Category: Season 09

Join the gang as they discuss the 2013 film American Hustle

• Directed by David O. Russell
• Written by Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell
• Starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C.K.

American Hustle was billed as the kinder, gentler version of a Scorsese movie. It’s the crime caper about scumbags your mom could love! Look at all the period ‘70s costumes and soundtrack! Nominated for loads of Oscars and winning none, American Hustle is the fictionalized story of the Abscam scandal of the late ‘70s where a con man and his girlfriend are forced to work for the feds to bring down politicians and quite possibly the Mob. Of course, things are complicated when you involve the con man’s wife, a fake Arab Sheik, the mob, and a science oven.

Worth noting:

• Free Comic Book Day is coming up the first Saturday in May. Nerds like Tony rejoice!
• On the ever-elusive Woot! bag of crap.
• Parsec Awards nominations are now open. Please don’t nominate us. We beg of you.
• We liked this movie for the most part. Some liked it for the historical content, some for Louis C.K. and some for Jennifer Lawrence.
• Some, however, found it boring when you compare it to the “insisting upon itself” Wolf of Wall Street.
• Fat Christian Bale and braless Amy Adams. Discuss.
• Is this a character movie or a caper movie?
• Why don’t they give awards to funny movies?
• Musicals: terrible, right???
• Stand-up comedy: let’s talk about how Jolie’s right (since she controls the show notes).

Featured in this episode:

• Tony
• Jolie
• Darrell

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Join the gang as they discuss the 2013 film Wolf of Wall Street.

• Directed by Martin Scorsese
• Written by Terence Winter (screenplay), Jordan Belfort (book)
• Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Jon Bernthal

Wolf of Wall Street is the Oscar-nominated latest offering from Martin Scorsese offering a full cast of quality acting, an intense three hour running time, and drug consumption of various kinds. It’s a dramady, mixing over-the-top performances, black humor, and an intense amount of smarm. Wolf of Wall Street is based on the life of Jordan Belfort, a Wall Street con man who made an awful lot of money cheating investors out of their money.

Worth noting:

• Trivia Night roundup: boozed fruit and terribly written questions.
• The lonely ladies of one-on-one ghost hunting.
• It’s a long movie but we don’t mind. It never lags and the pacing stays top-notch.
• The acting in this movie was spectacular, especially the nominated performance of Leonardo DiCaprio.
• Spoilers about How I Met Your Mother abound. Protect thine sensitive ears if your DVR is too full and you haven’t seen it yet. Or if you  care.
• So what were Jordan Belfort’s crimes? Finance geekery abounds.
• Financial crime movies don’t often show you how the crime works. Perhaps it’s just because financial crime isn’t sexy.
• We found a new phase: the cerebral palsy phase.
• Why don’t people know how to use the burner cell phone? It’s like nobody’s seen The Wire.
• This movie’s profane, filthy, and a really good time. Pro tip (just the tip): we recommend it but you probably shouldn’t see it with your parents.
• When a dude buys you crack, that’s bro love.

Featured in this episode:

• Tony
• Jolie
• Darrell

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Join the gang as they discuss the 2013 film Nebraska.

• Directed by Alexander Payne
• Written by Bob Nelson
• Starring Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk, Stacy Keach

Nebraska is the quiet, black and white entry into 2013’s Oscar fare, known for having a slow burn and character-driven plot. This was considered an actor’s movie, most notably for Bruce Dern who stars as Woody, a Montana man who receives a prize notification in the mail and is determined to take it to Lincoln, Nebraska to claim his supposed winnings. Comedy and drama mix, much like Alexander Payne’s other films (Sideways, Election), to drive a story with a uniquely Midwestern plot and lots of visuals.

Worth noting:

• Anybody want this cat???
• The art of learning the panty-dropper on guitar.
• Nebraska is slowly paced with a lot of establishing shots. However, some of us don’t mind.
• Bruce Dern was awesome as the memory-challenged asshole.
• So many moments in this movie remind us of our families. Let’s explore this.
• June Squibb is one funny, funny lady in this movie.
• Naked and Afraid is back. Hold onto your butts.
• Seriously, who hasn’t seen Sideways?
• Let’s all agree to just say no to the terrible brother stereotype character.
• Correction: Bruce Dern did not win the Best Actor Oscar but he was definitely a contender.
• If trivia beer architecture isn’t a thing, we need to make it a thing.
• Neverending sack.
• Pam! Stop eating the cocaine!

