What do Peter Sellers’ character in Hal Ashby’s 1979 flick, “Being There” and Jason Reitman’s Oscar-bait movie, “Up in the Air” have in common? More than you might think. Also, can a middle-aged, sexually inactive divorcee be sexy? All that and more in this week’s edition of The Moving Arts FilmCast. [...]
Growing up in the 80s, Scott and I are quite fond of the brilliant special effects of our youth. From “Jaws” to “E.T.” to “The Empire Strikes Back,” you just can beat some good ol’ practical Hollywood effects. Or can you? This week we’ll discuss James Cameron’s much ballyhooed attempt at making [...]
This week we’re trying something a little different. Scott, my usual co-host, was absent from class during the recording of the show so instead of scrambling to find a temporary replacement I decided to offer the audio versions of a couple of our already written reviews. This isn’t likely to become a staple [...]
Question. Where exactly are the wild things? Well, you could ask Maurice Sendak, Spike Jonze, Max Records… or you could just listen the podcast and find out! Does the childhood classic turned hipster fantasy movie deliver? We’ll tackle that question as well as the ostensible Hollywood cash-grab, “Michael Jackson’s This is It.” How does [...]
It’s been a couple of weeks since our last show, but this one is worth the wait (we hope). This week we tackle Oren Peli’s viral, scare-fest phenomenon “Paranormal Activity,” and then on to Ruben Fleischer’s Woody Harrelson-is-a-hillybilly-zombie-killer flick, “Zombieland.” Too much horror to handle? Find somebody to hold on to and [...]
Quentin Tarantino’s controversial revisionist’s WWII saga, “Inglourious Basterds” has had fans cheering and moralizers crying foul. Does it really deny the holocaust? Is it as boring as some have said? And how many freaking references to classic cinema can a guy fit into a single movie?! To find out you’ll have [...]
Rookie director, Neill Blomkamp, has received untold accolades for his alien apartheid allegory, “District 9.” Can this $30 million socially conscious film please both the sci-fi fanboys and hardcore film snobs? And what exactly does this mean for fans of “Halo”? You’ll have to listen to find out!
This week Scott and I take a crack at deciphering that unruly, elusive devil called love. Marc Webb’s debut feature, the hipster-tinged “(500) Days of Summer” is an indie hit that’s been hailed as a transcended unconventional love story. So, can Tommy from “3rd Rock From the Sun” and Summer, the singing department [...]
Judd Apatow’s latest venture into the world of comedy, “Funny People,” starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen goes under the TMA microscope. Is it a sign of maturation for the director? Or just a lot of penis jokes and sophomoric fare? Also, Scott and I discuss the impact and influence of 1980s [...]
This week’s show is a study in contrast as we review and compare Hollywood’s painfully formulaic and offensive offering, “The Ugly Truth,” and the stubbornly independent, shoe-string budgeted, almost entirely improvised “Cut From Home.” What can we learn from the overworked, diluted scripts and direction of a Hollywood tentpole release — and of [...]
