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

Erin and Paul review two movies about the Phantom of the Opera, neither of them containing songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber. First: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, the 1925 silent classic starring Lon Chaney as a disfigured, romantically obsessed man who lives in the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera House, periodically surfacing to offer casting advice to the company's management; then, PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, Brian de Palma's 1974 cult musical starring Paul Williams as a demonic, babyfaced record-company magnate who swindles a brilliant young composer into providing the score for a garish new rock spectacular. Pipe organs or chest-mounted vocoders: which will prevail?

Plus, quick takes on THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA THE MOVIE: REBELLION, THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE, I'M SO EXCITED!, and IS THE MAN WHO IS TALL HAPPY?

Direct download: TAATM_88__The_Phantom_Of_The_Opera_vs._The_Phantom_Of_The_Paradise.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 10:17pm EDT

Heather Noel returns to the podcast to talk about two movies inspired by the Kennedy assassination and the many conspiracy theories that try to explain it. First: JFK, Oliver Stone's 1991 epic starring Kevin Costner as a New Orleans district attorney whose obsessive pursuit of Kennedy's killers threatens to destroy his reputation and his marriage; then, WINTER KILLS, William Richert's offbeat 1979 thriller starring Jeff Bridges as the younger brother of an assassinated president who stumbles across new evidence which suggests a vast (and very confusing) conspiracy might have been behind his brother's murder. Secret sex parties with Tommy Lee Jones, or secret sex parties with John Huston: which will prevail?

Plus: a Heather Noel update, and quick takes on TRUST, THE BAD SEED, BLUE JASMINE, AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS, and POST TENEBRAS LUX.

Direct download: TAATM_87__JFK_vs._Winter_Kills.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 10:54pm EDT

Paul and Erin grip their bloody hands around the steering wheel as they discuss two films about murderous couples on the road, both inspired by the 1958 Charles Starkweather/Caril Ann Fugate case. First: BADLANDS, Terrence Malick's 1973 New Hollywood classic starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as a sociopathic James Dean lookalike and his affectless teenaged girlfriend; then, NATURAL BORN KILLERS, Oliver Stone's 1994 exercise in sensory overload starring Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis as a pair of mass murderers whose bloody exploits make them the biggest celebrities in America. Warren Oates getting shot in the back, or Rodney Dangerfield getting drowned in an aquarium: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on FROZEN, VIC AND FLO SAW A BEAR, COMPUTER CHESS, and PRINCE AVALANCHE.

Direct download: TAATM_86__Badlands_vs._Natural_Born_Killers.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 3:10am EDT

Paul and Erin focus their ocular viewing implants upon two films about female cyborgs struggling against the forces of social oppression. First: I'M A CYBORG BUT THAT'S OK, Park Chan-Wook's offbeat 2006 film about an inmate in a mental institution who falls in love with a female patient whose belief that she is actually a robot endangers her life; then, CYBORG, the 1989 Jean-Claude Van Damme post-apocalyptic B-movie about a mercenary who attempts to rescue a female cyborg whose brain holds the key to saving the world from plague, anarchy, genocide, and starvation. 

Plus: quick takes on HOW I LIVE NOW, VIOLET & DAISY, DELIVERY MAN, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, and Spike Lee's OLDBOY remake.

Direct download: TAATM_85__Im_A_Cyborg_But_Thats_OK_vs._Cyborg.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 11:28pm EDT

Paul and Erin review two films about movie characters walking off the screen and into the real world. First: THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO, Woody Allen's wistful 1985 comedy starring Mia Farrow as a mousy Depression-era waitress who embarks on a whirwind romance with a handsome fictional character from the movie playing at the local theatre; then, LAST ACTION HERO, director John McTiernan's high-concept 1993 flop about a twelve-year-old action-movie fanatic who gets magically transported into the outrageous, larger-than-life world of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. A madcap Manhattan weekend, or an explosion-filled killing spree: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on THE RAID: REDEMPTION, THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN, ASS BACKWARDS, FRANCES HA, and BOTTLE ROCKET.

Direct download: TAATM_84__The_Purple_Rose_Of_Cairo_vs._Last_Action_Hero.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 2:46am EDT

Erin and Paul review two Euro-style musicals featuring all-star casts of illustrious actresses, and with numbers in the title. First: 8 WOMEN, François Ozon's 2002 confection in which eight women must solve an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery while trapped inside a snowbound country house; then, NINE, director Rob Marshall's splashy 2009 musical remake of Fellini's 8 1/2, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as a womanizing Italian film director coping with a shortage of ideas and an overabundance of beautiful women as his latest movie goes into production. Frenchwomen in rainbow-coloured dresses, or Italian women in black lingerie: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on THE AVENGERS, QUADROPHENIA, DRINKING BUDDIES, ZERO CHARISMA, and AMERICAN MARY.

Direct download: TAATM_83__8_Women_vs._Nine.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 2:01am EDT

Paul and Erin review two movies featuring main characters with incomprehensible ways of talking. First: NELL, the 1994 drama starring Jodie Foster as a woman who has grown up in an isolated cabin in the North Carolina wilderness, speaking her own private language; then, POOTIE TANG, the 2001 blaxploitation spoof written and directed by Louis C.K., starring Lance Crouther as a singer, ladies' man, and crimefighter who is literally "too cool for words." Chicka chicka chickabee, or sine your pitty on the runny kine: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on MAN OF TAI CHI, ABOUT TIME, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, and A BAND CALLED DEATH.

Direct download: TAATM_82__Nell_vs._Pootie_Tang.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 9:28pm EDT

In honour of Halloween, Paul and Erin review two lighthearted movies about the love lives of sexy, sexy witches. First: I MARRIED A WITCH, René Clair's 1942 romantic fantasy starring Fredric March as a gubernatorial candidate and Veronica Lake as the beautiful vengeful witch who turns his straitlaced life upsdie-down; then, PRACTICAL MAGIC, the 1998 chick flick starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sister witches who must combine their magical powers to overcome the family curse that dooms any man who falls in love with them to an untimely death. A magical bottle of whisky, or a magical bottle of tequila: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on A TOUCH OF SIN, ROMEO AND JULIET, THE PURGE, and ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW.

Direct download: TAATM_81__I_Married_A_Witch_vs._Practical_Magic.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 1:50am EDT

Paul and Erin review two films inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 slasher-movie classic PSYCHO. First: PSYCHO, director Gus Van Sant's nealry shot-for-shot 1998 recreation of the Hitchcock original, starring Anne Heche and Vince Vaughn in the roles made famous by Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins; then, PSYCHO II, director Richard Franklin's 1983 sequel, in which Norman Bates returns to the Bates Motel after being released from the mental institution, only to find himself once again slipping into madness... and possibly murder. Vince Vaughn dressed up as an old lady, or Meg Tilly dressed up as an old lady: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on the CARRIE remake, EVOCATEUR: THE MORTON DOWNEY JR. STORY, THE SPECTACULAR NOW, and KID-THING.

Direct download: TAATM_80__Psycho_1998_vs._Psycho_II.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 10:21pm EDT

Paul and Erin rebound from last week's lost episode with a triple-decker matchup involving THREE cinematic retellings of the story of Snow White, all from 2012: Pablo Berger's silent, bullfighting-filled BLANCANIEVES, Tarsem Singh's light-hearted, ultra-stylish MIRROR MIRROR, and Rupert Sanders' fantasy action epic SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN. Mirror, mirror on the wall: who's the fairest of them all?

Plus: quick takes on MUSEUM HOURS, CRYSTAL FAIRY, GRAVITY, IVAN'S CHILDHOOD, THE GAME, THE HOT ROCK, and REWIND THIS!


