63 thoughts on “Movie Podcast Weekly Ep. 217: The Handmaiden (2017) and Man Down (2016) and Captain Fantastic (2016) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) and the First MPW Summit: Determining a Film’s Year of Release”

1. J, Black Mirror is all kinds of horror, but mostly of the psychological/social type. (And a couple like Playtest and White Bear are a bit more like just regular horror.) It is not so much technology gone wrong, but how humans go wrong with whatever technology we have.

   Here’s my ranking of the episodes. The top several are all excellent, and the rest are still worth watching… YMMV.
   1. White Christmas (S02E04)
   2. Fifteen Million Merits (S01E02)
   3. San Junipero (S03E04)
   4. The Entire History of You (S01E03)
   5. Shut Up and Dance (S03E03)
   6. Nosedive (S03E01)
   7. Be Right Back (S02E01)
   8. Hated in the Nation (S03E06)
   9. Men Against Fire (S03E05)
   10. Playtest (S03E02)
   11. National Anthem (S01E01)
   12. White Bear (S02E02)
   13. The Waldo Moment (S02E03)

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   • Thanks, Eric. I’m seriously excited about it.

     And by the way (for everybody), here is a summary of my addendum found at the end of this episode:

     https://moviepodcastweekly.com/determining-a-films-year-of-release-while-respecting-historical-context/

     J

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   • Solid rankings. I do agree that these do not need to be watched in order. ‘National Anthem’ is a horrible one to start off with. It took awhile and a lot of prodding from friends to ever watch another episode after I sat through that one.

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     • Yes. Good point to mention. I did like that one enough for its insight into social/political mob mentality (very prescient, I think), but the subject matter (the prime minister being blackmailed to have sex with a pig) was an odd choice to lead off the whole series with. I guess they were going for provocative. And I know a few people who were turned off from the show by that, but I had to reassure them that every other episode is completely different in subject and theme. Many are still disturbing in different ways, though.

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   • Nice! No offense to Sal, but I think I’ll follow your rankings since they are comprehensive (and we do seem to have similar likes/dislikes overall).

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   • Eric – I’m fairly in agreement with your rankings, although I’d think The Entire History of You is #1 (as well as the most likely tech to be coming to our future), Be Right Back is #5, and Shut and Dance (which seemed overwrought and obvious) down at #12 or #13.

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     • Apparently Robert Downey Jr. has optioned “Entire History” for a film version. No word on production, yet, but the show is getting some traction for bigger venues. Next year’s film, The Circle, seems to have a Black Mirror influence, and I think of Ex Machina as an incredible film adaptation of a possible Black Mirror episode.

       “Shut Up” wasn’t obvious to me (some others like “Playtest” were), so that helped for me to be more impressed by it. I’ll admit that unlike some others, that one is probably a one-time watch.

       I posted my top 13 to the Black Mirror Reddit forum a while back and had about 25-30 responses sharing theirs as well. I ended up doing some stats and found that while my top 5-6 picks did score the highest in general (and “Waldo” by far the lowest), there was also quite a variety of what people thought were among the best/worst. That tells me the show has a depth and quality that connects with people differently. As I said to J, YMMV. He will probably like things like “White Bear” and “Playtest” more than I did, for their more overt horror elements.

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       • Yes, I’ve also noticed that viewer’s feelings about certain episodes seems to vary fairly dramatically – except for, as you pointed out, the very best and worst.

         And, similar to something like Twilight Zone, I think enjoyment of some of the more twist-dependent episodes (Shut Up and Dance, Men Against Fire, etc) could be affected by how early you see the payoff coming.

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       • One other thing I thought worth mentioning: since the first two seasons of Black Mirror weren’t available in the U.S. until rather recently – and having read Dave Eggers novel, “The Circle” when it came out in late 2013 – it seems much more likely that episodes in the current season of Black Mirror (most notably, ‘Nosedive’) were heavily influenced by his novel rather than the other way around.

         For people that enjoy Black Mirror-like stories about attractive and insidious technology, and where it might lead, I highly recommend Eggers’ darkly funny “The Circle”. Not quite as good as his premier novel, “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius”, but very good nonetheless. 7.5/10

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         • I’m sure that’s the case, thematically. I was referring somewhat to the look of the Circle trailer, though, which reminded me a lot of some of the technology shots from Black Mirror.

