This week’s BingeCast is full of Star Wars: The Last Jedi talk, Christmas tree talk and mother! talk. Exactly. mother!, a movie that came out 4 years ago, gets as much talk as a new SW movie. There’s a bit of Spoiler Talk so go fuck yourself.
The kids call it SW.
Google Voice calls us out for being BULLSHIT.
TV Round Up has us reviewing The Punisher (again), Dark and tapping out of TV shows all together.
Films we watched this week? Scrooged, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Bushwick, The Disaster Artist, The Meyerowitz Stories, Flatliners and other shit.
Fuck you guys.
0:00:00-Sleigh balls.
0:04:04-AlyxMoreno and Jack Valley. Shout out to PeteMC for being awesome at sounders and everything else. Full on spoiler review of The Last Jedi is on its way. This film is pretty divisive and that’s weird but it’s a thing. Who will be on the spoiler cast? When’s it dropping? Is there another movie series that is super spoilery? Or just particular movies in general? Ammon’s late. Of fucking course. #whereisjimlaw? Alyx lends insight. There’s Google Voice and TV Round Up of course, but TV round up is kind of lacking. And there’s so many goddamn shows!
0:32:29-GOOGLE VOICE Ammon shows up during the proceedings.
1:18:45-QUOTE WHORES. Christmas tree discussion follows the game. Tree decorating movie?
2:02:45-TV ROUND UP. Alyx talks The Punisher, Godless, and other shows that he just gave up on. Ammon discusses Dark. Jack checked out Peaky Blinders. Golden Globe nominations.
2:31:32-WHAT DID YOU WATCH? Alyx starts off with his love of Scrooged, Moana, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), Bushwick, Flatliners (which Ammon also saw), and Mother! Jack has a ton-The Disaster Artist, Hired Gun, The Devil in Daniel Johnston, and The Killing of a Sacred Dear. He and Ammon both rewatched The Force Awakens and they team up for The Last Jedi. #diehardisachristmasmovie. What makes a Christmas movie a Christmas movie?
Falvey, Law, and Ammon cover everything in this week’s show. From douchebag online movie journalists to what movies are good for a kindergarten screening. It’s weird, you’re weird, we got it.
0:01:45-Law and Falvey are here to get things rollin. Ammon is bringing some Quote Whores with him later on. Not only are they audio quotes, but there’s also a new Sounder courtesy of TM. Irishmen hype. Alamo Drafthouse/ Devin Faraci/Harry Knowles/pieces of shit news.
0:18:04-LITERARY LITERALLY. Law listened to two books in the Chaos Walking series, and The Disaster Artist, which he heavily details in connection to The Room. Jack brings up The Dark Tower
0:41:06-GOOGLE VOICE. Ammon shows up as the segment concludes.
0:57:00-Law has some XBOX questions for Johnny Cupcakes. Mini GameCast. DJ GC.
1:26:43-TV ROUND UP. Survivor Pool is a thing. Valley checked out American Vandal (Ammon did as well), Scientology, South Park, Rick and Morty, The Orville, Laci Peterson, Gone: Forgotten Women of Ohio, and Mr. Mercedes, which is discussed across the board. Ammon has Channel Zero: No-End House. Law discusses Vice Principals, The Sinner, Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dream, and The Deuce.
2:15:46-QUOTE WHORES with New Sounder!
2:36:36-WHAT DID YOU WATCH? Law starts us off with a brief The Room recap,A Ghost Story (which Jack checked out as well), Leatherface, and Killing Gunther (which Ammon viewed). Ammon has a lil retro with ParaNorman. Ammon talks Halloween decorations. Then Jack talks Kingsman: The Golden Circle, The Big Sick, and Mother!
As you can see, this space is not taken up with the second part of our Matrix Retrospective. The reason for that is outlined in this podcast. But truth be told, we didn’t want to go another week without giving you guys something to listen to. So me, Alyx, and Episode IV decided to put a little something that we call a potpourri of topics, just like the old days of this show.
Lately, I have grown accustomed to producing a fully edited podcast that I like to make as professional as possible. But for this Aftertaste, I decided to keep it very, VERY raw. No editing of ‘uhs’ and ‘ums’. No long drawn out intros. No bloopers. Just us talking, analyzing, and yelling at each other, all things that listeners of the site are no doubt accustomed to.
