Matt and Francesca bring you a special advance review of Steven Spielberg’s upcoming holiday release The Adventures of Tintin! This time the team goes light on spoilers so that our listeners can listen in without having to see the film first. Does Spielberg’s motion-capture 3D extravaganza fall flat or break new ground? Listen in and find out.

DOWNLOAD: Cinematrimony – The Adventures of Tintin

This week on Cinematrimony, Matt and Francesca review the Jason Segel-led revamp of The Muppets and whether it may lead to new life for the now Disney-owned franchise. The Scalicis also decided to bring their 3-year-old daughter along to the theater with them for the first time ever and they discuss her reaction to the film and her theatrical experience overall.

DOWNLOAD: Cinematrimony – The Muppets

With the Christmas season upon us, we decided to take a slightly different approach this month with our recommendations. Rather than give you our picks for the movies to see this month (I’ll save you the time, see War Horse and Tintin), we decided to shock the world and suggest some of our favorite books about movies, titles that we think would be perfect stocking stuffers for the Film Nerd in your life. If you are interested in picking up any of the titles below, just click on the book cover to purchase the book on Amazon. Merry Christmas and happy reading, nerds!

Ben Stark’s Picks

Film Production Theory by Jean-Pierre Geuens

I can unequivocally say that this book changed my life. I randomly picked it up one year from the University of Alabama’s Gorgas Library before leaving town for Christmas break. Film Production Theory does not tell you how to make a film, does not dish on the personal lives of filmmakers, and does not give vicarious anecdotes for a young filmmaker to digest. To the contrary, this book is a hard-line intellectual look at exactly why we make films, and what it means to make films. Geuens examines most of the major stages in the making of a film, drawing from a well of philosophy, critical theory, and – most certainly – his own opinions. The biggest foot print this book left on my brain was its exhortation that the most unhealthy thing a filmmaker could do was to move to Hollywood. If someone is making the decision to be involved in any sort of movie-making, this is the first – possibly only – book they should read.

Directed by Steven Spielberg: Poetics of the Contemporary Hollywood Blockbuster by Warren Buckland

On the flip-side, here is a book that examines the films of one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. What makes this book special, however, is that it does not go into how personal details shaped the films of Spielberg, or what his process entails. Instead, author Buckland picks a handful of scenes from a few choice Spielberg films, and breaks down his directorial approach, from framing and pacing to blocking and lighting. By assuming Spielberg’s mastery of film grammar, Buckland points out the amazing subtextual and “poetic” statements that Spielberg’s style presents (or in some case, misses out on). This is one of the great apologetics books for the case of Spielberg-as-film-artist.
Hitchcock by Truffaut by Francois Truffaut

This might be the most widely accepted “great” film book. The Cahiers du cinema critic and eventual great filmmaker Francois Truffaut gets the chance to interview his hero, Alfred Hitchcock, and creates the essential Hitchcock commentary book. Like the aforementioned Spielberg book, this elevates and highlights Hitchcock’s intentionality as a grammatical film master. This, along with The Films of Akira Kurosawa by Donald Richie, was my wife’s present to me for our first Christmas together as a couple.

Craig Hamilton’s Picks

Seen That, Now What? by Andrea Shaw

This is the perfect book for those folks out there who know what they like, but need recommendations for other films. Seen That, Now What? categorizes and cross-references films in a unique, pre-internet sort of way. The book was published in 1996, so Seen That, Now What? is coming from a world where the many choices that video rental stores provided now became overwhelming. Without Wikipedia to click away into oblivion, the film-loving masses needed something to provide them with not only a starting point, but a legitimate pathway to other great films. This book is designed specifically to give the best recommendations. Let’s say Cleopatra (1963) left a bad taste in your mouth. Just look up Cleopatra in the index and it takes you to pages of suggestions from the 1960’s, like: Doctor Zhivago, Spartacus, Becket, A Man for All Seasons, The Lion In Winter, Exodus and The Cardinal. If Terms of Endearment left you wanting more 80’s drama, then a quick reference of that title provides the following suggestions: Ordinary People, On Golden Pond and Kramer vs. Kramer among many others.

