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We spout opinion, comment on the current zeitgeist and overanalyze pop culture and mainstream movies. Whether in the form of lists, survey questions or straight editorials, we hope to make thinking deeply about film a fun and stimulating activity for all.

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Which Documentaries Could Be Remade as Narrative Films?

  • By Christopher Campbell
  • |
  • January 24, 2012
It doesn’t happen that often, but sometimes documentaries are adapted, or remade, into narrative films. That’s what we call the fully dramatized versions anyway, ignoring the fact that docs have narratives too. Past examples include Werner Herzog’s "Little Dieter Needs to Fly," which the filmmaker turned into Rescue Dawn, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato’s "Party Monster," which the duo made into a film of the same name, and I include biographies like Rob Epstein’s "The Times of Harvey Milk" even though it wasn’t directly related to Gus Van Sant’s biopic Milk.
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More: Documentary, Discussions, Sundance 2012

2012 Oscar Nominee Discussions

  • By Spout
  • |
  • January 24, 2012
Awards
First, obligatorily, we don't care about the Oscars. Second, we really haven't seen or at least haven't written about enough of the Oscar nominees this year. Part of the reason is that a lot of the films of last year weren't that interesting, discussion-wise. Even films that were being talked about elsewhere, like "The Help" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" didn't seem worthy of review for us. But we're going to try to be better in this next year. We also notice that we could be a little less negative. Even the one discussion post on "Hugo," one of our favorites of the year is about its one notable flaw. Anyway, in response to the 2012 Academy Award nominees, here are those recognized that we've spouted about: Best Picture
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More: Academy Awards, Academy Awards, Oscars, Discussions

When is It Okay to Get a Refund at the Movies?

  • By Christopher Campbell
  • |
  • January 19, 2012
Every once in a while this kind of story pops up for people to laugh or tweet the words "face palm" about: a moviegoer sees a film that wasn't what they expected, and they want their money back. Sometimes, as in the case of a woman who thought "Drive" was going to be like "The Fast and the Furious," they even sue. Many cinema chains have to please their patrons to avoid a bigger fuss (as a former theater manager, I know this very well), while heroic indie art houses get praise for denying refunds when the issue is just that someone was bored with "The Tree of Life."
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More: Discussions, Silent Films, The Artist

Is "The Muppets" a True Muppet Movie?

  • By Christopher Campbell
  • |
  • November 28, 2011
I finally caught "The Muppets" over the long weekend, and while I did enjoy a lot of it, I was bothered by how little it actually qualifies as a true Muppet movie. How so, if the film does feature Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie the Bear and the rest of the gang (minus Rizzo, sadly)? Well, the Muppets are really just costars, supporting roles in a Jason Segel film rather than the main characters of their own. Some, like the barely present Rolf, seem as much to be celebrities making cameos as do Neil Patrick Harris and Selena Gomez.
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More: The Muppets, Muppets, Discussions, Documentary, Fantasy, Paul Williams Still Alive, Being Elmo, Puppet

One Little Problem with "Hugo" (Spoilers)

  • By Christopher Campbell
  • |
  • November 25, 2011
Let me start off by saying that I love Martin Scorsese's "Hugo." It's the perfect blend of "Amelie" and "The Sandlot" and "Cinema Paradiso" and the spirits of Charles Dickens and Jules Verne and of course the works of George Méliès and the rest of film's origins. But there is one little problem I have with the movie, and it's hard to make a fuss about it but when a movie is this wonderful the seemingly minor negative elements taunt you until you get them out in the open. So this discussion is a real necessity for me as a fan of this film and cinema in general. I'm not trying to be a complaining jerk about it. I swear.
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More: Hugo, Discussions, 3D, Fantasy, George Melies, Martin Scorsese, Silent Films, Pina, Amelie, The Sandlot, Uwe Boll, Charlie Chaplin, Film History, Documentary, The Artist

Morning Pour: The Best Thanksgiving Movies

  • By Christopher Campbell
  • |
  • November 23, 2011
Morning Pour is your daily stop for quick links, news commentary and trend-spotting. Here are your five discussion topics involving Thanksgiving for Wednesday, November 23, 2011:
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More: Morning Pour, Thanksgiving, Discussions

Morning Pour: The Great "Muppets" Roundup

  • By Christopher Campbell
  • |
  • November 22, 2011
Morning Pour is your daily stop for quick links, news commentary and trend-spotting. Here are your discussion topics involving The Muppets for Tuesday, November 22, 2011: 
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More: Morning Pour, Buzz, Discussions

Are the Best Movie Characters of 2011 Animals?

  • By Christopher Campbell
  • |
  • November 21, 2011
The other night I caught Mike Mills’ “Beginners,” which will probably (surprisingly) make my top ten fiction film list for this year if I make one. One of the best parts of the film is the Jack Russell terrier, Arthur (played by Cosmo), especially when he’s given subtitled speech. And so I was reminded of some other great dogs I’ve seen in movies lately. Two in particular were the only thing I really loved about their respective films: Uggie, the Asta/Skippy-like pup from “The Artist” and the animated Snowy from “The Adventures of Tintin.”
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More: Discussions

Morning Pour: Discussing the Best Documentary Oscar Shortlist

  • By Christopher Campbell
  • |
  • November 21, 2011
Awards
Morning Pour is your daily stop for quick links, news commentary and trend-spotting. Here are your five discussion topics involving the Best Documentary Feature Oscar Shortlist for Monday, November 21, 2011:   
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More: Morning Pour, Discussions

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Another great case for who 'Should Win' the Oscar -- this time for Best Documentary

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