Barry’s Score:  8/10

Editor’s note:  This film is scheduled to air on PBS on July 1st as part of the American Masters series.  Check your local listings for air times.

Back before radio had anything to do with digital downloads or being “Sirius”, it provided an old school thrill of discovery to those seeking a glimpse at another type of musical or lifestyle. I remember how much joy my little brother and I had when we discovered that, back in the day, a Maui radio station carried the Dr. Demento show, which provided hours of music so silly and brilliantly weird, it’d never air on any other program. In fact, “Weird Al” Yankovic was discovered by Dr. Demento.

Today, I listen constantly to Nights With Alice Cooper, in which the former shock rocker plays his favorite songs, tells story about the old days and charmingly reveals what its like to be a man with Alice as his first name. Great radio, whether it’s a morning joke-a-thon between over caffeinated DJ’s or a political program with overzealous “experts” tearing into one another, offers two great qualities: storytelling and the feeling that they voices coming from your speakers are talking to YOU, right now, as you drive from Lahaina back to Pukalani.

Garrison Keillor has been a radio legend, storyteller and independent maverick so long, most can say they grew up listening to his A Prairie Home Companion radio show, which, for the uninitiated, is a comedy/musical/storytelling program involving the wacky goings-on in a simple, old fashioned American town. I’ll admit that I was never a big fan of Keillor’s charming but tremendously corny show, but I now greatly admire him and what he provides listeners every week and that comes mostly from Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes, the engaging documentary on Keillor by director Peter Rosen. It gently probes Keillor’s past and shows us current productions of his travelling radio show, which has been on the air for a remarkable 30 years. Rosen’s film is as simple, folksy and enjoyable as the show itself, and observes major factors of Keillor’s life: his daughters, rue barb pie, life in New York, what would have happened if Keillor decided against being a radio performer, and his ongoing dedication to putting on a great show.

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It’s not often that we get to talk with documentary filmmakers.  When at the Starz Denver Film Festival last year, Barry had a chance to sit down and talk with Peter Rosen, director of Garrison Keillor:  The Man On the Radio In the Red Shoes.  It’s a fascinating interview and we’ll be posting Barry’s review of the film shortly.  The audio quality isn’t as good as our regular episodes simply because we had to go into a side room of the filmmaker’s lounge.

The reason we’ve held on to the interview is because we wanted to time it with the film’s airing on PBS as part of the American Masters series.  It’s currently scheduled to air on July 1st.  Check your local listings for air times.  Our thanks go to Mr. Rosen for sitting down with us.

 

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We get our Joe Dante series off to a start with a favorite among fans, The Burbs.

 

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Warning : This will contain serious spoilers for The Taking of Pelham 123.

Going into the newest film from gloss auteur Tony Scott, The Taking of Pelham 123, I expected a few things. Those being dizzying editing and cinematography, a nerdy Denzel and some stuff involving car chases. But what I didn’t expect was one of the film’s stars to basically use the movie to come out of the closet.

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We really don’t talk too much about short films on this site, but we’re always down for publicizing our friends.  It helps that this trailer simply looks AWESOME.  Steadfast is a short film written and directed by Nate Schneider.  Nate has been on the show a couple of times and is just an all around good guy.  I can’t wait to see this thing in its entirety.  Check it out!

Steadfast Trailer from Justin Lewis on Vimeo.

We wrap up our series on the Coen Brothers with their sublime The Hudsucker Proxy.  We also have Chris Stipp from Quick Stop Entertainment join us for a discussion of Up and The Hangover.  Top it all off with an interview with Jamin Winans, director of Ink, and we’ve got a jam-packed episode!

Find out more about Jamin Winans and Ink at the official Double Edge Films website, Twitter and Ink Facebook page.

 

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Yeah, it’s almost two weeks late.  Sorry everyone.  Technical difficulties don’t even BEGIN to explain the problems I’ve had with this one.  This episode, we talk about the gloriously surreal Barton Fink and we welcome Melissa to the show.  We’re quite happy to finally have a regular female perspective.

 

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