Warp the World: Joseph Gordon-Levitt copes with the new physics in INCEPTION.

Dream a little dream with the 23rd episode of the Cinefantastique Podcast, as Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski analyze INCEPTION, Christopher Nolan’s multi-leveled special effects extravaganza about invading other people’s dreams to steal or plant ideas. Is it the thinking person’s action-packed blockbuster? Or is this dream one in which (to paraphrase Freud) an exploding car is just an exploding car? Find out, along with the usual recap of weekly news, upcoming events, and home video releases.

IN THIS EPISODE:

1. News
2. Opening in Theaters
3. Discussion: INCEPTION
4. New on Home Video
5. New at cfqmag.com

An Even Dangerouser Game: Adrien Brody (right) and Alice Braga (center) take point in PREDATORS.

This week, the Cinefantastique Podcast sets its sights on PREDATORS, produced by Robert Rodriguez and directed by Nimrod Antal, from a screenplay by Alex Litvak and Michael Finch. Is this sequel to PREDATOR (1987) a brilliant pop culture mediation on the ability of the human spirit to triumph in dire circumstances, or is it merely a crushing disappointment that fails to deliver on the promise of its trailer? Listen in to find the answers to these and other intriguing questions, along with the usual roundup of news, events, and home video releases in the world of science fiction, fantasy, and horror film.

Bent Elements and Straight Love: THE LAST AIRBENDER (left) and THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE.

It’s a double-dose of photodramatic discussion, disputation, and dissention on this week’s episode of the the Cinefantastique Podcast, as Dan Persons, Steve Biodrowski, and Lawrence French take on romantic vampires, macho werewolves, and elemental airbenders. Does THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE deliver? Can the post-production 3-D conversion process add depth to M. Night Shyamalan’s live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon’s THE LAST AIRBENDER? Plus: an interview with director Nimrod Antal about his work on the upcoming PREDATORS, and other news from the worlds of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, all delivered with lightning rounds of rapier wit and incisive analysis.

The gang has its typical falling-out in TOY STORY 3.

This week, the podcast review of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror takes you from the sublime to the ridiculous, as Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski review TOY STORY 3 and JONAH HEX. Does TOY STORY 3 live up to its predecessors? Is JONAH HEX the biggest bomb of the summer or simply two films in one? Also on the menu, a round up of recent news, a calendar of upcoming events, and a preview of the week’s home video releases.

Clowntime is Over: Dany Boon confronts the enemy in MICMACS.

The premiere audio review of science fiction, fantasy, and horror is back with another exciting episode! This time, Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski eschew the big-time summer blockbusters in favor of the French comedy-fantasy MICMACS (Micmacs a tire-lairgot, or “Non-stop Madness”), latest surreal confectionery from supreme stylist Jean-Pierre Jeunet (who charmed audience with AMELIE). Also this week, we bring you the latest news, the Cinefantastique Calendar of upcoming events, and previews of the week’s home video releases. All in all, it’s more fun than a Jerry Lewis festival!

Why Do They Laugh at My Mighty Sword? - Jake Gyllenhaal in PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME

In the sixteenth episode of Cinefantastique’s weekly Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction Podcast, Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski sift through the Sands of Time as they search PRINCE OF PERSIA for hidden political metaphors and/or weapons of mass destruction. The big screen film version of the popular video game stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, and Gemma Arterton – but, strangely enough, no Persians. Also in this episode: a fond farewell to Dennis Hopper; a preview of the WOLF MAN unrated director’s cut DVD; and the usual news and previews.

In MICMACS, Jeunet gives us a cockeyed protagonist in the person of Bazil (Dany Boon), a man who quite by chance winds up at the precipice of the eternal when a stray bullet gets lodged in his brain. This makes him not so charitably inclined towards the manufacturer of said bullet, a matter only exacerbated when he discovers that the land mine that killed his father in the Middle East was created by a neighboring company. His only recourse: Take down both corporations, with the help of a ragtag assortment of unusually talented junkyard misfits. For such a dire theme, the film turns out to be quite a lighthearted adventure, with Jeunet deploying all his powers of visual invention into the narrative, while also making copious nods to film history, particularly to the works of silent comedians and Sergio Leone.

