2017 Archive

December 2017

#39 The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Our last show of the year deals with a massive blockbuster and much anticipated sequel, a deranged and dour family film, and an adventurous remake. One of them lies in the middle of the road, one a high contender and the last a bitter taste that defies repeat viewings. Which will land at these spots? See you next year folks for our Best Of The Year lists.

#38 The Nile Hilton Incident, Coco, The Disaster Artist

Welcome to B-movie happy hour! Never have we been as excited to review a James Franco project like his latest and daring biopic attempt about the man that brought us the infamous The Room. The worst movie ever made re-realized on screen should prove quite interesting. Coco is the latest from Pixar’s arsenal of emotional animated films and boys like Ralf and Oscar can’t wait to seek their teeth into the culturel aspects that relate to their own. The Nile Hilton Incident is in the sub-genre of ‘specific period’ films that relate to a true event and we can’t wait to see and hope it fits in the best-of list against the others.

November 2017

#37 Good Time, Justice League, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Let’s get dark people! We have three film reviews that deal or try to deal with dark subject matter in varying degrees. Good Time is an intense one night affair about a man trying anything shady in order to help get his brother out of jail. Justice League tries to pump the breaks on the dark matter with some wit and poor storytelling when reviving Superman. Three Billboards dances and skewers the line between comedy and some dark shit when a mother tries to get the police to find her daughters’ killer by upsetting a town.

#36 The Big Sick, Ingrid Goes West, Thor: Ragnarok

We have a trio of films and their relationships. One is classic: it is the beginnings of a true life love story between a Pakistani comedian and an American student. The next one is more modern and disturbing. It’s a relationship between an internet stalker and an Instagram model. The final relationship used to be between a boy and his toy hammer but evolves to his adoptive brother and finally, to his home.

October 2017

#35 The Thing, The Bad Batch, Suburbicon

This spooky weekend we bring you the three types of horror experiences you can have with films. The first is a horror retrospective of the much revered 1982 classic, The Thing. The second, we delve into the bizarre and atmospheric dystopian future of cannibals and heat with The Bad Batch. The final review is Suburbicon, which has the unfortunate and scary thing of being a poorly conceived film.

#34 The Lost City of Z, Blade Runner: 2049, The Foreigner

We have a real duo of thought-provoking films within the exemplary visionary directions of critical darling filmmakers. The Lost City of Z and Blade Runner: 2049 share in visionary spectacle and questions of the human nature of our futures and obsessions. We end today’s show with Jackie Chan returning to action as a father seeking vengeance against the IRA.

September 2017

#33 The Beguiled, What Happened To Monday?, Kingsman: The Golden Circle

As we ponder on where the week went, today?s show asks seven sisters about legalizing all drugs in the setting of a Civil War era house. Sofia Coppola?s latest project has intensity within its subtlety and surprising stakes. What Happened To Monday may prove to be in the wrong genre but still possesses entertainment. Kingsman sequel is more of the same as it widens the universe of the characters.

#32 Colossal, Alien: Covenant, It

We go from playgrounds, to space, ending up at the sewers. We begin with a film wrapped in anguish over not going somewhere in life with a giant monster twist in Colossal. Alien: Covenant proves a lack of visual imagination and detail but may carry a nice momentum in the world of Alien from its predecessor; Prometheus. Finally, a remake audiences love to watch is It; the horror money-maker of the year with a lot of scares within its two hours.

#31 Okja, Logan Lucky, Wind River

From South Korea to North Carolina and ending up in an Indian Reservation, the boys discuss three very different films. The first is a multi-lingual adventure filled with friendships, animal rights, corporate restructuring and a superpig. The second is a whimsical and southern and entertaining heist flick by the venerable and never-retired Steven Soderbergh. Last and certainly not least, we travel to Wyoming to deal with the harsh cold and the two people tasked with solving a murder.

August 2017

#30 Atomic Blonde, The Dark Tower, Annabelle: Creation

Oscar and Ralf try to catch up to recent films that were missed during the marathon episode and vacations in between. They begin with the female version of James Bond Berlin-set spy flick Atomic Blonde. They talk about the turmoil, action and pop music. Next up is The Dark Tower and speak to its merits as a sequel to the much beloved and complicated novels. The show ends with the much surprising Annabelle: Creation. The film shows us shoddy dialogue but amazing child performances with some level-headed horror filmmaking.

#29 Grave of the Fireflies, Whisper of the Heart, Paprika

We finally top off our first marathon! This marathon has proved the medium to be spectacular and we save a good trio for the finale. Grave of the Fireflies is the critical darling that’ll break your heart. Whisper of the Heart shows the value of growing up and falling in love when young. Paprika is a sci-fi mind bender that merges the chaos of dreams with the strict reality. Hope you’ve enjoyed this marathon and see you for the next one!

July 2017

#28 Personal Shopper, War for the Planet of the Apes, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

The latest from Olivier Assayas delves into a strange medium’s life as she waits for a message from her dead brother in Personal Shopper. The third installment of Caeser’s ape world has the best emotional punches yet. Valerian’s imaginative world building and adventurous atmosphere is great even if the plot and dialogue isn’t.

#27 The 5 Best Films of 2017 So Far, Baby Driver, The 5 Most Anticipated Films of 2017

Our first official ‘Best Of’ list for 2017! Ralf and Oscar give their best films of the year so far with a surprising number of overlap. Action and comedy rank higher than most years this time. We also take on Edgar Wright’s latest film Baby Driver with great response. Let us know which films are your favorite of 2017 so far!

