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September 14: When we last left Adam and Matty in Toronto, the fledgling duo seemed all hugs and kisses with few disagreements to mar their burgeoning relationship. Would their discussion of David Cronenberg's new Russian mob thriller "Eastern Promises," starring Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts, further cement their lovefest, or would the gloves finally come off?

Also on this Toronto Film Fest edition: A conversation with visionary Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin, whose new film "My Winnipeg" could command a strong position on Filmspotting's Top 5 Toronto Film Fest Movies countdown.

In addition, the boys find time to confront their own dangerous obsessions with a review of "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters." Seth Gordon's documentary (currently playing to great critical and audience acclaim) examines the esoteric world of classic arcade gamers and, specifically, the epic clash between Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe for Donkey Kong supremacy.

Music by The Arcade Fire courtesy of Merge Records

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Filmspotting #177
:13-10:39 - Review: "Eastern Promises"
10:40-11:49 - Cronenberg Poll
Music: Arcade Fire, "Wake Up"
12:37-27:43 - Interview: Guy Maddin
Music: Arcade Fire, "Rebellion (Lies)"
28:24-31:14 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: Brent Funderburk)
31:15-41:25 - Review: "The King of Kong"
Music: Arcade Fire, "Une Annee Sans Lumiere"
41:59-45:39 - Film Fest Poll, Venice Film Fest Notes
45:40-58:12 - Top 5: 2007 Toronto Film Fest Movies
58:13-59:36 - Close/Next Show

CORRECTIONS/NOTES
- "Into the Wild" doesn't open in Chicago now until Sept. 28, so we will have something else in its spot next week.
- Click here for Guy Maddin bonus audio.

Have a comment or Top 5 list you'd like to share? Send an e-mail or short mp3 clip to feedback@filmspotting.net. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.


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September 7: The movie gods and Fate herself conspired to release Michael Davis's action movie/action movie send-up "Shoot 'Em Up" just in time for Sam's retirement from Filmspotting. Co-starring two of Filmspotting's favorite actors (Paul Giamatti as super-villain and Clive Owen as the film's indestructible super hero), the movie was impossible to ignore (impossible, that is, if you don't count the circumstances that kept Adam and Sam from screenings to this weekend's even more compelling release, "3:10 To Yuma" with Christian Bale and Russell Crowe). "Shoot 'Em Up" also promised loud, stupid bloodshed and depictions of women as victims and sex objects (just a couple of Sam's hot buttons). Could Giamatti and Owen redeem the movie's immodest ambitions? Or would Adam and Sam have one last row for old time's sake?

Also on the show: A very special, "earmuffs" edition of Massacre Theatre and, in honor of Sam's last show, the Top 5 Movie Farewells.

Music by Spoon courtesy of Merge Records.

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Filmspotting #176
:22-3:17 - Open, Samontage #1: Disagreements
3:18-17:24 - Review: "Shoot 'Em Up"
17:25-20:58 - Poll Questions
20:59-22:34 - Samontage #2: Mr. Sensitive
Music: Spoon, "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb"
22:56-26:25 - New DVDs, Donations
26:26-28:47 - Massacre Theatre Winner (Michelle Foy)
28:48-30:41 - Samontage #3: Acting
30:42-33:02 - Massacre Theatre "Earmuffs Edition"
33:03-38:18 - Samontage #4: Vanperbole, Samontage #5: Humor
38:19-48:29 - Top 5: Farewells
48:30-50:45 - Close/Next Show/Outtake

CORRECTIONS/NOTES
- Check out the new documentary "Cut" by listener Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon.

Have a comment or Top 5 list you'd like to share? Send an e-mail or short mp3 clip to feedback@filmspotting.net. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.


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September 28: Adam and Matty review Sean Penn's latest film as writer/director, "Into the Wild" ... Plus, Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre, the first movie in our Ingmar Bergman Marathon -- Smiles of a Summer Night" -- and our Top 5 Senior Citizens On Screen, in honor of Hal Holbrook's performance in "Into the Wild."

Music by Bottle Rockets courtesy of Bloodshot Records

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Filmspotting #179
:21-12:41 - Review: "Into the Wild"
Music: Bottle Rockets, "Better Than Broken"
13:21-14:41 - Audio Feedback
14:42-25:47 - Listener Feedback ("Across the Universe," Overrated Directors)
Music: Bottle Rockets, "Middle Man"
26:35-31:12 - New DVDs, Donations/Nicknames
31:26-34:08 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: Melinda Hale)
34:09-37:46 - Chicago Film Fest Preview
37:47-45:05 - Bergman #1: "Smiles of a Summer Night"
Music: Bottle Rockets, "Happy Anniversary"
45:37-59:15 - New Poll, Top 5: Overrated Directors
59:16-1:02:48 - Close/Next Show/Outtake (New "Elah" ending)

CORRECTIONS/NOTES
- McCandless: Hero or Dumb Jerk?