Paul and Erin tackle two films about high-school football in small-town Texas. First: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, director Peter Berg's 2004 drama about a year in the life of the Permian Panthers, the inspiration for the beloved TV series; then, VARSITY BLUES, the fondly remembered 1999 film starring James Van Der Beek as a Vonnegut-reading quarterback who butts heads all season long with Jon Voight's evil, victory-at-all-costs coach. An offensive guard named Billy Bob, or an actor named Billy Bob: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on lesbian vampire movies, OUR NIXON, BROADCHURCH, UTOPIA, and PRISONERS.

Direct download: TAATM_78__Friday_Night_Lights_vs._Varsity_Blues.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 2:53am EDT

Erin and Paul review two films about old-timey jazz clubs and the gangsters who kept them in business. First: THE COTTON CLUB, Francis Ford Coppola's ambitious 1984 Prohibition-era crime drama set against the backdrop of the legendary Harlem nightclub; then, IDLEWILD, the overlooked 2006 musical starring OutKast's Andre 3000 and Big Boi as performers at a 1930s Georgia juke joint, Paula Patton as the clubs's gorgeous new singer, and Terrence Howard as the violent gangster who makes everyone's life miserable.

Plus: quick takes on A SINGLE MAN, THE FAMILY, WASTE LAND, and TWIXT.

Direct download: TAATM_77__The_Cotton_Club_vs._Idlewild.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 2:06am EDT

Erin and Paul review two films about two very different kung fu masters and their rise to greatness. First: THE GRANDMASTER, the much-anticipated new drama from director Womg Kar-Wai, an impressionistic biography starring Tony Leung as the legendary martial artist and teacher Ip Man; then, KUNG FU PANDA, the 2008 computer-animated martial-arts comedy starring Jack Black as a food-loving, unathletic panda bear who undergoes a crash course in kung fu after being identified as the great warrior who is destined to defend his village from a vengeful leopard. A fighter plagued by heartsickness, or a fighter ruled by hunger: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on RIDDICK, GETAWAY, YOU'RE NEXT, THE HEAT, THE CANYONS, and PASSION.

Direct download: TAATM_76__The_Grandmaster_vs._Kung_Fu_Panda.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 3:49am EDT

Paul and Erin grade two films that vividly portray the breakdown in teacher-student relationships. First: THE CLASS, Laurent Cantet's 2008 Palme d'Or-winning slice-of-life drama about a year in the life of a multicultural French classroom; then, THE FACULTY, Robert Rodriguez's 1998 horror comedy about a group of teenage misfits who join together to battle the bodysnatching aliens who have taken over their high school. The imperfect subjunctive, or Josh Hartnett's imperfect haircut: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO, IN A WORLD, THE WORLD'S END, STORIES WE TELL, and ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US.

Direct download: TAATM_75__The_Class_vs._The_Faculty.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 2:33am EDT

Erin and Paul examine two films about homely men who get turned into handsome men, only to find that handsomeness doesn't solve everything. First: SECONDS, John Frankenheimer's long-out-of-circulation 1966 thriller about a middle-aged banker who reinvents himself as a studly bohemian artist through the services of a mysterious corporation; then, JOHNNY HANDSOME, Walter Hill's 1989 crime flick about a badly deformed criminal who gets a chance at a new life after undergoing radical facial surgery, but who cannot resist the chance to get revenge on his double-crossing former associates. Handsome Rock Hudson or handsome Mickey Rourke: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER, BLUE JASMINE, and CLEAR HISTORY.

Direct download: TAATM_74__Seconds_vs._Johnny_Handsome.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 2:20am EDT

Paul and Erin review two sympathetic comic portraits of horny teenaged girls. First: THE TO DO LIST, writer/director Maggie Carey's comedy starring Aubrey Plaza as a girl who sets out to cram a lifetime of sexual experiences into the summer before she heads off to college; then, TURN ME ON, GODDAMMIT!, writer/director Jannicke Systad Jacobsen's 2011 Norwegian comedy/drama about a fifteen-year-old girl whose forthright attitude towards sex makes her an outcast among her classmates, and in her own house. Boise, Idaho or Skoddeheimen, Norway: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on FRUITVALE STATION, ELYSIUM, ONLY GOD FORGIVES, and the 2013 remake of THE EVIL DEAD.

