Ben and Corey call ’em like they see ’em, folks. And this year looks too close to call. At least best picture does, anyway. The guys are joined by AR and FilmNerds contributors Matt Scalici , Graham Flanagan and Craig Hamilton to predict this year’s Oscar results and talk about what they’re anticipating about this year’s ceremony. “Gravity” and “12 Years a Slave” are vying for the top award, with David O. Russell’s “American Hustle” skulking around as a possible spoiler. It’s coming down to the ...
Feb 28, 2014
Ben and Corey pay tribute to the late and brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman and his unparalleled acting catalog. This particular loss stings for film fans, especially considering Hoffman died at the young age of 46. But he leaves a legacy of masterful work on film, collaborating with directors like Joel & Ethan Coen, Bennett Miller, Anthony Minghella, Todd Solondz and his most frequent partner, Paul Thomas Anderson. With the help of frequent AR contributors Graham Flanagan and Ben Stark , the...
Feb 15, 2014
Ben is joined by his brother and Business Insider producer Graham Flanagan and Huntsville filmmaker Ben Stark to debate the merits of the “enhanced viewing experience” of IMAX . The talk stems from Graham’s recent BI video report analyzing whether or not the premium moviegoers pay on top of the existing ticket price to enjoy the experience, while the retrofitted screens “pale in comparison to the size of other IMAX screens.” Ben Stark defends the IMAX experience despite the retrofits, calling it...
Feb 10, 2014
Ben talks briefly with Tuscaloosa-born and New York-based photographer Miller Mobley who shot the above portrait of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman , who passed away at 46 on Sunday. Mobley reflects on the shoot, which took place last February when Hoffman was doing press for his film “A Late Quartet,” along with co-star Christopher Walken. The photographer goes into detail about Hoffman’s behavior on set during the brief window of opportunity he had to shoot one of the best portraits of his young ...
Feb 03, 2014
Ben is joined by show contributor Craig Hamilton to talk about the 2013 Oscar nominations, just announced Thursday morning. Surprises include Christian Bale and Jonah Hill scoring acting nominations, while snubs include Tom Hanks and Robert Redford in the best actor category. The two also offer an early breakdown of who will win what come Oscar night. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD!!! You can follow the show on Twitter , or email any feedback to AspectRadioShow@gmail.com . Please “Like” us on Fac...
Jan 16, 2014
Ben and Corey recap the Golden Globes Awards, which saw one or two surprises that could very well shake up the Oscar race. The best actor category is wide open, with roughly 10 worthy performances vying for five nominations come Thursday when the Academy announces who will make the cut. Most of the other acting categories seem relatively sewn up, but the guys still speculate on which five will earn nominations this week. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD!!! You can follow the show on Twitter , or em...
Jan 14, 2014
The 2013 film year didn’t disappoint, and neither did its soundtracks featuring beautifully composed original scores and brilliantly chosen songs to accompany the films. Take a look back at some of the shrewdest choices the filmmakers made and the unexpected collaborations between them and many of the best composers in Hollywood, including the likes of Hans Zimmer and Cliff Martinez. You may not consider this the best movie music of 2013, but each choice left an astounding impression on me that ...
Jan 06, 2014
Ben and Corey are delighted to talk to AwardsDaily.com’s Sasha Stone about the state of the 2013 Oscar race. Stone is arguably the best Oscar tracker and pundit in the industry after about 15 years of remaining plugged into movie awards races and staying as a solid early predictor of the outcomes. If you have any interest whatsoever in tracking Oscar, Golden Globes, SAG and other precursors, Stone is a must -follow at AwardsDaily on Twitter . We greatly appreciate that she was more than generous...
Oct 21, 2013
Ben and Corey play a little catch-up since their last show, talking about four big releases folks should catch before they leave theaters. More than any perhaps, folks should see Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity,” which the guys agree is a landmark film in special effects but blockbusters in general. They also hop aboard Paul Greengrass’ “Captain Phillips,” starring Tom Hanks in arguably in best performance since he was last nominated for an Oscar in “Cast Away.” The guys even caught Ron Howard’s Formu...
Oct 17, 2013
Ben and Corey finally discuss Woody Allen’s latest drama “Blue Jasmine,” starring Cate Blanchett in what could prove another Oscar-worthy turn. Both consider it one of Allen’s best in recent memory, even better than the likes of “Match Point” and “Midnight in Paris,” thanks in large part to Blanchett’s performance and the longtime directors willingness to keep experimenting as a writer and stylist. The guys also talk Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy finale, the pub crawl sci-fi adventure “The Wor...
