Podcast: Best Films of the Decade (pt. 3 of 3)

We conclude our “Best of the Decade” talk with the top 10 lists of Matt Fickel, Cody Franklin, and Jeff Ayala. Will Fickel put “Tetro” on his list? Will there be a ‘Shotgun Stories’ in Jerf’s future? How many more times does ‘There Will Be Blood’ Appear? Tim Sigur makes an appearance by email and our own beloved Reverend Renke delivers a spiritual message to us after the discussion, so besure and stay tuned all the way through. Enjoy.

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Podcast: Best Films of the Decade (pt. 2 of 3)

The roundtable discussion continues with the "best of" lists offered by Hal Duncan, Eric Meisner and Scott Griffin. Rounding out the table are Cody Franklin, Matt Fickel, and Jeff Ayala. Even though Phillip is not here in this episode, he does manage to make an appearance. Enjoy.

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Podcast: Best Films of the Decade (pt. 1 of 3)

And so it comes to this. After weeks of studying, viewing and ranking, the members of "The Doomsday Machine" have put together their own top ten films of the decade lists and have gathered once again to educate the rest of the world on what they should be watching. Up first is our good friend Phillip Renke, who gets an entire hour devoted to him because he found time in his busy schedule to drive up from Austin just to hang out with us for one night. Enjoy.

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John Hughes remembered (podcast)

Last week marked the one year anniversary of the passing of John Hughes. This podcast was recorded shortly after his death in August 2009. At first I was doubtful that it would see the light of day due to the unforseen technical frustrations of having sixpeople online simultaniously, but after many hours in the editing room, we we're able to piece something together and pay tribute to a man who has carved out a
special place in all of our hearts.



















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R.I.P. Patricia Neal

Patricia Neal was never a huge Hollywood Starlet, just one of the better actresses of her generation. Neal had a commanding voice with a no nonsense face that lead to her playing strong women who were in control. She had a long career (1949-2009) with some serious health issues that hindered her from having a great second half of a career. Neal also had a successful TV career, but I want to concentrate on a couple of classic films that everyone should see. The Fountainhead(1949) with Gary Cooper was her first film, and she holds her own with Coop. Based on the famous Ayn Rand book, it is a enjoyable film that lead to a torrid affair between her and Cooper. In The Day The Earth Stood Still(1951) Neal plays a mother who finds out her house guest is a alien. One of the greatest Sci Fi films of all time, Neal is easily the best actor in the film. A Face In The Crowd(1957) she gives a flawless performance as a radio reporter who discovers drunk Lonesome Rhodes(Andy Griffith's best role) and turns him into a Superstar. This film is a must see and works better today then it did in '57. This is Andy Griffith's film, but Neal is the most human element in the movie and she is who you connect with. Patricia Neal's best performance and one of my favorite films of all time is Hud(1963). In a film where legends like Melvyn Douglas and Paul Newman give one of their best performances, she still stands out. Neal was so prominent in this film she won a Best Actress Oscar for a supporting role. As a viewer you fall in love with her, and eventually these affections cause you to turn on Hud, then forgive him as she does. A couple of years after Hud she had three strokes at the age of forty,and had to learn how to walk and talk again. This set back forced her to turn down roles that could have made her more well known today. The most noteable was the role as Mrs. Robinson from The Graduate (1967). Patricia Neal died of lung cancer at the age of 84.

The Inception debate (podcast)

It looks like Inception is receiving more controversy than it deserves, not so much over the content of the movie, but of its seemingly overrated status by the fanboys. Some of us feel like the audiences of today have forgotten what good cinema used to be like, while others feel that Christopher Nolan has broken the mold and reinvented the motion picture. There is absolutely no one in this argument that thinks the film or the filmmaker is lacking in quality or skill. Inception is a perfect balance between every technical and aesthetic element that makes a good movie, and Nolan is without a doubt one of the best directors working today. However, the topic at hand has summoned an emergency meeting of war room officials and now we invite you to join the debate.

