Paul and Heather come roaring back from their Christmas vacation with a jumbo-sized look back at the cinematic offerings of 2011: their picks for the 10 best films of the year, as well as their top five "DVD discoveries," the most overrated and underrated of the year's releases, and the worst film of 2011. 

0:00 — Intro/Top Five DVD Discoveries of 2011
24:37 — John Prine, "All The Best"
25:42 — Best films of 2011 (#6-#10)
1:03:45 — The Exciters, "Reaching For The Best"
1:04:53 — Most overrated and underrated films of 2011/Worst film of 2011/Best films of 2011 (#1-#5)/Outro

Paul and Heather contend with sign-language-equipped chimpanzees and talking deer as they review James Marsh's heartbreaking documentary about a language experiment gone wrong, PROJECT NIM; and Tsui Hark's delirious murder mystery/martial arts extravaganza/costume epic DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME. Plus: Paul's mini-reviews of THE ARBOR and THE MILL AND THE CROSS, more fretting about end-of-the-year cinematic award-winners, and the usual roundup of notable upcoming DVDs and Blu-Ray releases.

0:00 — Intro/THE ARBOR/THE MILL AND THE CROSS/Oscar season disappointment and bafflement
16:22 — The Arbors, "I Can't Quit Her (For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her)"
17:29 — PROJECT NIM
33:56 — The Feelies, "Everybody's Got Something To Hide (Except Me And My Monkey)"
34:59 — DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME
46:55 — Fred Bongusto, "Un Detective"
47:57 — Other noteworthy new DVDs and Blu-Rays/Outro

Paul and Heather acutely feel the absence of a third podcast host as they review two very different films about love trianges: the international espionage drama THE DEBT (starring Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, and Jessica Chastain); and the new Criterion edition of the ahead-of-its-time 1933 Ernst Lubitsch comedy DESIGN FOR LIVING. Also: Paul reports on Lucky McKee's lurid but potent B-movie THE WOMAN and the new Louis C.K. concert film LIVE AT THE BEACON THEATER, Heather revisits Quentin Taratino's JACKIE BROWN, and the week's other most noteworthy new DVDs and Blu-Rays get their usual thorough going-over.

0:00 — Intro/End-Of-The-Year Critic's Anxiety/THE WOMAN/LOUIS C.K. LIVE AT THE BEACON THEATER/JACKIE BROWN
15:10 — Bobby Womack, "Across 110th Street"
16:19 — THE DEBT
29:21 — Shout Out Out Out Out, "Forever Indebted"
30:25 — DESIGN FOR LIVING
45:34 — Bob Dorough, "Three Is The Magic Number"
46:37 — Other noteworthy new DVDs and Blu-Rays/Outro

Paul and Heather return from their brief podcasting hiatus with reviews of two movies that sound much more science-fictiony than they actually are: Miranda July's (intentionally?) aggravating hipster comedy-drama THE FUTURE, and Mike Cahill's low-budget alternate-world indie drama ANOTHER EARTH. Plus: Heather revisits the 2004 Nicole-Kidman-falls-in-love-with-a-ten-year-old drama BIRTH, Paul reports on the recent AMERICAN MASTERS documentary about Woody Allen, and we both debate whether BREAKING DAWN can actually cause someone to have a seizure and whether the rainbows in the song "The Rainbow Connection" technically qualify as a metaphor.

0:00 — Intro/THE MUPPETS/BIRTH/BREAKING DAWN/WOODY ALLEN: A DOCUMENTARY
20:06 — Miniskirt, "Woody Allen Likes Japanese Noise Rock"
21:10 — THE FUTURE
36:51 — Sparks, "In The Future"
37:49 — ANOTHER EARTH
50:56 — The Only Ones, "Another Planet, Another Girl"
52:08 — Other noteworthy new DVDs and Blu-Rays/Outro 

Paul and Heather experience strong feelings of liberty, equality, and fraternity as they review the new Criterion edition of Krzysztof Kieslowski's early-’90s arthouse landmark THE THREE COLORS TRILOGY: BLUE, starring Juliette Binoche; WHITE, starring Julie Delpy; and RED, starring Irène Jacob. Plus: mini-reviews of Seijun Suzuki's whacked-out yakuza flick YOUTH OF THE BEAST and the third season of IN TREATMENT, even more DOWNTON ABBEY talk, and the usual roundup of the week's other most noteworthy new DVDs and Blu-Rays.