June 2017

#26 Waltz with Bashir, Blame!, Cars 3

Similar to an episode in 2016, we’ve landed on three animated films. With other titles like The Beguiled and The Big Sick not available in Chicago yet, we had to turn to Netflix and Pixar to round out the corners of today’s reviews. Cars 3 proved better than anticipated but mainly just a kids flick. Blame! shows us a great picture of a world covered in city with a few classic anime problems. Waltz with basher pushes the medium by blending dreams and war within the documentary genre. Let us know what you think!

#25 Persepolis, Raw, It Comes At Night

With Luke off to Alaska the brothers lay down the disturbing nuances of meat-eating, tyrannical rule and global infections. We first talk about the life and times of Marjane during the Islamic revolution as part of our continuing animation marathon. We carry on the weight of a true carnivores’ life with Raw. We conclude our show with an exercise in utter tension with the eerie It Comes At Night. Plus, Ralf and Oscar have three titles apiece to cover as part of what they’ve been watching lately.

May 2017

#24 RahXephon: Pluralitas Concentio, The Wall, Baywatch

We hit the tides and drug runners this week with the newly released raunchy comedy Baywatch; starring the ever powerful Dwayne Johnson. We travel to a single location of a fight to the death between snipers in The Wall. As part of our continuing animation marathon, we also discuss the merits of shortening a televised beloved serial into a too-packed sci-fi film called RahXephon.

#23 Spirited Away, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

River spirits, giant insects and an egocentric planet fill the show this week. As part of our animation marathon, we delve into two films from the acclaimed writer/director Hayao Miyazaki. Spirited Away was our entry way into much of Japanese anime scene and still holds up amazingly. Nausicaa proves ever prescient on the world state of being with an apocalyptic future. Guardians, while a blast to watch on comedic and action levels, may prove to have more of the common Marvel Studios problems of lack of threat and predictability.

April 2017

#22 Perfect Blue, Your Name, The Circle

This week, we strip all types of privacy to discuss human connection with the eerie and Black Mirror-like The Circle. As part of our continuing animation marathon, we also discuss the cinematic chops of the art-imitating-life film Perfect Blue. Last but not least, we delve into the world’s biggest animated feature from Japan, Your Name. This teen, body-swapping romance may turn out to be more interesting.

#21 The Black Cauldron, The Jungle Book, The Fate of the Furious

It’s double-bill marathon time! We take on two old school ages of Disney with 60’s and 80’s projects. The Black Cauldron proves they can go dark but not with much staying power. The Jungle Book, recently remade, has a fun loving atmosphere with a strange cast of animals. The only question we should ask about the Fast and Furious franchise is…. will the 8th be the last?

March 2017

#20 Coraline, Power Rangers, Ghost In The Shell

We begin as we’ll do these days with our marathon coverage. We dive into the wonderfully dreadful world of Coraline. A stop-motion dark film that proves to be essential animated viewing for adults and kids. We move onto the strangely ok Power Rangers, a version more serious and more teenage angst. Lastly, we search our ghosts to figure out the expensive and oddly stone-cold rendition of Ghost In The Shell.

#19 The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, The Girl With All The Gifts, The Belko Experiment

Why not start an animated features marathon with a time travel movie with a heart and much laughter? The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a clear winner and much recommended. We continue with a dystopian zombie film with a special little girl named Melanie. We end the episode with the much predictable but not terrible Belko Experiment and cover ourselves in bloody corporate clothes.

#18 Oscar Ceremony, A Cure For Wellness, Logan

We introduce the last nail on the movie coffin called 2016. We talk about the Academy Awards ceremony, warts and all. Oscar performs his one-man show by talking about A Cure For Wellness which is hard to recommend. Logan may prove to be the best superhero film in recent memory, possibly ever. Join us.

February 2017

#17 Oscar Noms, The Founder, John Wick Chapter 2

Our regular schedule is back and in full swing! Ralf and Oscar discuss the masterfully choreographed John Wick 2 with some giddiness. Oscar and Luke dive into the period-set biopic of how McDonald’s got started in The Founder. Lastly, our Academy Awards talk will share some competition and intrigue for you.

January 2017

#16 Top 10 Discoveries In 2016

This final Best Of list for 2016. We promise. This time, it’s an original top ten list. We cover ground on any type of art (music, comics, movies, painters etc.) that we discovered of the past year. The twist is that the piece of art or artist must be from any year previous to 2016; that way, we won’t focus on only current events and opens up a way to talk about great stuff from history. We do hope you enjoy this Top Ten opus of ours.

#15 The 10 Best Films of 2016

The title is self explanatory. Let’s see how this tumultuous political year stacks up with screen art. Blockbusters and sequels took a turn of the worse but musicals, documentaries and animated pictures came back swinging. Luke is joining us from a remote location and we have tons of extras for you at the top and tail end of the show. Stay warm everybody!

#14 The 10 Best TV Shows of 2016

With the second part of the latest golden age of television in full swing, we thought it merited at least out top ten list. Couple that with a variety of streaming platforms that encourage binging entire seasons and you’ve got four guys talking TV for nearly 3 hours! Ralf and Oscar are joined by Brian and Marcos who prove to be a wide enough spread of different types of shows for your entertainment. Hope you enjoy and tell us what’s your favorite show of 2016.

#13 The 5 Best Games of 2016

Our first Best Of list for 2016, ringing in the new year! I know, I know. What is a film podcast doing with games? Well, as we look to end 2016 once and for all, we understand that all mediums of entertainment and artistic vision should be appreciated in some form. We bring a guest host to not only cover Luke’s temporary absence, but someone who has a different gaming taste than Ralf and Oscar. Hope you enjoy this and three other special Best Of treats throughout January.

​December 2017