- "Into the Wild" makes use of one of my (Adam's) all-time favorite poems - "I Go Back To May 1937" by Sharon Olds.

- "Network" has been added to my Top 5 penalty box... and is being considered for the pantheon.

Have a comment or Top 5 list you'd like to share? Send an e-mail or short mp3 clip to feedback@filmspotting.net. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.

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October 5: Two movies ride into this week's Filmspotting... will only one ride out? The boys shoot up "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," starring Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt, and "3:10 To Yuma" -- James Mangold's remake of the 1957 Western.

Also on the show, a review of Ang Lee's new erotic thriller "Lust, Caution" with the venerable Tony Leung, and Adam shares some quick thoughts on the documentary "My Kid Could Paint That."

Plus, Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre and our Top 5 Movies About Brothers -- a tie-in with "The Darjeeling Limited," which will be reviewed next week.

Music by Waco Brothers courtesy of Bloodshot Records

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Filmspotting #180
:21-10:43 - Review: "The Assassination of Jesse James..."
10:44-13:48 - Review: "3:10 To Yuma"
Music: Waco Brothers, "Nothing At All"
14:18-24:00 - Review: "Lust, Caution"
24:01-27:45 - Review: "My Kid Could Paint That"
Music: Waco Brothers, "It's Amazing"
28:07-30:16 - New DVDs, Donations
30:32-33:42 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: Len Lipkin)
33:43-44:32 - Polls, Listener Feedback (Senior Citizen Performances)
Music: Waco Brothers, "Rest of the World"
45:34-54:40 - Top 5: Movies About Brothers
54:41-57:14 - Close/Next Show/Outtakes

CORRECTIONS/NOTES
- "Feel the Noise" is not a movie "with" Jennifer Lopez. She was just a producer on the film.

Have a comment or Top 5 list you'd like to share? Send an e-mail or short mp3 clip to feedback@filmspotting.net. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.

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August 17: Judd Apatow has had a pretty good run lately. "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up," both written and directed by Apatow, pulled in huge numbers at the box office AND were widely adored by critics. The latest from Apatow -- he serves as producer here; Greg Mottola directs -- is "Superbad," written by "Knocked Up" breakout star Seth Rogen and writing partner Evan Goldberg. The semi-autobiographical tale of two horny, separation-anxiety-filled teens follows the now standard Apatow formula, mixing sentiment and raunchy humor. Adam and guest host Matty Ballgame reveal how much of themselves they saw in "Superbad's" sex-starved duo of Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, and weigh in on whether Team Apatow has chalked up its third win in a row, or seen its streak come to an end.

Adam and Matty were excited to see Laurent Tirard's "Moliere," a 'non-biopic' about the legendary 17th century playwright and actor, for one major reason -- star Romain Duris. Adam was blown away by Duris's intense performance in 2005's "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" and couldn't wait to see what the "smoldering" French star pulled off next; Matty couldn't wait to see if Adam was an idiot. Would "Moliere" reward their interest, or destroy any credibility Adam had when it came to judging great acting?

Also on the show: Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre and the Top 5 Theatre Movies.

Music by Dan Bern courtesy of Messenger Records.

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Filmspotting #173
:22-13:02 - Review: "Superbad"
Music: Dan Bern, "Baby Bye Bye"
14:14-26:58 - Review: "Moliere"
Music: Dan Bern, "Joe Christ"
27:35-29:15 - New DVDs
29:38-32:13 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: Meredith Santiago)
32:14-41:44 - Listener Feedback (Memory Movies)
Music: Dan Bern, "Chelsea Hotel"
42:27-46:27 - Poll Questions
46:28-56:54 - Top 5: Theatre Movies
56:55-58:40 - Close/Next Show/Outtake

CORRECTIONS/NOTES
- Helen wrote and I read Last Year 'in' Marienbad. The Alain Resnais film is Last Year 'at' Marienbad.

- Voicemailer David Hanbury stars in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" at the Actors Theatre of Louisville.

- Adam will be meeting up with listeners in San Diego this weekend (8/18). If you're in the area, you can get more information in the Filmspotting Message Boards.

Have a comment or Top 5 list you'd like to share? Send an e-mail or short mp3 clip to feedback@filmspotting.net. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.