Direct download: TAATM_73__The_To_Do_List_vs._Turn_Me_On_Goddammit.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:38am EDT

Erin and Paul review two classic movies about missing bikes and their owners' desperate efforts to retrieve them. First: THE BICYCLE THIEF, Vittorio de Sica's 1948 Italian neorealist classic about a poverty-stricken Roman man who must either find his stolen bicycle or lose the job that his family's livelihood depends on; then, PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE, Tim Burton's eccentric 1985 debut feature starring Paul Reubens as a childlike man who travels across America in hopes of retrieving his prize possession: a shiny red bicycle. The back rooms of a church, or the basement of the Alamo: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on R.I.P.D. and THE ACT OF KILLING.

Direct download: TAATM_72__The_Bicycle_Thief_vs._Pee-Wees_Big_Adventure.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 4:33am EDT

Erin and Paul endorse two films about dying men living in the shadow of an ominous volcano. First: JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO, John Patrick Shanley's quirky 1990 cult comedy starring Tom Hanks as a man who, upon learning he has five months left to live, embarks on a quest to an exotic island where he plans to sacrifice himself to a volcano; then, UNDER THE VOLCANO, John Huston's 1984 film version of Malcolm Lowry's novel starring Albert Finney as an alcoholic former British diplomat in pre-World War II Mexico who drinks his way through the Day of the Dead festivities, accompanied by his ex-wife. Can after can of orange soda, or bottle after bottle of tequila: which will prevail?

Also: quick takes on NANCY PLEASE, THE BRASS TEAPOT, THE CONJURING and SIGHTSEERS.

Direct download: TAATM_71__Joe_Versus_The_Volcano_vs._Under_The_Volcano.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:53am EDT

Erin and Paul discuss many matters Statham-related and otherwise as they review two movies about extremely skilled delivery people. First: THE TRANSPORTER, the 2002 Jason Statham vehicle about an ultra-cool driver-for-hire with a rigid code of professional conduct (and a rock-hard set of abs) who tangles with a gang of human traffickers; then, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, Hayao Miyazaki's 1989 animated classic about a thirteen-year-old witch-in-training who puts her broom-riding skills to use by setting up her own parcel-delivering business. Souped-up BMW or flying broom: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on PACIFIC RIM and, believe it or not, GROWN UPS 2.

Direct download: TAATM_70__The_Transporter_vs._Kikis_Delivery_Service.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 10:12pm EDT

Paul and Erin review two movies featuring characters who spend most of the film wearing an iconic mask. First: EYES WITHOUT A FACE, Georges Franju's shocking yet poetic 1960 horror classic about a surgeon whose attempts to perform a face transplant on his disfigured daughter leave a trail of corpses in their wake; then, THE MASK, the 1994 special-effects comedy starring Jim Carrey as a meek bank teller who transforms into a zoot-suited wildman under the influence of a magical ancient Norwegian mask. Immobile white mask or rubberfaced green mask: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on season four of JUSTIFIED, WHITE HOUSE DOWN, CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER, GREENBERG, RUBY SPARKS, and SAVE THE DATE. And lots of love for Paul Feig.

Direct download: TAATM_69__Eyes_Without_A_Face_vs._The_Mask.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 10:29pm EDT

Poof! Erin and Paul review two movies about pairs of magicians whose games of oneupmanship go to deadly extremes. First: THE PRESTIGE, Christopher Nolan's 2006 drama starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as rival 19th-century stage magicians whose commitment to their art threatens to destroy each other, and everyone they love; then, PENN & TELLER GET KILLED, the 1989 oddity starring Penn and Teller as themselves, a team of smart-aleck magicians who must go on the run from a crazed fan after Penn glibly remarks on a TV talk show that he thinks it would be cool if someone were trying to kill him. The New Transported Man or The Magical Bouncing Bagel: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on GATE OF FLESH and WORLD WAR Z.

