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

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

www.sonyclassics.com/micmacs

IMDB Listing

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

SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD
Trailer

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

www.magnetreleasing.com/survivalofthedead

IMDB Listing

Subscribe to MMP on iTunes

Sign Up for E-Mail Updates

Your email:

 

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/2010/04/09/attention-listeners-in-great-britain-help-send-mmp-to-camp/ http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/2010/04/09/attention-listeners-in-great-britain-help-send-mmp-to-camp/#comments Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:33:39 +0000 Dan Persons http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/?p=1714 Okay, let’s be blunt about this: I know nothing about comic actor Omid Djalili or screenplay writer David Baddiel, or their new film, THE INFIDEL, which is currently running in Great Britain. But the plot — about a British Muslim who discovers he was actually born Jewish — has potential and, more to the point, if MIGHTY MOVIE PODCAST listeners in GB click on the video, it’ll cover our hosting fee for a few months.

The trailer is less than half a minute long, so checking it out won’t put too much of a time-sink on your day and will really help us out. Just to whet your appetite further, here’s the synopsis that was supplied to us:

In Cinemas Now! Written by David Baddiel and starring Omid Djalili, UK’s premiere comic talents!

Meet MAHMUD NASIR, loving husband, doting father and something of a “relaxed” Muslim.

He may not be the most observant, but in his heart he is as Muslim as it gets. But after his mother’s death a discovery turns Mahmud’s world upside down. He finds his birth certificate which reveals that not only was he adopted at birth…but he’s Jewish, and his real name is Solly Shimshillewitz!

Okay, not sure about that whole “Solly Shimshillewitz” thing, but get a look at the trailer and, who knows, maybe you’ve got your weekend entertainment all set up!

And coming up later today or on Saturday: My interviews with the directors of THE SUN BEHIND THE CLOUDS and THE SQUARE.

A baptism at the River Jordan from WAITING FOR ARMAGEDDON

I’ll admit I have little patience for people who confuse religious mythology for real-world politics. You want to believe that, when the earthly going gets tough, you’re going to be zapped up to heaven and have a front row seat for the conflagration and the return of your deity? Cool, swell, no skin off my nuts. You want the U.S. to model its domestic and foreign policies on such fantasies, that’s when I politely have to object.

Which is to say that I probably couldn’t have sat where the directors of WAITING FOR ARMAGEDDON did while interviewing people who dearly believe in the looming spectre of the End Times — including a couple who have come to their beliefs after, ahem, “scientific” analysis and a guy who leads tours through Israel and gets all giggly at the thought of the razing of the Dome of the Rock — and not wound up stabbing a pencil in my brain. I’m just not that strong.

Fortunately, directors Kate Davis, David Heilbroner, and Franco Saachi are, and their forbearance pays off in a documentary that gives you a good look into what a vocal and influential segment of our population believes is the world’s ultimate destiny, and what the risks may be in trying mold our politics to that worldview. It’s an important film for anyone concerned about the continuing incursion of religion into our public policy, and a balanced warning in particular for those who have noted the religious right’s involvement in Middle East politics without considering its possible costs.

Click on the player above to hear my interview with Kate Davis and David Heilbroner.

Trailer

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

firstrunfeatures.com/armageddon_synopsis.html

IMDB Listing

Subscribe to MMP on iTunes

Sign Up for E-Mail Updates

Your email:

 

More of the Highly Motivated

If you’re still having trouble downloading, I’d appreciate being contacted. Your satisfaction is my only goal (that, and having dinner with Martin Scorsese, but you know…).

In addition, the release date I cited in the IN THE LOOP episode came from old info. Turns out the film is being released in New York on July 24th. Hope that didn’t mess up your plans for the weekend.

That’s all for now. Resume living.

Angling for Survival: Mimi Kennedy and James Gandolfini plot their next moves in IN THE LOOP

I’m not going to say that IN THE LOOP — the new British political comedy directed by Armando Iannucci and based on his award-winning BBC sitcom THE THICK OF IT — is going help put the last eight years of U.S./Great Britain relations into context, but at the very least, I think it provides some bracing insights into how politicians on both sides of the Atlantic fulfill the pressing demands of their jobs. That is to say: Not all that well.

