CUT AND REEL: Summer Lovin’, Had Me A Blast…
A word from Cut and Reel writer and Cut and Reel: Live Action! Host, Maureen Shampine
Summer is just about gone, and with it goes the blockbuster season (that is until the Oscar push in late fall). So where has Cut and Reel been all summer—on hiatus? Well guilty as charged, but we did take in the LA Film Festival and got into the summer action (films) and now we are back, gearing up for the upcoming Oscar season with a new team of writers dedicated to help you decide whether you should call “cut” or “reel” for that insanely overpriced celluloid strip of entertainment for a Friday or Saturday night.
Also, new this season, tune into Cut and Reel Live www.isgoodradio.com on Sundays at 8pm (beginning this Sunday September 13, 2009) for the latest cuts, reels, and film forums…or download our podcasts and listen on the go!
Welcome to our new coven of writers and panel guests: Jaime Chavez, Jennifer Haren, Adriane Hoff, Ryan Lutz, and this week’s featured writer, Chris Poulos.
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Dubbed the Summer of Love by the ladies of TRAffIK (Ms. Siria Contreras, Ms. Amanda Jones [Boys of Summer], and me) this summer was rife with romance, rock n’roll, and reel fun! (more…)
DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: Various Artists ‘Adventureland’
The marketing campaign for this movie lied to me! It wasn’t the fun loving goofball comedy that I was expecting. Instead the movie was full of broken hearts, broken homes, and broken promises. I was bamboozled! I’m guessing it tested poorly so the studio decided to do some re-shoots, adding in the multiple punches to the groin that were peppered throughout the movie. I lost count but there were at least five separate fist to balls in there. Comedy Gold. Needless to say I was a bit letdown by the movie. Even still I gave this movie three stars in my netflix account…. all based solely on the power of the kick ass soundtrack. Top to bottom it is chock full of goodness. The true test of a soundtrack’s skill is if it effortlessly blends the obvious hits (“Your Love,” “Just Like Heaven,” “Rock Me Amadeus”) with some lesser known neglected songs (I’m in Love With a Girl, Modern Love, Don’t Want to Know if You Are Lonely”. It’s like making a killer mix tape. You want to rope them in with something they know, then when you have them entranced with a sense of security and familiarity you drop the knowledge on them. Two people in film today stand out in my eyes for soundtrack mix tape building: Tarantino and Cameron Crowe. Their consistent mixing excellence makes them the measuring sticks for all other Hollywood mix tape makers. Whoever worked on Adventureland’s mix is now right up there with them. The movie single handedly made me go home and download a few albums I probably already should have had: (more…)