Movie Podcast Weekly Ep. 140: San Andreas (2015) and Aloha (2015) and the Unveiling of a New MPW Co-host!

Episode 140

In this legendary episode, Movie Podcast Weekly welcomes a new, full time, official co-host: GEEK CAST RY of the wildly popular Geek Cast Live Podcast! Also in this episode, we bring you Feature Reviews of San Andreas and Aloha. We also have Mini Reviews (of course) and you’ll get to hear Geek Cast Ry’s recommendation segment… Join us!

This episode is dedicated to Betsy Palmer and Cory Jones.

If you’re new to our show… Movie Podcast Weekly typically features four hosts — Jason, Andy, Karl and Geek Cast Ry — 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, 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 Wednesday.


SHOW NOTES:

I. Introduction
— Welcome our new MPW co-host: Geek Cast Ry


[ 0:04:30 ] II. Mini Reviews

Karl: Pitch Perfect 2
Geek Cast Ry: Danger 5
Jason: Entourage Season 1, Ep. 1; Game of Thrones; The Garbage Pail Kids Movie


III. What’s New in Theaters This Past Weekend
San Andreas
Aloha
Results
Gemma Bovery
Heaven Knows What

FEATURE REVIEWS HAVE TIME STAMPS:

[ 0:38:21 ] IV. Feature Review: SAN ANDREAS (2015)
Jason = 7 ( Theater / Rental )


[ 0:55:48 ] V. Feature Review: ALOHA (2015)
Geek Cast Ry = 4 ( Avoid )


[ 1:08:30 ] VI. Miscellaneous News Items

— Betsy Palmer died
— Now You See Me (Parts 2 and 3!)
— Cancellation of the TRON sequel
— Mortdecai at Redbox
— MPW T-shirts


[ 1:14:42 ] VII. Specialty Recommendation Segments:

JASON’S “THE-NEXT-DAY-AT-WORK MOVIE RECOMMENDATION
Blue Streak (1999)
Jason = 7.5 ( Rental )

RY’S GUILTY PLEASURES:
National Treasure (2004)
Ry = 8 ( Buy it! )


VIII. Wrap-Up / Plugs / Ending
— E-mail from Ashley
— Thanks again to Cory, Juan, Shannon and German.


COMING UP ON MPW NEXT WEEK:
Episode 141 when we’ll be reviewing “Spy” and “Entourage” and “Insidious: Chapter 3” and “Maggie.”


LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Geek Cast Ry’s links:
Ry’s BIO
Ry’s flagship show: Geek Cast Live Podcast
DONATE here to facilitate the creation of more Geek content!
Blog: Geek Cast Live
Web site: Geek Harder.com
Facebook
Twitter: @GeekCastRy

Hear Jay as a guest on BillChete’s Horror on the Go: Horror Genre Classification

William Rowan Jr’s show: The SciFi Podcast (A must-listen!)

Provo Film Society on Facebook
Provo Film Society on Twitter

Jason recommends supporting: Operation Underground Railroad

Contact MPW:
E-mail us: MoviePodcastWeekly@gmail.com.
Leave us a voicemail: (801) 382-8789.
Follow MPW on Twitter: @MovieCastWeekly
Leave a comment in the show notes for this episode.

Listen to MPW:
Add MPW to your Stitcher playlist: Stitcher.com
MPW on iTunes
MPW’s RSS feed
Right-click to download the MPW 100 Rap

Keep up with Josh:
Twitter: @IcarusArts
Josh covers streaming movies on: Movie Stream Cast

If you’re a Horror fan, listen to Jason and Josh on HORROR MOVIE PODCAST

We’d like to thank The Dave Eaton Element and Dave himself for the use of his music for our theme song. Buy Dave’s Eaton’s music: BandCamp.com


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 Wednesday for Movie Podcast Weekly.


99 thoughts on “Movie Podcast Weekly Ep. 140: San Andreas (2015) and Aloha (2015) and the Unveiling of a New MPW Co-host!

  1. Welcome Geek Cast Ry! I have no doubt you will make an excellent addition to the show and I hope you are prepared to call out Jay and Andy when they are talking their crazy talk!

