Categories
Back Seat Box Office BSBO Results Shows

Back Seat Box Office #88 Results and Voice Mail

Congrats to Uriah for his 24 this week.

Thanks to Tad for his voicemail.

Big Congrats to Tim for eeking out his victory over BD by just over .008 points.

Categories
Back Seat Quickies Shows

Back Seat Quickies #48: Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker

In the seat:

  • Scott
Recorded: 05/29/12
Categories
Back Seat Producers Season 07 Shows

BSP Episode 229: The Fall

Release date:  5/30/2008

Roadside Attractions

Directed by

  • Tarsem Singh

Produced by

  • Tarsem Singh
  • Ajit Singh
  • Tommy Turtle

Written by

  • Tarsem Singh
  • Dan Gilroy
  • Nico Soultanakis

Cast

Lee Pace

  • Roy Walker/Red Bandit

Catinca Untaru

  • Alexandria/Red Bandit’s daughter

 

Before discussion of the movie even begins, there is a necessary and sexy discussion regarding David’s beard, it’s transformation and the future of his facial hair.

 

Initial comments by the hosts:

Darrell thought it was a very strange movie (in a good way!) that sucked you in, in the way that it kept falling into the fantasy and Alexandria’s (Catinca Untaru) imagination of what Walker’s (Lee Pace) story meant to her (how she translated it in her young mind).  He also thought that between the sounds and the visual beauty of the film, you kept falling down this rabbit-hole, not knowing where it was going to end.  David adored the movie and loved that this film fully explored the visual medium.  He was very impressed with the fact that there were no special effects used in the movie.  He was less interested in the story in the hospital, but thought it was still fantastic.

 

The hosts all agreed that the little girl stole every scene she was in.  Because most of Untaru’s acting consisted of reacting to what was given to her and not having very much of a scripted dialogue, she gave a very natural performance.  Tony said that when he finished the movie, he was still processing it, and it wasn’t until later that he could fully embrace how good the movie was.  The hosts all appreciated how the film was less about the story itself and more about the relationship between Walker and Alexandria.

 

One thing that resonated with Darrell was the way that Walker used and manipulated Alexandria to procure drugs for him (morphine), as an addict does.  Tony and David argued that neither of them felt that Walker was an addict, but was only trying to kill himself.

 

The manner in which Alexandria pulled the characters (the hospital workers in dual roles) into Walker’s story was reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz and very well done.  The hosts also liked how Walker used his relationship with his Evelyn and Sinclair/Odious to shape his story for the little girl.

 

Tony and Darrell brought up how the sounds of the outside world would bleed into the story and impact it, as sometimes happens in dreams.  They also liked how Walker had to keep adapting the story to keep Alexandria interested, as one would have to do for a child.  Another fantastic piece was how Alexandria believed the story was real throughout most of the film, but when Walker began to kill off the characters at the end, she insisted that Walker was making that part of the story up.

The hosts all enthusiastically recommend this film

Trivial bits and pieces:

This movie was inspired by the Bulgarian movie, Yo ho ho.

The film was shot on 26 locations over 18 countries.

Catinca Untaru initially believed that Lee Pace was really a paraplegic, and Tarsem Singh found that this brought an added level of believability to her dialogue, so he decided to keep almost the entire cast and crew under the same impression.  It was difficult to keep up the lie, as a makeup artist almost passed out from shock after walking into a room to find Pace standing up.

The hospital scenes with Untaru were shot in chronological order, as the child’s English improved over time; she grew taller and lost her two front baby teeth before filming started.

Alexandria’s misinterpretation of the letter E as the number 3 in the “morphine” note written by Walker was an actual mistake by Untaro.  Singh realized he could adapt that into a clever twist in the story.

 

Your Producers for this episode were:

  • Tony
  • Darrell
  • David

This episode was recorded: 5/9/2012

Categories
Announcement

Theatrical Review: Men In Black III

The vicious alien known as Boris The Animal has just escaped imprisonment on the moon and is now hellbent on getting his revenge on the man who put him there: Agent K of the Men In Black. Boris’ plan is to go back in time and stop K before the young K can stop him, and he succeeds wiping out all existence of anything that K has accomplished with one exception; his partner Agent J still remembers everything. Now Agent J plans to go back in time to 1969 and keep Boris from eliminating the young Agent K.

