I bet you KNEW there was a plane crash in this movie. Weird, huh?
When we walk into a theater, we usually know a fair amount about the movie we’re going to see. For instance, I haven’t seen Transformers 2. But from the trailer, I know that Sam Witwicky goes off to college and absorbs some sort of alien code from a mysterious artifact. I know that Optimus Prime fights in a forest, and it probably doesn’t go well for him. (There’s something about the way Shia yells “Optimus!” that reminds me of the way Ewan yells “Noooooooooooo!” in that Star Wars: Episode I trailer I memorized in 1999.) I know that Megatron returns. I highly suspect that the final sequence takes place at the pyramids.
(By the way, someone remind me to make a list of movies in which ancient Egyptians had direct contact with aliens: Transformers 2, Stargate, The Fifth Element…)
This is all right there in the trailer—it’s information the studio wants me to have. Depending on what other movies I went to see, I might have been shown this trailer whether I wanted to see it or not. Being surprised by Megatron’s return just wasn’t an option.
Now compare that to the District 9 trailer. (Warning: D9 spoilers ahead.)
Matthew Wrather hosts as he, Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and John Perich overthink remaining Summer Movies for 2009. Also, Wrather shares the moving story of how his guinea pig died; all pledge to support our troops with a care package of pop culture goods; and the crew make enough off-color or borderline-misogynistic comments that all agree: We need a woman on this podcast.
Tell us what you think! Email us or have your mom call 20-EAT-LOG-01—that’s (203) 285-6401. And… spread the overthinking by forwarding this episode to a friend!
Download Episode 51 (MP3)
Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather rip Terminator: Salvation, McG, Christian Bale, and Skynet a new one.
Tell us what you think! Email us or call 20-EAT-LOG-01—that’s (203) 285-6401. If you haven’t yet, take the very short survey! And… spread the overthinking by forwarding this episode to a friend.
Download Episode 47 (MP3)
Matthew Wrather hosts a panel including Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and John Perich, overthinking enduring instutions—college and the Catholic church—in honor of graduation season and Angels and Demons.
Tell us what you think! Email us or call 20-EAT-LOG-01—that’s (203) 285-6401. If you haven’t yet, take the very short survey! And… spread the overthinking by forwarding this episode to a friend.
Download Episode 46 (MP3)
Matthew Wrather hosts a panel including Matthew Belinkie, Peter Fenzel, and Mark Lee to overthink Star Trek, the (spoiler alert) awesome franchise reboot, and look at the future from a variety of perspectives–political, ethnic, pop cultural, technological.
Tell us what you think! Email us or call 20-EAT-LOG-01—that’s (203) 285-6401. If you haven’t yet, take the very short survey! And… spread the overthinking by forwarding this episode to a friend.
Download Episode 45 (MP3)
I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to pick my favorite cliches from the 84 comments we received. Most comments had multiple entries. So in total, we got hundreds and hundreds of cliches (approximately half an episode of 24). It took me hours to write this post; the fact that there was absolutely no prize at stake makes it all the more embarrassing.
But in all seriousness, I’m astonished at how clever you all are. There were many fantastic lines that had me giggling on the subway, and I’m sure that if I sat down to do it again I’d pick a completely different set of cliches. So basically, feel free to disregard this post entirely.
Matthew Wrather hosts as he, Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Jon Perich overthink 2009’s Summer Movies through June. (Considering that last week they spent a lot of time talking about art, this probably qualifies as going from the sublime to the ridiculous.) Covering:
- Pre-Season: Watchmen, Fast and Furious, The Hannah Montana Movie
- May: X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Star Trek, Angels & Demons, Terminator Salvation, Night At The Museum 2: Battle of The Smithsonian, Pixar’s Up
- June: Land of the Lost, The Taking of Pelham 123, Year One, Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen
Tell us what you think! Email us or call 20-EAT-LOG-01—that’s (203) 285-6401. If you haven’t yet, take the very short survey! And… spread the overthinking by forwarding this episode to a friend.
Download Episode 43 (MP3)
In a world where summer blockbusters loomed right around the corner…
Only one website could hold a contest to celebrate…
Is that animated GIF giving you a seizure yet? Good. You will need to build up your tolerance to rapid-fire explosions if you plan on surviving summer movie season.
Summer movies are all about… good Lord, that thing is annoying. Okay, everybody click “More” to get rid of it. I’ll see you on the other side…
I’m currently trying to come up with a plot that ties in every single summer movie this year. It’s tricky – there are a LOT of summer movies.
While I’m cooking that up, here’s a similar mashup from last summer. I’m actually pretty proud of this. Maybe prouder than I should be.
CHAPTER 1
It’s Bart Simpson’s eleventh birthday, and the family is driving to New York so he can tour the offices of Mad Magazine. Along the way, the car has been followed by owls trying to drop envelopes in the windows.
On the Brooklyn Bridge, they’re attacked by witches on broomsticks. The Simpsons don’t know it, but this is a group of Death Eaters, led by Bellatrix Lestrange. Spider-man swings in to help, trapping Lestrange in a web, but he’s outnumbered and soon overpowered. Just when it seems that he and the Simpsons are doomed, a gigantic boat rises out of the Hudson River. It’s the legendary Flying Dutchman, and it fires magical cannonballs that chase the witches away. The Simpsons are taken aboard the ship, and its captain introduces himself as Jack Sparrow, Professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts.
Aboard the Dutchman, now safely underwater, Sparrow answers some questions. He explains that he’s hundreds of years old, immortal thanks to the Fountain of Youth. Apparently, a new prophesy says that in the final battle between Voldemort and Harry Potter, the winner will be decided by a first year wizard with yellow skin and spiky hair. Sparrow was sent by Dumbledore to escort Bart and his family safely to the school, before Voldemort could kill him. “I’m afraid you’ll all be living at Hogwarts for a while. Savvy?”
“Mmm,” says Homer. “Hog.”
Movies introduced in this chapter: The Simpsons, Harry Potter, Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean
