Pop Culture Podcast
Movies
Popspotting #63: X-Men: First Class (June 6, 2011)
Against all odds, we make it out to another new release: “X-Men: First Class,” a prequel to the previous four “X-Men” films. For a superhero movie, this movie doesn’t forget that character counts, and that the conflict within is just as important as the conflict between characters and people.
James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne… almost the whole ensemble brings their best to the screen. Almost.
With a strong plot, great performances, and nearly flawless effects, our expectations were beyond met. In Matthew Vaughn’s capable hands, this summer blockbusters sets the stage for a solid reboot of a well-established franchise. Even though we’ve seen a lot of where they end up, want to see what comes next for these young mutants.
Popspotting #58: “Kung Fu Panda 2” & “Fast Five” (May 30, 2011)
It seems every summer is the summer of sequels, but both of today’s featured pair of films were a pleasant surprise.
“Kung Fu Panda 2” from Dreamworks delivers a surprisingly solid plot on top of kid-friendly fun and sharp animation, with more to offer than the first outing. While animated, the movie demonstrated a great sense of physics, and many of the visual pieces were as dazzling as anything conjured by “real” action movie directors. It almost made us wish we’d seen the movie in 3D.
And while “Fast Five” was a great big noisy ball of ridiculousness, it wore its big-budget blockbuster genes well. We loved and saw the first “The Fast and the Furious” film… then missed all the ones that followed. But this most recent outing was still a great ride, good enough to make us not mind early talk of a sixth sequel. I don’t know if you’d call what Vin Diesel and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are doing in this movie “acting,” but it’s fun to watch.
Thanks to The Projection Room podcast for their support of Popspotting!
Popspotting #53: “Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides” (May 23, 2011)
The latest installment of Disney’s most lucrative franchise, “Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides,” is a bit of a mess. Frankly, so are we. After nine months off, we’re a bit rusty, a bit punchy, but still eager to get back to podcasting.
Johnny Depp and crew head off in search of the Fountain of Youth, barreling through the streets of London, storming across the sea, and heading deep into an oddly familiar tropical jungle. (Tikka tikka tikka…) The flick didn’t float Jen’s boat, but Ryan enjoyed the ride, for a Popspotting score of 5/10. If you saw it, and it seems like most of America did, we’d love to hear what you thought!
This episode is a beta test of a new format, switching from longer shows a few times a month to shorter, simpler episodes a few times a week. Will it work? Only time and our listeners will tell. So do let us know what you think, but please be gentle. It’s rough, but it’ll get better. Probably.
Popspotting Preview: “Composing for Sci-Fi TV & Movies” at Comic-Con (Aug. 10, 2010)
From the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con, audio from the “Behind the Music with CW3PR: Composing for Sci-Fi, Horror, and Fantasy Film & TV” panel, featuring Michael Giacchino, Wendy & Lisa Coleman, Nathan Barr, Jim Dooley, John Ottman, and Jeremy Zuckerman.
The official synopsis:
Award-winning composers Michael Giacchino (Lost), Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman (Heroes), Nathan Barr (True Blood), Jim Dooley (Pushing Daisies), John Ottman (Superman Returns), and Jeremy Zuckerman (Avatar: The Last Airbender) have all composed for Comic-Con’s fan-favorite movies and TV series and are here to share a behind-the-scenes perspective on creating music for television and film. Together they will discuss their respective projects and how they got their big break into the music composing industry. Q&A following the panel plus exclusive giveaways for attendees. Moderated by BMI executive Anne Cecere, director of film/television relations and CW3PR vice-president Chandler Poling.
Prehistoric Pop: Donnie Darko (June 17, 2007)
From the archives. Jen’s appearance on Episode 54 of “HawaiiUP” for June 17, 2006. ألعاب تربح أموال حقيقية 2022 We discuss “Grindhouse†(2007) with Eli Roth, Danny Trejo, Cheech Marin, and Rose McGowan; “Knocked Up†(2007) with Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, and Paul Rudd; and “Donnie Darko†(2001) with Jake Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Maggie Gyllenhaal. النيبر
Prehistoric Pop: The Illusionist (Feb. 18, 2007)
From the archives. Jen’s appearance on Episode 52 of “HawaiiUP” for Feb. كازينو (فيلم) 18, 2007. We discuss “This Film is Not Yet Rated†(2006) with Kimberly Peirce, Jon Lewis, and David Ansen; “Thank You For Smoking” (2005) with Joan Lunden, Eric Haberman, and Aaron Eckhart; and “The Illusionist†(2006) with Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, and Jessica Biel. اللعبة اون لاين
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Prehistoric Pop: Firefly (Feb. 3, 2007)
From the archives. Jen’s appearance on Episode 51 of “HawaiiUP” for Feb. داني ألفيس 3, 2007. We discuss “Happy Feet†(2006) with Hugh Jackman, Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, and Nicole Kidman; “Children of Men†(2006) with Michael Caine, Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Pam Ferris, and Peter Mullan; and “Firefly. لعبه الدواره ”
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Prehistoric Pop: Sin City (Sept. 24, 2006)
From the archives. Jen’s appearance on Episode 46 of “HawaiiUP” for Sept. 24, 2006. We discuss “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang†(2005) with Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, and Michelle Monaghan; “Midnight Run†(1988) with Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, and Yaphet Kotto; and “Sin City†(2005) with Jessica Alba, Devon Aoki, and Alexis Bledel.
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Prehistoric Pop: Brick (Aug. 27, 2006)
From the archives. Jen’s appearance on Episode 43 of “HawaiiUP” from Aug. المستذئبين 27, 2006. “Talladega Nights” (2006) with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly; “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006) with Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, and Paul Dano; and “Brick” (2005) with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Matt O’Leary, Nora Zehetner, Noah Fleiss, and Lukas Haas. بت فاينل
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