That’s the nutshell premise to Men In Black III, the latest film in the series and it’s also the latest movie from director Barry Sonnenfeld who directed the prior two movies. Sonnenfeld was last seen on the big screen in 2006 with RV and prior to that, 2002 with Men In Black II. He’s been spending the last few years working in television. Now honestly, until a few months ago, I wasn’t even aware that there was a third Men In Black movie even coming and I more or less thought that this series was pretty much through (especially considering that MIBII really wasn’t that good of a film). When I saw the original trailer for Men In Black III I thought it looked like it was going to be a lot of fun and thankfully, it is.

Men In Black III takes a bit of a different turn from the prior two movies providing more of a focus on J and K’s partnership and their origins. It’s got a lot of sentimentality and I think it’s hitting this series at just the right time. Oh, it still has all of the alien wackiness of the first two movies, but it takes a second place to a bigger display of heart. The start-up of the film is a little on the slow side, but once Agent J makes his time jump, the pace of the film picks up considerably. the film’s humor isn’t raucous, but more gentle inducing more smiles than belly laughs.

The film absolutely looks terrific and it’s clear that Sonnenfeld shot this with 3D in mind. It wasn’t shot in 3D, but converted, but it was a planned conversion. It really does look terrific and thanks to Sonnenfeld’s shooting style, it absolutely works with lots of in-your-face 3D effects as well as plenty of scene immersion. The visual effects are beautiful and master make-up effects artist Rick Baker gets a chance to shine here with his alien make-up work. Composer Danny Elfman has also returned to the series and provides the right familiarity with his score.

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones both reprise their roles as J and K respectively, and while Men In Black III won’t be seen as their best work, it’s still good stuff and the two still display the same chemistry that was seen in the prior films, but getting even a little stronger by the end. Josh Brolin plays the young Agent K in 1969 and it’s a pitch-perfect impersonation of Tommy Lee Jones, yet there’s still a little glint of wonder to this character that the older K doesn’t have. Smith and Jones are great, but I tend to think Brolin steals the show.

New to the series, you have Emma Thompson playing Agent O who assumes command of the Men In Black after the passing of Zed (played by Rip Torn in the prior movies). Alice Eve (most recently seen in The Raven) plays O in 1969 and I think both version of this character are welcome additions to this series providing Agent K with way more depth than previously seen. Michael Stuhlbarg plays Griffin, the last survivor of an alien race who can see all of the possibilities of the future at any moment, and he also provides a nice sense of wonder. Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords plays Boris The Animal and he’s pretty good as the vicious villain sort of reminding of what you might get if you crossed Mark Ruffalo with Tim Curry. There’s even a couple of nice cameos with Will Arnett playing Agent AA, who’s K’s partner in the altered future and former X Factor judge and Pussycat Doll, Nicole Scherzinger playing Boris’ girlfriend who helps him escape from the moon.

Men In Black III is a fun movie and in my mind, just the right sort of movie to follow in the wake of The Avengers, it’s a smaller sort of blockbuster still filled with terrific visuals, but with a bigger display of heart. It’s comfort food on the big screen with some new spice added thanks to terrific work from Josh Brolin. If you’re like most, you loved the original film and were disappointed by the second, fortunately third time is indeed the charm here and I expect you’ll have a good time with Men In Black III.

Categories
Back Seat Box Office Shows

Back Seat Box Office #88

Picks:

Tony, Jonathan, Lena:

  1. MIB 3
  2. The Avengers
  3. Chernobyl Diaries
  4. Battleship
  5. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel  (wide release)

Andrew, William:

  1. MIB 3
  2. The Avengers
  3. Battleship
  4. Chernobyl Diaries
  5. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Father Beast:

  1. MIB 3
  2. The Avengers
  3. Chernobyl Diaries
  4. Battleship
  5. Dark Shadows

Mrs. Beast:

  1. The Avengers
  2. MIB 3
  3. Battleship
  4. The Dictator
  5. Chernobyl Diaries

Mennolly:

  1. The Avengers
  2. MIB 3
  3. Battleship
  4. Dark Shadows
  5. The Dictator

There are no other wide releases this week.

Categories
Back Seat Box Office BSBO Results Shows

Back Seat Box Office #87 Results and Voice Mail

Thanks to Tad for the voice mail.

Congrats to BD, Lena, Tony, and Monty for their 25s this week.