American Movie Critics Edited by Phillip Lopate

This is a wonderful book that is about as dense as a brick, but is mainly meant to pick up and browse through over time. It’s a collection of film reviews and essays from many of the legendary film critics and historians beginning in the mid 1920’s during the transition to sound and coming all the way up to present day. It’s absolutely fascinating to observe the evolution of film and film criticism throughout history. Not only that, but it’s fun to see just how wrong a lot of the legendary critics were at times. Each entry has a short bio of the critic or context of the writing. Along with that is the actual review of a particular film or essay on a subject relating to film and the date that it was published. From essays on the emergence of the “Talkies” to how DVD’s are changing viewing habits, these essays cover tons of ground. From Carl Sandburg to A.O. Scott, this collection spans everything from D.W. Griffith to David Fincher and it’s an excellent book for any film critic’s library.

“Have You Seen…?” by David Thomson

In his follow up to Biographical Dictionary of Film, film critic and historian David Thomson answers his most asked question, “What Should I See?” in this book of one page reviews for 1,000 alphabetized films. Alphabetical order is a good option because the films aren’t grouped by genre or year. In the same opening you can read a review for Robert Altman’s screen translation of the great Raymond Chandler novel, The Long Goodbye and Peter Jackson’s masterpiece The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Another opening contains the reviews of Michael Mann’s The Last of the Mohicans and The Last Picture Show, written by the great Larry McMurtry. Another great thing about this book is that it ranges from films from 1895 to 2007. It’s thick and full of great suggestions and it’s a lot of fun just to sit down and leaf through.

Ben Flanagan’s Picks

Making Movies by Sidney Lumet

The late great Sidney Lumet played a large role in molding my movie mind during freshman year at the University of New Orleans, where I read this book and watched several of his iconic films, including “Serpico,” “Dog Day Afternoon” and “Network.” Lumet pulls few punches in his retroactive accounts of time spent of nearly each set of every movie he’s ever made, dating back to his first masterpiece, “12 Angry Men.” In a nutshell, Lumet offers his best guess based purely on experience on, well, how to direct. That means talking to actors, picking the right lenses, composing shots, placing the lights, etc. It’s technical, and might make your head hurt from time to time, but Lumet’s honest portayal of the craft (which he insists it is) is truly fascinating. A MUST for future filmmakers.

Woody Allen on Woody Allen Edited by Stig Bjorkman

During high school, Woody Allen became a virtual part of the family, whether we watched his films or read his prose books on a daily basis. When I got my hands on Stig Bjorkman’s one-one-one Q&A book going movie by movie with the man himself, I didn’t need much else. I still have trouble putting this book down. Going back and forth from set anecdote to stylistic approach, Woody goes into frank detail about nearly all of his films up to around 2000 in a wonderful conversation worth revisiting as each year passes. There are tons of Woody Allen interview books out there, plenty of them good, but this is definitely the gold standard.

Steven Soderbergh: Interviews OR Getting Away With It Edited by Andrew Kaufman

Soderbergh became another Flanagan fixture in our high school and college days, mainly once again during freshman year in New Orleans, where I read this first book and attacked his filmography on DVD. I’d always heard of SEX, LIES & VIDEOTAPE but never saw it until I drove to a local rental store and finally saw what the fuss was about. While Soderbergh’s stunningly mechanical and sometimes silly approach to the craft is well-represented in the films he makes, it’s often even more enlightening just to hear his matter-of-fact attitude about what he does as an artist. Both in this book of interviews, which you’ll fly through in an afternoon, and his Q&A with British director Richard Lester, you get a terrific peek into the mind of one of our greatest contemporary filmmakers, who sadly has plans to retire soon.

Leonard Maltin’s 2012 Movie Guide by Leonard Maltin

Not as much a book about movies in the vein of these others, the Maltin guide is an annual purchase in our household, not because we rely on ol’ Leonard’s opinions on each film (the man hated BLADE RUNNER, for God’s sake). But as a reference tool, you’ll find fewer equals that aren’t your IMDB app. Sometimes you just want to thumb through a brick of a book and learn the bare bones details of a film: The title, the year, the director, the actors, the plot and a fair-enough take on it. The perfect coffee table book.

