Movie Fail Podcast

Deadwood: The Movie presents an overtly contrasting final message to the one it gave us over a decade ago, each finale borne of its political moment. Esther, Søren and Vox's Emily VanDerWerff discuss.

Deadwood concludes with "Tell Him Something Pretty," a challenging finale which refuses to give its scrappy underdogs any victory, moral or otherwise. Esther, Søren and Harry Edmunson-Cornell discuss.

"The Catbird Seat" releases the pressure valve on Season 3's tension as the town coalesces on one side of the thoroughfare, Hearst on the other. Esther, Søren discuss with special guest Ben Siler.

Hoopleheads Podcast: W. Earl Brown pens one of Deadwood's most focused episodes, "A Constant Throb," the thrust of which concentrates on Al regaining his faculties in his existential contest with George Hearst. Søren and Esther discuss.

"Amateur Night" closes off several storylines as it consolidates its focus on broiling conflict between the camp and George Hearst. Esther and Søren discuss.

Hearst greedily chases new gold mining opportunities, Steve's horse-minding career comes to an end and the Earps arrive in Deadwood as "Leviathan Smiles." Søren and Esther discuss.

"Unauthorized Cinnamon" is a fantastic episode that provides some of the most exciting revelations and funniest moments in Deadwood thus far. Søren and Esther discuss.

Deadwood winds itself up tight in "A Rich Find," placing newcomer Odell square in the lion's den as he seeks out Hearst against his mother's wishes. Esther and Søren discuss.

"A Two-Headed Beast" centers a deadly showdown — but it also concludes one of the saddest, and most prescient, storylines in Deadwood so far. Esther and Søren discuss.

"Full Faith and Credit" delicately balances Deadwood's racial dynamics while offering some deeper introspection about who its leading characters really are. Esther and Søren discuss.

On a technical level, "True Colors" is often bizarre and always interesting. Narratively, this is some of the most exciting material we've seen in Deadwood. Esther and Søren discuss.

"I Am Not the Fine Man You Take Me For" is an episode that makes a frightening declaration about who Hearst is and what Seth and Al are up against. Esther and Søren discuss.

In "Tell Your God to Ready for Blood," director Mark Tinker revels in Deadwood's brewing conflict between George Hearst, Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen. Esther and Søren discuss.

However (un)satisfactorily "The Iron Throne" concludes Game of Thrones, it also brings our podcast series, "Stark Contrast," to a bittersweet end. This week, Esther and Søren close out Stark Contrast.

In Game of Thrones' "The Bells," Miguel Sapochnik once again uses every visual trick he can find to try reanimate a show long past its prime. Esther, Søren and guest host Josh Lewis discuss.

Game of Thrones follows up one of its best episodes with one of its strangest. Nothing in “The Dance of Dragons” is weird in and of itself, but this week offered a shift in characterization for Stannis and his co-cast members that didn’t seem congruous with the rest of Season 5. Meanwhile Arya’s tenure with the […] The post Stark Contrast: Episode 9 “The Dance of Dragons” appeared first on Movie Fail.

If last week’s “The Gift” represented a shift in the right direction for Game of Thrones, “Hardhome” is the fullest realization of its potential. From clever use of narrative symmetry to payoffs in nearly every major storyline, this week was the show at its very best. J and I parse out each thread before culminating in […] The post Stark Contrast: Episode 8 “Hardhome” appeared first on Movie Fail.

Following last week’s ho-hum episode, Game of Thrones returns to form this week with “The Gift.” Sansa’s characterization resumes while Stannis is faced with a tough decision and Cersei’s machinations finally backfire on her. While not everything landed this week—romantic subplots faced something of a nosedive at The Wall and in Meereen—most of the stories managed […] The post Stark Contrast: Episode 7 “The Gift” appeared first on Movie Fail.

Game of Thrones has made headlines again with “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” a rocky Season 5 episode that features some great moments and some of the worst the show has seen. A great start at the House of Black and White leads into terrible sequence in Dorne, followed by hamfisted social commentary in King’s Landing and a […] The post Stark Contrast: Episode 6 “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” appeared first on Movie Fail.

After last week’s more transitional episode, “Kill The Boy” lives up to Game of Thrones‘ midseason tradition of breathtaking cliffhangers. In Meereen, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) finally puts her foot down on the actions of the Sons of the Harpy and the old families. At The Wall, Jon (Kit Harington) tells the Night’s Watch that allying […] The post Stark Contrast: Episode 5 “Kill the Boy” appeared first on Movie Fail.

In a slowdown before the second half of the season, “Sons of the Harpy” is light on plot and heavy on setup. Its explosive conclusion—Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) and Ser Barristan’s (Ian McElhinney) showdown with their eponymous adversaries of the episode—is preceded by more conversation and character work than action. But is that such a bad […] The post Stark Contrast: Episode 4 “Sons of the Harpy” appeared first on Movie Fail.

