Movie Go Round

Welcome to another round of You Did This to Us. Episode 15 is up, and it’s “Warcraft: The Beginning.” If you’ve ever played a massively multiplayer online game and thought to yourself, “Damn, these cut scenes are so cinematic and intriguing! I wonder what would happen if they added a lot of half-assed, not-terribly-logical live action to them and put them on the big screen?” then we have good news for you! The movie actually isn’t too bad to look at, so hey, maybe give it a watch (or don’t) and come join us as we talk about this paean to orcs and humans, green forests and dark magic, and why you probably shouldn’t go into combat if you’re in active labor.

Next week is "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek." Email us! [email protected].

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In a Hollyworld of sequels and book adaptations and remakes, truly original ideas are rare. For our “Future Classics” choice this round, David nominated an original movie about the power of ideas, 2010’s “Inception.”

Will the intellectual vibe, practical effects, and now-a-meme soundtrack stand the test of time? Did they deliberately make Leonardo DiCaprio look like Christopher Nolan? Why, in this movie that includes the dreams of at least four different people, does no one ever dream about any animals? And lastly, why does everyone have so much trouble pronouncing Cillian Murphy’s first name? Join David, Brett, and Nicole as they dive into these questions and more in episode 13 of Movie-Go-Round!

Join us next week on Movie-Go-Round for Around The World! The pick? The 2014 Bollywood film “Bang Bang.” See you then!

This week’s theme is “Netflix Roulette,” and the randomizer spit out our first Nicolas Cage movie, Lord of War. Small-time Ukranian-born New Yorker and arms dealer Yuri Orlov takes advantage of the end of the Cold War and the sudden poor security of Russian arsenals to step up into the big leagues, occasionally dragging his now-addict brother Vitaly (Jared Leto, a potential contest winner for looking the least like Nicolas Cage) along for the ride.

Come join David, Nicole, and Brett as we dig into this movie that has very little empathy or development for any of its main characters, but does have a fairly awesome title sequence!

Next episode, Movie-Go-Round rolls back around to Future Classics! The pick? Inception. We’ll see you then! BWAAAAAAAMMMMM…

Welcome to the goriest movie Brett, David, and Nicole have ever covered! This week is our “New to Two” theme, and Brett chose “The Midnight Meat Train.” This movie doesn’t just show gore, it revels in it, using inventive situations and playful camera work. Join us as we break down the story of photographer Leon, who becomes obsessed with following a nattily dressed subway serial killer.

We’ll ask such questions as, What are those awful little things on the killer’s chest? Why does Leon keep following the killer? Why does Leon’s girlfriend stay with him? And most important, have Leon and his girlfriend never realized that what they’re doing in that restaurant is really, really unsanitary?

Next episode, Movie-Go-Round rolls back around to Netflix Roulette! We’ll be watching the Nic Cage film, “Lord of War.”

This (in)famous 1970s TV movie featured a young John Travolta as Tod, a teenager with immune deficiencies that forced him to live in plastic tents and positive-pressure rooms all his life, until he met this girl… Loosely based on a true story, this movie took a few liberties with science that are a little hard to swallow. For our next round of “You Did This to Us,” David, Brett, Nicole, and guest Dominic Cichocki dug into this bit of melodramatic cheese, taking a hard look at Robert “Mr. Brady” Reed’s acting style, the overdone music, and wondering why Tod would fall for this girl, who is mildly pretty, but also horrible. Also, what is Buzz Aldrin doing here?

Next episode, Movie-Go-Round rolls on back to the beginning! It’s time for the third rotation! We’ll be watching the third New to Two film, “The Midnight Meat Train.”

Why did we cover 2008’s “Ip Man” for our second Around the World movie? Because Donnie Yen is THE Man, not just Ip Man. Known in the West primarily as Bruce Lee’s teacher, Ip Man had a fascinating life story that Donnie Yen portrays with a Zen-like calm and a smoldering strength. This movie covers the period of the Japanese occupation of Man’s city of Foshan, China, and a cinematically exaggerated fight he had with a Japanese general.

Join David, Brett, and Nicole as they dig into this film that includes constant breaking of precious household objects, food lust for a potato, and a ten-on-one fight with gnarly foley work that really makes you hear those limbs cracking.

Next episode, Movie-Go-Round continues its second thematic round, rounding this rotation out with a You Did This to Us. Your pick? “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.” Go watch the film if you haven’t! See you next Saturday!

This 2013 film from Italy was received with huge critical acclaim in the US, but it was a tiny release. Episodes from the life of aging raconteur and journalist Jep, a sharp observer of life but participant only in his limited sphere of intellectual party-goers, unspool amid travel-porn-worthy views of Rome. Jep is only now coming to grips with his age and mortality, as he contemplates his quest for life’s great beauty. Join Nicole, Brett, and David as we tackle some really big questions like, What is this ancient nun doing here? What is the difference between a “movie” and a “film”? And what is the great beauty of life?

Next episode, Movie-Go-Round continues its second thematic round, thus returning to Around the World. The pick? “Ip Man.” Go watch the film if you haven’t! See you next Saturday!

Widely regarded as containing Adam Sandler’s best film performance, Punch-Drunk Love is the tale of an oddball man named Barry, who has seven horrible sisters and some serious anger issues. This week, Brett, Nicole, and David were joined by guest Matthew Sargent, and together we addressed such issues as, Who is this Paul Thomas Anderson guy, anyhow? What is up with the music in this movie? And what is Barry’s major malfunction and should it keep him from having a serious relationship? Come listen!

Next episode, Movie-Go-Round continues its second thematic round with a return to Around the World! The film? Paolo Sorrentino’s Italian art drama, “The Great Beauty.” Go watch the film if you haven’t! See you next Saturday!

For our second round of “New to Two,” David chose this Coen Brothers film that Brett and Nicole hadn’t seen yet. The film features Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, and the sublime Richard Jenkins, along with Coen-movie regular Frances McDormand. In this cautionary tale, two selfish fitness club employees stumble across CIA secrets and decide to try to make their dreams come true by selling them to the Russians at a huge profit. Will Nicole and Brett like this movie about small people who push themselves into big situations they can’t handle? Tune in and find out!

Next episode, Movie-Go-Round continues its second thematic round, thus returning to Netflix Roulette. The pick? “Punch Drunk Love.” Go watch the film if you haven’t! See you next Saturday!

Connect with your hosts! Brett Stewart | Nicole Davis | David Luzader