The Wages of Cinema

And now it's time to ask a question that you probably weren't thinking about today... what is Happiness? Or, on the ironic side, what is sadness? What is irony, or provocation, or shock, or being put under a moral microscope? How did Todd Solondz get away with an NC-17 abyss-black comedy about sex maniacs and criminals? Perhaps it has something to do with New Jersey... Jack takes a long, messy, fl...

On this episode Jack and Andrew talk about some of the movies they've watched since the last episode proper. And, per usual, we run the gamut from a 1950's sci-fi classic(?) mostly due to the poster, two Bollywood movies starring Aamir Khan, a Dreamworks animated movie (also with a giant woman), a chilling new horror film set in merry old 17th century New England, and The classic Humphrey Bogart d...

So, what is this thing that was sprung on us movie-goers who may have seen the 2008 JJ Abrams produced Cloverfield? Does it have anything to do with that movie? Why is John Goodman wiggling his butt at the jukebox? How big can Mary Elizabeth Winstead's eyes get? Is it any good, in short? On this episode we look at the not-a-sequel-but-"blood-relative" (Abrams words not mine) 10 Cloverfield Lane. (...

What happens when Judy Hopps, a little bunny rabbit, tries to be the first bunny rabbit police officer in the city of Zootopia? Will she be accepted among the much larger/tougher animals such as the predators? How might she interact with foxes, who are not trusted back at the farms where she grew up, and especially when the one she has to team up with is, ahem, sly as one? And will they ever get t...

WHO WON? WHO LOST? YOU... DON'T DECIDE (you can, but your vote doesn't count unless you're a member)! Once again, the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences (or AMPAS) vote on who are the "Best" in the achievements of production ("Picture"), direction, acting, writing, production design, sound mixing AND editing (you know the difference... one of you maybe), and music and songs and so on, f...

What makes for a villain in a movie? A good villain, a GREAT villain? Is it how much they snarl? Is it how cool and calm they are? Does monologuing ruin it? And what if they're just in it for the money - can that be enough? We ask and answer the questions - including from one of our listeners - on this main topic on The Wages of Cinema, with some talk especially about Marvel movies and how they co...

Jack takes a dip into the CINEMA IMMERSION TANK (1 film, 5 times in 5 days) with the Academy Award nominated existential 1960's Jewish dark comedy of what's life the universe and everything else A SERIOUS MAN. Will Jack find the answers to which he seeks? And what about the Goy and his teeth? email us at wagesofcinema@gmail.com or visit on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/wagesofcinema (Music...

What happens when Marvel decides to take a second chance on a character who previously (who has the nicknbame in the comics by the way as "THE MERC WITH THE MOUTH") did not have a MOUTH in his first appearance in X-Men: Origins - Wolverine. We talk about the movie, Ryan Reynolds, and what this means for future comic book movies (i.e. Batman v Superman). wagesofcinema@gmail.com

We start off reminiscing (or Jack does) about that time Shia LaBeouf watched all of his movies in 3 days. Then we get into movies we've seen... but not before talking about THE most important thing that has to do with FEBRUARY 14th in 2016! You have to listen though to find out. Among the movies we talk about: 1) GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (Andrew's take) 2) HAIL CAESAR 3) WHERE TO INVADE NEXT 4) FAHRENH...

Needless to say a discussion of the making of George Lucas' STAR WARS (episode 4 a New Hope of course) and the book (a return of our REQUIRED READING segment) written meticulously by JW RINZLER goes into a tangent at one point about Alejandro Jodorowsky's DUNE. But, such is the way of Jack and Andrew at the Wages of Cinema. Hope you enjoy, this was a particularly fun one to record. Any comments, q...

Andrew goes up to bat for the first time at the CINEMA IMMERSION TANK, as he watches Alejandro Jodorowsy's (Holy Mountain, El Topo) debut film from 1968, FANDY Y LIS (or, Fando & Lis) five times over five days. Will he come out a sane man by the end of it? Listen to find out! Music from the film (used fair use) wagesofcinema@gmail.com

After an opening where Jack and Andrew go between talking about Django Unchained (starting 3:54) and its depiction of slavery and the new rules imposed by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on voting for movies (because those two topics have so much in common), there's informal talk about movies recently seen. Please note that the SPOILER discussion of THE BOY begin at 52:37 into the...

