The MacGuffin

Spencer and Greg give their DVD rundown for April 2nd, 2013. In this episode they discuss Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One, The Bible, Dirk Gently and John Dies at the End.

The name says it all.

Do you like your action/adventure movies filled with a wall-to-wall knock-off Danny Elfman score and unconvincing CGI blood? Do you like pedantic, uninspired dialogue? Do you like your period stories filled with modern day aphorisms, F-bombs, and one-dimensional characters? Then Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters may be for you.

Spencer and Greg give their DVD rundown for December 11th, 2012. In this episode they discuss Ted, The Bourne Legacy, Girls, and Following.

In honor of the release of The Bourne Legacy, Spencer and Greg discuss Jeremy Renner.

I was skeptical about the idea of a Jason Bourne franchise film without Jason Bourne. Franchises have changed the lead character before, usually with subpar results (Teen Wolf Too, The Next Karate Kid, Evan Almighty). My skepticism wasn’t necessarily any reflection on Jeremy Renner as an actor, but more of a curiosity as to whether Hollywood was attempting to just cash in on an existing franchise instead of using the energy necessary to create a new one. Ultimately, I’m still not completely sold, but I will give them points for creativity.

It is one of the most anticipated films of the year. The build-up to it has been almost without precedent. But The Avengers finally opens today, and proves to be an excellent start to what looks to be one of the most prolific summer movie seasons in recent years.

In honor of the release of The Avengers, Spencer and Greg look back on Marvel’s road to its release.

Tom Cruise is back once again as super agent Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), the fourth installment in the highly popular series. This time around, the film is directed by Brad Bird, the man who brought us some of the best animated movies in the last fifteen years in The Iron Giant (1999), The Incredibles (2004), and Ratatouille (2007). I was a little surprised that a person who is so associated with the animated world would be helming the next film of a franchise that has seen the likes of Brian DePalma, John Woo, and J.J. Abrams. Would his storytelling abilities translate well to a live action setting? Well, let me tell it to you like this: with a film that has the title Mission: Impossible, I walked in expecting over the top action, death-defying set pieces, preposterous plot twists, and really cool gadgets. I’m happy to report that I was not disappointed.

Spencer and John share their top 10 films for 2010, before closing the show out with their DVD picks of the week.

The Town (2010) is a hot-blooded potboiler of a crime film.  It is a throwback to the crime movies of the 70s, where cops and robbers fought it out on the mean streets of the city.  In many ways, it’s a lot like a western, but instead of horses, you have cars, instead of saloons, you have sports bars, and instead of the O.K. Corral, you have Boston’s Fenway Park.   As a follow up to his superb directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone (2007), Ben Affleck shakes off any notion of a sophomore slump.  That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, as a director, Affleck is the real deal.