A quick programming note: The podcast for last week’s double feature, “Breathless” and “Jules & Jim” has been canceled, and upcoming episodes will be produced based on the feedback received in the discussions. The remaining weeks have been restructured slightly to encourage greater community participation. Remember, the film fest is about community wide-discussion, and everyone is encouraged and welcome to participate. We don’t bite, I promise!

The Summer Film Fest is back in its penultimate entry, wherein we discuss Paul Thomas Anderson’s incredibly overlooked Punch-Drunk Love and Michel Gondry’s modern masterpiece Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I paired these two films because they examine two different aspects of the the same theme: How we deal with love.

Punch-Drunk Love is in many ways about the incredible redemptive power of human connection (as many of Anderson’s films are, particularly Magnolia.) Adam Sandler’s stellar, subdued performance as Barry Egan went overlooked by many who expected more traditional Sandler fare, despite the film’s warm critical reception (even making several “best of the decade” lists). Egan is driven by anxiety stemming from his upbringing with seven bombastic sisters. Anderson films the world as chaotic and unpredictable, save for the calming presence of the enigmatic Lena, played by Emily Watson. Punch-Drunk Love is a beautiful take on the traditional romantic comedy. Unlike traditional romantic comedies, it isn’t about two broken people who come together and fix each other, who correct each other’s imperfections. Rather, it is about two broken people learning to be broken together, savoring the imperfections, and finding a link to their own brand of normalcy in a wildly erratic and unpredictable world.

In contrast, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is about memory, and how the pains and heartbreaks we suffer through ultimately make us who we are. The powerful, esoteric duo of director Michel Gondry and writer Charlie Kaufman craft a beautiful, resonant film that follows Joel, (Jim Carrey who, much like Sandler, turns in an unexpectedly poignant performance from a traditionally comedic performer) a reserved loner who falls Clementine (Kate Winslet), a manic pixie dream girl if there ever was one. Their relationship begins in a similar manner to most films with MPDG’s (i.e. Garden State), but carries on past that, showing the bitter dissolution of their once magical time together as their wildly divergent personalities ultimately tear each other apart. As the film begins, Joel has signed up for an experimental treatment to wipe all of his memories of the relationship from his mind. However, as the procedure is underway, Joel realizes his mistake; His memories of the relationship, while painful, are a part of him, and he sets out to save his memories from being destroyed. Although wild and dreamlike in grand Gondry/Kaufman fashion, at the core Sunshine is a glaringly honest and affecting look at love, loss and the things that make us who we are.

Both of these films are available on Netflix Watch Instantly, and on a personal note, are two of my favorite entries in the festival this year. If you liked or disliked either of these films, join in the discussion in the comments below. If we get enough feedback, then we will release a podcast episode incorporating your feedback into the discussion. And remember, you don’t have to be a film snob to discuss: Anyone and everyone is welcome to join!

The Summer Film Festival makes it’s grand return with a French New Wave spectacular: Jean-Luc Godard’s classic Breathless and Francois Truffaut’s Jules & Jim. We’ll be doing something a little different for these last few episodes. We want to incorporate user feedback as much as possible. To do so, I’m posting the discussion thread now, and we will read your feedback on the show, which will be out early next week. So without further adieu, let’s discuss!

Hey everyone, sorry for the extensive delay to the summer film festival. Between pneumonia, people being out-of-town and other scheduling conflicts, the festival has had to take some unexpected time off. But god willing, it will be back soon. We’ve scrambled things around a bit and come up with a brand-new schedule. Here’s when to look out for the podcasts:

• August 20 – Breathless and Jules & Jim (French New Wave Spectacular)
• August 27 – Harold & Maude and Punch-Drunk Love
• September 3 – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Triangle
• September 10 - Brick and 8 1/2

This week Mitch and Chris are joined by none other than M.C. Wilson himself as they discuss the 1950 Akira Kurisawa film Rashomon. Widely considered one of the greatest films ever made, it is also a fantastic exercise in storytelling, and not one to miss.

You can subscribe in the iTunes music store, or download the episode below. Don’t forget to take part in the discussion, which will be in the comments section for this post.

Please tell your friends and leave a review in iTunes, as both of those things help get us out to more people. Send podcast feedback to filmfestpanic@gmail.com and we’ll read your letter on the air.

Film Festival Podcast: Roshomon

This week Mitch and Chris dip into the festival’s first bit of New Hollywood: the 1973 Peter Bogdonavich con-man film Paper Moon. The film, set in Great Depression-era Kansas, follows confidence man Moses Pray (played by Ryan O’Neal) as he takes the newly-orphaned Addie (played by O’Neal’s real-life daughter Tatum) to live with some of her distant relatives, forming a reluctant bond along the way.