Direct download: TAATM_68__The_Prestige_vs._Penn__Teller_Get_Killed.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 1:28am EDT

Erin and Paul break down the DNA of two films that demonstrate the perils of creating genetically modified women. First: SPECIES, the gynephobic 1995 sci-fi/horror film starring Natasha Henstridge as an alien-human hybrid with a violent mating instinct; then, SPLICE, director Vincenzo Natali's Cronenbergian 2009 film starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley as a hotshot husband-and-wife team of genetic engineers who develop a perverse quasi-parental relationship with their latest creation. Sil or Dren: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on THE BLING RING, THIS IS THE END, and BEFORE MIDNIGHT.

Direct download: TAATM_67__Species_vs._Splice.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 11:00pm EDT

Paul and Erin review two films about driving long distances, but at very different speeds. First: THE STRAIGHT STORY, David Lynch's change-of-pace 1999 drama starring Richard Farnsworth as an elderly man who embarks on a six-week road trip via riding lawnmower to visit his estranged brother; then, DEATH RACE 2000, Paul Bartel's 1975 dystopian cult satire set in a future version of the United States where the most popular sporting event is a transcontinental auto race in which the competitors score points by killing pedestrians. John Deere or Don Steele: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on MUD, MAN OF STEEL, and THE ANGEL'S SHARE.

Direct download: TAATM_66__The_Straight_Story_vs._Death_Race_2000.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 8:50pm EDT

Paul and Erin review two movies whose titles promise untamed excitement and animalistic passion. First: WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers' hipster-friendly adaptation of Maurice Sendak's beloved children's picture-book; then, WILD THINGS, director John McNaughton's gleefully sleazy 1998 thriller starring Matt Dillon as a high school guidance counselor accused of raping teenage nymphets Denise Richards and Neve Campbell. Wild rumpus or sexy three-way: which will prevail?

Plus: quick takes on STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK, NOW YOU SEE ME, and SOUND CITY.

Direct download: TAATM_65__Where_The_Wild_Things_Are_vs._Wild_Things.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 11:01pm EDT

Paul and Heather review two tales of ambitious young women and their ruthless climb to stage stardom. First: ALL ABOUT EVE, Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1950 Hollywood classic starring Bette Davis as an aging Broadway star and Anne Baxter as her conniving understudy; then, SHOWGIRLS, Paul Verhoeven's 1995 trash epic starring Elizabeth Berkley as a dancer who schemes her way up the Las Vegas ladder of success, from stripper to star of the Stardust casino's nightly revue. "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night," or "Come back when you fuck some of that baby fat off!": which will prevail?

Also: quick takes on season four of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, THE COMEDY, and BEFORE SUNRISE.

Direct download: TAATM_64__All_About_Eve_vs._Showgirls.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 2:20am EDT

Erin and Paul review two films about teenage girls, complicated frienships, and horndog fathers. First: GINGER & ROSA, the new coming-of-age film from writer/director Sally Potter starring Elle Fanning as a budding anti-nuclear activist in 1962 Britain; then, the sequel-spawning 1992 trash classic POISON IVY, starring Drew Barrymore as a scantily clad bleached-blonde temptress who seduces her way into the home of a rich but alienated high school classmate. Protest marches or rain-soaked sex scenes: which will prevail?

Also: short takes on NORWEGIAN WOOD, the FAST AND THE FURIOUS franchise, and REPULSION.

Direct download: TAATM_63__Ginger_And_Rosa_vs._Poison_Ivy.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 3:01am EDT

Heather and Paul review NIGHTS OF CABIRIA, Federico Fellini's 1957 Italian neorealist classic starring Giulietta Masina as a streetwalker who retains her optimistic spirit even though life and men seem determined to disappoint her at every turn; and SWEET CHARITY, Bob Fosse's splashy 1969 musical remake of the same story, starring Shirley MacLaine as a lovelorn taxidancer in New York City. A malevolent hypnotist, or an evangelist played by Sammy Davis Jr.: which will prevail?

