Cinema Crespodiso

A weekly talk show hosted by film critic Christopher Crespo

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Netflix pick for 5/16/16 – ‘Best in Show’

best_in_showAs heard in episode 175 of Cinema Crespodiso.

“Best in Show” is a Christopher Guest mockumentary about a number of different dog owners and their shared dream to have their dog named “best in show” at the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show. But just because this is a “mockumentary” doesn’t mean the movie mocks these people; all the different dog owners have their own little quirks and stories and these things are meant to be comedic, but the movie never looks down on them or belittles them. There is a fine line between portraying these kinds of behaviors in a comedic way or a mean spirited way, and Christopher Guest has always shown the class and restraint to embrace his dopey characters and love them.

And that is key because in watching “Best in Show,” there is a quality of “lovable losers” so to speak, they have dreams and goals and hobbies and they may seem silly but they are sincere about them, and it makes for a very fun and watchable (and rewatchable) movie because the characters are fun to be around and watch react and evolve.Continue Reading …

#175 – This Chico Guy

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Episode175_ThisChicoGuy

In episode 174, Chris Crespo and Drewster Cogburn are joined by returning guest Chico (www.twitter.com/thisischico).

Chris and Drew review Money Monster and Chico reviews Captain America: Civil War.

The Netflix Instant Pick of the Week is Best in Show.

Dr. Drew gives his two cents on taking vacations.

Billy D reviews LA CUEVA.

The Crespodisco features a song from the Money Monster soundtrack.

Continue Reading …

Netflix pick for 5/9/16 – ‘Bowfinger’

bowfinger

As heard in episode 174 of Cinema Crespodiso.

Movies about making movies is tricky genre to crack because most people don’t like seeing how the sausage is made, but every now and then something is done in this weird subgenre and it works, and “Bowfinger” from 1999 is one of those movies, a satirical spoof comedy about a bottom of the ladder Hollywood producer trying to put all his minimal resources together to make his version of a big blockbuster on a shoe string budget. Written by and starring Steve Martin, directed by legendary Frank Oz, and featuring Eddie Murphy in two roles (he plays polar opposite twin brothers), this is both a broad comedy about a bunch of hustlers and dreamers trying to make a movie, and a critique of the airheaded, profit minded, superficial, hyper sexual and unfulfilling underbelly of Hollywood and Los Angeles Culture.

Bobby Bowfinger (Martin) is a Roger Corman type of movie producer, barely getting by in the industry by cranking out low budget schlock, and he finally wants to strike out on his own and direct his first movie. He has everything in place except for a studio to distribute the movie, and he manages to get a deal from a big time producer with the caveat that the lead role is played by gigantic movie star Kit Ramsey (Murphy). When Ramsey turns down Bowfinger, he decides to secretly film Kit as he went about his business in LA in order to illegally integrate him into the movie. And when Kit disappears, they have to find a lookalike to fill in for him – enter Jiff (also Murphy).Continue Reading …

#174 – Monies Make Movies

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Episode174_MoniesMakeMovies

In episode 174, Chris Crespo and Drewster Cogburn review Captain America: Civil War.

The Netflix Instant Pick of the Week is Bowfinger.

Dr. Drew gives his two cents on taking breaks.

Billy D reviews Captain America: Civil War.

The Crespodisco features music from the James Horner soundtrack for Commando.

Continue Reading …

Review: ‘Captain America: Civil War’

CaptainAmericaCivilWar_Poster The thirteenth movie in the franchise known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), “Captain America: Civil War” is most definitely a unique product of movie making in both good ways and bad. While this particular installment of this ongoing saga benefits greatly from many hours worth of character development spread over numerous movies, it also has that feeling of being not so much a complete movie but more of a big budget half step, just another episode in this hugely expensive serialized story. If you haven’t seen the other twelve Marvel movies, then just walking into this movie is very much like picking up a random comic book and just reading a story that is in media res, with characters and callbacks that just come out of nowhere and make no sense in a vacuum. In that way, this movie can not exist on its own in a meaningful capacity without the “Iron Mans” and “Captain Americas” and “Avengers” that came before it.

