Hosted by Ben Flanagan
Guests: Been Stark
VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL
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http://www.thecapstone.ua.edu/Podcast/r
1. The Writer’s strike is FINALLY over.
2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull trailer debuted today on Good Morning America and is now featured on the interweb.
3. Paramount has announced it will push back the release of J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" from Dec. 25 to May 8, 2009.
4. New releases this week in theaters – Definitely, Maybe – starring Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Breslin; Jumper – starring Anakin Skywalker, Billy Elliot and Samuel L. Jackson; The Spiderwick Chronicles; Step Up 2. All are playing at the Cobb Hollywood 16 in Tuscaloosa.
BEEN STARK STOPS BY!!!
The following comes directly from a list created for The Crimson White. The list hasn't changed since then.
Top 10 Romance films of all time:
1. Before Sunrise (1995) – Richard Linklater’s beautiful portrait of a chance encounter between two twenty-somethings who decide to give potential a chance after hitting things off on a train and hop off at a stop in the gorgeous locale of Vienna, Austria. While the experience is mostly conversational between the two leads, played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, what they’re saying is engaging 100% of the time. Linklater’s exploration of why relationships sometimes can’t work and why they ultimately must is handled with originality and surprising storytelling expertise. If you’re up for it, make it a double feature since Linklater brought the actors back to visit the characters nearly ten years later in the sequel “Before Sunset,” which takes place in Paris. While I’d say it isn’t quite the movie its predecessor is, some would argue that it even transcends it. Either way, both are highly recommended.
2. Punch-Drunk Love (2002) – No milkshakes are shared in this one, but writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson painted an awkward and unique fairytale that offers and confirms the idea that there is someone for everyone. Adam Sandler and Emily Watson share an unlikely chemistry that forwards the progress of what I consider to be one of the most uplifting pieces of cinema, rivaling "Rocky." Honestly, this entry in Anderson’s filmography ranks above Magnolia, in my opinion, especially in terms of originality and focused storytelling. While perhaps a bit unusual at first, Shelley Duvall’s song “He Needs Me” will become the lover’s anthem before the movie is over.
3. Meet Joe Black" (1998) - Scoffed at in its initial release, Martin Brest's surreal fable of the grim reaper's trip to Earth where he falls in love with a beautiful New Yorker is the closest thing to a Frank Capra picture anyone has come since the director passed away. Brad Pitt as Death gives his most earnest performance opposite the incomparable Anthony Hopkins as his human tour guide and father of his object of affection. The results are bittersweet and perhaps unfair, but we feel great when it's over. Thomas Newman's musical score is perfect – maybe the best in the last ten years.
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) - A wild and peculiar vision of a film that offers the statement that Valentine's Day is "a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap." Thanks to a chance meeting, Jim Carrey's improbable hero, Joel, is put in a position that questions this philosophy. Director Michel Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's profound drama examines the cruelty of harsh breakups but bleeds a glimmer of hope that's just enough to remind you how much you care about what you love or loved.
5. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) - Debatably Woody Allen's finest film, "Hannah" studies extramarital affairs and the meaning of life with poignant dialogue and splendid New York City scenery. Allen has said before that he wishes he would have changed around the ultimately positive ending of this film; thank you, Woody, for leaving it alone.
6. Chasing Amy (1997) - After "Clerks" and "Mallrats," Kevin Smith really pulled this revolutionary love story one out of his ... well, I didn't see it coming. Smith questions whether a lesbian could eventually fall in love with a man, and the result is a hilariously triumphant and tragic love story. Jason Lee's supporting work is comedic timing for the ages here.
7. The Graduate (1967) - How do you sleep with a woman who's old enough to be your mother and then attempt to date her daughter? How does that work? Mike Nichols' masterpiece only gets better with age. We get to grow with the film's reluctant protagonist, Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), in his journey from childhood to manhood straight back to childhood. Hoffman, Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross are dynamite. Pay close attention to the scene where Benjamin must have an uncomfortable drink with a man who doesn't know his wife just attempted to seduce him.
8. Rushmore (1998) - Wes Anderson co-wrote (with Owen Wilson) and directed what could be the greatest movie of the '90s. A high school student (Jason Schwartzman) falls in love with a kindergarten teacher (Olivia Williams) who falls for the high school student's best friend, a middle-aged business tycoon (Bill Murray). Maybe the most implausible love triangle thought of for the screen, but with a terrific British revolution rock soundtrack and gratifying dialogue, the characters figure out who belongs with who, and we can't help but agree.
9. Lady and the Tramp (1955) - The spaghetti dinner between two canine outlaws, complete with an Italian serenade, is a glorious romantic treat that will have you cheering and begging for more of that sweet, supple Disney magic. I don't know why the story of an aristocratic cocker spaniel and streetwise mutt pulls my strings - maybe it's because I grew up watching it - but I just can't help it. Truly one of the all time great love stories.
10. Closer (2004) - This one's a wild card for those of you who don't have or don't want dates tomorrow night. Mike Nichols' portrait of four selfish, deceitful young people in London is often a disturbing meditation on the cruelty human relationships can habitually dish out. The malicious, vile things these characters secrete on each other will have you wishing to never date again. Beware, couples! You will break up. I know Julia Roberts is in it, but it ain't "Notting Hill."
A quick rundown of others to look out for: Casablanca, City Lights, Singin’ in the Rain, Gone with the Wind, and what I would to be one of the better contemporary love stories, Juno, which is playing at the Cobb Hollywood 16.
If you’re feeling downright love sick, turn to these: the aforementioned Closer, Annie Hall, Sweet and Lowdown, Swept Away, Kill Bill Vol. 1, The Shining; and for the extremely masochistic who want to fool themselves into believing that this is a proper love story: the 2007 release Once, which is out on DVD.
What's new on DVD this week: Gone Baby Gone, No Reservations, We Own the Night, Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married and Becoming Jane. So there are a few Valentine’s picks in this week’s releases.
NEXT WEEK:
The Oscars
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