The week in which we only cover politics via SNL and Shia LaBoeuf, gamers face more delays as E3 goes public, Jay and Silent Bob are getting rebooted, several big directors have new projects, and Star Wars is landing in two big ways. I saw The Lego Batman Movie when I wasn’t busy becoming obsessed with collecting Lego Dimensions or playing Day of the Tentacle Remastered, while Steve caught Vertigo in 70mm and VR treasure, The Lawnmower Man. Plus, Apple, Facebook, and Viacom switch up their TV approaches, Halloween is getting another reboot (but we are excited about it), Jack Nicholson is coming out of hiding, the Terms of Endearment black remake, changes The Academy should make, Oculus is shuddering its demo stations, and the advent of underwater VR.
Debt to Cinema 073: Timecrimes
Unlike last year, where I hijacked Steve’s pick to align Run Lola Run with the most magical filmic holiday of all, our second annual Groundhog Day Special is a little late this time around, but holy shit is it worth it. I wish I could travel back to 2007 and suck this thing off proper #IdBuyThatForADollar
Two Cents 082: Views Askewed
The episode in which Batfleck leaves the director’s chair, Smodcast turns 10, I forget what week it is, IMDb is abandoning its message boards, directors move around, and The CW’s DC footprint is getting bigger. Steve caught 28 Days Later on 35mm, caught up on Train to Busan, and saw I’m Not Your Negro; while I saw Manchester by the Sea, The Edge of Seventeen, and NBC’s Powerless. Plus, the UC Berkeley violent protest against free speech, Zenimax successfully sued Oculus for stealing their resources, Sony’s Playstation VR gets brighter as Sony Pictures looms in uncertainty, Snapchat grows up, and how Vizio’s spying on you might shake up FCC standards again.
Debt to Cinema 072: Dancer in the Dark
There are certain films out there that escape convention, or defy description, and despite our best attempts across an hour of conversation here, Lars von Trier’s divisive Palme d’Or winning “anti-musical” is one of them. Through its method of filmmaking, stylistic choices, and overall mood, as bleak as it may be, Trier creates a raw document and testament to the power of music and its escapist qualities from even the most tragic parts of life #IdBuyThatForADollar
Two Cents 081: One Big, Happy Family
The episode in which we continue TrumpWatch2017, Apocalypse Now is becoming a videogame, Square-Enix is doing the same to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Fox has enlisted Bryan Singer for an in universe X-Men pilot, The Flash stays troubled, Predator sounds amazing, and I tried the Naked Chicken Chalupa. Also, my thoughts on The Founder, Moonlight, SportsBar VR, and Girlschool DJ night; and Steve’s on some Amazon docs, Bone Tomahawk, and I Know Who Killed Me. Plus, AT&T/Time Warner might have competition between Comcast adding cellular lines to its family and Verizon possibly buying Charter Communications, Oscar nominations, the next projects from Jeremy Saulnier and James Ponsoldt, and the first UHD Blu-ray drives are coming to PCs.
Debt to Cinema 071: Nine Lives (2005)
Film is revered as the art form most capable of mimicking the wonder of life, but this anthology of nine interconnected stories told in single takes by Rodrigo Garcia raises the bar. The surreal, and often dark tone these snapshots capture makes for a troubling viewing experience, but what better way to champion strong female leads than with subject matter rarely seen on screen. This might not be a perfect exercise of form over function, but it is; however, an unforgettable journey into the lives of Los Angeleno women #IdBuyThatForADollar
Two Cents 080: Black Mirror
The delayed episode in which I ended up finishing things alone, where Trump is in the White House, Sundance is covered in snow, streamers make moves, Hellboy 3 might be coming, AMC Theaters continues its global dominance, Superbowl LI is streaming for free, and I review The London Heist, Black Mirror’s Playtest episode, my VR playtesting gig, and Damien Chazelle’s TCM block. Meanwhile, Steve talks Samurai Cop 2, Hell or High Water, The Magnificent 7 (2016), and Sony’s Passengers. Plus, The Terminator is returning to James Cameron, Legendary lost its CEO, Paramount gets into bed with China, things don’t look good for Sony (across TV, Film, and PSVR), Netflix seduced Jerry Seinfeld, and some VR things to close out the show.
Debt to Cinema 070: Samurai Cop
After the Star Wars Holiday Special, Robocop 3, Freddy Got Fingered, and Yoga Hosers, we’ve built up a good amount of reviews for bad movies. Usually its because one of us is sadistic and feels like making the other endure the pain of an awful film, but every once in a while the internet is wrong and we find a new favorite (here’s looking at you, Catwoman). Join us to find which side of the bad quality coin this falls on: guilty pleasure or guilty of viewing.
Two Cents 079: The End of an Era
The week in which Obamacare is dying, LA continues to get sports teams, the circus will never come to town again, Amazon introduces its own Anime Prime Channel, Cannes is admitting TV (just as The Coen Brothers jump in), and Infinity War and DC get more enlisters. Meanwhile, I share my addiction to Games Done Quick, finally beat Resident Evil 6, and caught the first episode of Netflix’s Series of Unfortunate Events; while Steve saw the remake of The Blob, Scorcese’s Silence, and Patriot’s Day. Plus, TwitchCon, Sony Pictures’s CEO jumping to Snap Inc., Nintendo Switch, Youtube, George Lucas $1 Billion museum, and Starcade getting a “retro-boot.”
Debt to Cinema 069: Tricked
It took us forever to review one of Paul Verhoeven’s flicks, so I thought it would be fun to follow it up immediately with the project released before it. I could describe the experimental nature of the production of this 2012 release, but you’ll probably get a bigger kick listening to this episode with no further introduction. Suffice to say, if any recording defines our different critical styles, its this one.
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