That's a Wrap! Film, Media and Culture. Academic yet accessible.

Episode #26 Hello everyone!  That’s a Wrap is proud to bring you Episode #26, which examines 2013’s Under The Skin, a powerful and brave film that has made many 10 Best lists while simultaneosly managing to “alienate” some audiences.  We tackle the complex film and then move on to segment two, which is dedicated to … Continue reading Episode #26 – Under The Skin & Robin Williams →

Episode #25 We tackle the juggernaut SNOWPIERCER in episode 25.  Currently holding a very impressive 94% at Rotten Tomatoes, SNOWPIERCER is raking up the box office (particularly through VOD) and the critical praise.  So, what’s it all about? Well, you’ll just have to listen to find out! The first 40 minutes are spoiler-free. This is … Continue reading Episode #25 – Snowpiercer & Film Book Recommendations →

Episode #24 Nick and Erik tackle Zizek’s The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology and The Shining documentary Room 237 as two opposite sides of the spectrum of criticism.  Is one form of analysis privileged over another?  Should it be?  Tune in and let us know! Links Mentioned: South Park: Mystery of the Urinal Deuce Pervert’s Guide … Continue reading Episode #24 – Zizek’s Pervert’s Guide Movies and Room 237 →

Episode #23 In this episode, we each list and discuss our 5 favorite movie endings of all time.  This necessarily means: SPOILERS AHEAD.   A list of our selections is provided below – as to temper any spoilers you truly wish to avoid.  Otherwise, enjoy! As with all of our lists, they’re fun to do, promote … Continue reading Episode #23 – Our Top 5 Movie Endings →

Episode # 22 In this episode, the guys, along with guest panelist, Dr. Lara Hrycaj (who attended graduate school with the guys), discuss one of the more polarizing figures in modern cinema, Wes Anderson, director of Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and the recent The Grand Budapest Hotel. We discuss Anderson’s complete oeuvre as well … Continue reading Episode #22 – The Wild, Wonderful World of Wes Anderson →

Episode #21 It’s documentary time here at That’s A Wrap! We finally talk about Errol Morris, framing the discussion around his latest film, The Unknown Known (Watch Now on Amazon While It’s in Theaters). In Segment 2, we talk about Joshua Oppenhimer’s chilling Oscar-nominated film The Act of Killing. Links Errol Morris’s article about The Act of … Continue reading Episode #21 – Errol Morris/The Unknown Known and The Act of Killing →

Episode #20 In our 20th episode, we look at The Hunt (Jagten, 2012).  This Academy Award nominated Danish film from visionary director Thomas Vinterberg is a powerful, wrenching and honest exploration of the malleability and fallibility of human behavior. The Hunt tells the tale of Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen), a divorced day-care worker (laid off from … Continue reading Episode #20 – The Hunt (Jagten, 2012) and Random Recommendations →

Episode #19 Join us as we share our thoughts, criticisms and general reactions to this year’s Oscar winner for Best Original Screenplay Her.  Very much a topical film that addresses many “here and now” issues and technologies (although it’s set in a near future), Spike Jonez’s film generates a lot of pathos from its main characters and calls … Continue reading Episode #19 – Her and HBO’s True Detective →

Episode #18 Erik, Nick and Chris discuss their very favorite films to “look at.” We each take turns presenting our TOP 5 best-loved films that we admire simply for their visual beauty.   A tough task to be sure, but we did our best and include a brief short-list of honorable mentions at the end. … Continue reading Episode #18 – Top 5 Favorite Films to “Look At” & House of Cards S02 →

Episode #17 We have a rather sprawling discussion of film theory, reminiscing about graduate school and the process of grappling with difficult writing. Toward the end, Erik starts talking about fiction that does the work of film theory (Amazon affiliate links to most of the books appear below). Links mentioned: Auction site for movie memorabilia: … Continue reading Episode #17 – Film Theory: FTW or WTF? →