The Cinematic Tangent - Marc Webb is Amazing (Spider-Man 2)

I want to make it perfectly clear that I was not consulted on this episode title. With it I believe my co-host, Chad Van Alstin, is attempting to get a rise out of me, as on the show we discuss my distaste for just about everything Webb has done, and come to an agreement that he is not a very good filmmaker... Or at least that's what I took away from his middling comments. What will you take away? Find out by listening to us bitch about Webb's latest cutesy teen romance, 500 Days of Spider-Man The Amazing Spider-Man 2...

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The Cinematic Tangent - Top Ten Films of 2013 (Part 2)

On a new episode of The Cinematic Tangent, Chad and I wrap up our lists with spots five through one, sharing three titles and adamantly disagreeing just about everything else as we stutter our way through a passionate debate over the best films of the year... And American Hustle. Zing!

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The Cinematic Tangent - Top Ten Films of 2013 (Part 1)

On a new episode of The Cinematic Tangent, Chad and I begin counting down our favorite films of 2013, a year we both agree is one of the best for film in a long time. It's a pretty self-explanatory concept, so I guess this is enough said (wink wink).

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The Cinematic Tangent - Only God Forgives/Drive

Drive was considered one of the best films of 2011, while Only God Forgives drew derisive laughter at Cannes. On a new episode of The Cinematic Tangent podcast Chad and I discuss the peculiarly intriguing love-it-or-hate-it Only God Forgives and its spiritual predecessor, Drive, by the same director, Nicolas Winding Refn. Is he a pretentious bore or a misunderstood genius? We try to get to the bottom of it while discussing his most recent films, and why one is considered brilliant and the other a disaster, even though they share so much in common.

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The Cinematic Tangent - American Hustle/"Based on a True Story..."

On a new episode of The Cinematic Tangent podcast, Chad and I argue about this awards season's darling, American Hustle. While he declares it one of the year's best, I call bust on this overhyped, meandering mess of hollow razzle-dazzle. Also... Where does a film's responsibility lie when telling a story it claims to be true? Must it adhere strictly to the facts, or take liberties in order to entertain its audience? We try to get to the bottom of it, and leave Lincoln and Captain Phillips flailing in our wake.

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The Cinematic Tangent - Her/Bible Movies

On a new episode of The Cinematic Tangent podcast, Chad and I clear up some confusion brought on by the technical difficulties in the previous show. Our hodge-podge of second-rate equipment failed us, forcing us to lop off most of our positive comments about The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which we re-iterate here, before criticizing it again and launching a discussion about egregious product placement in movies. After that, a rare instance of total agreement as we sing the praises of Spike Jonze's Her, which may be the best film of the year. And then... Bible movies! Chad and I ponder the meaning of all of these goddamn religious-themed movies that 2014 is spitting out at us.

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