Finally, a vampire movie that really gets vampires. The undead get a bad rap, but this week Kristen and Rafer offer praise to "Dark Shadows," Tim Burton's latest foray into creepy. One part soap opera, one part Johnny Depp, and one part 70s shag carpet, "Dark Shadows" moves this cult classic into new territory. 

This week, the fate of Joss Whedon's 'The Avengers' hangs in the balance. Who will come to the rescue this awesome, hulking green monster of a film? And who will come down on the movie like a giant hammer? Listen to find out where Kristen and Rafer stand on this superhero saga.

In this week's Movie Date, Rafer bemoans what he considers the death of the romantic comedy. Kristen, as you'd expect, tell him to stop being a negative Nancy. It's all in honor of "The Five Year Engagement," starring Jason Segel and Emily Blunt.

He's got to be strong. He's got to be able to build a barn and get along with children. Being able to play a sultry, sexy musical instrument also helps. In case it wasn't apparent already, this week we're talking about Kristen's fantasy man. And also some movie called "The Lucky One," starring Zac Efron. Let Kristen and Rafer's sultry voices and razor-sharp smarts woo you in this week's podcast.

Heavy stuff this week. "October Baby" tells the story of a woman's discovery that her mother almost aborted her. Intended or not, the movie's politics — see what happens when you don't have an abortion? — align comfortably with those of the religious Right. Likewise, the recent film "The Lorax" and 2006's "Happy Feet" decry the ills of global warming in a quintessentially liberal parlance. But not all movies have agendas, right?

The Titanic sank 100 years ago this month. To mark the anniversary, James Cameron is re-releasing his mega-blockbuster "Titanic" in 3D, prompting some critics to say its strictly a marketing ploy while others cheer the innovation.

Will "Titanic 3D" burn a hole in your wallet, or will it blow your mind? This week, Rafer and Kristen put that question to Daniel Engber, senior editor at Slate. Listen to find out what he's got to say.

This week, Kristen and Rafer watched "Bully," the new documentary from the Weinstein Company that takes on the controversial topic of grade school ridicule. "Bully" was in the news this week for hitting theaters unrated after the MPAA promised an R rating. The hype has certainly drummed up support for the movie, but does "Bully" do its subject justice? Or is "The Hunger Games" actually a better tool for teaching kids about violence?

The long-awaited 'The Hunger Games' is finally here! If you wanted to like the Twilight movies but thought Bella was kind of a wimp, this movie is for you. Protagonist Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) leads a cast of young adults through a fictional reality TV show in which children battle to the death. It's an awesome take on the teen movie genre, but is this sci-fi flick about homicidal adolescents a good date movie?

Listen to this week's podcast to find out what Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Kristen Meinzer, culture producer for the Takeaway, think about this long-awaited and super-hyped blockbuster.

This week, Movie Date is heading back to high school. And so are Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as a couple of young-looking rookie cops in "21 Jump Street," a remake of the 80s TV show. Listen to find out what grade Kristen and Rafer give this revisited classic.

Jennifer Westfeldt's "Friends with Kids" asks an important question: do I really have to have kids? When two single friends realize that all of their friends are parents, they ditch bachelor life to have a baby of their own. "Friends with Kids" has an all-star comedic cast, but it's also rife with some language you might not want your own kids to hear. As always, Movie Date is brought to you by Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Kristen Meinzer, culture producer for the Takeaway.

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Remember those crazy parties in high school? Well, our Movie Date podcasters do. This week the Todd Phillips movie "Project X" rages into the movie theaters.  The director of "Hangover" and "Old School" takes on teenage rebellion when three buddies decide to throw the party of their lives. As always we hear from Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Kristen Meinzer, culture producer for the Takeaway.

Excitement about the red carpet heats up as the 84th Annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday. Will "The Artist" walk away with best film? And will the Academy take "Bridesmaids" seriously and make Melissa McCarthy the victorious underdog? Find out who our Movie Date podcasters think will go home with a little statuette. As always we hear from Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Kristen Meinzer, culture producer for the Takeaway.

This week our Movie Date podcasters talk about the most unlikely movie story of the year: Jeremy Lin and his rapid rise to stardom in the NBA. As a script, the Jeremy Lin story is perfect. Beyond breaking down the aspects of the Lin story, our team looks at the most lin-spired movies. What movies remind you of the Jeremy Lin story? As always we hear from Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Kristen Meinzer, culture producer for the Takeaway.

"Safe House" is the new Denzel Washington flick which treads some familiar territory. There are explosions, there are also buddy cop dynamics, sexy girlfriends, and lots and lots of action.  As always we hear from Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Kristen Meinzer, culture producer for the Takeaway. They'll tell you if this movie is a good date, and if the action-packed sequences are too much, too often, or just right.

Daniel Radcliffe's post-Harry Potter career hasn't been the magical sensation of his wizardry past. But that may be about to change. In this horror film based on the novel of the same title, Arthur Kipps (played by Radcliffe) faces the haunting prospect of a ghostly woman returning to exact her revenge on the town's children. Can Radcliffe break the Harry Potter mold with 'The Woman in Black'? As always we hear from Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Kristen Meinzer, culture producer for the Takeaway.

What if all we had was time? What if our youth was everlasting, but the time we has was limited? In this futuristic sci-fi thriller everyone stops aging at the tender age of 25. The only problem is that the time you have left is a commodity. People trade minutes and hours instead of dollars, leaving a cup of coffee to cost you about 90 seconds, give or take. This is the world that Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried find themselves in as their characters navigate this post-apocalyptic experience. As always we hear from Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Kristen Meinzer, culture producer for the Takeaway.

Like "Snakes on a Plane" before it "Man on a Ledge" tells you exactly what to expect out of this thriller. There's a man, of course, and he is on a ledge. But what he's doing there, how he will get off, and what happens in between? We won't spoil the plot for you but our Movie Date podcasters will put this movie in context of other "literal-title movies" and let you know if it is a good date or not. As always we hear from Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Kristen Meinzer, culture producer for the Takeaway.

In Steven Soderbergh's latest movie, the "Ocean's Eleven" director recruits mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carano to play the heroine in the action-packed "Haywire." Both the director and actor joined The Takeaway to talk about their unlikely pairing for Carano's first movie. Now we hear about the movie from Movie Date podcasters Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Kristen Meinzer, culture producer for the Takeaway.

The Golden Globe awards are Sunday. Who will come out as Hollywood's big winner? Who will look stunning on the red carpet? And who will flame out? Find out what Takeaway Movie Date podcasters Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer think about the winners and losers. Have any favorites, or movies that you think we're overrated? Let us know here or call us at 1-877-8-MY-TAKE.