The Breakdown of 'The Week Of,' 'Kodachrome,' and 'Candy Jar'

Holy smokes!  It's Tuesday, and for some reason The Movie Breakdown podcast is just now getting published.  Well, let me tell you there is a very good reason for this happening.  You see, I got the podcast file prepared in record time and then decided to not pass it along to my co-host, Christopher Spicer, who publishes it.  Yep.  And this isn't the first time that this has happened.  I turn forty soon, so I will lay the blame on a memory that fades as the years pile on.

The good news is that we have three Netflix originals to talk about.  One of them is the latest Adam Sandler flick, The Week Of.  We talk about it, and are surprised at how we aren't as insulted and offended as we usually are with Happy Madison productions.  From there it is the road trip film, Kodachrome that has wonderful acting talents such as Elizabeth Olsen, Jason Sudeikis, and Ed Harris.  The third movie is a high school movie about two hard core debaters.  It's called Candy Jar, and it seems to imply during the film that it is a Romeo and Juliet styled tale, even though the similarities are few.

There is also some discussion on Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski getting expelled from the Academy.  There are many different views people can take here, and we try to make some sense of it.  On top of that, Avengers: Infinity War has broken all sorts of records, so we are talking about what studios (pay attention here, Warner Bros) need to learn from its success.

You can find the podcast on iTunes, and feel free to leave a review if you enjoy it.  Next weekend will see some more interesting films talked about, and perhaps, if all goes well, I won't keep it to myself.

PODCAST: The Breakdown of The Boy and David Bowie

With the recent passing of David Bowie, we felt that it would be a good idea to spend some time on the podcast and look at movies he was involved in.  Good idea.  We also decided to review the recently released 'horror,' The Doll.  Bad idea.

We are used to taking the good with the bad, and we sure do that this week.  Instead of taking the time to go to theatres and check out a movie about a stupid protagonist who falls in love with a haunted doll, we offer up three David Bowie movies that may be a better use of your time.

You can find the podcast here, or it can also be found on iTunes where you can subscribe to it.

PODCAST: The Breakdown of the Best of 2015

This should have been posted on Monday.  I wish there was a terrific excuse for my tardiness on this one, but it comes down to my current addiction with NBA 2K15.  I just couldn't stop playing.  And thus, a lot of stuff didn't get done.  I was still productive and I don't want to sound like an incredible louse, but it is just the sad reality of my life when my wife heads off for a few days.  There is no accountability for my time, and I make good use of that.

Anyways, back to the important topic.  The year of 2015 is all wrapped up and all of the year's films have come out to theatres.  Because I don't live in a big city there is a limit to the variety of films that can be screened, so some Oscar contenders like Room and Brooklyn haven't been seen.  However, I was lucky enough to catch some of the year's best.

This week on The Movie Breakdown, Chris and I each reveal our top ten favourite films of the year as well as some incredibly amazing honourable mentions that only slightly missed out on making the list.  You can find the podcast posted here, or it can also be found on iTunes.

PODCAST: The Breakdown of the Stinkers of 2015

The 'REJECT' sticker on Chappie's head says it all

Every year comes and goes, leaving many movies in the wake of memories.  Some are great moments that we will relive when the films are released for home consumption, and others are the movies that we dream of erasing from memory.  With The Movie Breakdown Podcast, we strive to see a wide variety of films that end up being loved and cherished.  However, on that path to discovery we also inevitably encounter what are known as the stinkers.

The stinkers are when choices go wrong, and a film ends up destroying us internally and robbing a little piece of our soul.  They are the movies that remind us of everything that can go wrong in films and end up being case studies for what movies need to not blow it.  They are also a colossal waste of time.  Time that we can never get back.  Time that we could have spent with loved ones.

What better way to celebrate a new year than to take some more time and reflect on those little beasties?  This week on The Movie Breakdown, Chris and I sit back with our coffees and talk about both of our top ten worst movies of the year.  Even when the coffee grows cold, it is still a better experience than some of the films we discuss.  To end on a positive note, we both mention our top ten most anticipated films for 2016.

