Category Archives: Podcast Reviews

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #23 – “Liberal Arts” (dir. Josh Radnor) (SIFF)

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Still from "Liberal Arts"

Back at SIFF and back to school! Glenn and Daniel hit the books with college nostalgia as they review Liberal Arts, the latest film from How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor. Take in their worthless intellectual blather while you can! They’ve both got work in the morning that is utterly unrelated to their majors.

May contain some NSFW language.

FilmWonk rating: 6.5/10

Show notes:

  • Music for this episode is a pair of classical pieces that appear in the film. The first is Beethoven‘s Symphony No. 6 Pastorale as performed by Istanbul’s National Conservatory Orchestra (free download in link). The second is Soave sia il vento, from Mozart‘s opera Così fan tutte, which I’ve included in its entirety at the end of the podcast. Listen to it while walking down the street and watch as everyone becomes more attractive.
  • Regarding the age question that both we and the movie raise – Elizabeth Olsen was around 22 when this film was shot. Josh Radnor was 37, and Allison Janney was 52.
  • The book shop owner is played by Elizabeth Reaser of Twilight fame. And it all comes full circle.

Listen above, or download: Liberal Arts (right-click, save as, or click/tap to play on a non-flash browser).

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #22 – “Safety Not Guaranteed” (dir. Colin Trevorrow), “The Imposter” (dir. Bart Layton) (SIFF)

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Poster for "Safety Not Guaranteed"

As SIFF continues, Glenn and Daniel check out the highly anticipated time travel comedy Safety Not Guaranteed, which comes home to Seattle along with much of its cast and crew. Then they jump out of their seats and run to the next auditorium to pose as film critics in a packed screening of Bart Layton‘s utterly fascinating documentary/thriller, The Imposter.

May contain NSFW language.

FilmWonk rating (Safety Not Guaranteed): 6/10
FilmWonk rating (The Imposter): 9/10

Show notes:

  • (00:00) Review: Safety Not Guaranteed
  • (06:45) Spoilers: Safety Not Guaranteed (although we somewhat spoil the Jake Johnson subplot starting at 05:38)
  • (13:22) Review: The Imposter
  • (19:56) Spoilers: The Imposter
  • Correction: I mistakenly refer to Colin Trevorrow as a first-time director. In fact, he has a few prior credits, including this amusing short from 2002.
  • For some reason, there’s a vague spoiler for the 7th season finale of House (at 08:12). Thanks for that, Daniel.
  • But later, Daniel redeems himself by mentioning the Ninja Kitty video, which is definitely worth watching.
  • Nerd quibble: Aragorn decapitated an Uruk-hai, not a Nazgul.
  • Unfortunately, there was no trailer available for The Imposter, so we included a brief clip from the SXSW interview with director Bart Layton, available in its entirety here.
  • We refer to the Taylor University van crash case, in which a college student named Whitney Cerak was misidentified as another student who died (even mistaken by the victim’s family).
  • I was referring to this guy in this movie. Kudos to anyone who got this utterly pointless reference.

Listen above, or download: Safety Not Guaranteed/The Imposter (right-click, save as).

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #21 – “Compliance” (dir. Craig Zobel) (SIFF)

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Still from "Compliance"

As the Seattle International Film Festival continues, Glenn and Daniel give a quick review of a harrowing drama from the co-founder of…Homestar Runner? Okay! A warning for the spoiler-averse… As this is based on true events (and sticks largely to the real-life story), we aren’t shy about spoilers, but we do give a warning before revealing the film’s ending.

Contains NSFW language and some disturbing content.

FilmWonk rating: 7/10 (Glenn), 8/10 (Daniel)

Show notes:

  • Once again – due to to the quick turnaround for SIFF content, this podcast was recorded without our usual setup – but the audio quality is solid! I have it on good authority that a modern automobile makes an excellent recording booth.
  • More info on Stanley Milgram’s experiment.