Categories
Back Seat Quickies Shows

Back Seat Quickies #47: Being Elmo

In the seat:

  • Scott
  • Sam
Recorded: 05/21/12
Categories
Back Seat Producers Season 07 Shows

BSP Episode 228: This is Spinal Tap

Part 5 of our 5 part Rock ‘n Roll series

Release date:  3/2/1984

Embassy Pictures

Directed by

  • Rob Reiner

Produced by

  • Karen Murphy

Written by

  • Christopher Guest
  • Michael McKean
  • Harry Shearer
  • Rob Reiner

Cast

Rob Reiner

  • Marty DiBergi

Michael McKean

  • David St. Hubbins

Christopher Guest

  • Nigel Tufnel

Harry Shearer

  • Derek Smalls

1:03  2012 RPG Podcast Listeners’ Survey – TAKE THE SURVEY!

http://rpgpolls.com/fill/survey/2012-RPG-Podcast-Listener-Survey/The-Podge-Cast

3:28  Prometheus – Happy Birthday, David.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFyU10B5Jt0

4:05  David discusses watching Michael Fassbender urinate.

5:10  Host reviews.

8:00  This is the one time the pod didn’t open, why didn’t they show all the other times?

8:25  David (unless you’re Tony, then he’s Adam) has hairballs.

8:50  David’s the only one at the table who could shave and pull off a Wolverine.

9:25  David admitted that he fast-forwarded every time a song started… you what??

9:35  Big Bottom… Sex Farm.

9:40  I’m gonna plow your beanfield!

9:48  My silo is rising!

10:10  The hosts loved the cameos.

10:42  David: Who’s Angelica Houston?  Jill: (sighing) Oh my God.

11:40  What Jill liked…

12:10  What Tony liked…

12:25  Rob Reiner’s awkward hand movements.

12:45  Rob Reiner in spandex?  There isn’t a pod big enough!

13:12  Some else’s vomit.  You can’t dust for vomit.

14:15  The bass player with the pipe, he’s the intellectual one.

14:45  Jill dared to say it… Nic Cage is not aging well!

15:00  David will take any Nic Cage he can get.

15:10  How did Lenny Kosnowski become David St. Hubbins?

15:52  Stonehenge sh*% was hysterical!

16:10  We have armadillos in our pants!

17:23  Trivia time with Jill.

18:00  Is Spinal Tap a real band?

18:40  Darrell discusses Spinal Tap’s DVD releases and copywriting issues.

19:20  Help, we are going into the pop business!

20:00  Well, we’re huge in Japan.

20:34  The hosts get sentimental with lyrics.

20:35  My baby fits me like a flesh torpedo, I love to sink her with my pink torpedo.

20:45  Talk about mud flaps, my baby’s got ‘em!

21:00  The looser the waistband, the deeper the quicksand.  Or so I have read.

21:08  Drives me out of my mind.  How can I leave this… behind?

21:27  Lick my love pump.

21:35  It’s a mix between Mozart and Bach.

22:00  Oh, she’s dead.  What?  No.  Yeah.  No.  No, she’s not dead.  You’re right.

22:45  Geoff: Part of the brilliance of the movie was the gradual deterioration of the band’s success as represented by dwindling Americana.

23:09  And the puppets have a bigger dressing room.

23:55  Odd sexual references to Deuce and Luke.

24:45  Mr. Bentley from The Jeffersons.

25:30  Their other movies; A Mighty Wind, Best in Show, For Your Consideration, Waiting for Guffman.

25:55  They named the drummers after the different “Curly” characters from The Three Stooges.

26:25  A nice wrap-up to the Rock Series.

26:35  David was disappointed by the lack of penis in the movie.

26:50  Well, there WAS the cucumber!

27:23  Instead of a movie where a nobody becomes a rock star (Rock Star), this was a movie about how a rock star can become a nobody.

28:00  Back to Rock Star, lamenting the fact that Jennifer Aniston didn’t get naked.

28:36  David wants Tony to record a parody video, playing the part of all three characters.

28:45  Challenge accepted (yet… I’ve seen no such video).

29:00  Spinal Tap-only karaoke at David’s Cinco de Mayo party.

29:44  Broken mailboxes and more vomit.

30:10  David’s beloved track pants.

30:30  Darrell wraps this party up by stating that This Is Spinal Tap is rated by The Library of Congress as one of the Top 100 Movies of all Time.

31:10  David’s turned on by lists.

31:20  Melina calls David to get the story straight.

32:30  Relationship pro-tip from David.

33:18  Is that Sauron’s University?  U of I?

