Killer Joe (2012) Audio Commentary

Yes, the entire movie is like this

RC-2013-102: Killer Joe (2012)



In this episode, I reach into the requests pile for a criminally underrated 2012 picture about criminally overconfident numbskulls. Before listening to this commentary, pick yourself up some K-fry-C—that way you can nosh through your bucket as I talk through one of 2012's most delightful surprises, Billy Friedkin's Killer Joe. Aside from the revelation that is Juno Temple, the track covers the whys and hows of Friedkin's old-school talent and the underrated genius of Old Man McConaughey. The film's opening sequence reminds me of the old Universal monster movies, and I say why. Then, I launch into an argument for Caleb Deschanel's stark, suggestive lighting schemes, without commenting on his cooky-sexy genes. Also, I find time to laugh at Thomas Hayden Church and Gina Gershon. I mean, I laugh with them. Listen for me calling out the sync point, which comes just after LionsGate logo on the Region-1 DVD.


Listen to the mp3. Or go ahead and be an iTunes snob.

A Separation (2011) Audio Commentary

What happens in the doorway doesn't stay in the doorway in Asgar Farhadi's A Separation

RC-2013-101: A Separation (2011)



I've decided that a great way to start 2013 is with what I regarded as the best movie of 2011—Asgar Farhadi's A Separation. Throughout the commentary, I attempt to stop myself from gushing about such a fantastic work of art, and fail miserably. With hardly a bad word to say about Farhadi's pre-classic masterpiece, I fall back on cinema geekery. I attempt to situate the movie within the larger context of Iranian movies, providing a sloppy-but-well-meaning crash course in the cinema of that fascinating nation. Ultimately, I seem to conclude that what makes the film work is that it's actually a mystery movie that doesn't tell you it's a mystery movie until there's this huge, yet still somehow understated, reveal that makes you say "Holy cow!" If you don't like this movie, I'm afraid it will be hard for us to remain friends. It's not me; it's you.


Listen to the mp3. Get your iTunes on.