Down and Dirty Pictures by Peter Biskind

Peter Biskind’s often-electrifying account of the rise of independent film in the 1980s and 90s as well as that little studio that could, Miramax, and the Weinstein brothers took on Hollywood with their sleeves rolled up. After all, with weapons like a young and hungry Quentin Tarantino, you liked your chances. A sickeningly readable journey into the studio’s birth and evolution with first-hand, detailed accounts of the competitive landscape of development, production and marketing with brilliant stories from all involved in each aspect.

Graham Flanagan’s Picks

The Films of Steven Spielberg by Douglas Brode

This exceptional guide to the films of the world’s most famous movie director should be a staple of any Film Nerd’s bookshelf. Although it was last updated in 2000, it warrants a purchase (you can likely get it used for cheap) because of its insightful histories behind each of Spielberg’s films. Brode takes a chronological look at each work, examining how the projects came to fruition with behind the scenes accounts of some of the challenges and hurdles faced by each production. Brode also does an excellent job of analyzing the themes common to Spielberg’s movies. It also includes a healthy biographical section chronicling Spielberg’s early career in independent production and television. After reading this book, you will definitely walk away with a healthier understanding and appreciation for the Beard.

My Autobiography by Charlie Chaplin

Writer, director, producer and star: Many consider Charlie Chaplin to be the first true auteur. He uses this bulky tome to chronicle his entire journey; from growing up in abject poverty in England all the way to fleeing the country that made him rich because of his alleged political affiliations. It’s no surprise that one of history’s great artistic geniuses is so impressively competent as a writer of prose. He displays an uncanny memory of his childhood, the era in which he discovered his talent for the stage: a talent so strong and unique that it prevented him from facing very much professional adversity at all. Even as a young, untested rookie, Chaplin belonged in a class all his own, often upstaging his older colleagues. Fans will no doubt cherish the main portion of the book: the one that goes into distinct detail about his many years in Hollywood. Chaplin gives a fascinating perspective on his films, often supplying harshly critical assessments of his own work that will baffle the fans that truly believe the master can do no wrong. One of the great movie autobiographies ever written, “My Autobiography” is absolutely essential for film fans.

Memo from Darryl F. Zanuck Edited by Rudy Behlmer

I was all set to recommend George F. Custen’s breezy biography of Darryl F. Zanuck (and I still do), but I stumbled upon this collection of correspondence from the 20th Century Fox chief and I admit I’m totally fascinated and definitely plan on checking it out over the holidays (hopefully Santa is reading this). Zanuck began as a producer at Warner Brothers and quickly soared through the ranks by producing profitable adult-oriented classics like Little Caesar, 42nd Street and I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang. He left in 1933 to head the Fox Studio, which he renamed 20th Century Fox, and subsequently laid the foundation for the studio that exists today as the distributor of the two highest-grossing movies of all time (Avatar & Titanic) and one of the most popular franchises of all time (Star Wars). This collection of memos written by Zanuck himself will no doubt serve as movie-crack for Film Nerds.

Spielberg, Truffaut and Me by Bob Balaban

Sorry to keep banging the Spielberg drum, but I can’t make this list without including this invaluable peek into the daily routine of an actor working on a super-secret, highly-anticipated big studio tentpole circa 1977. Thanks to his ability to speak fluent French, Balaban landed the memorable role of Truffaut’s interpreter in what would become Spielberg sci-fi classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Thankfully for us, the actor kept a detailed account of the experience and shared it with the world. Balaban’s anecdotes about his time with Truffaut, as well as his observations of the French director’s rapport with Spielberg, make this one of the greatest accounts of moviemaking that you’re going to find on any reading list.

Roger Ebert’s Book of Film by Roger Ebert

Film Nerds need to clear off some space on their bookshelves for this hefty brick of a book (800 pages): Roger Ebert’s superb compilation of what he considers the best writing about film from the 20th century. We hear not only from Ebert’s fellow film writers like Pauline Kael and Libby Gelman-Waxner, but also from filmmakers themselves with contributions from luminaries like Buster Keaton and Quentin Tarantino. Everything in this book will remind you of why you love movies and will likely make you love them even more.

