Cinema Fix

It turns out there's more to discuss about Jack The Giant Slayer than it might first appear. In this episode, Andrew and Monica give their spoiler-free analysis of the movie and try to figure out why it feels tonally inconsistent. Did the film really deserve a PG-13 rating? Does the ending reveal a deeper subtext about monarchy and human nature? Why is Jack so stupid? And what's up with those monks, anyway? Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro and clip

2:05 - Character development (specifically Elmont)

8:40 - The ridiculous premise that makes no sense

13:17 - Editing in the first act

14:20 - Sexual subtext

16:41 - Debating the MPAA rating; does it deserve a PG-13?

25:00 - Comparing the violence of JTGS to The Lion King and Narnia

29:17 - Trying to figure out which demographic to please

34:28 - Thinking about the film as international product

37:23 - The ending and what the film is trying to say about monarchy/power/human nature

45:00 - Show close

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

It's been a long time since director Bryan Singer delivered a great film. In this episode, Andrew and Monica give their general thoughts on his latest effort, Jack the Giant Slayer, which reboots the classic fairy tale into a sorta-violent, kinda-adult-but-not-really fantasy epic. Does it work, or is it just a tonal mess? Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro and clip

3:10 - General thoughts

12:20 - Show close

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

Charlie Nash sticks around to really dissect the jumbled mediocrity that is Snitch. The movie is an interesting mess, but it's still messy, so they spend half an hour talking through it. Is Jon Bernthal's character sympathetic at all? What's up with all the prison rape? And why isn't Barry Pepper's facial hair the star of its own movie?! Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro and clip

3:06 - Barry Pepper's facial hair

5:38 - The son and the elephant in the room

13:32 - Jon Bernthal's arc, his climactic moment

18:05 - Grass!

19:34 - The laughable domestic conflict, sexism

24:27 - Susan Sarandon as inhuman politician

27:15 - Lots of coincidences

28:10 - The pacing and whether it works, El Topo

31:22 - What if it took a "Breaking Bad"-style turn?

33:48 - Show close

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

In this episode, Andrew and Monica are joined by special guest Charlie Nash to discuss Snitch, the new action film (or is it?) starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. First, they give their spoiler-free thoughts on his tale of a trucker who goes undercover into the criminal underworld for the sake of his son. Is it worth your time? Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro and clip

3:53 - General thoughts

15:55 - Show close

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

We love you with all our non-beating hearts, Film Geeks! In this special bonus episode of the show, Andrew and Monica put on their sociology hats and explore the gender politics of a popular sub-sub-genre: supernatural young adult romance book-to-film adaptations. If you're not into that, don't worry. They spend the first 10 minutes of the show giving some overall thoughts on Beautiful Creatures as a movie before comparing its messages about gender to those in Twilight, Warm Bodies and The Hunger Games. What are the "rules" to making a good supernatural teen romance movie? Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro and clip

4:49 - General spoiler-free thoughts on Beautiful Creatures

13:00 - Looking at supernatural young adult romance movies; why Twilight is sexist

18:38 - Three dimensional characters and the nature of sacrifice

21:12 - Is Julie in Warm Bodies a manic pixie dream girl?

27:03 - Trying to be feminist vs. actually being feminist

29:55 - The idea of "claiming" and the virgin/whore dichotomy

35:15 - Freudian subtext, emphasizing sexuality vs. the act itself

40:24 - The Hunger Games and Katniss as role model

42:58 - The "rules" for creating a compelling and progressive supernatural teen romance

46:43 - Show close

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

Andrew and Monica have their work cut out for them trying to figure out what went wrong with A Good Day To Die Hard. Thankfully, Tim Costa from the First Time Watchers podcast stops by to help them sort through this incomprehensible mess. They go scene-by-scene hoping to discover something, anything, that works. Are they successful? Tune in to this mega-rant to find out.

ABOUT OUR GUEST: Tim Costa is a co-host on the First Time Watchers podcast. Be sure to follow him on Twitter!

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro and clip

3:06 - Tim's overall thoughts on the film

4:10 - The opening sequence, McClane's "vacation"

9:05 - The courthouse, father and son

12:31 - The one good scene in the movie

13:40 - The car chase, McClane as murderer

16:53 - The scaffolding scene, references to the original film

22:25 - Parent/child relationships, the movie as marketing

25:08 - They could quit! Father/son bonding through violence

30:00 - The climactic action sequence

38:34 - John Moore's opinions on the decline of masculinity

43:27 - Final thoughts

45:37 - Show close

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

John McClane is back, but is he better than ever? Andrew and Monica give their general, spoiler-free thoughts on the fifth entry in the Die Hard franchise. This is the first film in the series to take place in another country, but does this fish-out-of-water tale of father/son bonding work at all? Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro

3:55 - General thoughts

14:39 - Show close

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

Yippee Ki-Yay, mother-Film Geeks! In this special bonus episode, Andrew is joined by three special guests (Sean O'Connell from Fandango, Witney Seibold from CraveOnline and Tim Costa from First Time Watchers) to discuss the first four entries in the Die Hard franchise. The first one is an action classic, but which of the sequels hold up? What makes a Die Hard movie, anyway? Is the fourth film a decent action movie or a total flop? Tune in to find out.

ABOUT OUR GUESTS:

Sean O’Connell writes for Fandango, Cinema Blend, Movies.com, The Washington Post and numerous other outlets. He’s a weekly contributor to several national radio programs and a longstanding member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS), the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) and the North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA). Check out his reviews on RottenTomatoes and be sure to follow him on Twitter!

Witney Seibold is a columnist for the Film Channel at CraveOnline. He examines popular film franchises in The Series Project and co-host The B-Movies Podcast among other projects. Be sure to follow him on Twitter!

Tim Costa is a co-host of the First Time Watchers podcast. Be sure to follow him on Twitter!

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro

3:24 - Die Hard

17:41 - Die Hard 2

32:45 - Die Hard With A Vengeance

49:43 - Live Free or Die Hard

1:02:18 - Final thoughts on the series as a whole, ranking them in order of preference

1:08:17 - Show close

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

Steven Soderbergh says he's retiring and this movie will be his last for the big screen. Does he go out on a high note? Andrew and Monica give their thoughts on the psychological thriller.

NOTE: This episode is not split into the usual two parts. Both spoiler-free and spoiler-filled discussions occur.

SHOW NOTES:

0:06 - What happened to Part 2 of Episode #35

2:31 - Intro and clip

5:32 - General spoiler-free thoughts

9:21 - Spoiler section: Switching perspective

12:06 - Critique of the medical system

13:46 - The issue of intent, the ending

16:28 - Pulling a Hitchcock, playing with genre

23:59 - Editing and cinematography

26:04 - Thoughts on Soderbergh's retirement

29:05 - Show close

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

It's like Twilight but with zombies! Or is it? Join Andrew and Monica as they give their spoiler-free thoughts on Jonathan Levine's latest film, Warm Bodies. Find out what happens when you mix Shakespeare with the undead! Plus, Monica weighs in on Bullet To The Head.

NOTE: Due to unexpected technical difficulties, there is no Part 2 discussion as mentioned.

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro

2:11 - Monica's thoughts on Bullet to the Head

7:08 - Warm Bodies intro and clip

9:09 - General thoughts

20:05 - Show close

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