6 ‘n 90!  Da Man reviews six films in ninety seconds.

The Islander.  Jim Morton, expert on extreme cinema, shares the remainder of his movie picks to take with him on a deserted island.

Super 8.  Kids vs. the army.  Alien vs. the earth.  Pickup vs. train.  The only one who comes out of this looking better than expected is the truck.

Larry Crowne.  In his new film, Tom Hanks goes to college and learns about economics, public speaking, and love.   But judging by Larry Crowne, maybe he should have taken a couple of film courses also.

Green Lantern.  With the release of Green Hornet and Green Lantern, the studios should declare a moratorium on making movies about superheros with the word “Green” in their name.  This means you, Green Arrow.

Thanks for listening!  We’ll be back in two weeks.

Subscribe at iTunes!

6 ‘n 90!  Da Man reviews six films in ninety seconds.

This week’s guest on The Islander is author Jim Morton.  He was a contributing editor to Incredibly Strange Films and in the early 80s put out the fanzine Trashola.  He has forgotten more about horror and sexploitation films than most people will ever know, and his picks definitely reflect his eclectic tastes.

Midnight in Paris.  Paris might be a “movable feast,” but Midnight In Paris is more like a buffet stuck in the 20s.

Kung Fu Panda 2.  In the 80s, a film was released with the tagline, “The movie that kicks you in the face!”  Panda 2 is more like a kick in the gut–or maybe just a bit lower.

Bridesmaids.  “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.”  As far as comedy goes, this might not be such a bad thing.

The Tree of Life.  Silly and pretentious?  Or a daring, surprising film?  Or maybe, a little bit of both?

Thanks for listening!  We’ll be back in two weeks.

Subscribe at iTunes!

Sydney Lumet remembered.

6 ‘n 90!  Da Man reviews six films in ninety seconds.

The Islander.  Nancy concludes her interview with film historian and UCLA professor Jonathan Kuntz.

Paul.  Movie-wise, just another misidentified UFO?  Maybe, but watching a weather balloon or looking at swamp gas for an hour and a half would be more entertaining and fun.

Sucker Punch.  As ridiculous as Jack Snyder’s Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole was, it still made more sense than Sucker Punch.

The Lincoln Lawyer.  A film so silly, the audience might consider trying to plea bargain for a shorter running time.

Thanks for listening!  We’ll be back in two weeks!

Subscribe at iTunes.

6 ‘n 90!  Da Man reviews six films in ninety seconds.

The Islander is where guests are interviewed by Nancy and asked to pick the ten films they would take with them to a desert island.  Nancy’s guest this week is film historian and UCLA professor Jonathan Kuntz.

Battle: LA.  In the war between the aliens and the marines, there’s really only one loser: the audience.

Rango.  Strangers don’t last long in the town of Dirt.  This is bad news for Rango, since it’s hard to get any stranger than a domesticated chameleon voiced by Johnny Depp, starring in a western featuring a bunch of desert creatures.

International Tom Hanks Day.

Thanks for listening!  We’ll be back in two weeks.

Subscribe at iTunes!

I remember watching The Seven Chances there.  It was my first introduction to Buster Keaton, who would, in time, become my favorite comedian — in either silent or sound films.  That semester, we also watched Storm Over Asia (Potomok Chingis-Khana), a film by V. I. Pudovkin, and definitely in the Eisenstein  mold of early Soviet films.  With its bold, direct images; its at times heavy-handed visual metaphors; and didactic, unapologetic, manipulative editing; this film, in an odd way, spoke to me.  I’d never seen anything like it, and it was a surprise and a thrill to watch.  Other great films that I saw for the first time in that lecture hall were Jesse James and My Darling Clementine.

It was no different in Tom’s documentary class.  It was there that I was first introduced to the documentaries of Frederic Wiseman and the Maysles brothers.  Their films have been favorites of mine ever since.  In the screenwriting course, I learned about the nuts and bolts and whys and why nots of putting a story together in a visual way — but with words and on paper.

In his lectures and discussions, Tom was always intelligent and interesting, never bullying or dogmatic.  He also brough a welcome sense of humor and perspective to all of his exchanges, whether it was with the entire class or one-on-one with an individual student.

