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This episode of Movie Podcast Weekly is dedicated to MPW guest and friend, Anthony Bruno.
In Episode 102, Jason, Karl and Andy take some time to reflect on the sad loss of Anthony Bruno. (Read Jason’s tribute to Bruno here.) We also bring you three Feature Reviews of If I Stay and 50 to 1 and Life of Crime. And, of course, we bring you our famous Mini Reviews, and Andy introduces his new specialty segment! Thanks for listening.
Movie Podcast Weekly typically features four hosts — Jason, Andy, Karl and Josh — along with frequent guests. We give you our verdicts on at least one new movie release from the current year that’s currently playing in theaters or on VOD, as well as several mini reviews of whatever we’ve been watching lately. And we usually provide specialized genre recommendations. New episodes release every single Tuesday. Join us!
SHOW NOTES:
I. Introduction
II. Reflecting on the loss of Anthony Bruno
— Hear Bruno’s four guest appearances here:
Episode 035
Episode 043
Episode 045
Episode 051
Jason’s tribute: In Memoriam: Anthony Bruno, MPW guest and friend
Bruno’s Philly.com obit: Anthony Bruno, 61, writer
III. Mini Reviews
Karl: An important criticism of Amazon.com, Out of the Furnace, The Black List: Season 1 (coming to Netflix)
Jason: Charlie Countryman; The Fall (TV series), Episodes 1 and 2
Andy: What’s Up, Tiger Lily?, The Edge, The Grand Budapest Hotel
And later in the show… Josh: Neighbors (airline version)
IV. What’s New in Theaters This Past Weekend
— The Identical
— Innocence
— God Help the Girl [ Limited ]
— Kelly & Cal [ Limited ]
— Frontera [ Limited ]
— The Remaining [ Limited ]
— Wetlands [ Limited ]
[ Forrest Gump (1994) – IMAX re-release ]
[ What’s NOT playing in theaters, dammit: Eli Roth’s “The Green Inferno” ]
FEATURE REVIEWS HAVE TIME STAMPS:
[ 0:32:38 ] V. Feature Review: 50 to 1 (2014)
Karl = 5 ( Low-priority Rental )
[ 0:42:32 ] VI. Feature Review: IF I STAY (2014)
Jason = 7.5 ( Theater / Rental )
[ 0:53:57 ] VII. Feature Review: LIFE OF CRIME (2014)
Jason = 5 ( Low-priority Rental )
VIII. Specialty Segments:
WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THAT ONE MOVIE? – WITH A GUY NAMED ANDY:
Movie: Pitch Perfect (2012) = 5 ( Low-priority Rental )
CONTEST QUOTATION FOR NEXT TIME:
RG: Doesn’t it bother you that people call you Shorty?
S: Doesn’t it bother you that people call you retard?
RG: Nobody calls me that.
S: Right.
moments later…
RG Does anybody ever call me names?
PA: What, you mean like retard?
RG: Yeah.
PA: No.
ANDY’S RULES:
– One entry per listener per week; Entries must be received before the episode discussing the film posts (typically the following Tuesday at 8 a.m.)
– No using the Internet or other reference material to look it up (honor system)
– Prize to be determined later… (It will be decent.)
– No hate mail if Andy gets the quote wrong
– Entries are made by e-mailing us at MoviePodcastWeekly@gmail.com with the subject line “ANDY’S QUOTES.”
KARL HUDDLESTON’S GREAT PERFORMANCES AND MIGHTY LINES:
Film: Blade Runner (1982) — theatrical release
Actor: Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard
Mighty Line: (Narration) “All he’d wanted were the same answers the rest of us want. Where did I come from? Where am I going? How long have I got?”
JAY OF THE DEAD’S 1970s HORROR-THON:
I Dismember Mama (1972) = 4 ( Avoid )
IX. Wrap-Up / Plugs / Ending
COMING UP ON MPW NEXT WEEK:
THE DROP and GOD’S POCKET and THE ZERO THEOREM and WALK OF SHAME. Join us Tuesday!
LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:
Anthony Bruno’s book: The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer
Bruno’s Web site: Anthony Bruno.net
Contact MPW:
E-mail us: MoviePodcastWeekly@gmail.com.
Leave us a voicemail: (801) 382-8789.
Leave a comment in the show notes for this episode.
Follow MPW on Twitter: @MovieCastWeekly
Add MPW to your Stitcher playlist: Stitcher.com
MPW on iTunes
MPW’s RSS feed
Right-click to download the MPW 100 Rap
If you’re a Horror fan, listen to Jason and Josh on HORROR MOVIE PODCAST
Josh’s links:
Twitter: @IcarusArts
Josh covers streaming movies on: Movie Stream Cast
“Cleanflix” the documenatary’s Website
We’d like to thank The Dave Eaton Element and Dave Eaton himself for the use of his music for our theme song.
If you like Movie Podcast Weekly, please subscribe and leave us a review in iTunes. If you want to support the show, we have PayPal buttons in our right-hand sidebar where you can make a one-time donation or you can become a recurring donor for just $2 per month. (Every little bit helps!)