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           • Oh, cool… I haven’t seen it. I’ll go check it out now! 🙂

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   • Is White Christmas actually Christmas-themed? And the episodes are all stand-alone, right?

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2. I’m right with you guys on Captain F. and Wilderpeople. I’ve already shared enough about both previously, so I’ll keep it brief.

   Captain F. is amazing and gives a very well-rounded look at this man and his family. And to have us all reflect, whether we agree specifically with some of the things he is teaching his kids or not (how to rob a store via distraction wouldn’t be top on my list of educational goals), what level of devotion and attention we have with our families, and in what ways we swim along with society at large, or swim against it. (9.5 – BMOTY contender)

   I was loving Wilderpeople for the first half hour or so, and then slowly the magic diminished. And I still really liked a lot of the rest of it, but it felt a bit contrived and cartoonish in some respects from that point on, whereas the beginning was funny and touching and meaningful and also more real. And when I realized that it is (very broadly) a live action version of Up, but Up hit its emotional and comedic notes better, that kind of brought this down a smidge. Still, after this and What We Do in the Shadows (which I adore), Waititi is someone whose films I’ll be eager to see. And heck, that even includes the next Thor, which I’d have zero interest in, otherwise. (8)

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   • I like what you said about Wilderpeople becoming cartoonish. That’s absolutely accurate, but I actually liked that about it. In the end, my overall opinion still falls in line with yours, we just got there from two different directions.

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     • True. And I liked a lot of its cartoonish-ness. I guess it just felt like it was almost two different films, both quite good, but which didn’t entirely mesh. I think I’d have gone higher with a rating and appreciated it better overall if it was more completely one or the other.

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   • If you haven’t seen Waititi’s hilarious Thor mockumentary made for ComicCon, you’re in for a treat. If this is a taste of the deadpan humor he will bring to Thor: Ragnarok, I expect good things:

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3. So check this out… I had a date today with someone from Couer d’Alene, ID. Somehow Viggo Mortensen’s name came up and she said that he lives in a town near her, and he’s super friendly and always says hi to people who happen upon him, etc.

   Well anyway, she just texted me with a notice she saw on Facebook that in January they are showing Captain Fantastic at a theater there and he’s doing a Q&A afterwards. I just got tickets. Wondering what Q that I might want his A for, though. Any suggestions?

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   • Eric! Cool! (Congrats on the date, too, you Sly Dog!) ; )

     I will pose this question to the listenership in Ep. 219. We’ll see if we can come up with something of merit.

     Thanks!
     J

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     • Well, you remember that movie from a few years back called Fifty First Dates? That’s been my life the past couple years. 😀 Ahhh, there’s been some second and further ones, too. And I at least have a second one lined up for the Viggo show. 🙂

       Yes, I’d appreciate some suggestions on what to ask him. I probably only get one question, though (maybe a quick two-part question), so it’s gotta be good.

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   • This is probably a bit generic, but how about his preference between working on a bigger, epic production like LOTR vs. something smaller and more intimate like Captain Fantastic?

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     • Sure, that’s good. Maybe framed more like, “As an actor, what are some of the different challenges or approaches you might have between a huge production like LOTR and something like Captain F?”

       Thanks, Dino. I’ll add it to my list of possible questions. Which now includes one.
       ?

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       • Yeah, the question as I phrased it wasn’t great, but just trying to throw something out there to get some ideas started. I imagine the difference will be something about being emotionally taxing vs. physically challenging… as a “true artist” I’m guessing Viggo will lean more towards preferring the emotional challenge.

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         • I’ve got it…

           “Mr. Mortensen, sir… How do you feel about certain movie critics who blatantly hate the cinema??”

           ?

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           • Yeah, I think that’s the gist! ?

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4. Dear Jason and Dino,
   I am thankful for the discussion about the top 10 lists and especially loved Dino’s idea about revisiting the lists the following year. I believe a movie must stand the test of time. A good example would be Gravity which made a lot of top 10 lists however revision would probably erase past mistakes, Jason. Just kidding.

