Episode 3
This Week in Movies #3 with Aaron Horwitz from joblo.com
Sundays at 8pm PDT
This week we have Aaron Horwitz from Joblo.com . This Week in Movies is hosted by Farrell Roth and Roger Erik Tinch.
SHOW NOTES
This week’s show opened with some introductory remarks from Farrell, and Lon’s observation that Ed Crasnick – host of “This Week in Comedy” – hates co-host Roger Erik Tinch’s nickname, “Tinchy.” A possible Sunday night show rivalry is in the works!
Hollywood Headlines (3:25)
- Andrew Garfield to play Spider-Man
British actor Garfield will star in the rebooted “Spider-Man” franchise. Both Roger and Farrell felt he was a good choice, based on his performances in the “Red Riding” trilogy, “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus” and “Boy A.”
Actor Michael Douglas is being sued by his ex-wife Diandra for 50% of the money that he earned reprising the role of Gordon Gecko in the new film “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.” Apparently, a clause in the former couple’s divorce entitles Diandra to a share of royalties made from any spin-offs to films Douglas made while the two were married, which would include the original 1987 film “Wall Street.” The hosts debated the specific meaning of the term “spin-off,” and whether a sequel would necessarily apply.
A new Bond film – the 23rd film in the franchise – has been put on indefinite hold by MGM due to the studio’s ongoing financial woes. Sam Mendes of “American Beauty” and “Revolutionary Road” had been scheduled to direct from a script by Peter Morgan. Daniel Craig was going to return to play Bond for a third time.
- Lohan sentenced to 90 days in jail
A judge found Lindsay Lohan in violation of her probation stemming from past DUI arrest and sentenced her to 90 days in jail and 90 days in patient rehab. Farrell also brought up the controversy surrounding a profane message written on Lohan’s fingernail during the trial. Farrell also noted that Lohan has apparently been removed from the trailers for Robert Rodriguez’s forthcoming “Grindhouse” spin-off, “Machete.”
Disney has allegedly sold its Miramax division to a group headed by construction executive Ron Tutor for a sum of $650-$675 million. Disney had originally purchased Miramax for $80 million.
Oddly, actor Rob Lowe was also thought to be part of the negotiations as a potential buyer for Miramax. The actor has financial ties to Colony Capital, a private equity firm that backed the deal.
Blind Item (18:30)
Who are the four people identified in this blind item? Farrell revealed the best guesses of the gossip blogs at the end of the show:
“It was mystifying years ago why she was hyped. A starlet with no significant starring vehicles somehow ending up with a prestigious magazine cover proclaiming her as the next It Girl-didn’t happen. And after a string of failures, she’s gone back to the major player who tried to make it happen for her the first time. There was an arrangement back then – her sexual services for his professional services – and the same arrangement was resurrected in the hopes that she’d kickstart a stagnant career. He’s married. His wife benefits handsomely through client exchange. He is a legend in the business for the way he leads these ladies to their accomplishments, counting a couple of award winners on his resumé…
“One day, they were joined in a hotel suite by a third gentleman both of them enjoying her as she allowed herself to be, decorated appropriately, all for– the privilege of simply looking at a script. She is so desperate she submitted to the humiliation even with a husband and child at home. And then he just cut it off because he’s moved on to his next target. A young, blonde babe with a large profile and a perky rack who’s resisted him so far. She’s a headliner on the small screen waiting on a big break; he’s trying to make sure doesn’t happen, so she’ll come running to him, ready to make a deal.”
Scroll to the bottom of the post for our best guesses.
Cinema Cipher (22:00)
Theme: Sci-Fi Actioneers
Can you guess these films based on Tinchy’s cryptic clues?
#1: A ball of plasma in battle
#2: Jane Fonda, Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen and Tatum O’Neal
Answers at the bottom of this post
In Theaters: Predators (24:00)
Tinchy and Lon reviewed the new film “Predators,” a follow up to the 1987 original film “Predator” produced by Robert Rodriguez and directed by Nimrod Antal.
First, Lon and Roger explained the premise to Farrell, who was confused by the idea of what a Predator was and why they would require an interstellar game preserve.
Tinchy unreservedly loved the film, calling it “lean and mean” and praising the cast for taking such a far-out premise so seriously and making it so visceral and convincing. Lon liked the film also, in particular noting Adrien Brody’s transformation from slender twee hero in films like “Darjeeling Limited” into muscle-bound badass. Lon did, however, have some issues with the third act and wished the diverse cast of global commandos had been used to better effect. (You can read Lon’s full “Predators” review here.)
