Award Wieners Movie Review Podcast

Bonus Episode: David's New Book - Mother is Coming Home

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 16:24:00 -0500

Bonus Episode: David's New Book - Mother is Coming Home

In this episode Award Wiener co-host David Corse talks about his recently-published short horror story "Mother is Coming Home", part of the anthology Split Scream Vol. 6, out now on Tenebrous Press.

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96th Academy Award Predictions Podcast

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Mon, 4 Mar 2024 21:56:00 -0500

96th Academy Award Predictions Podcast

In this episode, David and John get into their predictions for Best Picture at the 96th Academy Awards.

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Episode 67 - The Great Ziegfeld Movie Review

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 20:48:00 -0500

Episode 67 - The Great Ziegfeld Movie Review

Join David and John as they review the musical biopic, The Great Ziegfeld, winner of the 1936 Oscar for Best Production.

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95th Academy Award Predictions Podcast

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Wed, 8 Mar 2023 09:13:00 -0500

95th Academy Award Predictions Podcast

In this episode, David and John get into the multiverse, Elvis, and tiny Irish island communities! Hear their predictions for Best Picture at the 95th Academy Awards.

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Episode 66 - Argo Movie Review

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Mon, 2 Jan 2023 17:27:00 -0500

Episode 66 - Argo Movie Review

In this episode, David and John make plans to exfiltrate this podcast out of the editing bay and into your ear. They discuss the high-tension thriller and true story of Argo, winner of the 2012 Academy Award for Best Picture.

Marvel's Midnight Sons - Blade and Ghost Rider Movie Reviews

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 22:19:00 -0400

Marvel's Midnight Sons - Blade and Ghost Rider Movie Reviews

In this episode, David and John discuss those "other" Marvel movies, Blade and Ghost Rider.

Episode 65 - You Can't Take It With You Movie Review

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Sat, 7 May 2022 15:43:00 -0400

Episode 65 - You Can't Take It With You

In this episode, David and John decide if this family comedy is something you should consider taking on at all. It's You Can't Take It With You, the 1938 Oscar best picture winner.

94th Academy Award Predictions Podcast

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 23:09:00 -0400

94th Academy Award Predictions Podcast

In this episode, David and John talk about dog powers, driving cars, freak shows! Hear their predictions for Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards.

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Episode 64 - West Side Story Movie Review

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Sun, 6 Mar 2022 14:23:00 -0500

Episode 64 - West Side Story

David and John form a war council to discuss the terms of the 1961 musical about gang warfare,West Side Story, that year's Oscar winner for best picture.

Cyberpunk Cinema Spectacular - Lawnmower Man & Johnny Mnemonic

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Sun, 16 Jan 2022 21:39:00 -0500

Cyberpunk Cinema Spectacular - Lawnmower Man & Johnny Mnemonic

David and John surf through the dark reaches of the digital landscape, chatting about the cyberpunk movie classics Lawnmower Man and Johnny Mnemonic.

Episode 63 - Forrest Gump Movie Review

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 21:55:00 -0500

Episode 63 - Forrest Gump

David and John sit together on a bench while discussing Forrest Gump, winner of the 1994 Oscar for best picture.

Episode 62 - The Best Years of Our Lives Movie Review

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Sun, 17 Oct 2021 20:26:00 -0400

Episode 62 - The Best Years of Our Lives

David and John come back with a life-altering experience while discussing the World War II vets homecoming drama The Best Years of Our Lives, winner of the 1946 Oscar for best motion picture.

Judge Dredd vs. Dredd: Movie Judgement Day

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Tue, 7 Sep 2021 23:09:00 -0400

Judge Dredd vs. Dredd: Movie Judgement Day

David and John judge dystopian sci-fi movies set in Megacity 1, Judge Dredd and Dredd.

Episode 61 - In the Heat of the Night Movie Review

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 20:31:00 -0400

Episode 61 - In the Heat of the Night

David and John head south to discuss the racially charged detective thriller In the Heat of the Night, winner of the 1967 Oscar for best picture.

Episode 60 - The Hurt Locker Movie Review

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 16:08:00 -0400

Episode 60 - The Hurt Locker

David and John try not to step on any landmines while discussing The Hurt Locker, a wartime thriller about a bomb defusal squad and winner of the 2008 Oscar for best picture.

'Cruella' Looks Great But Lacks Bite

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Mon, 31 May 2021 20:35:00 -0400

Cruella is an awkwardly constructed origin story that desperately wants to reframe a wannabe dog killer into a sympathetic protagonist. The result is a story that doesn’t capture what makes the Cruella character so much fun to watch in “101 Dalmatians.”

The movie kicks off with Cruella as a young girl. Her real name is Estella and she’s a budding fashionista with a rough-and-tumble side. After her mother dies in what I can only describe as a truly absurd confrontation, Estella joins a duo of street urchins and forms a gang that runs scams and grifts. Ten years pass and Estella (Emma Stone) has become a young woman who uses her prodigious skills to fabricate costumes for her gang's escapades. Still, all she really wants is to be part of the fashion industry.

Eventually, Estella gets her shot at the big time when she lands a job with fashion designer Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson). The Baroness is an icy and abusive boss and the closest thing Estella has to a mentor figure.

The story then changes gears, morphing into a intergenerational rivalry between the Baroness and Estella, who at this point adopts her alter ego, Cruella. In this fashion fisticuffs, the Baroness represents the establishment, while Cruella is fashion’s edgy future.

The film hits an enjoyable, but all too brief, crescendo as the two women battle each other through ever-elaborate costumes, and in Cruella’s case, performances. There are some truly inspired moments and memorable outfits. Unfortunately, the lengths the film goes to set up this fashion duel detracts from the fun.

I also wish that Cruella would have leaned into how over-the-top wicked Cruella is as a character. At the movie's conclusion, Estella has fully adopted the Cruella personality, but she’s light years away from the character we know from the animated movie.

I think the bigger problem with the film is it’s conceit. There is no reason for the movie to exist. No one was clamoring for a Cruella backstory. In fact, people love the character because she’s fully formed when we first meet her. Spending three-fourths of a movie showing how Estella became Cruella, means we only spend one-fourth of the film with the character we actually want to spend time with.

Cruella looks great but it spends too much time barking up the wrong tree. — David (@itsmedavidcross)

Odds Are 50-50 That You’ll Like ‘Army of the Dead’

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Mon, 24 May 2021 15:38:00 -0400

“Army of the Dead” is a standard Zack Snyder affair. It’s loud, unsubtle, bloated, and includes characters that are paper thin, even for a zombie movie. At the same time, there are interesting action scenes and arresting concepts (zombie tiger) roaming around this flick. Given all this, “Dead” is a solid actioner mixed with a mediocre zombie movie and an uninteresting heist flick.

The film opens on a military convoy carrying unknown cargo out of Area 51. The container is accidentally damaged, releasing a powerful and speedy zombie who quickly dispatches the military personnel and sets his sights on Las Vegas.

Through a humorous, though not truly funny, montage set to “Viva Las Vegas,” we see Sin City fall to a growing horde of zombies. Topless showgirls devour lecherous men, bachelorette parties go wild for human flesh, and an Elvis impersonator is zombie-fied. Simultaneously, we’re introduced to the main protagonists, Ward (Dave Bautista), Cruz (Ana de la Reguera), and Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick). The group form a small band of zombie hunters, and manage to save a bunch of people before Vegas is walled off from the rest of the United States.

Here’s where the story kicks in. A few years later, Ward is approached by a shady businessman with a job offer. There’s $200 million in a Vegas vault, just waiting for someone to sneak in and take it. There’s just one problem, the government is going to nuke Vegas in 48 hours. Reluctantly, Ward gets the old gang back together and adds some new faces, including a social media star (Raúl Castillo), a safecracker (Matthias Schweighöfer), and a helicopter pilot (Tig Notaro), among others. Then they all head into a literal zombie-land.

What I’ve always found interesting about Snyder is his world building. It’s on full display here, as the zombies aren’t representative of your average walking-corpse movie. Snyder’s zombies have an entire culture. In fact, while watching “Dead” I was left with the impression that Snyder found his zombies more interesting than the main characters.

There are also strong action scenes throughout, most of which avoid Snyder’s trademark slow-mo. Nonetheless, “Dead” falls dangerously close to what I call “headshot boredom” — essentially, when every character is an amazing shot, the action becomes dull. (How many times can you watch a zombie fall down backwards?)

