Hosted by Ben Flanagan
Guests: Graham Flanagan, Ben Stark
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http://www.thecapstone.ua.edu/Podcast/r
1. Box office is SLOW, but 10,000 BC took in over 35 million over the weekend. Nikki Finke at deadline hollywood says the film performed poorly, especially when compared to last spring's R-rated hit 300, which broke spring-time records. 10,000 BC, which is rated PG-13, certainly isn't 300, but isn't it a little too early to call it an outright failure?
2. What is it about the months of January to April that seem mean doomsday for studio releases? The lackluster box office is noticeable - though 2007 saw hits like the aforementioned 300, Norbit, Wild Hogs and Ghost Rider - but it seems the overall consistency of the output of good movies tends to shrink around this time every year. Some might make a case for the movie ZODIAC, but I would not. What do you think?
3. You heard Johann Strauss opening the show in honor of my re-watching 2001: A Space Odyssey yesterday. If, for some reason, you're not familiar with Stanley Kubrick's 1968 science fiction epic, get familiar with it. For all of the film nerds aspiring to become filmmakers who claim they've seen this movie but can't offer an feasible opinion on it, put down the David Fincher and Richard Kelly interview books, and watch this monster from beginning to end in one sitting. In terms of its technical achivements, 2001 is just plain unfair. The visual presentation of this movie were unprecedented when it was released, and it continues to reign supreme among films that have made any kind of effort to offer a visual take on space travel in film. 2001 is tangible proof that the impossibe can be accomplished with a camera, which is why film students ought to be stealing from it instead of more stereotypical film school fodder. Although I haven't officially made the switch from my current DVD setup to Blu-ray or another HD format, I did catch the airing of the movie on Universal HD's cable channel; and it didn't disappoint. If you do make that transition, this should be one of your first purchases. I'm not telling people who have seen 2001 anything they haven't heard before, but let me know when it isn't necessary to reiterate what kind of a milestone this movie is. One of the single coolest moments in film history occurs moments before the intermission where the HAL 9000 computer reads the lips of his ship's astronauts. Just one of the best pieces of editing and storytelling in general. Is this Kubrick's best movie? It'd be extremely difficult to argue against that statement, but there are a few of his other movies that would try and make the case.
4. Theatrical releases this week in Tuscaloosa: Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who; Doomsday; and Never Back Down will all start at the Cobb Hollywood 16 located off of Skyland Blvd. Open up the Crimson White today, and you'll find an interview with one of the cast members from Never Back Down.
5. New on DVD: best picture winner No Country For Old Men, Bee Movie, Dan in Real Life and Hitman. No Country, Darjeeling Limited and John Carpenter's The Thing are currently in my queue. I can recommend all three. Graham told me yesterday that he re-watched No Country and has developed somewhat of a new opinion on it. What did you see that you didn't the first time?
6. Ben Stark wrote a facebook note this week (as did Patton Smith) highlighting the unveiling of the final poster for this summer's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The poster is a typically colorful cascade of the film's major characters, Indiana Jones' mug dominating the top half, with bits of action and set pieces we might see in the film, including what looks to be the "crystal skull," which looks an awful lot like a scary alien. Ben's note sparked some debate from both Indy freaks and apologists as well as not so much naysayers but skeptics. I admit that I'm one of those skeptics, not because I'm not eagerly anticipating the film now that it's completed; but when I initally heard the film was being made, I was a little disappointed. I may have mentioned it before, but these days I'm not a fan of the industry's reliance on sequels and remakes. I think it's ultimately hurting the creative process of filmmaking, and when artists like Spielberg are cashing in on it, I get the feeling that they're conceding to the fact that their newer, more original ideas aren't good enough for today's audiences. Also, the involvement of George Lucas and lukewarm screenwriter David Koepp has me a bit uneasy about the whole thing. But I'm going to see it and let the movie do it's talking. Ben, has the release of this poster only fueled the fire that is your anticipation for this movie?
7. My most anticipated of 2008: WALL-E (June 27); PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (Aug. 8); IRON MAN (May 2)
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