How Roger Ebert Changed the Course of My Life

Roger Ebert booksby Jason Pyles | April 4, 2013

Though I never met him, Roger Ebert literally changed the course of my life. So, the following sentiments are about Ebert’s influence on me and are therefore about my life, not his. (To hear our celebration of Roger Ebert, my co-hosts and I pay tribute to him during Episode 028 of Movie Podcast Weekly.)

It was 2005, and I was working one of those phone jobs that I hated. But employees were permitted to surf the Web, which led to my discovering that Roger Ebert’s movie review site was linked through Internet Movie Database.com for each movie he’s reviewed. Simply look up a movie on IMDb and click on the “external reviews” link. Ebert’s reviews are always at the top of the list. Continue reading

85th Academy Award Nominees Announced

Early this morning the nominees for the 85th Academy Awards were announced, so we have provided that list for our listeners here. Millions of men (and a lot of women) anxiously await the Super Bowl each year, but the Academy Awards ceremony is Jason’s Super Bowl.

How MOVIE PODCAST WEEKLY Will Cover the Oscars:
On Sunday, February 24, 2013 — when the Oscars ceremony airs live nationwide — your hosts of Movie Podcast Weekly will be watching along with everyone else. And since Sunday night is our usual recording night, we’ll record Episode 022 immediately after the telecast. We’ll review that week’s movie, which at this point, appears to be between “Snitch” and “Dark Skies”… And then we’ll recap and reflect on the 85th Oscars ceremony itself and the big winners (and losers). So, our Oscar Episode 022 will release on Monday, February 25, 2013. Our co-host Josh Ligairi will be with us for that show, as well as special guest Dave “Dr. Shock” Becker.

And without further delay, here are the nominees for the 85th Academy Awards: Continue reading

Our Picks for the Best of 2012

Happy new year! This password-protected blog post is a little service to show our appreciation for those who listen to Movie Podcast Weekly. Here are our picks for the Best Movies of 2012, as well as our biggest disappointments. We hope you’ll make your way through these movies at some point during 2013 (and think of us fondly).

Jason’s Top 10 of 2012
1. Chronicle
2. The Grey
3. Django Unchained
4. Argo
5. Lincoln
6. Looper
7. Killing Them Softly
8. The Hunger Games
9. The Avengers
10. Cloud Atlas

Jason’s Honorable Mentions for 2012:
Prometheus
The Cabin in the Woods
The Dark Knight Rises
Killer Joe
Contraband
Man on a Ledge
Jack Reacher
Get the Gringo

Jason’s Biggest Disappointments of 2012:
Chernobyl Diaries
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

Jason’s Most Anticipated Movies of 2013:
Gangster Squad
Zero Dark Thirty
Broken City
Stand Up Guys
The ABCs of Death
Carrie
Evil Dead
Oblivion
The Lords of Salem
Pain & Gain
Man of Steel
The End of the World
Kick-Ass 2
Pacific Rim
Runner, Runner
Paranoia
Malavita
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Karl’s Top 10 of 2012
1. Lincoln
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
3. The Avengers
4. Skyfall
5. Hit and Run
6. Flight
7. Prometheus
8. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
9. Django Unchained
10. Argo

Karl’s Honorable Mentions for 2012:
The Bourne Legacy
Cloud Atlas
Safe House
End of Watch
Pitch Perfect
For the Greater Glory
Silver Linings Playbook
Chronicle
Act of Valor
Looper
Moonrise Kingdom
Think Like a Man
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Jack Reacher

Karl’s Biggest Disappointments of 2012:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi

Karl’s Most Anticipated Movies of 2013:
Star Trek Into Darkness
Zero Dark Thirty
Iron Man 3
Man of Steel
World War Z

Karl’s “Most Feared of 2013”:
The Lone Ranger

Andy’s Top 10 of 2012
1. Lincoln
2. Skyfall
3. Zero Dark Thirty (Note: Andy hasn’t actually seen this yet.)
4. Argo (Note: Andy hasn’t actually seen this yet.)
5. Looper
6. Flight (Note: Andy hasn’t actually seen this yet.)
7. Prometheus
8. Les Miserables (Note: Andy hasn’t actually seen this yet.)
9. The Cabin in the Woods
10. Django Unchained (Note: Andy hasn’t actually seen this yet.)

Andy’s Honorable Mentions for 2012:
Hit and Run

Andy’s Biggest Disappointments of 2012:
Taken 2
Snow White and the Huntsman

Andy’s List of 2012 Movies That He Most Anticipates Watching in 2013:
Django Unchained
Flight
Les Miserables
Argo

“Wolfman” Josh Ligairi’s Top 10 of 2012
1. The Imposter
2. The Master
3. Moonrise Kingdom
4. Django Unchained
5. Big Boys Gone Bananas
6. Lincoln
7. Jiro Dreams of Sushi
8. Beasts of the Southern Wild
9. Bully
10. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

Josh’s Honorable Mentions for 2012:
Silent House
Safe House
Prometheus
Argo
How to Survive a Plague
The Do-Deca-Pentathlon
Sleepwalk With Me
Take This Waltz
The Queen of Versailles
The Ambassador
Bones Brigade: An Autobiography
The Invisible War
Tchoupitoulas
Bernie
Lawless
Jeff Who Lives at Home
Sinister
This Is 40

Josh’s Biggest Disappointments of 2012:
Safety Not Guaranteed
The Loneliest Planet
Amour

Josh’s Most Anticipated Movies of 2013:
Zero Dark Thirty
World War Z
Evil Dead
The Lone Ranger
The Lords of Salem
This Is the End
The World’s End

Dave “Dr. Shock” Becker’s Top 10 Blu-rays of 2012
1. The Universal Monsters Blu-ray Set
2. The Indiana Jones Complete Adventures: Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Lawrence of Arabia
4. Jaws
5. The Lord of the Rings extended trilogy Blu-ray release
6. Planet of the Apes (the 5-film collection)
7. Boardwalk Empire Season 2
8. The Avengers
9. Game of Thrones Season 1
10. Hatfields and McCoys (TV mini series)

Dr. Shock’s Honorable Mention Blu-rays for 2012:
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Ghosts of the Abyss
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein
Stalin (also includes Assassination Tango)
Johnny Guitar
Wings
Heaven’s Gate
The Bond 50 Collection
Alfred Hitchcock’s The Masterpiece Collection

Dr. Shock’s Biggest Disappointment Blu-rays of 2012:
Dark Shadows
Snow White and the Huntsman
Wrath of the Titans
Shark Night 3D

Dave “Dr. Shock” Becker’s Most Anticipated Movies of 2013:
Zero Dark Thirty
The Lords of Salem
Star Trek Into Darkness
Pacific Rim
Oblivion
Gangster Squad

Dave’s “Most Feared of 2013”:
The Lone Ranger
Oz: The Great and Powerful
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Jason Reviews “Killer Klowns From Outer Space” on Forgotten Flix Podcast

Check out our friends at the Forgotten Flix Podcast. Joel Robertson and Jason Grooms review “the movies you grew up with” every Wednesday when they discuss movies from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.

Recently Jason had the opportunity to appear as a guest on Forgotten Flix Ep. 84, reviewing “Killer Klowns From Outer Space” (1988). Joel, Jason and Jason somehow go in-depth and get surprisingly analytical about a B-Movie that seems to have no substance whatsoever. Please give Episode 84 a listen and subscribe to Forgotten Flix!

Need more persuading? Watch this trailer!