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Mike Terry is a mixed martial arts instructor specializing in Jui Jitsu. Terry is a very honorable man, using his martial arts and the instruction of to prevail in life, even though he finds that that’s not quite enough when the bills come due. And as Terry and his wife, struggle to make their ends meet, seemingly random events are starting to happen that look like they could be the answers to all of Terry’s problems. Except of course they’re not, and this ends up putting Terry in a position where he must compromise his values.
Redbelt is the latest movie from writer/director David Mamet, and I’ve got to say, I’m a huge Mamet fan, and with Redbelt he’s kind of making a throwback sort of film, like the type of movie that you might have in the day when say a boxer must find himself in a situation that in order to prevail he might have to compromise himself (or, in movie terms, In the movie Barton Fink, the title character finds himself in Hollywood having to write a Wallace Beery wrestling movie- Redbelt is probably the kind of movie that Fink would aspire to) and personally, I think this is one of the better films that I’ve seen yet this year.
The subject of mixed martial arts doesn’t exactly seem like the sort of thing that I’d ever really expect Mamet to delve into, and yet he pulls it off pretty nicely. There’s plenty of examples here of the fighting going on, and Mamet never gets theatrical about it, there’s no flashy moves or stylish edits, it’s all handled pretty matter-of-fact.
Chiwetol Ejifor plays Mike Terry and this is his film, hands down. For awhile now, Ejifor has demonstrated that he’s certainly one of the more versatile supporting talents in Hollywood today in such films as Serenity, Inside Man, Talk To Me and Children of Men, but in Redbelt, he gets the opportunity to carry the movie himself and he’s pretty much in every single scene of the film and does a fine job here, having a whole lot of heart in his performance, but discipline as well. He’s got a great supporting cast here including Mamet regulars like Joe Mantegna and Ricky Jay, but without a doubt the most unusual bit of casting is comic actor Tim Allen as an action movie star like Bruce Willis, who finds himself crossing paths with Terry. Allen’s really good doing this bit of stretching for himself and I just hope he manages to do some more of this over time. My only complaint with him is just that his part is pretty small in the big picture, but he still gets the job done.
Right as we’re in the midst of all of the big summer blockbusters, it’s certainly nice to see that a small movie like Redbelt can come out there and deliver the goods. Oh sure, it’s still going to get lost in the shuffle, but then expectations are a lot lower as well. Still though, this is a quality drama, and another great movie in David Mamet’s filmography. Highly recommended…
We did it before and we are doing it again.
Scott Sigler’s new print version of Infected gets released on April 1st, 2008. Over the next few days, his publisher has allowed him to give away copies of the PDF version of the book for free.
We are helping him do just that.
For more information on Scott and Infected, visit www.scottsigler.com
If you want share the file with friends, get them to download it from this page or from:
http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/infected/downloads/infected_novel.pdf
By getting the file from that link, it’s proving to the big publishers that we podcasters have a clue about what we are doing.
This file will only be active for a few days, at which time the link will become inactive and you’ll have to go to the bookstore to read the story. Which you should do anyway.
(Note: If you didn’t get the file, you missed out. Now get your ass out there and pick up a copy of INFECTED!)
