The SXSW Film Festival is over. We didn’t make it to Austin this year, but we still had a festival experience in our very own home (Paul’s mom’s home, actually), thanks the IFC’s Festival Direct. While Joe Swanberg’s latest offering, Alexander the Last, was premeiring in Austin, we were watching it in a Michigan living room. We discuss how setting influences viewing, and the merits of the film.

We also discuss two other SXSW Festival Direct titles, Zift and Three Blind Mice.

Be sure to e-mail your most awkward movie watching moments involving sex scenes and your parents, to filmcouch [at] spout [dot] com.

0:00 - Intro

1:51 - Listener feedback

11:16 - Alexander the Last

30:39 - Zift, Three Blind Mice

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The success of Slumdog Millionaire, despite our reservations about it, has got us thinking about romance in film. We look to another Westerner’s spin on Indian romance, Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues. The animated feature, which is now available for free online, weaves an ancient Indian epic with a modern day break-up story, all with a soundtrack of vintage Annette Hanshaw. Then we look at Roman Holiday. A classic romance involving royalty, where the lovers don’t live happily ever after.

Karina tells us what to look out for at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival, the indie film destination where everybody knows your name. Don’t miss Alexander The Last, Drag Me To Hell, Sorry, Thanks, It Came From Kuchar, and St. Nick.

The economy may be failing, but Hollywood’s hype machine has been working overtime. It’s latest manufactured frenzy has finally reached a crescendo: Watchmen hits theaters today. Does it live up to the hype? Does it live up to the graphic novel? Does it live up to its own three hour run time? In searching for answers to these questions, the FilmCouchers meet in a epic battle on the precipice of the Apocalypse, or you could say, we disagree.

Karina checks in with an update on the True/False Film Festival. The little Missouri fest is quickly becoming one of the places to see top-notch documentaries. We discuss Love on Delivery, October Country, and We Live In Public.

In episode #108, we posed a simple question: Which movie should be turned into a graphic novel? Your responses to the question became the fodder for a great conversation. Turning the typical page-to-screen progression on its head, we dig into the strengths and weaknesses of each medium. We discuss the possibility of seeing Mystery Train, Walkabout, The Man Who Fell To Earth, Zardoz, Hero, Die Hard, and Gangs of New York crammed into little action-packed drawings.

We check in with Karina for a hindsight conversation about awards season. She poses the question: Who would win in a fight, Benjamin Button or Iron Man? The answer is as obvious as it seems, but not for the reason you think.

Want to win a copy of Watchmen: The Official Film Companion? Send us an e-mail telling us what film you think has the best production design in entire history of cinema. It’s that simple. E-mail filmcouch [at] spout [dot] com.

For our pre-Oscar show, we wanted to give our predictions of who will take home the little naked men, but we also wanted to give a running commentary on the awards as they happen. We reached a compromise. We’ve decided to put on our own Oscar ceremony, so we can react to our own predictions, all while providing witty and humorous insights. Watch out for a few upsets! Even we were surprised! (We’ll also be providing commentary on the actual show, via twitter, which you can follow right on SpoutBlog).

Karina joins us to talk about live-twittering the Oscars and the Independent Spirit Awards. She also talks about a compelling new documentary called Moving Midway.

(Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday)

Contests:
Tell us which movie you think should be turned into a graphic novel, for a chance to win the graphic novel version of Waltz With Bashir. Tell us which film has the best production design of all time, and you could win a companion tome to the forthcoming film, Watchmen. E-mail both to filmcouch (at) spout (dot) com.

0:00 - Intro

2:02 - Listener feedback, contests

9:51 - Our fake Oscars

30: 44 - Karina

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As economic woes turn to economic nightmares, comparisons to the Great Depression are a time a dozen. But what about movies? How did the movies of the ’30s respond to the crisis of the day? A series of pre-code Depression era films is being shown now at Film Forum, under the title Breadlines and Champagne. We take a look at American Madness, A Man’s Castle, and Our Daily Bread.

But what of the current crisis? Are there a slew of modern day Depression movies in the works? Maybe. Tom Hanks is rumored to be starring as a pensive barista in an adaptation of the riches-to-rags bestselling book, How Starbucks Saved My Life.

(Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday)

0:00 - Intro

1:26 - Waltz With Bashir graphic novel giveaway, listener feedback

6:48 - Kit Kittredge, Karina on Breadlines and Champagne

20:32 - Our Daily Bread

31:07 - How Starbucks Saved My Life

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We’ve already talked about the sickly-sweet little movie that could, Slumdog Millionaire, but it’s looming Oscar domination convinced us to revisit it. This time Paul weighs in with his opinion, and draws a parallel to John Singleton’s Boyz ‘N the Hood.

Watchmen is still a month away, but the buzz is already reaching a crescendo. It’s gotten to the point where the thing to talk about is how much people are talking about Watchmen. We play a clip from an interview with director Zach Snyder, who tries, somewhat unsuccessfully, to convince us he’s the man for the job.

A movie based an a self-help book based on a Sex In The City episode? Karina couldn’t resist. He’s Just Not That Into You isn’t very funny, but it does provide some insight into the inner workings of romantic comedies.

(Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday)

0:00 - Intro

2:10 - Listener e-mail

6:44 - Paul’s take on Slumdog Millionaire

17:33 - Watching the Watchmen hype machine

30:24 - Karina on He’s Just Not That Into You

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…And the Oscar for most sorrowful face goes to… Mickey Rourke! Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler grabbed our heart, slammed it to the mat, and showered it with tears. But does Mickey Rourke’s resurrection have what it takes to beat Sean Penn’s transformation in Milk?