Commentary on Commentary: St. Elmo’s Fire (32:54)
Farrell takes a look at Joel Schumacher’s commentary for his 1985 ensemble romantic drama, “St. Elmo’s Fire,” the film that gave rise to the term “The Brat Pack.”
Among the insights:
- Very few technical or filmmaking discussions from Schumacher, which Lon noted was not surprising.
- Schumacher hated the New York Magazine writer whose interview with Emilio Estevez gave rise to the term “Brat Pack.” He felt Emilio was too open and too nice, and was taken advantage of.
- The film was trashed by reviews upon release
- Georgetown refused to allow the movie to film there because it contains scenes of pre-marital sex, though they did allow the film “The Exorcist,” which deals with demonic possession, to shoot on and around campus
- Demi Moore felt she should be naked in the scene where she’s trying to freeze to death, but Schmuacher refused the request
Interview with Aaron Horwitz (45:25)
Aaron Horwitz is a writer and reviewer for the film site JoBlo.com. He writes the column “The Unpopular Opinion,” in which he reviews films about which he’s in disagreement with the majority of other film critics. (Here’s his positive take on the cult favorite “Unbreakable” and his dismissal of the critically lauded “Inglourious Basterds.”)
Horwitz defended his position against “Inglourious” a bit, saying that he felt misled by the marketing – which promised an action film centered around Brad Pitt and his men instead of the more epic-scale WWII ensemble drama that he actually got – and arguing that the opening scene should have been shorter to make more time for action. Lon strongly disagreed.
He also discussed the inner workings of JoBlo.com (he has never met any of the other writers on the site face-to-face), the Movie Fan Central community that has grown up around the site. A fan in the chat room asked if JoBlo or other blogs have to work out any special deals with studios in order to get invited to junkets or to visit sets, and Aaron explained that there are no pre-conditions, but sites that write negatively about studio properties repeatedly will likely lose their access after a while.
The Fame Game (1:00:00)
In this new game, Farrell must get the guest to guess the name of an actor or actress by giving them clues. She’s not, however, allowed to use the names of any other actors or any films in which that person has appeared. The game proved really challenging for not just Aaron, but Lon and Tinchy as well.
If the guest gets 5 correct answers in 90 seconds, he or she wins!
Mystery Actor #1:
- Was married to an A-list film star
- Had twins with medical problems
- Older with ripped abs
- Starred in a famous film about going to space
- In a band
- Brother who’s also an actor and is in trouble with the law
ANSWER: Dennis Quaid
Mystery Actor #2:
- Red hair and freckles
- On an ABC Family show now
- Big fat lips and “not that pretty” (according to Farrell)
- Part of a group in a movie that had detention
ANSWER: Molly Ringwald
Mystery Actor #3:
- Really skinny
- Married to an older action star
ANSWER: Calista Flockhart
Then time ran out.
Cage Match! (1:06:30)
For this new segment, Lon’s brother Jonathan Harris joined the crew in the studio. The Harris Brothers have devised a unit of measurement of “Film Insanity” known as The Cage. (One Cage would be a normal movie in which Nicolas Cage happens to appear, whereas Ten Cages would be a film that is previously unmeasured amounts of Cagic craziness.)
For the segment, each brother selected a Nicolas Cage film and then provides its overall Cage score.
JONATHAN: Honeymoon in Vegas
An earlier and somewhat mild Cage performance overall, this film nonetheless includes a few scenes of Cage going crazy, bugging his eyes out and being generally maniacal. Here’s a sample:
Overall Cage Score: 4 Cages
LON: Face/Off
A generally bonkers film overall – dealing as it does with a terrorist and an FBI agent switching faces and bodies – Nicolas Cage nonetheless outdoes himself with ludicrous antics even during the movie’s opening credits. Scenes including a prison fight, Cage dancing like a madman while dressed as a priest and Cage asking a flight attendant to suck his tongue were shown.
Overall Cage Score: 7 Cages
Cinema Cipher Answers
#1: Star Wars
#2: Children of Men
Blind Item Guesses
Former “It Girl”: Gretchen Mol
Power Player: Harvey Weinstein
His Wife: Georgina Chapman
TV Star: Blake Lively
- Anonymous
