Trash, Art, And The Movies
The podcast that pits arthouse cinema against brainless entertainment—and then declares a victor.

Paul and Heather join Vincent Cassel on an epic international crime spree in the four-hour bankrobber biopic MESRINE; and we finish 2010 off by having dinner with Fatih Akin in SOUL KITCHEN. Plus: we discuss the Golden Globe nominations, Heather offers her mini-review of THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VÉRONIQUE, and we reveal our picks for the next two weeks' most notable new DVD releases. Yes, two weeks. Sorry... you're going to have to spend Christmas without us.


Paul and Heather get weepy with Rodrigo Garcia's ensemble drama MOTHER AND CHILD, and spend a year with the legendary standup comic and plastic surgery addict in the documentary JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK. Plus: our reactions to the list of the highest-grossing films of 2010, Heather's mini-review of Spike Lee's SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT, and our usual rundown of the week's most notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_38__Mother_And_Child_Joan_Rivers__A_Piece_Of_Work.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather delve into Criterion's big new box set devoted to the output of one of the most influential production companies of the New Hollywood era. Up for discussion: HEAD, EASY RIDER, FIVE EASY PIECES, A SAFE PLACE, DRIVE HE SAID, THE KING OF MARVIN GARDENS, and THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. Plus: Heather reports on the efficacy of THE MIST as a hangover cure, Paul's movie knowledge allows him to discover his new favourite sandwich, and we both draw up our lists of the week's other most notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_37__America_Lost_And_Found__The_BBS_Story.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather get unexpectedly nostalgic for life in the 1990s with THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP, and not nostalgic in the slightest for life way back at the start of the millennium in VALHALLA RISING. Plus: Paul gets misogynist with David Mamet and William H. Macy in EDMOND, Heather watches Woody Allen's CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS and BROADWAY DANNY ROSE for the very first time, and we both scrape together our lists of the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_36__The_Special_Relationship_Valhalla_Rising.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather attempt to sniff out the hoaxes and the put-up jobs as they review Banksy's documentary about an idiot savant interloper in the world of street art, EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP; and Casey Affleck's documentary about Joaquin Phoenix's spectacular act of career suicide, I'M STILL HERE. Plus: Heather reviews MARWENCOL, Paul talks about Nathan Rabin's book MY YEAR OF FLOPS, and our lists of the week's other most intriguing new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_35__Exit_Through_The_Gift_Shop_Im_Still_Here.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather look on as Mark Ruffalo invades Annette Bening and Julianne Moore's longtime lesbian relationship in THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT; and move into a shabby New York apartment with Paul Dano and Kevin Kline in THE EXTRA MAN. Plus mini-reviews of SOUTH OF THE BORDER, DAVID HOLZMAN'S DIARY, and JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN, plus we both name our choices for the three most intriguing new DVD releases of the week.

Direct download: Episode_34__The_Kids_Are_All_Right_The_Extra_Man.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather spend a traumatic weekend in the woods with Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg in Lars von Trier's ANTICHRIST; and report back on our screenings of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL and Michael Cimino's HEAVEN'S GATE. Plus our regular roundup of the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_33__Antichrist_Ali__Fear_Eats_The_Soul_Heavens_Gate.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather get swept up in the melodramatic splendour of I AM LOVE, and splattered by the skull-smashing action of CENTURION. Plus: post-Halloween horror recommendations, a roundup of the week's other notable new DVD releases, and the long-overdue return of the DVD Helmet Of Mystery.

