Despite our listenership dwindling to almost nil for the Super Bowl (why didn’t anybody tell me about this thing?) we had a jam packed show after Steve over-ordered movies to review. So besides our opening commentary about the Oscar nominations, we have reviews for the Coen Brothers’ semi-autobiographical A Serious Man, Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau’s “passion” project Couples Retreat and Eric Bana’s temporally challenged romantic adaptation The Time Traveller’s Wife. You won’t believe which one we liked best until you hear it, and even then you might not believe it. We round out the show with our Picks from the Vault, One Week and The Last Boy Scout and then trailer suggestions forThe Losers and Cemetery Junction.
You can listen to the show here subscribe to our podcast here or check us out on iTunes here.
It’s been a while since we’ve given away anything through the site – it’s just hard to resist the instant gratification of giving stuff away over the phone. Anyways, in honour of its release on February 9th from our friends at MGM, we’ve got a copy of Stargate Universe 1.0 on DVD for you to win if you can answer me these questions three:
1 – The original Stargate movie featured an actor that also starred in a sitcom about intergalactic travel. Who is the actor and what was the show?
2 – What is your name?
3 – What is your email address?
Wrap all that information into an email and send it along to contests@thefilmcynics.com. This contest closes on February 17th, for contest rules click here.
From the creators of television’s longest running Sci-Fi series, “Stargate SG-1” comes a new story as “SGU 1.0” lands on two-disc Blu- ray and three-disc DVD February 9 from MGM Home Entertainment. Featuring the first 10 episodes, fans will have the opportunity to relive their favorite moments before all-new episodes air in the spring. With a winning combination of Stargate’s pedigree, award-winning cult favorite stars and a bold new look, “SGU 1.0” features appearances by original cast members Richard Dean Anderson (“MacGyver”) and Amanda Tapping (“Stargate SG-1”). Plus meet a brand new all-star cast including Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty), Brian J. Smith (Hate Crime), David Blue (“Ugly Betty”), Jamil Walker Smith (“Hey Arnold!”) and guest starring Ming-Na (“ER”), Lou Diamond Phillips (Stand And Deliver), and Canadian actors Louis Ferreira, Alaina Huffman and Elyse Levesque.
“SGU” is the story of a group of soldiers, scientists and civilians, fleeing an attack, finding themselves stranded billions of miles from Earth on an Ancient ship known as the Destiny. Locked on an unknown course, they must fight to survive and find a way home. The danger, adventure and hope they find on board the Destiny will reveal the heroes and villains among them.
Hey, remember when this was still being called Avatar? If this hadn’t been stuck in development hell for so long, it would have been Jimmy Cameron who’d have to come up with an alternative title like: Jake Sully: Unobtanium Digger. Oooh, I like that!
Anyways, here’s the new trailer for what we hope will be M. Night’s return to proper form, but will more likely be a big disappointment: The Last Airbender.
The Last Airbender blows into theatres on July 2, 2010.
I like TV. That is not a lie. I like it a lot. In fact I watch so much TV that I am beginning to think that I may have a wee bit of a problem. But you know what? I don’t fucking care. TV doesn’t get mad at me, call me names or put unflattering videos about me on the internet. (cough cough, see below) So here are 5 of my favorite shows that you should be watching but probably aren’t. And no I am not putting Friday Night Lights on this list because it is too awesome of a show to be placed among the rabble. Not that these shows are shit, they are quite good, they just don’t hold a candle to FNL.
5. Dollhouse – I know that is has been cancelled. And this is all your fault. I watched it every week and supported my man Joss Wheedon. Where were you? The man is a creative genius and needed our support. Now its done and over. When it comes out on DVD go pick it up and wrap your head around some great Sci-fi about being able to imprint people with any personality your want. It was very cool, very dark and very funny. Classic Wheedon. Plus side, Eliza Dushku is hot as hell. Minus side, Eliza Dushku can’t really act.
4. The Middle – This show I came around to quite quickly. I was going to write it off as another family sit com. And yes it is at times, but it is also very funny. I never watched “everybody loves Raymond” so I have no history with Patricia Heaton. But I was a fan of Neil Flynn’s work as the janitor from “Scrubs” so it nice to see him playing someone normal. It deals with your everyday issues in a slightly absurd way. Nobody is perfect and they all try their best. Plus the daughter Sue is a total failure at everything she tries and its refreshing to see a character that has no talent on TV. Other then Jenna Elfman of course.
3. Bored to Death – This is an 8 episode HBO series about a pots smoking, white wine drinking novelist turned amateur detective played by Jason Schwartzman. Need I say more? How about his best friend is Zach Galifianakis? More still? His boss is played by Ted Danson and he kills every scene he is in. Still not convinced? Then you won’t like this show and should stop reading this now. It was subtle and clever and I hope they bring it back for another season.
2. Tosh.0 – I thought this was some stupid sketch show when I saw the ads. I had no idea it was an hilarious 30 minutes of some dude named Tosh ragging on internet videos. I have now watched every episode made, which is about 18. They are all funny. And sometimes gross. But mainly funny. I wish I had thought of this show but I didn’t so I have to let Daniel Tosh have all the fun. My favourite bits are video breakdown and web redemption. It is a show for young internet geeks. But somehow it appeals to me too.
1. Better off Ted – ABC somehow created an amazing surrealist comedy. I don’t know if they know this or not because it feels like they are slowly killing of BoT. I have an on going bet with Steve that it is being cancelled. He doesn’t believe me and I hope he is right. This show is doing it own spin on the workplace comedy and really hitting it out of the park. So funny and so clever and so quick and so smart. Way smarter then me some times. Any show that can maximize the amazing talent that is Portia de Rossi is alright in my books. Please give it a try. You won’t be disappointed. And maybe in your office you can find a nice empty office and start up a Linda Bagel league. I know I want to.
At last we have ingested, rendered and uploaded all of the video from last weekend’s screening of Like Dandelion Dust at the Victoria Film Festival, so we can now present you with the entire Q&A session with Barry Pepper held after the film. Please excuse the sync and the sound, it was a small camera and I don’t know why the video codec refused to cooperate. In this Q&A session you’ll hear a little about Barry’s research and preparation process for a role, his thoughts on the advantages of independent cinema, and you’ll wonder why Steve had to be up front holding the microphone in the first place. We hope you enjoy.
After devoting time during our review of Zombieland to how much of a dick A.O. Scott was for giving away ZL’s secret cameo, Brian decides to let the name slip several times on camera. What’s funnier about Brian’s slip up is how indignant he gets when he knows he’s totally busted. Don’t worry, it’s bleeped for your protection…
In anticipation of the final season of ABC’s mind altering drama “Lost” we decided to focus our vault picks on season one to five of this show. Now I know you won’t be able to catch up before it starts tonight, but do yourself a favour and go and get all these seasons on DVD and dig in.
Last april I received season one on DVD. Cut to 22 days later I was watching episode 100 when it aired on TV. Yeah, thats right, I watched 100 episodes in 22 days. Why? because Lost is like crack. Once you start you can’t stop. And you always want more. It is a very complicated story of a plane crashing onto an uncharted island in the south pacific. I know that doesn’t sound complicated but believe me, it is. This show takes off and never looks back, adding characters, taking away characters and always making you guess on what is going to happen next.
I can’t do it justice by trying to explain what is going on. Too much has happened to even give you a hint of what it is all about. This season is going to be great, because after 5 years of being led around the island and never really being told what is going on, we are finally going to get some answers. And what are those answers? I have no idea. I have a better chance of winning my fortune at online roulette then correctly figuring out how Lost ends.
It was a jam-packed show last Sunday, including this review of this hilarious homage to blaxploitaiton films, Black Dynamite. Written by and starring Michael Jai White, Black Dynamite is a former CIA agent turned pimp, private eye, and ladies man who’s out to avenge the murder of his brother, foil a plan a low-down dirty CIA plot, and have a nunchuck battle with The Man. Anybody who watched Super Fly or Shaft in Univeristy needs to check this out. You dig?
Our video review of Zombieland finds us in high spirits as we discuss all the things that this rom-zom does right, and all the things that At The Movies does wrong. While the romantic sub-plot might have felt a little more tacked on than it was in Shaun of the Dead (which was more of a romantic comedy that had zombies in it – the opposite of Zombieland), it still got high praise from both sides of the desk.
The White Stripes sold their music to the Air Force? WTF? I thought I understood these guys. 22 hours ago
@alyankovic Great DVD commentary BTW. Watched it with my screenwriting class at Sheridan College and soaked in the atmosphere. 2010/02/06
@jodranclerka Beyond all rational logic to the contrary, Time Traveller's Wife was a more entertaining and enjoyable film than A Serious Man 2010/02/04
It’s been a while since we’ve given away anything through the site – it’s just hard to resist the instant gratification of giving stuff away over the phone. Anyways, in honour of its release on February 9th from our friends at MGM, we’ve got a copy of Stargate Universe 1.0 on DVD for you to win if you can answer me these questions three:
In anticipation of the final season of ABC’s mind altering drama “Lost” we decided to focus our vault picks on season one to five of this show. Now I know you won’t be able to catch up before it starts tonight, but do yourself a favour and go and get all these seasons on DVD and dig in.
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