The Lunch with James Rocchi » Podcast

This week, The Lunch welcomes film journalist and author Karina Longworth, author of the new book "Al Pacino: Anatomy of an Actor," where Pacino's career (and the changes in Hollywood throughout that career) are examined  through 10 performances, from "The Godfather" to "Jack and Jill." Karina and I talk about Pacino's early work, hard-copy research, the "Hoo-ah!" nature of late Pacino performances and ponder what it is, exactly, that makes a movie star. This week, we dined (and recorded) at The Sunset Junction Coffee Shop, in Silverlake; Ms. Longworth can be found on twitter @karinalongworth ... Let me know what you thought of the podcast here, or you can find me on twitter  @TheLunchPodcast... Our iTunes page for the Lunch is right here; if you enjoy the show, maybe you might be kind enough to give us a review? The show is also available directly below or as a stand-alone player on Soundcloud.  The Lunch is back for the 2013-2014 season thanks to the sponsorship of Snoot Entertainment (whose upcoming "You're Next" is due in theaters Aug. 23rd).

This week, The Lunch welcomes Mark Olsen, film journalist for the L.A. Times; after dining at The Sycamore Kitchen 0n La Brea, Mark and I sat down to talk about August's bumper crop of indies, from "In a World" and 'Drinking Buddies" to "The Battery" and "Ain't them Bodies Saints," "Short Term 12" and "Afternoon Delight." Plus, Mark and I digress to discuss "Elysium" and the Depp-Bruckheimer-Hammer assertion that "critics killed 'The Lone Ranger.' " Mark can be found on twitter @IndieFocus ... Let me know what you thought of the podcast here, or you can find me on twitter @jamesrocchi ... Our iTunes page for the Lunch is right here; if you enjoy the show, maybe you might be kind enough to give us a review? The show is also available directly below or  as a stand-alone player on Soundcloud.  The Lunch is back for the 2013-2014 season thanks to the sponsorship of Snoot Entertainment (whose upcoming "You're Next" is due in theaters Aug. 23rd).  

This week on The Lunch, it's a double-sized special all about The Spectacular Now, which expands into wider release this week. First, screenwriters Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustader (also the screenwriters of (500) Days of Summer)  talk about adapting the novel for the screen, the challenges of production, 'R' ratings and the food at The Four Seasons in Beverly Hills; then, I talk with editor Darrin Navarro (who's also worked on films like Bug and Killer Joe) talk about the art and craft of editing after dining at Earl's Gourmet Grub on Venice Blvd. You can find Mr. Weber on Twitter @thisisweber and Mr. Neustater @iamthepuma; Mr. Navarro can be found @hypersquared. Finally, my rave review of The Spectacular Now from Sundance can be found here. Let me know what you thought of the podcast here, or you can find me on twitter @jamesrocchi ... Our iTunes page for the Lunch is right here; if you enjoy the show, maybe you might be kind enough to give us a review? The show is also available as a stand-alone player on Soundcloud.  The Lunch is back for the 2013-2014 season thanks to the sponsorship of Snoot Entertainment (whose upcoming "You're Next" is due in theaters Aug. 23rd).

This week on The Lunch, we talk to both the writers and the editor of "The Spectacular Now," with  my conversation with co-writers Michael H. Webber and Scott Neustadter followed by a conversation with editor Darrin Navarro. But before that Episode of The Lunch posts tomorrow, I thought I'd present a small appetizer -- namely, an audio version of my MSN Movies Hitlist review of the film from the Sundance Film Festival this year. It should, I hope, give you an idea of why "The Spectacular Now" is one of the year's best films. Yours, James.

This week on The Lunch, Director Joshua Oppenheimer talks about his film "The Act of Killing," which finds an ex-member of the ad-hoc Indonesian death squads who killed millions as part of the establishment of the Suharto regime in '65-'66 -- and, by giving that ex-murderer access to a film crew, encourages calm, thoroughly respectable ex-killer Anwar Congo to shoot vignettes that reminisce about what he did and how -- functioning, essentially, as art therapy for monsters. It's one of the year's best docs, and you can find my Toronto review of the film here.   You can find the film on twitter at @theactofkilling; it's currently in theaters from Drafthouse Films. Let me know what you thought of the podcast here, or you can find me on twitter @jamesrocchi ... Our iTunes page for the Lunch is right here; if you enjoy the show, maybe you might be kind enough to give us a review? The show is also available as a stand-alone player on Soundcloud.  The Lunch is back for the 2013-2014 season thanks to the sponsorship of Snoot Entertainment (whose upcoming "You're Next" is due in theaters Aug. 23rd).