So anyway, it’s that time of the year again to put together a Top 10 list of what I thought was the best movies that I saw all year. 2007 was a pretty darn good year and I know I certainly saw a lot of films that I had in consideration. Anyway, I’ve got a Top 10, and I’ve also got my list of runners-up… so first off, here’s the runners-up in no particular order:
Children of Men
Breach
Black Snake Moan
Zodiac
Bug
The Simpsons Movie
Michael Clayton
Bee Movie
The Mist
Sweeney Todd
I thought all of those were absolutely terrific and most of them would get a hearty recommendation from me to most movie viewers (Bug is the one movie on that list that I’d be hesitant to recommend to a lot of folks, but I know I had a hell of a good time with it) and Children of Men is one that I enjoyed much, much more on my second go with it. One of the other films that I’ve seen this year was Pan’s Labyrinth which is technically a 2006 movie, so I’ve disqualified it from this list, though it’s certainly well worth your time to see it. Just recently too, another movie that I’ve seen this year,that opened in theatres this year, but that I didn’t see until it came out on DVD was Lasse Hallstrom’s The Hoax which starred Richard Gere and was about writer Clifford Irving’s attempt to keep his name and writing in the spotlight by contriving an autobiography (dictated to him) by the reclusive billionaire, Howard Hughes. Had I seen that in theatres, I would’ve had to consider that as well- but just the same, it’s a terrific film and highly recommended if you get the chance. And there’s still at least one 2007 movie that hasn’t opened here that I really want to see that I think in advance could be a contender for this list, and that’s Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. I’m hoping that plays here soon. So without further ado, here’s the top 10 starting with number 10:
10. Inland Empire - I am a huge David Lynch fan, and even when it’s at it’s most taxing to put together the real ideas around his films, he always delivers a tremendous experience to go through. Inland Empire was a bold experiment for him, shooting entirely on Sony consumer digital video cameras, this three-hour epic seems almost like it’s a good companion piece for Mulholland Dr. in a lot of ways. It’s tagline is “A Woman In Trouble” and as usual, Lynch leaves it in the hands of the viewer to put it altogether. This features a terrific performance from Laura Dern, putting her through the gamut of emotions. Not for everybody by any means, but those who like David Lynch movies will probably find something to like here.
9. The Host - This Korean movie is one of the best monster movies that I’ve seen in years. It details the story of a mutated sea creature running amok amongst a huge populated city and the city’s steps to keep it at bay, but with a huge focus on one particular family whose youngest member is snatched up by the beast, and their attempts to get her back. Thrilling stuff with terrific visual effects and a great emotional center.
8. American Gangster - Ridley Scott steps back into 70s style of filmmaking telling this story of drug kingpin Frank Lucas and police officer Richie Roberts, as Roberts attempts to take down the big drug targets in the midst of a New York City already heavily corrupted by cops on the take. Great performances from Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe are at the center of the film, and it’s just a terrific ride in a good old fashioned French Connection-type of film.
7. Ratatouille - The second teaming of Brad Bird and Pixar Studios gives us a story of a rat with a taste for the finer things, and how that rat gets to realize his dreams by helping the inept heir of a great restaurant take charge of that restaurant. Just incredibly beautiful work from Pixar, again showing why they’re the absolute best at Computer animated films. Very funny stuff and a great mix of comedy and something a little different, that being a movie that focuses on food and cooking.
6. I Am Legend - It’s the third time out for Richard Matheson’s classic story on-screen and in my opinion, it’s the best yet and a genuinely thrilling film experience. A deadly virus has taken it’s toll on the population and in a deserted New York City, one man has remained immune and dedicates himself to find a cure while surviving from the new terrors that the virus has created. Really well made film from director Frances Laurence who previously gave us Constantine, this realizes the premise well and features one terrific performance from Will Smith, I think it’s his best yet.
5. No Country For Old Men - The latest film from the Coen Brothers is a brutal cat and mouse story about one man who finds a large amount of drug money and how he’s on the run from a sadistic killer, and haw both are being tracked down by one long-in-the-tooth sheriff who thinks this case just might be beyond him. Gripping stuff right from the start with an ending that’s not the clean ending that most filmgoers like, but very true to the ideas of the film. Terrific performances from Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones and most especially Javier Bardem add to the intensity.
4. 300 - Zach Snyder’s adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel raises the bar considerably for virtual studio films. This is the story of how 300 Spartans held off the immense Persian army for as long as they could from invading their soil. Snyder and his crew have taken great pains to make this true to Miller’s work with any alterations meeting the approval of Miller himself. Visually brilliant, fun as hell to watch and with a great, bravura performance from Gerard Butler.
