Categories
Back Seat Producers Season 08 Shows

BSP Episode 277a: Winter’s Bone – Split Audio/Stereo

In this episode, we tried something new.  As you might know, we are attempting to learn to play musical instruments.  This week we decided to plug our guitars into the mixer and fiddling around with them while we chatted.

There are 3 different versions of this episode.

  • Version A: Split Audio/Stereo (This version) – If you listen to this version, you’ll hear our voices in your left ear and the guitars in the right.
  • Version B: Mixed Audio/Mono – If you listen to this version, you’ll hear both our voices and the music in either ear (or both).
  • Version C: Voice Only/Mono – If you listen to this version, you’ll hear just our voices.  This one is shorter because I cut out the pauses where we are playing our instruments.  You might also hear some background string plucking that our vocal mics picked up.

Let us know what you think of our little experiment, good or bad.

 

Release date – 6/11/2012

Roadside Attractions

 

Directed by

  • Debra Granik

Produced by

  • Anne Rosellini
  • Alix Madigan

Written by

  • Debra Granik
  • Anne Rosellini

Based on Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell

 

Cast

Jennifer Lawrence

  • Ree Dolly

John Hawkes

  • Teardrop Dolly

 

  • Thriller? Not so much.  Investigation?  More like that.
  • Yes, Jennifer Lawrence is talented.
  • Everybody move to Missouri!
  • And hillbillies.
  • Chainsaw?  What?
  • Detour to This Is The End
  • The WHAT fight? (No, really.  I listened to that three times.)
  • Channing Tatum love.
  • James Franco fan club.
  • Hereafter
  • Bass & guitar lessons… kinda.
  • Yes, I do deserve an award.
  • Pacific Rim & Transformers

 

Your Producers for this episode were:

  • Tony
  • David
  • Fatbeats McGee

This episode was recorded:  7/03/13

Categories
Announcement

Theatrical Review: The Lone Ranger

In the old west, the prosperity of the American railroad and progress for the country is threatened by the sadistic outlaw, Butch Cavendish. Cavendish has been captured and is about to be brought to justice, but his gang has been planning an escape. The escape is thwarted thanks to the mixed efforts by a newly anointed District Attorney, John Reid, and another prisoner, the Indian known as Tonto. Cavendish is brought to jail, but escapes again. John Reid, now deputized as a Texas Ranger by his brother Dan, joins a group of seven other Texas Rangers again on the hunt for Cavendish, only to massacred in a brutal ambush. John Reid survives the attack thanks to the efforts of Tonto, and now the two begin a trek to again bring Cavendish to justice, with Reid donning a mask to a hide his identity.

That’s an extremely loose description of the premise to The Lone Ranger the latest film from those who made the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and star Johnny Depp. I think that could be the real gauge of whether or not you like The Lone Ranger; if you’re a fan of those movies, you’ll probably have a pretty good time with this, I’m not exactly what you’d call a fan of those movies though.

In retrospect, I probably should’ve just sit this one out. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with what I saw in the initial trailers for the film, thinking this was going to be more of a send-up than anything else. Later trailers got me a little more enthused, with a lot more action and looking like this was going to be a little bit more serious than what I’d initially thought. I like the Lone Ranger in general, really enjoying the old Clayton Moore/Jay Silverheels TV series and the Filmation cartoons, but I wouldn’t exactly consider myself a fan. But still I think this has plenty of cinematic potential in the right hands, unfortunately I don’t think this is the right team for the job.

There’s a scene after Tonto discovers the still-living John Reid, that sums up the film for me anyway. Tonto is taking an unconscious Reid someplace where he can recover. Tonto is riding the horse that will be known as Silver and is pulling Reid behind him on a makeshift gurney. The horse stops to take a big dump and then continues to go forward then dragging Reid through what’s left behind, all to get a cheap laugh. Seeing that scene just made me wonder if there was any real respect for the legend of these characters at all- this doesn’t laugh with it’s characters, it laughs at them and is constantly punctuated by Depp’s characteristic quirky takes.

It tries to mix poignancy with it’s humor, offering up a couple of scenes that give off an extreme commentary of the genocide of the Indians during the old west, but just as quickly as these intense scenes end, they get punctuated with a joke that makes these scenes of seriousness just totally out of place in this movie.

On it’s plus side, it certainly does have a good look to it, and there’s an inspired use by composer Hans Zimmer of the classic William Tell Overture during a climactic chase scene. The unfortunate thing though is that at that point, I was just waiting for this to just end. The movie weighs in at two and half hours and just loads more and more into the mix as it goes on… and on. This could’ve easily had a half hour trimmed from it to make for something that moves at a more even clip.