So what doesn’t work? “Dead” includes clunky social commentary. There are parallels with immigrants crossing the United States’ southern border, detainment camps, abusive law enforcement figures, and spectacle as politics. None of these themes or topics are examined in any meaningful way, however.

Additionally, the characters are, for the most part, two dimensional, with the worst offender being the lead. Bautista does as much as he can with Ward, but he’s just a boring character, with an uninspired backstory. Hardwick’s Vanderohe and de la Reguera’s Cruz also barely register on screen. The same can’t be said for Notaro, who plays the oddball pilot with disarming charm, and Nora Arnezeder, the coyote hired to get the group in and out of the zombie city. (I’d go as far as to say Arnezeder’s coyote is the most interesting character in the film.)

My biggest complaint about Snyder is that he’s unable to streamline his projects. Like his other movies, “Dead” is overstuffed and creaks under the weight of the narrative. For example, this movie would have worked just as well if Ward wasn’t a well-known zombie hunter with a Vegas backstory. There is also a prominent secondary story that could have been cut.

At this point in Snyder’s career, I suspect that moviegoers are familiar enough with his work to know what type of film the director makes. They are always a mixed bag. If you’re craving a summer blockbuster, take a gamble. — David (@itsmedavidcross)

Round 3 - Mortal Kombat 1995 & 2021 Movie Review Bonus Episode

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Sat, 8 May 2021 11:44:00 -0400

Round 3 - Mortal Kombat 1995 & 2021 Movie Reviews

David and John test their might by watching two live-action Mortal Kombat movies back to back. See how the 1995 kult-klassic stacks up to the 2021 fan fatality.

Mortal Kombat Is Big, Bloody, and Boring

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 21:06:00 -0400

The new Mortal Kombat is soul-sucking. Nearly every aspect of the film is bungled. The script is atrocious, the casting is poor, the acting is terrible, and the humor oscillates between flat and forced. The most positive thing I can say about this iteration of MK is that some of the action is mildly entertaining.

The stakes in this iteration should be familiar to anyone who’s played the video games. Outworld and Earthrealm are locked in a deadly battle. Once a generation, Outworld and Earth's champions compete in a deadly martial arts tournament called Mortal Kombat. Should Earth lose 10 straight tournaments, Outworld can conquer Earth. At the start of the film, Earth has lost 9 straight tournaments. To assure victory, evil sorcerer Shang Tsung (Chin Han), plans to kill Earth’s champions before the tournament starts. His chosen assassin is Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim).

Thus we are introduced to our protagonist, washed-up MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan) — a character created explicitly for the movie. After being attacked by Sub-Zero, Cole discovers that he’s one of Earth’s aforementioned champions and must unlock his “arcana” (special power) to stand even a slim chance in the tournament. His compatriots include fan favorites Kano, Sonya Blade, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and Jax. Sadly, Johnny Cage doesn’t make an appearance.

The most significant problem with Mortal Kombat is Cole. The character is lifeless on screen, lacking personality, style, and memorable powers. The decision to focus on Cole, instead of any of the other MK characters, boggles my mind. I can only assume that the film’s creators thought that viewers needed to be eased into the MK world through an audience surrogate. This might have worked if Cole had a smaller role or if he had a single defining characteristic. Instead, he’s a pallet swap of every generic everyman-hero you’ve seen before. (I’d also argue that audiences have advanced beyond the need to be eased into complex movie worlds.)

While the Cole character is the movie’s No. 1 flaw, the script is a close second. Mortal Kombat offers the barest wisp of character motivation. I recognize that fighting is the essence of Mortal Kombat, but it’s pointless without drama. Who cares if a bunch of characters die if they aren’t interesting?

I suppose the movie’s main draw is its gory fatalities. They’re here, and several are even fun (Sub-Zero and Jax), I just wish this movie was stitched together better. As is, Mortal Kombat feels like watching a bunch of video game cutscenes. If I wanted to see that, I could just play the game again. — David (@itsmedavidcross)

2021 Oscars Ballot Challenge

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 08:50:00 -0400

Join us for our annual Oscars Ballot Challenge! The person with the most correct selections gets to pick the next movie we review!

