Rock N' Reel

After a small delay involving missing audio files, Rock and Reel is back for a grand episode number 10. With double-digits comes a show that's as packed as ever with goodness.This episode, Kevin and I talk all about the first big summer blockbuster, "Iron Man". With Kevin being a huge comic book geek and my own hands almost never having touched a comic book before, we technically have the bases covered for those familiar with the back story to those who just went simply because it looked cool and Robert Downey Jr. is awesome in general. But despite these good signs for the film, did it pass our litmus test for a superhero film? Listen and find out.Following that, we give our Album of the Week a Chicago-centric touch by reviewing the new record by Local H, titled "12 Angry Months". It's a concept album about the ups and downs (mostly downs) of ending a relationship. Singer Scott Lucas reportedly wrote it after a year of struggling when his girlfriend broke up with him. The idea is nothing new, however does it

Hahahahaha! It's time for a brand new episode of Rock and Reel, this time dubbed "The Comedy Show," because we talk about all sorts of comedy-related things. Here's the text-filled details of what you can find on the audio of this grand Episode Nine:We give our review of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," starring Jason Segel from the TV show "How I Met Your Mother," (fyi he was also in "Knocked Up" in a small role, as well as "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared" for those of you who are nuts about those sorts of details). Speaking of "nuts," aside from Segel's nude scene, we also talk about how good this comedy is and whether or not it's a modern day "classic" as some critics have already carefully stated. There's also a moment in here where Kevin and I have a really good laugh over certain comments.Following that, we talk about the new album from New Zealand's 4th most popular folk parody duo known as Flight of the Conchords. Their self-titled debut is in stores now, and it follows a successful first season of the

Ah yes, time for yet another episode of Rock and Reel. Despite some heavy-ish themes this week in the films and album we discuss, I'd call this our funniest episode yet. And this isn't by any means a stand-up comedy podcast. My guess is that Kevin and I were particularly punchy (i.e. drunk) when we recorded this, and as such there's a certain candidness that crosses a line or two throughout this episode. Here's what we cover:"Street Kings" may not be in very many first-run theatres currently, but it was when we recorded this a few weeks back, and with any luck you'll be able to find it in second-run theatres or on DVD in the next few months. If you're one of the people who has yet to see it, make sure you check out our review of the film as a means of attempting to discover if this film might be for you. Also, if you HAVE seen the movie, maybe give a listen and find out if you agree with our extra-long assessment of the film, which stars Keanu Reeves and Forrest Whittaker, among others.Our Album of the Week i

This week Rock and Reel returns, after another slight delay in postings. We promise that we're working on improving our turn-around; we both have had some pretty crazy schedules. We should improve on that within the next month or so!First up comes the beach-novel-thriller-cum-Young-Adult-Horror-movie, The Ruins. This film wasn't provided to critics for early reviews; typically, this is a bad sign. Does this film fall prey to that stereotype, or is this a case of a studio not giving a film enough of a chance?Following that, we introduce the long-in-the-making segment, Knock Off Theatre. In this segment, we introduce and review a film that's been released direct-to-video in an effort to steal some of the thunder of a much bigger release. This week: The Transmorphers!Then its time for the album of the week. Kim Deal of the Pixies and her twin sister Kelley return with their band The Breeders (best known for their song "Cannonball") for their new CD Mountain Battles. They've not released an album since 2002's dis

Another couple weeks, another show. Not that we're trying to churn these things out over longer periods of time, but both Kevin and I happen to have been extremely busy these past few weeks. That pattern still continues, actually. But we have more episodes in the can that are just awaiting the magical touch of editing, so we'll post them as soon as we're able.This week's show is a Neil Marshall double feature on the movie side, and a couple of interesting and fun music choices.For those unfamiliar, Neil Marshall is a film director. You may not have seen any of his films. His feature film debut was a movie called "Dog Soldiers," which came out a few years back, and Kevin starts things off by giving his analysis of the werewolf tale. Later on in the show, we both tackle the most recent Neil Marshall film, "Doomsday," which seemed to be in-and-out of movie theatres after about a week. Still, give a quick listen to our analysis of this killer virus action flick and make your own choice about either trying to seek

After a brief Easter break and all sorts of other goings-on, we're back with yet another episode of Rock and Reel! This week we're tackling a couple indie films and a couple indie albums (including one true classic).First up we talk about the new Jason Statham/Saffron Burrows film "The Bank Job," about a group of not-so-professional criminals who scheme to rob...a bank. I know, unpredictable, right? What you can't really predict though is what we thought of the film. So listen to our review and find out.After that we give some insight on the debut album from the duo known as She & Him, a band featuring actress Zooey Deschanel and musician M. Ward. Is this celebrity music project better than most? Or does it go the way of people like Russell Crowe and Keanu Reeves? The song "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" is also part of our review.That's followed by a very fresh review of the brand new movie "My Blueberry Nights," the first English-language feature film by director Wong Kar Wai, starring singer Norah Jones

When we last left our heroes, they were on a quest to find Nazi gold......okay, not really. But it is time for another dose of music and movie talk, and this week is a marathon of a show.Starting out, we "Swede" our way through a review of the Jack Black/Mos Def comedy "Be Kind Rewind," which we advise you don't fast forward through.That's followed by talk about the just-released new album by the punk band Be Your Own Pet, which is titled "Get Awkward." Somehow it sounds like the most normal thing we discuss in the show. You can also find the Be Your Own Pet track "The Kelly Affair" as part of this podcast.More movie talk happens after that, with a review of the Will Ferrell sports comedy "Semi-Pro." We'll tell you if it's a slam dunk or an air ball.Next up, we have a frank and almost scary discussion of the surprise Nine Inch Nails release, "Ghosts I-IV." The release of this record was unconventional and in some ways revolutionary, so if you don't know anything about it we're here to let you know. Or somethi

After a few technical errors and troubles in editing, this week's Rock and Reel episode is a little later than usual. Apologies for that, hopefully there won't be more issues of this nature in the future.That said, this week on Rock and Reel, we've got plenty more music and movie discussion, as usual.We start with a review of the film "Jumper," starring Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson.That's followed by a hypothetical discussion about "Charlie Bartlett," and question exactly how the actual film and cast came together for the project. At the end of all that we also give a brief review of the movie.Then there's some Radiohead talk. The band has set the first leg of its North American tour, but the second half of the North American dates are currently not announced, save for a couple dates. We talk about the potential for other spots the band will visit, including whether or not they will be doing Lollapalooza or not (note: this discussion took place before sources suggested the band would more than lik

Welcome to the inaugural Rock and Reel podcast; the movies and music show!Due to this being our first show, we wanted to make this a bit of a special episode, and we feature our top ten lists for movies of the year. The Oscars are coming!However, we do manage to include a review of John Rambo, the film in which Sly Stallone attempts a one-two punch following Rocky Balboa for name-titled films resurrecting 80s pop idols. Does he hit another knock out, or does it die a bloody death?After the top ten list, we follow it with a review of indie music sensation Bon Iver's explosive debut, For Emma, Forever Ago. Featuring the track "Skinny Love," be sure to see where we fall on this new critical darling.0:00:00-0:03:35 Intro0:03:35-0:10:55 Movie Review of the Week - John Rambo0:10:55-0:55:40 Top Ten Movies of the Year Extravaganza0:55:40-1:01:35 Music Review of the Weel - Bon Iver, "For Emma, Forever Ago" (feat. track "Skinny Love")1:01:35-1:02:50 Closing.(click on the podcast icon above for the show, or subscribe wi