Matt Scalici’s Picks

Scorsese by Ebert by Roger Ebert

One of the great masters of American film is having an excellent year (critically, at least) but it’s great to go back and explore what has been a pretty wild journey of a career. Ebert’s book is a collection of both interviews he’s done with Scorsese over the years as well as reviews of all his films, dating all the way back to Scorsese’s senior project at NYU. This is a filmmaker that Ebert has clearly had a connection with from the very beginning and the book reveals as much about Ebert, one of the great critical voices we’ve ever had in American cinema, as it does about Scorsese.

The Annotated Godfather by Jenny M. Jones

For hardcore fans of Francis Ford Coppola’s gangster masterpiece, this book is a must-have but even for a casual movie fan it’s a great-looking and interesting coffee table book. Flip open to any page and you’ll find Coppola’s original screenplay surrounded by facts and tidbits about the screenwriting and production process as well as beautiful screen shots and set photos. It’s like having a DVD commentary specifically for the screenplay itself and it’s a fascinating and in-depth way to go deeper into one of the greatest films ever made.
BFI Classics: Back to the Future by Andrew Shail and Robin Stoate

The British Film Institute has an entire series of these small collections of essays on individual films ranging from artful classics to popular blockbusters. I just finished their book on Back to the Future and while some of the analysis is perhaps a bit of a stretch (exploring the Oedipal themes of the film) most of the topics touched on in the book are not only thoughtful and fascinating but also highly-researched and cited. This is as deep into the film as I imagine one could possibly go and yet they’re able to do it in a relatively short, easy afternoon read. Great afternoon reading material for the true hardcore Film Nerd.

Matt and Francesca Scalici are back with another Cinematriomony podcast! This week, the married FilmNerds take on indie thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene and discuss Elizabeth Olsen’s spectacular performance, the film’s controversial ending (SPOILER ALERT, as always) and whether it is too dark for a normal human to enjoy watching. Download at the link below or find it on iTunes by searching “FilmNerds”.

DOWNLOAD: Cinematrimony – Martha Marcy May Marlene

As someone who was born in the state of Alabama, it’s impossible for me to watch Roll Tide/War Eagle, the latest production from ESPN Films, without feeling some pretty intense emotions. As you’ll see in the film, which airs Tuesday night at 8 pm Eastern on ESPN, being a part of this rivalry means that true objectivity and impartiality is not something you can ever realistically have when looking at the other side, no matter what any journalist covering either of the two teams may tell you. It’s hard to describe to an outsider how all-encompassing, how mind-blowingly intense, and at times how truly miserable it is to be a part of this rivalry – but this movie comes as close as it gets. If I ever need to choose one document to explain what it’s like to live in the state of Alabama, this movie would be it.

That sounds like extremely high praise but it’s really more of an indication of how completely misunderstood this rivalry has been for the length of its existence until very recently. The nation was shocked by the bizarre incident of an Alabama fan poisoning a group of landmark trees on Auburn’s campus last year and while it was certainly an abnormal occurrence, people who live in this state have heard of stranger and more violent happenings resulting from the Iron Bowl rivalry. To the rest of the nation, sports rivalries are something worth getting excited about for a few days a year, the days that the games are occurring. In Alabama, without exception, it’s something that is a part of every single day of your life. That includes Christmas (Auburn or Alabama ornaments on every tree), Thanksgiving (families mentioning Iron Bowl victories among things they are thankful for), and even your own wedding day (so help you God if you planned your wedding on a fall Saturday).

It’s a strange and unique phenomenon that has badly needed exploring by a talented filmmaker and director Martin Khodabakhshian handles it with delicacy by giving both sides equal time to explain their greatest moments and their perspective of the other side. He also chooses both some the most beloved figures from each side (Greg McElroy and Mark Ingram from Alabama, Pat Dye and Bo Jackson from Auburn) as well as some of the most controversial figures from each side (Harvey Updyke, the aforementioned tree-poisoner from Alabama, scandal-plagued Heisman-winner Cam Newton from Auburn) for interviews and manages to get some real insight from every person involved, which is no easy feat considering they are talking about one of the most sensitive subjects they’ve ever been a part of.