On the G.B. side, you’ve got, amongst others, a minister (Tom Hollander) whose every encounter with the press seems destined to provoke an international incident, and a director of communications (the superb Peter Capaldi) who wields his power with such vitriolic zeal that sulfur trails linger when he leaves the room. Here in the good ol’ U.S. of A, there’s an assistant secretary for diplomacy (Mimi Kennedy) who bristles at her isolation from all the good committees — you know, the ones that plan wars and stuff — and a Pentagon General (James Gandolfini) whose instincts for survival are maybe too finely honed.

They all come together over an impending conflict in the Middle East (Iannucci is discreet about which country is actually getting invaded) and a document that, if it ever reached the public, could derail the entire enterprise (said document having been drafted in America, so it’s not at all like the Downing Street Memo). In the course of the drum-up to war, there’ll be furtive love affairs (between government assistants Chris Addison and Anna Chlumsky), much ego stroking and destruction (Capaldi’s official flies all the way to Washington to discover that his exclusive, White House one-on-one is with a deputy assistant secretary who looks like an escapee from High School Musical), considerable jockeying for position, innumerable invocations of the f-word, and a stealth appearance by Steve Coogan (maybe you’ll have better luck finding him than I did).

In sum, it’s political vitriol in the grand, British tradition. Wouldn’t have it any other way.

Here’s my interview with Iannucci.

Trailer

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

www.intheloopmovie.co.uk

IMDB Listing

Subscribe to MMP on iTunes

Sign Up for E-Mail Updates

More Fine British Impertinence.

]]> http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/2009/07/15/armando-iannucci-on-in-the-loop/feed/ 0 British,Comedy,Controversy,Indie,Middle East,New York,Off Beat,Success,War I'm not going to say that IN THE LOOP -- the new British political comedy directed by Armando Iannucci and based on his award-winning BBC sitcom THE THICK OF IT -- is going help put the last eight years of U.S./Great Britain relations into context, I'm not going to say that IN THE LOOP -- the new British political comedy directed by Armando Iannucci and based on his award-winning BBC sitcom THE THICK OF IT -- is going help put the last eight years of U.S./Great Britain relations into context, but at the very least, I think it provides some bracing insights into how politicians on both sides of the Atlantic fulfill the pressing demands of their jobs. That is to say: Not all that well. On the G.B. side, you've got, amongst others, a minister (Tom Hollander) whose every encounter with the press seems destined to provoke an international incident, and a director of communications (the superb Peter Capaldi) who wields his power with such vitriolic zeal that sulfur trails linger when he leaves the room. Here in the good ol' U.S. of A, there's an assistant secretary for diplomacy (Mimi Kennedy) who bristles at her isolation from all the good committees -- you know, the ones that plan wars and stuff -- and a Pentagon General (James Gandolfini) whose instincts for survival are maybe too finely honed. They all come together over an impending conflict in the Middle East (Iannucci is discreet about which country is actually getting invaded) and a document that, if it ever reached the public, could derail the entire enterprise (said document having been drafted in America, so it's not at all like the Downing Street Memo). In the course of the drum-up to war, there'll be furtive love affairs (between government assistants Chris Addison and Anna Chlumsky), much ego stroking and destruction (Capaldi's official flies all the way to Washington to discover that his exclusive, White House one-on-one is with a deputy assistant secretary who looks like an escapee from High School Musical), considerable jockeying for position, innumerable invocations of the f-word, and a stealth appearance by Steve Coogan (maybe you'll have better luck finding him than I did). In sum, it's political vitriol in the grand, British tradition. Wouldn't have it any other way. Here's my interview with Iannucci. Trailer [youtube 87Emyo23IeM nolink] www.intheloopmovie.co.uk IMDB Listing Subscribe to MMP on iTunes Sign Up for E-Mail Updates [amazonify]B0000DI88E[/amazonify] More Fine British Impertinence. Dan Persons no http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/2009/05/15/jake-rademacher-on-brothers-at-war/ http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/2009/05/15/jake-rademacher-on-brothers-at-war/#comments Fri, 15 May 2009 21:34:12 +0000 Dan Persons http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/?p=516

Director Jake Rademacher "on location" in BROTHERS AT WAR

I have to admit: I can get a little knee-jerk liberal at times. So when I saw that BROTHERS AT WAR was exec produced by Gary Sinise and came with high praise from Jon Voight — especially since my last exposure to the political Jon Voight was through his role as George Washington in the atrocious “conservative comedy” AN AMERICAN CAROL — I approached the Iraq documentary with my guard up.

