Cinema Fix

In this episode, Andrew and Monica give their general thoughts on the sequel to the adaptation of the comic book Kick-Ass, which followed a normal high school student who decides to become a superhero. Is Kick-Ass 2 an effective follow-up? Tune in to find out. SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 13:47 - General thoughts 12:28 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Neill Blomkamp's follow-up to the critically-acclaimed District 9 stars Matt Damon as a working man in the future who decides to take on the wealthiest members of society who live in a space station high above Earth. Does Sharlto Copley make a good villain? Just how exactly does this futuristic government work? And is Matt Damon a hippo or a meerkat? Tune in to find out. SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 4:09 - General thoughts 11:22 - The character of Kruger 23:45 - Jodie Foster and her plan for a coup 29:14 - How it handles allegory 37:08 - Which animal is Matt Damon? 41:22 - Reboot This! 42:44 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Andrew and Monica discuss the racial politics of Hollywood and how an interesting script can sometimes get lost in the execution in their spoiler-filled analysis of 2 Guns. What's up with Paula Patton's character and her decision to do nudity? How is the relationship her character has with Denzel's one of the more tragic in recent memory? And is the movie's depiction of Mexicans offensive or just a symptom or a larger institutional problem?  Tune in to find out. Plus, Hollywood would be wise to take note of their ideas for a sequel in Reboot This! SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 2:37 - Awful title 3:48 - Paula Patton, nudity and female characters 8:56 - Denzel's tragic relationship history 11:18 - How the ending betrays its anti-institution themes 15:50 - Supporting actors that chew the scenery 19:49 - The chicken scene 21:43 - Racist against Mexicans? 29:13 - Reboot This! 33:48 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Spoiler: There are more than two guns in this movie. In this episode, Andrew and Monica give their general thoughts on 2 Guns, a new buddy-cop thriller starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. Is there anything fresh here, or is it just the same thing we've seen a million times before? Is it possible to be both? Tune in to find out. SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 2:39 - General thoughts 10:09 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

So much of The Wolverine works so well that the parts that don't work well are extra frustrating. In this episode, Andrew and Monica discuss what they liked about the film and then break down the problematic third act beat by beat. Why is the opening scene so effective? How come Yukio disappears so much? Why are people suddenly switching loyalties, and just what was the big conspiracy after all? Tune in to find out. Plus, they examine the mid-credits scene and pitch a few sequels in Reboot This! SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 2:22 - The opening scene in Japan 4:45 - Bullet trains 6:50 - The conspiracy 8:35 - Third act issues, the surgery scene 11:54 - Viper and the plan 16:30 - A strange amount of profanity 17:47 - The case of the disappearing Yukio 19:08 - Wolverine's bear buddy 22:45 - Silver Samurai and bone marrow 32:23 - Bone claws 35:25 - Mariko 41:24 - End credits scene 50:58 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Andrew and Monica give their spoiler-free thoughts on the latest installment in the X-Men film franchise, The Wolverine. Is it better than his last solo outing? Is the PG-13 rating appropriate? And why does this feel so much different from superhero movies like Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel? Tune in to find out. SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 2:57 - General thoughts 10:28 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Charlie Nash from Avenging Angels and Your Magazine Emerson stops by to discuss The Conjuring. Or rather, he drops in to help Monica explain to Andrew why he's wrong. Are "rules" necessary for this sort of horror film? Do its parallel character threads fully mesh together? And just why is it called The Conjuring anyway? Tune in to find out. SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 3:10 - Charlie's general thoughts 5:20 - Andrew nitpicks the title 7:38 - James Wan's technical skills 11:00 - The "rules" of the demons 20:09 - The arc of Vera Farmiga's character 22:41 - Strong female characters? 25:29 - The MPAA rating 27:00 - Men don't get haunted 33:00 - Is it a preachy "God" movie? 40:51 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Who needs the Ghostbusters when you've got the Warrens? James Wan's latest horror film The Conjuring is based on a supposedly true story about a real-life haunting and the couple that made a living exorcising demons. Is it as creepy as his previous efforts? Tune in to find out. SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 3:55 - General thoughts 10:28 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Andrew and Monica discuss what makes Pacific Rim such an enjoyable summer movie and what could have been done to make it even better. How does the action direction distract from the flaws of the script? What's the one major plot hole? Could the emotional arcs have contributed to some of the tension? Tune in to find out. Plus, they give their ideas for a prequel, sequel or franchise cross-over! SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 3:16 - Fighting through an avatar 5:05 - Drifting, lack of emotional arcs 12:56 - Is the Raleigh/Mako relationship romantic? 16:04 - Other pilots 17:22 - One major plot hole 21:11 - Overlooking the flaws, action direction 23:47 - Reboot This! 32:17 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

