The Doomsday Machine

A year that saw one of the most visionary films of the century will also stand as one of the weakest years in film in our recent history.  However the end of 2011 managed to produce a few gems that we will discuss tonight.  Please join us.

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Remember how excited you were when "The Phantom Menace" came out?  How long did it take you to detest it as much as you do today?  Cody and I reflect on one of the biggest movie events in our lifetime and the subsequent disappointment that set in the following years.

here is the article that sparked the conversation

here is Red Letter Media's full Phantom Menace Review

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The most anticipated film of not only this year, but the last two as well, is Terrence Malick's Tree of Life. Filmed in 2008 and held out of theaters with distribution problems, we have waited at the opportunity for a mere glimpse of it. Finally, after adverse festival reactions and mainly positive reviews we can now see it for ourselves. One thing is for sure, love it or hate it, it will have a place for discussion amongst this round table for years to come.

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Before the 2010-11 NBA season, one would be hard pressed to find a more bitter sports fan than that of the Dallas Mavericks. For over thirty years we have been teased (in every sense of the word) on every level of it's meaning. A good stretch in the mid 80s only led to one conference final and then the humiliating downward spiral of the 90s. The 2000s brought us new ownership and the rise of a legitimate superstar, but the basketball gods saw fit to toy with us for yet another decade leaving the ever-growing bitter taste of defeat we were all getting used to. If you were to bring up the '06 finals to any true fan and you would have still seen the pain of loss in their eyes....yes it still did hurt, and our window was closing. The beginning of the 10-11 season did feel different. For the first time since the early 90s we had a legitimate center and the rest of the machine was working flawlessly. However, big injuries seemed to derail the defensive mentality and by the end of the regular season, it looked like this would be another one and done postseason. Instead, our beloved Mavericks nutted up and played the greatest NBA postseason a fan could imagine. Tonight we  take a break from our regular movie based banter and continue to celebrate the greatest basketball season we have ever seen.

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Sidney Lumet passed away Saturday Apr. 9 and on this day we pay tribute to one of the great American Filmmakers.  Below is Cody's must see list of Lumet films:

• Q&A (1990)
• Running on Empty (1988)
• The Verdict (1982)
• Deathtrap (1982)
• Prince of the City (1981)
• Network (1976)*
• Dog Day Afternoon (1975)*
• Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
• Serpico (1973)
• The Offence (1972)
• The Anderson Tapes (1971)
• The Hill (1965)*
• Fail-Safe (1964)
• The Pawnbroker (1964)
• Long Day's Journey into night (1962)
• 12 Angry Men (1957)*

*personal favorite

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Back in 2009, young Matt Fickel walked into a theater showing the latest film by Francis Ford Coppola, "Tetro," and walked out a changed man.  Maybe that's over dramatic but hey, so is "Tetro."  In all fairness, Matt has been trying to get us to see the film for months and we all finally got around to it and the following podcast is what occurred.  Enjoy. (Major Spoilers)

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What the hell happened this year?  Bad writing, horrible skits, and a host that looked as interested as a gay man in the playboy mansion. Hal and Cody take time out of their busy schedules to discuss the worst televised Oscar presentation....ever.

. . . .

video of the "grease" parody opening (which never aired) can be seen here.

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In the previous episode we covered the academy's favorites of 2010.  Continuing that discussion brings us to our personal favorites and other notables of last year.

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Today we begin our "Best of 2010" talk.  For most of the year there was little to discuss as "Inception" and "The Social Network" dominated the war room banter,  but the fall and winter seasons delivered an ultimately solid year for us.  Having ten movies to debate over the title of "best picture" leaves plenty to discuss.   The Doomsday Machine takes each of the nominees and debates their worthiness of the title.

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The weekend of Nov. 27-28 2010, brought about a massive one-two punch to our childhood memories with the passing of two men who forever affected our movie-watching careers. Tonight we remember Leslie Nielsen and Irvin Kershner.

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