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   • Martin!
     How dare you, Sir? ha ha : )
     “Gravity” is still great. I don’t know what all you people are talking about…
     J
     P.S. I don’t know if you listened that far, but in my post-production addendum I said we’re basically incorporating Dino’s suggestion to revisit the lists the week before the Oscars, so we’ll be doing just that! I also wrote it up in a little blog here https://moviepodcastweekly.com/determining-a-films-year-of-release-while-respecting-historical-context/ beneath the “Uncle Oscar’s Tailgate Party” section.

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   • Thanks, Martin! I consider it a personal victory that Jason even considered discussing his methodology. He’s a stubborn motha’!

     While I had a lot of fun discussing the methodology with Jason, I think it would have benefited from having a few more people on, too. It’s not just a black and white discussion, so introducing a few other perspectives might have helped bring it to a more satisfying conclusion.

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5. I saw Rogue One today with a few people and am looking forward to hearing what the MPW cast, and the listeners think of the movie. I know from previous MPW episodes you all were feeling a little concerned from the trailers, and I shared in that discomfort as well. I felt most concerned with the Jyn Erso storyline being a little repetitive across all of the movies that the movies would start feeling really unoriginal. I am not a hardcore Stars Wars fan, more just someone who enjoys movies, so I don’t want to offend anyone with that remark as I do not know anything further than watching probably all the movies once or twice in my life time.

   I never found time to catch up with G. Edward’s Godzilla as I believe the MPW crew wasn’t so high on it and it is hard to fit in another Godzilla, Tarzan, or a King Kong movie in my life at this time. I did see Monsters awhile back and do remember liking it quite a bit so I was going into this movie with only hope that it would be worth my admission. My rating would be 8.5/10 if I was ranking it as just another movie as I think it delivered or exceeded my expectations in most of the aspects of the movie. If I was ranking all it just as a Star Wars movie I’d rank it 10/10.

   If I were to say one small dislike of the movie it would be that the Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus characters weren’t developed as much as I would have liked. I liked the characters just wish I had a little more insight of who they were, but maybe that will be in another movie down the line. I know some scenes had to have been cut also so not much of a complaint here.

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6. Jason, I request a Peanut Buster Parfait, or a medal, or a participation ribbon or something, for me and Martin and whoever else might have actually listened to that whole episode. Whew! Wow, that was long. At one point, I thought you guys had already covered every angle of the issue up, down, in, out and sideways, and I looked at my podcast player and there was 45 minutes left!! 😀

   Some good thoughts from you both. My Weekly Movie Podcast co-host Dino represented very well. But yeah, it was about three inception levels down into film geek list-making obsession. And yet, I listened to it all, so that might be the fourth layer down.

   After all of that, I still stubbornly prefer my previous idea of waiting until mid-to-late January to reflect back on the previous year. Hype it and plug it at the year-end, but have the Top 10 show actually be in mid/late January. Make the “what we’re looking forward to next year” be the big year-end show.

   For shows with full-time critics who will have seen everything in limited release or at festivals or from screeners, sure, they can do it the last week of December. But why not distinguish yourself, being that you guys are more casual, anyway (as it is, you’re often a week or so later than other film podcasts on new releases)?

   We love MPW for being more of an everyman show. And the everyman filmgoer, even avid as some of us are, typically has to catch up on a few things in early January. (It bugs me a little that La La Land and The Handmaiden probably can’t be considered on my submitted MPW list, when I can likely see them in the week or two after your deadline.) I think we’d rather feel like we’re on the same page with you and also with all of the notable film releases, but by necessity to our place in the film industry (i.e., just being fans), we need the extra time. So be it. I say embrace that and let it dance along with what the system tends to give us (i.e., some late year releases that we can’t see until January) rather than fight against it.

   Otherwise, a top 10 at the end of the year that is revisited at Oscar time is fine, I suppose. I just think it would be unnecessary if you moved the whole thing to mid/late January.

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   • I’ve suggested this very thing to Jason before as well, Eric. When he got to the point in the summit discussion with Dino where they agreed to open it up to listener feedback, I got all fired up to make this suggestion again. Then he chimed in with his “I’ve already settled everything” post-script, and the wind went out of my sails.

