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KPBS Film Club reviews 5 new movies!

September 18th, 2008 by Scott Marks

Not the most inspired crop of movies this time around, but we did our best to keep it lively. And, uhhh…thanks for visiting emotioncompulsion.org. That’s what I get for lacing Tom’s coffee with psylicyben…

To listen to the show, click here.

Take it away, Tom!

Tom Fudge: We’ll talk about the following movies on this edition of Film Club of the Air:

Burn After Reading: We start with a new movie by Joel and Ethan Coen. The Coen brothers had a big year last year, winning Academy Awards for Best Picture AND Best Director for their film, based on the Cormac McCarthy novel, No Country for Old Men. Their new movie is called Burn After Reading. This movie takes place in Washington D.C.. In the beginning, we meet a CIA man who loses his job and decides to write a memoir. He loses a CD copy of his memoir, which is found by two people who work at a gym, and think they’ve stumbled across some top secret material. Meanwhile, the CIA man’s wife is having an affair with a U.S. Marshall. The people who work at the gym try to extort money from the CIA guy, then they try to sell his memoir to the Russians. This story soon becomes a great thicket of love affairs, mistaken identities, and foiled plots. Burn After Reading stars John Malcovich as the CIA man, George Clooney as the U.S. Marshall, and Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt as the people who work at the gym.

Burn After Reading is currently playing in area theaters.

The next movie on our list is Righteous Kill, directed by Jon Avnet. This movie stars two of the most prominent film actors alive today, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Righteous Kill is a cop movie in which our two stars play two homicide detectives. At one point, they start investigating the work of a serial killer who murders people that have been accused or convicted of heinous crimes. Police begin to suspect that the serial killer is a police officer. In fact, we see bits of a video tape in which Turk, De Niro’s character, appears to be confessing to the crimes. The mystery and the investigation plays out. In the end, we see the confrontation between the main characters as it becomes clear what’s been going on. Righteous Kill also stars Carla Gugino and John Leguizamo.

Righteous Kill is currently playing in area theaters.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss is a movie by writer-director Alex Holdridge. Its main character is a slacker named Wilson who’s trying, though not trying very hard, to make a go of it as a screenwriter in Los Angeles. Wilson doesn’t have much going on in his life, and his roommate encourages him to get out of the apartment and make some friends. So he goes onto Craig’s List to tell the world he’s in search of a companion. His internet ad says “misanthrope seeks misanthrope.” As a result, Wilson meets Vivian, who is as surly as Wilson is lonely and depressed. Together, they set out to explore Los Angeles by foot (something I wasn’t sure you could actualy do). The film stars Scoot McNairy and Sara Simmonds.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss is playing at Landmark’s Ken Cinema through September 18th.

Our next movie is called Choke, directed and co-written by Clark Gregg. In this movie the main character is Victor, a sex addict who works at a historical theme park. He dresses up in period costume and gives tours to tourists. The title Choke refers to Victor’s habit of going to restaurants and pretending to choke on food, hoping some rich person will save his life, bond with him, and give him money. The money is meant to help Victor pay for his mother’s residence in a high-priced mental health hospital. Victor joins a sex addict support group while he’s also falling for his mother’s nurse. Meanwhile, he’s obsessed with finding out who his real father was, before his mother dies. Choke is based on a novel by Chuck Palahniuk, who’s best known for the book Fight Club, which was also made into a movie.

Choke opens in area theaters on September 26th.

Sukiyaki Western Django: This spoof of spaghetti westerns was made by veteran Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike and stars Quentin Tarantino.

Sukiyaki Western Django opens in area theaters on October 10th.

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Final Thoughts on the 2008 Jerry Lewis Telethon

September 1st, 2008 by Scott Marks

Years ago I tried watching the Telethon on line, but the pixel-intteruptus effect of streaming video was maddening. With their act perfected, it was 100% smooth sailing. This was the first time in decades where I was able to watch the Telethon from beginning to end uninterrupted by newscasts and sporting events.  From now on, it’s a RealPlayer kind of Telethon for me. It was a marvelously liberating feeling.

Biggest complaint: Not enough Jerry, but at 82 I guess we should be thankful for the 8 hours we get.

Second biggest complaint: The information/entertainment dichotomy is out of balance. While the recorded pitches are sharper and more direct than ever, how about some name acts, Jerry? When Celine Dion, Billy Gilman and Frank, Jr. are the biggest draws, we’ve got a show that slinks. If they relocate to Australia we’re doomed. 20 hours of Paul Hogan and kangaroo jokes.

