#138: The Fountain / Grave of the Fireflies / Top 5 Ambitious Movies

The artistically ambitious will inevitably be accused of pretension. And so it goes for Darren Aronofsky and his new film "The Fountain." A visually stunning, millennia-spanning meditation on love and death, "The Fountain" boldly follows in the footsteps of Kubrick's "2001." Adam and Sam agree that Aronofsky's film is elegantly constructed and beautiful to look at, but end up debating the mystical-religious underpinnings of the story: is "The Fountain's" 'road to awe' really worth taking, or is it indulgent silliness?

And believe it or not, Aronofsky's meditation on death isn't the most depressing film Adam and Sam review on this episode of Filmspotting. That honor belongs to Isao Takahata's luminous but devastating "Grave of the Fireflies" –- the second film in six-week Filmspotting Animation Marathon.

Also on the show: Listener Feedback, Massacre Theatre and Adam and Sam's 'Go Big or Go Home' Top 5 Ambitious Movies.

Music by Groom from the album "All This Happened, More Or Less."

:22-16:40 - Review: "The Fountain"
Music: Groom, "Codebreakers"
18:01-20:28 - Peerflix Winner (Cindy Sweeney), New DVDs
20:29-24:36 - Donations, Poll Questions
24:37-27:53 - Notes, Next Marathon
27:54-36:09 - Listener Feedback (Casino Royale)
Music: Groom, "Love Me Aimlessly"
37:40-40:23 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: Jennifer Wright)
40:24-51:15 - Animation #2: Grave of the Fireflies
Music: Groom, "School Uniform"
52:39-1:00:41 - Listener Feedback (Adrenaline Rushes)
1:00:42-1:13:26 - Top 5: Ambitious Movies
1:13:27-1:15:55 - Close/Next Show/Outtakes

NOTES/CORRECTIONS
- I (Adam) credited Aronofsky's cinematographer Matthew Libatique; editor Jay Rabinowitz deserved his name being said as well.
- It occurred to me later that "MASH," of course, was likely Robert Altman's most successful film, not "The Player." According to this BBC story, I would be correct. "Gosford Park" was his second most successful film at the box office.
- I said I disagreed with emailer Dan Heaton about the action scene early in "Casino Royale." Actually, I think I do agree... he was probably mentioning the great opening scene (Bond's first kill), and not the 'parkour' chase scene which did nothing for me. Sorry, Dan.
- The latest "Santa Clause" movie is, of course, "The Escape Clause."
- If you have a sec, you should really check out this week's edition of crackspotting.com... it will make more sense if you are message board regular, but it's clever and impressive regardless.

#132: The Prestige / Little Children / Todd Field / Top 5 Movies About Deception

On this Chicago Public Radio edition of Filmspotting ... With "Memento," Christopher Nolan made a film so intricate, exciting and original that he probably could have spent the next ten years making absolute bombs and still get audiences excited about his next project. As it turned out, Nolan did follow "Memento" with a modest misfire (a remake of the 1997 Norwegian film "Insomnia"), but followed that with 2005's "Batman Begins," a hugely successful re-launch of the Batman franchise. Last year, Adam and Sam were among the few people that admitted to being slightly under-whelmed by the new Batman, but both were excited about Nolan's new film "The Prestige." Although one of your hosts claims that "The Prestige" is only the second best turn-of-the-20th-century magic movie to be released this year, both found the film as intriguing to discuss on their way out of the theater as it was to watch.

The director of "In The Bedroom" adapts a book by the author of "Election" ... It's not the most obvious pairing, but your hosts agree that Todd Field's adaptation of Tom Perotta's 2004 satirical novel "Little Children" is among the most intelligent and darkly funny films of the year.

Also on the show, Adam's interview with Todd Field about the making of "Little Children." Plus, Massacre Theatre and the Top 5 Movies About Deception.

21-12:12 - Review: "The Prestige"
Music: The Comfies, "Close To Me"
13:45-25:52 - Review: "Little Children"
Music: The Comfies, "Understanding 23"
27:34-42:16 - Todd Field Interview
Music: The Comfies, "That's What She Gets"
43:39-46:51 - Massacre Theatre (Winner: Lainey Trotter)
46:52-1:00:04 - Top 5: Movies About Deception
1:00:05-1:02:12 - Close/Next Show/Outtake

NOTES/LINKS

• Music by The Comfies from the EP "Close To Me" courtesy of Livewire Recordings.

#70: Best/Worst of 2005 (Part I)

Since its debut last March, Cinecast has spent roughly 200 hours at the movies. For this special 2005 Year in Review episode, Adam and Sam tried to distill all that cinematic input into an hour-long conversation ... and failed miserably. Your windbag hosts managed to talk long past the average length of a feature-length movie, so we decided -- at the last minute, naturally -- to split the show into two parts. Part II featuring Massacre Theatre and our Top 5 Movies of 2005 will be posted Friday.

In this installment, hear the first half of Cinecast's Best Movies of 2005, plus our picks for the Worst of 2005, the biggest Breakthroughs, Surprises and Cameos. Also, a quick look at "Vertigo" -- the 5th film in our six-week Hitchcock Marathon. We'll close out the Hitch Marathon next week with "Frenzy."

Music by Jude from the album "No One Is Really Beautiful" ... Cinecast theme music by Age of the Rifle.

Cinecast #70 (Part I)
:30-24:24 - Best of 2005: Top 6-10
24:25-29:23 - Worst of 2005: 'Overreaching'
Music: Jude, "I'm Sorry Now"
30:31-43:13 - Hitchcock #5: “Vertigo”
43:14-50:28 - Worst of 2005: Braindead Blockbusters & Sequels
50:29-1:01:59 - Surprises, Breakthroughs and Cameos
Music: Jude, "You Mama You"