Sep 05, 2013
Ben and Corey dive into some smaller summer releases, starting with Ryan Coogler’s debut and Sundance favorite “Fruitvale Station.” The guys butt heads on Nicolas Winding Refn’s latest “Only God Forgives,” one loving and one hating, pretty much the consensus response. They also talk Terrence Malick’s latest film “To the Wonder,” which is now available on blu-ray. Also, parting shots from Graham Flanagan , Craig Hamilton and Ben Stark . CLICK HERE TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD!!! You can follow the show on ...
Aug 17, 2013
Ben and Corey lock in for the drift to gush all over Guillermo del Toro’s robots vs. monsters bohemoth “Pacific Rim,” which they think dominates the 2013 summer movie season with a big ol’ elbow rocket. Del Toro delivers arguably his best ( and inarguably his most fun) effort yet with a rock ’em sock ’em battle royale between robots and monsters as tall as skyscrapers. Combine “Starship Troopers,” “Independence Day,” “Godzilla,” “Metroid,” and “Voltron,” and you might get the idea. The guys disc...
Jul 31, 2013
With a little help from some friends, Ben and Corey share their favorite films of 2013 so far. FilmNerds.com and AR contributors Matt Scalici , Graham Flanagan , Craig Hamilton and Ben Stark offer their favorites as well ranging from mainstream comedies to underrated sci-fi adventures. Included on Ben and Corey’s lists are “Spring Breakers,” “Stories We Tell,” “Frances Ha,” “Mud,” “Upstream Color,” “Man of Steel” and others. Share your favorites of 2013 so far in the comments below. CLICK HERE T...
Jul 10, 2013
Corey recaps the 2013 Nashville Film Festival where he saw more than 25 feature films in less than a week. Whew! He saw several of his current favorite movies from 2013 so far, including “Mud,” “Stories We Tell” and “Laurence Anyways.” CLICK HERE TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD!!! You can follow the show on Twitter , or email any feedback to AspectRadioShow@gmail.com . Please “Like” us on Facebook ! We’re also on iTunes. We’d really appreciate a rating and review! Thanks for listening!!! Produced by Andrew R...
May 30, 2013
Ben and Corey look ahead to the rest of the 2013 summer movie season, picking their must-sees in a loaded landscape. Blockbusters like “Star Trek Into Darkness” and “Man of Steel” populate their list alongside indie hopefuls “Before Midnight,” “Only God Forgives” and “The Bling Ring.” The guys also take a look at the film that kicked off the summer, Marvel’s “Iron Man 3,” starring Robert Downey Jr. and directed by Shane Black. Ben’s brother and Bloomberg producer Graham Flanagan also drops a par...
May 15, 2013
Ben and Corey are joined by FilmNerds.com maestro Matt Scalici to talk about their favorite movies about or related to faith and religion. They list the top five films that force them to contemplate their own faith or religion in general, many of which have stuck with them since they saw them as children. Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, Terrence Malick, the Coen brothers and other filmmakers often express their personal beliefs in these films, thus moving us to think about and further discuss...
May 10, 2013
Ben breaks down his anticipation for Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan’s take on legendary DC character Superman in this summer’s “Man of Steel.” He considers the latest trailer one of the best he’s seen in a while and Hans Zimmer’s accompanying music some of the best he’s ever heard. But he argues there hasn’t been a truly memorable Superman movie we can really take pride in watching, and he thinks Snyder’s might be the one. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD!!!...
May 07, 2013
If you want to just hear our tribute to the late Roger Ebert, we’ve cut a separate special edition of it from episode 86 to honor one of our heroes. Joined by Aspect Radio and FilmNerds.com contributors, Ben and Corey pay special tribute to the late, great Roger Ebert, who passed away on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. Graham Flanagan , Craig Hamilton , Ben Stark and Matt Scalici all share thoughts on Ebert’s passing and what makes the longtime Chicago Sun-Times film critic such a lege...
Apr 05, 2013
Joined by Aspect Radio and FilmNerds.com contributors, Ben and Corey pay special tribute to the late, great Roger Ebert, who passed away on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. Graham Flanagan , Craig Hamilton and Ben Stark all share thoughts on Ebert’s passing and what makes the longtime Chicago Sun-Times film critic such a legend. Fittingly, Corey got the news of Ebert’s passing while in a dark theater watching a new film. The guys also talk Harmony Korine’s latest “Spring Breakers,” a su...
Apr 05, 2013
Ben and Corey are joined by Ben’s brother Graham Flanagan to finally list their top 10 favorite films from 2012. You can probably mostly guess where they stand on last year, but you might see a few surprises on each list. But rest assured, aforementioned favorites like “Lincoln,” “The Master,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Amour,” “Moonrise Kingdom,” “The Kid with a Bike” and many more get firm representation. You’ll also hear from FilmNerds.com and regular Aspect Radio contributors Matt &...
