A weekly talk show hosted by film critic Christopher Crespo
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | RSS
(Right Click Download Link To Save)
In this BONUS episode of Cinema Crespodiso, Chris Crespo and Drewster Cogburn talk about their favorite concert experiences. Some of the same bands and venues pop up here and there, but there are also a couple of little oddities and surprises in there as well.
Looking back, it is kind of funny to remember doubting Marvel Studios and their ability to put together what they refer to as their “cinematic universe” akin to that of their comic book universe, in which characters appear in each other’s story lines all the time and epic mash ups of comic book characters and teams are done on the reg.
But comics books are cheaper to make than blockbuster movies, so their idea of making a string of movies that all fed into each other and would culminate with “The Avengers” seemed like a classic “more than they can chew” type of situation. Just because “Iron Man” was a surprise success doesn’t mean people would actually go see Thor movies. Really, some people were likely laughing to themselves, thinking there was no way this was going to work, creatively or financially.
Jump cut to May 7th, 2012, inside the offices of Marvel and Disney (who had since come on as a financial backer), look behind those closed doors, and you know what you would have seen? Employees all doing back flips and partying and getting down, as “Marvel’s The Avengers” (official title) had a record setting opening weekend of $207 million. That’s just three days of box office. In just one country. To say that Marvel’s plan worked is an understatement. The fans ate it up and came back for seconds. And thirds. And so on. And the critics didn’t hate it. Most of them didn’t anyway.Continue Reading …
“Dirty Pretty Things” is a movie about illegal immigrants in the UK and how they are exploited, but that’s a tough sell, so really “Dirty Pretty Things” is about an illegal immigrant with a medical background being forced to take part in some black market type of stuff, while another illegal immigrant has to deal with her sexually exploitative boss at the sweat shop at which she toils away for little money, and how these two people find each other and help each other overcome some serious odds.
This is a really well made movie, captivating and interesting in that “thriller” sort of way, what with our leads being fugitives from the law and constantly hiding their illegal status, but also taking the time to really explore these characters and their few relationships and daily lives and rounds out the whole picture, so that when the ending comes around, the characters are actually developed and feel like they arrived somewhere that they worked hard to get to, as opposed to just going through the motions of a plot because the screenplays says so.Continue Reading …
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | RSS
(Right Click Download Link To Save)
In episode 62, Chris and Drew are joined by Aaron Weiss from CinemaFunk.com!
Discussed in this episode:
The Netflix Instant Pick of the Week is Dirty Pretty Liars, which Chris absolutely loves.
The Box Office Recap includes a review of Need for Speed.
Chris and Drew preview the new movies coming out on DVD and in theaters this week.
The Crespodisco features “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” from the Kill Bill Vol. I soundtrack by Santa Esmeralda.Continue Reading …
For a movie titled “Need for Speed,” there is a distinct lack of urgency or vitality to the whole thing. There was plenty of speed, but was there much NEED for it? Eh, not really. Not in this movie anyway.
Which is unfortunate because “Need for Speed” has some things going for it on the outset that makes it a fun movie to root for to be good and do well. We got Aaron Paul, hot off the success of “Breaking Bad,” and he’s getting his first change to lead a big movie, and in the context of the film and what he has to do, he actually does quite a great job. As a matter of fact, with some more experience and years under his belt, Aaron Paul has a chance to be a strong, reliable movie leading man in the tradition of Humphrey Bogart, Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise (read: short), and even in a movie as lifeless as this one, we still see someone worth watching in this guy. Jesse Pinkman was not a fluke.Continue Reading …
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | RSS
(Right Click Download Link To Save)
In this month’s Dr. Drew’s Two Cents, Drewster Cogburn talks about food, and mostly takes the time to rail against people who are gluten-free and who claim to have garlic allergies but then love onions. Chris also buys Drew’s theory that Big Corn is behind the gluten-free craze, Drew admits that cooking gives him a god complex, Chris doesn’t like seafood, the Red Grease, and Drew explains how humans removed themselves from the food chain, making them the caretakers of said chain, at which we are failing. Chris also reads some bad jokes about vegans and vegetarians.
There was a time not too long ago when zombies were most certainly not the cultural force they are now in this present day. There were no “zombie walks,” no hugely successful zombie-based television shows or comic books, nothing to indicate that popular culture would one day be inundated with zombie-related materials. Hell, back in 1985, zombies were strictly the province of comic book wielding, put-upon geeks and nerds, and there was one undisputed king of the undead, and that man was George Romero, and he had just released the capper to his undead trilogy (a trilogy which he would end up adding to in the 2000’s zombie boom), and like many trilogies, while the third installment is not as good as the two that came before it, it, “Day of the Dead” has plenty going for it to make it a Netflix Instant Pick of the Week.Continue Reading …
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | RSS
(Right Click Download Link To Save)
In episode 61, Chris Crespo and Drewster Cogburn recap the 2013-2014 Oscars, they review 300: Rise of an Empire, there is a new Netflix Instant Pick of the Week, and more!
Discussed in this episode:
The Oscar recap.
The Netflix Pick of the Week is Day of the Dead.
The Box Office recap includes a review of 300: Rise of an Empire.
Chris and Drew talk about the new movies on DVD and in theaters this week.Continue Reading …
The best part about going to the movies in the months leading up to the summer season? All the trailers for the big summer blockbusters. These are usually movies that are heavy on spectacle and have a lot of visual excitement going for them, which almost always makes for at the very least…a good trailer. But sometimes these trailers promise more than just big blockbuster excitement, and even rarer still is the big movie that delivers on these promises made by marketers and advertisers. But still, a movie trailer is like an unscratched lotto ticket…as long as there is hope, we’re good to go, and it’s worth something. So what are these trailers worth?Continue Reading …
Here we go. Another Liam Neeson action movie. If anyone told me ten years ago that Liam Neeson would soon be one of the biggest and most bankable action stars of the 2000s and 2010s, I woulda told you…that would be an interesting possibility. Though not likely. Sure he was okay in Star Wars. But as a stand alone action star? Naaaaaah.Continue Reading …