Karina gives an update about IFC’s Festival Direct, a way to be among the first to see new indie films even if you can’t spring for a festival pass. Also, an odd run-in with Steven Soderbergh, who may or may not have a bone to pick with our intrepid blogger.

We debate which is the most absurd piece of Che merchandise sent in by listeners, and respond to feedback about usefulness of subjecting terrible, exploitative horror movies to the rigors of film criticism.

(Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday)

0:00 - Intro

2:05 - Absurd Che merchandise

9:42 - Listener response regarding horror and film criticism

15:30 - The Wrestler

35:58 - Karina on IFC, Che

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My Bloody Valentine 3D isn’t worth watching in one dimension, let alone three. But it does serve to spark some good conversation. What other gimmicks have boosted the box office of sub-par films? What does good contemporary horror look like? Neil Marshall’s The Descent offers a refreshing palette cleanser. Also, what do horror and porn have in common, besides cheap nudity?

Karina checks in from Park City with some hits and misses from this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Moon, Hump Day, and The September Issue were worth writing home about, while Paper Hearts and Brief Interviews with Hideous Men will quietly fall into obscurity (we hope).

Listen to FilmCouch and win free stuff! Send us an e-mail telling us the most absurd piece of merchandise you’ve seen branded with an image of Che Guevara, and you can win a program from the Che roadshow signed by Steven Soderbergh, a copy of Che’s Diaries, and the soundtrack to the film. Send e-mails to filmcouch (at) spout (dot) com.

(Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday)

0:00 - Intro

3:22 - Psychoanalyzing a listener based on his favorite films

8:15 - My Bloody Valentine 3D, gimmicks throughout movie history

16:22 - Humanizing horror vs. porn with blood

31:12 - Sundance

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A remark made in Aaron Rose’s art-nerd documentary Beautiful Losers, about humor acting as a sledge hammer, got us thinking about the power of both the comic and the tragic. Not long ago, Karina reviewed a little known documentary called Dear Zachary: A letter to a son about his father. Then the film was played on MSNBC, and her analytical criticisms of the film set off a firestorm of angry comments. We chat about tragedy, context, and the dangers of critiquing non-fiction films as works of art.

Another type of movie that often avoids critical attention is comedy. A new PBS mini-series seeks to correct this. Make ‘Em Laugh explores the evolution of American comedy, revealing its power as a cultural force.

(Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday)

0:00 - Intro, Che giveaway

4:45 - Listener e-mail

9:40 - The Dear Zachary dust-up

19:31 - Make ‘Em Laugh

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Gus Van Sant’s Milk, a skillful and impassioned argument for gay rights, may have come out too late. As proponents of equal marriage rights are still reeling from the passage of Prop 8 in California, the film finds itself the subject of bitter irony, rather than the center of a political victory parade that could have been. Milk is saturated with politics, both on screen and off. It’s not too hard to imagine Sean Penn’s speech should he win an Oscar, and Van Sant has done a fair bit of political maneuvering in an effort to give him that opportunity.

Tom Cruise has done some politicking to get audiences to warm up to his Hitler assassination plot thriller, Valkyrie. Can he bury bury the couch-jumping and psychology-bashing hatchets quick enough to enjoy a successful holiday at the box office?

(Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday)

0:00 - Intro

1:32 - Milk

25:06 - Valkyrie

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It’s our 100th episode! To celebrate, we look at what’s changed in the movie world since we’ve been watching from the couch. And, we look at how things have changed in that 100 years of movies. Surprisingly, there are a number parallels between 1908 and today, namely innovative artists grappling with new technologies.

Karina checks in with some disappointing movies of ‘08, Heather Locklear cheers up lonely women on cable, and The Reader asks the pressing question, what’s worse, sleeping with a 15 year-old, or sleeping with a Nazi?

(Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday)

0:00 - Intro

1:54 - Movies of 1908

15:50 - What’s in store for the future of movies?

27:39 - Karina on disappointing movies, Flirting With Forty, The Reader

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Eric Fensler created one of the first viral video sensations when he overdubbed the GI Joe PSAs. He’s a rare artist who, like Andy Kaufman, is hard to describe in a sentence or two. One thing is certain, he’d rather not be called, “The GI Joe PSA guy.”

Listeners respond with what their families watched on Thanksgiving, while Karina Longworth was transfixed by Australia and Indecent Proposal over the holiday weekend.

(See two of Eric Fensler videos after the jump.)

0:00 - Intro, listener feedback

5:32 - Eric Fensler

29:41 - Karina on Indecent Proposal, Australia

42:21 - Listener voice mail: why movies are better than video games

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…Read more

A few episodes ago, we talked about Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire. We had a few bones to pick with hyper-paced indie romance, some of which caused us to question the value of Boyle’s cannon. As we should have expected, a few listeners were not happy with us dogging the feel-good, rags-to-riches, out-of-left-field Oscar contender of the year.

Meanwhile, Karina has written a less than favorable review of the forthcoming David Fincher film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Again, a wave of backlash has ensued.

Are we simply spiteful film snobs who love ripping on movies while they ride a wave of buzz into awards season? No. We love movies. But sometimes that love must be tough. On this week’s show we clarify a few positions, navigate the tricky waters of blogosphere backlash, and search for what Werner Herzog calls “adequate images.”

(Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday)

0:00 - Intro, the ideal Thanksgiving

7:56 - Slumdog backlash, It’s a Wonderful Life, Casablanca

24:41 - Karina on Benjamin Button

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