The One Where Jon Negroni Chimes In
It is that time of year when Pixar brings us an original animated movie and as expected, we all went un poco loco for Coco. Joined by our ‘general manager’ or better known as that Pixar Theory Guy, Jon Negroni, we discuss the film’s design, music and characters. We start off the episode with a quick game of Lightning Round where we ask the question: What is your favorite Pixar character?
Go on…Part-Time Characters: Un Poco Loco for Pixar’s Coco
Coco is yet another major success for Pixar both critically and financially, and over Thanksgiving break we took some time on the podcast to review the film with special guest Matt Donato. We started the show with some discussion over the recent John Lasseter scandal and how that might affect (or have affected) the production of Toy Story 4. And we did find time to get into some spoilers for Coco with proper warning, of course.
In our packed Mini Review segment, Will Ashton and Matt Donato spoke at length about The Disaster Artist, the new A24 film starring James Franco, Dave Franco, and Seth Rogen. Will had a chance to finally share his thoughts on Darkest Hour, which is set to secure Gary Oldman an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Winston Churchill. I managed to sneak in my thoughts on Star Wars Battlefront II, pointing out how some plot details in the campaign may pave the way for details in the upcoming movies. Lastly, Donato discussed his spontaneous thoughts on I Love You Daddy, the Louis C.K. film that has been dropped by the distributor, as well as The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro’s latest film being both praised and ostracized for its polarizing material.
The One Where Adonis is Sick
Quote: What phrasing would you prefer Adonis? ‘I don’t know, making out. Or tonguing.’
TONGUING?!
In our shortest episode to date, Bridget, Adonis and I talk about superhero movies, both Marvel and DC. Adonis does his best to defend Justice League and their CGI over Henry Caville’s moustache and Bridget pretends she is not head over heels for Thor. Neither were very successful.
Go on…Part-Time Characters: Justice League and Thor Ragnarok Reviewed
Is Justice League the last comic book movie of 2017? If so, what a bizarre ending to one of the most bizarre years in comic book movie history (at least in recent years). What should have been the biggest comic book movie since, well, The Avengers, has arrived with little-to-no fanfare, but we’re here to judge the movie on its own, removed from any hype it may attempt to earn by merit of its seven icons.
I’m joined this week by my trusty cohosts Will Ashton and Maveryke Hines, but also special guest Craig Hanks from the Legendarium Podcast. You may remember I guested on that show to talk about The Dark Tower back in August, and per the holy podcast networking laws hiding in plain sight, it’s only fair to have Craig on this week to share his thoughts on Justice League, the DCEU, and where this frenetic franchise is headed next.
Aside from Justice League, we talk about The Punisher Season 1, plus some new movies you might be interested in. Pixar’s Coco (full review next week), Last Flag Flying, and Wonder get a few minutes each, and we finished out the show with some banter about new movies to come over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Go on…Cinemaholics Review: Justice League and The Punisher Season 1
The One Where We Come Back
Quote: Yup, Moms… They just do things. [Bridget Serdock]
We are so sorry we disappeared on you! October was a tough month for us thanks to Hurricane Maria, so it was a lot harder to get together, record, or even upload an episode. But now things are looking up and we’re here with a lengthy review of our favorite Netflix show of the moment, Stranger Things 2.
For the show this week, I’m joined by my regular co-host Will Ashton and special guest Kristen Lopez from Paste Magazine, Film School Rejects, and The Young Folks to review Murder on the Orient Express and Lady Bird, two films that honestly couldn’t be anymore different, but we’ll get to that in the podcast.
We originally recorded the show with Mini Reviews as usual, but sound issues forced us to cut the episode in half (which worked out because the episode had gone on far longer than planned). We’ll do those reviews for Coco, Last Flag Flying, and Walking Dead Season 8 next week.
That said, the main show covers two featured reviews at length, no spoilers for either. The first movie is Lady Bird, a wonderful A24 film directed and written by Greta Gerwig that has been topping many “best of 2017” lists already on the minds of critics. It’s yet another Oscar-worthy performance from Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn) complemented by a fantastic cast. Murder on the Orient Express is the second review of the show, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in the adaptation of Agatha Christie’s landmark novel. It’s the classic “whodunnit” modernized for 2017, so be sure to manage your expectations if you’re planning on giving this one a shot.
Go on…Cinemaholics Review: Lady Bird and Murder on the Orient Express
I always feel bad about writing the headlines for these because we reviewed a lot more than Thor: Ragnarok and Stranger Things Season 2. We also talked about Wonderstruck, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and Super Mario Odyssey (a game for once!), in addition to the heavy hitters you want to hear about.
On Thor: Ragnarok, we spent some time debating our opinions on the first two Thor movies, followed by a thorough discussion on this new film. Will Ashton and I had the most disagreement over the film, while Maveryke Hines had an opinion somewhere in the middle. As always, it made for a fantastic debate I’ll be curious to revisit in a few months when the dust has settled. For now, I can safely say that director Taika Waititi should be allowed to do whatever film he wants from now until the end of time.
Go on…Cinemaholics Review: Thor: Ragnarok and Stranger Things 2