You can find the podcast here.  As well, it is available on iTunes where you can download or subscribe to our weekly movie reviews.

PODCAST: The Full Breakdown of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" - Full of Spoilers

Let's be honest.  It is the biggest movie event in recent memory, and possibly all time.  The Force Awakens has done more for the franchise than any of the prequels as far as popularity and merchandising, and it is only going to grow from here.  However with that said, the next films will only add to it and won't be able to capture the initial excitement the same way that this movie was able to, making it a true landmark feature film.

This week on The Movie Breakdown we take the entire episode to talk about The Force Awakens like the giddy little movie geeks that we are.  Be warned, it is full of spoilers.  If you haven't seen the movie yet, this could be the podcast to miss and visit after you have seen the film.  If you have seen it, sit down and have a listen to the old and ancient format of podcast we once did called The Spoiler Room, where nothing from the movie is out of bounds for discussion.

As well, there is an account of Chris taking his son to the movies for the first time, as his now four year old got to check out The Good Dinosaur.  You can find the podcast here, or you can find it on iTunes if you search 'The Movie Breakdown.'  Please feel free to rate us or subscribe to keep up to date on all of our weekly podcasts.

PODCAST: The Breakdown of the Legacy of Star Wars

Well, well, well.  We are less than a week away from one of the most anticipated movies in the history of cinema.  It is more than just a re-visit to a franchise, but a cultural event that has dominated social media and found its way into the news cycle.  What am I talking about?  The Force Awakens, the latest in the Star Wars Saga.

After the lingering dismay of the prequels, it is difficult to think that there could be such a rebound for Star Wars as we are seeing right now.  People lining up for tickets to the premiere have to be in line for a minimum of twenty four hours for a single ticket, and another twenty four hours if they wish to purchase a second one.  Around the home of the Oscars, there is four blocks of streets inaccessible to traffic, with tents already set up for the big event.

On this episode of The Movie Breakdown, Christopher Spicer and I talk about the legacy of this franchise, from what it meant to us as children, to the evolution of film that it sparked, to creating the idea of movie merchandise.  Sure, we have seen some films in theatres lately, but reviewing them seemed a little secondary to taking the time to discuss just how much George Lucas' films have affected the cinematic landscape.

You can find the podcast here, or you can also get it on iTunes.  If you like the iTunes route, which I certainly do, make sure you subscribe to catch all of the latest episodes of The Movie Breakdown.  You can find it on iTunes here.

We hope you enjoy the conversation about Star Wars as much as we did.

P.S.  Han always shot first.

PODCAST: The Breakdown of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

If you read my review of the movie The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, you already have an idea of just how I felt about it.  However, if you would like more in-depth analysis of the film, as well as the thoughts of my podcasting partner in crime Christopher Spicer, you can check out the podcast as we debate the finale of the popular series.

On the same episode we discuss the latest James Bond film, Spectre, as well as Noah Baumbach's 2015 release starring Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts, While We're Young.  On top of that, we look at director Guillermo Del Toro's first english language film, Mimic.  Topping it off is the Mike Tyson produced documentary, Champs.

The podcast can be found here, or you can also find The Movie Breakdown on iTunes now, where you can subscribe and keep up with the latest Hollywood films.  There will be some big shows in the future, including an upcoming special episode where we look at the influence of the Star Wars films.

The Breakdown of Wes Craven Podcast

For myself, hearing the news that film maker Wes Craven had passed away at the end of August was a big emotional gut punch.  The man had horrified me as a youth, and that was without having even seen one of his films. I remember my sister returning from a slumber party and telling me about a movie she saw called A Nightmare on Elm Street.  Once she told me the premise, my life changed.  Falling asleep was difficult and scary for a good long time, and I would get shivers every time my parents were driving and the car crossed paths with Elm Street.

It was the beauty of the premise that was so powerful.  Being attacked in your dreams, a place where you should be at rest.  Sleep is something that everyone needs, something that cannot be escaped, and to view that activity as death row was so simple yet so innovative.  Craven created a foe who could get you where nobody could save you.  Not the police, not your parents, and not even yourself.

But it was not just the horror that I was cursed with from the movie that made it so vital to me.  When I finally saw the movie, I was amazed at the quality of story telling involved.  The protagonist, Nancy (played by Heather Langenkamp), was a break from the horror scream queens.  She was not just a female who survived until the end, continually running, screaming, and wearing tight clothes.  She was the girl next door, normal and relatable.  She was scared but also brave, searching to learn more about the evil Freddy Kruger, willing to confront him.

It was inevitably the relationship between an ultimate protagonist and ultimate villain that added the appeal of the film.  It was layered and had a message of how the mistakes we make in the past can come back to haunt us.  Yes, it freaked me out when I was young, but it mesmerized me when I was older.  A classic tale that was vivid and psychological at the same time.

In order to give Wes Craven a proper send off, my podcasting partner in crime, Christopher Spicer, and I thought it appropriate to dedicate an entire podcast to the man who had affected both our love of film and story telling.  The podcast to a master of horror can be found here.  And, if you're willing, watch A Nightmare on Elm Street.  You will see one of the best female protagonists of all time rising to the challenge in a sturdy and gripping tale.

The Breakdown of Everest, Black Mass, and The Intern

For some reason I always forget to post a link on my blog for a weekly podcast that I do with my good friend and partner in crime Chris Spicer.  It could be the same reason I would spend ten minutes looking for my cell phone while holding it in my hand.  Yep, I am that guy.

This week on The Movie Breakdown we reviewed five movies from this year, with three of them existing in the dark screening rooms of theatres right now.  We chat about the disaster flick Everest, the 'based on real life' crime opera Black Mass, and the fish out of water soft comedy The Intern starring Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro.  If you read my possibly overly harsh review of Song One, then The Intern is the type of film that can restore faith in the abilities of someone as talented as Hathaway.

Also on the slate were rentals The Cobbler, starring Adam Sandler, and Ex Machina.  One of these two movies may rock your world and attempt to bend your mind.  The other may insult your intelligence.  One may be Oscar worthy in many different categories.  The other may be worthy of a Golden Raspberry or two.  I can't tell you which is which... you will have to check out the podcast to hear the thoughts.

You can find the podcast hosted here.

Halloween Horror Podcast

On Monday, my friend Chris posted our weekly podcast on his blog, and the theme of this week's podcast was horror movies on account of it being Halloween.  So, if you are wanting some horror overload, click this link to head over to his site to check it out.

We take a look at some non-traditional horror movies to see if there is any gold to be found outside of the mainstream.  The truth is, mainstream horror is pretty dismal these days, so our hope was to find out if there was still some good life in the genre.  We looked at a few independent movies, and a few international films.  Each of the movies are available on Netflix, so it may be a podcast worth checking out if you are a fan of the genre.

The movies we look at are the independent film Resolution, the horror-comedy Teeth, the Australian psychological horror The Snowtown Murders (a film I reviewed on this site), the Australian teen slasher/stylized horror flick The Loved Ones (a film that has made many lists for best horrors), and the very first Israeli horror film Rabies (which I also reviewed on this site).

If any of those may float your boat, give it a listen and maybe you will find a new favourite horror film.

The Breakdown of Captain Phillips

It is Monday, and that means Chris and I are back with The Breakdown, a movie podcast where we review and talk about five different films.  Amoung the films talked about are recently released Captain Phillips, The Fifth Estate, and Enough Said.

Head on over to Chris' blog to check it out.

The Breakdown Celebrates Thanksgiving

Hello, and happy Thanksgiving one and all.  It is Monday, which means my friend Chris and I have a new podcast out.  This week we take a look at five different movie remakes and give our thoughts on them.  You can find the podcast with this link.

We look at the movies The Magnificent Seven, True Grit, The Manchurian Candidate, The Fly, and The Crazies.  I hope you enjoy it, and have a great holiday Monday.