If you’re lucky, you can look back, and there are a handful of teachers who made a real difference in your life, who opened doors, surprised, and took some daunting subject and made it exciting and accessible.  An even smaller handful of teachers are terrific, decent people, who are able to maintain their own excitement for a particular subject (in this case, film) and continue to excite others about it.

Tom is definitely one of these all too rare individuals.  I will always be in his debt.

Islander interview with Tom Stempel, part one:

Islander interview with Tom Stempel, part two:

I love good character actors…their light may be dimmed a bit by the Big Stars they support, but it burns, much like Polaris, the Northern Star, with smooth, dependable consistency.

And, since I love a good character actor, I’ve got a bit of a crush on our Islander guest, actor Richard Herd.  He’s been shinning brightly and consistently in films and on TV for decades, literally.  His credits, as listed on IMDB, are nothing short of astounding.

He’s been shinning brightly and consistently in film and on TV for decades.

He didn’t begin in Tinsel Town, however, but rather on the East Coast, where he worked in the theater.  I could tell you more, but I think the story is best related by Richard himself…here:

Richard’s abilities extend far beyond the big and small screen.  He writes poetry.  He paints pictures.

I trust our readers and listeners will enjoy hearing Richard’s picks for his deserted island DVDs.  In addition, I hope you will all take a moment to check out some of his other works…by following these links:

Valley Artists Guild, which hosts many of Richard’s paintings,

Vivia Gallery, another place to see Richard’s works,

and Richard’s own corner on the Internet, The Official Richard Herd Website.

Thank you, Richard, for allowing us to ship you off to our deserted island.  Enjoy your BBQ chicken!

Islander interview with Richard Herd, part one:

Islander interview with Richard Herd, part two:

6 ‘n 90!  Da Man reviews six films in ninety seconds.

The Islander.  Nancy concludes her interview with Gregory McClatchy, the founder and creative director of Motor Entertainment.

Piranha 3D.  Wet T-shirt contest meets thousands of flesh-eating piranha.  What’s not to like?

Machete.  After making this film, Robert De Niro  might very well ask , “Are you looking at me?”  And sadly, the answer would be, “No.  Not really.”

Lottery Ticket.  Winning the lottery is great–if you live to spend the money.

Thanks for listening!  We’ll be back in two weeks!

Subscribe at iTunes!

Rifftrax.  The guys from Rifftrax take on Reefer Madness in a live performance.  Why?  Because as they say at Rifftrax, “Some films have it coming.”

6 ‘n 90!  Da Man reviews six films in ninety seconds.

The Islander is where guests are interviewed by Nancy and asked to pick the ten films they would take with them to a desert island.  Nancy’s guest this week is Gregory McClatchy, founder and creative director of Motor Entertainment.

Step Up 3D.  Electrical engineering or dancing?  It’s a classic quandary.  Which one will the hero choose?  Here’s a hint.  The film isn’t called Light Up.

The Expendables.  It’s got plenty of action and more than enough heroes.  But is that enough?  Or maybe, is it too much?

The Other Guys.  Here’s a one sentence description of the movie: Lion vs Tuna.  What else do you need to know?

Thanks for listening!  We’ll be back in two weeks.

Subscribe at iTunes!

Here’s Carleton with Debbie Reynolds (in her film debut) in a number from the MGM musical Three Little Words (1950).  Check out the podcast to hear Carleton discuss his Islander film choices as well as his career during the golden age of the Hollywood musical.

Podcast episodes 17 and 18 feature an Islander interview with film and stage star Carleton Carpenter

6 ‘n 90!  Da Man reviews six films in ninety seconds.

The Islander.  Nancy concludes her interview with actor Carleton Carpenter.  Carleton reveals the remainder of his desert island picks.

The Last Airbender is the latest film to benefit from after-the-fact 3D.  Now if only there was a way to retrofit a film with a good story and believable acting.

Despicable Me.  One of the few films this year that isn’t despicable (at least entertainment-wise).

Predators.  If the predators really wanted to track down the most intelligent and illusive prey, they might try hunting for a new idea to make into a movie.

The MGM Dogville shorts.  Before Marmaduke, before Babe, even before Francis the talking mule, there were the Dogville shorts.

Thanks for listening!  We’ll be back in two weeks.

Subscribe at iTunes!