It’s the Pictures Podcast: Episode 9
John and Max are exploring the films of Pixar Animation this week, including its newest feature, Finding Dory. They rank their each of the 17 films Pixar has released since Toy Story. They also discuss the passing of actor Anton Yelchin, the trailer for Cannes Jury Prize winner American Honey, and their films of the […]
Finding Dory Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) The last time Pixar produced a sequel that was a decade in the making, they gave us Toy Story 3, the best Pixar film. It relied heavily on nostalgia to hit its marks — something its latest mega-sequel, Finding Dory, curiously eschews. Yes, the forgetful Dory, the nervous Marlin, and the loving […]
It’s the Pictures Podcast: Episode 8
It’s the end of the world, but John and Max feel fine. This week, on the It’s the Pictures podcast, we’re discussing three 1990s apocalyptic action movies: Independence Day, Armageddon, and Deep Impact. Questions answered include: What happens if you shoot in a gun in space? Why did Ben Affleck nearly get cut completely from […]
The Lobster Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) The Lobster is an utterly transfixing and bewildering high-concept comedy about what the world would look like if everything we knew and liked about love was gone. In Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos’ English-language debut, coupling off is an obligation; We never find out why, but those without a partner are forced to […]
X-Men: Apocalypse Review
RATING: (3 STARS) X-Men: Apocalypse works in spite of itself. Here’s a film that takes arguably the best actor working today and turns him into a purple version of Imhotep from The Mummy. There are too many characters, not enough genuine excitement, and it runs at least 30 minutes too long. All that said, it’s […]
The Nice Guys Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) After a delightful foray into the world of Marvel, writer-director Shane Black has returned to the world of buddy cop movies with The Nice Guys. Well, Holland French (Ryan Gosling) and Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) aren’t cops — one’s a private eye, the other basically a tough guy for hire. They aren’t […]
It’s the Pictures Podcast: Episode 7
John and Max are exploring the films of Shane Black in the latest episode of the podcast, including his new feature The Nice Guys. Disagreements are the name of the game this week. They also discuss the 50th anniversary screening of Persona, the wrap up of the 69th Cannes Film Festival, the Beauty and the […]
Money Monster Review
RATING: (2 STARS) In 2011, Brett Ratner of all people made a supremely silly but surprisingly enjoyable “capitalism is evil” movie called Tower Heist. It starred Ben Stiller as the leader of a group of rag-tag blue-collar workers who were swindled by their Madoff-esque employer and seek to get their money back by any means […]
It’s the Pictures Podcast: Episode 6
John and Max dive headfirst into 2016’s summer movie offerings. They come out of the process having selected five films each in It’s the Pictures’ first annual summer movie box office draft. Whoever’s “team” makes the most bank domestically by the end of the summer earns bragging rights! Who do you think will win? Are […]
2016 Cannes Awards Predictions
The 2016 Cannes Film Festival wraps up this weekend, and it will be one of the more exciting awards announcements in recent memory for the absence of an obvious Palme d’Or favorite like Winter Sleep, Blue Is the Warmest Color, Amour, and The Tree of Life. The festival started off with a bang in the […]
It’s the Pictures Podcast: Episode 5
John and Max weave a joint review of the new Jungle Book adaptation in with a larger discussion of Disney animated classics that are being reimagined as live-action blockbusters. Is this an exciting trend? Or are we heading toward a bubble that will burst? They’ve also got some thoughts on the new streaming video platform […]
Captain America: Civil War Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) During the much-hyped battle between the Avengers and Friends in Captain America: Civil War, one combatant, with tongue firmly in cheek, remarks, “Everyone’s got a gimmick.” Indeed, every one does, and Civil War is “The One with Black Panther and the New Spider-Man”. Marvel movies are hardly identifiable anymore — assuming they […]
The Jungle Book (2016) Review
RATING: (3 STARS) The Jungle Book, as surprising as it probably seems, is one of the few Disney animated classics that eluded me in my childhood. A casual awareness of something called “The Bear Necessities” was all I knew about the 1967 version of Rudyard Kipling’s stories. Incidentally, Kipling’s books are foreign to me, as […]
It’s the Pictures Podcast: Episode 4
Cinephiles rejoice! John and Max cover the announced films for the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival. Listen to John and Max butcher the pronunciations of famous actors and directors, as well as, the name of the festival itself. It all concludes with talk of a former Palme d’Or winner All that Jazz and Richard Linklater’s […]
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice Review
RATING: (2 STARS) Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is a film about and full of contradictions. It’s a sequel to 2013’s Man of Steel — also directed by Zack Snyder — yet this film relegates old Superman to a supporting role, instead focusing on that which drives the film’s other titular hero. Despite this […]
It’s the Pictures Podcast: Episode 3
Spoilers abound when John and Max go deep on their favorite movies with ambiguous endings in the third episode of It’s the Pictures, but there’s nothing ambiguous about this episode’s conclusion as Max discusses his love for Jeff Nichols’ Midnight Special. Listen to the episode over at our libsyn feed. (We’ll be in iTunes soon!) […]