 Featured in this episode:

• Tony
• David
• Jolie
• Darrell

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Join the gang as they discuss the 2013 film Blue is the Warmest Color.

• Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
• Written by Abdellatif Kechiche and Ghalia Lacroix
• Starring Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos

After winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes, 2013 was looking to be a good year for Blue is the Warmest Color, a lesbian romance based on a graphic novel by Julie Maroh, the first graphic novel adaptation to ever win at Cannes. However, because of some weird release issues in the U.S., this wasn’t nominated for any Oscars. It was, however, nominated for a Golden Globe. It tells the story of Emma and Adele and their romance over several years.

Worth noting:

• In which the gang references the Unified Pixar Theory.
• Fun drinking game for this week’s episode: take a drink every time someone says the word “scissoring.” We claim no responsibility for the ill effects this may cause.
• At one point, this was described as lesbian Twilight by David. However, we can assure you this movie is 100% werewolf free.
• You should be warned this movie is long. And slow moving. And excessive. But other than that…
• Adèle spends a lot of time with her mouth open. A lot.
• Some might say this movie climaxed in hour two.
• This movie is the fantasy destroyer? David discusses further why this movie’s too realistic to be good fantasy.
• Could this movie have done without the sex scenes?
• This movie won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. However, it should be noted the award usually goes to the director but, in this case, it went to the director and the two lead actresses.
• This director sounds like a real asshat.
• Jolie gets strip club lessons. Pro tip (just the tip): don’t eat the buffet.
• Why can’t science invent Bat Shark Repellent?
• The not-so-subtle joy of eating an entire box of Girl Scout cookies at once.
• For those playing at home, these are the number of instances these words were spoken in this episode: scissoring, scissor, or scissored (22); scissor explosion (1); Scissor Man (1); and Idris Elba (2).

 Featured in this episode:

•  Tony
• David, A.K.A Scissor Man
• Jolie
• Darrell

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Join the gang as they discuss the 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club.

• Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
• Written by Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack
• Starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto

Dallas Buyers Club cleaned up male acting awards at the Oscars with Matthew McConaughey winning Best Actor and Jared Leto winning Best Supporting Actor. These were, in our opinion, well deserved awards because of the stretch and growth each one plays in this biopic set in the early days of AIDS. McConaughey plays Ron Woodroof, a man who finds out he has AIDS after suffering an accident at work and has very little time left. He goes on a search for the answer to longer life and ends up starting a collective to address the needs of AIDS patients in Dallas.

Worth noting:

• David is wrong about not liking Bill Murray. That’s just science.
• Tony breaks out the apples soaked in Fireball to really get this party started.
• The gang insists on the weekly TV roundup and the weekly tense negotiation over next week’s movie before getting started.
• We got mail! (Okay, it’s a feedback comment, but still…)
• This movie is gritty. It’s sometimes hard to watch.
• The acting Oscars it earned are well deserved.
• Hey, is it okay to make AIDS jokes yet? Anybody want to call an audible on this?
• When Jolie was a college freshman, she learned that everybody was, at some point, going to get AIDS.
• Also, who else was terrorized by the made-for-TV movie about Ryan White?
• Jared Leto did so well. We all agree. And it wasn’t even because of his magnificent Oscars hairdo!
• We all now know there’s a lot of wang in Spartacus. Well THAT ruins my weekend.
• Tony finally drinks the apple/Fireball monstrosity. Because peer pressure.
• Alternative media! Also, David is dead inside.
• Hot, hot death of journalism talk.
• Criticism of common core methods to learning math is stupid.
• Math is FUNdamental.
• What happens when gaming gets really weird?
• The gang makes bets about the sex scenes in next week’s movie, including lots of scissoring talk. I encourage a Google Image search for that term.

Featured in this episode:

• Tony
• David
• Jolie
• Darrell

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Join the gang as they discuss the 2014 film The Lego Movie.

