Trilogy in Theory

On this episode, the director of photography for STILL ALICE, Denis Lenoir was kind enough to to talk about his approach to film, love of cinema, and how he has worked with directors on his impressive filmography. After this interview we are inspired by the latest in a long line of great Julianne Moore performances to look at two other films where she handled an affliction of sorts in 1995’s SAFE and 2008’s BLINDNESS.

On this episode the new version of ANNIE inspires us to visit two OTHER orphanages… and that’s about all it inspires. So it’s back to Maine for us in THE CIDER HOUSE RULES and then Spain in the 2007 horror film THE ORPHANAGE. From there it's a debate on whether Cameron Diaz and Tobey Maguire are actually more horrific.

GUEST: Tangible Teddy remains perplexed about the actual rules of the cider house, and has a better title in mind.

On this episode we spend a NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, three times! Just not with a comprehensive review of that Ben Stiller trilogy. Instead Patrick McGill of Role Play Craft joins us on a tour with two different films set in museums with RUSSIAN ARK and MUSEUM HOURS. But first a mini-review of the third and presumably final film in the series NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB.

On this episode we are joined by Keith Reed of The Wrong Party podcast, and Patrick McGill of the gaming site Role Play Craft to chastise Peter Jackson for Liking ‘Em Long with THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING and KING KONG. This isn’t just meant to excuse our own shortcomings, but to hopefully get the director who made HEAVENLY CREATURES back on track as his second trilogy set in Middle-Earth is now coming to an end with the release of THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES.

We read a bedtime story called THE BABADOOK which inspires us to go on a book hunting quest with Johnny Depp in THE NINTH GATE for the Necronomican in EVIL DEAD 2. All of this leads to a heated debate and a moral line in the sand that puts Roman Polanski on one side, and at least ONE of us on the other.

On this episode we go to the movies with Moses, three times! Starting with the new Ridley Scott film, EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS, and then parting the podcast Red Sea to get to a battle between THE TEN COMMANDMENTS vs. THE PRINCE OF EGYPT. Along the way, we go against Warmachinehorse tradition and profess a love for the very bald Yul Brynner.

GUEST: Emily Mackay gets to use her skills as an editor and brings out the Scissorhands on Charlton Heston and Ridley Scott.

We look at death in dysfunctional families, inspired by the new video release THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU. Steph Wanamaker of Soiled Restroom Cinema joins us to debate whether Gene Hackman is an asshole or a sonofabitch in THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, and Jamie Dew of The Dew Over defends the right of ORDINARY PEOPLE to wear a Best Pictrue sash.

The new Tommy Lee Jones' joint, THE HOMESMAN, inspires a look at women in westerns. Starting all the way back with the the hooker with the heart of gold saved by John Wayne in 1939's STAGECOACH to 1971's THE HIRED HAND where a responsible single mother is abandoned by Peter Fonda.

Notice that we ignored Shane's campaigning for Madeline Stowe's six shooting ways in BAD GIRLS.

Erik Skjoldbjærg, director of INSOMNIA, joins us to discuss his new film, PIONEER, which was inspired by his love of 1970s American conspiracy thrillers, and we make sure to follow in his footsteps with our episode debating two films from 1974: THE CONVERSATION vs. THE PARALLAX VIEW.

We are the wrong people to talk about perfectionism in artists (assuming you've listened to the prior seventy-one episodes) so we bring in Tressa Bowling and Justin Stewart of the Beaucoup Pop podcast, Sequential Spirits, to debate BLACK SWAN vs. RUBY SPARKS.

Before that? It's us giving WHIPLASH the big sloppy kiss it deserves, just as J.K. Simmons taught us.