Johnny Depp is hit and miss with me these days, though lately it’s more “miss” than anything else. His Tonto reminds me of a mix of a bad Jay Silverheels impression, with Dustin Hoffman from Little Big Man and Joey Bishop from the classic western comedy, Texas Across The River. There’s just too much mugging for the camera and winking at the audience for my tastes. Armie Hammer plays John Reid/the Lone Ranger starting off as a totally foppish character who is just inept at every turn. The two play their relationship together like a bickering couple which basically smacks in the face of the classic relationship between the two characters. I can’t really blame Hammer for this, but I certainly can blame Depp who has a producer credit in the film as well and who I’d like to think should just know better. Well, I take that back… what they did is just fine for the movie they wanted to make, this just isn’t the movie about the Lone Ranger and Tonto that I wanted to see.

There’s good support here, by William Fichtner (as Cavendish), Tom Wilkinson, Ruth Wilson, Helena Bonham Carter, James Badge Dale and Barry Pepper, but again I use the term “good” based around the movie they made and this not being the movie about the characters that I wanted to see.

The Lone Ranger was clearly just not the movie that I wanted to see. I’d love to see a director like a Lawrence Kasdan (Silverado) or George Miller (the Mad Max movies) get a hold of this and make something that could be thrilling and inspiring with just the right touches of humor that work for the situation rather than laugh at it. If you’re wild about the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, then you may very well have a good time with this and more power to you. For myself, I was left at the end asking “Who was that masked man?” and not in the good way…

Categories
Back Seat Book Club Shows

Back Seat Book Club – Book Ten: American Gods

Author: Neil Gaiman

Published: 2001

William Morrow

Plot Summary – Days before his release from prison, Shadow’s wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America.

Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm or preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Quick Thoughts:

[forthcoming]

“Hey,” said Shadow. “Huginn or Muninn, or whoever you are.” 
The bird turned, head tipped, suspiciously, on one side, and it stared at him with bright eyes.
“Say ‘Nevermore,'” said Shadow.
“F— you,” said the raven.”

Your Hosts:

  • Lena
  • Pedro
  • Scott

Recorded 05/30/13

Next Time: Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord

Categories
Back Seat Box Office Shows

Back Seat Box Office #146 & Results #145

Congrats to Art, BD and Cougron for their perfect 25s!

Thanks to Nick for his voice mail.

Picks:

Art

  1. Despicable Me 2
  2. The Lone Ranger
  3. Monsters University
  4. The Heat
  5. Man of Steel

Jeff

  1. Despicable Me 2
  2. The Lone Ranger
  3. Monsters University
  4. The Heat
  5. World War Z

Lena

  1. Despicable Me 2
  2. The Lone Ranger
  3. The Heat
  4. Monsters University
  5. World War Z

Back Seat Art House picks:

  • Art & Jeff – The Way Way Back
  • Lena – The Look of Love

Back Seat Art House standings:

  1. Lena – $112,163
  2. Art – $107,646
  3. Jeff – $100,409
  4. Fr. Beast – $56,861
  5. BD – $42,879

 

Categories
Back Seat Reality Shows

Back Seat Reality #15

At the end of this episode, released on the day we celebrate the Independence of the United States of America, we also mention Canada Day and the people that celebrated that earlier this week.

This week, we talk about (In no particular order, because Tony didn’t take notes about the order we discussed these in):

  • Big Brother
  • The Bachelorette
  • A Distinct Lack of Voicemail
  • Naked and Afraid
  • Siberia
  • Dani in NC
  • Whodunnit?
  • The Hero

 

Categories
Back Seat Quickies Shows

Back Seat Quickies #92: Monsters University

In the seat:

  • Scott

Recorded: 06/29/13

Categories
Announcement

Weekend Box Office: June 28-June 30

#1 Monsters University from Buena Vista held at #1 with a gross of $45.6 million (-44.7%) in 4,004 theaters.  Total gross to date is $170.4 million.  Budget was unknown.

#2 The Heat from 20th Century Fox opened at #2 with a gross of $39.1 million in 3,181 theaters.  Budget was $43 million.

#3 World War Z from Paramount fell from #2 to #3 with a gross of $29.8 million (-55.2%) in 3,607 theaters.  Total gross to date is $123.7 million.  Budget was $190 million.

#4 White House Down from Sony/Columbia opened at #4 with a gross of $24.9 million in 3,222 theaters.  Budget was $150 million.