The epic battle between Jaegers and kaiju is finally here! Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim is one of the most highly-anticipated films of the year--at least by geeks online--but is it a fitting entry into his filmography? Does this battle for humanity impress, or is it just as exhausting as all the others we've seen this summer? Tune in to find out. SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 3:23 - General thoughts 15:46 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Monica is angry. Very angry. In this episode, she and Andrew have a passionate debate about the extent to which good intentions can save a movie that in certain respects, yeah, is pretty racist. How does The Lone Ranger attempt to package a non-mainstream message in a mainstream movie? Is Johnny Depp's Tonto really a racist and damaging depiction of Native Americans? Why is cannibalism a dominant motif? And can Hollywood please give Armie Hammer another chance? Plus, Reboot This! SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 3:49 - Johnny Depp and whether this Tonto is racist 11:38 - Native Americans as "ghosts"--is that offensive? 14:18 - Putting a non-mainstream message in a mainstream movie; whose movie is it? 23:29 - Conflicting philosophies of violence 27:48 - Poor craft 31:11 - Whether scenes were cut 34:51 - Helena Bonham Carter and cannibalism 39:11 - What if it had worked? 44:27 - Armie Hammer and the lack of a modern-day go-to blockbuster hero 50:47 - Ruth Wilson and Barry Pepper 53:44 - Reboot This! 11:39 -

Hi-Ho Silver, Away! In this episode, Andrew and Monica give their general thoughts on The Lone Ranger. Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp star as the iconic masked hero and his Native American sidekick, respectively. Has director Gore Versinski made another great popcorn movie in the vein of Pirates of the Caribbean? Tune in to find out. SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 3:49 - General thoughts 11:39 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Andrew and Monica get their degree in the Scare Program at Monsters University! Is Pixar's latest sequel an improvement from their last few offerings? Does it change how one might view Monsters Inc.? And how is it a radical departure from the vast majority of family entertainment? Tune in to find out. Plus, Reboot This! SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 4:37 - General thoughts 12:12 - Spoilers: The ending 18:30 - Thematically different than most family entertainment 23:57 - College campus bubble 27:32 - Disney and future sequels 33:54 - Reboot This! 39:21 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Rod Morrow from The Black Guy Who Tips joins Andrew and Monica to debate the merits of Man of Steel. How important is it to have character development along with action? What's up with Clark's dad? Is Zack Snyder improving or getting worse? And is this the worst Lois Lane we've ever seen on the big screen? Plus, a tangential conversation about the nature of film criticism, and you won't believe what everyone pitches in this week's edition of Reboot This! SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 6:28 - Impossible White Man movies 9:08 - Rod's thoughts on the film 13:52 - Lots of punching, the climactic moment 18:23 - Clark's development 21:25 - Assuming we know stuff 30:24 - Action "stuff" vs. character 36:37 - 9/11 imagery 40:19 - The problem with invincibility 47:07 - Kevin Costner does dumb stuff 52:00 - Lois Lane and the Daily Planet 58:28 - Michael Shannon as Zod 59:47 - Lots of supporting people 1:04:25 - A conversation on criticism and internet culture 1:14:11 - Reboot This! 1:23:13 - Show

It's a bird, it's a plane... but is it a good movie? In this episode, Andrew and Monica give some quick spoiler-free thoughts on Zack Snyder's reboot of the Superman film series, Man of Steel. Is this a refreshing new take on the DC superhero? Tune in to find out. SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 3:16 - General thoughts 12:46 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

In this segment, Andrew and Monica figure out where This Is The End goes right and wrong. Does the religious stuff work? When is rape humor not offensive? Could they be declaring an end to this type of comedy? Tune in to find out. Plus, as always, Reboot This! SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 3:04 - General thoughts 12:32 - Rape humor, and when/whether it works 19:56 - On penises and how funny they are 23:00 - References to their previous films 28:02 - Craig Robinson and urine 31:28 - Cameos 33:57 - The ending 34:58 - The stuff about friendship 37:47 - Reboot This! 42:43 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride are not exactly who you might want to hang out with during the Apocalypse. But that's the set-up for This Is The End, a new comedy directed by writing team Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen. Is this movie rapturously good or 100 minutes of hell?  Tune in to hear Andrew and Monica give their spoiler-free thoughts. SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 4:30 - General thoughts 13:53 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Andrew and Monica discuss the ways in which After Earth is Shyamalawful and Shyamalawesome. How bad are the first 20 minutes? Does Jaden Smith have the potential to surpass his father as an actor? How does the film handle its central theme about fear? Tune in to find out. Plus, as always, they figure out how to make a franchise work in Reboot This! SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 2:39 - The opening 20 minutes 4:46 - The passage of time 6:54 - Holes in the world-building 12:09 - Weird science 16:21 - Fun with animals! 20:17 - Two-dimensional characters 23:35 - The theme of fear 26:54 - Comparisons to another film about one generation guiding another through disaster 28:40 - Jaden's acting, institutional racism 32:40 - The lack of Shyamalan twists 36:10 - Reboot This! and a brief conversation about title cards (or lack thereof) 45:23 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Director M. Night Shyamalan had a string of hits in the late 90s and early part of the millennium, but his last few offerings have been critically reviled. His latest film is After Earth, which stars Will Smith and Jaden Smith as a father and son in the future who crash land on Earth, which is now inhospitable to humans. It's a tale of survival, but were Monica and Andrew able to survive the 100 minutes it took to sit through it? Tune in to hear their spoiler-free thoughts. SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro and clip 3:36 - General thoughts 17:14 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Vroom vroom! In this episode, Andrew and Monica are joined by EDGE Boston's Jake Mulligan to discuss Fast & Furious 6. Jake claims to be a "connoisseur" of the franchise, so does he think this installment lives up to the ridiculous action insanity of Fast Five? Tune in to find out. SHOW NOTES: 0:06 - An explanation 3:09 - Intro and clip 6:47 - General thoughts 8:53 - Sexism, or appropriate? 13:18 - Plot and action 24:15 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing cinemafix@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!