Archive for October, 2008

LC_006: Welcome!

Posted by Erik On October - 31 - 2008

If you're new to LostChatter, welcome! If you're an existing listener, welcome back! Our "experiment" with the first five LostChatter episodes earlier this year went even better than we'd hoped, and we're excited to bring the show back!

Even though ABC hasn't brought Lost back to television yet, we're hitting the microphones early and bringing the podcast back now. There's plenty to cover already, so why wait?

Each week we'll be taking a look at different puzzles and mysteries of the island. Unlike the many "recap/review" shows, our goal is to take an in-depth look at the various mysteries, events, and characters of the show and try to put the puzzle pieces together as best we can.

We're honored to have Joe from Trailer Trash Talk (another Dead Workers Party podcast) join us as a permanent host. He and I will occasionally be joined by other RC hosts such as Ren and Jeff, and we'll also have the occasional guest host on the show.

So join us in our relaunch of LostChatter, and let us know what you'd like to see on the show in the future!


LC_006: Welcome!
Download MP3Subscribe via iTunesListen Now!

UPDATE: Here's the Season 5 promo we were talking about:

JMS Writing “Forbidden Planet” Remake

Posted by Erik On October - 31 - 2008

J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, Jeremiah) is having a good year. A very, very good year.

He jumped from a D-List writer to an A-List writer almost literally overnight when Ron Howard picked up his script for Changeling, the new Angelina Jolie and Clint Eastwood film being released tonight. He was then signed on to write the Silver Surfer spin-off (which has now apparently been dropped), and then he was signed on to do Ninja Assassin with Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers.

Honestly, I can't say Ninja Assassin inherently does anything for me. But even with their sucky movies (Speed Racer), Silver and the Wachowskis deliver well-directed, visually stunning films. With JMS writing, they could call it Care Bears VII: Revenge of the Care Bear Cousins and I'd be there opening night.

JMS posted a message to his Usenet group (don't knock him for being behind the times -- he was online communicating with fans long before other writers) saying that he has some big announcement to make tomorrow about a property he's been chasing for over a decade.

Looks like Mania.com may have found it. Apparently, JMS will be teaming up with producer Joel Silver yet again to write the remake of the 1956 film Forbidden Planet.

Again, not really my sort of thing, even though I love sci-fi. Still, with these names attached, I'll be there.

UPDATE: ComingSoon.net also had an article on it, but I hadn't gotten that far in my news feeds yet.

MC_024: Max Payne

Posted by Erik On October - 30 - 2008

There's nothing I can say that won't detract from this awesome shred-fest by Andrew and special guest Morgan (The (Hide and) Seeker). From the sounds of this review, this could be the worst film of the year.

It sounds like another Ultraviolet. In that way, I'm sorry I didn't see it. Sounds like it would have been fun to tear apart. Even if you didn't see the film, you should check out this review. Morgan and Andrew truly know how to shred a film.


MC_024: Max Payne
Download MP3Subscribe via iTunesListen Now!

RC_024: Minutegate

Posted by Erik On October - 29 - 2008

Is it fair to review a film of which you've only seen eight minutes? That's exactly what Roger Ebert did. For only the second time in his long career, he's walked out of a movie. He then wrote a review in which, at the end, he reveals he was only reviewing the first eight minutes of the film. This has now apparently been dubbed "Minutegate."

Was it ethical? Was it fair? That's what we're going to discuss in this week's show, hosted by Erik, Andrew, and special guest Morgan (from The (Hide and) Seeker). Speaking of fair, we'll also be discussing Terrance Howard's removal from Iron Man 2, to be replaced by Don Cheadle.

(please forgive the audio quality; the local recording on Andrew & Morgan's side was having problems, and we ended up using the Skype feed)

Relevant Links:


RC_024: Minutegate
Download MP3Subscribe via iTunesListen Now!

Review: Zack and Miri Make A Porno

Posted by Andrew On October - 28 - 2008
Kevin Smith is a cool guy. In terms of Hollywood directors, he seems like one of the few who is genuinely down-to-earth and can relate to the average fan. If you've ever listened to SModcast or seen the An Evening With Kevin Smith series of DVDs, you know he has a great sense of humor and witty dialogue comes natural to him.

It's this casual style of dialogue and relating to people that seems the most obvious characteristic of his films. Now, personally, I think as a filmmaker Smith is a mixed bag. He's no Kubrick, but he does have a few strengths, particularly when it comes to dialogue and mixing good character interactions with his hallmark brand of raunchy humor. Not to mention that when he wants to he can craft a pretty intelligent commentary and social satire - Dogma and Chasing Amy are two of the most intelligent and sharper comedies of the 90s, in the my opinion. I wouldn't call myself a huge fan of his movies (I'm one of the few people who finds Clerks to be tremendously overrated, which essentially amounts to blasphemy among his rabid fan base), but I do look forward to seeing them because at the very least I can usually enjoy myself.