Originally posted on:Filmspotting

August 3: As charter members of the Bourne "Supremity" fan club, Adam and Sam were in a perfect position to be let down by the third film in the spy franchise, Paul Greengrass's "The Bourne Ultimatum." Would the movie pull a Streisand and fail to meet expectations? Or would Matt Damon and company "rock the sh*t" a third time around?

Between the two of them, Adam and Sam figured they'd probably seen 20 or so episodes of "The Simpsons." That averages out to just over one episode for each of the long-running series' 18 seasons. So what do a couple of non-devotees think of "The Simpsons Movie"? Well, it depends who you ask.


Plus, part one of Sam's interview with the man, the myth, the legend... Werner Herzog.

Also on the show: Massacre Theatre, the sixth and final movie in Filmspotting's Film Noir Marathon, "Kiss Me Deadly," and the Top 5 Movies About Memory.

Music by Ashton Allen courtesy of Livewire Recordings.

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Filmspotting #171
:30-13:53 - Review: "The Bourne Ultimatum"
13:54-19:46 - Review: "The Simpsons Movie"
Music: Ashton Allen, "Better Than I Know"
20:24-36:48 - Interview: Werner Herzog
Music: Ashton Allen, "Pretty Pink Rose"
37:13-40:40 - New DVDs, OFC Top 100, Donations
40:41-43:37 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: Keith Geiger)
43:38-45:59 - Poll Questions
46:51-58:01 - Noir #6: "Kiss Me Deadly"
Music: Ashton Allen, "Prodigal Son"
58:49-1:04:50 - Muhe, Bergman, Antonioni
58:49-1:01:51 - Top 5: Movies About Memory
1:01:52-1:15:00 - Close/Next Show/Outtake + Bonus Outtake

CORRECTIONS/NOTES
- Vote DAILY for Filmspotting (Movies/Films, Best Produced) between now and August 11 at podcastawards.com.

- Online Film Community's Top 100 Films of All-Time

- Sam and I (and a good number of critics, probably) need to stop giving ALL the credit for technical aspects to directors like Paul Greengrass. Props to "Ultimatum" cinematographer Oliver Wood and editor Christopher Rouse.

- Coincidencespotting in this episode: Both "Bourne" and "The Simpsons" have surveillance scenes where someone in a government agency overhears a character saying something they shouldn't. Also, in "Kiss Me Deadly," Mike Hammer breaks an opera record from Caruso -- Klaus Kinski's hero in Herzog's "Fitzcarraldo."

- I didn't name it, so I thought I'd clarify... "I Think I Love My Wife" is an update of Rohmer's "Love In The Afternoon."

Have a comment or Top 5 list you'd like to share? Send an e-mail or short mp3 clip to feedback@filmspotting.net. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.


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July 20: Steve Prokopy (aka Capone) from Ain't It Cool News joins Adam this week for a review of "Rescue Dawn," Werner Herzog's dramatic re-telling of his 1997 documentary "Little Dieter Needs To Fly." Not surprisingly, Herzog eschews political grandstanding and melodrama, focusing on the details of Dieter Dengler's (Christian Bale) incredible, obsessive quest to escape from a Laotian prison camp.


Depending on your definition, "Sunshine" marks director Danny Boyle's ("28 Days Later") first foray into science-fiction. Along for the philosophical space ride are Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne and the crew of the Icarus 2. Their mission: deliver a nuclear device to re-ignite the sun and save mankind. Also along for the ride... Stanley Kubrick, Andrei Tarkovsky and every heavyweight who has boldly gone before Boyle. Does "Sunshine" belong in the same conversation with classics such as "2001" and "Solaris"? Adam and Steve discuss... Plus, hear Adam's interview with Boyle, in which the "Trainspotting" director praises the acting chops of Chris "The Human Torch" Evans and vows to never make another sci-fi film.

Also on the show: Massacre Theatre and our Top 5 Performances of the Year (So Far).

Music by The Rewinds courtesy of Livewire Recordings.

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And by Toyota... Calling all aspiring deejays and sneaker-heads! Think you’ve got skills? Then check out yarisversusyaris.com for the Yaris vs. Yaris Live Event Series.



Filmspotting #169
:22-15:56 - Review: "Rescue Dawn"
Music: The Rewinds, "Ghostriders"
16:26-20:07 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: Ann Zimo)
20:08-34:56 - Review: "Sunshine"
Music: The Rewinds, "Killing Me"
35:14-37:24 - New DVDs
37:25-53:57 - Interview: Danny Boyle
Music: The Rewinds, "New Shade of Red"
54:35-57:02 - Poll Question
57:04-1:13:28 - Top 5: Performances of the Year (So Far)
1:13:30-1:14:58 - Close/Next Show

CORRECTIONS/NOTES
- Play the Ultimate Search for Bourne from Universal Pictures and Google.