After a fight in a public space causes casualties, the Avengers are asked to sign an agreement, ratified by a panel representing 117 countries, that says they would be beholden to this international committee, who would decide on a case by case basis as to whether or not this group of mostly American superheroes should be deployed. Basically some official oversight to keep them in check, acknowledging that their actions in previous movies, while meant to save people, also cost many innocent lives. In their attempts to save billions, they have still killed millions. Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) feels much guilt when confronted by a grieving mother, and coupled with everything else going on in his life, sees this agreement as a decent solution to an obvious problem. Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America (Chris Evans), still feeling burned by the government from his last movie, refuses to become beholden to some panel, no matter the intentions. This causes a rift in the group as some people agree to sign and others do not.Continue Reading …

Spoiler Bonus Episode – ‘Captain America: Civil War’

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BonusSpoilerEpisode_CACivilWar

In this BONUS episode, Chris Crespo and Drewster Cogburn saw Captain America: Civil War and they talk about the movie in detail from start to finish. So of course this episode is filled with spoilers so beware of spoilers because otherwise things will be spoiled for you in a big way.

Seriously, though, spoilers.

Continue Reading …

Netflix pick for 5/3/16 – ‘V For Vendetta’

vforvendetta_poster As heard in episode 173 of Cinema Crespodiso.

The main theme of “V For Vendetta” is that people should not be afraid of their governments, but instead governments should be afraid of their people. Written in the 1980’s as a limited series comic, and then reprinted in graphic novel form, this is the story of a dystopian future (a British one, mind you, in which Big Brother tactics are readily apparent in the real world) in which the government controls everything and dissent is quickly rooted out and squashed with vicious efficiency. That is until a mysterious masked figure known only as V (Hugo Weaving) starts wrecking havoc, trying to set an example to the citizens, showing them that an uprising is possible and that they can indeed fight back against the government that holds them all hostage. In addition to his attempts to inspire the populace at large, he also takes in a young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) and makes her something of a protégé, dealing with her directly and trying to show her why he is fighting back against the fascist government that has taken over.Continue Reading …

#173 – The Pinball Wizard

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Episode173_ThePinballWizard

In episode 173, Chris Crespo and Drewster Cogburn are joined by returning guest Steve Etchie (www.twitter.com/Etchie) from the Pfft Radio Network, home of the shows Tidbits and What’s The Fuzz (a.k.a. The Rocky and Billwinkle Show).

Chris and Drew review Green Room and Keanu and Etchie reviews The Jungle Book.

The Netflix Instant Pick of the Week is V For Vendetta and Etchie has his own pick for the listeners.

Dr. Drew gives his two cents on who makes your food at restaurants on Mother’s Day.

Billy D reviews High-Rise.

The Crespodisco features music from Green Room.

Continue Reading …

Review: ‘Green Room’

GreenRoom_poster “Green Room” is quite simply not for the faint of heart. Intense and foreboding, with the constant specter of gruesome violence hanging palpably over every scene, this is a movie that gets to a point in which every move and decision can lead to something unimaginably disastrous. A simple set up leads to almost unbearable tension which eventually explodes, leaving an impressive body count in its punk rock wake. In this story, no one is safe and everything is on the line, and when it gets down and dirty, watch out.

A struggling band takes a gig somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, and they take it knowing that they would be playing for a bunch of skinheads and racists. But they need the money so they accept the gig, and just try to get in, play their set and get out. Those first two parts went down just fine. Getting out becomes impossible when one of the band members (Anton Yelchin) walks into the green room moments after a murder; he sees the dead body, tries to call the police on his cell, gets stopped by the people running the club, and it is on from there. They put the whole band in the green room while they sort it out, and the band turns the green room into their holdout, knowing that these backwoods racists wouldn’t just let them walk away.

And the tension builds. And builds. And builds. Until…pop. Continue Reading …

Crespodiso Film School – History of Action Movies

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CrespodisoFilmSchool_ActionMovies

In this bonus episode, Chris Crespo and Drewster Cogburn run down the history of the action movie genre, starting with its roots in The Great Train Robbery from 1903 and tracing its trajectory all the way to the Fast and Furious franchise.

What do you know about swashbucklers? Or the difference between action movies and adventure movies? How many World War II movies have been made? Why was John Wayne so damn popular?

All of these questions are sort of answered, plus more, in this Crespodiso Film School bonus episode.

Continue Reading …

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