Unsung Cinematics

In this edition of Off the Record we take a look at the following films: The Passenger (2023), Perfect Days (2023), Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024), Fast Charlie (2023), True Detective 4th Season and Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist. Notable Actors Include: Merah Benoit and Johnny Berchtold, Koji Yakusho, Paul Rudd, Dan Aykroyd, Pierce Brosnan, Jodie Foster, Kevin Sorbo.

Doggy Bank is mini-series based on a novel by legendary Brazilian novelist Machado de Assis who passed away 100 years ago with little notice outside his country. The series follows the story of a broke and dimwitted slacker who is hired by a mad philosopher to babysit his pampered pooch. What follows is a satirical exploration of wealth and loyalty, but with a few more belly laughs. With humor, Corrêa explores layered international and thought-provoking stories using Brazilian culture as a vehicle to navigate U.S. settings.Directed and produced and co-written by Thales Corrêa, with actors featuring Thales Corrêa as Julian, Anthony Moore as Borba as well as Jer, and Andrea Flowers as Prana.

In this February/March Edition of Off The Record our feature film is Dune Part II. We also look at the following films: Inside from (2023), Fear Is The Key (1972), Last Flag Flying from (2017), 65 from (2023) and finally Red Right Hand from (2024) which both Ken and Rasto watched and directed by the Nelms brothers. Notable actors include: Timothee Chalamet, Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe, Barry Newman, Ben Kingsley, Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburne, Steve Carell, Adam Driver, and Orlando Bloom.

Joaquin Phoenix (prounced wah-keen) stars in this 2023 surrealist art film called Beau is Afraid, where ever irrational fear seems to come to life partially fueled on by his mother and partially by his inability to have sex. Beau is a middle aged man who never could live up to this mothers expectations and as a result lives his life in constant fear. He lives in a terrifying neighbourhood and is hell bent on attending his mothers funeral, but a series of tragedies unfold that prevent him making it on time.Directed and Written by Ari Aster, and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Patty Lupone, Amy Ryan, Stephen Henderson, Parker Posey, Armen Nahapetian and Julia Antonelli. Cameo appearance from Julian Richings.

In this edition of Off the Record we review the following films and TV series. Our Feature for this episode is Le Samourai from 1967, followed by Paint (2023), The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), In Order of Disappearance (2014), Heist 88 (2023), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020) and a New Brazilian based Comedy yet to be revealed.Notable Actors include: Alain Delon, Owen Wilson, Carla Gugino, Stellan Skarsgard, Courtney B. Vance, and Victoria Pedretti

The Million Dollar Hotel is a 2000 art film that follows a FBI agent investigating the suspected murder of a resident who supposedly committed suicide. The prime and bizarre suspect is also a prostitute and the main character has a learning disability who may also be in on it. The thing is most of the others who live in this permanent residence hotel are also a bit insane, but smart enough to hatch schemes of their own.Starring Mel Gibson, Milla Jovovich, and Jeremy Davies. The film is directed by Win Wenders and is the joint production of Bono, Mel Gibson and screenwriters Nicholas Klein with Bono. Mel Gibson quoted early on that this "film was as boring as a dog's ass", but later retracted that statement.

In this episode we review the following films. I Am Not Okay with This (2020), Silver and the Book of Dreams (2023), Sisu (2020), Devil in Ohio (2022), Star Trek Lower Decks (2020), and The Man from Toronto (2022).Notable Actors include: Christy Hall, Jonathan Entwistle, Jana McKinnon, Jorma Tommila, Emily Deschanel, Jerry O'Connell, Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson.

Grave of the Fireflies is a 1988 dramatic anime set during the events of World War Two Japan. In this episode we brought on our special guest Tyler who is fluent in Japanese culture and language. This film is available in Japanese and two seperate English dubs. Setsuko a young girl and her older brother Saiti find themselves parentless after a US bomber drops incendiary bombs on their city of Kobe. After briefly staying with their aunt, they are unable to cope with the set forth rules, and decide to go out on their own. A film set apart from others at the time does not sugar coat the realities of war.The film is directed by Isao Takahata and written by Akiyuki Nosaka and Isao Takahata which is based on his short story. Starring Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, and Akemi Yamaghuchi.

In this Christmas edition of Off the Record, we watched the following films from November. There's Something in the Barn (2023), Station Eleven (2021), Office Race (2023), Silent Night (2023), Devs (2020), and Exmas (2023). Honorable mention Candy Cane Lane from 2023.Notable actors in the films are Martin Starr, Mackenzie Davis, Joel McHale, Kelsey Grammer, Alyson Hannigan, Sonoya Mizuno, Joel Kinnaman, Robbie Amell, and Eddie Murphy.

