I love Oscar nomination day. Usually I’ll take off time from work and watch as the announcements are made live – the feeling of wonder, amazement, and sycophantic glee is almost tangible as the names are listed off. Then, it’s quick to the website to post the nominations along with (not-so)witty commentary as to where the nominations are good and bad. Unfortunately, this year, I am way too far... 

No, we haven’t found a replacement for Margaret yet. Instead, the title reflects this week’s theme in new movie releases: both Underworld Awakening and Haywire feature hot chicks kicking ass, which means it’s something we talk about in this week’s episode. While neither Rafe or Tim saw those new releases (but we did finally see Hugo!), we still have a lot to discuss, from... 

Recently I wrote a glowing review of Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, one that not everyone may agree with but one that honestly reflects the effect the movie had on me. In that review I purposely did not reveal the secret of the film. It’s a small secret but one that was important for my immense enjoyment of the film. In this article – a cousin to the Rafe’s many END FAIL articles – I want... 

Hugo is a brilliant, lovingly crafted film, an instant masterpiece. It’s a five star film with no equal. I typically do not write reviews in the first person, but Hugo has touched me in such a profound and emotion way I cannot communicate its affect on me otherwise. Directed by Martin Scorsese and adapted by John Logan from the Brian Selznick novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Hugo the film reaffirms... 

Rafe is going to hell for the remarks he makes in this week’s show about The Apostle. Thankfully, for those who might be offended, that’s toward the end of the show. Before that we look at The Other Guys, hear from The Podcast Dad on this month’s Artist of the Month selections, discuss sunburn, the importance of character arcs (and how blockbuster movies get away with avoiding them),... 

After months of prolonged waiting, Shutter Island has arrived and all three of us are impressed, to say the least. We’re less impressed with The Wolfman remake and Sidney Poitier’s ’80s movies, but we dive into those as well. Add in some movie news talk about changes to the Oscars and Kevin Smith, and you have a well rounded hour of entertainment news and reviews. Weekly Blend #218... 

Shutter Island is a movie that made our “most anticipated movies” list for the second half of 2009, only to be shunted into 2010 by the studio. Relocation be damned, yet again it made our “most anticipated movie” list for 2010. So now that the picture is here, did it meet our expectations? In a word: easily. Ladies and gentlemen, one of the best movies of 2010 has already arrived. The story... 

The site’s been a little slow on updates this week, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have much to talk about. Rafe gives his Inglourious Basterds review, the crew chimes in on artist of the month Norah Ephron’s best known romantic comedies, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, we discuss the response to Avatar Day, and there’s still time found to antagonize Rafe... 

I’ve started working on the list of movies I’m most looking forward to between now and the end of the year. Unfortunately, the movie that was topping the list so far just got bumped off altogether. Paramount is moving Martin Scorsese’s upcoming picture, Shutter Island, to next year, shifting the movie from its planned October date to a new February 2010 release. According to Deadline Hollywood,... 

Martin Scorsese is best known for his brutal films like Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and Gangs of New York. More recently, however, he’s dabbled in the world of music documentaries, featuring both the Rolling Stones (Shine a Light) and Bob Dylan (No Direction Home). What do you get when you cross the musical geniuses he’s portrayed with the mobster violence of his other pictures? How about a biopic...