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This week I’m joined by stand-up comedian and stand-up guy Kyle Ayers as we discuss the 2005 documentary The Comedians of Comedy, the 2004 tour featuring Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Maria Bamford and Zach Galifianakis. The film itself is more than a tour documentary, however, and begins to delve deeper into the form and processes of the modern alternative comedy scene.

You can listen to the podcast below, or subscribe in iTunes by clicking here.

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Robot Panic Summer Film Fest: Week 2

This week brings the first episode of the Film Festival Podcast. I’m joined by the indomitable Chris Olsen as we discuss the 2006 French thriller Tell No One. Be sure to discuss the film in the comments section below, but if you haven’t watched the film yet, be aware that both the podcast and the comments section contain spoilers.

Also, if you want to give feedback on the podcast, you can do so in the comments below, or send an email to filmfestpanic@gmail.com, and we just might read your email on the show.

You can subscribe to the podcast by entering this feed into your podcast catcher of choice:

feed://www.robotpanic.com/rpfilmfest.xml

This podcast should be appearing on iTunes in the next few days.

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RP Film Festival Podcast: Tell No One

We’re kicking off this year’s film festival with a bang with the 2006 French thriller Tell No One. It’s a fitting choice; The reason this film festival was started was to provide smart, entertaining films that counteract the dregs of mindless summer blockbusters. Every year, when I am inevitably let down by the studio tentpole releases, I am chided by friends, who ask me why I can’t just “enjoy the dumb fun.” The reason, in short, is because of films like Tell No One, which provide the same edge-of-your-seat thrills, but do so with an engaging story, well-rounded characters and top-notch filmmaking. It has enough depth for impassioned discussion, but is accessible enough that almost anyone can enjoy it. Despite winning several Cesar awards, making numerous critic’s top-ten lists and holding a 93% rating at Rottentomatoes.com, (100% with top critics) it was tragically overlooked by American audiences.

You can expect the first episode of the film fest podcast to go up this Friday, along with the discussion thread for this week. As is the case with every entry in this year’s film festival, Tell No One is available on Netflix Watch Instantly. To add it to your queue, click the button below.

Wake up and smell the sunscreen, folks. It’s summer once again, and you know what that means; It’s time once again for the Robot Panic Summer Film Festival. That’s right, all those months of trudging through snow and slaving over essays have finally paid off, and it’s time to kick back and enjoy some great film.

For those of you unfamiliar with the film festival, it was started three years ago as a means to collectively expand our film knowledge while counteracting the worst of the mindless summer action film. But before you say “Why would i do that? Movies are supposed to be FUN!” know that the goal of the festival isn’t to intimidate you or force you to trudge through hours of David Lynch pictures and hours-long Werner Herzog epics (as much as I may love them).

The name of the game has always been accessibility, and in curating the list of films this year, I’ve taken that into account more than ever. This year’s line-up is comprised of 12 great, thoughtful and discussion-provoking films that even the most budding film-lover can enjoy. The list includes French New-Wave films, modern classics, horror films, comedies, some over-looked, and some widely regarded among the best of all time. There’s something here for everyone, and this promises to be the most exciting year yet.

(more…)

Well, another summer has come to a close. For many of us in the United States, the cold weather has already begun to set in. As we pack away the sunscreen and beach towels, with it goes the Robot Panic Summer Film Festival. It’s been a joy, and rest assured that it will emerge from its chrysalis once the flowers are in bloom once more. I can assure you that the unfortunate delays that marred this year’s festival, brought on largely by a lack of preparedness and abundance of procrastination on my part, will be a thing of the past, as the preliminary list of films for next year’s festival is already in the works, with at least two confirmed entries.

However, while there were some great discussions to be had this summer, the film festival still wasn’t as community-oriented as I would have liked. Therefore, your suggestions are absolutely vital to the success of the ongoing film festival. Are there films you would like included? Are there features or activities you want to see? Let me know! Post a comment below or shoot me a message on twitter, and I’ll be sure to consider it for inclusion. As far as film suggestions go, keep in mind that, in keeping with the reason this festival was founded, it should be open to intellectual conversation and debate (so no Transformers or The Hangover). If the film is available on Netflix Watch Instantly that is certainly a plus, but not a strong criterion for inclusion (especially since it could be added between now and next year’s festival).

But next year’s festival aside, I want to know what you thought about this year’s festival. Which films were your favorite? Which were your least favorite? Why? Also, feel free to share any experiences you had with the festival picks this year. Were there any major discoveries you made, be it films, actors, or directors? Which films made you laugh? Which films made you cry? (other than Dear Zachary, of course)

Thank you to everyone who watched or discussed any of the films in this year’s festival. Hopefully you enjoyed watching these films as much as I did, and if you got absolutely anything out of them, then this festival has served its purpose.