• Directed by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
• Written by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
• Starring Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, and a whole lot more

The Lego Movie is the breakout kids movie hit of 2014. It’s a CGI animated movie meant to imitate stop motion style and succeeds in pleasing nearly everyone. Kids liked it. Parents liked it. Non-parent adults liked it, too. It’s got a solid 96% on Rotten Tomatoes at present. The movie is the story of Emmet, tasked with saving the world after accidentally coming upon the relic that can stop the nefarious madman President Business.

Worth noting:

• We’re done waiting for Darrell. That is, until he shows up.
• Cover your mouths when going into the room with the fire toilet.
• The story of said toilet fire. Strap in for this one, kids!
• See more adventures in watching that hottie Manu Bennett shirtless because David told you so.
• This movie is very well liked all around.
• David even liked “the heavy-handed whatevers at the end,” whatever that means.
• The movie was good, largely because the jokes landed solidly. Children’s movies need better jokes.
• $150 for a floppy drive for a Commodore 64? Really?
• “You turn it into a thing that becomes a thing and then it’s this reverberation of things.” David dropped this useful little knowledge bomb.
• Batman was so damn enjoyable in this movie.
• Wedgies are going out of style. Accept it.
• Stop treating dads like idiots in children’s movies and literature. We’re sick of it!
• The ending of the book It is weird. Pro tip (just the tip): stop talking about the ending. Just don’t.
• Chris Pratt looks good without a shirt on. There. I said it.
• Legends of the Hidden Temple really needs to come back.
• There were no dicks in the sixties???
• Jem is truly outrageous. Truly, truly, truly outrageous.

Featured in this episode:

•  Tony
• David
• Jolie
• Darrell

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Join the gang as they discuss the 2011 film The Artist:

• Directed by Michel Hazanavicius
• Written by Michel Hazanavicius
• Starring Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller

The Artist was 2011’s Academy Awards assassin, winning Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score. Notable for being a mostly-silent film, The Artist is the almost entirely silent story of George Valentin, a charismatic silent film star with an adorable dog who runs into troubles when Hollywood starts making talkies. If you’re a fan, the film is packed full of references to old Hollywood, some of which the BSP crew discuss during this episode.

Worth noting:

• Deuce and Tony discuss, at great length, their respective books that none of us have read because they don’t exist yet. However, triumph because the web site exists!
• Deuce and Darrell catch up. Now we’re all up to speed.
• Jolie hated this movie because it was excessively boring while Tony and Darrell liked it.
• This movie was highly referential, contained a lot of homage to period films, and is technically focused on being just like a silent movie from the past.
• Jolie’s new puppy now has a name!
• There are two standout performances in this movie: Jean Dujardin does a great job as the swarthy leading man and the adorable Jack Russell Terrier.
• This movie was rated PG-13… but why?
• The film contains a lot of technical references including the aspect ratio, frame rate, acting style, lack of zoom, and more.
• Podcasting and the art of NOT selling out.
• Oscar predictions from we non-Academy members. Jolie and Tony throw down. The gloves are off…
• More Punch Out movie references. How can we make this happen???

 Featured in this episode:

• Tony
• Darrell
• Tony/Deuce
• Jolie
• Frequent (and silent) appearances by Panda

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Join the gang as they discuss the 2002 film Punch Drunk Love:

• Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
• Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
• Starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzman, Mary Lynn Rajskub

After finding success with Boogie Nights and critical success with Magnolia, Paul Thomas Anderson announced that his next project would be an indie comedy starring Adam Sandler which some thought was a joke. PTA was not joking, however, and this idea turned into Punch Drunk Love, a comedic love story about an emotionally unstable man dealing with new-found love, thugs trying to extort money from him, overbearing sisters, and mountains of Healthy Choice pudding cups.