3. The Lookout - Right from a blockbuster to an extremely small film in comparison, Scott Frank’s The Lookout tells the story of a young man with a promising life ahead of him having it seriously hampered by an accident that gives him memory issues. This is a tightly woven tale that’s beautifully shot and extremely well acted, with terrific performances from Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode and especially Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead role. I just watched this again on DVD recently and found it just as compelling then as I did in the theatres (to which there was hardly anyone in them to see this gem).
2. The Kingdom - Director Peter Berg tells us a story about a fictional terrorist attack on an American oil community in the Saudi city of Riyadh and gets more to the emotional points rather than pontificating over the political points, delivering a movie that’s compelling to get involved with rather than delivering Hollywood preachiness. This is incredibly well made, very fast paced, and features godd “lived in” performances from Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman. And on top of that, this delivers one of the best and most chilling endings I’ve seen in a movie all year. Terrific stuff and I can’t wait to see what Peter Berg does next.
And now, here’s the number one movie for me all year and this should come as little surprise to anyone who knows my tastes in movies…
1. Grindhouse - Directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino love those old exploitation films of the 60s, 70s and early 80s and I do too, and what they delivered with the original theatrical version of Grindhouse was a genuine film experience that hasn’t been seen in a long time, a double feature that’s filled out with trailers for other movies made in the same vein, all produced with that sort of old theatre/drive-in presentation. Grindhouse for me was just pure fun from start to finish and it was just an incredible shame that this failed so miserably at the box office, because I could’ve stood to see Rodriguez and Tarantino deliver this type of experience for many years to come. Rodriguez’s Planet Terror is a science fiction/horror story made in the vein of some classic Fred Olen Ray movies that at times seems more of a parody than the actual thing, but is still fun as hell to watch nonetheless. Tarantino’s Death Proof is more like the real thing, about a sadistic killer in Stuntman Mike, who’s out to kill young women with his special car which he’s deemed as death proof. There’s actual continuity between both movies (and further continuity with Tarantino’s own Kill Bill and a load of great over-the-top performances that’s truly in the style of the films that they’re homaging. And the trailers themselves, crafted by Rodriguez, Edgar Wright, Eli Roth and Rod Zombie are just as entertaining with Zombie delivering for me the single best couple of minutes I’ve seen in a movie all year with his trailer Werewolf Women of the SS. Hopefully one day, this will be released as it should be on DVD, an all-in-one package, but still even with both movies out there as individual DVDs, they’re still great fun to watch.
And just to round this out, I’ll go ahead and list what I thought were the worst that I saw in 2007 as well. Amongst those in consideration for that were:
Arthur and The Invisibles
The Number 23
Next
Shrek The Third
Transformers
But the absolute worst for me had to The Golden Compass a fantasy book adaptation that just did all of the things that I think are most wrong with the genre. This one had me making fun of it almost from the start with it’s convoluted back story and it’s readiness to have events happen that you’re just supposed to take as “of course that’s the way it should work.”
But still, it was a great year out there this past year, and out of the 63 movies that I saw theatrically this year, there’s certainly plenty of good stuff to choose from…
Big news for us. It might not ever mean anything to you guys, but this new partnership should prove to make our lives easier in bringing you Fanboy Smackdown.
Farpoint Media/Podango Partnership
We, at FarPoint Media (www.farpointmedia.net), a leader in creating, producing and distributing quality audio entertainment, are happy to announce that Podango (www.podango.com) has become our partner with a multi-station deal that will allow this new media broadcast platform to host all of our FarPoint Media podcasts and future vidcasts.
Podango is a new media broadcast platform that will enable FarPoint Media and our advertisers to better reach our target audience for all of our podcasts, vidcasts and their accompanying Website’s.
“Podango offers us a complete and reliable hosting solution with full WordPress integration, robust ad insertion capabilities and a variety of easy-to-use management tools,” stated Michael R. Mennenga, founder and CEO of FarPoint Media. “[The Podango platform] lets us concentrate on creating and delivering the best audio content for our growing legion of online fans.”