ESPN Films in its short life has already produced some of the most fascinating and deeply moving sports documentaries of all time, particularly during its 30 for 30 series that ran on ESPN last year. It has explored much darker and more serious subjects than the Iron Bowl in films like June 17th, 1994 and The Two Escobars (their two finest works so far, in my opinion) but when it comes to getting to the heart of a unique American sports phenomenon, I don’t know that ESPN or anyone else has done a better job than what we see in Roll Tide/War Eagle.

The segment of the film focusing on the strange and sad story of Harvey Updyke was probably the most effective part of the film for me, even though it is the least representative of the normal state of affairs here in Alabama. Updyke is a man who feels both ashamed and astonished at what he did but also deep down has some satisfaction and justification and even pride about what he did. He serves as a parable of what can happen when one lets this rivalry burrow too deeply into the mind and heart. At the end of the day, letting the rivalry get your emotions flowing is part of what makes it fun but you have to learn to turn it off or you could end up like poor Harvey.

Perhaps the most impressive feat of the film is the filmmakers’ resistance to draw some sort of narrative conclusion involving the April tornados that ravaged Tuscaloosa. Many of the less nuanced in-state journalists lept at the opportunity to decide that Alabama and Auburn fans had somehow had their perspectives changed by the tragedy, that it had brought them together and made them forget their silly, petty quarrels. The problem with that viewpoint is that it assumes there is something inherently wrong or petty about the Iron Bowl rivalry. There are freaks out there who take things too far but for the majority of us fans, it’s the source of some of our greatest joys in life. The truth is, people in Alabama love this rivalry and wouldn’t know what to do without it. That’s why the rivalry didn’t diminish one bit after the tornadoes and why it never will as long as both teams continue to care deeply about football.

It’s that time of year again, Halloween. More than most other holidays, Halloween is a movie-lover’s dream, or nightmare if you’re Cinematrimony co-host Francesca Scalici. Some of the other FilmNerds decided to bring you some last minute recommendations for your Halloween night movie marathon and while you’ll probably need to beg, borrow and steal to find them at this point, for future viewing purposes we’ve included Netflix links (just click the images). Enjoy!

Classic Horror (pre-1980)

Ben Flanagan’s Pick – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The first time I saw Tobe Hooper’s road movie bloodbath was in the far too intimate confines of the Ferguson Center theater at the University of Alabama. My brother Graham was running the movie series that fall and had dressed the theater lobby up with cobwebs, fake blood and other Halloween decorations, making for a terrific environment for the eager packed house there for a late night screening of the cult classic. Turns out, the intimate setting wasn’t so much as fun as it was horribly upsetting, yet deeply effective for this particular film. Following several of the genre rules it helped write, the film thrusts today’s seasoned viewer into what might seem like cliched moments, but it all feels perfectly new and disturbing, especially the “family dinner,” where I just wanted to leave. By the end, the screaming vixen might have escaped Leatherface’s wrath, but we sure haven”t.

Craig Hamilton’s Pick – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

I grew up on Horror.  So by the time I got to college, I thought nothing could faze me.  Then I caught The Texas Chainsaw Massacre around Halloween of my freshman year at Alabama (2001) at the Ferguson theatre (I could venture a guess at who was running the show at that time) and was completely floored at what I was watching.  The tension building up during the opening minutes that lead up to the inevitable chaos had my heart beating out of my chest.  And, of course, that shockingly brutal and graceless first kill.  It’s perhaps one of the best ever.  I’ll never forget that steel door bursting open and slamming shut following that unforgiving hammer blow to the head and the dragging of the convulsing victim’s body into the hidden labyrinth of that hideous house.  That feeling of horror was back inside me and in full force.  My jaw was on the floor.