Direct download: Episode_32__I_Am_Love_Centurion.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather go into the crime-ridden Ozark backwoods with a teenage girl searching for her missing father in WINTER'S BONE, and take a vacation with seven Japanese schoolgirls at a malevolent cottage in the insane horror/comedy HOUSE. Plus: Heather shares her thoughts on MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW, and we round up the rest of the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_31__Winters_Bone_House.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather suffer a massive dose of liberal guilt alongside Catherine Keener in PLEASE GIVE, and ponder the mysteries of the solar system with Rachel Weisz in AGORA. Plus: Heather reviews Lucretia Martel's THE HEADLESS WOMAN, Paul explains the difference between vavavoomologists and "stealth Welches," and we take radically different stances on the issue of teenage girls and $240 jeans. Plus our usual roundup of the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_30__Please_Give_Agora.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather cram reviews of three new DVDs into this week's podcast: the Edward Norton acting showcase LEAVES OF GRASS, Wes Anderson's underrated dysfunctional-family comedy/drama THE DARJEELING LIMITED, and Ingmar Bergman's fable about science, God, and theatre THE MAGICIAN. Plus: Heather reviews the Jay Baruchel comedy THE TROTSKY, Paul sings the praises of high-definition digital projection, and our usual roundup of the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_29__Leaves_Of_Grass_The_Darjeeling_Limited_The_Magician.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather review the sumptuous Oscar-nominated animated feature THE SECRET OF KELLS; and Michel Gondry's intimate documentary portrait of his schoolteacher aunt, THE THORN IN THE HEART. Plus, early comments on the new films from Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Mike Leigh, comments on the passing of Sally Menke, Tony Curtis, and Arthur Penn, and our roundup of the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_28__The_Secret_Of_Kells_The_Thorn_In_The_Heart.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather review Michael Winterbottom's controversial crime thriller THE KILLER INSIDE ME, and the new Criterion edition of Nagisa Oshima's homoerotic 1983 POW drama MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE. Plus: Netflix comes to Canada, "What's Heather Been Watching?" and our roundup of the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_27__The_Killer_Inside_Me_Merry_Christmas_Mr._Lawrence.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather review the Oscar-winning Argentinean thriller THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES, and Neil Jordan's whimsical yet earthbound Irish romantic fantasy ONDINE. Plus our roundup of the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_26__The_Secret_In_Their_Eyes_Ondine.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather review Werner Herzog's bizarre hostage-crisis drama MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE; and Antonio Campos' coolly observed drama about sex, lies, and video-streaming websites, AFTERSCHOOL. Plus, we take Dennis Cozzalio's Labour Day Film Quiz, and round up the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_25__My_Son_My_Son_What_Have_Ye_Done_Afterschool.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather join Michael Douglas on his self-destructive downward spiral in SOLITARY MAN, and join Jean-Pierre Jeunet on his whimsical plan to destroy a pair of French arms manufacturers in MICMACS. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_24__Solitary_Man_Micmacs.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather review the gritty Michael Caine vigilante thriller HARRY BROWN, and George A. Romero's latest tale of the forthcoming zombie apocalypse, SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_23__Harry_Brown_Survival_Of_The_Dead.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather review Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's coming-of-age dramedy CEMETERY JUNCTION and the Criterion reissue of Marcel Camus' music-filled romantic fable BLACK ORPHEUS. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Note: The screening of Robert Altman's THE COMPANY, which Paul will be introducing, takes place at Edmonton's Stanley Milner Library on August 28 at 1:30 p.m.

Direct download: Episode_22__Cemetery_Junction_Black_Orpheus.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Heather return from their summer hiatus with a jumbo-sized, thank-you-for-waiting episode in which they review Terry Zwigoff's uncomfortably intimate documentary CRUMB, and leap to the defence of everything from VANILLA SKY to Loretta Young to Merchant/Ivory movies to hilarious talking skeletons.


Episode #20: Mystery Train/Youth In Revolt/Collapse

Paul and Heather celebrate their last podcast before embarking on an extended summer hiatus with a jumbo-sized episode containing reviews of Jim Jarmusch's Memphis love letter MYSTERY TRAIN, Michael Cera's underappreciated teen sex comedy YOUTH IN REVOLT, and Chris Smith's nerve-wracking documentary COLLAPSE. Plus our recommendations of podcasts to listen to in our absence and our usual roundup of the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_20__Mystery_Train_Youth_In_Revolt_Collapse.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:01am EDT

Episode #19: Fish Tank/Tony Manero

Paul and Heather review Andrea Arnold's slice-of-life angry-young-woman drama FISH TANK, and go disco-dancing with a Travolta-worshipping Santiago psychopath in TONY MANERO. Plus our roundup of the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_19__Fish_Tank_Tony_Manero.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:01am EDT

Episode #18: The Sun/Mystery Team

Paul and Heather review the final film in Alexander Sokurov's dictator trilogy, THE SUN, and the first feature film from internet sketch troupe Derrick Comedy, MYSTERY TEAM. Plus: reactions to Apichatpong Weerasethakul's victory at Cannes, and a roundup of the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_18__The_Sun_Mystery_Team.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:01am EDT

Episode #17: The Road/Heathers/Opening Night

Paul and Heather review John Hillcoat's film version of Cormac McCarthy's supremely depressing post-apocalyptic novel THE ROAD, and obey the commands emanating from the DVD Helmet of Mystery to watch Winona Ryder in HEATHERS and Gena Rowlands in OPENING NIGHT. Plus the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_17__The_Road_Heathers_Opening_Night.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:01am EDT

Episode #16: The Messenger/The Stunt Man/Made In Britain

Paul and Heather review the homefront Iraq War drama THE MESSENGER, and revisit neglected early-’80s star turns by Peter O'Toole and Tim Roth in THE STUNT MAN and MADE IN BRITAIN. Plus, our takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_16__The_Messenger_The_Stunt_Man_Made_In_Britain.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:01am EDT

Episode #15: Me And Orson Welles (And Other Assorted Richard Linklater Obscurities)

Paul and Heather devote a jumbo-sized episode to the lesser-known films of indie-film icon Richard Linklater, including the backstage comedy-drama ME AND ORSON WELLES, the bank-robber biopic THE NEWTON BOYS, and the chamber drama TAPE. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases, and our first dip into the DVD Helmet Of Mystery.


