Tag: Film

The Takeaway

A Lesson on Making Better Home Movies

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

With an increasingly sophisticated crop of small, inexpensive digital cameras — in addition to those built into the tops of computer monitors and cell phones — more people are making movies than ever before. Equally significant, these little vignettes are reaching a greater audience than ever before. But not everyone's filmmaking skills have caught up.

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The Takeaway

Movie Date: 'In Time' with Justin Timberlake

Wednesday, February 01, 2012 - 10:56 AM

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.

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The Takeaway

The Premiere of The Global Jukebox

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Twenty years ago American folklorist and ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax designed "The Global Jukebox," a database that used descriptive tools to identify and link archival music and dance footage. The Global Jukebox was essentially Pandora — but conceived long before technology that could realize it existed. Ten years after his death, Lomax's dream may finally be realized: all of his recordings have been put online, but it will take at least another year to get his collection of dance film into the database.

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The Takeaway

Movie Date Podcast: 'Man on a Ledge'

Friday, January 27, 2012 - 11:09 AM

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.

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The Takeaway

New Movie Releases: 'The Grey' and 'Man on a Ledge'

Friday, January 27, 2012

Late January means as many action releases as June and July. Liam Neeson returns to the big screen this weekend with the icy survival flick "The Grey." This Friday also sees "Man on a Ledge," starring Sam Worthington as a police psychologist negotiating with a pack of diamond thieves, whilst on a ledge of course. Find out which flicks are worth seeing, and which ones should wait until DVD release.

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The Takeaway

Movie Date Podcast: Steven Soderbergh Goes 'Haywire'

Friday, January 20, 2012 - 11:56 AM

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.

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The Takeaway

'Haywire' Director Steven Soderbergh with Star of Film, Gina Carano

Friday, January 20, 2012

Steven Soderbergh is a director who is not afraid to try new things. His films range from a remake of the popular rat pack vehicle "Ocean’s Eleven" to the multi-part biopic “Che” to his experimental film "Scizopolis." On Friday his latest risky endeavor, "Haywire," hits theaters. Newcomer Gina Carano stars as a mixed martial arts fighter who seeks revenge after being betrayed during a mission.

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The Takeaway

Golden Globes: 'Descendants,' Claire Danes, and Ricky Gervais

Monday, January 16, 2012

Last night was the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards and once again Ricky Gervais played host. Gervais did what he does, a little more gently this time around. The stars were out, well Winner Woody Allen didn't show, but it was a party as usual. Here to weigh in are our Movie Date team, Rafer Guzman, who's also movie critic for Newsday and his co-host Kristen Meinzer, who's also culture producer for the Takeaway.

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The Takeaway

Movie Date Podcast: 'Joyful Noise' and 'Contraband'

Thursday, January 12, 2012 - 10:22 AM

Chic Flicks and Dude Flicks released on the same day? It happens this week as Mark Wahlberg packs heat and battles bad guys in the new thriller "Contraband." Also being released is "Joyful Noise," a musical starring the dynamic duo of Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah. Which movie will please both genders, and more importantly, which makes a good movie date? Takeaway Movie Date podcasters Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer tell us about what movies you might want to take your spouse to, and which one you should see alone.

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The Takeaway

Movie Date Podcast: Bad Movies

Monday, January 09, 2012 - 10:58 AM

Ticket sales were down this year. But was this due to a bad economic climate? Or, were the movies in 2011 just awful? Takeaway Movie Date podcasters Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer take a look into the abyss of terrible movies. From "Margin Call" to "The Smurfs" and "Tree of Life" — did these movies take down the entire industry? It was probably just a coincedence. 

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The Takeaway

Movie Date Podcast: 'Young Adult'

Friday, January 06, 2012 - 05:16 PM

You can always go home — but it probably won't be the same. In 'Young Adult' Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary, the ghost author of a series of teen books who decides to return to her small home town of Mercury, Minnesota. But when she finds out the man she was looking for is married, she acts on her petulant impulses and tries to steal him away for his domestic bliss. Takeaway Movie Date podcasters Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer tell us what is so endearing about this character, with all her flaws. 

