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

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 #15: “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”, “Young Adult”

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”

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).

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

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”

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 #8: Tom Hooper’s “The King’s Speech”

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 #6: Tony Scott’s “Unstoppable”

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”

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: Sylvester Stallone’s “The Expendables”

In this first episode of the FilmWonk podcast, Glenn and Daniel review Sylvester Stallone’s “The Expendables”, starring Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, and David Zayas. (13:56)

[may contain some NSFW language]

FilmWonk rating: 5 out of 10

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