The MacGuffin

In honor of John Carter, Spencer and Greg discuss fish-out-of-water stories. Then they cover Adam Scott’s career for Friends with Kids, before giving DVD picks.

Another Top 5 segment from The MacGuffin. This time Allen and Brandi share their top 5 character actors.

This segment is also available on Stitcher and iTunes. The audio version can be downloaded directly from here. After you’ve watched the video please vote in our poll and share which one you think is the best.

I watch at least 31 scary movies in October for no other reason than I can. It’s fun, and why the hell wouldn’t I? This year I kicked off a little early on September 30^th by watching Alien on the big(ish) screen at the Grand Illusion Cinema in Seattle. During my film journey this month, I’ve watched a couple of other movies that predate Alien, but are surprisingly similar to it. I don’t know for sure that the creators of Alien saw these movies, but I would not be at all surprised if they had. All three movies deal with rescue missions on inhospitable planets, but each one is enjoyable for a completely different reason. Also, for full disclosure, I can never tell the difference between airshafts and engineering access tunnels in space movies, so I’m just gonna call them airshafts. This will make more sense later.

Spencer and Greg discuss Aaron Eckhart in advance of The Rum Diary, think about horror films that influenced them growing up and give DVD picks of the week.

As part of our horror celebration for the month of October, we will be running a series of polls to try to nail down the best horror films from specific periods of time. This time we are tackling the best horror film of the 1970s. Please make your selection from the list below (or write it in if there is something else missing). Even better, share in the comments why you made your selection.

A staircase spirals around, leading you down underneath the Experience Music Project Museum. You know you’re heading in the right direction because things have taken a darker turn. The lighting has the distinct color of red, and in the background you can hear the faint cries and screams of people in desperate need of some help. Off on the left wall from the staircase is a large black and white collage of nameless faces, all perfectly photographed at the precise moment they let out a horrific shriek. It goes without saying that the tone the EMP is going for at this particular point is to create some kind of descent into a hellish place. At the bottom of the stairwell are glass doors, and once a person walks through them, they enter a world of goblins, ghouls, monsters, and a whole bunch of other really cool stuff.

Tabloid

When I heard a new Errol Morris documentary was coming out, I squealed, which confused my husband, because I don’t normally make that noise. I remember seeing The Thin Blue Line on PBS back in 1988 and being amazed at how different it was than anything else I had seen before. Morris had used interviews, reenactments, and a Philip Glass score to tell the story of Randall Adams, a man who claimed that he was wrongly convicted of killing a police officer. The composition of the film was so unusual I had some difficulty wrapping my mind around it—and then promptly watched it again as soon as I could. Also, in my mind, Morris’s The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara is one of the most engrossing films ever made. So yeah, I may have squealed.

Another Top 5 segment from The MacGuffin. This time Brandi and John share their top 5 aliens.

This segment is also available on Stitcher, iTunes, and Zune. The audio version can be downloaded directly from here. After you’ve watched the video please vote in our poll and share which one you think is the best.

The adventure film. Of all the genres and subgenres that movies incorporate, I feel that the adventure film is the one that excites people the most. It’s the kind of movie that can bring people to the theater in droves; it touches us in a way that no other film can. When we watch a really well-made adventure movie, it’s like being taken on a one of a kind ride. One moment, we are on the edge of our seats with suspense and anxiety; the next, we cover our eyes from the dangers that befall our heroes and heroines. Our eyes are glued to the screen as we are taken to exotic locations at the far edges of the world, meeting people of all different walks of life, our bowl of popcorn ready in hand. Of all the great adventure films that have been made, one of the first—and still one of the finest—is the classic film directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, (1933).

Alien
1979; directed by Ridley Scott; screenplay by Dan O’Bannon; story by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett

Allen: To me, not only does Alien belong up there as one of the best horror films, but also one of the best science fiction films ever made.