The MacGuffin

Spencer is joined by Nick Ahlers (The MacGuffin, The Grapes of Rad).

Segments include: CinemaCon recap, SIFF and Crypticon previews, and take a look at some crowd funded projects with local ties.

Crowd Funded Projects:
The Glamour & The Squalor
A Method
Digital Cinema at Northwest Film Forum
MANOS – The Hands of Felt DVD

Links:
http://www.CinemaCon.com
http://www.SIFF.net
http://www.CrypticonSeattle.com
http://twitter.com/AhlersAtYourBoy
http://www.GrapesOfRad.com
http://twitter.com/ThatSpencer

This episode can be played online via the player below or it can be downloaded from here. It is also available on iTunes and Stitcher.

There are significant aesthetic and tonal differences throughout all of Paul Thomas Anderson’s films, yet there’s a thematic continuity that is striking. From even his earliest film, Hard Eight, to his most recent, The Master, Anderson’s films tend to explore the nature of family, where characters who come from broken, damaging families find a community of people willing to support each other through whatever hardships. These surrogate families are helmed by charismatic salesmen who, in the end, are revealed to be just as toxic as their biological counterparts. In Anderson’s films, whether surrogate or biological, family is a crucible through which a member must overcome their dependence and learn to rely solely on themselves.

Recently, I was lucky enough to attend the opening of the Experience Music Project/Sci-Fi Museum’s (EMP/SFM) latest major exhibit, Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic, showcasing materials from fantasy worlds such as Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter. In honor of the opening of the exhibit, the museum put together a massive party that featured events such as swordfighting presentations, talks from noteworthy figures such as Karen Falk (the head archivist for The Jim Henson Company), and the opportunity to learn to play card games such as Magic: The Gathering.

One of the most fascinating examinations involving the mystery of human connection comes from Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colors Trilogy (1993-94). The three films (Blue, White, and Red) signify the tenets of the French Revolution: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. But that doesn’t begin to describe what these stories are like and how they seemingly relate, despite being separate from one another. Kieslowski takes these themes and molds them in a fashion different than what one may expect. These grand ideas are deeply focused toward personal and intimate stories, involving singular characters dealing with tremendous emotional adversity. In setting his films in a more grounded environment, Kieslowski enables us to connect with them in regards to love, life, and the invisible ties between strangers. Life is short, often times beautiful, and—on occasion—hilariously absurd. Kieslowski knew this, and depicted it in arguably one of the best trilogies ever made.

I’m not a huge fan of 3D, and I am especially not fond of the current trend to retrofit older movies with it. But when I heard that they were releasing both Top Gun and Jurassic Park in 3D IMAX, I completely bought in to the hype. Large-scale fighter jets and sweaty 3D pilots? Check. “Multidimensional” T-Rex? Double check. My wildest dreams weren’t coming true or anything, but I was pretty darn excited about it. Both films rock my world, so I was predisposed to be happy, but which movie utilized the technology better? Read on to see which film reigned supreme!

If screenings of clips from Star Trek Into Darkness and Fast & Furious 6 weren’t cool enough, we still had two days worth of studio presentations (Disney, Sony, 20th Century Fox, and Lionsgate) at CinemaCon 2013. Generally the presentations went two ways: either the presenters would briefly mention a bunch of projects but not show anything from them and then show more extensive clips from a few select projects, OR they would show brief clips (or trailers) for many different projects.

Two days into CinemaCon—the convention formerly known as ShoWest—the studio presentations have been full of action and surprises. CinemaCon is the yearly convention for the National Association of Theater Owners, but it has also become a platform for the major studios to showcase their upcoming lineups. I’m going to give a taste of the sights and sounds, but try to keep as much of the mystery box intact as possible.

Spencer is joined by Nick Ahlers (The MacGuffin, The Grapes of Rad) and Rich Wasserman (A Random Walk Through Film).

Segments include: SXSW recap, Roger Ebert reflections, and summer movie season memories.

Upcoming events:
-Secret Movie Night V – 5/13 at 8:30pm at Grand Illusion Cinema.
-Untitled MacGuffin Event – 6/19 at 7pm.

Links:
http://www.SXSW.com
http://twitter.com/AhlersAtYourBoy
http://www.GrapesOfRad.com
http://twitter.com/SeattleFilmBlog
http://www.RandomWalkThroughFilm.com
http://twitter.com/ThatSpencer

This episode can be played online via the flash player below or it can be downloaded from here. It is also available on iTunes and Stitcher.

30 Rock ending hit me harder than I ever imagined. It took until the second-to-last episode to really have it sink in that we were near the end of one of the most improbable shows to air on TV for seven seasons. Its ratings were never that strong. During its middle seasons, several critics who originally championed the show thought its characters were becoming too cartoonish, and many people didn’t get the humor. Despite all this, the show went on, even getting the critics back on its side. It ended in the way Tina Fey wanted it to creatively.

Paris, Texas (1984). Let’s examine that title for a moment. When you hear the name of the town, chances are you immediately think of the city in France. Strange that the place referenced in this film is located in the vast desert of the second largest state in the U.S. I believe that is what director Wim Wenders was going for. Here is one of the prominent filmmakers of the German New Wave, telling a story steeped in the American culture. There’s a melding of two opposite voices—one of the outside observer, and the other of the characters he is observing—both trying to find common ground. It’s no surprise these characters are constantly adrift, trying to find truth and peace in their lives. By contributing these different cultural influences, Wenders makes this less about a certain place and time, and more of an overarching human experience.