After Earth is another run-of-the-mill, interminable entry in the pop-apocalyptic genre. Review by Luke Whitmire M. Night Shyamalan directs his fifth lackluster spectacle, one set in a dystopian future that’s a bargain-bin of elements from Avatar and Oblivion. Hollywood has four apocalyptic films being released this year: After Earth follows Oblivion, with World War Z and Elysium […]
Archive for May, 2013
NYPD & FILM Legend RANDY JURGENSEN Screens his Rarely Screen Film Heart, Starring Brad Davis & Steve Buscemi- Followed By Q&A
Posted: 30th May 2013 by Dion in Film, Film Review, News, Podwits ExclusiveTags: Brad Davis, Catherine Munro, Chad McQueen, Circle of Six, Frances Fisher, Heart, James Bond, Michael Baden, Randy Jurgensen, Steve Buscemi, Steve McQueen, Treat Williams, William Friedkin
Two weeks ago friend of the Podwits, Randy Jurgensen screened a ultra-rare 35mm print of his even rarier 1987 film Heart, which starred Brad Davis, Frances Fisher and Steve Buscemi. In a nutshell the film is basically about the reality for many aspiring prizefighters hoping for the Rocky title shot happy-ending. It was screened at 92YTribeca, which […]
Fast and Furious 6 : The Podwits Review
Posted: 26th May 2013 by Podwits Administrator in Film, Film ReviewTags: Dwayne Johnson, Fast and Furious, Gina Carano, Justin Lin, Luke Evens, Michelle Rodriguez, Paul Walker, Vin Diesel
Fast and Furious 6 is a loud, bombastic, full-throttled, high-octane thrill ride that’s faster and more furious than its predecessor. By Luke Whitmire Who would have thought a franchise built ostensibly for robust tough guys, supercharged vehicles and beautiful women would be so intoxicating? This testosterone-fueled spectacle is unabashed, unencumbered entertainment, free of the overplotting […]
You Have to Know Your Audience
Posted: 25th May 2013 by Podwits Administrator in PodcastTags: 321 Contact, Alfred Hitchcock, Bloodhound Gang, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Ian Fleming, James Bond, Jane Henson, Jeff Bridges, Jim Henson, Jose Ferrer, Joss Whedon, Looney Toons, Men in Black, Michael Bay, Miguel Ferrer, R.I.P.D, Ray Manzarek, Rosemary Clooney, Ryan Reynolds, Space Jam, Star Trek, The Doors, The Muppets, The Wilhelm Scream, Transformers
What is a Podwit to do in this crazy, maddening, evolving (for better or for worse) world?! Do the classics in film (or any art for that matter) age like a fine wine or do they deserve to be torn down and placed against what is now called a “classic” by today’s critics? Also, do franchises suffer or […]
Fandom Into Darkness
Posted: 23rd May 2013 by J. Marcus in Doctor Who, Film Review, Science Fiction, Television, Watching the DoctorTags: Doctor Who, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Matt Smith, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Steven Moffat, The Name of the Doctor
The weekend of May 18, 2013 will live long in my consciousness. It will stand for quite some time as the weekend that two of my favorite franchises tried to hit one out of the park… and failed miserably. You can count my “favorite” franchises on one hand. Among them are Doctor Who, Superman and Star Trek (not […]
Side-Casts: The Low Down, Dirt-Funky Blues
Posted: 22nd May 2013 by Podwits Administrator in Music, Music Review, Side-CastsTags: Aerosmith, Alan Lomax, Albert Collins, Albert King, Art Tatum, B.B. King, Beethoven, Big Bill Bronzy, Bing Crosby, Black Sabbath, Bob Hope, Bobby Bland, Buddy Guy, Chicago, Chuck Berry, Cream, David Bowie, Debbie Davies, Derek and the Dominos, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, Doo Wop, Electric Mud, Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Frank Sinatra, Hank Williams, Howlin' Wolf, Hubert Sumlin, Isaac Hayes, Jackson Browne, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, John Pizzarelli, Johnny Ace, Junior Wells, Leadbelly, Led Zeppelin, Leslie West, Little Walter, Louis Prima, Motown, Mountain, Muddy Waters, Otis Redding, Otis Spann, Pat Boone, Paul Butterfield, Progressive Rock, Ray Charles, Robert Johnson, Side-Cast, Sidecast, Son House, Sonny Boy Williamson, Stax Records, Steve Cropper, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Storyville, The Beatles, The Black Keys, The Blues, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Tony Iommi, Van Halen, Willie Dixon
Dion and Contributor J. Blake are back for another edition of The Podwits Side-Cast! This time around they discuss their love for the Blues. They chat about how some purists like to define it, what they themselves think the blues is, and the various artists they love within the genre. Dion and J. Blake then each share a ‘top 5‘ list […]
Ray Manzarek, Founding Member of the Iconic Group The Doors, Dies in Germany at Age 74
Posted: 21st May 2013 by Dion in Music, News, ObituariesTags: An American Prayer, Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Ray Manzarek, Robbie Krieger, The Doors
Ray Manzarek, the outspoken founding member of the Doors, has died in Germany at the age of 74, after battling bile duct cancer. His keyboard playing became the defining sound for the legendary and groundbreaking rock ‘n’ roll group, a band who came to represent the counter-culture, the darker side of the 1960’s, the yin to the yang of the flower-power […]
Dragged Back into the Asylum!
Posted: 18th May 2013 by Podwits Administrator in PodcastTags: 11/11/11, Alien Origin, Antenna TV, Atlantic Rim, Barbara Eden, Bea Arthur Naked, Bewitched, Elizabeth Montgomery, Guillermo Del Toro, I Dream of Jeannie, John Currin, Me-TV, Nick at Night, Pacific Rim, Retro TV, Sean Compton, The 9/11 Commission Report, The Asylum
They’re back with another Podwits Podcast, for your listening enjoyment! WONDER! with Brian as he tries to figure out how mockbuster specialists The Asylum continue to get away with their rip-off artistry! WITNESS! J. Marcus’ expertise about The Asylum in this episode of his webseries My World With J. Marcus! PONDER! the imponderable question: Samantha or […]
Star Trek Into Darkness is an Exhilarating, Emotionally Dense and Utterly Pleasurable Journey That Will Take the Fans to New Heights and Dimensions
Posted: 16th May 2013 by Podwits Administrator in Film, Film ReviewTags: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pine, J.J. Abrams, Karl Urban, Peter Weller, Simon Pegg, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana
Review by Luke Whitmire After watching Star Trek Into Darkness, I know J.J. Abrams is going to make a brilliant Star Wars movie. Abrams is a perfect fit to direct the impending Episode VII. Mr. Abrams has solidified himself as a masterful, propulsive and visceral filmmaker along with James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg and […]
The Great Gatsby is a Mad Circus of Visual Opulence That Overshadows the Narrative, But DiCaprio’s Portrayal of the Man is Outstanding
Posted: 15th May 2013 by Podwits Administrator in Film, Film ReviewTags: Australia, Buz Lurhmann, Carey Mulligan, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joe Edgerton, Leonardo DiCaprio, Moulin Rouge!, Romeo & Juliet, The Great Gatsby, Tobey Maguire
Review by Luke Whitmire The Great Gatsby truly is a beautiful, rich spectacle that has gleaming and saturated colors with kinetic emotion. Buz Lurhmann’s visual style and palate has always been hypnotic, cinematic insanity, often beset with strong characters. Restraint isn’t his thing. In previous films like Romeo & Juliet, Moulin Rouge! and Australia, he used the […]