rape is not pleasant, neither is it detrimental to the actress performing it, especially if she read and loved the script herself, which she did...

Needless to say, since Fanning's mini-blowup yesterday, the uber-critical right wingers have fallen almost completely silent...so THANK YOU DAKOTA!!!

A lot of quality films are on the market at Sundance, and several of them already have done deals with studios for releases later in the year...but a few more will go without, and that's unfair.

Two of my favorite contenders last year, Right At Your Door and Wristcutters: A