Worth noting:

• Strap in, Paco. This episode is a long one.
• Hey, did anybody do any actual learning or work their senior year of high school? Apparently the BSP crew didn’t.
• What? You haven’t read/seen The Outsiders? How did you spend your youth?
• Breastfeeding? Birth Stories? Oh my!
• Apparently nobody wants to actually discuss this movie.
• David is obsessed with kristallnacht. Second reference in as many weeks.
• Nobody liked this movie, so there’s no defender in the crew.
• This is supposed to be a comedy and this comes as a surprise to some because it’s just not funny.
• Was Emily Watson’s character a mess or did she have it all together? She does, after all, drive a Geo Metro.
• Luis Guzman was completely wasted. I mean, he was wasted in this role, now wasted in general. You get what I’m saying.
• David doesn’t know what the term “punch drunk” means.
• True Detective is an amazing TV show. Jolie thinks it’s one of the best shows ever made, maybe.
• Matthew McConaughey is killing it these days with the awesome acting roles.
• The Hunger Games isn’t a very good book. There. We said it.
• Ender’s Game… oy!
• New Guardians of the Galaxy trailer: nerds (thus this crew) rejoice!
• Yogurt advertising versus Viagra advertising. Who’s chubbed up now?
• Student loans suck and other really obvious things.
• If we mention Fleshlights a lot, do you think they’ll send us free ones?
• Hey, kids! Don’t start smoking because it might make you look too cool.
• Important and interesting things that will probably go on David’s tombstone.

Discussing the film in this episode:

• Tony
• Jolie
• David

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Join the gang as they discuss the 2001 film Amélie.

• Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
• Written by Guillaume Laurant and Jean-Pierre Jeunet
• Starring Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz

Amélie is a French film nominated for five Academy Awards by the same director of Delicatessen and, believe it or not, Alien: Resurrection. It tells the story of a shy and unusual young woman living in Paris who has a rich fantasy life. There’s a lot of Amélie love to go around; it’s listed as number 62 on the IMDB Top 250 and has a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Worth noting:

• Tony’s all hopped up about the brilliant Death Star engineering.
• This movie was called “refreshingly adorable,” despite the, you know, subtitles and whatnot.
• Amélie was well-loved all around because it was cute and different but in an adult way.
• Tony and David avoided this movie for a long time; David mostly because of the terrible cover. Darrell, however, saw it when it first came out.
• The final consensus is that it’s good and worth seeing. Also, it’s a good date movie though making out will be difficult because of all the reading. Perhaps these gents haven’t heard of a pause button?
• Hey, what language did YOU have to learn in high school?
• Overall, this was called a good movie; go see it (unless you absolutely hate reading).
• Pompeii is really a movie? Really???
• Attention, FBI: we’re Googling age of consent laws. Again. Thanks, Chloe Grace Moretz!

Discussing the film in this episode:

• Tony
• Darrell
• David

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Join the gang as they discuss the 2013 film Drinking Buddies:

• Directed by Joe Swanberg
• Written by Joe Swanberg
• Starring Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Ron Livingston and Jason Sudeikis

The film is an entirely-improvised movie from Joe Swanberg who previously did low budget mumblecore movies like Hannah Takes the Stairs. Mumblecore is defined by limited budgets and an emphasis on realistic dialogue and Drinking Buddies is no different, but is characterized by a more famous cast. It’s the story of two friends who work at a Chicago microbrewery and the strange romantic entanglements that can happen between friends.

Worth noting:

• Apparently, Jolie’s missing estrogen is to be credited for the lack of feedback in this week’s recording. Great. Blame the ladies.
• Mixed reviews; it was liked but Darrell was “bored s***less.”
• The realistic dialogue and imperfect characters were well-regarded.
• David has a creepy level of appreciation for Anna Kendrick’s hotness.
• These people are drinking beer all the time. Why aren’t they fatter???
• When you go hiking in the woods with a girl and she opens a backpack and inside are two wine glasses, she wants it hard, apparently, according to David.
• Tony knew the movie was improvised going in; David didn’t.
• RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman.
• The acting and characters were the standout parts of this movie. The technical aspects and story weren’t that impressive.
• Hot damn, Jake Johnson’s beard!
• Hot and angry Super Bowl talk; apparently the Seahawks didn’t win the Super Bowl (which is weird because I watched them win). Payton Manning’s sad face is heartbreaking.

 Discussing the film in this episode:

• Tony
• Darrell
• David

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