Faldor joins me again for the second of the Bourne movies (unless you count the TV movie with Richard Chamberlain, WHICH NO ONE DOES). Faldor claims that it’s a bad movie. I claim that it’s a good movie—specifically: Frankenstein. We compare it to the first film, Frankenstein, Bond films, Close Encounters, The Story of Anne Frank, Pirates of the Caribbean, Ronin, and—very slightly—the book it’s supposedly based on.

We agree on almost all points and yet disagree on the overall quality of the film itself. We discuss various locations in Europe, and whether or not the plot is actually necessary to the story in this case. We rewrite the film to be more character-oriented. And we touch on how technology has advanced to the point that nearly all the “high tech” stuff could be done on an iPhone.

Look for 2014 Frankenstein on the SyFy channel in the fall!. Unfortunately, The Diary of Anne Frankenstein already exists!

We’re both watching the Blu-ray, so we stay in sync. Start the commentary after the Universal logo, on the countdown.

Bourne Supremacy commentary [ 2:02:14 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (235)

Join me for a gushing lovefest for Pixar’s second feature film, A Bug’s Life. I compare it to The Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven, The Three Amigos, The Wild One, and Disney and Warner Brothers cartoons. I praise the cinematography, story structure, cast, and anything else I can think of. And I call it nearly perfect several times.

I discuss the scale of the picture, how the story elements work together, the various arcs of different characters. I explore other possible avenues for telling the story. I condemn cats. And I nearly drown myself.

Start the movie after the Pixar logo has faded, on the countdown.

Bug's Life commentary [ 1:34:34 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (306)

Join me as I again join John Pavlich of Sofa Dogs to watch the sixth episode of Community.

We discuss how this episode feels out of place, girl bonding, Greendale’s weird football field, Jeff and Annie. And say goodbye to Troy’s interest in sports.

Start the commentary at the very beginning of the episode, on the countdown.

Community 1x06 commentary [ 22:56 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (277)

Join me for a lighthearted romp thru the annals of espionage and adventure with everyone’s favorite international man of mystery, Austin Danger Powers. I analyze the film as a spy movie, a spoof, an homage, a pastiche, and a romantic comedy. I say I’m not going to play “spot the reference” but in fact I do. I forget to mention which actor who was one inspiration for the character of Austin Powers played his father in the third film (spoiler: Michael Caine).

I point out the arcs of Austin, Vanessa, and Dr. Evil. I admire Elizabeth Hurley a bit too much. I make a few too many complaints about the other films in the series. And I reference the director’s commentary a little too much. A good time was had by all until it became known that George W Bush liked doing Dr. Evil impressions.

I’m watching the old flipper region 1 DVD. Start the commentary after the New Line Cinema logo and Eric’s Boy title card, on the countdown.

Austin Powers 1 commentary [ 1:40:08 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (365)

I’ve got all the files reuploaded and linked again now. And I’ve also got the site added back to iTunes. (So welcome, all you thousands of newcomers who will find me that way!)

And since John Pavlich posted Inception so quickly on his site, I moved it up ahead of Austin Powers.

Join John Pavlich and me as we delve into the innermost psyche of Christopher Nolan and pull out dead wives, survivor guilt, selfishness, and a creaky elevator. We analyze how many acts the film really has, the cinematography of the Avengers, and whether or not Hans Zimmer is the right man for to score the film.

We compare the film to other Nolan films, other Di Caprio films, Dreamscape, Ghostbusters, The Matrix, The Dirty Dozen, The Guns of Navarone, heist films, The Spanish Prisoner, Ocean’s 11, Reservoir Dogs, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. We compare Christopher Nolan to Woody Allen, the Coen Brothers, Stanley Kubrick, and Michael Bay. I complain that Ellen Page doesn’t have enough to do. I rewrite the film and give it to M Night Shyamalan to direct. John pitches an Ariadne-Arthur TV show and tries to cast Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the new Spider-Man.

Bonus: One of us implants an idea in the other one’s mind.

I’m watching the Blu-ray. Start the commentary after the Syncopy logo, on the countdown.

Inception commentary [ 2:24:16 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (299)

Join me for a lovefest for Captain America: The First Avenger. I analyze the structure, give some background on my love for the comic books, and suggest a few minor changes. But mostly I praise the story, performances, and effects at every turn. It’s not a perfect movie, but it’s a solid one.

I compare it to the other Avengers films, Spider-Man, Indiana Jones, Fantastic Four, and Top Secret. I wish we saw a bit more leadership earlier on. I wonder what would happen if Steve still had asthma after taking the Super Soldier serum. And I point out that the Red Skull’s flip-flap digital timers are more anachronistic than his closed-circuit television system.

I’m watching the Blu-ray. Start the film after the Marvel logo fades, on the countdown.

Captain America commentary [ 1:57:05 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (330)

Something went wrong with my file repository site and once GoDaddy got it up again, all the files were gone. I’ve reuploaded the last few, but I have a lot more work to do.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Faldor returns to take the place of the Doctor from Speakeasy on a final(?) Star Trek commentary. We examine the film as a treatise on Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes (and international politics and racism, whatever) and speculate on Kim Catrall’s allure.

We discuss some background on how the budget constrained Nick Meyer’s production values and how he nevertheless prevailed mightily. We like this adventure a lot, roast turkey, purple blood, and all.

I’m watching the Blu-ray theatrical cut. Faldor is watching the PAL DVD director’s cut. We try to keep clear on where we are. Start the movie after the Paramount logo, on the countdown.

Star Trek 6 commentary [ 1:57:47 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (428)

Faldor joins me for a full look at the first Jason Bourne movie, the heartwarming tale of an amnesiac assassin learning love (and kill) again. We like the film a lot, but we do feel it has its flaws. We compare it to the Bond films, the later Bourne films, Ronin, Hannah, The Italian Job (1969), and Frankenstein. We wonder if Brian Cox has a thing for amnesiac killing machines. We question Matt Damon’s commitment to the assassin trade and what Julia Stiles is doing in this movie. I briefly accuse Dolph Lundgren of being German. Faldor briefly accuses Julia Stiles of not being a good actor. I claim that Clive Owen could play any role, including James Bond and Doctor Who (possibly at the same time).

I’m watching the Blu-ray; Faldor is watching the PAL DVD, so we resync a few times. Start the commentary after the Universal logo, on the countdown.

Bourne Identity commentary [ 2:02:14 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (327)