#5 Man of Steel from Warner Bros. fell from #3 to #5 with a gross of $20.7 million (-49.8%) in 4,131 theaters (-76).  Total gross to date is $248.6 million.  Budget was $225 million.

#6 This is the End from Sony/Columbia fell from #4 to #6 with a gross of $8.7 million (-34.5%) in 2,710 theaters (-345).  Total gross to date is $74.7 million.  Budget was $32 million.

#7 Now You See Me from Lionsgate fell from #5 to #7 with a gross of $5.6 million (-28.7%) in 2,564 theaters (-259).  Total gross to date is $104.8 million.  Budget was $75 million.

#8 Fast & Furious 6 from Universal fell from #6 to #8 with a gross of $2.4 million (-50.3%) in 1,580 theaters (-867).  Total gross to date is $233.4 million.  Budget was $160 million.

#9 Star Trek Into Darkness from Paramount held at #9 with a gross of $2.1 million (-33.7%) in 1,035 theaters (-530).  Total gross to date is $220.6 million.  Budget was $190 million.

#10 The Internship from 20th Century Fox fell from #8 to #10 with a gross of $1.4 million (-57.9%) in 1,008 theaters (-908).  Total gross to date is $41.7 million.  Budget was $58 million.

#11 Iron Man 3 from Buena Vista fell from #10 to #11 with a gross of $1.36 million (-38.5%) in 540 theaters (-384).  Total gross to date is $405.4 million.  Budget was $200 million.

#12 The Purge from Universal fell from #7 to #12 with a gross of $1.2 million (-65.8%) in 1,122 theaters (-1,079).  Total gross to date is $62.8 million.  Budget was $3 million.

The combined gross of the top 12 movies this weekend was $183 million.

Sources:
Box Office Mojo

Categories
Back Seat Producers Season 08 Shows

BSP Episode 276: Man of Steel

Release date – 6/14/2013

Warner Bros. Pictures

Directed by

  • Zack Snyder

Produced by

  • Christopher Nolan
  • Charles Rovan
  • Emma Thomas
  • Deborah Snyder

Screenplay by

  • David S. Goyer

Story by

  • Christopher Nolan
  • David S. Goyer

Based on Superman by

  • Jerry Siegel
  • Joe Shuster

Cast

  • Henry Cavill – Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman
  • Amy Adams – Lois Lane
  • Michael Shannon – General Zod
  • Kevin Coster – Jonathan Kent
  • Diane Lane – Martha Kent
  • Russell Crowe – Jor-El

 

  • Note for next week… Bone, bone, bone, bone… bone.
  • Liked it… decent… best.
  • More Krypton than all the other movies.
  • Much Zack Snyder love, but…
  • Genetically engineered Kryptonians.
  • The hosts change up the sequences to improve some parts of the movie.
  • Tips on how to make the 2nd Man of Steel better.
  • Suicide by Superman.
  • Satellite & tanker trucks.
  • Henry Cavill… a whole bunch of awesome!
  • Who doesn’t love a down to earth Superman?
  • Zod’s badassery.
  • Supersuits are super!
  • Lois Lane, thank you for having a brain.
  • Thumbs up to Jor-El.
  • Kevin Costner was fantastic, but mixed reviews on some of his scenes.
  • More Martha, please.
  • The backstory worked as flashbacks.
  • “Welcome to the Planet.”
  • Jimmy/Jenny
  • Jor-El vs. Jonathan Kent
  • Zod’s motivation… pros and cons.
  • Action!!
  • If I was invincible, THIS is how I would fight.
  • The superheroey-est fight of all fights.
  • Laser eyes!
  • The hosts approve of chest hair.
  • Superman inspires.
  • Batman vs. Superman: one of them is meant to inspire, one of them is meant to terrorize.
  • Building a better Lex Luthor.
  • Scott’s dubstep destruction machine.

Trivial bits:

  • This film was set to release in June, 2013, which is the 75th anniversary of Superman.
  • This is the first Superman movie not to have “Superman” in the title, and also the first live action Superman movie not to feature Jimmy Olsen.
  • Henry Cavill met Russell Crowe years earlier when he was an extra in Proof of Life; he received words of encouragement from Crowe, who was his favorite actor.
  • Cavill (who has a naturally hairy chest) was the one who insisted that Superman have chest hair in this film.  He rejected the notion that you couldn’t have chest hair and be muscular, and he cited the comic book arc Death of Superman as a representation of Superman with a hairy chest.

Your Producers for this episode were:

  • Tony
  • Darrell
  • David

This episode was recorded:  6/26/13