Shot/Reverse Shot

Continuing their dogged attempt to make up for lost time and finish the project before the year is out, Joe and Ed sit down to discuss the fourth installment in the Alternate 100. This selection is unusually bleak, since it manages to encompass the death of dreams, people destroying themselves mentally and physically, and a discussion of some of the most utterly hopeless endings in cinema history. Wary not to end on a downer, they go out swinging and talk about one of the funniest comedies ever made.

Note: The audio is a little fuzzy during parts of the opening 20 minutes, but fortunately they get resolved after the third film has been discussed.

Now that the summer is over, it's time to look ahead and consider what the last few months of 2014 have to offer. Joe and Ed continue their annual tradition of looking at the Autumn/Winter schedule - with its weird mix of awards contenders, would-be blockbusters and unwanted films left to wither and die - and cherry pick the best and most interesting films that the seasons have to offer. Despite this clear, easy to follow structure, they still manage to get distracted by talk of Irish kickboxing, pitch a spiritual sequel to The Producers, and explain why Cameron Diaz's contributions to music should be scrubbed from existence.

This week, inspired by the ongoing devolution of mainstream film criticism into a swampy morass of multi-page lists, news stories that don't contain any news and are barely stories, and the general sense that engaging film discourse is being pushed further and further away from the centre of the discussion, Joe and Ed rail against everything they think is wrong with film criticism as it exists in the digital age. It's not all negativity - they point out some sites and writers that are doing great, intelligent work and praise the big outlets that use their clout to try to create a more thoughtful approach to the dreaded listicle - but it's mainly an honest discussion about trends in film criticism that they find troublesome and downright tacky.

SEO-Friendly Alternate Title: This List Of 114 Things Wrong With Online Film Criticism Will Leave You Speechless.

We at Shot/Reverse Shot were deeply saddened to hear of the death of Robin Williams last week at the age of 63. We offer this episode, in which we discuss what he meant to us and what made him such a special performer, as a tribute to a comedian who made us laugh, an actor who made us cry, and a thoroughly decent and wonderful human being. Rest in Peace.

Inspired by Escape From Tomorrow, a deeply flawed film with a production history that's more interesting than the film itself, Joe and Ed discuss the problems that arise when you know too much about how a movie was made. Does knowing that a film was difficult to make or had a compelling back story prejudice a viewer's opinion of the work itself? Can a gimmick like Escape From Tomorrow's hurt a film by making people overly aware of its mechanics while they watch it, or is it justified by the fact that people will be drawn to it? What separates that film from Richard Linklater's Boyhood (which seemingly cannot be discussed outside of the ambitious way in which it was filmed)? These are just some of the questions that they consider as they try to figure out how much knowledge is too much. Have a listen, and feel free to weigh in on Facebook, Twitter, or by leaving us a review on iTunes. You can also listen to the episode on Stitcher.

Note: This episode has some audio issues resulting from problems with Ed's microphone. The audio is still listenable, and it's a fun, interesting discussion, but there is a background fuzziness that gets noticeably worse as the episode progresses. We apologise, and will endeavour not to repeat the mistake in the future.

To mark the release of Guardians of the Galaxy, the final film in Phase Two of Marvel's Cinematic Universe and their first attempt at making films that aren't strictly speaking about superheroes, Joe and Ed decided to see the film and then have a nice old chinwag about it, as well as a more general conversation about Marvel's almost unprecedented success over the last six years. 

Along the way they talk about what the film's success means for future Marvel movies, why the studio has had such consistent success where other studios have struggled to get their own superhero movies to achieve the same degree of critical and commercial success, and how Chris Finch from The Office is the real star of Guardians of the Galaxy. If you like this more timely approach, and if you're a fan of the show in general, please rate and review it on iTunes.

Note: We don't discuss much in the way of specific plot details in this episode, so if you haven't seen Guardians of the Galaxy yet you can listen without fear of it being spoiled. However, there is a slightly spoiler-laced discussion about the film's post-credits scene from 10:40 to 16:13, so if you don't want to know anything about that (relatively minor) aspect of the film, feel free to skip ahead.

In the third installment of the Shot/Reverse Shot Alternate 100, Joe and Ed shower another ten under-appreciated movies with love and affection. Along the way, they discuss Hollywood's historical and contemporary squeamishness when it comes to depicting inter-racial relationships, the ephemeral and symbiotic relationship between a director and a composer, and take time to share their weird, disparate memories of the year 1997.

If you're new to the show and the Alternate 100 project, you can listen to the previous episodes here, here and here. If you like the show, please Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and rate and review us on iTunes.

Continuing their quest to celebrate 100 films that aren't being talked about enough, or at the very least aren't being included on other silly lists, Joe and Ed offer up the next ten films deemed great yet unappreciated enough to be included in the Shot/Reverse Shot Alternate 100.

As with the first installment, there's a nice mix of unheralded works by rightly heralded directors, cult oddities and an all-round appreciation for these Rodney Dangerfields of cinema. (Because they get no regard, no regard at all. No esteem, neither.) There's also some digressions about the rules of making monster movies, New York in the '70s, and a pitch for the most depressing film-to-videogame adaptation of all time. 

You can keep track of what we've talked about so far using this handy Letterboxd list. And please feel free to leave us a review on iTunes because it really does help us grow our audience, and it's also a nice thing to do.

Inspired by the controversy surrounding Gary Oldman's recent interview with Playboy, as well as long-standing debates over the merits of artists like John Wayne and H.P. Lovecraft, who held views that many people disagreed with for political or moral reasons, and Woody Allen, whose work has long been talked about in relation to the allegations of child molestation against him, Joe and Ed decided to tackle the question of whether it is valid to dismiss an artist's work because you object to their personal views or actions.

In addition to discussing the artists mentioned above, they consider the difference between considering the work of someone accused of a crime and someone who has actually been convicted, the many, many differences between Caravaggio and Rolf Harris, and whether overt racism in art is easier to contend with than coded racism. It's more serious than usual, but it's also one of the boy's shortest, sharpest episodes to date. If you like the episode, and the show in general, please rate and review us on iTunes.

Dan Harmon's Community has been cancelled. No it hasn't. Yes it has. No it hasn't. Yes it has. No. It hasn't.

Such is the hokey cokey nature of the much loved show's future that even Joe and Ed can't keep up with it. This episode was recorded after the show's latest demise, only for it to be revived before the episode made it to air. Joe and Ed have recorded a special amendment to bookend the episode and take great care to not speculate any further for fear of having to record this all over again. And lets face it, that's not the first time this has happened is it?

If you enjoy the show, why not give it a review on iTunes? You know you want to.