Last week, I had the opportunity to go to a screening of Smith's new film, Zack and Miri Make A Porno. The movie isn't released until this weekend, but here's an advanced review that I wrote for my university newspaper. Hopefully this will give you an idea of whether or not Zack and Miri is the kind of comedy you'll like.

Full Review

Another Important Public Service Announcement

Posted by Erik On October - 24 - 2008

Confused by the digital television conversion? Don't know what to do? Have no idea how to hook anything up?

FEAR NOT! We, here at RandomChatter, have had someone email us scoured the Intrawebs for the funniest most informative, instructional video available.

Enjoy. Be sure to take notes.

RC_023: Top Five Horror Films

Posted by Erik On October - 23 - 2008

Horror can be a difficult genre to define. For some, it means blood and guts. For others, it means psychological terror. For the Apple iTunes store, it apparently means films like Hard Candy (great movie, but not what I'd call "horror").

For the purposes of this show, we're defining "horror" as... well, basically whatever we want. We're including slasher films, thrillers, creepy films... Basically anything we'd want to watch on Halloween late at night with the lights out. You know... after those darn kids stop interrupting you every five minutes with the doorbell.

So check out Andrew, Erik, and Ren's top five favorite horror films!


RC_023: Top Five Horror Films
Download MP3Subscribe via iTunesListen Now!

MC_023: Quarantine

Posted by Erik On October - 23 - 2008

Andrew, Ren and Erik take a look at Quarantine, this year's non-franchise Halloween horror movie.

Done from a first-person point of view, much like Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, this film follows a news reporter as she tags along with the fire department to an apartment building. It's basically yet-another-zombie film, but it's handled far better than most and much like with 28 Days Later, it treats the zombie situation realistically.

That's all fine and dandy, but was it any good? Listen and find out!


MC_023: Quarantine
Download MP3Subscribe via iTunesListen Now!

A World with No Paris

Posted by Erik On October - 23 - 2008

According to this article at IMDB.com, Paris Hilton is scheduled to be one of several passengers on the first flight of the Virgin Enterprise Rocket, which will take several celebrities into space.

Hilton says, "I'm very scared to do it. What if I don't come back?

"With the whole light-years thing, what if I come back 10,000 years later, and everyone I know is dead? I'll be like, 'Great. Now I have to start all over.'"

It boggles my mind how much time and money spent on following this idiot -- who, incidentally, has far too much time and far too much money.

Paris, I promise you, the rocket won't come anywhere near "light-years" speed.

Besides, what if you don't come back? Well, believe it or not, I'm sure we'll find a way to move on without you. Somehow.

Some Cheap Halloween DVD Picks

Posted by Erik On October - 23 - 2008

For those of us who can't seem to get into the current age of "torture porn", there are some good horror/thriller DVDs on sale over the next couple of weeks.

SAW
I already have it, but you can pick it up at Best Buy for about $6 this week. They also had the second and third in the series, and while they were okay, they weren't quite as good. I like the fact that it wasn't just a typical slasher film. Instead, you have two characters stuck in a deadly situation where they have to rely upon each other but don't entire trust each other either -- and with good reason.

FRIDAY THE 13TH
I never cared for this movie, but like it or not, it's a classic. Should be available for about $6.

SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (2-disc edition)
Despite still being labeled at $19.99, I found this yesterday at Best Buy for only $5. It's a bit dated, but it's a classic psychological thriller. And now that Lucas has castrated Vader, I think Hannibal Lector now tops the All Time Best Villains list.

RED EYE
Not really a horror movie, but it's a pretty good suspense thriller. Done by Wes Craven, this stars Cillian Murphy ("Scarecrow" from Batman Begins) and Rachel McAdams (Wedding Crashers). Good movie. You can get it at Wal-Mart for only $5.

HARD CANDY
It deals with some mature subject matter, effectively has only two characters, and is an independent film. If you can get past that, this is one of the best cat-and-mouse movies I've seen in ages. Stars Ellen Page (Juno). Get it at Wal-Mart for only $5.

There are many more out there, so leave us a comment if you find any more good picks.

RQRM #5: Year One

Posted by Erik
Oct-12-2009 I Comments Off

RQRM #4: The Final Destination

Posted by Erik
Oct-12-2009 I Comments Off

RQRM #3: Surrogates

Posted by Erik
Oct-4-2009 I Comments Off

RQRM #2: The Informant

Posted by Erik
Sep-29-2009 I Comments Off

RQRM #1: Fame

Posted by Erik
Sep-29-2009 I Comments Off