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The Chick Flick Invasion (Podcast)

As early as the 1960's, the major television networks were airing “made for TV” movies on a regular basis. Filmmakers and audiences together created a market for that bridge between the movie theater and your living room. Ever since then that market has grown and even splintered into (sort of) sub-genres of low production value films. Over the years, the Lifetime television network realized the potential for consistent viewership simply by airing these movies and eventually producing them. In a way the network has almost created it's own niche in the made for TV world as we often refer to these films as “Lifetime movies.”

In the same way we enjoy disastrous charms such as “Kickboxing Academy” and “Samurai Cop,” we've all been subject to, and highly enjoyed, the highly dramatized, poorly acted works that have found a home on the Lifetime network. Sisters for Lifetime is a blog that celebrates these treasures we have grown up with over the years. Recently, one of the founders of SFL stopped by the Doomsday studio to talk about her new site and it sparked a conversation about not just Lifetime movies, but chick-flicks and guilty pleasures of all types. Enjoy.

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Read my review of the Lifetime move Cradle of Lies on Sisters for Lifetime (under my female pseudonym).

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Sleep on it

Within the last decade, there has been a tectonic shift in the quality of filmed storytelling. The film business has always been just that, a business, I get it, but there have always been writers/directors/producers who have had passion for the medium and always wanted to create a true art form. Now, for the most part these people have found a larger home in the one place we (the film snobs of the world) have always considered a second-rate medium, television. This shift has left much more to be desired when we go to the theater, because most of the films released today are aimed at thirteen-year-olds. It seems that literally, once in a blue moon we are treated to a carefully crafted story, rather than the usual carefully marketed product.

That elusive moon has risen with the release of Inception. Christopher Nolan and company have, once again, produced nothing short of a quality film. Nolan is one of the coveted few whose attention to detail yeilds not only great stories, but brilliant looking images, especially in the special effects department. We, as an audience, have grown accustomed to watching entire scenes built in a computer and it's a breath of fresh air to see a filmmaker use gimbals and wires rather than a team of CG artists for once. I can only hope the success of his last two films can only inspire the studio system to bring a few more technically savvy and thought-provoking stories to the table more frequently.

I do get a little concerned sometimes when a movie of this caliber is released. Not for the film itself, but for the audience. I feel like sometimes our cinematic blue balls are aching so much for quality, that when we finally see it, our pants explode. I've heard a little too much talk over the past couple of years about certain films being amongst “the best of all time.” Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they're bad, I'm just suggesting you give it some time before making that decision and let it digest for a few months. Even if you saw it nine times on opening weekend, good for you, you're a winner, but come see me next year when you've had time to examine it for yourself and not see it just for the sake of bragging rights. Inception is a very good film, but not a perfect, 10 out of 10. Best of the year? Sure.....so far. Amongst the best of all time? Ask me next summer.

Pardon my french, but you're an asshole! (Podcast)

Johnny Lawrence, Chaz Ozborne and Greg Tolin....Three 80s-era villains all brilliantly portrayed by a man whose face should be on the "mount rushmore" of 1980s antagonists. When asked who their favorite bad guys are of that decade most people will undoubtedly picture William Zabka. Proven to be a successful style of character in comedy as well as drama, the preppy blond asshole became a staple duringa time in which comedies thrived. Eventually morphing into other physical characteristics, one character trait remained consisted throughout the 80s and our favorite nemeses became popular amongst us at "The Doomsday Machine" for one reason....They were all dicks.












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Kings of the World (podcast)

After a four month spring break, we find ourselves in preparation for the “Best of the Decade podcast” and in doing so we need to finish putting out shows from the 2009 sessions. Hal and Matt are honored once again by the personal appearance of Scott Griffin all the way from Brooklyn, while Cody has to sit in a room all by himself and talk to us over Skype.

I think it’s very rare for most of us on the show to go out to see a movie just because a certain actor/actress is in starring in it. Personally, I get annoyed when someone asks if I’m going to see a movie like “Valentine’s Day” and when I stop laughing their response is something like, “But I thought you liked Bradley Cooper?” And that usually leads to some argument in which I wind up being called a snob. We do get excited however, in that rare instance that an actor has a streak in which he/she can do no wrong when it comes to picking their work. In this episode we discuss a handful of those actors that may peak our interests a little more when we hear their names these days.

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