    I also hope you will be able to help me on my journey of self discovery as I attempt to ascertain whether I’m a geek, a nerd, a dweeb, a dork or just a plain old jerk.

    My money’s on the latter.

      • The hypocrisy of your verbose proclamation is stupefying, Jay. It seems I’m not the only one prone to loquacity!

        • Embrace your wordsmithery, David, for it is extraordinarily exceptional.

          Sorry, that’s as big as my words get. I went to school, but learned nothing 🙁

          • “Embrace your wordsmithery”

            That’s what she said.

            And all I really learned at school was that being a polite and benevolent non-conformist is worthy of far more disdain from authority than being aggressive, cruel, rude and disruptive. And now I am bitter.

          • Oh and welcome Ry! I’m sure you’ll be a fine addition to the show. I don’t think I’m quite at your level, but I do tend to geek out over stuff here and there.

          • Juan, do you think the fact that you, Dino and myself have the ability to combine into a craft beer fuelled super-being named Juavino might be considered by some as a little geeky?

            Because I certainly don’t.

          • I say if you think otherwise, you don’t belong on these premises. GETTAOUTTAHERE!

            By the way, we need to come up with three more names for super-but-not-so-super craft beer fueled beings for the times when one of us goes MIA. For instance, with Dino being too busy having a real life and us holding the fort, we could be something like Dauan or Juavi. I think I like the former because it kind of sounds like “the one” :/

          • Oh, and I’m finally caught up on shows and comments (for the most part), so should be back around the boards more often.

            It’s funny… since I know what you guys have been drinking every night, I didn’t actually feel like I had been gone. But, listening to the last two MPWs, I felt sort of lost with all these references to “comments made on the message board” that I hadn’t seen yet. :-/

  2. FYI for all our cross-over listeners who are Horror fans:
    I also posted the latest Horror Movie Podcast episode today with Dr. Walking Dead Kyle Bishop (zombie expert). We review “Maggie” in-depth and Kyle gives his State of the Zombie Address. A must-listen! http://bit.ly/1KIsNih ( 2 more hours of content for your weekend! )
    J

  3. It’s kind to weird to find out that Gemma Arterton was born with polydactylism. I didn’t know that until now but something about her has always reminded me very much of a girl I once loved who happened to have been born with extra toes. How strange.

    • As lovely as Alexandria Daddario is — and she is oh so very, very lovely — I think I prefer Gemma Arterton. Not that I’m looking to get into that kind of argument, but I found it curious that when Daddario’s name was brought up everyone went up in flames about her good looks — like I said, rightfully so — but nobody even reacted when Gemma’s name was brought up and I wonder if they just don’t find her attractive. I think she’s gorgeous. But anyway, I don’t want to offend anyone with these types of comments, especially the female listeners — of which it seems we have few — so we have to take care of them.

      By the way, Ry’s “I saw that episode 10 times” comment was gold haha. I’ve yet to see the show, but I know about the scene and I’m not gonna lie, I’ve seen it roughly 10 times haha oh the shame! It burns!

      • Personally I think Gemma Arterton is the more uniquely beautiful of the two but that might be more to do with her resemblance to the girl I mentioned, which is also kind of a negative because it reminds me that my mouldering tomb of a heart was once actually alive enough to be broken ;-[

  4. Ry, I’ve never heard of “Danger 5” before but it certainly sounds like something I might enjoy. I’m curious if you’re a fan of the short-lived British comedy series “Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace”? It too has a purposefully slipshod aesthetic and intentionally non-existant production values. I find it hilarious.

    • I’ve seen that show pop-up on my Netflix feed and the cover art looks very appealing. Now that I know what it’s about, I really want to give it a try. I just need to get through with The Killing first :/

      Sorry, David. I’ve been promising you my thoughts on the show, but I’m still on episode 7 of the second season and it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to resume my “binge-watching” until next week.

        • Haha Danger 5. Sorry about the confusion. But Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace sounds like my kind of show too. The images alone make me chuckle.

          • I’d definitely recommend “Darkplace” if you’re inclined towards that sort of humour. Especially considering that you have an affection for low-budget 80’s B-movie horror.

            It’s presented as a reissuing of a shelved British horror TV series about a hospital under which a gateway to hell is opened, complete with retrospective interviews with the actors and delusional creator of the show.

            Here’s an awesome music number from one of the episodes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO-ZGP68-3w

    • Two things….

      1) so a heartfelt thank you David for the tip on Garth Meranghis Darkplace…..pure unadulterated brilliance

      2) just got done interviewing Dario Russo and David Ashby , the creators of Danger 5, for this weeks episode of Geek Cast Live…..dude are awesome

  5. Good Day MPW,

    Want to thank you another wonderful show. I would also like to thank you for the wonderful addition of Geek Cast Ry. I know he will be a great addition to the podcast and can’t wait to hear all his comments in the upcoming podcasts.

    Now for my comments

    First off Karl, thank you for your mini review of Pitch Perfect 2 you were spot on and when J gave his review on it I thought there something was wrong with me. I to loved it gave it a 9 and yes totally agree with you the end performance was emotional. Maybe J has no soul… LOL 🙂

    Now J as far as seeing “Garbage Pail Kids” now you say you love your kids but if you make them watch this movie I may question your love for them. I give this movie a 1 to avoid it is horrible and I could never stay awake to finish it. It took me three times to finally finish it. However I must admit as a kid growing up I did collect the sticker cards as they were the POKEMON cards of my generation. If you are going to watch a kids movie with them you should watch “Labyrinth” They will love that movie!

    For Entourage im glad to hear you are watching the series and I hope you keep enjoying it. I highly recommend you finish watching the series before seeing the movie as you will enjoy it more. However I did see the movie this week and I give it a 6.5 and to rent it. The series is good as the episodes are only 30 mins each as for the movie it is 1hr 44mins maybe to much of a good thing is bad for you. I look forward to hearing your review after you see the series.

    J your review on “San Andreas” was spot on and yes I was looking forward to seeing this movie and im glad I picked this movie over “Aloha” last night, after hearing Ry’s review on that looks like I made the right choice. I to gave it a 7 and to see it in the theater. I loved the story and the “ROCK” did bring it when he had to be emotional and you really felt it. The only thing that I would suggest and I cant believe im going to say this because I hate this format is to see it in 3D!!! It actually works well for the film! I would like to hear from you and Ry what movie does 3D justice and please dont say “Avatar” that movie is horrible and avoid… LOL

    As for your next day at work recommendation, “Blue streak” I have seen it and I did not think it was that great the first time I saw it. After hearing your recommendation on it I may have to go back and see it again. Im sure I can find it in the $5.00 walmart bin!

    Last thing when the T-shirts are ready be sure to have 2XL available as I don’t like my shirts to snug!!! I will wear it with pride and look forward to getting one!

    Have a wonderful weekend at the movies and look forward to the next podcast.

    Mario (LOON)

  6. Jay, is “Game of Thrones” not available on Amazon instant video over there? I’m pretty sure it is on Amazon.co.uk.

    • Seasons 1-4 are. It seems like Amazon gets the seasons about one year later.

      Really, if he has an Apple device then he should just sign up for his free trial month of HBO Now and then binge watch the entire series.

          • I’m afraid I haven’t and even worse, I’m nowhere near up to date with the latest season. But I will make sure to kick myself into gear and get on with both!

            • If you ever do a re-watch of the series, I would highly recommend listening to the complete podcast series in conjunction with the re-watch. Jay definitely should do this, given his man-crush on one of the hosts, David Chen.

          • I am actually planning a full rewatch because all the “Game of Thrones” talk on here of late has got me excited about revisiting the older seasons.

  7. Danger 5 rules!!! I watched it months ago on my couch sabbatical…can’t believe it was brought up here…Hugs uber tight Ry!!!

      • For some reason, this comment reminded me of ZOOLANDER…

        “Do as you are trained… AND KILL THE MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER!”

    • Have you seen “Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace” Shannon? I know that similar to Juan, you’re a big fan of 80’s horror and b-movies and such so I’d been equally as keen to recommend that show to your good self.

      • No I haven’t but I see its on Hulu so I will check it out tomorrow on my day off and I’ll let you know what I think….

  8. Dr. Shock turned me on to Kung Fury on Facebook…after I saw the trailer…I told him…screw Fury Road…This is the only Fury I wanna see…going to watch it this weekend…can’t wait!!!

  9. I also can’t believe Wild at Heart was brought up too…It’s in my top 5 movies of all time…This is the movie that turned the 20 year me into the film and pop culture junkie that I am today (25 years ago…WOW!)…I’ll never forget the day my friend showed it to me…I was completely mesmerized by it…It was the most bizarre, strangest, intense, coolest movie I ever saw…Afterwards I began a quest to find movies that made me feel the way I did after watching Wild at Heart and that same quest continues to this very day …Sailor Ripley is the coolest man ever put to film!!!

    • You know I love David Lynch and I’m also a fan of Nicholas Cage and Laura Dern but for some utterly unfathomable reason I’ve never actually seen “Wild at Heart”. I’m going to have to rectify this post-haste.

  10. And Jay, you didn’t steer me wrong with “Galaxy Quest” so I’m going to give “Blue Streak” a shot. I know how picky you are when it comes to comedy and I’m of a similar mindset so hopefully I’ll like it!

    • David, I have a feeling that you won’t appreciate Blue Streak as much as you did Galaxy Quest, but I still second Jay’s recommendation. It’s one of my favorite comedies. You know I have a soft spot for Martin Lawrence, but he’s only part of the reason to see this. Like Jay said, the cast really shines. Everyone does their part and the situations Martin’s character gets into coupled with the laugh out loud dialogue and character choices make this a standout in an otherwise lackluster sea of comedic cop movies (and Martin’s body of work for that matter). If Josh were here, he would surely urge you to ignore Jay’s recommendation, but he’s not here to fight him or me. So give in and goce it a try. At the very least, the movie will amuse you.

  11. I thought about posting my favorite top 10 movies of all time…but I am afraid…because they are not the greatest movies of all time…but they are the most influential, most watched, most loved by me in my life…

      • Ok Jaun I will do it…even though I don’t like your creepy new shadowy picture…I guess I can see your eyes peering at me over that glass on facebook…

    • Don’t worry Shannon, if everyone’s top ten favourite movies were just the objective top ten greatest movies of all time then it’d be a pretty boring world. You always have really interesting and eclectic picks in your lists over on HMP and SFP so I’d be curious to see your top ten favourites of all time.

  12. OK.. here is my top ten movies of all time…please don’t make a 45 year old man cry…these are not what i think are the best movies ever but are the the movies that have brought me the most joy in my life…in no particular order…
    Escape From New York
    Wild at Heart
    Dazed and Confused
    Pulp Fiction
    Reservoir Dogs
    The Blues Brothers
    Flash Gordon
    Army of Darkness
    From Dusk Till Dawn
    The Road Warrior
    And every movie made by Kevin Smith…I am a diehard fan….

    • I don’t know what you were worried about Shannon! “Wild at Heart” is the only one of these movies that I haven’t seen and every single one of the others is just totally awesome. Not a bad apple in the bunch. None of these would be under an 8/10 for me and most of them are higher. “Reservoir Dogs”, “Dazed and Confused”, “The Road Warrior” and “Flash Gordon” are special favourites of mine but as I say, all of these are great.

      • I’m with David although I personally would take Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Dazed and Confused, and From Dusk ‘Til Dawn as my top picks from your list. Pulp Fiction though ranks in my top five for sure, maybe even number one.

        • “Pulp Fiction” is amazing as well. It’s a 9.5/10 or maybe even a 10/10. But I prefer “Reservoir Dogs”.

          • Is it because of how gritty it is? I know how you like your grit. Speaking of, do you like grits? That’s a dish everyone seems to love that I’ve never been able to stomach. Much like Dino with The Thing :/

          • We don’t have “grits” over here so all I know of the dish is that it is often used by offensive stereotypes of elderly black women in the phrase “kiss my grits!”.

            And I think my preference for “Reservoir Dogs” is probably just to do with how lean and relatively low budget it is.

    • From the top of my head and a bit impaired by alcohol, these are my top ten favorite movies of all eternity:

      Alien*
      Pulp Fiction
      Taxi Driver*
      The Terminator
      Ghostbusters
      The Shining*
      Jaws
      Blood Simple*
      The Thing*
      The Fly

      *These movies had to go on a fight to the death inside my feeble little mind and even though the movies listed emerged victorious tonight, their fate could very well be a different story any other given night. Movies that got cut by a fraction of a thingamajig:

      Goodfellas
      Blade Runner
      Halloween
      Christine
      Full Metal Jacket
      2001: A Space Odyssey

      • Excellent list, Juan. I’ve seen all of those aside from “Blood Simple” (probably a massive oversight on my part) and they are all excellent.

        Here’s mine but it’s a very tentative list indeed and probably subject to change every other day:

        1. Bladerunner
        2. Original Star Wars trilogy
        3. The Warriors
        4. Alien
        5. Midnight Cowboy
        6. This is England
        7. Metropolis
        8. Jason and the Argonauts
        9. The Devil and Daniel Johnston
        10. Return of the Living Dead

        Honorable mentions/other strong contenders:

        Home Alone
        Raiders of the Lost Ark
        The Breakfast Club
        Brazil
        Spirited Away
        Fast Times at Ridgemont High
        One Hour Photo
        Kwaidan
        The Mascot
        The Goonies
        Robocop
        Eraserhead
        Jurassic Park
        Basket Case
        Fist of the North Star
        The Beyond
        Akira
        The Thing (1982)

        • Great picks, mate! I could make a top list from your list. Picking only ten movies is tough. What’s your process like, fellas? I usually start with my very favorite movies, which I suppose are the movies that I’ve seen the most and that have stayed with me throughout the years whose effectiveness and entertainment never diminishes even upon multiple viewings. These movies usually come to mind without much effort. After this first round, I start to take into consideration genres and directors and try to come up with a good mix. Otherwise my list would be fillled with Quentin Tarantino movies. It’s not a perfect method, but then again this is a pretty subjective list.

          • The process of selection is hard to pin down for me. Most of the movies are ones that I’ve favoured for years and never got tired of but a few might be movies I’ve only discovered relatively recently but have already watched multiple times (a rarity for me). Both “Kwaidan” and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” would fit that template. I saw both of those movies for the first time within the last year but I’ve already watched them so many times that I know It’s unlikely I’ll ever grow weary of their charms. There’s probably also a few movies on their that don’t have such a rewatch value but were so profoundly effective on just one or two viewings that they’ve left a huge impression on me.

        • Your #2 is sort of cheating, but it’s your list so I’ll let it pass. 😉

          Out of curiosity, if you could only watch one of the OT films for the rest of your life, which would it be? For me, it’s EMPIRE.

          • That’s such a hard question because I’m able to convince myself that any of those first three movies is my favourite if it happens to be the one I’m watching at the given time. And all three have been my favourites during different periods of my life. I think “Empire” was my favourite when I was a little kid. Then “Jedi” after that. Then “New Hope” and then back to “Empire”. Now I’m just not sure,

            “New Hope” always amazes me when I re-watch it and realise how brilliant it is all over again. Moments like that shot of Luke on Tatooine watching the twin suns set with the music swelling are just breathtaking. It still seems so vibrant and fresh and exciting.

            “Empire” is definitely the movie that I feel is objectively the best in the trilogy. It’s very well written, more nuanced and more tragic. It’s easy to forget how mindblowing that twist must have been when it was first released but the emotional resonance still packs a punch. I love the down-beat, slightly melancholic tone of the ending, it’s such an unexpected turn from the triumphant bombast of the first movie. Plus we’re introduced to Lando and Boba Fett!

            I know a lot of people consider “Jedi” the weakest of the three, most often due to the Ewoks and the major threat just being another Death Star, and I could live without the Ewoks I guess, but I still love that movie. Jabba’s cadre of weird ne’er-do-wells, the epic space battle over Endor, The speeder bikes, Luke’s confrontation with Vader and The Emperor, Vader’s redemption. So much to love.

            I think just going with my heart though, “Empire” wins out. But “New Hope” is so very close. And “Jedi” is as good a finale as I could ever want.

