Movie Podcast Weekly Ep. 082: Transcendence (2014) and Cheap Thrills (2014) and Oldboy (2003) and Oldboy (2013)

Episode 082

Happy Easter! For Episode 082 of Movie Podcast Weekly, we’ve brought you another memorable episode, complete with an encore performance of Andy’s on-air slumbers… Karl couldn’t make it for this episode, so Jason, Josh and Andy review “Transcendence,” “Cheap Thrills,” “Oldboy” (2003) and its remake from 2013. As usual, this episode is a pretty good time. Subscribe — and enjoy! By the way, we want to thank Mr. Kenneth Smith for his kind donation. We appreciate your support, Sir.

Movie Podcast Weekly typically features four hosts (and frequent guests), who give you their verdict on at least one new movie release that’s currently in theaters, mini reviews of what they’ve been watching lately and specialty recommendation segments. New episodes release every single Monday.

SHOW NOTES:
I. Intro

II. Mini Reviews:
Andy: Andy’s indulgent Easter, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints
Jason: Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope, The Notebook, The Testaments: Of One Fold and One Shepherd
Josh: All Is Lost, Frostbitten

III. Feature Review: TRANSCENDENCE (2014)
Jason: 4.5 ( Avoid )
Andy: 5 ( Low-priority Rental )
Josh: 5 ( Rental )

IV. Feature Review: CHEAP THRILLS (2014)
Jason: 6.5 ( Rental )

V. Feature Review: OLDBOY (2003)
Jason: 8 ( Buy it! )
Josh: 9 ( Buy it! )

VI. Feature Review: OLDBOY (2013)
Jason: 6.5 ( Rental )
Josh: 7 ( Rental )

VII. Wrap-Up

NEXT WEEK:
We will be reviewing THE QUIET ONES and UNDER THE SKIN and BIG BAD WOLVES.

Links for this episode:

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Check out Book Review Podcast

Horror Movie Podcast Ep. 014: Oculus (2014) and Afflicted (2014) and BillChete’s Big News and Jan-Gel

Josh covers streaming movies: Movie Stream Cast

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Thank you for listening, and join us again next Monday for Movie Podcast Weekly.

23 thoughts on “Movie Podcast Weekly Ep. 082: Transcendence (2014) and Cheap Thrills (2014) and Oldboy (2003) and Oldboy (2013)

  1. no people, notebook is not a 9.5 movie. andy you need to have 6 sleeps ti go through this movie and josh, the movie was very ordinarily made.

    i have seen the movie but i do not see any powerfulness in this movie. it sure is less cheesy than princess diary but a single emotional thread used in a movie should never push it that high. it is not made for people who knows their love games, life and stories.

    it is a date movie if u are a few month into the relationship and want ur girlfriend to move in with u. and you really need to cry at titanic in order to love this movie.

    sorry i cant back u up on this one jay, yah and i think romeo and juliet are just horny teenagers.

    if you want some love stories more than just this but have some humanity powerness as depth, both snow falling on ceders and cider house rules are better than this.

      • i am not saying that Snow Falling On Ceders is a great movie. It however is about romance and then other stuff, like the war scar, and it was made with good camera work. I just think that is a much better love story than Note Book.

        Cider House Rules too… once someone told me that the movie is shallow. but if that is shallow, i don’t know where to put Notebook. 🙂 and also we talked about the Fountain in other posts… that is one good movie about love also.

  2. Great show, as always, from the opening mention of “The tomb is empty” to the show closing to the sound of Andy snoring.
    I have to agree with Jason — “The Notebook” is a great film. The only thing I would change about what he said is that it’s not a film about romance. It’s a film about commitment, something couples in the world today need to learn how to make and keep. To me, that was the true message of the film.
    Since you called me out, Jay, I will watch both versions of “Oldboy” next week and I will watch the 2003 version with English subtitles. We’ll see if you’re correct about my preferences.
    To close, I’d like to say I’m glad to hear Josh and Andy will be watching “The Notebook,” as well. I might urge them, however, to watch the Korean-dubbed version with English subtitles since that’s the better version. (grin-wink)
    Keep up the great work. “Movie Podcast Weekly” never fails to entertain me.

    • I’m going to give the Notebook a shot with an open mind, Scott, despite not being completely convinced. I love your description of it and that is exactly what I was looking for in a movie. I’ll make sure to watch the Korean dubbed version, with English subtitles. Haha. Hilarious.

  3. Josh, don’t listen to Jay. The Notebook is not a 9.5. It is a decent movie with a very emotionally powerful ending that, depending on one’s emotional sensibilities at the time, may result in an overrating of the film. If I take into account how much the film made me weep, then yes, I would probably score it a 9. But putting one’s own feelings aside for a moment, I think the film is only a 6.

    It’s a bummer to hear that Transcendence was such a missed opportunity. And you’re right Josh. The reason why I didn’t go to see it opening night was because of its slow score on Rotten Tomatoes.

    I haven’t seen the remake of Oldboy, but the original is a 10 for me. It’s such a weird tale that just takes very drastic twists and turns and delivers one hell of a twisted ending. The violence and the artful way in which it was portrayed was such a delight for me. Oldboy kickstarted my interest in Korean cinema and I’m glad it did, because like Josh said, I think that there are a lot of interesting things coming out of Korea. Josh, have you seen I Saw the Devil? It’s overly long and never quite reaches the heights of Oldboy, but it’s still an extraordinary effort that at times manages to surpass Oldboy.

  4. Hahaha ok I just finished the podcast and the ending was genius! Thank Andy for that 🙂

    Josh, Mother is incredible. I absolutely loved the ending! I give Mother a 9 just because I felt like the movie dragged a bit. But yeah, definitely a must see.

