Category Archives: Podcast Reviews

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #13: Jonathan Levine’s “50/50”

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This week, Glenn stumbles forth from a weekend of short film madness to join Daniel and review 50/50, a new comedic drama from director Jonathan Levine and screenwriter Will Reiser, loosely based on Reiser’s own experiences getting cancer at a young age. Can such dour subject matter succeed as a comedy? Tune in and find out (28:54).

[may contain some NSFW language]

FilmWonk rating: 8/10

Show notes:

  • 50/50 is out in theaters this Friday, September 30th.
  • Music for this episode is “Carries On“, from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, which appears in the film’s trailer.
  • In the podcast, we refer to Adam’s two “chemo buddies”, who are played by Philip Baker Hall and another actor we weren’t familiar with. The other actor was Matt Frewer.
  • Stick around for a blooper if you’re game.

Listen above, or download: 50/50 (right-click, save as).

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #12: Michael Bay’s “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”

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Poster for "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"

This week, Glenn and Daniel short-circuit their brains to review Transformers: Dark of the Moon (32:21).

[may contain some NSFW language]

FilmWonk rating: 5/10

Show notes:

  • Music for this episode is from Steve Jablonsky’s original score for the film (track: “Dark Side of the Moon”).

Listen above, or download: Transformers: Dark of the Moon (right-click, save as).

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #11: “Littlerock” (SIFF review)

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Poster for "Littlerock"

This week on the podcast, Glenn and Daniel head for the Seattle International Film Festival to review Littlerock, the story of a pair of Japanese siblings finding their way through a desert town in California. Glenn’s lovely fiancee Megan jumps in to expound on the nature of a “nice guy” and offer her unique perspective as a fluent Japanese speaker. Click below to listen to our discussion of this surprise cross-cultural gem [may contain some NSFW language] (19:09).

FilmWonk ratings: 8.5/10 (Glenn), 9/10 (Megan), 8.5/10 (Daniel)

Show notes:

  • The actor in attendance at the screening was Ryan Dillon, who plays Brody in the film.
  • Music for this episode is the track “Bramble“, by The Cave Singers, from the film’s original soundtrack.

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

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #10: Kenneth Branagh’s “Thor”

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This week, Nick returns to throw down the gauntlet and help Glenn review Kenneth Branagh’s Thor, the latest entry in the Avengers saga. Will it be a worthy standalone film, or merely a S.H.I.E.L.D.-infused trailer for what’s to come? Listen below to find out [may will contain some NSFW language] (24:21).

(Part 1 – 10:01)
(Part 2 – 14:20)

FilmWonk ratings: 5/10 (Glenn), 4/10 (Nick)

Show notes:

  • Music for this episode is from Patrick Doyle’s original score for the film (track: “Sons of Odin”).

Listen above, or download: Thor Part 1, Part 2 (right-click, save as).

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #9: Zack Snyder’s “Sucker Punch”

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This week, Glenn and Daniel get in touch with their feminine side and have their minds and eyeballs assaulted in equal measure by Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch. YOU are in control. YOU have all the weapons you need to survive this discussion. Click Play below to find out what this level has in store for you (22:53).

[may contain some NSFW language]
(Part 1 – 13:23)

(Part 2 – 9:30)

FilmWonk ratings: 1/10 (Glenn), 6/10 (Daniel)

    Show notes:
  • Music for this episode is an cover arrangement of “White Rabbit” from the Sucker Punch soundtrack.
  • In this episode, I refer to my review of Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones, which I hold in slightly higher regard after seeing this film.
  • You might notice I’m out of breath at one point – we had to pause recording to deal with a noisy kitty, which involved running up and down a couple flights of stairs. Unprofessional, I know. But the cat has been fired.

Listen above, or download: Sucker Punch Part 1, Part 2 (right-click, save as).