Matt Scalici’s Pick – Alien (1979)

I’ve been derided by my fellow nerds for calling this arguably my favorite horror film of all time but I stand by the pick. Firstly, it’s undeniably a monster movie in its most basic form. Our heroes creep around dark hallways trying and failing to avoid being eaten by a terrible beast. Simple enough. But there are deeper things going on here that explore societal horrors, things like corporate greed gone horribly awry, the paranoia created by ever-advancing technology. I believe Alien still holds up today when it comes to terrifying effects, even when you include the shockingly highly-lit birth scene. Not many horror movies can still effectively turn stomaches 30 years later.

Graham Flanagan Pick – Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Polanski’s classic smash-hit about a woman who unwittingly becomes impregnated with the Son of Satan still exists as one of the creepiest, if not scariest, movies ever made. Polanski takes an absurd, almost laughable premise and stages it within a totally realistic environment. This is what makes the film work: the idea that something so frightening could happen in someone’s comfort zone.

Contemporary Horror (last five years)

Ben Flanagan’s Pick – Let the Right One In (2008) - Available via Netflix Instant

If you can’t already tell from one of his three stellar trailers for “Tinker Tailor Solider Spy,” few directors have a better grasp on tone than Tomas Alfredson, the Swedish auteur behind this beautifully haunting tale of youngish love and survival from 2008. Alfredson and cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema’s depicts a greater scope than the flat and quiet landscape might typically suggest. Alfredson never shoves any of the violent or scary moments in your face, often hiding them and earning every last second. The wintry, desolate atmosphere creates a thoughtful sense of dread and unpredictability, all rocking at a deliberate and steady pace few contemporary horror films have the discipline to match.

Craig Hamilton’s Pick – The Orphanage (El Orfanato) (2007)

I can appreciate a good scare, but when the film is particularly well made, then that’s quite an achievement.  The Orphanage is a beautifully made Spanish film set in an old orphanage where Laura, a woman who grew up there takes her family back to live.  The film has some extremely creepy scenes, including one great scene involving the Spanish version of Red Light, Green Light.  It’s a scene where you know what is going to happen, but the anticipation is where the fun’s at.

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Matt Scalici’s Pick – Paranormal Activity (2007) - Available via Netflix Instant

It’s been a rough decade for horror but in light of the recent (and hugely successful) release of the third installment in this franchise, I’d like to fully endorse the original film to any of you who haven’t seen it yet. Is it deeply and powerfully disturbing in a way that touches on something important in the human psyche? No. Will it make you curl into a ball of suspense in your chair and then jump and scream even though you knew something was coming? Yes, and really is there any more we should ask of a cheap horror film? This is the perfect Halloween night popcorn movie as are both of its sequels.

Graham Flanagan’s Pick – Catfish (2010)

Last year’s underrated indie “thriller” delivered some of the most brilliant movie marketing we’ve seen in years. Its ambiguous trailers portrayed the film as a Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity-esque ‘found-footage’ horror film. Those brave enough to see Catfish found out that the directors had indeed made a horror film: the first one about Facebook, that is.

Most Disgusting

Ben Flanagan’s Pick – The Fly (1986) – Available via Netflix Instant

David Cronenberg’s twisted sci-fi/horror black comedy mixes some Frankenstein with Dr. Jekyll while throwing in some seriously silly gore that still kinda grosses me out. If you’re a fan of bones not snapping on screen, you might avoid it. I remember many years ago when I saw “The Fly” on TV at about 6-years-old and nearly throwing up in my mouth during the climactic showdown between Geena Davis’ editor and Brundlefly, who pukes up this disgusting acid stuff that melts flesh and bone. Ick. For Cronenberg and gore purists, it’s a must, but for your average film fan, it’s a doozy. Jeff Goldblum’s delightfully wiry performance should win most people over.

Craig Hamilton’s Pick – The Last House on the Left (1972) – Available via Netflix Instant

Thanks to Joe Bob Briggs and his recommendations made on the weekly TNT variety show, MonsterVision, my little sister and I decided to rent the film when we were younger and it didn’t take long before we were scarred for life.  It’s not really a horror film.  It’s an exploitative and unnecessarily violent film; one made with hardly a budget and those are the scariest kind.  A girl is kidnapped, raped and murdered by a gang of convicts who end up staying at the house of the parents of the very girl they had just killed.  The Last House on the Left crescendos into a spraying of vengeful and horrific acts of violence by the victim’s parents once they realize who their visitors are.  This being a recommends piece, I suppose that I’m technically recommending it, but it’s not for everyone.  In fact, it’s hardly for anyone.

