Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Episode 163: The Return of Jafar

Autumn may be upon us, but at Mousterpiece Cinema HQ, Gabe and Josh are still a bit hot under the collar. If you were satisfied with last week's heated debate of the career of cinematographer-turned-director Dean Cundey, then you are in for a treat with the new episode of the show. Your dynamic duo enter the world of direct-to-DVD sequels once again, but back in animation with The Return of Jafar, the Patient Zero of the Disney direct-to-DVD sequel. Is this return to the world of Aladdin not as bad as people presume it is? Is it worse? Does Gilbert Gottfried sing in this movie? And how heated must the discussion be if Josh wonders if it's time for a new co-host? (Don't worry, Gabe's job is safe. FOR NOW.) Get ready for a thrilla in...Agrabah, folks. Check out the new show now!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Episode 162: Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves

The summer's just about over, and one of our unintentional summer mini-series is about to come to close. This week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe wade into the world of direct-to-video sequels once more, but with a twist: this one's a live-action DTV sequel. Yes, they're closing out the Rick Moranis-led trilogy of wacky sci-fi comedies about shrinking and enlargening people, with a discussion of Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. (Don't you just hate it when that happens?) But seeing as the film was directed by the prolific cinematographer Dean Cundey, Josh and Gabe go on quite the tangent about his career with Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, and John Carpenter, among others. If you've wanted to hear a good old-fashioned argument between your hosts, then, friend, this one's the episode for you!

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Episode 161: Frank and Ollie

We're going back in time once again on Mousterpiece Cinema, so get set. This week, Josh and Gabe take on one of the most dynamic duos in Disney history: Frank and Ollie. That's Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two of the venerated Nine Old Men, to all of you who might be unfamiliar. They're the focus of this 1995 documentary about their four-plus decades at the Walt Disney Company, covering films as diverse as Bambi and Robin Hood, and everything in between. Does this documentary rise above the simple, in spite of being directed by Frank's son? What kind of detail might be missing from the final product? And how does Ken Burns ("Kenny baby" to his friends, of course) figure into all of this? Find out on the new show!

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Episode 160: Tron Legacy

It's time for a new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema; this week, Josh and Gabe are getting their Zen thing back on track and gearing up to groove on some biodigital jazz, man! That's right, they're talking about the 2010 holiday blockbuster Tron Legacy this week. It's a fascinating journey into the recent past, as your hosts answer questions like: Is Jeff Bridges' Lebowski-as-Obi-Wan take on a hero worthwhile? What's with James Frain's American accent? And what the hell IS biodigital jazz? (Man.) Plenty of fun within, so get ready to hook in, program, or else it's the end of line. Or, in non techie-speak, check out the new show! (Man.)