The Film at 11 podcast welcomes a new participant this week, as I’m joined by both of my sons and, for the first time, our dog JoJo, who was very confused about the whole business. We felt it appropriate to bring in JoJo for a viewing of Christopher Guest’s mockumentary classic Best in Show. I’ll… Read More Film at 11 Podcast: Episode 45 | Best in Show (2000)
In the very brief span of just nineteen months, between multiple Oscar wins for The Deer Hunter in April 1979 to the disastrous financial and critical failure of Heaven’s Gate in November 1980, Michael Cimino went from being a celebrated Hollywood darling to a pariah in the filmmaking industry. The director wouldn’t attempt (or wouldn’t… Read More You’re Too Impressed with Yourself | Year of the Dragon (1985) Blu-ray
For our first Film at 11 podcast episode of 2026, I introduce my son Thomas to Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Thomas has recently taken an interest in old Saturday Night Live sketches by way of “Best of” compilations, and this classic comedy from Mike Myers seemed like a sure winner. Indeed, Thomas liked… Read More Film at 11 Podcast: Episode 44 | Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
Even among those who’d call themselves fans (myself included), I expect most will admit that Welsh filmmaker Peter Greenaway is an acquired taste. His work actively defies traditional mainstream conventions. Greenaway makes art films, the type best appreciated in a museum setting rather than a multiplex. To that end, Greenaway’s 1985 A Zed & Two… Read More You Exhaust Me with Your Obsessions | A Zed & Two Noughts (1985) Blu-ray
Logically, the purpose of having a movie collection ought to be to actually watch the movies you own. Unfortunately, like many collecting hobbies, the compulsion to simply have stuff – and ideally, more and better stuff than others that share your interests – too often overrides the original point of doing the thing in the… Read More Film from Z to A | A Resolution for 2026
For this last Film at 11 podcast episode of 2025, I have once again made the ill-advised mistake of inviting both my sons to watch a movie with me, together, at the same time. That never works out well, and certainly didn’t here. Somehow, all the squabbling and fighting that ensued (mostly, but not entirely… Read More Film at 11 Podcast: Episode 43 | National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Clinging to physical media for movie collecting has become an increasingly difficult prospect in this age of plentiful and convenient video streaming. First and foremost, the very idea of collecting movies for permanent ownership has fallen out of favor with the general public. Even for those of us hardliners who refuse to give up our… Read More First Impressions of a Second 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
In this week’s Film at 11 podcast, my son Joseph and I get paid a visit from Uncle Buck. Strictly speaking, the 1989 John Hughes comedy isn’t a holiday movie, but its themes of family reconciliation nonetheless resonate around this time of year. I think it makes a fine viewing in the run-up to Christmas.… Read More Film at 11 Podcast: Episode 42 | Uncle Buck (1989)
Among the many interesting movie trends and fads of the 1990s, the film noir genre experienced a bit of a resurgence as a number of directors attempted to bring some then-modern flair to the lurid mystery and crime thrillers they’d loved when they were younger. Unfortunately, while critics were largely supportive of titles like The… Read More A Man Don’t Always Do What’s Best for Him | Romeo Is Bleeding (1993) Blu-ray
My son Thomas and I did a little bit of prep work in anticipation of the latest Film at 11 podcast. Over the past couple weeks, between podcast episodes, we binged the complete first (and only) season of Joss Whedon’s famed cult sci-fi series Firefly. Naturally enough, that leads us directly into the feature film… Read More Film at 11 Podcast: Episode 41 | Serenity (2005)
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