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #8: Tom Hooper’s “The King’s Speech”

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Poster for "The King's Speech"

This week, Glenn, Daniel, and guest Nick don their most dapper suits and get stoked for Oscar gold as they review The King’s Speech, starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, and Michael Gambon. (20:00)

[may contain some NSFW language]

FilmWonk rating: 8 out of 10

    Show notes:
  • Music for this episode comes from Alexandre Desplat’s original score.
  • At the beginning of this episode, we refer to a blooper from our last podcast which riffed on a scene from the film’s theatrical trailer (scene begins at 1:22).
  • Special thanks to guest reviewer Nick for joining us for this review!

Listen above, or download: The King’s Speech (right-click, save as).

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #7: David O. Russell’s “The Fighter”

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Poster for "The Fighter"

This week, Glenn and Daniel dive in face-first with flailing fists to review David O. Russell’s boxing biopic-cum-family drama, The Fighter, starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo.(19:12)

[may contain some NSFW language]

FilmWonk rating: 8.5 out of 10

    Show notes:
  • Music for this episode is The Heavy’s “How You Like Me Now?”, from the film’s soundtrack.
  • With apologies to Tom Hooper, David Seidler, Colin Firth, and Geoffrey Rush, stick around at the end for a blooper!
  • As penance for our shameful blooper, check out the next episode, in which we review Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech.

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

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #6: Tony Scott’s “Unstoppable”

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Tony Scott is back on the train with Unstoppable, a “railyard thriller” starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, and Rosario Dawson. Will our heroes escape yet another Tony Scott film with their sanity intact? Find out on this week’s episode of the FilmWonk podcast (17:12)

[may contain some NSFW language]

FilmWonk rating: 7 out of 10

    Show notes:
  • Spoiler warning: This film is tough to spoil, since the ending is kind of a foregone conclusion, but we don’t exactly skimp on the details.
  • Music for this episode is Kat DeLuna’s “Unstoppable”, from the 2009 film Confessions of a Shopaholic.
  • Rosario Dawson’s character was named “Connie”, not “Coolidge”, and yep, I’m laughing at myself.
  • The international poster (above) perfectly conveys the tone of this film.

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

FilmWonk Podcast – Episode #5: Adam Green’s “Frozen”

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Poster for "Frozen"

First we met the Devil, then we got Buried, and now, in the latest installment of this inadvertent “One-Word, One-Room” marathon, Glenn and Daniel pull on their ski boots and review Frozen, a horror film new on DVD and Blu-ray from writer/director Adam Green, starring Shawn Ashmore, Emma Bell, and Kevin Zegers. (19:59)

[may contain some NSFW language]

FilmWonk rating: 6.5 out of 10

    Show notes:
  • Music for this episode is a little cheeky.
  • Shawn Ashmore, who plays Joe Lynch, also played Bobby “Iceman” Drake in the X-Men films. There’s an awful joke in there somewhere, but it must’ve slipped our minds…
  • Stick around at the end for a blooper!

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

FilmWonk Podcast – Michael Winterbottom’s “The Killer Inside Me”

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Poster for "The Killer Inside Me"

In this episode of the FilmWonk podcast, Glenn and Daniel kick back some whisk(e)y and review Michael Winterbottom’s The Killer Inside Me, starring Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Ned Beatty, and Elias Koteas. (20:00)

[may contain some NSFW language]

FilmWonk rating: 4 out of 10

    Show notes:
  • Music for this episode is Little Willie John’s 1956 version of the rhythm and blues classic, “Fever”, which plays over the film’s opening credits.

  • I mistakenly refer to John Wayne Gacy as a serial killer with mommy issues; I was actually thinking of Ed Kemper, who murdered his mother with a claw hammer.

  • I also refer to the death of Harry Houdini, which was widely speculated to have involved a few blows to the stomach. However, the blows exacerbated his actual cause of death – peritonitis, secondary to a ruptured appendix. Rest in peace, magic man.

  • I compare this film’s reception to Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist; I didn’t even realize that both films’ posters have the same creepy handwritten chalkboard style lettering. Bizarre.

Listen above, or download: The Killer Inside Me (right-click, save as)