We weren’t sure how the show was going to go, or if it would even be interesting. But I think we have a pretty decent discussion here. We begin the show by talking about the hiring of JJ Abrams in the fallout of finding a director for Episode IX. Note: This was recorded BEFORE the ridiculous petition was started by ‘fans’ to get him off the film. So, none of that is discussed here. But we all do share our views on what putting him in charge of concluding the new trilogy could mean for Star Wars as a whole.
We then talk about the life and career of the late Frank Vincent. An actor who had done plenty of film, tv, and even video game work all the way up until his death a couple weeks ago, Vincent certainly ran the gamut of a variety filled career, and we try our best to dissect said career in a span of ten or so minutes.
We then talk about the career of Darren Aronofsky, and I give my thoughts on one of the weirdest received films of our time, Mother. What did I think coming out of the film, and which side of the fence am I on? Also, do Episode IV and Alyx even care about what I have to say about the film?
All that and more in this forty plus minutes of discussion and drinking. Be sure to stay tuned to this space, because we will indeed be posting the second part of The Matrix Retrospective (and to those who forgot where we were at -cough, Alyx, cough cough- that’s The Animatrix) THIS Friday.
So listen to our thoughts on these pieces of news, and see you again on Friday!
Our old buddy Christian Tane is back with his look at the 2017 Toronto International Film Fest.
TIFF 2017 was much better in quality than TIFF 2016. I’ve seen 35 films – beating my previous record of 34 – and many of them were good or great. As usual, I tried as much as possible to avoid the big studio releases coming out in the next couple of months, with a few exceptions (couldn’t pass up on seeing “mother!” with an Aronofsky Q&A afterwards). That’s why titles like Del Toro’s “The Shape of Water”, Clooney’s “Suburbicon”, Payne’s “Downsizing”, Gilroy’s “Roman J. Israel, Esq” or Sorkin’s “Molly’s Game” are not in this list.
1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Martin McDonagh) – 10 on 10
Martin McDonagh goes full Coen Brothers in his latest, an excellent film set in Missouri, full of memorable characters and a story that’s intriguing from beginning to end. A clear step up from his previous two movies – “In Bruges” and “Seven Psychopats” – because, besides the hilarious black comedy and fun dialogue, this one actually has a great story, full of moral conundrums and plenty of shades of grey, not only in the characters’ actions, but in the characters themselves. However, once again, it’s the dialogue that steals the show – impressively written, full of wit, and at times laugh out loud funny. I was happy to hear this ended up winning the People’s Choice Award. Make sure you see it when it comes out in theaters later this year.
2. mother! (Darren Aronofsky) – 10 on 10
Not easy writing about this without giving away the allegory at the center of everything, but here it goes. This is yet another masterpiece from Darren Aronofsky, an incredibly dense, rich movie full of WTF moments, and carried by an impressive performance from Jennifer Lawrence. What, at the start, looks like your usual (albeit weird) home invasion thriller, creaky house and everything, it evolves into so much more. I was gripped throughout, and after piecing together what it all means (which, to me, happened sometime halfway through), it became even more fun. And even though the allegory is quite in-your-face (which might not sit well with some people), I thought everything about this was pitch perfect – flawless execution in a tense, crazy movie that’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before.
3. The Killing of a Sacred Deer (Yorgos Lanthimos) – 9 on 10
You probably should know by now what you’re going to get from Yorgos Lanthimos, and this new one is no exception. An intriguing, disturbing story, shot with the precision of a surgeon, set in a weird world and featuring a weird group of characters. This is a stylistic and directorial treat, from the outbursts of classical music to the complete lack of emotion in any piece of dialogue, an absurd story that can become quite suspenseful.
4. Brawl in Cell Block 99 (S. Craig Zahler) – 9 on 10
Vince Vaughn has never been this menacing. Sporting a large tattoo on the back of his head, and breaking everything in his path, from cars to bones, he’s taking us on quite a ride – full of grindhouse sensibilities, brutal violence, and a story that is surprisingly solid. I liked the setup and the care in establishing the characters before all the madness begins. I like the subdued yet striking look of the movie. I liked the last hour of intense bone-breaking action. Easily one of the most crazy fun movies I’ve seen at this year’s TIFF.
5. I Love You, Daddy (Louis CK) – 9 on 10
Louis CK’s string of exceptional filmmaking continues with this feature length movie that feels like an extended “Horace and Pete” episode mixed with an old Woody Allen movie, back when Woody Allen movies were good. Old school aesthetics, amplified by beautiful 35mm film, make this an impressive film to look at. Full of stars delivering smart, quality dialogue in Louis’ unmistakable style, “I Love You Daddy” is a film absolutely deserving of a wide release, so I was glad when it got picked up after the world premiere. Make sure you see it in theaters.
6. Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig) – 8 on 10
I love Greta Gerwig the actress, and if this directorial debut is any indication, I’m going to love Greta Gerwig the director. Borrowing heavily from the indie masters she worked with in the past, Gerwig creates a compelling coming of age drama set in a religious Sacramento family. Saoirse Ronan is great, as always, but it’s the sense of confidence behind the camera that really stuck with me. It’s an excellent, touching story told with honesty and flair.
7. Loveless (Andrey Zvyagintsev) – 8 on 10
Zvyagintsev’s follow up to “Leviathan” is a leaner, more direct drama than its predecessor, that is also an excellent portrait of current day Russia, this time seen through the eyes of divorcing parents looking for their missing child. Technically impressive, this solid character study might not have the same impact as Leviathan, but is an excellent movie in its own right.
8. Thelma (Joachim Trier) – 8 on 10
A moody, gorgeous, character-driven supernatural story from one of my favorite Scandinavian directors, “Thelma”, from the arresting opening scene all the way to the intense final act, is exactly what I would hope a director like Trier would do when crafting a genre story. Its cold, calculated world is built around its characters rather than the story, and it works. So, when the end approaches and answers are revealed, they hit. Beautiful cinematography and solid acting from everyone involved also lift this above your average supernatural thriller.
9. The Death of Stalin (Armando Ianucci) – 8 on 10
British humor about Russian politics is something that can’t really go wrong, especially if done by fast-talking politics comedy master Armando Ianucci. Like most of Ianucci’s previous work, this is also chock full of fast-paced, rich, hilarious dialogue. Very inventive and funny at times, but actively avoiding any attempt at drama or character development. Still, a great funny film, absolutely worth checking out.
10. Marrowbone (Sergio G. Sanchez) – 8 on 10
Atmospheric, stylish, slow-paced genre flick from the writer of “The Orphanage”, that keeps many of the qualities which made that movie great. It’s very moody, beautifully shot, the characters are interesting and the remote period setting adds to the creepiness of the well-built story. The genre elements, while excellent and suspenseful, at times seem to be secondary to the characters, and their relationships with each other and the world they ran away from. To me, any movie that puts characters and story first, and scares second, and does it in a beautiful, imaginative way, is worth seeing.
Honorable mention
The Disaster Artist (James Franco) – 7 on 10
I was never a fan of “The Room”, like many people in my crazy Midnight Madness crowd obviously are. But that didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying this extremely unbelievable but real story of how one of the worst movies ever made got made. James Franco and his brother Dave are amazing as Tommy and Greg, and the movie is good, fun and entertaining.
Law grills Chad C about how weird MOTHER! looks and how mediocre American Assassin probably is. Tune in every Thursday for Binge Media reviews of the weekends biggest movies.
This column will introduce you to the most popular movies that are coming out in theaters this weekend.
What movie will you see?
American Assassin
After his girlfriends tragic death and the weight of his past, Mitch Rapp gets enlisted by the CIA to train as a black op. Starring in this action flick are Dylan O’Brien, Michael Keaton, Taylor Kitsch, Scott Adkins, Charlotte Vega, Sanaa Lathan, and more. Michael Cuesta takes the helm of director. Cuesta has directed 2014’s Kill the Messenger, Roadie, and several episodes of Homeland and Dexter. Don’t be an ass. Go see American Assassin in theaters.
Brad’s Status
Ben Stiller stars as Brad Sloan who takes his son on a college visitation tour and while doing so, runs into old friends that change Brad’s look on his life. Also starring in this dramedy are Austin Abrams, Jenna Fischer, Michael Sheen, Jermaine Clement, Luke Wilson, and more. Mike White is the writer and director of this flick. White has writen The Emoji Movie, Nacho Libre, School of Rock, and Orange County. What’s your status this weekend? Oh, going to check Brad’s Status? Cool.
Mother!
Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem allow strangers to stay in their home. However, their relationship is tested and things are not what they seem. Also starring in this dramatic horror flick are Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Brian Gleeson, Domhnall Gleeson, and more. Darren Aronofsky is the writer and director of Mother!. Aronofsky’s last 4 directorial films are Noah, Black Swan, The Wrestler, and The Fountain. Don’t be a mother f’er, go see Mother in theaters this weekend.