Author Archives: The Filmsmith

The Filmsmith Podcast on iTunes

Posted on February 26, 2011 | Leave a comment

Earlier this week we posted our first podcast and now you can find it on iTunes. Continue reading →

Laughter far and few in “Cedar Rapids”

Posted on February 24, 2011 | 2 comments

Don’t you hate it when the best jokes are in the trailer? It’s even worse when almost all of the jokes are in the trailer. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in Reviews

Tagged Anne Heche, Cedar Rapids, Ed Helms

Hulu, Amazon give Netflix a run for its money

Posted on February 24, 2011 | Leave a comment

For almost as long as Netflix has really focused on its streaming capabilities, the Criterion Collection has been incredibly cooperative with Netflix in making their films available. But last week, due to their dissatisfaction with the streaming superpower, Criterion boldly announced that they would be moving all of their business to Hulu Plus. And earlier today, Amazon announced that it, too, would now be operating a streaming service for all of its Prime members. Does Netflix stand a chance now that it has competition? Especially if that competition is cheaper? Continue reading →

DVD Tuesday: Get Low

Posted on February 22, 2011 | 1 comment

When the Academy announced the nominations for Best Actor almost a month ago, many were hoping that Duvall would snag one for his role in this film, Get Low. In it he plays a tormented man, held back by a secret he has kept for over 40 years. His very soul seems to stand in the balance, and the type of performance it would require from him, as well as the eccentric character he plays, seemed to be necessary and sufficient for Oscar gold. At that time, I had not seen it, and as a result I was very skeptical of this type of buzz; after all, the five nominees (Firth, Eisenberg, Franco, Bardem, and Bridges) all deserved their place. However, Duvall gives one of his greatest performances and reveals one of his most interesting characters ever. And that alone is worth the price of a rental. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in Reviews

Tagged Bill Murray, Get Low, Robert Duvall

Episode 1:The Academy Awards

Posted on February 21, 2011 | 2 comments

As The Filmsmith continues to evolve (different appearance, regular postings), the podcast is our latest endeavor. Spearheaded by Scott Molling, this is the first episode of what will hopefully become a weekly discussion of film-related matters. We’ll also inform you of when the show is available on iTunes (hopefully this week).

In this episode Scott and I discuss what we’ve been watching and the Academy Award Nominations, highlighting our favorite nominees and our not-so-favorite nominees (this podcast was recorded January 29, 2011 so any date specific info should be disregarded). Music comes from The Social Network soundtrack.

Episode 1 – 2010 Academy Award Nominations

Shownotes

Runtime – 1:31:41
What We’ve Been Watching-

Scott Molling: Justified (1:20), Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (5:02)
Remington Smith: Flame and Citron (9:35), The Mechanic (12:30)

News – Aaron Sorkin has new tv show (15:35)

Feature Segment – Academy Award Nominations (17:19)

Give us your feedback below!

-Remington Smith

2 Comments

Posted in Podcast

Tagged 2010 Academy Awards, Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer, film podcast, Flame and Citron, Justified, The Mechanic

Robert Rodriguez directs short film The Black Mamba

Posted on February 20, 2011 | 1 comment

Director of Sin City Robert Rodriguez just made a short film for Nike featuring Kobe Bryant, along with cameos from previous Rodriguez collaborators – and it’s awesome. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in Filmsmith Faves, News

Tagged Black Mamba, Bruce Willis, Comedy, commercial, Danny trejo, Kanye West, Kobe Bryant, Nike, Robert Rodriguez, short film, Sin City

“Shaun of the Dead” alumni bring hilarity to sci-fi comedy “Paul”

Posted on February 18, 2011 | 6 comments

The last time you saw Nick Frost and Simon Pegg together they were in Hot Fuzz, diving through the air firing two guns at the same time screaming “Ahhh!” Four years later, Frost and Pegg have written and starred in a hilarious ode to all things sci-fi in Paul.

Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in Reviews

Tagged Comedy, Edgar Wright, Hot Fuzz, Nick Frost, Paul, Sci-Fi, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Seth Rogen, Shaun of the Dead, Simon Pegg

DVD Tuesday: You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

Posted on February 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

Of all the prolific filmmakers that have ever lived, Woody Allen is second only to Rainer Werner Fassbinder. He has directed over 40 films since his career began in 1967, and Allen’s fans agree that very few are sub-par. Of course, with any great director, the autumn years tend to show a noticeable decline in quality, and certainly this can be said for Allen. But his newest film, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, may be one of his best. Continue reading →

The Mutants Are Back in ‘X-Men: First Class’ trailer

Posted on February 10, 2011 | 3 comments

Finally, a trailer for X-Men: First Class has arrived. Let’s not waste any time babbling about stuff you probably already know. On to the trailer!

Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in News

Tagged Matthew Vaughn, Mutants, X-Men, X-Men: First Class

Biutiful is Emotionally Wrecking

Posted on February 10, 2011 | 3 comments

When I left the theater, slightly dazed, after seeing Biutiful, I knew that I would write this review; whether it would be positive or negative was still up in the air. All I could tell for sure was that while watching this difficult, slow, and often frustrating movie I had experienced something, glimpsed a great truth, gained and lost an infinite thing. Many people will dislike this movie, as they have Inarritu’s previous films (Babel especially). But for me, 72 hours later, there is little else occupying my mind. Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in Reviews

Tagged Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Biutiful, Ikiru, Javier Bardem, Kurosawa