Mike Schulz, Dave Levora, and Darren Pitra yearn for the return of the sun before Levora commends Schulz on the number of Oscar picks he got right. Schulz demurs, saying he beat last year’s record by one, and that averages out to about an eighty-percentile grade. They then discuss the particulars of the Oscar nominations, which you can hear at the following podcast.
Concerning the films that he managed to see this past week:
Mike Schulz, Dave Levora, and Darren Pitra would have met up last week, 01/11, but for road conditions, which prevented Schulz from making it to the studio for his klatch with the Deez. No such distractions this week! Of course, this means lightning-round recaps of everything Schulz has seen this week and last.
Since Mike Schulz, Dave Levora, and Darren Pitra last spoke, Schulz has seen a bunch of stuff. The sheer volume of viewed material, therefore, necessitates a lightning-round approach to their discussion. But not before Levora recommends to Schulz Netflix’s Blue Eye Samurai, which does sound compelling, and Schulz touches upon his Best of/Worst of list for 2023.
Dave Levora tells Mike Schulz and Darren Pitra that Godzilla Minus One is his N° 1 film-pick; and the only place a person could get the full effect of the film, per Schulz, is The Last Picture House. Schulz likened the film’s ending to It’s a Wonderful Life — he couldn’t stop crying by the end— whereas Levora was able to hold it together, but still felt great for the experience. He also pointed out to Schulz that Godzilla Minus One cost approx $15 million to make, and so far, it’s made $70.7 million. That’s the acme of success, isn’t it? So what does that tell us about the films of 2023 that were made for three times as much and drew back a quarter of their budget? Other than filmmaking demands a strong story for all that technique and all those FX to have any impact?
With that in mind, Schulz discusses Wonka, directed by Paul King and starring Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman, and Hugh Grant.
Mike Schulz once again celebrates the very existence of The Last Picture House — and with reason! — before he discusses with Dave Levora and Darren Pitra the movies he has seen. Because that’s what Schulz is there for. What else is a movie critic going to do except critique movies in whatever format demands it?
Mike Schulz is given a moment to extol the virtues of the new Last Picture House before he discusses with Dave Levora and Darren Pitra the movies he has seen — as is their weekly wont.
Mike Schulz discusses with Dave Levora and Darren Pitra the recent incident where the whole of Oppenheimer was posted on Twitter. One presumes it has since been taken down. Director Christopher Nolan has urged fans to hold out for the DVD/Blu Ray version of his film, and, given the uniqueness of the audiovisual spectacle, one is inclined to take his word for it. Getting right into it, Schulz confirms his disengagement from The Marvels, directed Nia DaCosta and starring Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Park Seo-joon, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, and Samuel L Jackson — that is, his disengagement from being able to engage fully with the story. Continue reading November 16, 2023, on Planet 93.9 with Dave and Darren — “The Holdovers,” “The Killer,” “Journey to Bethlehem,” and “The Marvels”→
River Cities’ Reader publisher Todd McGreevy talks with WQUD GM Aaron Dail and his Sancho Panza, Gary, re recent highlights, both online and within Issue N° 1014. The October Reader cover was the occasion for McGreevy to break out his best Transylvanian accent in an effort to make some legitimately scary material a little more, uh, palatable. To whit: Continue reading Todd McGreevy & AD in the Morning on WQUD Discuss the October Edition of River Cities’ Reader→