    I can’t believe you guys compared the Oldboy remake to Eastern Promises. Granted, I haven’t seen the Oldboy’s remake, but from what I hear it’s pretty solid run of the mill stuff, which Eastern Promises is not. Vigo Mortensen’s performance was amazing. I’m a huge fan of Cronenberg and in my opinion Eastern Promises is one of his best films. I give Eastern Promises a 9.5.

    Jay, I still haven’t seen In Fear, but it has arrived in the mail so I’lll be watching that probably over the weekend. I’m really looking forward to that.

    • Hmmm … Probably because I’m a big Cronenberg fan and I think Eastern Promises is one of his worst films. I would call it a solid crime film, just like Oldboy, though I’m not a particular fan of either. Josh Brolin is great in Oldboy and the only thing I would say is of lesser caliber in Oldboy is Sharlto Copley. But this isn’t really my genre. Give me Videodrome or The Fly.

      • Well, the Fly is just flawless. It’s in my top 5 horror movies of all time and in my top 20 movies of all time. I don’t think Cronenberg will be able to top it.

        Videodrome… I’ve never been able to like it as much as people seem to like it. I think it’s pretty good, but I’ve never been captivated by it. I think a revisit is in order. I has been over 10 years since I watched it so maybe I’ll be able to appreciate it more this time around.

        • I do like Videodrome, but I was just using those films as examples or the movies where you can feel Cronenberg’s DNA in the film emulsion. It doesn’t have to be Videodrome. Give me Naked Lunch or Scanners. It’s not that I think Eastern Promises is bad, it just feels like a movie anybody could have made.

      • are we talking about the fountain (2006) with hugh jackman and rachel weisz?

        that movie has 3 parallel telling, one in the past, one in the present and one in the imaginary bubble like in the spiritual world. i will say that it is a fantasy movie but it won’t be a sci-fi movie, because, really, it doesn’t satisfy sci-fi hunger at all.

        it is no fifth element, you know.

        • Well, I don’t think a movie has to homage every sci-fi film for the last 3 decades (like The 5th Element does) to be considered a sci-fi film. I think that is something that happens at a story or concept level. And I think that science fiction definitely plays a role in Aaronofsky’s film (predominantly with Jackman as the space traveler) to a greater or equal extent than fantasy.

  5. Guys,

    Great reviews! Thank you so much for granting my request. Wohoo!

    I would love to hear what Andy and Karl think about them. Do a spoiler portion if it’s not too much to ask hehe!

    About the remake, it should have been well executed if Tarantino directed it (he loved the original, by the way, and expressed it during the 2004 Cannes Film Festival).

    Another great Korean film is Confession of Murder. Thought I should suggest a new queue to your Korean movie list hehe!

    Keep on, guys! More power!

    • Glad we could do it, Rhardo. I’m giving Andy the original tomorrow and we’ll be recommending that Karl see the remake. Thanks for the Confession of Murder recommendation. Can’t wait to check it out!

  6. Jason-

    There are three things I can’t believe as I listen back to this.

    1. I can’t believe that I really said Kevin Nolan! I thought you were wrong, for sure, and I even had to listen to that part twice to catch it. So weird.

    2. I can’t believe that I missed the part of the Cheap Thrills review where you mentioned that you didn’t know who Ethan Embry is. I’d have lost my mind. Embry is honestly one of my favorite actors of his generation (I’d rank him up there with Giovani Rabisi), he was first a child actor (and has been great since I first saw him in Dutch), but he is criminally underrated and he has been tragically underused in recent years. His big chance to be a leading man came in the teen comedy Can’t Hardly Wait, but I’d think you’d remember him as the bass player in That Thing You Do or as the latest incarnation of Rusty in Vegas Vacation (and I know you saw him briefly in Vacancy). He was also recently in a little indie crime flick that my friend Ben Gourley directed (and my frequent DP, Ty Arnold, shot) called The Kane Files and he is great in the quirky little indie Dancer, Texas. But his most memorable role, which is a really incredibly hilarious performance, has to be as Mark in Empire Records, starring Liv Tyler and Renee Zellweger. He is phenomenal in it. In fact, I love the guys so much, I’d have already seen Cheap Thrills by now if I’d heard you say that he was in it.

    3. I can’t believe that ending with Andy worked out so perfectly.

  7. Great episode guys. Thanks for reading my quick thoughts on the Old boy films Jason. I had a questio… I don’t know if it has been asked vefore , but what shows are you guys watching? I feel like some of the best content these days is on the small screen. The way that shows are able to flesh out characters and explore themes deeper than a 90-minute film could never do just got me thinking. Are we headed for a world where television rules over film and talent will migrate there naturally? Shows like True Detective, Breaking Bad and- most recently- Fargo have managed to round up some very talented people in front of and behind the camera. Have you guys seen Fargo? This is a perfect example for my question. A ten-hour show based on what was originally a film under two hours, furthering the world and deepening the darkly comic moments, really fleshing out the characters. Anyway sorry to ramble.
    Also a question for Josh… Where can I watch the Survivor show in chronological order for free or cheap? What are the best seasons?

    The Notebook – 8/10 Surprisingly good, given Sparks’ other adapted material. Love Gosling and am mildly annoyed by McAdams.

    All is Lost – 9/10. In my top 5 of 2013. Redford gives a performance that was deserving of an Oscar Nomination, for which he was snubbed in my opinion. Powerhouse. The movie is filled with quiet tension and has my favorite ending from last year. I think its better than Gravity.

  8. I think the original Oldboy is a solid 9. One of the best Korean films I have seen. In terms of buying it, which release do you recommend? There’s several versions….any thoughts? I’m hesitant to watch the remake…

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