Movie Date's Kristen Meinzer and Rafer Guzman
It’s hard to get any two people to agree on a movie. It’s even harder for Takeaway movie producer Kristen Meinzer and Newsday film critic Rafer Guzman. Join them in the weekly Movie Date podcast as they make the case for why you should or shouldn’t see a movie. And on the rare occasion, you might hear them agree.
Read Kristen's blog posts here, follow her on twitter, subscribe to the Movie Date podcast with her and Rafer, and become friends with Movie Date on Facebook.
There are two kinds of people: those who love Christmas movies and those who hate them. Rafer and Kristen are each one of those kinds of people. Can you guess who is the Grinch and who is little Susan Walker? Either way, both have their holiday favorites — even if they don't all have to do with Christmas. Take a listen and add your own favorites in the comments!
Yes, it's finally here; the first part of the last installment of the "Twilight" movies. And it's got everything the others didn't: vampire marriage, sex, pregnancy, baby monsters. Kristen and Rafer talk about the latest (and possibly greatest?) movie that all the tweens are talking about. What do a couple of grown adults think? They kind of liked it! Find out why in this week's podcast.
As Kristen says in this latest podcast, "It's Oscar season." And if there's a movie out that hopes to bring a few of those statues in, it's "J. Edgar." But does the Leonardo Dicaprio-starring film deliver the goods? Not quite. Listen to this week's Movie Date podcast to find out why Kristen and Rafer are looking forward to some of the other assumed contenders and perhaps trying to forget this one.
"Melancholia" is being called perhaps director Lars von Trier's most commercial work, but that doesn't mean it's not a bit of a downer. Focusing on a pair of sisters contemplating the end of the world — a "rogue planet" named Melancholia is on a collision course with earth — von Trier ponders whether one sister's depression actually makes her better-equipped to deal with existential emergency.
What does Brett Ratner's new movie "Tower Heist," have to do with Occupy Wall Street? You don't necessarily have to turn to Ben Stiller, Tea Leone, Casey Affleck, and Eddie Murphy; our intrepid movie-going podcasters have already watched the movie for you. But if you want to know whether the now-spurned Oscar producer's movie is any good, you'll have to listen! The two also discuss "Harold and Kumar: 3D Christmas," and some prescient Occupy Wall Street imagery.
Mindy Kaling's character on "The Office," Kelly Kapoor, somehow walks the line between annoying and sympathetic. And Kaling, who also writes and produces for the hit comedy, surely meant it that way. The actress and writer has a new book out called "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns). Kristen Meinzer interviewed Kaling about her TV personality, portraying a South Asian "ditz," and her new book.
It brought in the big bucks, but did "Paranormal Activity 3" actually scare our intrepid movie date podcasters? Well, the review is mixed. Neither really lost any sleep about it, even though Kristen has a long history of being kept up by scary ("The Shining") and non-scary ("The Hulk") movies and TV shows. Unsurprisingly, the podcast turns into a discussion of Kristen and Rafer's favorite scary movies as well as a review of the latest blockbuster.
This week our Movie Date podcasters get a special treat: a visit from "Mad Men" actress Christina Hendricks. Hendricks, who is also in two fall films, including "Drive," talks about approaching the differences between acting for movies and for TV, and about the next season of "Mad Men."
You can't say Kristen and Rafer don't go to great lengths to make their movie date fit the bill. This week's topic is epic mixed martial arts film "Warrior," and how do they discuss it? With a "Movie Date throwdown," of course! After a few weeks of surprised agreement, Rafer and Kristen are back in separate corners, ready to go to (friendly) blows at the ring of the bell. Who wins? Who loses? You have to listen to find out!
In this week's Movie Date podcast, Kristen and Rafer take a look back at the summer that was...a "bummer summer." But rather than harp on how they were disappointed with the list of blockbusters that didn't deliver, they look forward at the movies being released this fall, and talk about what they're looking forward to and what they're dreading. From that list, our critics make picks for each other to see. What do they pick and how do they react? You'll have to listen to find out.
From "Harvey" to "Being There" to "Forrest Gump," one of Hollywood's favorite stock characters is "the wise fool" — the genial dunce who bequeaths life lessons to those characters who have forgotten the simple pleasure of existence. One of this weekend's new releases, "Our Idiot Brother" continues this tradition with star Paul Rudd as an affable stoner who upends his type-A sisters' lives after being arrested for selling marijuana. Rafer and Kristen look back at the history of "the wise fool" in Hollywood movies, and discuss whether "Our Idiot Brother" lives up to its forebearers.
Ahh...so many little moments are packed into the day. Moments where you're eating lunch or reading the paper, and moments when you're falling in love. The latter is the basis for new film "One Day," which is the latest film looked at in Kristen and Rafer's podcast. For one of our movie reviewers, this is a "good time, I'd go out again" date, for another, it's a "I probably won't call you again" kind of date. Take a listen.
In this week's Movie Date podcast, Kristen and Rafer talk about "The Help," which tells the story of African-American domestic workers in 1960s Mississippi and the white women they work for. While it's not the summer's best film, both of our intrepid critics have decided that "The Help" is a good date. To find out why, you'll have to take a listen!
This week, Movie Date is going out West by way of outer space. Kristen and Rafer take on the genre mash-up "Cowboys & Aliens," starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. While audiences may have laughed at the movie's trailer, Kristen and Rafer say "Cowboys & Aliens" is no joke. (That's right, they're in agreement on this one — again.) Rafer says "Cowboys & Aliens" falls in the tradition of sci-fi classics like "Predator," and Kristen thinks it's "just a great Western."
Ladies and gentleman, Kristen and Rafer stand united! Can you believe it? And on, of all movies...a superhero movie! It's true. Our oft-at odds Movie Date duo have rated "Captain America" a good date. Rafer calls it Norman Rockwellian. Kristen supports the "nobody" superhero theme.
Apparently there's a big movie out this weekend, though Rafer and Kristen can barely remember what it is. Kidding! They both saw the new Harry Potter movie, as did The Takeaway's former Digital Editor Jim Colgan — a self-described fan who loves the books and movies equally. The three of them discuss the final big screen installment, ten years later, of J.K. Rowling's cultural phenomenon.
Kristen and Rafer are having the debate of debates: Which kind of horrible boss could you stomach? That's the topic of one of this weekend's big expected box office earners, "Horrible Bosses." In yet another surprise for the Movie Date podcast, Kristen and Rafer agree! Again! Must be a full moon. Listen to find out whether our intrepid film watchers actually liked the film or not.
It's a big blockbuster summer weekend. But do Kristen and Rafer like this weekend's big blockbusters? Well there's one thing we can say: they agree on something! If you wanted to know whether that's missing Megan Fox in "Transformers" or being sort of unimpressed with Tom Hanks in "Larry Crowne," you'll just have to listen.
This week, Rafer and Kristen couldn't disagree more about Cameron Diaz comedy "Bad Teacher." Rafer thinks it's unfunny hogwash, Kristen says that if it was a guy playing Diaz's raunchy, gold-digging character, it would be a different story for moviegoers. What do you think?
This week, Kristen and Rafer take a third wheel on Movie Date, as Takeaway sports contributor and lifelong comic book geek Ibrahim Abdul-Matin joins them to dissect "Green Lantern." A huge "Green Lantern" fan, Ibrahim loved the movie for many reasons — the same reasons Kristen and Rafer hated it. Plus, Kristen and Rafer answer a listener's question about Terrence Malick's "Tree of Life."