Idiocracy is a 2006 comedy/sci-fi film set on future earth. In present day a very average US Army soldier with no family or friends decides to freeze himself as a part of a military experiment. The project goes south and Joe finds himself waking up 500 years in the future. Things couldn't be worse as society lives on top of a garbage pile, and society has bred generations of stupid people. It turns out Joe is now the smartest man on earth, and must solve an issue that threatens humanity.The film is directed and written by Mike Judge, starring Luke Wilson as Joe, Maya Rudolph as Rita, Terry Crews as President Camcho, Dax Shepard as Frito and Justin Long as the Doctor

Join us for this edition of Off The Record. We take a look at the following films: South Park Joining the Panderverse (2023), Enemy Mine (1985), Behind Her Eyes (2021 TV Series), The Homesman (2014), Dragon Inn (1967), The Watcher (2022), and a special mention of the film When Evil Lurks (2023). Be sure to listen to the very end, as there is a special outtake for the audience.Notable Actors include: Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Dennis Quaid, Tom Bateman, Tommy Lee Jones, Lingfeng Shih, Naomi Watts, and Ezequiel Rodriguez.

Join us for the month of spooky and terrifying films. In this edition of Off The Record for Sept/Oct 2023 we take a look at the following films. Totally Killer (2023), Pet Sematary Bloodlines (2023), Body Parts (1991), The Wrath of Becky (2023), Witch Hunt (2021), and Vicious Fun (2020).Notable Actors in this edition: Kiernan Shipka, David Duchovny, Jackson White, Jeff Fahey, Lulu Wilson, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Evan Marsh.

Nefarious is a 2023 exorcism style film based on the source material A Nefarious Plot. Hatched onto the big screen, this flick takes on a different direction than previous exorcism type of movies. Nefarious is a demon who has possessed a man who is about to be executed for his crimes. Before execution it is required by law that he has a psychological assessment to determine if he is mentally insane, and unfit for execution. The film captures that dialogue between the demon and his assessor in a way that would creep out even the worst violent offenders and in many ways is very simular to the book by C.S. Lewis called the Screwtape Letters.Directed by Chuck Konzelman, and written by Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon. Starring Sean Patrick Flanery as Nefarious and Jordan Belfi as Dr. James Martin. Also fearing Tom Ohmer as Warden Tom Moss. The film is loosely based on the book by Steve Deace.

Big Bully is a 1996 dark comedy film about the childhood rivalry between two kids who years later rekindle that rivalry. As a child David is constantly being bullied by Roscoe who is much larger than he is. After an incident with a stolen moon rock, Roscoe is sent to Juvenile hall, never to be heard from again. That is until years later. When David returns to his home city and finds Roscoe there, the old bully comes back out to torment David.The film is directed by Steve Miner, Written by Mark Steven Johnson and starring Rick Moranis as David, Tom Arnold as Roscoe and Julianne Phillips as Victoria. Also featuring Curtis Armstrong, Don Knotts, Justin Jon Ross, and Michael Zwiener.

In the August 2023 episode of Off the Record we review the following films:Infinity Pool (2023), Dark of the Sun (1968), Twisted Metal TV S1 (2023), Cocaine Bear (2023), Run Ronnie Run (2002), and The Last Voyage of Demeter (2023).Notable Actors: Neve Campbell, Thomas Haden Church, Rod Taylor, Mia Goth, Keri Russell, Ray Liotta, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Corey Hawkins, and Liam Cunningham.

Small Town Crime is a modernized neo noir crime mystery from 2017. In typical murder mystery style a disgraced cop finds the body of a dead prostitute while on one his drunken benders. Determined to get back in the good graces of his police department, and unable to let go of that investigative drive to solve crime, he decides to secretly take on the case of this murdered woman. Directed and written by Eshom, and Ian Nelms. Starring John Hawkes, Anthony Anderson, Octavia Spencer, Robert Forster and appearance by Caity Lotz.

In July we watched and reviewed these films: The Barbie Movie '2023', Sunshine '2007', Slacker '1990', The Sound of Freedom '2023', I'Tonya '2017', and Permanent Vacation '1980'.Notable actors are Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Michelle Yeoh, Richard Linklater, Jim Caviezel, and Sara Driver.Ken has a special message to all the other kens out there at the end of the podcast.

Neverwas is a 2005 fantasy, drama, mystery film that explores the inner workings of a schizophrenic patient and his fantasy. The movie is a Canadian and US join project that focuses on the character of Zachary who wants to close a chapter of his life in which his dad commits suicide. Unknown to him, his past comes to life as a fantasy book that his dad wrote and his newest patient seems to already know who he is. The film is written and directed by Joshua Stern in his directorial debut. Starring Ian McKellen as Gabriel, Aaron Eckhart as Zachary, Brittany Murphy as Maggie, Nick Nolte as T.L. Pierson, and William Hurt as Dr. Peter Reed.

In this June Edition of Off the Record we take a look at the following films:Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Knock at the Cabin, Alice in the Cities, Dungeons and Dragons Honor Among Thieves, Cosmos, Wrong Move and the TV Series From.Notable Actors: Harrison Ford, David Bautista, Nastassja Kinski, and Chris Pine.

Too Late is a 2015 Film that follows the life of a Los Angeles private investigator as he tries to solve a murder mystery of a young stripper.The film is unique as it is done in 5, 20 minute takes or scenes on 35mm film without any cuts in between the scenes. The film uses some clever techniques to tell the story, and there is a surprise ending.Written and Directed by Dennis Hauck, and staring John Hawkes, Crystal Reed, Vail Bloom, Joanna Cassidy, Dichen Lachman, Robert Forster and Jeff Fahey.