21 thoughts on “Movie Podcast Weekly Ep. 198: The Secret Life of Pets (2016) and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016) and Swiss Army Man (2016) and Carnage Park (2016)”

1. Hi Everybody,

   FYI: Even though I’ve been releasing these episodes late, we’ve still been recording on schedule. Therefore, today is Sunday, July 24 (Pioneer Day in Utah). Tomorrow — Monday, July 25 — is when we’re recording MPW Ep. 200. If you were planning to send any e-mails or voicemails for that episode in particular, please get them to me right away. : )

   E-mail: MoviePodcastWeekly@gmail.com
   Voicemail: (801) 382-8789

   Thanks!
   J

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2. I second the ‘Casablanca’ love. I thought it would be old-school schlop…but when I finally viewed it, I was floored by the love story and the fantastic ending.

   Great mini-review. 🙂

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3. Right on Gomez! Anyone who doesn’t LOVE that film should be banished from planet earth. 🙂

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   • I know you guys are diligently working hard to put together a David Lynch episode, but I think it’d be sweet to get a Bogart retrospective. Plenty to discuss there….good and bad. Although, I can’t wait to hear everyone’s take on ‘Twin Peaks’, if that’s in there…

     🙂

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     • I just watched Fire Walk With Me for the first time in years. That movie is a bit of a mess but when it works it is just outstanding.

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       • Word, Jon. I feel the same about alot of his work. A ton of great scenes, and then, overall, I feel ‘meh’-ish.

         But….those scenes that do hit are enough for me to continue being intrigued by new stuff of his. Even that weird bunny rabbit TV show thing had some spots where I wasn’t totally confused and was digging it.

         Hearing the MPW crew’s takes on his stuff will be interesting. It’d be great if they could tease us the list they plan on reviewing….

         Man…me, me, me…it’s all about gomez98 and what he wants, lately. Sheesh! 🙂

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         • I think you’ve nailed it. I believe Blue Velvet is about as close as he gets to a movie working the entire time. Possibly Straight Story as well.

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4. Hey guys, new fan (well… six months or so…) from ‘downunder’… Love what you are doing. Don’t always agree with you guys but wouldn’t it be boring if we all had the same tastes!! look out for some input, particularly when something opens down here before you guys get it (as occasionally happens)..

   keep up the good work and looking forward to Ep200

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   • Welcome Paul! What do ya mean you don’t agree with us? That’s not allowed. 🙂

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5. Hey guys,
   I just wanted to say how much I love this podcast. I am a new listener from Australia and I have been binge listening for the last few weeks. I have listened to about 20 episodes in 2 weeks.
   I love the banter between you guys and the reviews are awesome.
   I watched Sorcerer the other day on Jason’s recommendation and I loved it. It was gritty, tense and it took me by surprise in a few places. I would give it a 7.5 and I say buy it.
   I have just got Bone Tomahawk because you guys were talking about it and I can’t wait to see it, I will let you know what I think.
   Keep up the great work.

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   • Welcome Andrew! Glad you found us! Sorry you have to put up with Andy. 🙂

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6. Yo J….another listener request for ya…

   Have Ligairi guest on MPW to review ‘The Lobster’. Seems like an indie, art-housey thing that’s getting some pub out there. I plan on checking it out this weekend.

   Then have Ligairi and K-Hud fist fight over ‘Upstream Color’. Maybe that part should be Periscoped.

   Any or all of that request would be dope….no worries, if not though. 🙂

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7. An ending can give a sour taste, and since that is what you take with you, that can definitely hurt. To some extent, though, there’s the old journey/destination thing. The ending of the show Lost was bad, I thought, but the journey was incredibly entertaining and I don’t regret that. The final episode of Seinfeld was downright terrible, but I still love to watch any other episode. Eh, Seinfeld isn’t as good an example as those are more individual episodes, anyway. But I think the Lost example is apt, as that was supposed to be a continual narrative.

   I liked Andy’s description about how endings that didn’t sit well can make you think more about the film. And I also loved the ending of Ex Machina. Karl is wrong. 🙂

   —-

   I thought there was going to be dissing of me somehow, but I heard mostly good things. How disappointing. 🙂 Glad to share my thoughts with y’all on Swiss Army Man, and I hope they were reasonably coherent. One thing J said earlier in this episode that I think applies well to that film is that it takes you places, emotionally.