Before knowing how frail Ed McMahon would appear, I expected a lot of cracks about his current financial situation. Goofing on the doddering old guy in his current state would be like picking on a lame dog.

No Casey and Jean Kasem. Not even a pre-recorded pitch.

No Michael DeBakey tribute. I thought that this would have been a shoe-in.

Where’s Charo?

Where’s Julius LaRosa?

For a change, KUSI did not have an afternoon baseball game to soil the festivities. Instead of showing the Telethon live and in its entirety, they play select bits as filler for their local feed. Do they truly believe that weathermen and news anchors have the same knowledge and draw as Jerry Lewis? With all due respect, I don’t watch The Jerry Lewis Telethon in anticipation of seeing meteorologists Dave Scott and Joe Lazura. These guys are on the airwaves every day of the year. Stick with the big guns and leave the pea-shooters to tell us that it will be 72 and sunny every day.

Alison Sweeney should read Gold Star pledges in a thong bikini and high heels.

When all is said and done, the funniest man alive has raised over $2 billion dollars in his fight against muscular dystrophy. Thanks for all of your tireless efforts. I love you, Jerry!


Celine Dion, dere, talking to da’ Jerry Lewis dere.

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Scott Marks flies solo on KPBS Radio’s “These Days”

August 27th, 2008 by Scott Marks

It is not as though I have never done the Film Club before, but this morning’s ride to the station found me shaking harder than a Katherine Hepburn Jell-O mold. This was the first time since my days on The Lounge where I would be the sole guest

Beth Accomando and I make a good team, and the thought of not having her to bounce off of made me nervous. Very nervous. In the words of Daffy Duck, I was as black as a sheet. It’s not that the material was unfamiliar — if I can’t talk about the Marx Brothers and Jerry Lewis, who can? For some reason, I felt that the pressure was on to be brilliant. My producer, the indispensable Angela Carone, put a lot of work into today’s show and I didn’t want to let her down. Nor did I want to come off as the guy who hates everything. Truth be told, I love more movies than most people have seen, it’s just that the majority of them were made before 1975. Generally, my batting average on the show is 1 for 10. For every ten movies we review, I like one of them.

Instead of assuming my usual position on the opposite side of the console, I sat next to host Tom Fudge and we couldn’t have been more comfortable had we been sitting in a living room. As soon as the “On the Air” light was turned on, the 45 minutes flew by faster than Sherlock, Jr.

Some of the listeners threw me for a loop. This was a show about classic comedy and calling in to praise Soapdish is kind of like referencing The Apple Dumpling Gang during a discussion of John Ford, Anthony Mann and Budd Boetticher. And of all the directors, I never expected Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night to be on a caller’s mind.

There were many discussion points that we didn’t have time for and I failed to mention that it was Ms. Accomando’s idea to give me an hour to myself. In the words of Ricky Riccardo, “Thanks, par’ner!”

Four badges of honor:

1) Tom sat and watched Sherlock, Jr. with his kids. Nothing makes me happier than exposing a new generation to Buster’s brilliance.

2) Lewisophobe Fudge was actually laughing his head off during The Nutty Professor clip. :P

3) I was able to mention Thomas Racz’s recent discovery of a longer print of A Night at the Opera. Hopefully someone in L.A. was listening.

4) And this is the big one — Angela actually took home my copy of The Nutty Professor to watch…actually. Can’t wait for her breathless phone call begging to borrow my copy of Cracking Up.

Listen to the show here.

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All- comedy KPBS Film Club airs tomorrow

August 26th, 2008 by Scott Marks

With my partner Beth Accomando still recovering from the long hours she put in at ComicCon, I’ll be flying solo on the KPBS Film Club of the Air. Instead of talking new movies with host Tom Fudge, tomorrow morning’s show will be dedicated to eight comedic luminaries: Buster Keaton, Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Mae West, W.C. Fields, Jerry Lewis and Albert Brooks. (You were expecting maybe Jack Black and Will Ferrell?)

Instead of forging one-dimensional comic characters eager to spout penis and fart jokes, these eight hand picked luminaries built their careers by inventing unique comic personae. In addition to their stellar work before the camera, Keaton, Lewis and Brooks share the distinction of being three of the greatest comedic directors of all time.

There will be plenty of hilarious audio clips to round out the discussion and as always your phone calls are welcome. Tune in tomorrow morning to learn a little (and laugh a lot) when the KPBS Film Club goes funny in the head. It’ll be duck soup!