     Jason: You can have it both ways, brother. Just listen to me, Eric and anyone else who’s thought of this idea. Actually, during the summit discussion, I was thinking that the obvious thing to do is, instead of having a Tailgate Party where you revisit the lists issued at the end of December (which I think is a weak sauce half-measure that undermines the whole point of making lists), have the Best Movies of [Year in Question] episode be released the week before Oscar Sunday. That gives everyone (including, incidentally, your hard-working listeners) the opportunity to catch the “Revenant”- and “Hateful Eight”-style end-of-December/first-few-weeks-of-January releases, should they so desire, and then everything that actually “came out” (the Academy Awards definition thereof) in [Year in Question] can at least more easily be considered for the discussion. Do your Best Movies of the Year podcast one week before the Oscars. You’d have a two-week MPW celebration of cinema. And I think that would actually be super cool. (It’s not like there are awesome wide-release movies clamoring for your attention in February anyway.)

     I strongly agree with Eric that this would actually increase the distinction of MPW’s list-making (and would be a boon to your list-making listenership, don’t forget, at the same time). Dare to be different! Dare to throw off the shackles of the Best of Year herd mentality that insists on December. Dare to FOLLOW THE LEAD OF THE FREAKING ACADEMY and wait until February to declare the best movies of the year.

     (Grabs torch and pitchfork)

     Who’s with me (and Eric)?!

     *Note: Yes, there’s a slim possibility that one or two prestige movies might not open wide by mid-February. It’s very slim, though. By and large, you’d probably solve about 98 percent of the problems that brought on the summit in the first place by simply moving the MPW Best Movies of the Year episode back to the week before the Oscars.

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     • Cody, you are officially added to the host list with me and Dino for Weekly Movie Podcast. 😀 (Karl is still invited to defect based on Sing Street resentment.)

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       • Sweet! Karl doesn’t get any respect from Jay and Candy anyway. He’d be better off on Weekly Movie Podcast. 🙂

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   • I actually like this suggestion, even though it flies in the face of Jason’s “end-of-year-celebration-episode” fetish.

     See, just like I mentioned above to Martin, I think the discussion would have benefited from having a few more voices and opinions!

     p.s. Definitely film geek list-making obsession inception

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7. American Honey (NO SPOILERS)

   Believe it or not its a guilty pleasure of mine to watch Shia Labeouf films yes even the first Transformers from time to time. But American Honey truly robbed me of my evening. This film lacked direction and had no back bone to the plot, which left you feeling disappointed and empty at the end. Don’t get me wrong there are small moments of brilliance during the film, but these are far and few between for a 160 min film.

   You are taken on a journey across America but gain nothing from the experience except regret. The acting on the other hand was spot on for the characters they are portraying, but the lack of depth put into this story is what holds them back.

   I would rate this a 4/10

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   • Glad to hear… one less film to feel like I have to squeeze in before the end of the week!

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8. Just starting the episode this morning. I am embarrassingly excited about it!

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   • Temper that excitement, Jenifer! :-/

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9. As much as I admire Sandy’s commitment (good comedy is 50 percent humor and 50 percent being willing to go all the way), I felt cheated by his all-too-brief appearance on this episode. Come on, Candy. Man up and do a podcast episode.

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   • You and me, both! They told me he wouldn’t be on, and I was bummed. So I was totally surprised when he chimed in… but then he left. 🙁

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     • I vaguely recall Jay commenting at the beginning of the show two or three episodes back that Sandy was going to explain why he’s been absent so much lately. But then we never got the explanation, and the absences have continued to pile up. :-(, indeed.

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10. Been watching a lot of films this last week, (NO SPOILERS)

    The Accountant(6/10)
    This is worth a watch and good acting, also tackles a disability that isn’t widely discussed. The plot of the film doesn’t hold much substance and the end of the film was so predictable. Watch it on Netflix in like 2 years
    Pet(7/10)
    I went into this with no expectations just wanted a horror to wake me up a bit. This wasn’t a let down, it is hard to call it a horror but more of a psychedelic thriller, just when i thought i knew what was coming i was wrong. If i could recommend one piece of advice, don’t watch the trailer!
    Green Room(7.5/10)
    I Don’t have much to say about this, just get ready for a fast paced film that is really fun and takes you on a ride.
    Sully(8.5/10)
    Watch it! I was worried this would be similar to the Film Flight(2012, Denzel Washington) and some Aspects are the, such as the vigorous investigations. But because this Actually happened the whole thing is more powerful and will give you goosebumps.

