Jan
06
For the first show of 2011, how about a little international perspective? We’ve got interviews with two directors whose latest films deliver gripping, cinematically daring glimpses into worlds rarely examined from our side. First up is Romanian director Florin Serban, talking about IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE, a stark, naturalistic drama about an …
Sep
03
It would appear Sean Baker is equally comfortable with the real and the surreal. On TV, he’s one of the perpetrators of the satirical puppet show, GREG THE BUNNY. In the cinema though, he’s far more grounded, employing a documentary- like shooting style and recruiting a largely amateur cast to tell stories of New York …
Aug
07
I went into LEBANON convinced that I really didn’t want to see another examination of the moral quandary that is the Middle East conflict. I came out of it — head and heart racing — convinced that I had seen one of the best films of the year. That’s a considerable achievement, considering that LEBANON …
Jun
13
The premiere audio review of science fiction, fantasy, and horror is back with another exciting episode! This time, Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski eschew the big-time summer blockbusters in favor of the French comedy-fantasy MICMACS (Micmacs a tire-lairgot, or “Non-stop Madness”), latest surreal confectionery from supreme stylist Jean-Pierre Jeunet (who charmed audience with AMELIE). Also this …
May
31
In the sixteenth episode of Cinefantastique’s weekly Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction Podcast, Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski sift through the Sands of Time as they search PRINCE OF PERSIA for hidden political metaphors and/or weapons of mass destruction. The big screen film version of the popular video game stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben …
May
21
Y’know, people probably shouldn’t be this gleeful about issues of mortality, but in the cases of the movies being discussed in this episode, we’re kinda glad they are. This episode features interviews with Jean-Pierre Jeunet and George A. Romero, both of whom have previously addressed matters of life-and-death in their own, unique ways, and have …
Apr
09
Okay, let’s be blunt about this: I know nothing about comic actor Omid Djalili or screenplay writer David Baddiel, or their new film, THE INFIDEL, which is currently running in Great Britain. But the plot — about a British Muslim who discovers he was actually born Jewish — has potential and, more to the point, …
Jan
08
I’ll admit I have little patience for people who confuse religious mythology for real-world politics. You want to believe that, when the earthly going gets tough, you’re going to be zapped up to heaven and have a front row seat for the conflagration and the return of your deity? Cool, swell, no skin off my …
Jul
17
Turns out there may be some trouble downloading the (500) DAYS OF SUMMER episode on iTunes, so this is a repost that hopefully will fix things. If you had trouble downloading on iTunes before, give it a shot again. If you wind up getting two copies of this ep, well, consider that twice the MMP …
Jul
15
I’m not going to say that IN THE LOOP — the new British political comedy directed by Armando Iannucci and based on his award-winning BBC sitcom THE THICK OF IT — is going help put the last eight years of U.S./Great Britain relations into context, but at the very least, I think it provides some …
