The MacGuffin

In honor of the release of Trance, Spencer and Greg discuss Danny Boyle.

Another Top 5 segment from The MacGuffin. This time Allen and Ed share their top 5 non-holiday movies to watch at the holidays.

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.

A lot of people see ‘product placement’ as a dirty term, where faceless advertising companies diminish all artistic merit from film and instead use them as advertisements to hawk their branded wares to the public. We’ve all seen it; sometimes it can be subtle and sometimes blatant, like Nintendo’s promotion in the 1989 film The Wizard, which created my lifelong unfulfilled need for a Power Glove. I never knew one kid who actually owned a Power Glove, but the idea that out there somewhere a child sat at Christmas of 1989 and unwrapped a brand new one still gives me a slight pang of jealousy. This probably says more about my own stilted emotional growth, but I like to think it shows how intoxicating product placement can actually be. Brands and products are shown in movies in such an awe-inspiring and positive light that it’s only natural that we want in on them too, especially as children. On the surface, product placement appears to be a modern invention created by cynical advertising companies attempting to covertly reach our consumer driven society, but it’s really been here for a long, long time.

A discussion about 127 Hours from director Danny Boyle, his follow up to Slumdog Millionaire. Featuring Laremy from Film.com.

This episode is available on iTunes and Zune. It is also available on Miro and Stitcher, or you can find our podcast RSS feeds on our subscribe page and use whatever system you want.

You can follow all of the happenings on our website through our blog’s RSS feed.

As a bass line throbs under a techno beat, quick cuts, bright colors, and extravagant camera angles quickly and immediately introduce us to Aron Ralston, played by James Franco.  In a dash around his apartment he packs supplies for an outdoor adventure, camping trip.  In the background, against the pulsating music, a phone messaging machine plays back a missed call from Aron’s sister.  Within moments we are out the door, down a highway, and headed towards Canyonlands National Park, Utah.  Aron is a mountain climber, and all around outdoor enthusiast.  On vacation, exploring the massive canyons and rock formations the park has to offer, in an unexpected moment Aron is put in a life altering situation.  This is 127 Hours, the new film from Danny Boyle, the director of the Academy award winning film, Slumdog Millionaire.