I needn’t have worried. Director Jake Rademacher — an actor who had wanted to serve himself but because of poor eyesight had to defer while his brothers Isaac and Joe were dispatched to Iraq — is respectful to the troops but succeeds in embuing this examination of soldiers coping in the war zone and at home with a reassuring candor. That he was able to get unprecedented access — going out on surveillance missions, sitting in with snipers on the job, and at one point finding himself smack-dab in the middle of a fire fight — and that he brings to bear in shaping this story his love and concern for his brothers (Joe, in particular, who appears to struggle with his occasional returns to the civilian world), help make this a one of the more riveting glimpses into a soldier’s experience in the midst of a very difficult war.

I know, were I in the same situation, I’d be hanging out in the bunker with the DVD system and the Coke machine, so I was interested in getting behind Rademacher’s motivations. Here’s the interview.

Trailer[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

www.brothersatwarmovie.com

IMDB Listing

Subscribe to MMP on iTunes

Sign Up for E-Mail Updates

A New Dimension of SNAFU:

Tom (Scott Speedman), Sabine (Arsin�e Khanjian) and Simon (Devon Bostick) in ADORATION

Okay, no fooling, I really like Atom Egoyan’s work. He got me at THE SWEET HEREAFTER, then I backtracked to EXOTICA and followed up with FELICIA’S JOURNEY, and found them all rewarding experiences. (WHERE THE TRUTH LIES didn’t quite do it for me, but hey, an occasional miss is only to be expected.) Something about his still, precise way of telling a story, his use of ritual to unveil a character’s motives, his empathy for humanity in all its desperation and folly, makes him the rare filmmaker that engages both the heart and the brain.

ADORATION continues the trend. Telling the tale of a teenager (Devon Bostick) who creates an elaborate fiction about his dead parents, then unveiling how that story spins out of control once it reaches the Internet to affect his adoptive uncle (Scott Speedman) and the drama teacher (Arsinee Khanjian) who encouraged the boy despite knowing about the story’s falsehood, Egoyan looks into the mechanisms of grief� with grace and subtlety, and adds in inquests into such present-day concerns as religious xenophobia and the obscuring power of the World Wide Web, just so thing’s won’t be too easy for anyone involved.

I’ve enjoyed doing all the interviews I’ve put up here, but getting a chance to talk with Egoyan was something special. Enjoy!

Trailer

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

www.sonyclassics.com/adoration

IMDB Listing

Subscribe to MMP on iTunes

Sign Up for E-Mail Updates

If You Haven’t See This Yet, You Need To:

Hiam Abbass in LEMON TREE

We at MMP proudly salute the developers of our completely seamless and absolutely foolproof podcasting software, software that would never, say, send out blank e-mails to our subscriber list, or spontaneously truncate the mp3 file.

This is by way of apology to anyone who suffered from these glitches. Hopefully this repost will behave better.

Eran Riklis has that knack: He can depict people confronting government intransigence and bureaucratic ineptitude without lapsing into mawkish sentimentality or strident speechifying. In THE SYRIAN BRIDE, he depicted the hell that ordinary people can face just trying to cross a border; now, in LEMON TREE, he shows how a Palestinian woman with an emotional stake in her family’s lemon grove (played by the great Hiam Abbass) faces down an entire government that wants to raze the plants for the sake of national security.

The technical quality of this interview is just a notch south of pristine (open note to the Soho Grand Hotel: Please turn down your sound system!), but here is my interview with Riklis.

Trailer

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

LEMON TREE @ ifcfilms.com

www.lemontreemovie.com (English)

IMDB Listing

Subscribe to MMP on iTunes

Sign Up for E-Mail Updates

When Riklis Met Abbass: