Episode 23: "Transformers 3"/"The Destructors"

This week on BKFT, Rick and Mark tackle Michael Bay's newest fightin' robot extravaganza and talk about a little-known 70s thriller "The Destructors".

Nostalgia for our Youth

Whenever I go out recently, people that find out that I'm a "movie guy" always recommend JJ Abrams Super 8. Inevitably, I have to tell them that I am not a fan of the film and I already  reviewed it on the podcast that I cohost (Episode 21, Super 8/ If I want to Whistle, I Whistle.) As always, the other people become defensive and tell me that they enjoy the film on the level of it being a good summer blockbuster. This line of reasoning is classic Roger Ebert; basing a film's merits around what genre it belongs to. In the case of Super 8, many people, particularly in the Generation X and Y ("millenials") age brackets, yearn for a throwback family adventure film such as Goonies or Back to the Future (which I hope to host an entire podcast about later this summer) that they grew up with in the 1980's. Simply put, Super 8 is not that film. It is entertaining on a summer time mattinee level, but the characters are instantly forgettable, with only Elle Fanning's leaving any lasting impression, which is more a statement on the talented young actress. What sets Richard Donner's Goonies apart is it's hilarious and touching characters and it's tightly wrapped story. There might be an actor in the movie known as Chunk, but the story has no fat to it. It moves along at a brisk pace, walking a tight balance between scenes of emotional discovery for the children and family friendly action sequences.
So the next time you see me out, I'm glad to discuss one of the major passions in my life- films- but please, no more Super 8 arguments. I yearn for the type of coming of age adventure films I loved growing up. And when I see one, I'll let you know.

Episode 22: "Black Death"/"Green Lantern"

This week on BKFT, Rick and Mark theorize on "Black Death"'s take on religion and contemplate reasons for the failure of "Green Lantern".

That Just Happened

Jenn (disgustedly), "Oh my God, they're coming out with a Step-up 4?"
Me, "Unless John Chu is on board, I'm not seeing it."

Episode 21: "Super 8"/"When I Want To Whistle, I Whistle"

This week, Mark and Rick talk whether the big budget Spielbergian magic of "Super 8" works, and discuss the merits of the little-seen Romanian film "When I Want To Whistle, I Whistle".

Corrections

Whenever you speak in a live recording format, there is always the chance you may say something out of context or forget a vital piece of information. For me, I have at least one major fuck up per episode that I wish I could take back. Recently there were two glaring statements I made that I need to correct.

The first is on Episode 19, Hangover part 2 and Tree of Life, when I stated that the cinematographer of Tree of Life, the extremely talented Emmanuel Lubezki, performed as a steadicam operator on his films. As my friend and working AC/DP Alberto Mojica pointed out to me, this simply is not true. Lubezki performs much of the handheld camera work himself and uses other people to operate the steadicams. However, he does pull focus from a wireless remote for many of the steadicam sequences.

A second glaring mistake I made is when I claimed on Episode 20, The Brooklyn College FIlm Festival and X Men: First Class, that Brooklyn College needed to create a separate Best Documentary Award for the festival to celebrate the numerous non-fiction films students produce. The problem with this suggestion is that there already is a Best Documentary category and it was won this year by the heartfelt film Deconstructing Your Mother, directed by Ja'Tovia Gary. When I made the suggestion on air, I was making a statement about the nature of documentary filmmaking in general and how it differs greatly from narrative filmmaking, unless of course your are Werner Herzog, but that's a different blog post. When people critique documentaries, they are often quick to allow for obscene camera zooms or poor image quality as long as the overarching storyline tugs on the old heart strings. That's fine, as I am a huge fan of direct cinema, cinema veritae and other forms of non-fiction films. Yet, at the same time I feel if narrative films are to be judged on harsher terms for their formalistic elements, such as sound quality, editing pace and image quality, then narrative and documentary films should be screened and judged with only the other types of films in those categories.

Thanks again and I'll talk to your soon.

Episode 20: Brooklyn College Film Festival/"X-Men: First Class"

Episode 20 of BKFT is in the books, as Mark and Rick wrap up the 29th annual Brooklyn College Film Festival and discuss who is the true lifeblood of a film set with guests Alex Susse and Cal Robertson. And "X-Men: First Class".