Debt to Cinema

Debt to Cinema 108: The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

Some films are claimed to be so bad that they are scary, so with Halloween still in the air, and Ron Perlman in the cast, we decided to see what all the fuss is about. What we got is a legendary history of a troubled production, stars impersonating each other on film, awesome makeup, and a fairly interesting tale with just a few too many issues to overlook.

Two Cents

Two Cents 100: Two Years Later

The final episode of the show where we chronicle all the major trends we’ve reported over the years (vertical integration, VR, the internet of things, evolution of movies/TV, etc), Amazon storms its way into the grocery business, Verizon officially owns Yahoo, and social media starts creating actual media. Plus, round two of E3 2017 coverage, Rocket League, Bethesda VR, Sony’s PlayLink, Spiderman Homecoming VR tie-in, and Clean Version initiative, and the future of blockbusters.

Two Cents

Two Cents 096: Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again!

The episode in which I list the many things reporting the news prevents me from doing, Cannes continues its crybaby wanderings, Netflix and Donald Trump are the villains the media prays for, Wanda’s reformation of Legendary and enhanced exhibition business, and the rise of vertical video. In bigger news (56:00), Austin man sues his date for texting during a movie, Hollywood a major hacking target and their lack of action, Google I/O updates including standalone VR and Daydream upgrades, and Zenimax becoming the VR equivalent of a patent troll. Plus, Venom, Resident Evil, Supernatural meets Scooby Doo, social VR hubs becoming industry standard (1:58:00), Ridley Scott’s TNT block, and Mamma Mia 2!

Two Cents

Two Cents 095: Welcome to the Amazon

The episode in which we get off to a slow start, Google acquires VR gurus Owlchemy Labs, Amazon introduces the Echo Show and Prime Live Events, Wanda’s Legendary loses another figurehead, and Amazon Prime Video has landed 40 SXSW selections. In bigger news, Cannes changes their criteria for festival selections after streaming titles have joined the Palme d’Or race and Microsoft unveils their “mixed reality” controllers. Plus, the need for VR standards, vertical cinema, contemporary films’ monochromatic agenda, Tupac movies, Donald Glover’s animated FXX Deadpool show, classical film theory, and Judge Dredd.

Two Cents

Two Cents 094: I’d Buy That For Five Dollars!

The episode in which we find a new sense of purpose since we now have a Patreon supporter (!!!), Annapurna continues to make groundbreaking moves, Universal is adapting Gears of War, Hellboy is getting a reboot, and HBO is leaving Amazon Prime while working on Game of Thrones spinoffs. In bigger news (00:42:00), Charter joins Comcast in the quest for full communication exposure (via wireless), Hulu with Live TV is finally a thing, YouTube is making free shows with big stars, Twitter lands a plethora of live content, and what this all means in our evolving digital landscape. Plus, cheap beer, a Danny DeVito/Jeff Goldblum Amazon comedy, physical vs digital media collections, and Oculus takes one further step away from VR dominance (1:40:00).

Dollar Reviews

Dollar Reviews 036: Sandy Wexler

We’ve been nice overall when it comes to sharing our opinions of Adam Sandler’s recent offerings, not seeing the point in beating a dying horse, but after two hiccups on Netflix, Happy Madison has finally delivered something totally likeable. When that conversation trails off we split hairs over the Thor Ragnarok trailer (27:16) before doing a live reaction to the Star Wars Battlefront 2 reveal (33:51), followed by my showstopping Goodwill movie haul (37:46) and impressions of Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN (44:17). Finally Steve caught Poltergeist in 70mm (48:58) and Gods of Egypt (51:24), while I saw The Accountant (55:29) and a double bill of We Are the Best and Los Punks (59:23).

Two Cents

Two Cents 088: Feline Like Something Mew

The episode in which I try to keep this show alive by dumping Penny Thoughts back onto Dollar Reviews (and doing that weekly again via streaming titles), I make my first retractions, Superman joins Mission: Impossible, Fandango takes aim at Mondo, and Sony says goodbye to the PS3/hello again to VR as more join the fray. Steve caught up on The Edge of Seventeen, Raw, and 2014’s Beauty and the Beast; while I was enamored by Kedi, pumped out Drake’s More Life, experienced Step Up 3D within PSVR, and finally beat Sly Cooper. More importantly, Sony is making a Venom movie, Warner Bros is rebooting The Matrix, Fox is remaking The Fly, and Netflix is re-sharting pan and scan.

Two Cents

Two Cents 087: Non-Sexism is the New Sexism

The episode in which daylight savings just began so we are a day late, Ghost in the Shell is getting an awesome Japanese dub, we predict the futures of Blumhouse and Disney’s live-reactions, La La Land goes on a world tour, Ridley Scott wants more Xenomorph flicks, and Avatar 2 has been delayed yet again. I finally caught X-Men: Apocalypse, share my trip to the New Wave Bar, continue my descent into Lego Dimensions, and give a taste of PSVR 3D Blu-ray playback. Also, Camarada brings 3D recording to all Android devices, Oculus continues blurring VR’s future, IMDb’s F-rating for female projects, Time Warner expands its streaming to animation, our take on videogame adaptations, and the slate of 2017 blockbusters.

Two Cents

Two Cents 084: I Just Can’t Wait to Be King

The episode in which we intro a new segment, Hulu might be producing a shared Stephen King universe show, Amazon’s Costume Quest series(!!!), hiphoptherobot’s early Nintendo Switch delivery, Donald Glover is Simba 2.0, and the first wedding hosted in VR. Steve watched Justice League Dark, Harold Lloyd’s Speedy, and Flyboys; while I caught John Wick Chapter 2, went further into Lego Dimensions, and started Grim Fandango. Plus, IMAX VR’s first Experience Centre, developments in staged VR, and how all three can learn from Japanese arcades, Microsoft bolstering voice recognition, Pewdiepie’s anti-semetic fall from grace, Roman Polanski, Mel Gibson, all telecos now offer unlimited LTE plans, and A Cure For Wellness advertising with fake news.

Two Cents

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.