Cinebanter #16 - BLOOD DIAMOND

The MP3 file of Episode 16 of Cinebanter is available here.

In this episode, Michael and Tassoula battle over the merit of BLOOD DIAMOND, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou. They also share their Last Five®, and argue about Premiere Magazine's recent Overrated Films feature. The breakdown is as follows:

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:32 BLOOD DIAMOND Discussion
• Break
• 21:30 TO SUM IT UP
• Break
• 22:01 The Last Five®
• Break
• 33:55 Overrated Films Pow-wow (you can follow along here)
• 1:04:59 Credits and Outtakes

If you'd like to subscribe to the show (it's free, of course) via iTunes, click here.

We're also available on Podcast Alley, Pop Current, Yahoo and Podcast Pickle. Please vote for us/rate our show at any of those sites if you like what you hear.

Michael's Last Five in this episode were: THE QUEEN, CANDY, THE WIRE: SEASON FOUR, EPSIODE 13, BOBBY and BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA (selected episodes from season 1). Tassoula's Last Five in this episode were: STOLEN SUMMER, HIDE AND SEEK, ON THE EDGE, ASYLUM and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.

Special thanks to Brad Daane and Mark Cummins for providing the music in this episode.

Reviews and/or notes of every movie Michael sees can be found at michaelvox.com.

Tassoula has movie reviews/musings at Tassoula's Blog.

We're also currently developing our My Space page, so feel free to stop by and add 'Cinebanter' as a friend. We'll post bulletins each time a new show is available for downloading.

Feedback is always welcome - you may leave comments here or e-mail the hosts at cinebanter@gmail.com.

Happy Holidays!

Cinebanter #15 - BOBBY

The MP3 file of Episode 15 of Cinebanter is available here.

In this episode, Michael and Tassoula lament the unnecessary number of characters featured in BOBBY, which stars half of Hollywood. They also share their Last Five®, comment on a Listener Last Five®, and weigh in on the recent Independent Spirit Award nominations. The breakdown is as follows:

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:32 BOBBY Discussion
• Break
• 22:07 TO SUM IT UP
• Break
• 22:46 The Last Five®
• Break
• 39:37 Listener Last Five®
• Break
• 44:11 Independent Spirit Award Nominations Discussion
• 58:26 Credits and Outtakes

If you'd like to subscribe to the show (it's free, of course) via iTunes, click here.

We're also available on Podcast Alley, Pop Current, Yahoo and Podcast Pickle. Please vote for us/rate our show at any of those sites if you like what you hear.

Michael's Last Five in this episode were: KOKOYAKYU: HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL, FAT GIRL, THE WIRE: SEASON FOUR, EPSIODE 12, THE QUEEN and CANDY. Tassoula's Last Five in this episode were: SHUT UP AND SING, THE STATION AGENT, THE HOLIDAY, MERMAIDS and TITANIC.

Special thanks to Brad Daane and Mark Cummins for providing the music in this episode.

Reviews and/or notes of every movie Michael sees can be found at michaelvox.com.

Tassoula has movie reviews/musings at Tassoula's Blog.

We're also currently developing our My Space page, so feel free to stop by and add 'Cinebanter' as a friend. We'll post bulletins each time a new show is available for downloading.

Feedback is always welcome - you may leave comments here or e-mail the hosts at cinebanter@gmail.com.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Average Matt reviews HAPPY FEET

Loyal Cinebanter listeners know that I am all about the kids' movies these days. Thanks to the presence of a soon-to-be-9-year-old and soon-to-be-5-year-old in Casa Average, I have seen most every kids movie that's been released since about 2001. I think the only one I missed was SHREK 2.

So, it's with some sense of authority that I suggest ... no, I plead with you to NOT go see HAPPY FEET. Here's why:

1) It's boring. It's a bad cross between GREASE and the aforementioned MARCH OF THE PENGUINS. Whoever thought 109 minutes of animated penguins telling a story through song and dance was a good idea shouldn't be allowed within 75 miles of the Hollywood sign ever again.

2) It's dumb. Here's the plot outline:

Into the world of the Emperor Penguins, who find their soul mates through song, a penguin is born who cannot sing. But he can tap dance something fierce!

YAWN. Meanwhile, the story tries to address things like broken families, father-son relationships (which I'm usually a sucker for), the environment, how zoos are bad, and how fishing is bad -- and ends up saying nothing about all of the above. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Save the politics for some other time....

3) It's possibly the scariest kids' movie I've ever seen. There were two chase scenes that literally had me jumping in my seat at the theater. The killer whales trying to attack "Mumble," our protagonist, were beyond scary visually, and the sound effects were utterly frightening -- way too intense and way too loud for sub-10 year olds.

So, please stay home. Watch MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, instead. That was cool. And educational. But don't tell your kids about the educational part.

HAPPY FEET gets 4 stars (out of 10). Skip it.

This has been another Average Matt movie review on Cinebanter.....

Cinebanter #14 - LITTLE CHILDREN

The MP3 file of Episode 14 of Cinebanter is available here.

In this episode, Michael and Tassoula marvel at the complexities of suburban life portrayed in LITTLE CHILDREN starring Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson. They also share their Last Five®. The breakdown is as follows:

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:32 LITTLE CHILDREN Discussion
• Break
• 49:33 TO SUM IT UP
• Break
• 50:10 The Last Five®
• 1: 03:40 Credits and outtakes

If you'd like to subscribe to the show (it's free, of course) via iTunes, click here.

We're also available on Podcast Alley, Pop Current, Yahoo and Podcast Pickle. Please vote for us/rate our show at any of those sites if you like what you hear.

Michael's Last Five in this episode were: STICK IT, CASINO ROYALE, A LITTLE ROMANCE, THE HUMAN BEHAVIOR EXPERIMENT and KOKOYAKYU: HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL: . Tassoula's Last Five in this episode were: THE NATIVITY STORY, THE BATTLE OF SHAKER HEIGHTS, DEXTER: SEASON ONE, EPISODES 1 – 7, THE STATION AGENT and THE HOLIDAY

Special thanks to Brad Daane and Mark Cummins for providing the music in this episode.

Reviews and/or notes of every movie Michael sees can be found at michaelvox.com.

Tassoula has movie reviews/musings at Tassoula's Blog.

We're also currently developing our My Space page, so feel free to stop by and add 'Cinebanter' as a friend. We'll post bulletins each time a new show is available for downloading.

Feedback is always welcome - you may leave comments here or e-mail the hosts at cinebanter@gmail.com.

We hope you enjoy the show!