Matt Scalici’s Pick – Day of the Dead (1985)

As a whole, this movie is pretty talky and philosophical but I wanted to mention it here because it has perhaps the most disgusting and well-executed practical effects I’ve ever seen in a horror film. Late in the film, one of the key characters, who frankly has had it coming, gets rather horrifically drawn and quartered by a group of hungry zombies. We watch as his guts and appendages are torn off as he screams (simple enough, right?) but what’s truly shocking is when we see his still-screaming head ripped from the body. It’s a combination of great sound effects mixed with truly remarkable prosthetics and puppetry but while you’re watching it, all you can think is “they just ripped that dude’s head off!”

Graham Flanagan’s Pick – Evil Dead 2 (1987)

As if this film’s praises haven’t been sung enough since its cult-fueled video renaissance, I feel like I have something somewhat unique to add. I fear this movie’s title and its cover art might dissuade certain audiences (namely women) from giving it a fair chance, which would be a serious shame, since – despite numerous instances of absolutely revolting blood and guts – Sam Raimi’s low-budget masterpiece serves as one of the funniest (with emphasis on the word ‘fun’) entries in the history of the horror genre.

Worth Another Look

Ben Flanagan’s Pick – The Prestige (2006)

You might not find Christopher Nolan’s dueling magician opus in the horror section of Netflix, but fewer films in recent memory give me the creeps than when Andy Serkis shows Hugh Jackman where Tesla gets his power in an infinite field of giant light bulbs. Honestly, whenever Borden (Christian Bale) or Angiers (Jackman) reads the other’s journal, and the narration begins to address the reader, I catch myself looking over MY own shoulder. Nolan toys with an audience as well as anyone working today, perhaps no better than in “The Prestige,” a sophisticated sleight-of-hand that has you guessing at the onset when the opening shot fades in and Bale asks, “Are you watching closely?” The disjointed timeline, off-kilter handheld camerawork and eerie soundtrack make for as pleasant an unsettling feeling as you could possibly imagine.

Craig Hamilton’s Pick – The Shining (1980)

Having just finished the book I think it’s appropriate to recommend the film for another look.  Aside from the fact that it’s Kubrick and Nicholson, you should watch it because it has some of the most frightening images and scary scenes ever made.  The Shining is just a brilliant work of horror from a director who specialized in making unforgettable images.  A family occupies a closed down hotel during the winter season and the snow completely cuts them off from anyone for the entire winter.  With Kubrick, you get minimalism and it’s apparent in The Shining.  Not only the images, but the story too is minimal.  Nearly every shot is creepy and nearly every shot is slow.  It creeps along at a stalking pace, but the speed and tension both pick up to an incredible ending.

Matt Scalici’s Pick – Scream (1996) – Available via Netflix Instant

I admit I’m a little behind the curve when it comes to this franchise, which recently released a fourth installment earlier this year. I didn’t watch the Scream films growing up, as I had parents that cared for my mental well-being and kept me away from slasher films at a young age, except of course when they came on USA Network in a heavily-edited format. I marathoner the Scream movies recently with some friends and while I certainly think it must have had a stronger impact in 1996, when being “meta” was still a fresh idea, I still think the original holds up really well today. The plot is so aware of the audience watching and assumes they are as smart as the filmmakers when it comes to familiarity with conventions of the horror genre. That assumption gives even us jaded film nerds a chance to experience something that horror films rarely give us: genuinely surprising and clever plot twists.

Graham Flanagan’s Pick – Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

One of the most underrated movies of the 90s (and perhaps the most underrated movie in Francis Ford Coppola’s vast filmography) Bram Stoker’s Dracula definitely deserves another look… both for its amazing technical merits and its all-star cast, led by… Keanu Reeves!