Listen above, or download: Compliance (right-click, save as).

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #20 – ‘The Avengers’ (dir. Joss Whedon) (bonus spoiler episode)

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Poster for "The Avengers"

This podcast contains spoilers for The Avengers and The Dark Knight. This week on the podcast, Glenn, Daniel, and special guest Sarah get together for a spoilery second look at Marvel’s The Avengers. While Glenn still stands by his 8/10 review, Daniel has other opinions, and if there’s one thing we love at the FilmWonk Podcast, it’s sowing discord. Find out if these three heroes can unite and save the cinematic world below!

May contain NSFW language.

FilmWonk rating: 8/10 (Glenn), 5/10 (Daniel)

Show notes:

  • This episode was meant as a quick one-off, so it will unfortunately be a bit less polished than our usual episodes. Although my phone has a surprisingly good microphone!
  • Correction: A dutiful listener has pointed out that one of my supposed “continuity errors” is flat-out wrong. Stark and Banner get into the convertible, while Rogers takes off on the motorcycle. Mea culpa! Chalk it up to identical wardrobes and viewer fatigue.

Listen above, or download: The Avengers (right-click, save as).

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #19: “Titanic” (dir. James Cameron), Avatar, and the State of 3D Cinema

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Poster for "Titanic"

This week on the podcast, Glenn and Daniel never let go of James Cameron’s 1997 romantic sea epic, Titanic. Can a romance founded on chemistry, infidelity, and bad dialogue possibly stand the test of time? Find out below! Additionally, you’ll hear our windswept heroes expound on Avatar and the lamentable state of 3D cinema (50:19).

May contain NSFW language.

FilmWonk rating: 8/10 (Glenn), 9/10 (Daniel)

Show notes:

  • Music for this episode comes from James Horner’s soundtrack sequel Back to Titanic, including the tracks “Titanic Suite” and I Salonisti’s arrangement of “Nearer My God to Thee”, which they play in the film.
  • Daniel called it – the old couple below decks that we see holding each other in bed as the water rises around them are indeed Isidor and Ida Straus (the co-owner of Macy’s Department Stores and his wife). There was a deleted scene in which Ida refuses to board the lifeboat without her husband.
  • Per Daniel’s recommendation, check out Encyclopedia Titanica, a fantastic trove of knowledge for all things Titanic.

Listen above, or download: Titanic (right-click, save as).

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #18: “A Separation” (dir. Asghar Farhadi)

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Poster for "A Separation"

This week on the podcast, Glenn and Daniel review last year’s Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film (and nominee for Best Original Screenplay), A Separation. This complex and riveting film is one part legal thriller, two parts family drama, and three parts tense moral ambiguity – listen to us try to unpack its various dimensions below (while also trying feebly to remember the name of Iran’s currency!) (40:34).

May contain NSFW language.

FilmWonk rating: 9/10

Show notes:

  • Music for this episode comes from Sattar Oraki’s original score for the film.
  • This episode contains vague spoilers for the 2003 film Confidence.
  • Sarina Farhadi, who plays Termeh, is indeed the daughter of writer/director Asghar Farhadi.
  • In case our profound (and admitted) ignorance didn’t make this clear, the Iranian unit of currency is neither the ducat (which is European) nor the shekel (which is…Hebrew, whoops) – it’s the rial, named for a currency that originated in Portugal.

Listen above, or download: A Separation (right-click, save as).

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #17: “Act of Valor” (dir. Mike McCoy, Scott Waugh)

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Poster for "Act of Valor"

This week on the podcast, Glenn and Daniel dial down the cynicism just a bit and ruminate on the nature of patriotism, warrior culture, and propaganda as a neutral descriptor in their discussion of Act of Valor, a new action film featuring real-life US Navy SEALs. (32:33)

May contain NSFW language. Act of Valor will be in theaters this Friday, February 24th.