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    • I have to admit that I’ve been surprised by all the positive reviews I’ve seen for Sully. I still haven’t seen it because of concerns over the similarity to Flight (just like you had), but I’m thinking it might be worth a watch.

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11. Interesting discussion about the rules for MPW’s top 10 list. I suggest you don’t make it so complicated. Why not have more than one list: An end-of-year list and an Oscar list? For the end-of-year list, it makes total sense to use the date of wide release as a guide since you’re interested in listener input. You could tweak the timeline a bit to Dec 16 to Dec 15 in order to accommodate the fact that your list is released in late December. Then in February, do an Oscar list that only considers nominated films. Those are two different n’s. Plus, it’s fun to compare the Oscar winners with fan favorites. Don’t mess with changing a previous list. We’re smart enough to know the difference between favorite movies and BMOTYs.
    Thanks for your show!
    PS. Rogue One rocks!

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    • Your distinction between “Oscar movies” and favorite films is interesting and totally true. I think I asked Jason at one point whether all of the best picture nominees would potentially be on his top 10 list because, lets face it, a movie could be objectively good without appealing to our own sensibilities.

      Likewise, a movie could be objectively bad and still appeal to our own sensibilities. (see: Jason’s 2015 top 10 list and No Escape) 😉

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12. I was going to make a comment that while Dino may have the most total posts, I may be edging him in percentage since I started following the podcast. But I was trying to find something I said about a film last year to avoid rewriting that in response to someone’s comment on Facebook, so I looked back through the comment boards for several MPW episodes… and Dino was ALL over them.
    ?

    I thought I was a bit of a blabbermouth here, but Dino, you definitely deserve the trophy. And you have a much better insight-to-words ratio.

    I hope you don’t take any of that as a slam. I greatly appreciate all you share.
    ?

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    • Ha. And right after I post that, I get emails with notifications about 8 new comments by Dino.
      ?

      We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!

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    • Haha… well, if there’s a trophy, then it would just be a participation trophy. And it’s true that my activity level has definitely fallen off a bit over the last few months. I think the the main culprit for that was when I started my watch-through of Survivor back in May, but I would be willing to bet that you’ve easily been the most active in the comments since you started following the podcast.

      And I’m quite sure your insight-to-words ratio trumps mine by a rather large margin.

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13. Top 10 Christmas films would be interesting. Am I the only one that finds the polar express a bit strange. CGI never got the eyes right

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14. Hey guys,
    I loved the “summit”, until it got to the end and I was like “WTF? They didn’t resolve anything”. Luckily Jason added that last bit. I like the idea of going over the lists again before the Oscars.

    Dino you are a smart guy with some great ideas and I enjoyed listening to you.

    I just saw Rogue One tonight and I loved it. The start was a bit all over the place though.

    Has anyone else seen The Duel? Woody Harrelson and Liam Hemsworth. If you love westerns like me it is definitely worth a watch. Not top 10 worthy but still a solid movie. Some pretty brutal knife fights and Woody is always great. Check it out.

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    • Yeah, you and me both, Andrew. I was like, “huh, so that was a pointless 2-hour discussion!” Again, I wish we had a few other people in on the discussion; I think that would have been more productive and could possibly have yielded a better resolution. As it is now, though, it’s not that bad. I guess. Right? 🙂

      And I’m certain that 90% of my “smart” is Jason repeatedly saying “he’s really smart” just to pound it into everyone’s heads. 😉

      I’m glad you enjoyed the discussion, and thanks for listening through all of it!

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    • Just saw Rogue One last night, i totally agree with you. i enjoyed it but the start felt a bit lost, also for once this felt so realistic, the storm troopers were actually shooting and hitting the main cast. Always annoys me when you watch a film and they dodge 1000 bullets through out the film.

