Cinema Fix

Prisoners clearly wants to be viewed as a "serious" movie with "serious" performances in order to attract awards attention, but Andrew and Monica aren’t sure it’s deserving of that recognition. In fact, they aren’t really sure they can explain the convoluted plot of the film. In this episode, they break it down and try to figure out the multiples layers on which it’s attempting to function. Is there any political subtext commenting on post-9/11 America? Does the Bob Taylor subplot make any sense at all? And what’s up with all the religious imagery? Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro

3:35 - A broadly-painted answer to complex questions

8:36 - Torturing Paul Dano; political subtext?

13:31 - Trying to make sense of the plot

19:42 - The truth about Paul Dano

23:23 - Other random stuff

28:24 - Show close

DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

If there's one thing you should never do, it's kidnap the daughter of Wolverine. In this episode, Andrew and Monica give their spoiler-free thoughts on Prisoners, the new drama from director Denis Villeneuve starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. This has the look and feel of a prestigious award-worthy drama, but does its quality extend beyond the surface? Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro

3:49 - General thoughts on Prisoners

10:58 - Show close

DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

If you thought the third act of the first Insidious was too over-the-top, you might not be ready for Chapter 2. In this episode, Andrew and Monica try to figure out just what exactly is going on. How does Josh’s possession work? Is The Further a time machine, an Inception-style dream machine, or a bit of both? What’s up with all the gender identity issues and ghost psychology? Tune in to find out. Plus, Reboot This!

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro

2:30 - What’s going on with Josh, exactly?

7:22 - Figuring out how The Further works

11:36 - Why haunt Josh?

14:04 - Interacting with ghost psychology

16:53 - Too many unanswered questions

19:50 - The climactic scene

22:17 - Teasing Insidious 3 at the end

27:29 - Is it aware of its own campiness?

29:01 - Reboot This!

33:42 - Show close

DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

James Wan has already released one critically-acclaimed horror film this year in The Conjuring. Now, he's back with the sequel to his 2010 film Insidious. Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) isn't acting the same since he returned from The Further--has something evil come back with him? Tune in to hear Andrew and Monica give their general, spoiler-free thoughts.

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro

1:46 - Brief thoughts on Riddick

3:10 - General thoughts on Insidious: Chapter 2

11:46 - Show close

DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

Just when you thought Film Geek Radio couldn't get any cooler... we did. This is the first of a monthly series of bonus episodes of Cinema Fix! Are you a true movie addict looking for recommendations on what to check out and what to avoid? Don't worry: Andrew and Monica OD'd on movies so you don't have to. In Cinema Fix Overdose episodes, they'll discuss other movies they've seen over the past 30 days, plus provide some DVD recommendations for the upcoming month. This month, they discuss Face/Off, Day For Night, Mud, The Invader, I Declare War, Purple Rain and more!

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro

5:00 - Face/Off

9:50 - No

15:25 - Day For Night

17:30 - I Declare War

21:46 - Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights

31:40 - Drug War

34:09 - Devdas

36:18 - Mud

40:45 - Purple Rain

45:00 - The Invader

48:35 - DVD/Blu-Ray Recommendations

1:00:19 - Show close

DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez star in Getaway, which follows Brent Magna, an ex-racer who is forced to follow the instructions of a mysterious stranger when his wife is kidnapped. He races through the streets of Bulgaria, destroying everything in sight, but is this movie as fun as it sounds? Tune in to hear Andrew and Monica give their spoiler-free thoughts.

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro and clip

2:15 - Wait, that's not Jon Voight's voice?

4:35 - A Cabin in the Woods-style genre critique?

7:30 - The one shot that has everyone talking

10:13 - Making the viewer complicit; is this some Michael Haneke-style commentary?

17:05 - Selena's story is stupid

20:20 - Ridiculous action and plot stuff

24:20 - The silly ending

28:46 - Reboot This!

35:31 - Show close

Correction: In this episode, Andrew and Monica mistakenly refer to the directors of 21 Jump Street as "Lord and Phillips." They should have said "Lord and Miller."

DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez star in Getaway, which follows Brent Magna, an ex-racer who is forced to follow the instructions of a mysterious stranger when his wife is kidnapped. He races through the streets of Bulgaria, destroying everything in sight, but is this movie as much fun as it sounds? Tune in to hear Andrew and Monica give their spoiler-free thoughts.

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro and clip

3:18 - General thoughts on Getaway

11:46 - Show close

DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

You know it's gonna be a good episode when Monica starts dusting off her sociology textbooks. In Part 2 of their discussion on You're Next and The World's End, she and Andrew dive into all the various layers of subtext that exist beneath both films. Is You're Next a critique of the political left? Are Adam Wingard and his filmmaking buddies trying to make a statement about the state of the industry? Is The World's End a critique of Hollywood remake culture? How does it critique free-market capitalism while also celebrating individualism, and how does that get a bit messy when dealing with the topic of alcoholism? Grab a beer, make sure no masked killers are around, and tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro

2:15 - Good kills in You're Next

3:40 - Thoughts on the Final Girl

6:15 - Tone and family dynamics

12:46 - A cast of filmmakers

15:08 - The ending, possible political subtext

21:56 - Weird sex stuff

27:36 - The World's End intro and clip

29:25 - Gary King as symbolic of Hollywood

31:31 - A critique of corporate capitalism, Durkheimian anomie

35:48 - Interpreting the ending

45:06 - Questioning authority in the Cornetto Trilogy

47:46 - The aliens and other miscellaneous things

52:38 - Show close

DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

Andrew and Monica are doing something new this week--they're giving you two movie discussions instead of one! In this episode, they give their general thoughts on the home invasion horror film You're Next before moving on to the new comedy from Edgar Wright, The World's End. Which of these films is worth your time to see? Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro and clip

3:08 - General thoughts on You're Next

12:00 - General thoughts on The World's End

22:58 - Show close

DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

Film critic Simon Abrams from RogerEbert.com joins Andrew and Monica to discuss the original Kick-Ass comics and how the film adaptations compare. Does Millar succeed in making a satirical point? Is the film version of Kick-Ass 2 an improvement in any way? What's up with the class warfare allegory? And is Hit Girl an example of a strong female character? Tune in as they try to find the answers to all these questions and much more. Plus, you'll definitely want to hear what Simon pitches for a prequel in Reboot This!

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro and clip

4:44 - Simon's overall thoughts on the film and comic

12:58 - Hit Girl trying to be popular

21:30 - Allegory for class warfare

29:50 - Cutting things for the big screen; too safe?

33:40 - Use of music during action to make a point... or not

38:05 - Comparisons with the satire of the first film

42:17 - Differences with the comic: Chris' uncle, Kick-Ass' girlfriend

46:24 - Hit Girl and depictions of "strong" women

53:43 - Reboot This!

57:56 - Comic book recommendations and show close

DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing [email protected]. Thanks for listening!