Lee Gibbons, CEO of Podango, said, “FarPoint Media is leading the industry in creating and producing highly popular, award-winning and diverse new media content. We’re thrilled to welcome the family of FarPoint Media audio shows to Podango and look forward to collaborating in reaching even wider audiences.”
“The ease and reliability with which this format will afford us will lessen the burden faced with less than adequate service,” said Samuel K. Sloan, FarPoint Media Executive News Director. “I am looking forward to working closely with Podango and its rich platform.”
FarPoint Media is happy to be able to be working with Podango to continue bringing you all the best in entertainment, news and information the Internet can provide.
About Podango
Podango is a new media broadcast platform that enables podcasters and advertisers to build audiences and connect with hard-to-reach, niche market segments. Running such hit shows as The Apple Phone Show, Podango hosts over 1,000 video and audio programs—including a third of the top twenty-five shows—on a wide variety of interests and topics.
The company’s innovative Web broadcast platform features diverse shows distributed through a sophisticated set of syndication tools. Broadcasters producing their own channels of episodic video and audio content also share advertising revenue. In today’s increasingly fragmented marketplace, Podango provides advertisers with the highly targeted audiences and robust content opportunities critical to the success of business and consumer brands.
About FarPoint Media
With 73 shows currently on the air or in development , FarPoint Media is a leading producer and distributor of quality radio and podcast entertainment, with its eye to the future of vidcasting. The company offers a variety of content with channels designed for diverse programming choices.
We have sci-fi media and genre-related literature shows featuring news and interviews with actors, producers and writers creating your favorite TV programs and books, and we have discussion shows fans can immerse themselves in.
FarPoint Media has quality audio dramas to fire your imagination, specialized sports news and information shows that take you beyond the box scores, comedy and variety programming that will have you laughing out loud, and shows with experienced advice that can help improve your tech skills, sharpen your writing skills or make you more environmentally conscious and knowledgeable.
The three jewels in the FarPoint Media crown are the “Dragonpage Cover to Cover” (C2C), “Wingin’It-3D” (WI-3D) and “Slice of SciFi” (SoSF) programs.
C2C is the show that started it all. Each program hosts an award-winning author of fantasy, fiction and science fiction, covering the latest offerings from the writer being interviewed and the novel under discussion.
WI-3D is just want the name implies, an irreverent time where friends, celebrities and personalities get together in the studio in a no-holds-bar romp where the discussion can end up on just about anything.
SoSF is an hour-long show of news, entertainment and guest interviews centering on the world of science fiction, horror, fantasy and other genre-related topics. Very structured, SoSF works off of a tightly written script and has featured interview with actors such as Samuel K. Jackson and Amanda Tapping, producers/writers and directors like Peter Mohan, N. John Smith and Martin Wood. Also featured are young up-and-coming filmmakers like Mark Lund and Shane Felux, as well as, award winning authors like Peter S. Beagle, Tanya Huff and Jim Butcher. SoSF has made the unique crossover from a stand-alone podcast to where it can now also be heard on XM-Satellite Radio.
FarPoint Media is podcast entertainment at its best. No matter what your interests are, we have a show that will be sure to entertain and inform you. See what the fastest-growing network has to offer you. It is a world of wonder that awaits you. For more information visit: www.farpointmedia.net.
Hey folks. I meant to do get this message out to you much, much earlier, but things got out of hand pretty quickly.
The title says it all.
This podcast (I’m posting this to both TLI and FBSD) is on hiatus.
As you may, or may not, know my wife is pregnant with our second child.
This pregnancy hasn’t been as easy as the first. Not that it’s been horrible or anything, but it’s had its moments.
Julie has been placed on bedrest and is currently in the hospital. She’ll be there until the baby is born.
The baby will likely be induced on or near November 4th. This is five weeks early. There are complications that could arise from an early delivery, but there are complications that could arise from Julie carrying the baby too long.