      Two questions

      1)What relevant’s did her necklaces have to the film?, as we had so many cut scenes of it.

      2)Why did they use a CGI Tarkin. sometimes its better of just left alone .

      but the film as a whole was great! 8/10

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      • The only thing I can think of with the necklace was when they were trying to access the base and it looked like she was using it to channel the force. That was how I saw it anyway.
        Yeah the start just kept jumping around to different places every few minutes (or less). Apart from that I loved it too. I thought the cgi Tarkin looked pretty good. The cgi Leia looked a bit weird though I thought.

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15. Is anyone here going to see Collateral Beauty?

    The trailer looked pretty manipulative and schmaltzy, but initially I figured it was probably a heartstring-tugger and I’d catch it later from Redbox. Now, though, I keep hearing about how incredibly terrible it is, with a baffling and screwy plot, and I’m wondering whether I might want to actually go see it. I’m hesitant to finish the “dishonorable mentions” section of my Top 10 list until I see that. Still, I hate to pay $10 just to go hate-watch something. And I’m not sure if I could be fair about it at this point, from all I’ve read.

    So that’s why I ask if anyone is planning to go, either from the hosts or listeners… If someone else here is going to see that, then I’d be content to just have you go and report back. Otherwise, well, maybe I’ll consider going today or tomorrow, if only so someone in the MPW extended family can give a take on it.

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16. Just watched the new Pete’s Dragon. Great version! Hits the right notes of wonder and concern and friendship and all that, and has some very nice moments. The CGI of the dragon is generally very good, though not always great. I saw the earlier version many years ago, but I don’t remember it enough to compare. But this one is solid. I do miss the “Candle on the Water” song, though. But the music used in this film is effective. It’s an 8, and I’d say a must-see for families with young-ish kids.

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17. Dino – As I mentioned in the comments to a previous episode, I loved The Handmaiden – it’s definitely, if not my BMOTY, in my T3MOTYs of the year – so I’m fully onboard with your opinion and rating.

    But I can’t agree with your assessment of the first half of Hell or High Water. I think the way the movie lays down breadcrumbs for the viewer during this segment – and the way this informs and then changes our perspective of the two leads is quite clever. I don’t want to give spoilers here, but for me, it meant that there was a shift in my attitude towards them, which starts in one place, slowly moves to another as their motives and history are unspooled, and then is shaken later in the film. I think if the film was structured in the way you mentioned in your review (i.e. having their motives, etc, clear from the beginning), it would have greatly lessened the impact of the film, and the emotional journey of watching it.

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18. I saw another excellent film yesterday which I suspect will be in my Top 10 of the year: Terrence Davies’ (perhaps the UK’s greatest living auteur) exceptional ‘Sunset Song’. It’s a slow-paced, gritty drama set in the early 20th century Scottish countryside, and it has, without a doubt, some of the most gorgeous cinematography of the year. As much of Davies’ superlative work does, it manages to be simple and sad and complicated and joyful and devastating and hopeful – in other words, exactly like life. An easy 9/10.

    Avoid the trailers; they give too much away – but this small clip gives a taste of the incredible photography:

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19. Has anyone been watching The OA on Netflix? I’m only a few episodes in but it has hooked me in so far. I’m still a little unsure where it is going but best option for me right now on Netflix and thought id mention it if people have time to try it out over the holidays.

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20. I haven’t heard the sole episode yet. Listening in sections. Really enjoying the year of classification so far. I remember struggling with this wen I was in MPW.

    I was surprised how lukewarm Jay was on Wilderpeople. I liked it a lot more, but we’ve established that I’m a known racist.

    If I was going to recommend one Waititi film, it would be Boy (2010), which didn’t really come out here until last year and has been oft-mistaken for the two other films called The Boy of this year and last.

    The lead in Boy (James Rolleston) is an exceptional cold actor and he was also good several years later as a teen in the Maori warrior film, The Dead Lands, which I recommended on the Moana episode.

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    • Man, it’s hard not having an edit button to correct typos. I’ve grown lazy.