Have a comment or Top 5 list you'd like to share? Send an e-mail or short mp3 clip to feedback@filmspotting.net. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.


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May 18: Sarah Polley and the late Adrienne Shelly started their careers giving memorable performances in films not unlike the ones that each of them has now directed: "Away From Her" and "Waitress," respectively. Polley's adaptation of the Alice Munro short story "The Bear Came Over The Mountain" (her feature film debut) takes place in a snow-bound Canadian town that recalls the tragic landscape of Atom Egoyan's "The Sweet Hereafter," while Shelly's second feature film as writer-director is set in an oddball sitcom world that is not so out of step with the dry absurdity of Hal Hartley's "Trust" or "The Unbelievable Truth." Adam and Sam find both efforts worthy of their creators but disagree slightly on which film strikes the more resonant chord.

Also on the show: Filmspotting listeners continue the battle Adam and Sam started last week over "28 Weeks Later." Plus, Massacre Theatre, the Top 5 Films Directed By Women, and a surprisingly contentious conversation about the first film in Filmspotting's six-week Film Noir Marathon, Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity."

Music by Portastatic courtesy of Merge Records.

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Filmspotting #161
:22-7:20 - Review: Away From Her
7:21-17:04 - Review: Waitress
Music: Portastatic, "Sour Shores"
18:23-21:43 - Audio Feedback, Poll Questions
21:44-34:17 - Listener Feedback (28 Weeks, Character Intros)
Music: Portastatic, "Chesapeke"
35:04-37:37 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: Patrick Williamson)
37:38-47:20 - Noir #1: Double Indemnity
Music: Portastatic, "Lively Chase"
47:56-50:47 - New DVDs, Donations
50:48-53:05 - Audio Feedback, Notes
53:06-1:05:19 - Top 5: Movies Directed By Women
1:05:20-1:07:28 - Close/Next Show/Outtake

CORRECTIONS/NOTES
- AMC's Top 25 Action Movies Results
- YouTube: Miranda July's Are You The Favorite Person of Anybody?

Have a comment or Top 5 list you'd like to share? Send an e-mail or short mp3 clip to feedback@filmspotting.net. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.


Originally posted on:Filmspotting

June 1: "Knocked Up," writer/director Judd Apatow's follow-up to 2005's hilarious "The 40 Year-Old Virgin," burdens its portly, uncouth leading man Seth Rogen with a formidable task -- the "Virgin" sidekick doesn't just have to carry a movie for the first time (granted, with the help of Apatow regulars Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill and Jason Segel, among others), he also has to convince the audience that his sexy, put-together co-star Katherine Heigl could actually find him endearing. Does Rogen (and Apatow) succeed? Can a comedy that features a group of buddies developing pink eye after farting on each other's pillows actually prompt use of the word "profound"? Adam and guest host Scott Tobias from The Onion AV Club have your answers... and discuss William Friedkin's wacked-out, minimalist new film "Bug" starring Ashley Judd as a lonely barmaid who falls for a creepy former soldier (Michael Shannon) and becomes convinced that her run-down hotel room is teeming with insects. [Read Scott's review of "Knocked Up" here and his interview with Seth Rogen here.]

Also on the show: Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre and -- in honor of "Knocked Up" -- our Top 5 Opposites Attract Movies.

Music by Robert Pollard courtesy of Merge Records.

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Filmspotting #163
:22-13:00 - Review: "Knocked Up"
Music: Robert Pollard, "Love is Stronger Than Witchcraft"
13:30-26:26 - Review: "Bug"
Music: Robert Pollard, "Supernatural Car Lover"
26:50-30:04 - New DVDs, Donations
30:05-33:14 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: Amy Fox)
33:15-44:59 - Polls, Listener Feedback (Pirates 3, 'Sea' Movies)
Music: Robert Pollard, "Dancing Girls and Dancing Men"
45:58-1:00:25 - Top 5: Opposites Attract Movies
1:00:26-1:03:05 - Close/Next Show/Pirates 3 Voicemails

CORRECTIONS/NOTES
- My goodness. Scott was right, of course. Seth Rogen discusses watching a woman have sex with a horse in "The 40 Year-Old Virgin." What was I thinking of -- the donkey in "Clerks 2"? I'm an idiot.

Have a comment or Top 5 list you'd like to share? Send an e-mail or short mp3 clip to feedback@filmspotting.net. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.


Originally posted on:Filmspotting