Let me stress… Julie’s fine, the baby is fine… so far. That could change and we are currently on standby mode.
I’d have recorded something and posted it, but time… being what it is… has left me a bit short-handed. I’m single parenting, working full-time and spending as much time as I can trying to keep my wife sane while she is stuck in the hospital. Something had to give and logically, it was the podcasting.
Now, don’t fret… I’ll be back. I just need a few weeks to get this baby delivered and get her home… which might not happen for a few weeks after she makes her grand entrance.
Thank you all for understanding.
More movie reviews and weightloss to follow very soon.
Thirty years ago, an unheralded film known as Star Wars opened in theaters and took audiences on a groundbreaking journey to a galaxy far, far away. It instantly seized the public’s imagination, and three decades later still claims that grasp. Now, a new special from The History Channel seeks to understand why the emotional impact of the Star Wars Saga remains as relevant as ever. The two-hour special, STAR WARS: THE LEGACY REVEALED, is a World Premiere on The History Channel on Monday, May 28 at 9pm ET/PT.
All right kids,
Something really, REALLY cool for you lovely folks.
We are sponsoring a contest. The prize is a STAR WARS: THE LEGACY REVEALED prize pack. All you have to do is send an email. It’s as simple as that.
There are a few rules:
That’s it. Simple. The contest will run until June 19th. We’ll announce the winner that week. Make sure you get your entries in. Also, make sure you listen closely to episode #37. There might be something special there too.
Lucasfilm Ltd. is in no way a sponsor of this Sweepstakes and is not responsible or liable for any obligations herein. SEE OFFICIAL RULES FOR DETAILS.
Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, and Star Wars are registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. © 2007 Lucasfilm Ltd. and ® or TM as indicated. All rights reserved. Courtesy of Lucasfilm.
Yep, we added a few sites to the left. We also added a calendar of sorts. Under the “Upcoming Episodes” Category, you’ll see a listing of the next two to four shows we are planning. Now, you know that the film mentioned might only be a jumping off point to a larger discussion, but you can consider the films there to be homework for the episode. You can check them out before hand, or listen to our episode to get a review followed by some deeper analysis. We’ll let you know when we get into a spoiler zone, so we don’t ruin anything for you, if all you want is the review.
As always, we do take suggestions.
Congratulations to Scott Sigler. On April 1, 2007, Ancestor reached #1 on the Science Fiction and Fantasy listing at Amazon and #7 on Amazon’s ranking overall. This is an incredible achievement, well done, Scott!
This is it. Scott Sigler’s Ancestor in its entirety.
This is a special request from Scott to give this book out to all of our listeners and friends.
We know you are asking… Free? What?
Seriously, this is a giveaway. Scott is hoping that you come out on April 1st and purchase a copy of the book from Amazon.com
We’ll mention this again and make sure you guys have all the links as we get closer to the big day.
Read and enjoy!
Busy times at work, the death of a laptop and changing jobs have us a bit tied up at the moment. Not to mention the work we (Actually, it was Summer Brooks, who are we kidding) did getting everything switched over to our new home with FarPoint Media.
We will have something new for you this weekend and should get back on our regular schedule next week.
I spent twelve and a half hours yesterday watching all five films nominated for best picture.
To break it down the best I can, let me start off by saying that I don’t believe that Babel or Little Miss Sunshine are in quite the same league as the other three films. Don’t get me wrong, these are great movies, but just not in the same class as the other three films.
It’s hard for me to pick just how I think the Academy is going to vote this year. As a political way of doing this I’m going to show how each of them could win.
1: The Queen - If the Academy has an interest in the Monarchy of Great Britain and/or a sense of humor, the Oscar goes to ‘The Queen’.
2: The Departed - If the Academy has a soft spot for Martin Scorsese and a love for his past work, the Oscar goes to ‘The Departed’
3: Letters from Iwo Jima - If the Academy still loves Clint as much as they have in the past, the Oscar goes to ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’.