FilmWonk rating: 7/10

Show notes:

  • “Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”
    We mention this rather poignant quote/poem by Tecumseh, which makes a truncated appearance in the film’s voiceover. It can be read in its entirety here.
  • I briefly (and halfheartedly) tried to source some music from Nathan Furst’s original score for the film, but much like the score itself, I lost interest in my search rather quickly. As such, this week’s music comes from Hans Zimmer’s original score for The Rock, which seems apropos for this film.
  • We refer to an interrogation scene that takes place halfway through the film, and due to the secrecy surrounding the SEAL cast of this film, we were unsure about the cast and scripting of this scene. The answers, according to The Washington Post: Yep, he’s a real SEAL, and the scene was entirely improvised. Bravo, sir.

Listen above, or download: Act of Valor (right-click, save as).

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #16: “The Grey” (dir. Joe Carnahan)

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This week on the podcast, Glenn and Daniel venture into the Alaskan wilderness into a harrowing (and possibly overrated) tale of survival and wolf-punching. If the film’s trailer is any indication, that is. Which it isn’t. (25:35)

May contain NSFW language.

FilmWonk rating: 4/10 (Glenn), 3/10 (Daniel)

Show notes:

  • We refer to the famous line, “Once more unto the breach, dear friends”, which is indeed from Henry V.
  • It’s Ottway, not Ottman. Get it right, dudes.
  • With apologies to Bob Ducca, stick around at the end for a list of movie title mashups.

Listen above, or download: The Grey (right-click, save as).

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #15: “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”, “Young Adult”

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Poster for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"

This week, we took a cue from the movie studios and decided to cram one too many films into the same day. First, we delve into the dark and depraved world of David Fincher’s fresh adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Then, we’ll examine the maturation of Diablo Cody in her new collaboration with director Jason Reitman, Young Adult. (44:42)

Still from "Young Adult"

Please note that per usual, this podcast may contain NSFW language. Additionally, due to the subject matter of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, our review contains some rather frank discussion of rape and associated social issues. We understand these matters are delicate, and we recommend that any sensitive listeners skip past the spoiler section of this review (see the show notes for timing).

FilmWonk rating (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo): 7/10
FilmWonk rating (Young Adult): 8.5/10

Show notes:

  • (0:00) Review: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
  • (11:55) Spoilers: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (warning: disturbing content)
  • (24:07) Review: Young Adult
  • (36:21) Spoilers: Young Adult
  • Minor spoiler: Near the end of the Dragon Tattoo review, we allude to a certain character stealing a substantial amount of money. From the book, the actual amount was around $260 million USD, which was worth about 2.5 billion Swedish kronor when the book was written. In the film (according to Wikipedia), the amount is 32 billion Euros (~$41 billion USD).
  • We mention the actor who plays Lisbeth Salander’s guardian. This actor is Yorick van Wageningen, whom we may have recognized from his small part as “The Guv” in The Chronicles of Riddick.
  • For the record, there is no Mercury, MN.
  • Music for tonight’s episode is Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ version of “Immigrant Song” (performed by Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), from the soundtrack to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Listen above, or download: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Young Adult (right-click, save as).

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #14: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman’s “Paranormal Activity 3”

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Glenn and Daniel stare at the screen for 90 minutes waiting for something to move, reviewing “Paranormal Activity 3”. Will invisible demons and makeshift camera pans strike a memorable horror chord? Tune in and find out (30:11).

May contain NSFW language.

FilmWonk ratings: 5/10 (Glenn), 6/10 (Daniel)

Show notes:

  • Correction: we erroneously state that this film made $80 million in its opening weekend. Its actual opening gross was $52 million.
  • Today’s show music consists of the themes from Psycho (Bernard Herrmann, 1960) and Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978).

  • Why? Well…let’s just say found footage films aren’t known for their innovative scores.

  • Happy Halloween!

Listen above, or download: Paranormal Activity 3 (right-click, save as).