            • “I think just going with my heart though, “Empire” wins out. But “New Hope” is so very close. And “Jedi” is as good a finale as I could ever want.”

              Funny… this is essentially identical to what I wrote to end my comment, and then decided to just go with Empire before posting.

              Going back to what you said about JEDI, though, so much good in that movie – the speeders, final confrontation between Luke/Vader/Emperor, and Vader’s ultimate redemption are some of the greatest moments in the trilogy.

          • Btw, while in California we stopped by Disneyland for a few days. On days 2 and 3 of our stop, my son (5 y/o) did the Jedi training and got to fight Darth Vader. He then insisted on riding the Star Tours simulator as many times as possible.

            I have been trying to get him into Star Wars for at least the last two years, now, but he always seemed to stay fixated on animals and superheroes. After the Jedi training, though, all he wanted to do was watch the Star Wars movies and read Star Wars books with me when we got home.

            I fully believe that the Darth Vader reveal at the end of EMPIRE is one of, if not THE, greatest twist reveal in the history of cinema… possibly even in the history of storytelling in any format. As such, and given my extreme aversion to spoilers, it’s been one of my missions since his birth to protect him from this information to preserve that magical moment when Vader reveals his true identity.

            On our last day in California, one of our friends bought him the CD/Read-Along book for Episode VI. Of course, I’ve had the be the mean daddy who told him he has to wait to read the book until we watch the movies (my wife has repeatedly tried to explain to him that I’m trying to do something special for him, but try telling that to a 5 y/o).

            Well, finally, this past weekend we watched A NEW HOPE, so EMPIRE will happen soon. It’s hard to tell who’s more excited, me or my son.

            p.s. My son was Anakin Skywalker for his first Halloween. Oh, the irony…

    • Shannon,
      Jay here. I’m extremely happy to see “Escape From New York,” “Reservoir Dogs,” “From Dusk Till Dawn” and “Flash Gordon” on your list! (Maybe people won’t understand, but I can honestly understand why you could place those last two on a Top 10 of all time list…) Well done.
      J

      • “Making a top 10 list for all genres, to me, seems an impossible task.”

        All of the films that have popped into my head since I posted this list and promted an exclamation of “Dammit, that should definitely be in my top ten!” stand as testament to the sisyphean nature of compiling a definitive top ten list. How could I leave out “The Graduate” and “Drive” and “L.A. Confidential” and “Papillon” and “Stand By Me”!

  13. Holy crap David! Darkplace is simply amazing! I can’t believe it took me 10 years to find this…I was all in after the title sequence of the first episode…You don’t dare look away from the screen because you will miss something brilliant…Thank you sir for sharing this treasure…Danger 5 and now Darkplace…Mind blowing stuff!

    • Haha, I’m glad you like it Shannon. It’s one of my favourite comedy series of all time. And I know what you mean about not wanting to miss anything. So many brilliant continuity errors, perfectly terrible special effects, amazingly bad line deliveries and hilarious editing mistakes. I really need to check out Danger 5. Does it have a similar tone as Darkplace?

      • I wouldn’t say the same tone because its not horror related but its so self aware in its low budget cheesiness…Its a WW2 spy spoof but due to some time travel they enter the 80’s in season 2 and things get more absurd…and i like more for some reason cause its from Australia…My favorite part of every episode is waiting for Hitler to dive through the window to escape death even if they are underwater…They use the same scene everytime…and it just makes me smile everytime!

    • And “Darkplace” definitely works best if the viewer is particularly well versed in z-grade horror/low budget Sci-fi and cheesy 80’s clichés as I’m sure you are, Shannon.

  14. I’m curious guys…We all tend to talk about serious movies…What are you’re guys top 10 favorite comedies…Here are mine…
    Ferris Bueller
    The Jerk
    Shaun of the Dead
    Monty Python and the Holy Grail
    Stripes
    This is Spinal Tap
    Caddyshack
    Raising Arizona
    Wayne’s World
    Pee Wee’ Big Adventure

    • You know, I’m very similar to Jay in that I’m not big on comedy movies. There’s a bunch of comedy TV shows that I absolutely love but I think I have kind of a weird sense of humour that isn’t particularly stimulated by the broad laughs that a lot of movies in the genre seem to go for.