Thanks for listening, and join us again next Tuesday for Movie Podcast Weekly.
I totally back up Karl with regards to his stance on physical media. In fact earlier this week after my interest was piqued by a review of a new book I went on Amazon.co.uk with the intention of buying a copy only to discovered that it was ONLY available for the Kindle. Now I understand how much cheaper that must be from a publishing perspective, especially for books that lack mainstream appeal, but it still irks me.
Call me a traditionalist but I enjoy the way books look on a shelf and I like to turn the pages with my own hands, not only that but when I really need to chill out I like to have a good long read in the bath. On a few occasions in the past I’ve dropped a book in the water but I’ve always managed to dry it out and even if I hadn’t it’s no more than 10 quid down the drain. Drop a kindle in the bath and it’s a totally different story. I’m the same with music, I like to listen to an album all the way through and I like to have a physical copy of the album art and liner notes to look at.
Sure I understand the convenience and cost effectiveness of digital media. There’s been times in the past when I’ve downloaded a track which happens to be the only song I like by a particular band, and I regularly stream movies, sometimes because they’ve not been released on DVD in my region code or at all, and sometimes just because I’m so often disappointed that I want to be sure I like a film before I buy it but the crux of the matter is that I want to have the choice. I want to be allowed to appreciate a book as a physical thing and to digest an album as a complete work and to sit a copy of my favourite movie on my shelf.
Dear David and Karl and the many others that dread digital media,
I too used to be of your mindset at one point in my life. I’m a huge fan of collecting things. Among my collection are: movie posters, action figures, comics, cards, vinyl records, and dust, tons of dust. I also read, play, listen to, and use said things when applicable. So, believe me when I tell you that I understand exactly where you’re coming from. I love to touch and smell and unpack the stuff that I buy. It’s all part of the experience. And it’s something that digital media will never be able to replicate… unless you’re using the Oculus Rift that is (and smell-o-vision). Physical media is (mostly) coming to an end whether we like it or not and we need to learn to embrace it (and use it!). Instead of looking at the negatives, we should appreciate the positives of this not-so-new-ever-evolving technology that we have at our fingertips. Look at Netflix. We didn’t have Netflix a few years ago and look at how it’s changed things ever since people learned to embrace it. Yes, we still have people (me included) that miss going into an actual store and walking the isles, sometimes for hours, only to return the movie 15 minutes too late and getting charged a ridiculously high fee. But what did we get in return? A huge catalog of movies and t.v. shows that couldn’t possibly fit into your neighborhood Blockbuster, no late fees, and unlimited views all at the push of a button. That seems like a pretty good tradeoff if you ask me. So you have industry giants like Amazon pushing for the digital revolution. So what? Someone has to. The same thing happened when the VHS came out, when the laserdisc came out, when the DVD came out. And I’m sure streaming is not the last step towards the future. Something else will come along and then you’ll hear things like “I don’t want to live the movie, I just want to watch it”. Thankfully for us all, there are companies out there that are trying to revive the physical media. Companies like Mondo have had a helping hand in the revival of the vinyl record and VHS tapes among other things. It’s a niche audience for sure, but an audience nonetheless. And guys, let’s not forget that things tend to come full circle, so I wouldn’t be surprised if sometime in the future there will be a time and place for digital media to make a big comeback. Enjoy it then, because it won’t last…again.
-Juan
Juan!
You make some excellent points here my friend. I hope I didn’t come across as an absolute anti-digital technophobe in my original comment, because that’s not the case. I do appreciate that technology is an ever-evolving entity and that many of the things we hold dear with notions of “authenticity” and “traditionalism” were probably at some point just as alienating and offensive to a previous generation as the digital revolution may seem to some of us now. I also appreciate how much digital media has allowed us access to an entirely new landscape with regards to the consumption of media and art, and how it has provided a platform for all kinds of auteurs and entrepreneurs. And of course I would be a bit of a dolt to relentlessly bemoan digital media in the comments section of a podcast!
I will say however that I don’t believe technological advancement is always synonymous with improvement or progress. I don’t think we should underestimate how having the world at ones fingertips can be as much a burden as it is a blessing. We all know that guy who invites you to the pub for a chat and then just sits staring at facebook on his smartphone the whole night. And we all know the guy at a party who wants you to hear some new song but before it’s even got to the chorus he’s clicked to the next track and then the next and ultimately you just end up listening to a jarring stream of disjointed fragments. Or maybe we don’t all know those guys. But I bloody well do! So I guess I’m not against digital media but I do think we should remain mindful of the potential for social/cultural dilution via convenience. Ultimately I believe that technology should progress in a way that makes our lives simpler and better and that is often the case but not always.
Really though I’m essentially just an old coot telling the kids to stay off my lawn! I think it’s just my inherent nature to dwell in the past and that probably won’t change. I’ve never really seen eye-to-eye with the present.
Anyway, enough of my premature-geriatric meanderings! I apologise, I’ve been at the Belgian Beers this evening!
