271 Anomalisa

Matt and Mark are back... to back! this week with our review of the 2015 Charlie Kaufman film Anomalisa. Using stop-motion puppetry to enhance the Fregoli syndrome metaphor, Anomalisa dissects the ubiquity and transactional nature of the protagonist Michael Stone. When he meets Lisa a momentary emergence of beauty invigorates Michael, but it's ephemeral and more of self-illusion than authentic. Anomalisa paints middle-aged human interaction as a desert of intimacy with its perceived oasis nothing more than mirages. Not a "feel good" movie by any stretch, it does attempt a level honesty most likely unattainable with live actors.

Download: 271 Anomalisa

270 Assault on Precinct 13

We near completion of our Carpenter box set this week with our review of the sophomore cult classic Assault on Precinct 13. A mash-up of Western tropes and a little Zombie Romero thrown in for good measure, Carpenter works up an atmosphere of claustrophobic doom despite the seeming implausibility of the story line. It's almost as if we don't really care. Why? Because Assault is a fun B-movie action film which is Carpenter's stock-and-trade. Strangely as Carpenter's budgets bloomed in the 90's/00's his films somehow suffered. A more-with-less artist, Carpenter begins to refine his directorial chops with Assault, a cult classic if there ever was one.

Download: 270 Assault on Precinct 13

269 SLC Punk

Matt and Mark get around to reviewing the 1998 cult film SLC Punk! in Goodfella's fashion, Stevo takes us on a tour through the punk scene of Reagan-era Salt Lake City. Musing on the paradoxes of Anarchy and Le'essence of being a punk, we're privy to the seemingly endemic metamorphosis of youthful rebellion. While in its throng, the youthful punk may not know where his chaos leads but Stevo knows better, and that's okay. Why? Because Stevo's honesty is one of this films most enduring qualities. Drop the Dungeons and Dragons, slap in a little Minor Threat, and enjoy!

Download: 269 SLC Punk

268 Baby Driver

Again keeping up with our recent endeavor into current movie reviews (possibly with cult potential), Matt and Mark review the car chase heist film Baby Driver. Not quite a musical, it insinuates a musical element in the movie like another actor. The cast is ridiculously good, with the currently maligned Kevin Spacey, Oscar worthy Jamie Foxx, and lovably evil John Hamm dealing the bad guy goods. With a truly three dimensional main character, Baby Driver builds out a Ansel Elgots Baby with a great deal of humanity. It's a fun flick. Check it out.

Download: 268 Baby Driver

267 Marathon Man

Mark and Matt review the 1976 thriller Marathon Man. While not a particular strong movie or a well-plotted film, Marathon Man holds its own as well as any thriller of its genre, so much so that's it's remained a cult favorite for over 40 years. With Dustin Hoffman and Roy Schieder in their prime, backed up by the lethal paranoid presence of Sir Laurence Olivier, MM indulges the 70's aesthetic or "je ne sais quoi" of the era. That and everyone hates Nazis, so seeing a Nazi get what's coming to him is always a crowd pleasing claptrap.

Download: 267 Marathon Man

266 Blade Runner 2049

In the year 2049!... Matt and Mark break with tradition this go 'round and review the recent release Blade Runner 2049. Like the Roman Empire before it, Los Angeles 2049 is dependent on slave labor to maintain its tenuous expanse. And as a result, this society suffers from the endemic sickness that comes with the inhumanity of such practice. Whether it's your lawn mower, a pet, or in the case of 2049, a replicant/simulacrum, how you use (or abuse) owned property reflects on your own humanity. Is Joi real? Does it matter? While yelling profanity and vulgarity at your home Alexa Echo may seem fun, its cruel intentions degrade your own humanity just by the practice. While the Deckard plot moves the film through its scenes, this is really the story of Gosling's 'K' and his evolution. 2049 is derivative by definition, but it is a true homage to the original, handled deftly and with care.

Download: 266 Blade Runner 2049

265 The Usual Suspects

This week Matt and Mark get it together to review the classic The Usual Suspects. A plot intensive illusion, it leads the viewer along with its narrative with the classic "Just the Facts!" detective boilerplate. But at it's center is a deception, a ruse perpetrated by an unreliable narrator, for this film is a long-con and it's not only playing the characters, it's playing you the viewer. While Verbal and Kayser Sose are possibly one-in-the-same, neither one are confirmed real. The Usual Suspects deals in perception as a tool of social currency, exploiting our confidence. In classic Phillip K Dickian fashion, TUS plays on this theme and it plays it well. A film like no other, it is a hard-boiled crime drama mired in its tropes, but at the same time, it is something else.

Download: 265 The Usual Suspects