Movie Fail Podcast

2015 was a year of meager expectations when it came to the Oscars. While controversy surrounded the nomination process, we generally knew who’d take home the major awards. No one gasped in amazement when Birdman took Best Cinematography, or when Patricia Arquette was named Best Supporting Actress for Boyhood. Yet sometimes there is intrigue to be found […] The post Søren and J’s Oscarcast 2015 appeared first on Movie Fail.

In what may be the last Ember Island Airwaves podcast ever, Josh and I take some time to look back on The Legend of Korra as a series. We discuss Korra’s arc from a more brazen and hot-tempered to a more peaceful and diplomatic Avatar. That journey starts in Book One: Air amidst Korra’s conflict with Amon and […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 18 appeared first on Movie Fail.

It seems like just yesterday scenes from the first episode of The Legend of Korra leaked all over Tumblr. Fast forward a couple of years and Korrasami is canon, Hiroshi Sato is a martyr and Zhu Li and Varrick have officially declared their mutual affection. Needless to say, things have changed a bit since we were “Welcome(d) to Republic […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 17 appeared first on Movie Fail.

Wow – now that was an episode! Both J and I loved “Kuvira’s Gambit,” an easy highlight of both Book 4 and the rest of The Legend of Korra. Kuvira continues to build herself up (literally!) as a truly intimidating opponent for the Avatar and her allies. She arrives on the front steps of Republic City […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 16 appeared first on Movie Fail.

The Legend of Korra maintains momentum with an exciting Beifong-centric episode. “Operation Beifong” doesn’t waste much time getting Bolin, Lin, Opal and Toph together as they seek to rescue Suyin from Kuvira’s clutches. Along the way, they find Zhu Li, whose allegiance to Kuvira may not be as firm as the show would have you believe. Meanwhile, […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 15 appeared first on Movie Fail.

“Beyond the Wilds” marks a return to the main plot of Book 4: Balance after last week’s tangential clip show. Korra continues to work through her traumatic past with Zaheer. Meanwhile, the spirit vines in Republic City react violently to Kuvira’s assault on the swamp and the banyan grove tree. J and I begin our conversation speculating […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 14 appeared first on Movie Fail.

Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino deliver a clip episode this week in the form of “Remembrances.” Next to nothing happens with regard to plot and we’re left reminiscing about the good and bad in The Legend of Korra. Nevertheless, the showrunners and their crew do what they can to make the episode fun and […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 13 appeared first on Movie Fail.

Nate’s Review Interstellar surprised me. I walked into the theater expecting to see a bombastic space exploration flick. I did not expect the film to bring me to tears, but it did. The plot is centered on the final frontier, but Christopher Nolan’s latest is more than that. There’s a soul beneath the science-fiction spectacle. […] The post Interstellar with Nate and Søren appeared first on Movie Fail.

J’s Review Birdman comes close to greatness. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki’s execution of the long take is so successful it almost makes me forget about everything else in the film. I love how it moves from supposed fantasy to supposed reality without cuts, removing the objectivity that comes with a shot change. Watching fantasy elements shift into reality within a […] The post Birdman with J and Søren appeared first on Movie Fail.

Fabrizio Federico is a young independent director from the UK with a penchant for off-the-wall micro budget filmmaking. He made his first feature film, entitled Black Biscuit, after getting deported from America. That movie promised to represent “The Future of Cinema” and bore with it the “Pink8” manifesto, a sort of spiritual successor to Lars Von Trier’s Dogme 95 avant-garde […] The post Fabrizio Federico, Director of Pregnant appeared first on Movie Fail.

After a brief hiatus last week, Ember Island Airwaves is back with an all new episode covering the latest in The Legend of Korra. This week, J and I discuss both “The Battle of Zaofu” and “Reunion.” These episodes function as filler to some degree with Bolin and Varrick taking center stage. Concurrently, the Avatar […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 12 appeared first on Movie Fail.

The Legend of Korra is back with the deeply plot-driven episode, “Enemy at the Gates.” Kuvira has arrived at Zaofu with her army and Korra is back in the picture as Suyin tries to decide how she’s going to deal with the incursion. Meanwhile, Bolin and Varrick discover Kuvira may skew more evil than they’d anticipated […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 11 appeared first on Movie Fail.

The Legend of Korra continues to impress with Book 4: Balance. Following last week’s major political bent, “The Calling” took a more personal approach to the story. Jinora, Meelo and Ikki head off in search of Korra and their presence lends a distinctly Avatar: The Last Airbender tone to the show. We also finally see a resolution to the Phantom […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 10 appeared first on Movie Fail.

This week’s episode of The Legend of Korra puts the focus on Prince Wu, the heir apparent to the throne of the Earth Kingdom. As leaders of the four nations gather to watch Kuvira relinquish power, Korra trains with Toph in the swamp. Things quickly go awry as Kuvira – perhaps unsurprisingly – doesn’t play by the rules. […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 9 appeared first on Movie Fail.

Book 4 of The Legend of Korra continues to impress with its second episode, “Korra Alone.” After missing the Avatar almost entirely last week, this episode catches us up on her goings-on since the showdown with the Red Lotus. J and I begin our conversation talking about Avatar: The Last Airbender, and speculate whether Zuko is […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 8 appeared first on Movie Fail.

The Legend of Korra returns for its fourth and final season. The premiere, titled “After All These Years,” takes place long after the finale of Book 3: Change. Republic City is in the midst of a revamp, new power player Kuvira looks to be shaking things up and Team Avatar is scattered around the world. Yet one question […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 7 appeared first on Movie Fail.

You might remember an op-ed I published a few days ago in defense of Edge of Tomorrow‘s title. As I expected, not everyone agreed with me. In fact, my friend and podcasting veteran Teague Chrystie from Friends in your Head was so emphatic about his disagreement that he suggested we record a short podcast about the issue. You can listen […] The post Edge of Tomorrow Versus the World appeared first on Movie Fail.

Well, here we are. Perhaps the best season of The Legend of Korra to date has come to its inevitable conclusion. Josh and I were spectacularly wrong about most of our predictions, but the finale generated some fascinating speculation about Book 4. Will Korra ever be able to access her past lives again? Has Suyin finally esablished her allegiance to the […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 6 appeared first on Movie Fail.

In this week’s installment of Ember Island Airwaves, J and I discuss the incredibly draining experience of watching “The Ultimatum.” We explore classism and how the protagonist/antagonist relationships in The Legend of Korra directly contrast with those in Avatar: The Last Airbender. J and I then speculate about the fate of Tenzin and the other airbenders […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 5 appeared first on Movie Fail.

It’s been awhile since our last episode of Ember Island Airwaves. In the interim, I had the chance to interview the fantastic Stephen Stanton (the voice of Old Wan and the Air Lion Turtle in “Beginnings, Part 2”). In addition, some major news about The Legend of Korra was dropped at San Diego Comic Con. Last week saw the birth […] The post Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 4 appeared first on Movie Fail.