I love how these comments are always ripe with potential discussion.
– David
David, my friend, how I missed interacting with you via this wonderful piece of technology called the internet. See what I did there? (wink, wink).
All jokes aside, you have a very valid point. It is true that certain technological advances, like smartphones for instance, have had a negative impact on society as a whole. Like the examples you so eloquently cited, people tend to misuse the things that are given to them.
No piece of technology can claim perfection because it’s in a never ending state of flux. There will always be tradeoffs when trying to get to the next big thing. You get a bigger screen, but your electric bill will go up. You get a bigger touchscreen, but your phone will get hot. And so on and so forth. Now, those are on the side of the coin that pertains to technology itself. What about the repercussions of so much technology at our fingertips? What about people becoming neglectful of their surroundings? Well, technology doesn’t make you ignore your friends. You choose to ignore your friends. Sure, technology makes it easier to do that, but it is still your doing — not the phones, not the tv, not your videogame console, just you. Technology is a tool and how we use it is our responsibility. I don’t want to sound like I’m a blind believer of technology —I have had my doubts and naysays about certain advances in the past — but it seems to me that technology seems to be the go-to scapegoat of everything that’s wrong with society. Obesity is taking over, blame it on tv. Kids are violent, blame it on videogames. You get where I’m going with this.
Bottom line (at least from my point of view), yes technology can be a double edged sword, but it doesn’t have to be.
And David, I have been guilty of looking at my phone too much, but never of skipping songs. That is just plain annoying!
-Juan
Wow, this is getting close to collapsing into a “nature vs nurture” debate but ultimately I agree with you Juan.
My arguments concerning neglectful friends and annoying pseudo-DJ’s are pretty spurious when I sit back and consider them. Those kind of things may say more about the people themselves than the technology. I’m generally of a very anti-censorship stance and the argument here seems almost parallel. If someone sees a horror movie or plays a violent video game and then decides to go and commit a crime the chances are that they were prone to such activity anyway and similarly if a new piece of technology is utilised by someone to an annoying extent at a party then they’d no doubt have found some way to irritate me even if we were transposed to the town of Bedrock.
So for the most part I acquiesce, though I maintain my point about technological advancement not always being synonymous with progress: I don’t want a future where it only takes a millisecond for an entire season of a TV show to be beamed into my brain; I won’t have time to eat my snacks.
I also appreciate the shout-out to purchase physical copies of the movies (many of which come with an included digital copy). If I purchase a digital copy only, it probably means I don’t care much about the film.
I have been looking forward to purchasing “Edge of Tomorrow” on Blu Ray in October and noticed that they have retooled the title to “Live. Die. Repeat.” Weird, right? Did the movie flop so bad that they are having to tweak the title? So sad; it was one of my favorite of the summer. I think they should have stuck with their original title: “All You Need Is Kill.” (It doesn’t make any sense, but it sounds cool.)
well lets have a game here –
Blade Runner vs 2001: A Space Odyssey
anyone having an opinion?
Personally I’d have to say “Blade Runner” by a long shot.
I appreciate the artistry, beauty and importance of “2001: A Space Odyssey” but if I’m totally honest I find it to be somewhat of a slog to get through.
hi David,
i have to say, i guess I watched Blade Runner in much later stage of my life so it didn’t shake me as deep as some of you… whilst i appreciate the movie in many levels, i guess having the view experience before 25 would have very different impact.
Hi Jason,
this email notification thing… hope it is working!
Hi Que,
Here’s a response, so you can check if the comment thing has worked for you. It’s funny to me that I said, “Let the comments begin!” in this episode, and we’ve only gotten a few. ha ha. I probably offended all our earnest commentators who have already been contributing hithertofore.
Also: Even though “2001: A Space Odyssey” is probably the greater technical achievement, I’m with David, “Blade Runner” is far more entertaining, and it’s made of the stuff that I love about cinema.
And though “2001” is an art film that may or may not be trying to be philosophical, I still feel that “Blade Runner” is thematically more profound.
I can’t relate anything in my life to being a Star Child … but I can sure relate to the human condition and facing my own finite mortality.
Jason
That’s a tough one for me. Not only are those two of my favorite movies of all time, but the directors also happen to be two of my favorites.
I’m not entirely sure that it’s fair to compare Blade Runner to 2001, but I don’t feel competent enough to dissect either film. I’m sure Josh has something to say about this comparison. Josh?
David,
There weren’t anymore reply buttons, so this is in response to your last comment.
Apologies for being a bit tangential on my last comment, but your points were too solid and it was the only way that I could muster a reply. I actually agree with you, I’m just not as critical of technology’s negative impacts as I probably should. Great exchange of words and thoughts as always David.
Jay, you wanted comments. You got comments bro!
I’m still really piqued about this Blade Runner VS 2001 debate. Like I mentioned, I don’t feel apt to delve into it. Not only that, but they’re such high caliber movies that I don’t think I could do them justice. That and I haven’t seen them in a long while, so my mind isn’t exactly oozing with details of either film. Anyone?