The Oscars are over and now it’s time to deconstruct Hollywood’s biggest night. We analyze quite a few aspects of the show, from the awards themselves to host Seth MacFarlane to the strengths and weaknesses of the “theme” of the evening. We discuss some of the surprise awards of the night (although there weren’t many of those) and some of the fallout to come from the festivities,... 

I probably should have put up my actual Oscar predictions a week ago, but let’s be honest: nobody is using what I say to place any bets in office betting pools. There are certainly a lot better qualified people to use as a basis for gambling, say Nate Silver, for example (whose predictions I still haven’t looked at beyond bookmarking the page). Hell, I still haven’t even seen all... 

It’s that time of year again: where we gather together and offer our opinions, “if we ran the Oscars.” Hear who Rafe, Tim, and Thomas would give gold statues to if they ran the show. Some of the picks are predictable, others are outrageous, but they’re all in opinionated fun. But first, a review of A Good Day to Die Hard, Rafe rants about aging action heroes, Thomas belittles Dark... 

From the moment I saw Les Misérables unfold on stage over a decade ago, I became enamored with Victor Hugo’s story. I’ve seen the musical adaptation on tour several times (including the first time when I went back the next day and snuck around backstage to see the behind-the-scenes workings of the production), I’ve attacked Hugo’s original work several times (although finishing... 

It’s that time of year again: time to see which movies the Academy of Arts and Sciences has selected as nominees for this year’s Oscar awards. I like to think of it as the time of year to see how many movies of substance you actually saw last year. Of course, there are those who critique the Academy for being a bit snobbish and this year should be no different, with high honors being paid to Spielberg’s... 

The Dark Knight Rises gives us a lot to talk about, both because of the movie and because of the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado. We offer a respectful treatment of the victims of the gunman and the situation before discussing how commenters and media have gotten out of hand with the situation, which is why this week’s episode carries an explicit tag. We then offer three contrasting opinions on... 

Heading into The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan had a couple of things going for him. First of all, his last installment, The Dark Knight, is largely considered to be the best of the Batman stories committed to film, and considered by some (including myself) to be one of the top super-hero stories period. Secondly, Nolan went into The Dark Knight Rises with the knowledge that this was his final... 

It’s been eight years since the events of The Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has become a recluse & hung up the Bat Suit after taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s killings, Commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) has kept the truth about Dent’s actions a secret as he willingly jailed hundreds of criminals under the hypocritical “Dent Act” and Gotham itself has been enjoying a... 

It’s traditionally accepted that third chapters aren’t as good as their predecessors. While that might be unfair to newer movies, there is a baseline for this reasoning: The Godfather, Part III, Spider-Man 3, Superman 3 (you know, the one with Richard Pryor?), all of them build on a successful foundation but unable to live up to the success of the first two movies. It’s understandable... 

Ever since the first time I saw it on stage as a teenager, I’ve been a huge fan of Les Miserables. The musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s story of revolution and romance, and particularly his heroic, downtrodden Jean Valjean enraptured me instantly. I’ve seen the show at every opportunity, purchased the incredible Symphonic edition and the DVD of the concert performance (the incredible 10th Anniversary...