   Andy, if you were there, I’d gladly have given you CDs for your girls. And not just because you also have an Evee, but that helps. 😉

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   • Did Eric just say I was WRONG? Eric have you ever seen the “Happy Days” episode where Ralph calls Fonzie “wrong”?
     Consider yourself warned. 🙂

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     • Go jump some sharks, Karl! 😀

       I should clarify that you’re still much more often right than J (aka He Who Hates the Cinema).

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8. Catching up on some recent viewings…

   Storywise, there isn’t anything too special about Star Trek Beyond, but the spectacle was among the best ever in ST. The Yorktown starbase is preposterous in design, but also really cool in an MC Escher kind of way, and that initial space battle is fantastic and intense (though they kind of ripped off the style from Battlestar Galactica’s raiders). The Justin Lin influence was apparent, for the better in terms of energy and action. Definitely not as cerebral, though, which is something you do expect with ST. I enjoyed it a lot, overall, though. (8.5/10, see it in a theater!)

   My girls and I finally caught up with Kung Fu Panda 3 and we all loved it. Same level of humor and character, but I thought they upped the visual style of this one in some cool ways. I’d give the first one a 9.5 and the second an 8, and I’m giving part 3 a solid 9.

   We also burned through Netflix’s new 8-part series, Stranger Things. I liked it a lot, and my girls loved it. It hearkens back to a lot of 80’s style lite-horror and wonder, with characters and flavors that could come right out of things like E.T. or Stand By Me or Goonies, etc. It’s a mystery with a bit of a supernatural feel to it. Having seen Midnight Special earlier this year, there’s a little bit of a similarity to what one of the characters is doing, so in that sense, it didn’t feel as original to me. Or rather, as original of a “remix,” which this is obviously doing as far as the 80’s film nods. I should note that although I say that my girls loved it, they (11 and 13) probably are allowed to watch more edgy films/shows than many others their age… which is to say that there is some swearing and some allusions to teenage sex and such. It’s not really a “family” show in that sense, even though several of the main characters are middle schoolers. I give it a 7.5, but I’m guessing that’s low for a lot of people, even adults, so you might want to give it a spin.

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   • Eric,

     Good to hear from you on the podcast this week. You’re a natural.

     I have been looking forward to “Star Trek Beyond” ever since I saw the positive reviews rolling in on Rotten Tomatoes. I had pretty low expectations with Justin Lin at the helm. Nothing against Justin, I just haven’t been a big fan of the Fast and Furious film series. I think I’ll hit up STB this week. Glad to hear it’s fun. I’ll be sure to lower my expectations on story when I watch it this week.

     Man, I loved “Stranger Things!” I burned through it a few weekends ago and had a great time. It definitely was an ‘original of a remix.’ That is a good way to put it. The nostalgia factor won me over, but if viewers are looking for a fresh experience, this isn’t it.

     And I loved that it was only eight episodes. 12 episode (or less) seasons is a sweet spot for me. More than that and TV watching often becomes a chore.

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9. I watched Sing Street again on DVD and loved it even more. I’m upgrading it from 9.5 to 10. There’s probably a point or half point of bias there for being a musician/songwriter who was about the same age as these kids at that time, but still, it’s terrific. Don’t miss it!

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10. MPW Update From Jason:
    Good news! I plan to finally be caught up with episode releases this week. This means that next week we’ll be back on schedule again, which is to say, aiming for Wednesday releases of that previous weekend’s movies.

    Tonight or tomorrow I plan to release Ep. 199. (Then I’ll release HMP Ep. 094 around Wed. or Thurs.) And this upcoming weekend, we’ll release MPW Ep. 200. Lots of post-production on that one but worth the wait!

    Then next week (for Ep. 201) we’re combining two episodes’ worth of reviews (Jason Bourne and Bad Moms from this past weekend), and this upcoming weekend’s “Suicide Squad.” That should put us back on schedule again.

    We’ve got some good stuff coming up for you. As always, thanks for your patience and for sticking with us. It’s been a rough summer for me. : )
    J

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    • I hope things turn a better direction, J.

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11. MPW Episode 199:

    https://moviepodcastweekly.com/movie-podcast-weekly-ep-199-ghostbusters-2016-and-the-infiltrator-2016/

    J

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