Plus: short takes on a pair of Les Blank documentaries, CLOUD ATLAS, season two of GAME OF THRONES, THE GREAT GATSBY, and DAMSELS IN DISTRESS.

Direct download: TAATM_62__Nights_Of_Cabiria_vs._Sweet_Charity.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 9:52pm EDT

The power of Christ compels Paul and Erin to review two films about young women being exorcised. First: BEYOND THE HILLS, writer/director Cristian Mungiu's intense drama about two longtime female friends who find themselves at cross purposes at a Romanian monastery; then, THE LAST EXORCISM, director Daniel Stamm's 2010 mock-documentary horror film about a team of filmmakers who set out to debunk the exorcism industry, only to find that the young woman they've chosen as a subject might be possessed by an actual demon. A girl forbidden to wear tracksuits, or a girl forbidden to wear Doc Martens: which will prevail?

Also: listener feedback, and mini-reviews of DARK STAR, PAIN & GAIN, and TO THE WONDER.

Direct download: TAATM_61__Beyond_The_Hills_vs._The_Last_Exorcism.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 2:31am EDT

Heather and Paul sink their fangs into two ferocious feminist takes on the werewolf genre. First: GINGER SNAPS, John Fawcett's 2000 Canadian cult classic about an outcast teenager searching for a cure for her sister's quickly advancing case of lycanthropy; then, THE COMPANY OF WOLVES, Neil Jordan's dreamlike 1984 Gothic fantasy, in which all the sexual undercurrents in the story of "Little Red Riding Hood" come roaring to the surface. A girl with a tail, or a man with a unibrow: which will prevail?

Plus: mini-reviews of UPSTREAM COLOR and PAIN & GAIN.

Direct download: TAATM_60__Ginger_Snaps_vs._The_Company_Of_Wolves.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 3:11am EDT

Paul and Erin slather on the sunscreen to review two films about college coeds who get more than they bargained for when they travel to Florida for spring break. First: SPRING BREAKERS, Harmony Korine's DayGlo provocation about four girls who discover their inner gangsters after robbing a restaurant in order to finance their spring break vacation; then, WHERE THE BOYS ARE, the iconic 1960 beach-party movie about four girls who each are tempted to lose their virginity during *their* spring break trip to Fort Lauderdale. Skrillex or Connie Francis: which will prevail?

Direct download: TAATM_59__Spring_Breakers_vs._Where_The_Boys_Are.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Heather and Paul crank up their speakers for two hyperstylized rock and roll fables. First: VELVET GOLDMINE, Todd Haynes' 1998 tribute to glam rock, starring Christian Bale as a reporter seeking the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of a flamboyant David Bowie-esque pop star; then, STREETS OF FIRE, Walter Hill's 1984 oddity starring Michael Paré as a drifter who returns home to the big city when his rock-star ex-girlfriend is kidnapped by Willem Dafoe and his rampaging biker gang. A magical brooch, or a sledgehammer fight: which will prevail?

Direct download: TAATM_58__Velvet_Goldmine_vs._Streets_Of_Fire.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 3:14am EDT

Erin and Paul put the hammer down on two films about long-haul truckers. First: THE WAGES OF FEAR, Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1953 suspense classic about a group of desperate men who agree to drive two truckloads of nitroglycerin across 300 miles of treacherous South American roads; then, CONVOY, Sam Peckinpah's 1978 movie version of the C.W. McCall novelty song starring Kris Kristofferson as an independent truck driver whose conflict with a crooked Arizona sheriff turns him into a reluctant folk hero. Yves Montand covered in oil, or Kris Kristofferson covered in sweat: which will prevail?

Plus: listener feedback and mini-reviews of OCEAN WAVES and OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL.