Your Producers for this episode were:

  • Tony
  • Darrell
  • Jill
  • David

This episode was recorded: 5/9/2012

Categories
Announcement

Theatrical Review: Battleship

Alex Hopper is a 26-year old young man with no direction in life. On his attempt to impress a girl, he gets in trouble with the police. Alex’s brother Stone, a Naval Commander, lays down the law to his brother and makes him get his life in order by joining the Navy. As Alex and Stone are about to engage in war games, an alien threat comes into play, of course threatening to take over our planet.

That’s the real simple premise to Battleship, the latest Hasbro game and toy property to get the big screen treatment following in the wake of the Transformers series and the first G.I. Joe movie (with another of those coming as well). It’s also the latest film from director Peter Berg, who’s previous films have included The Rundown, Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom and Hancock.

I was curious to see this for a couple of reasons:

1. I thought it had a great initial trailer
2. I’m a fan of Berg’s previous films with the one exception being Hancock.
3. I had the Battleship game as a kid, loved it to death and of course was curious to see just how you’d make a movie out of this.

Now, just as I was curious to see it, I was also keeping my expectations pretty low. It is after all based on a game without any discernible characters and the game itself is pretty simple, so while I was curious I wasn’t expecting this to be as bright a spot as say, The Avengers when it comes to big screen, effects-laden action films. And also, initial word on the street hasn’t been all that encouraging either. But still, I am a fan of Berg’s, so I was certainly open to give it chance and make up my own mind about it.

It’s fortunate that I kept my expectations low… yeah, it’s nowhere near being the bright spot that the other big alien invasion movie out there right now (that of course being the aforementioned Avengers film), but it still has it’s moments. I just don’t expect those moments to be enough for anyone to want to give this anything further than a single look (though I do like this more than I did Hancock).

For something like the approach taken here, which is basically following the same pattern as other big budget alien invasion blockbusters since Independence Day, logic is thrown out the window. I expect that and am pleasantly surprised when it’s actually displayed. With Battleship, there’s no pretense at all that logic was ever even in consideration with all sorts of moments throughout that has you questioning the choice made. What Berg’s chosen to do is basically take the time to make his Michael Bay film wanting to bowl you over with it’s explosive effects and a salute to the military. There’s nothing at all wrong with doing that, it just goes over better when you have some actual smarts going into it as well as some really engaging characters, both of which Battleship lacks.

Taylor Kitsch plays Alex Hopper and right now, this isn’t exactly a good year for the young actor. Personally, I liked him in John Carter though he wouldn’t have been my first choice to play the part (that would’ve been Lost’s Josh Holloway). Here he’s not exactly real likable from the start, though of course he has a transformation during the film. The transformation is by rote though, just being a necessity to get through to it’s end and isn’t quite natural, though really that can be said for any of the characters throughout the film, they’re all cliches that are basically going through the motions. Of note though, this also features Liam Neeson as the Admiral of the Fleet and the big-screen debut for pop singer Rihanna. Neeson’s there to give this some gravity, but honestly it really doesn’t help much, especially considering that he’s only in the movie for about 10-15 minutes total.

But to give the film credit, it does have a great look and I thought the special effects were really nicely done. Steve Jablonsky has supplied a pretty powerful score that certainly helps punctuate the action. To me though, the coolest thing in the movie is a nighttime scene that actually pays real homage to the game on which Battleship is based on. This one scene is the most clever idea in the whole piece, it has intensity and it also brings it out from the players as well. It’s just a shame that the rest of the movie couldn’t have been this clever.

With all that being said, I still had some fun with Battleship but I’ll certainly grant you that it could’ve been a lot better than what it is here. It’s not exactly a recommendation, but it’s not a total loss either. There’s certainly a better option out there now, that being seeing The Avengers either for the first time or a second or third time (I’ve now seen it twice and it just keeps getting better) and there’s more promising things coming down the road. If you’re at all curious about seeing Battleship then certainly do so, but it’s best to keep those expectation way, way on the low side.

Categories
Back Seat Box Office Shows

Back Seat Box Office #87

Picks:

Jonathan:

  1. The Avengers
  2. Battleship
  3. What to Expect When You’re Expecting
  4. The Dictator
  5. Dark Shadows

Andrew, William:

  1. The Avengers
  2. Battleship
  3. The Dictator
  4. What to Expect When You’re Expecting
  5. Dark Shadows

Tony, BD, Lena:

  1. The Avengers
  2. Battleship
  3. The Dictator
  4. Dark Shadows
  5. What to Expect When You’re Expecting

There are no other wide releases this week.