This week on The Lunch, Director Gabriella Cowperthwaite talks about her new documentary "Blackfish," a complex and moving look at killer whales in captivity -- and what exactly keeping large, intelligent ocean-going creatures in small, shallow pens for the purposes of small, shallow entertainment does to both them and us. Ms. Cowperthwaite and I dined at the Westside Tavern, and then recorded this conversation about her methods, her movie and how she's handling the PR backlash from Sea World. You can find the film on twitter at @blackfishmovie; it's currently in theaters from Magnolia Pictures. Let me know what you thought of the podcast here, or you can find me on twitter @jamesrocchi ... Our iTunes page for the Lunch is right here; if you enjoy the show, maybe you might be kind enough to give us a review? The show is also available as a stand-alone player on Soundcloud.  The Lunch is back for the 2013-2014 season thanks to the sponsorship of Snoot Entertainment (whose upcoming "You're Next" is due in theaters Aug. 23rd).

This week on The Lunch, Director Alex Winter of the documentary "Downloaded" -- and, not coincidentally, 'Bill' of "Bill and Ted" -- joins  us to talk about his film. "Downloaded" is a history of the programming and the people that created the original file-sharing service Napster -- and also of the mis-steps and litigation that destroyed it. Winter and I dined at Oliverio restaurant in Beverly Hills before recording this podcast; as a technical note, having forgotten to re-insert the media card in my Zoom recorder, I had to use my phone for this edition -- I will apologize for the slightly more raw sound of this episode, but, really, Winter's observations about moviemaking and programming, culture and cultural discourse and all the other topics we touch on make this edition a must-listen. You can find Mr. Winter on Twitter @alxwinter, and the film at @downloaded_doc . Let me know what you thought of the podcast here, or you can find me on twitter @jamesrocchi ... Our Itunes page, while still lightly under construction, is right here; if you enjoy the show, maybe be kind enough to give us a review? The show is also available as a stand-alone player on Soundcloud.  The Lunch is back for the 2013-2014 season thanks to the sponsorship of Snoot Entertainment (whose upcoming "You're Next" is due in theaters Aug. 23rd).  

As a special edition of The Lunch this week, filmmaker, twitter gadfly and award-winning short film maker Nick Robinson (@nickrob) and I talk -- with bemusement, calm, and a little confusion -- about "Pacific Rim"; we didn't think the film worked, but please consider this an attempt to explain exactly why with the kind of depth that, say, a tweet doesn't allow for. Along the way, we talk about lots of the good things about "Pacific Rim," what the film says about how we make blockbusters, and everything about the movie from pacing and plot to characters and concepts. On a personal note, it should be noted that while I am confounded by someone professing to like and/or admire"Pacific Rim," that doesn't give me any right to suggest those people are foolish or confused. We look for different things in films, and we look for them due to personal taste and we accept them for their flaws or overlook their perfection in large part thanks to that personal sense of what we do, and do not, enjoy. Twitter is great for how you feel, but less good for why, and it's easy to look like an ass there, especially when you're being one. So, instead of just looking like a jackass talking about why I didn't like "Pacific Rim" 140 characters at a time, thanks to the wise, stalwart and broadly-studied Mr. Robinson joining me, I can look like a jackass at much greater length in much greater depth in this special edition of The Lunch. Later this week, we'll have a more, uh, staid show with documentarian (and, yes, bill of "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure") Alex Winter of "Downloaded." Let me know what you thought of the podcast here, or you can find me on twitter @jamesrocchi ... Our Itunes page, while still lightly under construction, is right here; if you enjoy the show, maybe be kind enough to give us a review? The Lunch is back for the 2013-2014 season thanks to the sponsorship of Snoot Entertainment (whose upcoming "You're Next" is due in theaters Aug. 23rd).  

Austin Guzman, Executive Story Editor at Grey's Anatomy, joins The Lunch this week to talk about serial storytelling, getting into the business, medicine vs. melodrama, the completely fictional death his real father won't forgive him for and much more.  Mr. Guzman and I dined at The Smokehouse Restaurant --    a family business since 1962, now located across the way from the Warner Lot, in a building once owned by Danny Kaye that still serves a great sandwich in the kind of red-leather banquette-and-booth setting that define a great American steakhouse and grill. You can find Austin on twitter at @amazingsupera, and Grey's Anatomy @greysabc. Let me know what you thought of the podcast here, or you can find me on twitter @jamesrocchi ... Our Itunes page, while still lightly under construction, is right here; if you enjoy the show, maybe be kind enough to give us a review? The show is also available as a stand-alone player on Soundcloud.  The Lunch is back for the 2013-2014 season thanks to the sponsorship of Snoot Entertainment (whose upcoming "You're Next" is due in theaters Aug. 23rd).

This week on The Lunch, Hitfix.com Senior Film editor Drew McWeeny (@drewathitfix) and I begin with a lengthy discussion of "The Lone Ranger" (and one best enjoyed after you've seen the film) that digresses into discussions of structure, storytelling, violence in media, why Hollywood's so hell-bent on reviving age-old franchises and the miracle of green chiles in New Mexico's cuisine. Let me know what you thought of the podcast here, or you can find me on twitter @jamesrocchi ... The Lunch is back for the 2013-2014 season thanks to the sponsorship of Snoot Entertainment (whose upcoming "You're Next" is due in theaters Aug. 23rd).