“High Sparrow” picks up where “The House of Black and White” left off, giving us a much better look at The Faceless Men. This episode indicates we’re nearing the second-half spike that we usually see in Game of Thrones as Jon, Tyrion and Sansa’s storylines all leap forward at a healthy pace. J and I comment on the irony […] The post Stark Contrast: Episode 3 “High Sparrow” appeared first on Movie Fail.

Game of Thrones follows up its promising Season 5 debut with the faster-paced “The House of Black and White.” The episode finally picks up with Arya (Maisie Williams) following her voyage to Essos last season as she seeks out The Faceless Men. At The Wall, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) finds success for the first time in life. Meanwhile, […] The post Stark Contrast: Episode 2 “The House of Black and White” appeared first on Movie Fail.

Welcome to the first [official] episode of Stark Contrast, the Game of Thrones-focused podcast series at Movie Fail. We started recording our thoughts on HBO’s fantasy series last year with Season 4, and now, armed with an official title, we’re ready to jump back in. This week we’re discussing the premiere of Season 5, “The Wars […] The post Stark Contrast: Episode 1 “The Wars to Come” appeared first on Movie Fail.

2015 was a year of meager expectations when it came to the Oscars. While controversy surrounded the nomination process, we generally knew who’d take home the major awards. No one gasped in amazement when Birdman took Best Cinematography, or when Patricia Arquette was named Best Supporting Actress for Boyhood. Yet sometimes there is intrigue to be found […] The post Søren and J’s Oscarcast 2015 appeared first on Movie Fail.

In what may be the last Ember Island Airwaves podcast ever, Josh and I take some time to look back on The Legend of Korra as a series. We discuss Korra’s arc from a more brazen and hot-tempered to a more peaceful and diplomatic Avatar. That journey starts in Book One: Air amidst Korra’s conflict with Amon and […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 18 appeared first on Movie Fail.

It seems like just yesterday scenes from the first episode of The Legend of Korra leaked all over Tumblr. Fast forward a couple of years and Korrasami is canon, Hiroshi Sato is a martyr and Zhu Li and Varrick have officially declared their mutual affection. Needless to say, things have changed a bit since we were “Welcome(d) to Republic […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 17 appeared first on Movie Fail.

Wow – now that was an episode! Both J and I loved “Kuvira’s Gambit,” an easy highlight of both Book 4 and the rest of The Legend of Korra. Kuvira continues to build herself up (literally!) as a truly intimidating opponent for the Avatar and her allies. She arrives on the front steps of Republic City […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 16 appeared first on Movie Fail.

The Legend of Korra maintains momentum with an exciting Beifong-centric episode. “Operation Beifong” doesn’t waste much time getting Bolin, Lin, Opal and Toph together as they seek to rescue Suyin from Kuvira’s clutches. Along the way, they find Zhu Li, whose allegiance to Kuvira may not be as firm as the show would have you believe. Meanwhile, […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 15 appeared first on Movie Fail.

“Beyond the Wilds” marks a return to the main plot of Book 4: Balance after last week’s tangential clip show. Korra continues to work through her traumatic past with Zaheer. Meanwhile, the spirit vines in Republic City react violently to Kuvira’s assault on the swamp and the banyan grove tree. J and I begin our conversation speculating […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 14 appeared first on Movie Fail.

Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino deliver a clip episode this week in the form of “Remembrances.” Next to nothing happens with regard to plot and we’re left reminiscing about the good and bad in The Legend of Korra. Nevertheless, the showrunners and their crew do what they can to make the episode fun and […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 13 appeared first on Movie Fail.

Nate’s Review Interstellar surprised me. I walked into the theater expecting to see a bombastic space exploration flick. I did not expect the film to bring me to tears, but it did. The plot is centered on the final frontier, but Christopher Nolan’s latest is more than that. There’s a soul beneath the science-fiction spectacle. […] The post Interstellar with Nate and Søren appeared first on Movie Fail.

J’s Review Birdman comes close to greatness. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki’s execution of the long take is so successful it almost makes me forget about everything else in the film. I love how it moves from supposed fantasy to supposed reality without cuts, removing the objectivity that comes with a shot change. Watching fantasy elements shift into reality within a […] The post Birdman with J and Søren appeared first on Movie Fail.

Fabrizio Federico is a young independent director from the UK with a penchant for off-the-wall micro budget filmmaking. He made his first feature film, entitled Black Biscuit, after getting deported from America. That movie promised to represent “The Future of Cinema” and bore with it the “Pink8” manifesto, a sort of spiritual successor to Lars Von Trier’s Dogme 95 avant-garde […] The post Fabrizio Federico, Director of Pregnant appeared first on Movie Fail.

After a brief hiatus last week, Ember Island Airwaves is back with an all new episode covering the latest in The Legend of Korra. This week, J and I discuss both “The Battle of Zaofu” and “Reunion.” These episodes function as filler to some degree with Bolin and Varrick taking center stage. Concurrently, the Avatar […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 12 appeared first on Movie Fail.