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    • After listening to this episode I streamed Captain Fantastic since it was reviewed so highly. I find that Hunt and Captain Fantastic have a few common themes but are incomparable overall. Hunt is a comedy and takes a far less serious tone and Captain Fantastic is a drama. Some of Hunt seems so cartoonish you would believe they are from Ricky’s point of view of how events unfolded. I liked all of the characters in Hunt and I wanted to see what happened next and disliked the father so much in Captain Fantastic that most of the humorous moments I felt missed as they were shadowed in other emotions.

      I even enjoy shows such as Alaskan Bush People and believe to each their own when it comes to raising a family to an extent. But say in Alaskan Bush People I don’t feel like the children are being abused, misguided possibly a little but abused no. I don’t feel like on that show they are controlled as to where they are imprisoned by their parent’s beliefs. I found the father’s views and lifestyle in Captain as militant to the point where it was abuse of children, and very far from a family such as Alaskan Bush People where it is more granola hippie. The fish out of water scenes were contrived. For example, where the family chooses to sleep and the kids entertainment at the sister-n-laws house. There were also a lot of inconsistencies like the live music (hippie or militant?), mother and lifestyle (communal or for raising their children as militant youth), grandparents (feelings so strong they would have done more before or when they had their chance or do they have a general respect for the father?). Maybe I am trying to be to black and white, but some of these point of views I see as polar opposites so much so that the movie just felt unrealistic to me. I didn’t enjoy the movie as much as I initially thought I would and wouldn’t recommend to a friend. 5/10

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21. Hey Jason!

    The release date summit was one of the best discussions I’ve heard in a long time! Thanks to you and Dino for doing that. Two quick comments:

    1. I do actually listen to this show!
    2. Every year I am ranking a year’s films and revising the list up until Oscar weekend. Then I post it to my Toledo Cinema Club group and to anybody else who I think might care or will listen. I may see films from a given year later, but I do not edit a ranking after the Oscars.

    This year’s examples of films that won’t come to Toledo until January but will be ranked as 2016 films are: Hidden Figures, Live By Night, A Monster Calls, and Patriots Day.

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    • Your check is in the mail, Jody.

      Thanks 🙂

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22. J –

    Since you asked about this during the podcast and didn’t get a response, I thought I would pass along this info. The following history is lifted from another website:

    “In 1986, friends Larry Harvey and Jerry James built a sculpture of a man out of scrap lumber in a Noe Valley basement. Together, they hauled it to Baker Beach in San Francisco with a handful of friends, doused it in gasoline and lit it on fire. Bystanders from surrounding areas ran towards the inferno to investigate the potential emergency situation. Upon reaching Harvey and James, the crowd realized it was not danger, but a celebration.

    Soon, the congregation tripled and thus incurred the first ever Burning Man. By 1990, city authorities caught onto the annual gathering and prohibited the festival as a safety hazard. Harvey, James and their crew took Burning Man to Black Rock Desert for the first time where it continues to call home today.

    What started as an impromptu ceremony with 35 friends has now become one of the world’s most celebrated and largest affairs

    Drawing close to 70,000 attendees each year, Burning Man is now known to many as the mecca of freedom, happiness, community, art and music. The festival’s annual make-shift metropolis, Black Rock City, acts as a desert paradise adorned with stunning art installations and camps surrounding ‘The Man’ that burns at over 100 feet tall.”

    One thing that is unmentioned in the above history is that the Burning Man Organization has become one of the largest annual sources of grant money for artists in the U.S. – giving about $1.5M in grants each year.

    I first heard about the festival when I was having a retrospective of my artwork in the Bay Area in 2000, where many people told me that I should bring my work to something called ‘Burning Man’. After doing some research, I was a dubious – thinking it was just some hippie-dippy nonsense in the desert. But after applying and getting grant money and then attending, I was a believer in the concept – which embodies all of the best traits (and some of the bad ones too, of course) of the peace & love generation. The entire enterprise is self-perpetuating and generating – and unlike virtually every other festival in the world, there are absolutely no vendors, no corporate sponsorships (or even logos), and no advertising of any sort allowed there.

    I’ve gotten grants from them three different years to build art installations there, and if I didn’t live so far away, I’d certainly attend more often.

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