022 Local Hero by Bill Forsyth

As both Matt and Mark are currently in Scotland, we thought we'd serve you up another helping of Scottish themed cinema with Bill Forsyth's sleeper hit Local Hero, released in 1983. With its quiet plot and measured pacing, Mark goes for a more literary approach and comes up with a dire interpretation of the ending while Matt begs to differ. Filled with small town quirk and handcrafted snapshots of seaside village life, Local Hero makes for an enjoyable dramedy that's worth coming back to. Enjoy!

Download: 022 Local Hero by Bill Forsyth

021 Highlander by Russell Mulcahy

Matt and Mark are heading off to the Highlands of Scotland! (Matt's getting hitched!... kilt and all!) So, in the spirit of our travels we thought we'd pick an appropriate cult favorite: Highlander. Matt and Mark discuss the logistics of immortality and come to the realization that only after about 1000 years does an immortal truly gain a sense of humor (Lighten up Macleod!) So, Cheers Lads and Lasses, enjoy!

Download: 021 Highlander by Russell Mulcahy

020 Blade Runner by Ridley Scott

"More Human than Human" that's our motto. This week we review the dystopian near-future masterpiece Blade Runner by Ridley Scott. Released in 1982, starring Harrison Ford, Sean Young, Rutguer Hauer, Edward J Olmos, and newcomer Darryl Hannah, this proto-cyberpunk neo-noir laid the groundwork for an entire genre. There's so much ground to cover, Matt and Mark try to do this evocative film justice, but no doubt come up short. If you haven't seen this film recently, please do yourself the favor. As I always say, Blade Runner will always be about life thirty years into the future, no matter what future you currently occupy. Enjoy!

Download: 020 Blade Runner by Ridley Scott

019 Adaptation by Spike Jonze

Breaking the genre mold, Spike Jonze brings us a "meta-movie" with Adaptation released in 2002, a "sort-of" autobiographic film about screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's struggles with adapting the nearly unadaptable book The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean to film. Matt and Mark explore Charlie's inexhaustible supply of self-doubt and social anxiety, and in trying to answer the questions the film offers up, circle the existential dilemma of passion with a bit of clinical dispassion, but not without irony. Adaptation stars a brilliant Nicolas Cage as the Kaufman twins Charlie and Donald, with an Oscar winning performance by Chris Cooper. The film also stars Meryl Streep, Brian Cox, and Tilda Swinton with walk-ons by John Cusack, Katherine Keener, and John Malkovich. Enjoy!

Download: 019 Adaptation by Spike Jonze

018 Scarface by Brian De Palma

With a 1.23 "F--k" per minute count, Matt and Mark review the gangster (gansta?) classic Scarface by Brian De Palma, starring Al Pacino as the iconic cuban crime boss Tony Montana. Inspiring hip-hop artists and Middle Eastern dictators everywhere with its thuggish 'rags to riches' tale of meteoric excess, Scarface introduces us to the cocaine empire of 80's Miami, Florida. Mark details the nuance of Latino machismo while Matt opines on Tony's gaudy sense of interior decoration. Enjoy mang!

Download: 018 Scarface by Brian De Palma

017 Let the Right One In by Tomas Alfredson

With an intro courtesy of the late Jim Henson, we embark to discuss the superb Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In by Tomas Alfredson, released in 2008. Both Matt and Mark agree this is the best vampire film of the past 25 years, and like all great films reviewed on our podcast, we set about nitpicking the details. Throw your Twilight boxed set into the trash, sell your Blade action figures on eBay, take down your Corey Haim/Feldmen Lost Boys pinups, and forget about the sub-par (but worthy remake) Let Me In, because Let the Right One is all you need for blood-sucking goodness. Enjoy!

Download: 017 Let the Right One In by Tomas Alfredson  

016 Caligula by Tinto Brass and Bob Guccione

What happens when you merge a sword and sandals epic with 70's era pornography? Matt and Mark find out in this week's review of the "controversial" Caligula by Tinto Brass and famous Penthouse smut peddler Bob Guccione. Starring an A-list cast of notables, including Peter O'Toole, Sir John Gielgud, Malcolm McDowell and Shakespearean actress Helen Mirren, Caligula is a what we would consider, at the least, a watchable film. Minus a few digressions into porn nostalgia, Matt and Mark come to consensus that Caligula, while not exactly worthy of Ebert's famed no-star review, is more style than substance, but not in an "utterly worthless" or "vile" way. Grab yourself a bottle of Chianti and Enjoy!

Download: 016 Caligula by Tinto Brass and Bob Guccione