George Romero is also taking a few pages from cinema history, most specifically from classic westerns. In SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD, the group of renegade guardsmen we met in DIARY OF THE DEAD — led by Alan Van Sprang — decides they’ve had enough of zombies, and aim themselves for a respite on an island off the coast of Delaware. Problem is: Not only is the place already infested with the walking dead, but they’ve become a rather peculiar stake in a kind-of range war between waged between two feuding clans. As always, Romero mixes zombie assaults with some particularly vivid death scenes — for both living and dead — along with some trenchant observations of our current, fractious times. Turns out the departed still have something to say to their survivors, and it has nothing to do with moving into the light.

Click on the player to hear the show.

This Episode is Brought to You by:
HALO: REACH – Autumn 2010

MICMACS
Trailer

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www.sonyclassics.com/micmacs

IMDB Listing

====================================

SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD
Trailer

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www.magnetreleasing.com/survivalofthedead

IMDB Listing

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It’ll make you smile.

]]> http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/2010/05/21/survival-of-the-dead-and-micmacs/feed/ 0 Activism,Art,Comedy,Death,Emotion,Explosions,Fantasy,Gore,Horror,Indie,Justice,Love Y'know, people probably shouldn't be this gleeful about issues of mortality, but in the cases of the movies being discussed in this episode, we're kinda glad they are. This episode features interviews with Jean-Pierre Jeunet and George A. Romero, Y'know, people probably shouldn't be this gleeful about issues of mortality, but in the cases of the movies being discussed in this episode, we're kinda glad they are. This episode features interviews with Jean-Pierre Jeunet and George A. Romero, both of whom have previously addressed matters of life-and-death in their own, unique ways, and have decided that there's still more sport to be had from the subject. Twisted Love: Dany Boon (left) and Julie Ferrier meet peculiar in MICMACS. In MICMACS, Jeunet gives us a cockeyed protagonist in the person of Bazil (Dany Boon), a man who quite by chance winds up at the precipice of the eternal when a stray bullet gets lodged in his brain. This makes him not so charitably inclined towards the manufacturer of said bullet, a matter only exacerbated when he discovers that the land mine that killed his father in the Middle East was created by a neighboring company. His only recourse: Take down both corporations, with the help of a ragtag assortment of unusually talented junkyard misfits. For such a dire theme, the film turns out to be quite a lighthearted adventure, with Jeunet deploying all his powers of visual invention into the narrative, while also making copious nods to film history, particularly to the works of silent comedians and Sergio Leone. Home on Deranged (Sorry): Joris Jarsky (left) wrangles Kathleen Munroe in SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD. George Romero is also taking a few pages from cinema history, most specifically from classic westerns. In SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD, the group of renegade guardsmen we met in DIARY OF THE DEAD -- led by Alan Van Sprang -- decides they've had enough of zombies, and aim themselves for a respite on an island off the coast of Delaware. Problem is: Not only is the place already infested with the walking dead, but they've become a rather peculiar stake in a kind-of range war between waged between two feuding clans. As always, Romero mixes zombie assaults with some particularly vivid death scenes -- for both living and dead -- along with some trenchant observations of our current, fractious times. Turns out the departed still have something to say to their survivors, and it has nothing to do with moving into the light. Click on the player to hear the show. This Episode is Brought to You by: HALO: REACH - Autumn 2010 MICMACS Trailer [youtube TjKW0tG7I8s nolink] www.sonyclassics.com/micmacs IMDB Listing ==================================== SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD Trailer [youtube aFqUbY-pWqQ nolink] www.magnetreleasing.com/survivalofthedead IMDB Listing Subscribe to MMP on iTunes Sign Up for E-Mail Updates [amazonify]B0000640VO[/amazonify] It'll make you smile. Dan Persons no 38:48 http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/2010/05/16/the-cinefantastique-horror-fantasy-science-fiction-podcast-v1n14-metropolis/ http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/2010/05/16/the-cinefantastique-horror-fantasy-science-fiction-podcast-v1n14-metropolis/#comments Mon, 17 May 2010 02:17:30 +0000 Dan Persons http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/?p=1832

Days of Future's Past: Iconic images from Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS.

In Volume 1, Episode 14 of the Cinefantastique Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction Podcast, Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski visit the futuristic city of METROPOLIS, the 1927 science fiction classic from director Fritz Lang. The subject of a recent restoration that added over twenty minutes of footage, the film is ripe for reappraisal. Is it even better than before, or is the additional running time a mere marketing ploy to get you to buy more DVDs? Also under consideration this week: a Frank Frazetta obituary, Dario Argento does Dracula in 3D, plus a week’s worth of news and a look at upcoming home video releases.