      Off the top of my head and in no real order here are some of my very favourites though (there’s also a few horror comedies that I like but I’ll try to pick films that have a higher ratio of comedy to horror):
      The ‘Burbs
      Withnail and I
      This is Spinal Tap
      Fast Times at Ridgemont High
      Napoleon Dynamite
      Zoolander
      Ghostbusters
      Brazil
      Harold and Maude

      • I also normaly find “unintentional comedies” to be more hilarious than most mainstream stuff that’s actually supposed to be funny. Here are a few of my favourite movies that are so bad they’re laugh-out-loud funny:
        Shotgun
        The Room
        Birdemic
        Troll 2
        Zombie Flesh Eaters 2

        • I couldn’t help but notice that you guys left out some satirical comedy gems like The Naked Gun trilogy and the Airplane! movies. Are you guys not fond of those or did they just miss the cut?

  15. A warm welcome to MPW for GeekCast Ry! A second warm welcome to the recently enlisted silent Fifth Host. Every so often Karl will address a question or comment to “Ryan,” who holds his silence better than a Trappist monk. GeekCast Ry usually steps in to help out, which is kind of him, but I really hope that we get to hear from “Silent” Ryan at some point.

    But seriously folks, great addition to the MPW team. GeekCast Ry has a nice rapport with the original MPW trio of Jason, Karl and Andy. The funny thing about Ry’s take on “Aloha” is that, based solely on the reviews I’ve read, setting the movie in Texas, calling it “Howdy,” and maybe changing Allison Ng to Allison Whitehorse, who is 1/4 Comanche, 1/4 Mexican, 1/2 whatever else would have changed quite a few people’s perception of the quality of the film. A lot of the critical negativity seems primarily motivated by the huge disconnect over a) Allison “Ng” and b) “Hawaii? What the heck?” On the other hand, I saw “Elizabethtown” and I’m willing to concede that Cameron Crowe is perhaps just terminally out of touch with his muse at this point. (It’s also a little weird that Alec Baldwin seems to be playing the exact same character, doing the exact same rants, that he did in “Elizabethtown.”)

    Jay, given what you say about the Rock’s being a bit too studly and wholesome to be believed in “San Andreas,” I’m curious to know what you make of Devin Faraci’s main criticism of the film. Faraci got all bent out of shape that the Rock’s character is a first responder who straight up blows off his entire professional ethos at the perhaps the most critical moment of his career. The way Faraci sees it, instead of dutifully reporting for assignment and doing his actual job in the hour of greatest imaginable need, the Rock completely abandons his professional responsibilities, essentially spitting on the entire population of Los Angeles, to go off looking for his family. Is that a fair characterization of what happens in the movie? And, if so, does that seem like a stain on his character to you? I mean, it’s certainly an understandably human response. But at the same time, it seems like Faraci’s point is fair: If you sign up and train to be a rescue specialist and first responder, but then you turn tail and desert in the face of an actual disaster, doesn’t that make you both a coward and a detestable shirker? And it’s not like the filmmakers had to make him an LAFD rescue specialist. He could have been, say, a former military guy who works in construction (not unlike the way his character was drawn in his last film for Brad Peyton, “Journey 2 The Mysterious Island”) and then there’s no basis on which to criticize him for putting his family first.

  16. Game of Thrones is awesome! We rent the DVD’s from the library. Sure, we’re a season behind, but wow!!!

  17. Hilarious review about Aloha, I’ll definitely avoid watching it in the cinema.
    Game of Thrones has its flaws but despite that it’s an awesome TV show. Kind of one of the best in history of TV shows.

  18. Welcome to the show, Ry. A worthy addition.

    Btw, whenever I hear your name, I can’t help but think of a nice, cold rye beverage.

  19. Leaving work early to see EX MACHINA… finally. I think tomorrow is the last day of its theater run in my area, so I really put this one off to the last minute.

    Hopefully there won’t be any theater shenanigans to report on later…

    • Well, no theater shenanigans to report. Just a fantastic movie. I’m glad the last two movies I’ve seen – EX MACHINA and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 – sufficiently wiped away the disappointment washed over me by POLTERGEIST.

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