FanFare

A coming-of-age story, set in the 1990s, that revolves around the A/V and drama clubs at a Boring, Ore., high school; the two crews of outsiders join forces to make a movie and endure the purgatory that is high school. Think Freaks & Geeks, but a bit more diverse. Most critics aren't particularly fond of this show, and they are wrong. [more inside]
posted by Stanczyk on Feb 19, 2018 - 13 comments

Anyone want to watch some Billy Wilder movies and talk about them? Unfortunately they're not free on popular screening services right now, except Sunset Boulevard, but local libraries have a lot of them and also they're only 3 bucks streaming rental. Anyone in?
posted by latkes on Sep 15, 2017 - 12 comments

This revised post (original) describes how to join our weekly MST3K Club showings of Mystery Science Theater 3000, technical details of the show, and some minor related bits of weirdness. tl;dr: Watch the show at https://cytu.be/r/Metafilter_MST3KClub, at 9 P.M. Eastern/6 P.M. Pacific Thursday nights. Other topics covered involve technical details, preshow material, viewer controls and powers, and whimsical lore. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Jun 1, 2016 - 0 comments

This week.... Donald Trump wins the South Carolina Republican Primary despite a feud with the Pope, and Jeb Bush finishes fourth. Republicans dig in on not confirming whatever replacement Supreme Court Justice Obama nominates. The "Judicial Crisis Network" makes an ad saying Republican senators should not confirm made mostly of smiling faces bought from stock footage sites. Last Week Tonight provides a stock footage rebuttal. How is This Still a Thing: Hollywood whitewashing. This week's main story: breast implants abortion (16m), and the stealth efforts of the right to outlaw it de facto by making it impossible in some states to operate an abortion clinic through the imposition of ridiculously onerous rules. The show finishes up with footage of a bucket of baby slothes -- and one in person, in the studio. Metafilter thread. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Feb 24, 2016 - 8 comments

Come join the Old Timey Film Club for black-and-white film discussion! [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Aug 12, 2015 - 23 comments

Anyone interested in a Turner Classic Movies film club? [more inside]
posted by JauntyFedora on Jun 27, 2015 - 2 comments

In a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, two rebels just might be able to restore order: Max, a man of action and of few words, and Furiosa, a woman of action who is looking to make it back to her childhood homeland. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on May 11, 2015 - 519 comments

This week: The US Government pulls diplomats out of Yemen as Houthis take control of the country. Theaters saw the worldwide release of the movie version of Fifty Shades of Grey. Ecuador president Rafael Correa carps back at John Oliver on Twitter (Washington Post). How Is This Still A Thing: the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue (YouTube, 3m). The main story (YouTube, 18m) is on the current boom times for the tobacco industry around the world, and the efforts they've gone through to ensure them, which include suing countries through international courts to repeal and prevent public health legislation. Oliver presents a new mascot for free use of the tobacco industry, Jeff the Diseased Lung in a Cowboy Hat. Twitter uses can show their support for Jeff with the hashtag #jeffwecan. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Feb 16, 2015 - 10 comments

We talked about it, and considering the success and good run of the Spirit Of 99 Club, why not a Spirit Of 1979 club? Eh? Eh? [more inside]
posted by The Whelk on Jan 30, 2015 - 5 comments

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson and Glen Weldon are joined by NPR Code Switch's Gene Demby to discuss the Civil Rights Era film Selma. They'll discuss the direction by Ava DuVernay, the Oprah of it all, and how well it brings Martin Luther King, Jr. to life. Then they'll discuss other historical dramas and the advantages and limitations of dramatic license. All that plus What's Making Us Happy this week.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Jan 22, 2015 - 1 comment

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Glen Weldon and Bob Mondello discuss Disney's film adaptation of the Broadway musical Into The Woods. Then they'll discuss movie franchises--why do some take off while others never fail to leave the ground? All that, plus What's Making Us Happy.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Jan 14, 2015 - 5 comments

An emotionally distant and depressed writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after experiencing family tragedy. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Dec 27, 2014 - 7 comments

Two comedy giants this week. First, Jesse talks to Chris Rock about what it was like to become one of the world’s best stand-up comics in the 1990s. Rock’s got a new movie out. It’s called Top Five. Then, Jesse sits down with Monty Python member John Cleese. They’ll talk about his early life and about what Cleese really thought about the recent Python reunion. Cleese’s new memoir is called So, Anyway. Plus, we ask Scott Aukerman what piece of culture he wishes he had made. His answer? Twin Peaks. Lastly, Jesse tells you about a TV show that lets people just be people.
posted by ocherdraco on Dec 10, 2014 - 9 comments

English teacher John Keating inspires his students to appreciate poetry and make the most of their lives. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Nov 25, 2014 - 7 comments

An unorthodox and irreverent DJ begins to shake up things when he is assigned to the US Armed Services Radio station in Vietnam. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Nov 15, 2014 - 2 comments

THE SPIRIT OF 99 VIEWING CLUB is still going strong (natch) but I'd like to know where we're going. We need a new schedule and possibly a new person in charge (carsbonb did great work here). What have we learned and how should be proceed? What 1999 movies would you like to talk about?
posted by The Whelk on Nov 12, 2014 - 30 comments

Salesman Tommy Wilhelm packs up for New York City to try to repair the pieces of his broken life. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Nov 1, 2014 - 1 comment

A small-town loser determines to have one more shot at the big time by winning a football game. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Oct 18, 2014 - 3 comments

When a Russian musician defects in Bloomingdale's department store in New York, he finds adjusting to American life more difficult than he imagined. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Oct 4, 2014 - 3 comments

One of my favorite genres of movie are those where the protagonist is dealing with living inside of a simulated or constructed reality. The Matrix is the most popular example, but there are many, many more (of vastly varying quality). There are already a lot of movie clubs going, so I thought I would put out a feeler for interest.
posted by codacorolla on Sep 26, 2014 - 9 comments

Cult film club: The thrill of the hunt. It's the ultimate drug, and the more intense the rush, the higher the price. International superstar Jean-Claude Van Damme teams up with world-famous action director John Woo for this electrifying thriller that WGN Radio hails as "Easily one of the year's best films!" Van Damme is the target of an evil mercenary (Lance Henriksen) who recruits homeless combat veterans for the "amusement" of his clients - bored tycoons who will pay a half a million dollars to stalk and kill the most challenging prey of them all: Man. Laced with dark humor and slam-packed with electrifying action Hard Target is a must see for action fans. [more inside]
posted by maxsparber on Sep 23, 2014 - 5 comments

A hapless store clerk must foil criminals to save the life of the man who, miniaturized in a secret experiment, was accidentally injected into him. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Sep 13, 2014 - 11 comments

A dissolute matinee idol is slated to appear on a live TV variety show. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Aug 24, 2014 - 8 comments

The adventures of the sailor man and his friends in the seaside town of Sweethaven. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Aug 23, 2014 - 21 comments

My Favorite Year is a 1983 comedy/drama about a young writer's experience, during one week, on the set of a variety/comedy live TV show. It starred Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker, Jessica Harper, Joseph Bologna, Bill Macy, and more in an ensemble cast. Directed by Richard Benjamin. Are people interested in planning a viewing, and discussion of, "My Favorite Year"? [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Aug 7, 2014 - 12 comments

Monday brings us the contemporary classic The Room, otherwise known as Oh hi. [more inside]
posted by maxsparber on Aug 6, 2014 - 6 comments