"But I never wave bye bye..." Two pop culture icons have left the world this week with the untimely, surprising deaths of David Bowie and Alan Rickman, who have worked in the arts to a point where they made life in Great Britain a wee bit more enjoyable (and the world at large). And with Bowie the loss is felt in the world of cinema almost as much as music (Labyrinth, Last Temptation of Christ, Th...

Welcome to a brand-spanking-new series for 2016: this is called the CINEMA IMMERSION TANK (inspired by the Welcome to the Basement series on YouTube), and in this Jack and Andrew will watch a movie once a day or night five days or nights in a row. How's THAT for commitment! By the end of this we very well may be just that! On this first episode, Jack dives deep into the dark thriller-satire from B...

This week on the Wages of Cinema, we have a looser format (no 2 Minute Movie Mile, but we do get to some new movies that we've seen), and some talk on some things that have happened recently in the world of movies, and to us with movies. To start off with it's a talk about the 2016 Oscar nominations (#Oscarssowhite); the new trailer that was sprung completely by surprise (certainly on Andrew) for...

Now we come to the end of an experiment in filling up some big gaps in our movie-viewing, and Jack and Andrew reflect on the best, worst and 'meh' of the films they watched in 2015 as part of this adventure in cinema. wagesofcinema@gmail.com Song is by Syd Vallentine

We come to the end, and what better way to finish off this 2015 year LIST series with two movies for children... sort of. But at any rate, it's Dr. Seuss and Studio Ghibli, so hopefully it'll get some ears perked up, with a cult classic and an actual modern classic. 1) Dr. Seuss' THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T (1953) 2) Hayao Miazaki's PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997)

A new year, and some new (and old) films! But first, we can't get away from it (and we saw it again), so THE FORCE AWAKENS is talked about. Then at 13 minutes in we get into the Two Minute Movie Mile, with films by great French directors (Melville, Bresson, Malle), some superb but depressing tales about real-world issues (the economy, abortion, romance in the closet), and of course Capra. 1) KRAMP...

HAPPY NEW YEAR! New logo, new review podcast! For such an event as the 8TH FILM BY QUENTIN TARANTINO (and not unlike Fellini he makes sure to have the number of films in the title gosh darnit), the Wages of Cinema makes sure to give you some extra podcast bang for your (free for now) buck with our longest talk about a single film yet. We talk about the movie, 70mm, westerns, Ennio Morricone - ther...

Well, what else did you expect? We look at the first Star Wars film in ten years and the first to not have George Lucas involved in the principle production. Oh and SPOILERS OF COURSE DON'T LISTEN UNTIL YOU WATCH THE MOVIE PLEASE FOR THE OF YODA! Oh, and Jack's wife Korey (who you may have heard before on the Avengers: Age of Ultron review) gives her thoughts on Chewbacca and wookies in general ab...

Welcome back to the 90's, when you could go to a place like AUSTIN, TEXAS or GROSSE POINTE, MICHIGAN and have an interesting sense of, uh, community you could say. In the two films this week we look at one landmark American independent film and one very good middle-budget American comedy (with some action) and see what they may or may not have in common, and if they still work today. Oh, and befor...

This is a shorter Two Minute Movie Mile than usual as, simply, Jack and Andrew didn't see much in the past week since we last recorded (to catch up with a previous week missed). 1) THE REVENANT (2015) 2) I MARRIED A WITCH (1942) 3) JOY (2015) 4) ANOMALISA (2015) Visit us at www.facebook.com/wagesofcinema and Twitter www.twitter.com/wagesofcinema Songs: Duke Ellington's 'Jubilee Stomp' and Louis Ar...

Where our hosts look back in total appreciation for being here for a full ONE YEAR! It's our anniversary! So what have learned? .... wagesofcinema@gmail.com facebook.com/wagesofcinema

Sometimes when you go for making something BIG and BOLD it works, and sometimes it just doesn't. Like, at all. And no matter how much money you throw at it it won't turn out good. Or, no matter how much money you have to keep sinking into your passion, the core of what makes it work will always work. Thus we come to the first (and only) documentary on 'THE LIST', and that other time right after Di...

So, yeah, 15 minutes for 6 films. Because they're just homages to matinee serials and Flash Gordon and Kurosawa, right? THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999) ATTACK OF THE CLONES (2002) REVENGE OF THE SITH (2005) A NEW HOPE (1977) THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983) (clips from Bill Murray and Bea Arthur, SNL and the Holiday Special)