Episode #14: Tetro/Tokyo Sonata

Paul and Heather review Francis Ford Coppola's black-and-white fraternal melodrama TETRO; and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's empathetic character study of a downsized Japanese office worker hiding his unemployment from his family, TOKYO SONATA. Plus Heather's geektastic report from the Calgary Expo, and quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_14__Tetro_Tokyo_Sonata.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:01am EDT

Episode #13: Ride With The Devil/The Fugitive Kind

Paul and Heather review two new Southern-flavoured Criterion DVDs: Ang Lee's overlooked 1999 Civil War epic RIDE WITH THE DEVIL, and Sidney's Lumet's 1960 Tennessee Williams/Marlon Brando/Anna Magnani smoulder-off THE FUGITIVE KIND. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_13__Ride_With_The_Devil_The_Fugitive_Kind.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:01am EDT

Episode #12: Mammoth/Uncertainty

Paul and Heather hop between New York, Thailand, and the Philippines with Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle Williams in MAMMOTH, and between two parallel realities with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins in UNCERTAINTY. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_12__Mammoth_Uncertainty.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:01am EDT

Episode #11: The Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans/Adam Resurrected

Paul and Heather watch Nicolas Cage chew the scenery in Werner Herzog's THE BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS and Jeff Goldblum play dog in Paul Schrader's ADAM RESURRECTED. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.


Episode #10: The Baader Meinhof Complex/The Yes Men Fix The World

Paul and Heather review two films about very different schools of political protest: Uli Edel's docudrama about urban terrorism in 1970s West Germany THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX, and the anti-globalization media-hoax documentary THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_10__The_Baader_Meinhof_Complex_The_Yes_Men_Fix_The_World.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:01am EDT

Episode #9: Bigger Than Life

Paul and new podcast co-host Heather Noel celebrate the institution that is the neighbourhood video rental store, and discuss the Criterion release of Nicholas Ray's cortisone-fueled 1956 melodrama BIGGER THAN LIFE. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_9__Bigger_Than_Life.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:01am EDT

Episode #8: Dillinger Is Dead/Brief Interviews With Hideous Men

Paul and David review the Criterion release of Marco Ferreri's one-of-a-kind 1969 satire DILLINGER IS DEAD; and John Krasinski's big-screen adaptation of David Foster Wallace's BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_8__Dillinger_Is_Dead_Brief_Interviews_With_Hideous_Men.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:01am EDT

Episode #7: The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee/Welcome To The Dollhouse/The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin

Paul and David review Rebecca Miller's female character study THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE, and begin clearing out their DVD "to-watch piles" by viewing WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE and THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.


Episode #6: Gentlemen Broncos/We Live In Public

Paul and David review the new would-be cult film from NAPOLEON DYNAMITE director Jared Hess, GENTLEMEN BRONCOS; and Ondi Timoner's documentary about internet pioneers and Orwellian social experimenter Josh Harris, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

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Direct download: Episode_6__Gentlemen_Broncos_We_Live_In_Public.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 1:00am EDT

Episode #5: The Box/The Damned United

Paul and David review Richard Kelly's convoluted sci-fi thriller THE BOX, and the based-on-a-true-story British sports drama THE DAMNED UNITED. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_5__The_Box_The_Damned_United.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Episode #4: Black Dynamite/Good Hair

Paul and David review the outrageous blaxploitation spoof BLACK DYNAMITE, and Chris Rock's lighthearted investigation into African-American beauty secrets GOOD HAIR. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_4__Black_Dynamite_Good_Hair.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 11:12am EDT

Episode #3: Mary And Max/Bronson

Paul and David review Adam Elliot's whimsical stop-motion animated film MARY AND MAX and the unconventional, ultraviolent prison biopic BRONSON. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_3__Mary_And_Max_Bronson.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 11:19pm EDT

Episode #2: Paris, Texas/Soul Power

Paul and David review the Criterion edition of Wim Wenders' 1984 tale of a broken man trying to piece together his broken family, PARIS, TEXAS; as well as the all-star funk/soul/R&B concert documentary SOUL POWER. Plus quick takes on the week's other notable new DVD releases.

Direct download: Episode_2__Paris_Texas_Soul_Power.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 8:59pm EDT

Episode #1: Bright Star/In The Cut Paul and David review two films from feminist auteur Jane Campion: her lyrical John Keats biopic BRIGHT STAR, and her little-seen 2003 erotic thriller IN THE CUT.
Direct download: Episode_1__Bright_Star_In_The_Cut.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 1:50pm EDT