Mar 03, 2013
Ben and Corey joined by frequent Aspect Radio guests and FilmNerds.com contributors Graham Flanagan, Craig Hamilton and Ben Stark to make some fearless Oscar predictions before Sunday’s ceremony. Given the predictable nature of the show these days, most picks won’t surprise you. But the best actress and supporting actor races make for some fun guessing, and one or two of the guys even go out on a limb with best picture. We’d love to hear your predictions, so comment here or tweet at @AspectRadio...
Feb 22, 2013
Ben and Corey unveil the inaugural Aspy nominations , featuring their favorite performances, scenes, lines and music from 2012 films. They also run down what they consider the most overrated and underrated movies of the year. Winners will be announced on the year-end show when they also announce their top 10 favorite films of 2012. The guys also talk Michael Haneke’s austere mortality tale “Amour,” nominated for five Oscars including best picture, director, actress, screenplay and foreign langua...
Feb 20, 2013
Ben and Corey finally commit themselves to talking David O. Russell’s latest “Silver Linings Playbook,” nominated for eight Oscars including best picture, director, actor, actress and screenplay. Both liked it a good bit, but Corey considers it one of his favorite films of 2012. thanks mostly to the dynamic lead performances from Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. The guys also look ahead to 2013, naming their most anticipated films of the year including the Coen brothers’ “Inside Llewyn Davi...
Jan 25, 2013
Ben and Corey finally put on some night-vision goggles for Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal’s Osama bin Laden’s manhunt thriller “Zero Dark Thirty,” which scored five Oscar nominations including best picture and actress. Needless to say, the guys dug the film and break down some of the difficult moral questions it raises about torture and 9/11 retribution. They also can’t really fathom how Bigelow failed to secure a best directing nomination at this year’s Oscars. So they dive right into the 2012 n...
Jan 20, 2013
Ben, Corey and Nashville-based FilmNerds.com contributor Craig Hamilton take a stab at predicting the Oscar nominations in the major categories. For the most part, the pics are relatively safe with favorites like “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Linclon” and “Argo” rearing their heads, but the guys go out on a limb in a few categories. It’s a shame that projecting a Joaquin Phoenix best actor nomination should be considered “going out on a limb,” but them seem to be the breaks this season. Tell us YOUR pred...
Jan 09, 2013
Andrew left the mic on after recording, so here’s some “off-mic” jabbering from the guys about “Django Unchained” and how the Oscar race is shaping up. WARNING: This contains MAJOR SPOILERS about “Django Unchained.” CLICK HERE TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD!!!
Jan 02, 2013
Ben and Corey saddle up for Quentin Tarantino’s spin on the spaghetti western, er, southern in his adventure “Django Unchained,” which takes an unflinching look at slavery before the Civil War without compromising his sense of humor and penchant for stylized action and dialogue. The guys talk about the political ramifications of Tarantino’s new movie as well as why it’s just kind of awesome, as well as where Tarantino now stands as a writer/director after giving us classics like “Pulp Fiction,” ...
Dec 31, 2012
Ben and Corey return to catch up on some major fall movie releases like “Lincoln,” “Argo,” “Skyfall,” “Flight” and Killing Them Softly.” Both seem to like most of what they’ve seen this fall, especially the latest from Steven Spielberg and 007. The guys also delve into the awards season madness, on the heels of SAG and Golden Globe nominations. They break down the race and pinpoint the real contenders come Oscar time. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD!!! You can follow the show on Twitter , or email...
Dec 14, 2012
Ben and Corey, joined by Bloomberg producer Graham Flanagan, witness the healing power or total fraud that is Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film “The Master” and make time for Rian Johnson’s third film “Looper.” In a SPOILER-HEAVY discussion, the guys behold the technical and acting clinics at play in Anderson’s complex tale of aimlessness, manipulation and love in post-WW2 American. There’s no doubt Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman deliver powerful performances, but cracking Anderson’...
Oct 04, 2012
Ben and Corey are joined by Graham Flanagan to talk the best, worst and most underrated movie ensembles. Sparking that discussion is the release of a pair of ensemble works, “The Expendables 2” and Woody Allen’s latest “To Rome with Love.” The guys are mostly taken with Sylvester Stallone’s vision of B-movie mayhem at the hands of action movie legends (or has-beens, however you see it), at least this time around. They’re more split on Woody Allen’s latest comedy, though, two of them suggesting t...
Aug 24, 2012