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KPBS Film Club reviews PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, MAN ON WIRE, THE LAST MISTRESS, VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA, BAGHEAD and more!

August 6th, 2008 by Scott Marks

Today’s show not only covered the customary five films, we also found time to drop plugs for two more upcoming films. Alan Ray, filling in for the vacationing Tom Fudge, kept the show moving at a brisk clip and without any callers the time literally flew by. The show commences with a cameo by the ever-vibrant Gloria Penner who was called upon to make a couple of corrections on a previous story. After that it’s all movies, only movies. Just the way I like it! Below are Alan’s introductory descriptions of the five films. Listen to the entire Podcast here.

“PINEAPPLE EXPRESS: Pineapple Express is both a stoner comedy and a spoof of action movies. It’s written by the guys who wrote Superbad and produced by Judd Apatow, who directed Knocked Up. Seth Rogen stars as Dale, a stoner who witnesses a murder committed by a drug lord and a crooked cop. As a result, he and his equally stoned friend Saul, played by James Franco, have to go on the lam. The term Pineapple Express refers to high grade marijuana that is very rare. Judd Apatow has had a lot of success with the lovable losers at the center of his comedies; let’s find out if this one succeeds.
Pineapple Express opens in area theaters today.

MAN ON WIRE: In 1974, a group of foreign nationals snuck into the World Trade Center carrying equipment that included heavy grade wire and a bow and arrow. They worked all night preparing for what would happen when daylight arrived. Come morning, Philippe Petit, a French tightrope walker and street performer, walked across a wire suspended between the two towers 110 stories above the ground. He remained on the wire for 45 minutes, attracting a crowd of onlookers on the street below, and finally was taken away by police. The new documentary Man on Wire tells the story of Philippe Petit and his grand caper through interviews with the Petit and his team, reenactments of events, and archival footage.

Man on Wire opens at Landmark’s Hillcrest theaters this Friday.

THE LAST MISTRESS: The Last Mistress is a costume drama written and directed by the French director Catherine Breillat, who is best known for the provocative films Romance and Fat Girl. The Last Mistress is set among the French aristocracy in the 1900’s and tells the story of a passionate affair between a young woman named Veillini and a penniless nobleman named Ryno, who has just married an innocent heiress. Because of his marriage, Ryno has to end his affair, and this doesn’t sit so well with Veillini, who is strong-willed and tempestuous.

The Last Mistress opens at Landmark’s La Jolla Village Cinemas this Friday.

VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA: It’s another Woody Allen movie, with a couple of interesting back stories. There’s another of “those kisses”…and Scarlett Johansson’s e-mail relationship with Barack Obama. The movie is set in Barcelona. It’s about sexual attraction, and what to do about it, with whom.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona opens on August 15 in area theaters.

BAGHEAD: Two couples go off to spend the weekend in an isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere so they can write a screenplay. But, alas, their efforts are foiled by a guy with a paper bag over his head. This is the basic plot of the horror movie/relationship drama called Baghead. Baghead was written and directed by Jay and Mark Duplass, otherwise known as the Duplass Brothers. Their 2005 movie Puffy Chair was an indie favorite. In this movie, they spoof independent film festivals, moviemaking, and horror movies.

Baghead is currently playing at Landmark’s Hillcrest Theaters and tonight’s your last night to see it - or (DON’T!!!) rent it on DVD in a couple of months.”

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Filed Under KPBS Radio Shows, Reviews, Theatrical

KPBS Film Club reviews THE WACKNESS, MONGOL, UP THE YANGTZE, SAVAGE GRACE & MOTHER OF TEARS

June 25th, 2008 by Scott Marks

Olivia Thirlby in THE WACKNESS

Good show today, but I can’t believe how much mileage we got out of Mongol. Glad that Tom didn’t see Savage Grace (most decidedly not for him), but I wish that he would have been able to catch The Wackness. It’s got Fudge written all over it.

The Argento discussion could have been a bit livelier, by our producer warned me not to mention anything about a sword being thrust so deeply into a woman’s private parts that it pops out of her mouth. Gotta’ love Dario Argento.

Believe it or not, the clip from The Conqueror did not come from my Good Times DVD. Credit Beth with beating me to the punch. It was also nice to have someone other than myself evoke Hitler’s name. Not unlike Woody Allen, I try to sneak it into every show.

To those of you that listen in your car, drive safely.

Download the Podcast here.

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