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The Takeaway

Movie Date Podcast: 'The Sitter'

Monday, December 26, 2011 - 02:29 PM

Jonah Hill returns to his slacker comedy roots as an overgrown man child who finds work as a babysitter in his most recent film entitled "The Sitter." Known for his hilarious roles in movies such as "Superbad" and "Knocked Up," Hill recently dropped some weight and starred next to Brad Pitt in "Moneyball." But the actor tries to bring back the laughs with his latest slapstick film. Takeaway Movie Date podcasters Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer give us their critique.

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The Takeaway

Movie Date Podcast: 'Iron Lady'

Friday, December 23, 2011 - 12:01 PM

Margaret Thatcher is known as the somewhat belligerent former prime minister of the United Kingdom, and a new film starring Meryl Streep looks into the life of this historic figure. "Iron Lady" follows Thatcher's life as the young daughter of a grocer to a one of the most powerful heads-of-state in a male dominated world. But is "Iron Lady" engaging enough to match the charismatic, strong-willed personality of Thatcher? Takeaway Movie Date podcasters Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer tell us if this movie is worth a date.

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The Takeaway

Movie Date: 'War Horse,' 'We Bought a Zoo' and So Much More

Thursday, December 22, 2011 - 04:01 PM

It's Christmas week, and Oscar season, which means lots and lots of movies. Our Movie Date podcasters try to cut through the muck and get to the quality films by looking at this week's releases. Find out what they think about the self-explanatory feel-good story "We Bought a Zoo," the new blockbuster "Mission Impossible — Ghost Protocol," the bestseller-turned-feature film "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and much more.

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The Takeaway

New Movies: 'The Sitter' and 'New Year's Eve'

Friday, December 09, 2011

Every Friday, The Takeaway looks at the weekend's new releases. Opening this weekend: slacker comedy "The Sitter" with Jonah Hill; and "New Year's Eve" starring Sarah Jessica Parker among many others. Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Takeaway producer Kristen Meinzer, co-hosts of The Takeaway Movie Date podcast, give their recommendations on this weekend's new movies.

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The Takeaway

Movie Date: Christmas Movie Podcast

Thursday, December 08, 2011 - 04:40 PM

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! 

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The Takeaway

Harvey Weinstein on What Inspires Him

Friday, December 02, 2011

Whether or not you recognize their surname, no other duo has so clearly shaped American independent cinema and its culture over the past 25 years like Harvey and Bob Weinstein. Among the films released by Miramax Films and the Weinstein Company, 261 have received Oscar nominations and 62 have won Academy Awards. Harvey Weinstein speaks to John and Celeste about his childhood, what got him into the movie business, and his expansive career.

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The Takeaway

Movie Date: 'The Muppets' Reunited and it Feels So Good

Friday, November 25, 2011 - 12:00 AM

Who doesn't get chills when they hear the opening banjo riff to "Rainbow Connection"? That was the popular tune payed by a lovable Kermit the Frog in the original 'Muppet Movie' way back in 1979. This week, 'The Muppets' return to the screen after a long hiatus. When Muppet-master Jim Henson died in 1990, some thought these lovable puppets might be gone for good. But they got the whole band back together for a Muppets reunion, with help from Jason Segel and Amy Adams.

Takeaway 'Movie Date' podcasters Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer take a trip down memory lane and talk about what the new installment of the series brings to the table.

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The Takeaway

Movie Date: 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn Pt. 1'

Sunday, November 20, 2011 - 11:34 AM

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.

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The Takeaway

New Documentary Looks At Concentration Camp Excavation

Friday, November 18, 2011

In 1943, a group of Jews stood in a field in near Maidanek, a concentration camp in Poland also known as Lublin. Fearing their deaths, they burried their most prized possessions in the soil. Decades later, more than 60 years after two survivors returned to lead an excavation of the largest recovery of valuables from a death camp in history. A new documentary, called "Buried Prayers" tells the story of that event.

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