Episode #27: The Hobbit: A Not-So-Unexpected Travesty

Back after a hiatus, Ken and Todd discuss Doug Liman's sci-fi film, The Edge of Tomorrow. Why is the way violence is represented in the film particularly disturbing? Are we intended to laugh at it? And why does Todd say the movie reminded him of watching someone play a video game?

DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Just in time for the Academy Awards, Ken and Todd look at one of the nominees: Stephen Frears's Philomena. How does the film depict its protagonist's Roman Catholicism, and what can those outside that denomination learn from her example?

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - Intro and plot summary: SPOILER WARNINGS.
4:57 - Being interested in other people.
10:40 - Philomena as a "good" Catholic and the power of habit.
22:50 - Institutions and the individuals who populate them.
30:00 - The acting, and a minor reservation.

DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Ken and Todd talk about depictions of Wall Street in Oliver Stone's film of the same name and, more recently, in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street. What does Stone's dedication tell us about which character is the moral center? Does Bud Fox look into the abyss or dive in head first? How does Jordan Belfort compare to Gordon Gekko, and how does that comparison reveal ways America has changed in the last three decades?

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - Intro, plot summary, and selling your soul to the devil.
5:41 - "I don't feel terribly judgmental against Bud..."
10:15 - Who am I?
14:42 - "Greed is Good"
19:22 - Poor, smart, and without feeling.
22:40 - On morally "shooting par."
29:00 - Repentance and temptation.
37:00 - "There's justice in the world"

DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Todd and Ken examine 12 Years a Slave. Is God absent from the world of slavery? Are there contemporary lessons or themes to be drawn from this historical drama? Why is the singing of "Roll Jordan" the most important scene?

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - Intro, quoting scripture to justify what you want.
3:55 - God is merciful and will forgive a merciful act.
9:05 - Roll Jordan Roll
14:29 - Mr. Bass and White Guilt
24:30 - Characters vs. Character Types.
29:05 - Self interest vs. Duty.
34:50 - What it says to and about us today.

DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Todd and Ken take a look at Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be. Should some topics be off limits for comedy? What line did even Lubitsch's team fear went too far? Who is the film's real villain? (Hint: it's not the Nazis.) What films today make us similarly uneasy and what can we learn from films that disquiet us?

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - Intro, plot and genre mashing.
5:03 - Contemporary equivalents?
10:00 - What makes us uneasy?
21:00 - What is the purpose of the joke?
24:30 - Not that different from us.
33:30 - There is a real bad guy.
39:22 - Greenberg and everyday heroism.
46:36 - Carole Lombard and closing remarks.

DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Ken and Todd discuss Guillermo del Toro's horror film that has recently received the Criterion treatment. What is the difference between horror and Gothic? When is violence tragic rather than just shocking? How does belief in "the curse" unite the materialist and the spiritually minded?

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - Intro and plot summary.
5:30 - Horror or Gothic?
13:45 - The Curse
19:35 - Reinforcing plot themes with visual style.
29:30 - The cyclical nature of violence.
37:30 - Tragedy vs. accident.
41:50 - Closing comments.

DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Ken and Todd are back, and they are discussing one of this fall's most anticipated films: Gravity. Is it a thriller or a drama? What do we mean when we call something a "good" film? Is it "well made" or "effective"? And can the hosts avoid the implication that, for a Christian, content is more important than technique when judging a film?

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - Intro and assessment
2:30 - Thriller or drama?
13:44 - "I'm going to pray now: please save me."
29:48 - Do more powerful tools always result in better art?
49:14 - Concluding remarks

DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Todd and Ken discuss Vittorio De Sica's poignant saga of an aged pensioner trying to avoid eviction. What are the differences between empathy and pity and which does the film invoke? Is Umberto D. unlikable?

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - Intro and plot summary.
8:40 - Simply not a likable fellow.
18:00 - Umberto D. vs. Karin in Stromboli.
18:50 - A moment of grace?
30:55 - Just step in front of the train and be done with it...
39:00 - We should all just love our dogs and be happy.
42:02 - Walking back some of the criticisms.

DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Peter Waldron drops in on The Thin Place to sub for the vacationing Todd and to render Ken momentarily speechless with his take on one of the more iconic climactic moments in Hollywood history. Does Ethan Edwards have a redemptive moment? Does he need one?

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - Intro and new impressions.
4:55 - He doesn't align himself with either side.
13:00 - Redemption for Ethan?
18:50 - A moment of grace?
23:30 - Beliefs in conflict.
27:00 - Which is the real Ethan?
32:30 - A twist ending?

DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Ken and Todd look at the original pacific rim monster and compare the theme of sacrifice in Gojira to that presented in modern disaster films.

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - Intro and summary.
6:30 - Mass destruction without mass death?
13:40 - The Disneyificaiton of Sacrifice.
15:30 - The enemy is other people.
23:10 - Gospels of Sin Management.
30:40 - Heroism, sacrifice, and post-war films.
43:00 - The cultural air we breathe.

DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!