0:00 — Intro/YOUTH OF THE BEAST/IN TREATMENT/DOWNTON ABBEY redux
12:15 — Zbigniew Preisner, "Song For The Unification Of Europe (Julie's Version" (from the original soundtrack of THREE COLORS: BLUE)
13:32 — THE THREE COLORS TRILOGY
41:30 — Zbigniew Preisner, "Meeting The Judge" (from the original soundtrack of THREE COLORS: RED)
42:30 — Other noteworthy new DVDs and Blu-Rays/Outro 

Paul and Heather examine two movies about storybook romances featuring take-charge women: Errol Morris' lively truth-is-stranger-than-fiction documentary TABLOID, and Catherine Breillat's subversive fairytale adaptation THE SLEEPING BEAUTY. Plus: Heather contributes a mini-review of WAIT UNTIL DARK (and admits to a lifelong inability to understand what the big deal is with Audrey Hepburn), Paul reports on his recent viewings of Monte Hellman's ROAD TO NOWHERE and the BBC period drama DOWNTON ABBEY, and we both round up the week's other most noteworthy new DVDs and Blu-Rays.

0:00 — Intro/WAIT UNTIL DARK/ROAD TO NOWHERE/DOWNTON ABBEY
21:46 — Nina Simone, "I Can't See Nobody"
22:50 — TABLOID
39:15 — Sugar Bear, "Don't Scandalize Mine"
40:15 — THE SLEEPING BEAUTY
53:46 — Lene Lovich, "Sleeping Beauty"
55:10 — Other noteworthy new DVDs and Blu-Rays 

Paul and Heather sort out their daddy issues as they review two films about father-son relationships: Mike Mills' semi-autobiographical BEGINNERS, about his relationship with his dying father, who came out of the closet at the age of 75; and A BETTER LIFE, Chris Weitz' empathetic portrait of a self-sacrificing illegal immigant father working as a gardener in Los Angeles and his ungrateful teenage son. Plus: Heather offers her mini-review of the harrowing British nuclear-holocaust docudrama THREADS, Paul talks about the early Mike Leigh comedy NUTS IN MAY, and we both round up the week's other most notable new DVD and Blu-Ray releases.

0:00 — Intro/THREADS/NUTS IN MAY
15:15 — Portishead, "Threads"
16:19 — BEGINNERS
30:38 — Eels, "Beginner's Luck"
31:49 — A BETTER LIFE
44:44 — Q-Tip (featuring Norah Jones), "Life Is Better"
46:07 — Other noteworthy new DVDs and Blu-Rays/Outro 

Monsters! Monsters! Monsters! Paul and Heather get a jumpstart on Halloween by reviewing the British teens-versus aliens cult hit ATTACK THE BLOCK, as well as the new Criterion edition of the 1932 pre-Code shocker ISLAND OF LOST SOULS. Plus: a wide-ranging discussion of 50/50, DRIVE, and the best "Hollywood" film of the year so far, and our usual roundup of the week's other most noteworthy new DVDs and Blu-Rays.

0:00 — Intro/50/50/DRIVE
14:30 — Sloan, "I Am The Cancer"
15:36 — ATTACK THE BLOCK
28:18 — Chelsea, "Urban Kids"
29:17 — ISLAND OF LOST SOULS
42:33 — Jonathan Coulton, "Skullcrusher Mountain"
44:30 — Other noteworthy new DVDs and Blu-Rays/Outro 

Paul and Heather bust out their Bibles and their semi-automatic weapons to review Kevin Smith's very un-Kevin-Smithy siege drama RED STATE, then take an eerie trip through the Japanese forest with the new Criterion edition of Kineta Shindo's eerie 1968 ghost story KURONEKO. Plus: Heather reports on the goings-on at International Independent Video Store Day and contributes a mini-review of John Carpenter's unfairly derided sci-fi satire ESCAPE FROM L.A., Paul talks about Christophe Honoré's unconventional Parisian musical LOVE SONGS, and we round up the week's other most notable new DVDs and Blu-Rays.

0:00 — Intro/International Independent Video Store Day/ESCAPE FROM L.A./LOVE SONGS
17:16 — The Cure, "Lovesong"
18:15 — RED STATE
33:27 — Belle and Sebastian, "The State I Am In"
34:37 — KURONEKO
48:21 — Lalo Schifrin, "The Cat"
49:16 — Other noteworthy new DVDs and Blu-Rays/Outro 

Paul and Heather hop in the car with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon to review Michael Winterbottom's quasi-documentary comedy THE TRIP, then don their pyjamas to hang out with troubled teen Jacob Wysocki and high school principal John C. Reilly in TERRI. Plus, a wide-ranging discussion of HBO's post-SOPRANOS/SIX FEET UNDER/DEADWOOD fallow period sparked by Heather's recent viewing of the first season of ROME, and our usual roundup of the week's other notable new DVDs and Blu-Rays.

0:00 — Intro/ROME/HBO, yea or nay?
16:32 — Yeasayer, "Rome"
17:36 — THE TRIP
31:22 — Kim Fowley, "The Trip"
32:24 — TERRI
49:03 — Sartre's Lobster, "Pyjamarama"
50:07 — Other notable new DVDs and Blu-Rays