Arts and Crap

BROOKLYN is not a movie about overpriced artisanal pickles or self-satisfied smirks curling underneath twee facial hair configurations. Instead, it’s a study of self-determination as shown through the story of a young woman coming to America from Ireland in the 1950s. (spoiler alert: it’s a wonderful film!)

It stars Saoirse Ronan (The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, Muppets Most Wanted) and Domhnall Gleeson (Anything in 2014 or 2015 . . . Name it, he’s in it . . . ) and has a screenplay by Nick Hornby (High Fidelity – the novel, not the screenplay, though the screenplay was based on his novel).

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Aaaaand we’re back . . . This week, the crew discusses THE DANISH GIRL, Tom Hooper’s period drama exploring love, marriage, and self, as well as – oh yeah – gender reassignment surgery in the early 20th century. The movie is based on a novel which is kinda sorta inspired by the true story of Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener.

Oscar winner Tom Hooper (EastEnders: The Mitchells – Naked Truths) directs Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne (Animal Ark, Doctors) in hopes of being Oscar winners again!

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On a very special arts and crap, we go to the "thee-uh-tuh" (must be said in British accent)! Chris Kipiniak (Love Life, writer of BEHEMOTH from Monkeybrain comics, co-host of Arts and Crap) is performing in the play IN THE SOUNDLESS AWE, by Jayme McGhan, Andy Pederson directed by Sarah Norris about the worst Naval Disaster in U.S. History, the sinking of the U.S.S Indianapolis. Darrell came and saw. Did he love it? Or was he content to heckle and throw pretzels at the stage? Before that we talk about some of the tv/films we have been watching like the Netflix show Master of None by Aziz Ansari and Beast of No Nation from director Cary Joji Fukunaga

The show is produced by the New Light Theater Project (http://www.newlighttheaterproject.com/ ) at the Access Theater in New York, throughDecember 12.

We discuss the play's themes, the difficulty of adaptation, and why oh why you haven't heard from us in a while.

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Knock-knock! Who's there? Why, it's The Guest! Come on in! Adam Wingard (You're Next)'s 2014 film is a . . . well, to start attributing genres might give stuff away. But there's definitely violence. And a lot of synth music.

It stars former British heartthrob (meaning pudgy) turned Hollywood heartthrob (meaning distractingly jacked) Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, Masterpiece Classic) and Lance Reddick (The Wire, What the Deaf Man Heard).

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This week, we go inside, Inside Llewyn Davis, the Coen Brothers' take on music, art, life, and the merchant marine. This is the movie that made a star of Oscar Isaac, playing a difficult, flinty, self-important Artiste who has more dignity than sense. Any similarity between the main character and one of this podcast's hosts is not so much coincidental as LIBELOUS!

Starring the afore-mentioned Isaac (Julliard grad, class of 2005, Drive), and Carey Mulligan (Doctor Who, Drive).

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On this week's show, these dopes discuss . . . Dope, Rick Famuyiwa's new comedy about a geek growing up in Inglewood, CA. He wants to be himself but everybody else - from his guidance counselor to a local drug dealer - seems to be conspiring to make him anything but. Is it a comedic Boyz In the Hood, or Risky Business with a little more ballast?

Starring Shameik Moore (An Elf's Story: The Elf on the Shelf), Kiersey Clemons (Prom?!, Good Luck Charlie), and Zoë Kravitz (X-Men: First Class, Mad Max: Fury Road).

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ARTS AND CRAP FIELD TRIP! Darrell and Chris are joined by Sheila Valleri for beer, schnitzel and a discussion of Housebound, Gerard Johnstone's horror-comedy which comes to us from Australia's little brother, New Zealand! We alternate between comments like that and salient points about cinema. The film stars Morgana O'Reilly (The Jaquie Brown Diaries, Rebecca 2 [but not Rebecca 1, if there is such a thing]), Rima Te Wiata (Kevin Rampenbacker and the Electric Kettle, Hinekaro Goes on a Picnic and Blows Up another Obelisk [both of which are real titles!!]) and a bunch of other talented Kiwis.

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This week we discuss Ex Machina, the robot thriller (?) that allows novelist-screenwriter-producer-videogamewriter-brit-human to add "director" to his already exhausting list of hyphenates.

The movie says something about humanity, I guess. Or maybe it says something about robots. Either way, it stars Alicia Vikander (Min balsamerade mor, Levande föda) as the robot, Domhnall Gleeson (Frank, and an episode of Black Mirror where HE was the robot), Oscar Isaac (the guy in the new Star Wars trailer who looks really excited to be flying an X-wing), and literally 7 other people. That's it.

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This week we have 50% more crap! Sheila Valleri joins us again to discuss Under the Skin, Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast – that’s a movie, not an assessment)’s 2013 film about an alien who prowls the streets of a Scottish city (Edinburgh, maybe?) shot using hidden cameras, non-professional actors, and one of the world’s biggest movie stars. Not, however, using a lot of dialogue.

The film stars Jeremy McWilliams (prize-winning motorcyclist, screen debut), Dougie McConnell (screen debut), Andrew Gorman (screen debut), and Scarlett Johansson (Ghost World).

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Charles Burnett (To Sleep with Anger, The Glass Shield)’s MFA thesis film went without a theatrical release for about 30 years due to difficulty in obtaining music licenses. But in 2007 the rights were secured and the world at large was introduced to his chronicle of urban life in the 70s, shot in a style reminiscent of the Italian neo-realists. Sure, The National Society of Film Critics says it’s one of the 100 Essential Films, but more important, what does the Arts and Crap crew think?

The film starts Henry G. Sanders (Whiplash [so you can program yourself an Arts and Crap/Henry G. Sanders playlist], The Rockford Files), and Kaycee Moore (Bless Their Little Hearts, Daughters of the Dust).

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