Matt and Francesca Scalici are back with another episode of Cinematrimony! This week, Matt and Francesca take a look at George Clooney’s latest directorial effort The Ides of March starring Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti. Will this dark political thriller grab become one of the fall’s top Oscar contenders or will audiences run for escapism in this ugly political environment? Quick warning: listen to this SPOILER HEAVY podcast after you’ve seen the movie (or if you don’t mind spoilers).

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD: Cinematrimony – The Ides of March

This week, Matt and Francesca Scalici take a look at the unconventional cancer buddy comedy 50/50. Listen as Matt and Francesca discuss whether this raunchy yet feel-good comedy will make a splash with audiences and whether it could be a dark horse Oscar contender. Click the link below to listen to the full podcast.

DOWNLOAD: Cinematrimony – 50/50

Matt and Francesca Scalici return for another episode of Cinematrimony. This week we have a special early review of one of the fall’s most anticipated releases, Moneyball starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. Check out Matt and Francesca’s thoughts on the film (SPOILER ALERT) and whether they think it has a shot to be a serious Oscar contender when the dust settles.

DOWNLOAD: Cinematrimony – Moneyball

We’re trying something new here on FilmNerds, something that promises to be both humiliating to our writing staff as well as (hopefully) enlightening for our readers. We call it The Shelf of Shame. In each installment, one of our FilmNerds contributors will reveal five indisputable classic titles that for some inexplicable reason they have not yet seen. In an attempt to earn back the respect of their fellow FilmNerds, each contributor will then set out to see all five of these films some time in the next six months (we felt that was a fair interval, even for the busiest of nerds) at which point we’ll check in with them to see how they did.

We’ll start off with our very own in-house filmmaker Benjamin Stark, who is fresh off the premiere of his directorial debut The Nocturnal Third (HIGHLY recommended, by the way). ‘Herr Direktor’ took a nice sampling of films from different eras and even different international cinemas that he feels ashamed for having not seen and we’ll be rooting for him over the coming months to fill in these gaps in his otherwise respectable knowledge of film.

5.) Dazed & Confused – The apparent memoir of an entire generation, and a kind of opening salvo into the film scape of the 1990′s, this is probably Richard Linklater’s most well-regarded film, right? Well, I haven’t seen it, despite having several choice lines burned into my memory by friends and co-workers over the years.

4.) 8 1/2 – The only Fellini movie I’ve had the pleasure of seeing is La Dolce Vita, which is the type of episodic European New Wave film you really must be in the mood for. Italian cinema in general is a weak spot of mine, beyond a few neo-realist pieces and a pepla epic here and there. I am drawn to Fellini’s era of Italian films, as they seem to represent the era in which my dad fell in love with the country. Although the glamor of La Dolce Vita honestly alienates the tar out of me, I’m curious to further discover the humility and squalor at the heart of Fellini’s characters.

3.) Bringing Up Baby – I’ve also never seen It Happened One Night, My Man Godfrey or Some Like it Hot. However, as a purveyor of the finest screwball comedies I can find, I’m most ashamed that I’ve never seen this Grant/Hepburn classic from screwball master Howard Hawks. Like most of those other major entries in the genre, the biggest shame is that this is openly available in numerous places. For whatever reason, I’ve never had the time to check it out.

2.) Gone With the Wind – The modern consensus seems to be that this movie is an insensitive and poorly drawn populist product of its time. Taking that into account, I still think its seminal place as one of the great cinematic cultural experiences makes it required viewing. Birth of a Nation or Intolerance also belongs here, because of their lessons in early film grammar. I should probably just make a day of these three.

1.) The Decalogue – I call myself a director, and yet I’ve never seen one frame of a Krzysztof Kieślowski movie! This is the wrong I’m most eager to rectify, as the man’s reported use of color, framing, and performance in support of theme and story are right up my alley, as far as what I find to be exquisite directing. It would appear that his “Colors” trilogy would be the most accessible entry point, but The Decalogue just seems too grand a challenge not to tackle first. Straddling the line between TV mini-series and cinema, this ten-part collection of mini-features looks at the Ten Commandments through intimate, character-driven vignettes.

Runners Up:

Good Will Hunting, Tokyo Story, Paths of Glory, Lolita, Strangers on a Train, Spirited Away