Direct download: TAATM_57__The_Wages_Of_Fear_vs._Convoy.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 3:12am EDT

Heather and Paul review two films about naive Americans who travel to northern Africa in search of enlightenment, and wind up lost in the desert instead. First: THE SHELTERING SKY, Bernardo Bertolucci's 1990 film version of Paul Bowles' novel starring John Malkovich and Debra Winger as a married couple who succumb to existential despair during a sojourn in Tangier; then, ISHTAR, Elaine May's notorious 1987 flop comedy starring Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty as a pair of deeply untalented singer/songwriters who get caught between the CIA and a band of left-wing freedom fighters during a gig at a Moroccan nightclub. John Malkovich losing his passport, or Dustin Hoffman losing his passport: which will prevail?

Plus: remembrances of Roger Ebert, and mini-reviews of FREE RADICALS and PHIL SPECTOR.

Direct download: TAATM_56__The_Sheltering_Sky_vs._Ishtar.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 3:57am EDT

Go sexin' with Paul and Erin as they review two movies about the highs and lows of sex addiction. First: SHAME, director Steve McQueen's austere 2011 drama about a successful Manhattan advertising executive whose appetite for porn and anonymous sex threatens to destroy his career, his relationship with his sister, and his soul; then, A DIRTY SHAME, writer/director John Waters' 2004 comedy about a prudish Baltimore convenience store clerk who joins a cult of sexual fetishists after receiving a personality-altering blow to her head. Michael Fassbender with a giant penis, or Selma Blair with giant breasts: which will prevail?

Direct download: TAATM_55__Shame_vs._A_Dirty_Shame.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 1:15pm EDT

Heather and Paul impeach the president not just once but twice as they examine two films about the Watergate scandal. First: ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, Alan J. Pakula's 1976 procedural following the Washington Post's investigation into the Watergate breakin; then DICK, director Andrew Fleming's 1999 comedy starring Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams as a pair of bubble-brained teenagers who inadvertently set in motion the chain of events that will eventually lead to Nixon's resignation. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, or Will Ferrell and Bruce McCulloch: which will prevail?

Direct download: TAATM_54__All_The_Presidents_Men_vs._Dick.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 6:45pm EDT

Paul and Erin examine two films about men descending into savagery in the Australian outback. First: WAKE IN FRIGHT, the recently rediscovered 1971 Aussie cinematic landmark about a schoolteacher whose overnight stay in a redneck mining town stretches into an extended spree of drinking, debauchery, and kangaroo hunting; then, MAD MAX, George Miller's 1979 action classic, set in the lawless, fuel-starved near-future, about a highway patrolman who becomes the target of a vengeful motorcycle gang. The Yabba or The Toecutter: which will prevail?

Direct download: TAATM_53__Wake_In_Fright_vs._Mad_Max.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 11:20pm EDT

Heather and Paul review two movies that peel back the curtain separating our world from the afterlife. First: ENTER THE VOID, Gaspar Noé's 2009 head-trip epic about a young drug dealer whose spirit restlessly roams the streets of Tokyo after he's shot to death in a nightclub men's room; then, FLATLINERS, Joel Schumacher's 1990 thriller starring Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin, and Oliver Platt as a group of medical students whose clandestine experiments with near-death experiences turn out to be even more dangerous than they look.

Direct download: TAATM_52__Enter_The_Void_vs._Flatliners.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 11:37pm EDT

Paul and Erin review two movies whose titles promise to show us creatures on the very high end of the attractiveness scale. First: BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, Richard LaGravenese's new film version of Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's YA fantasy novel about a teenaged Southern misfit whose budding romance with a new classmate is hampered by the fact that she comes from a family of witches. Then, HEAVENLY CREATURES, Peter Jackson's 1994 true-crime drama starring Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey as a pair of New Zealand teenagers whose very intense and obsessive friendship leads them to commit an act of cold-blooded murder. The Book of Moons or the Kingdom of Borovnia: which will prevail?

Direct download: TAATM_51__Beautiful_Creatures_vs._Heavenly_Creatures.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 11:25pm EDT

Heather and Paul look at two films about people attempting to make that awkward transition from platonic friends to porno-video co-stars. First: HUMPDAY, Lynn Shelton's 2009 mumblecore comedy about two estranged heterosexual male buddies who make a pact to have sex with each other on camera as their entry in an amateur porn contest; then, Kevin Smith's raunchy 2008 comedy ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO, starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as two cash-strapped roommates who hatch a scheme to produce and star in their own X-rated video as a means of digging themselves out of debt. An erotic art project or SWALLOW MY COCKACCINO: which will prevail?