The Legend of Korra is back with the deeply plot-driven episode, “Enemy at the Gates.” Kuvira has arrived at Zaofu with her army and Korra is back in the picture as Suyin tries to decide how she’s going to deal with the incursion. Meanwhile, Bolin and Varrick discover Kuvira may skew more evil than they’d anticipated […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 11 appeared first on Movie Fail.

The Legend of Korra continues to impress with Book 4: Balance. Following last week’s major political bent, “The Calling” took a more personal approach to the story. Jinora, Meelo and Ikki head off in search of Korra and their presence lends a distinctly Avatar: The Last Airbender tone to the show. We also finally see a resolution to the Phantom […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 10 appeared first on Movie Fail.

This week’s episode of The Legend of Korra puts the focus on Prince Wu, the heir apparent to the throne of the Earth Kingdom. As leaders of the four nations gather to watch Kuvira relinquish power, Korra trains with Toph in the swamp. Things quickly go awry as Kuvira – perhaps unsurprisingly – doesn’t play by the rules. […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 9 appeared first on Movie Fail.

Book 4 of The Legend of Korra continues to impress with its second episode, “Korra Alone.” After missing the Avatar almost entirely last week, this episode catches us up on her goings-on since the showdown with the Red Lotus. J and I begin our conversation talking about Avatar: The Last Airbender, and speculate whether Zuko is […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 8 appeared first on Movie Fail.

The Legend of Korra returns for its fourth and final season. The premiere, titled “After All These Years,” takes place long after the finale of Book 3: Change. Republic City is in the midst of a revamp, new power player Kuvira looks to be shaking things up and Team Avatar is scattered around the world. Yet one question […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 7 appeared first on Movie Fail.

You might remember an op-ed I published a few days ago in defense of Edge of Tomorrow‘s title. As I expected, not everyone agreed with me. In fact, my friend and podcasting veteran Teague Chrystie from Friends in your Head was so emphatic about his disagreement that he suggested we record a short podcast about the issue. You can listen […] The post Edge of Tomorrow Versus the World appeared first on Movie Fail.

Well, here we are. Perhaps the best season of The Legend of Korra to date has come to its inevitable conclusion. Josh and I were spectacularly wrong about most of our predictions, but the finale generated some fascinating speculation about Book 4. Will Korra ever be able to access her past lives again? Has Suyin finally esablished her allegiance to the […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 6 appeared first on Movie Fail.

In this week’s installment of Ember Island Airwaves, J and I discuss the incredibly draining experience of watching “The Ultimatum.” We explore classism and how the protagonist/antagonist relationships in The Legend of Korra directly contrast with those in Avatar: The Last Airbender. J and I then speculate about the fate of Tenzin and the other airbenders […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 5 appeared first on Movie Fail.

It’s been awhile since our last episode of Ember Island Airwaves. In the interim, I had the chance to interview the fantastic Stephen Stanton (the voice of Old Wan and the Air Lion Turtle in “Beginnings, Part 2”). In addition, some major news about The Legend of Korra was dropped at San Diego Comic Con. Last week saw the birth […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 4 appeared first on Movie Fail.

J’s Review Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is not the “savior of the summer of 2014,” and I wonder if the people praising it as such have actually been to the theater in the past couple months. As long as we’re comparing, it has none of the visual sophistication of Godzilla and completely lacks the wit of Edge […] The post Dawn of the Planet of the Apes with J and Søren appeared first on Movie Fail.

Director Steve James still gets questions about how he got Roger Ebert to record narration for Life Itself. But as he always tells the audience, that isn’t really Mr. Ebert talking – it’s Stephen Stanton. While you may not have heard of him, you’ve almost certainly heard his voice. Mr. Stanton is a renowned voice actor who has lent […] The post Stephen Stanton of Life Itself, The 7D and The Legend of Korra appeared first on Movie Fail.

Six years ago today, one of the most critically acclaimed movies of all time hit theaters. The Dark Knight won over 100 awards when it was released, including academy awards for both sound editing and the late Heath Ledger’s performance. It has remained in the public consciousness since 2008 and is regularly hailed as one of the best […] The post Looking Back: The Dark Knight appeared first on Movie Fail.

Having left Republic City, The Legend of Korra has seized an opportunity to flesh out its characters, its world, and its story. The world of Avatar has always been predicated on its unique bending systems and the cultural evolution thereof. The show has built on this by taking daring and paradigm-shifting new turns in the latest season, not […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 3 appeared first on Movie Fail.

The world of Avatar is remarkable not only for its entertainment value, but for its remarkable maturity. Avatar: The Last Airbender deals with themes of death, destiny, and classism, all of which have been brought forward into and magnified in The Legend of Korra. These thematic ideas tie into structural similarities to anime and separate this franchise from its Western counterparts. J […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 2 appeared first on Movie Fail.

With Season 4 of Game of Thrones all wrapped up, J and I have turned our attention to an old favorite: The Legend of Korra. Korra is a sequel series to Avatar: The Last Airbender, a show that deservedly won numerous awards (including a Primetime Emmy) during its 2005-2008 run. As a follow-up to that legacy, The Legend of Korra has likewise met with mostly […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 1 appeared first on Movie Fail.