Saturday, December 30, 2017

Episode 331: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Hey, folks! It's time for your hosts to close out 2017 on Mousterpiece Cinema, and what better way to do it than by returning to a land of fantasy and wonder, only to find that its denizens have been hardened and hollowed out to the point of losing their humanity? Yes, maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but that premise is kind of part of the focus of our film this week, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, in which the four Pevensie siblings return to the land of Narnia after a year away in real-world time and 1300 years away in Narnia time. The world they find is radically different, and Josh and Scott talk a lot about those differences, from a lack of Mr. Tumnus and Aslan, to the lifeless performances, and more. Also, stick around to hear your hosts talk about what the Disney/Fox merger means for the show (if it will impact the show at all). Check out the new show and have a happy new year!

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Episode 330: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Hey, friends! We hope that as the Christmas holiday approaches, the Force is with you because we've got a big new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema coming your way. And yes, we're talking about the biggest movie of the end of the year this week, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the eighth episode in the Lucasfilm franchise. Josh and Scott are joined by return guest Emma Stefansky of Vanity Fair and ScreenCrush to talk about the new adventures of Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren, and Luke Skywalker on the new podcast. Does The Last Jedi feel like a Rian Johnson movie as much as it feels like a Lucasfilm brand deposit? Is the movie too long? Does it feel like a true Star Wars film? (Spoiler alert: all three people on the podcast liked this movie, so...y'know.) Listen to the new episode now to get into a Force-ful mood!

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Episode 329: The Muppet Christmas Carol

Hey, friends! We hope you're in the Christmas spirit, because this episode of Mousterpiece Cinema will go nicely with the holiday season. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Scott and Josh are revisiting an old favorite, the 1992 film The Muppet Christmas Carol. After a quarter-century, how does this take on the iconic story of Ebenezer Scrooge hold up? Does it hold up that well at all? Is it possible that Scott and Josh have not-nice things to say about the Muppets? Yes, it is possible, so prepare yourself to hear a couple of slightly Scrooge-y hosts this week, even though they do take out time to talk about a certain moment in the film that Josh loves so dearly that he's used it in GIF form maybe a thousand times. You know which moment. Anyway, check out the episode now!

Saturday, December 9, 2017

Episode 328: There Will Be Blood

Hey, friends! It may be December, but we're not exactly getting in the spirit of the holiday with this big new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. Instead, Scott and Josh are headed back to the early part of the 20th century to talk about the 2007 epic There Will Be Blood, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as an ambitious oil man in California. Your hosts are joined by two guests this week: returning favorite Tim Grierson of Paste Magazine and Screen International, and Vadim Rizov of Filmmaker Magazine. This quartet digs deep into Paul Thomas Anderson's singular character study, the memorably iconic Daniel Day-Lewis performance, that instantly discordant Jonny Greenwood score, and more. We hope you've got your milkshakes handy, so get ready to drink them and listen to the new show!

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Episode 327: Coco

Hey, friends! It's time for a big new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, so strap yourself in (preferably with a guitar strap) and start listening! Josh and Scott are ready to talk about Pixar Animation Studios' new film Coco, all about a little boy who travels to the Land of the Dead during the Mexican celebration of Dia de los Muertos. They're joined by longtime friend of the show Griffin Newman, who enters the Five-Timers' Club on this episode, and boy, is it a doozy. Fair warning: before digging into Coco, Josh, Scott, and Griffin talk about the recent allegations surrounding Disney/Pixar leader John Lasseter. After that discussion, they talk about Pixar's new film, the value of original filmmaking, the beauty of Coco's animation, music, Olaf's Frozen Adventure, and more! Don't wait any longer--start listening now!