Direct download: TAATM_50__Humpday_vs._Zack_And_Miri_Make_A_Porno.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 2:24am EDT

Paul and Erin don their top hats to review two films that take place backstage at the most famous and scandalous nightclub in turn-of-the-century Paris. First: FRENCH CANCAN, Jean Renoir's 1955 musical comedy starring Jean Gabin as the perpetually debt-ridden creator of the Moulin Rouge and Françoise Arnoul as the beautiful laundress he makes into a star; then, Baz Luhrmann's eye-popping 2001 extravaganza MOULIN ROUGE!, starring Ewan McGregor as a starry-eyed young poet and Nicole Kidman as the dying courtesan and cabaret actress who inspires him. A cameo from Edith Piaf, or a cameo from Kylie Minogue: which will prevail?

Direct download: TAATM_49__French_Cancan_vs._Moulin_Rouge.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Paul and Erin take a magical voyage into a pair of movies about babies being abducted into surreal fantasy worlds. First: THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN, the 1995 film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro starring Ron Perlman as a circus strongman who must rescue his baby brother from having his dreams harvested by a rapidly aging mad scientist; then, Jim Henson's fondly remembered 1986 fantasy LABYRINTH, starring Jennifer Connelly as a teenaged girl who must set things right after inadvertently allowing *her* baby brother to be kidnapped by David Bowie's Goblin King. A brain in a fishtank, or a bog of eternal stench: which will prevail?

Direct download: TAATM_48__The_City_Of_Lost_Children_vs._Labyrinth.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 1:15pm EDT

In honour of the new Jason Statham movie PARKER, Paul and Erin examine two earlier cinematic versions of Richard Stark's Parker novels. First: John Boorman's 1967 critics' favourite POINT BLANK, starring Lee Marvin as a thief out for revenge against the former partner who betrayed him and the crime syndicate who employes him. Then: PAYBACK, Brian Helgeland's 1999 remake of the same story, starring Mel Gibson as the thief and Gregg Henry as his sleazy betrayer. A Parker named Walker or a Parker named Porter: which will prevail?

Direct download: TAATM_47__Point_Blank_vs._Payback.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 3:24am EDT

Paul and Heather examine two non-identical movies about clones. First, Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield are students at a British boarding school who are being groomed for a sinister purpose in Mark Romanek's 2010 adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel NEVER LET ME GO; then, Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson are a pair of clones who learn that the futuristic spa in which they live is actually a cover for a sinister organ-harvesting megacorporation in Michael Bay's 2005 action thriller THE ISLAND. Hand-me-down sweaters or skin-tight jumpsuits: which will prevail?

Direct download: TAATM_46__Never_Let_Me_Go_vs._The_Island.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 11:24pm EDT

Erin and Paul look at two animated films about housecats and their contributions to lowering the French crime rate. First: Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli's Oscar-nominated 2010 adventure A CAT IN PARIS, in which a little girl's pet cat plays a surprisingly big role in bringing down a murderous gangster; then, the 1970 Disney cartoon THE ARISTOCATS, in which a pampered family of upper-class housecats must team up with a rogueish alley cat to defeat the unscrupulous butler who is attempting to cheat them out of their inheritance. Cat burglars or catnappers: which will prevail?

Direct download: TAATM_45__A_Cat_In_Paris_vs._The_Aristocats.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

A special jumbo-sized edition of the podcast in which Erin, Heather, and Paul all reveal their top-secret lists of the 10 best movies of 2012. Plus, choices for the year's most overrated and underrated films, the best performances, and the most pleasurable cinematic surprises and discoveries.

Direct download: TAATM_44__Year-End_MEGASODE__Top_10_Films_Of_2012_And_More.mp3
Category:TV and Film -- posted at: 1:32am EDT