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

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