The MacGuffin

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.

In honor of the release of Side Effects, Spencer and Greg discuss Catherine Zeta-Jones.

In honor of the release of ParaNorman, Spencer and Greg discuss stop-motion animation.

Spencer interviews actor Jason Biggs and writer/director Stephen Gyllenhaal from Grassroots at SIFF 2012.

This segment is also available on Stitcher, iTunes and YouTube. The audio version can be downloaded directly from here.

Another Top 5 segment from The MacGuffin. This time Allen and Ed share their top 5 good actors in bad films.

This segment is also available on Stitcher, iTunes and from here. After you’ve watched the video please vote in our poll and share which one you think is the best.

Well, what a weak year it has been. Not that there haven’t been movies and performances that I have liked, but nothing is easy to point to and say: “this is a great piece of cinema that deserve accolades and will be talked about years from now.” The Academy has done little to help here, with many random—and, in some cases, dismal—nomination choices. But still, they have to give these awards to someone. So, here are my guesses and personal choices for the Academy Awards.

With 2011 officially in the books, it’s time once again to look back and reflect on some of the best films that have come out in the past year. As with all movie writers, coming up with a list like this is usually expected, but also damn near impossible. To me, reading and writing these types of articles are only beneficial in spreading word about titles that really had an effect on me, while stirring up debate between those who strongly agree with my choices, or vehemently disagree. No one list is ever truly definitive; what is considered great to one may not register the same way to another. The only real truth is that 2011 had a wide range of very interesting and fascinating films, and just like every year, there’s always a good handful worth noting.

Director Alexander Payne likes to take serious situations, combined with great characters and humor, to get people involved in his stories and that trend continues in his newest film, The Descendents. The strong characters and dark humor abound in the film, though here there are times when it is too funny.

I think most Alexander Payne movies are good, but I have a hard time talking myself into liking them. In fact, the better they are, the less I enjoy them. I can see that Sideways is a good movie, but I find everyone in it repellant, and there is no emotional resonance for me. Election is the same way; it’s a really well made film, and I don’t care about the characters at all. I appreciate that Payne is a real director who makes films for adults who like to think about things, but appreciation and enjoyment are not the same thing. His new film, The Descendants, is pretty flawed, but I was able to connect to this film in a way that I never have with any of his others.

Brandi Sperry: Since joining the MacGuffin crew, there are a few movies that the lads have given me shit about not having seen before. One in particular seemed to illicit that certain “I’m just surprised you haven’t seen it, is all” reaction from movie-lovers that is similar to a parent’s “I’m not mad, just disappointed.” That was Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn (1996).