Some reasons why each film might not win.
1: The Queen - While not a fall-out-of-your-chair-funny comedy, the queen has a number of situations that you can’t help but laugh at… in a good way. The “History” is rather recent and all of the major players are still alive, so it doesn’t play any side too harshly.
2: The Departed - While financially successful, this is NOT Martin Scorsese’s best film. We’ve seen what he can do, and he CAN do better. There were a few roles in the film that were excellently acted, but could have served a lesser known actor more than a big name. I’m talking to you Mr. Baldwin.
3: Letters from Iwo Jima - Clint has two movies that have the same setting, just from different view points. This is the one you have to READ. It’s also the story from the enemy’s point of view and it does a fantastic job of humanizing the enemy… which may or may not help.
In the end, I am really torn on which film to give the Oscar to. And which I think the Academy will go with.
But since I promised a decision, here we go…
Best Female Actor - Helen Mirren
Best Director - Martin Scorsese
Best Picture - The Queen (Because it was the one that I was surprised by the most)
There you have it… I guess we’ll know how I stack up in just a few hours.
We’ve got something special for you guys to celebrate our 7th month of podcasting!
Let us know what you think,
Tony
www.fanboysmackdown.com
fanboysmackdown @ gmail.com
fanboysmackdown on skype
fanboysmackdown on HSX
206-339-FBSD (3273)
Hello all -
I just wanted to let everyone know that starting tomorrow, Podcast Pickle is running a contest called Pickle Tales. This is an “American Idol”-style contest featuring podcasting instead of singing… thankfully.
Anyway, the idea is that from October 15th through October 31st, people were free to submit 5 minute stories to the competition. 26 stories were submitted, mine being one of them. These stories were then judged and the top twelve were selected. I found out just yesterday that mine was amongst those twelve.
Beginning TOMORROW, November 6th, 2006, six of the stories, including mine, will be podcast from the pickle tales feed and voting will begin. Voting ends on November 9th, so get out there, listen to the stories and vote! I don’t mind if you vote for mine or not (though I’d REALLY appreciate a vote), but if you do listen to the stories and you hear mine, I’d love to get feedback on it. Thanks!
While you are at podcast pickle, make sure you sign up and add your favorite podcast to your favorites (and Fanboy Smackdown too 
). The more times they appear in someone’s
favorites the higher they end up on lists… and the higher you are on the lists, the more likely people will be drawn to your show.
You can find out more about Podcast Pickle at www.podcastpickle.com
You can find out more about the Pickle Tales competition at www.podcastpickle.com/pickletales
You can subscribe to the Pickle Tales Feed at pickletales.picklefeeds.com/
If you enjoy podcast fiction (assuming most of them are just that) check out pickle tales and spread the word. All 26 stories will be eventually podcast throughout the run of the competition, and as the rounds advance, there will be new stories added each round. If I’m
doing my math right, you’ll hear about 46 pieces of new fiction throughout the course of the competition.
Hey all,
There will be a delay in podcasting this week. I am attending Archon this weekend and will be recording panels and interviews from the Con. As I am able to get them into a reasonable sound format, I will attempt to get them out to you guys.
If all goes well, I’ll have a Serenity panel and a Star Wars panel to post on the feed.
If all goes not so well, then you’ll be listening to a quick cast from the car on the way home from the con one evening (and by evening I mean whenever I stumble out of there).
If anyone is going to be at Archon this weekend, I’ll be on the following panels:
Meet the Pod People (Friday 4 PM)
When your Collection Takes over (Friday 9PM)
Marketing your Podcast (Saturday 1 PM)
The Obligatory Star Wars Panel (Sunday 3 PM)
I’ll be all around for most of the weekend. I’ll be wearing a Scrolling Blue LED name tag and/or a Bright Green Superman baseball cap. And of course, will otherwise be one of the most normally dressed people there… unless I break out the kilt.
If you see me, come up and say hello!