Enter Award Wieners' 2021 Oscars Ballot Challenge

93rd Academy Award Predictions Podcast

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 20:57:00 -0400

93rd Academy Award Predictions Podcast

In this episode, David and John talk about how 2020 sucked but the movies did not! Get their predictions for Best Picture at the 93rd Academy Awards.

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Episode 59 - Chariots of Fire Movie Review

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Thu, 1 Apr 2021 12:00:00 -0400

Episode 59 - Chariots of Fire Movie Review

David and John make dash to the end of Chariots of Fire, a drama about track athletes and winner of the 1981 Oscar for best picture.

No Major Issues with this Deluxe Edition

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 18:09:00 -0400

“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is an indulgent affair that is significantly better than its predecessor. However, it is a Zack Snyder movie. It comes with all the positives and negatives associated with the director. It’s bombastic, violent, and slow-mo heavy. It’s also visually arresting and wholly unique. I expect casual moviegoers will find the movie enjoyable, if not a little confusing, while die-hard comic book fans will absolutely love it.

The crux of the narrative is unchanged from the theatrical version. Batman is on a quest to unite Earth’s heroes (Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg) to stop the baddie Steppenwolf from destroying the world. Along the way, Bats and Co. determine they need to resurrect Superman, who died at the end of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

In other words, the story isn’t changed, but the path the heroes take to complete their mission is new. At 4 hours and 2 minutes, “ZSJL” fleshes out the various super beings’ personalities and motivations. Counterintuitively, by giving the characters room to breathe, this version of the film is less of a slog than the theatrical cut. “ZSJL” is still long, but it mostly makes sense, unlike the theatrical release, which was a shallow, tonal mish-mash and a perfect example of why studios shouldn't produce a movie by committee.

Ray Fisher’s Cyborg is the greatest beneficiary of the new version. His complicated relationship with his scientist father is fully explored, giving Fisher ample time to show off his more-than-capable acting chops. All of the other heroes are also noticeably improved, with the debatable exception of Aquaman. Ben Affleck’s Batman is more menacing; Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman is compassionate, yet terrifying; Ezra Miller’s Flash is even more quippy and excitable.

There is also a grandiose quality to the film that matches DC Comics’ characters. They are the equivalent of Greek gods, struggling to protect and relate to mankind. Snyder’s visuals and willingness to linger on shots embody this concept. Said another way, Snyder creates the movie equivalent of lavish splash pages.

All this being said, there are pacing issues. Snyder’s love for slow motion is admirable, but a few real-time fights would have added much-needed variety. Snyder also has a tendency to go darker than is strictly necessary, both visually and in character violence. He also overstuffs his stories with more, more, more. It can be frustrating but also strangely alluring.

My hypothesis is that some of the good will “ZSJL” is receiving is due to the context of its release. We’ve been inundated with info about this cut of the film for years, as well as multiple films involving characters from the story. In hindsight, we’re filling in the gaps that exist with this knowledge. If this released in 2017, it would have also received mixed reviews.

A final point I want to make is about hope. I’ve read several reviews stating that this movie lacks hope. I disagree. Hope is defying the odds. What’s more hopeful than a group of men and women fighting against a power that is vastly stronger than they are? “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is brimming with hope. — David (@itsmedavidcross)

The Script Is the Real Villain in Batman v Superman

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 20:27:00 -0400

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition” is a hot mess. It’s overlong, confusing, poorly written, and atrociously paced. I watched this version of “Batman v Superman” to prep for “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” but now I’m questioning whether I should bother with Snyder’s new movie. If it’s more of this, I won’t be able to make it through.

It’s difficult to recap this film, but the main thrust of the narrative is in the title card. Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) manipulates Bruce Wayne / Batman (Ben Affleck) and Clark Kent / Superman (Henry Cavill) into fighting each other. Batman fears Superman’s godlike power, while Superman questions Batman’s methods, particularly his aggression. There are also a million other subplots, including the introduction of Diana Prince / Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot).

“Ultimate Edition” is the extended version of “Batman v Superman” and supposedly the director’s preferred cut of the film. It adds 30ish minutes to an already bloated movie. Most of the added material expands Clark Kent and Lois Lane’s presence in the film, while also clarifying Lex Luthor’s machinations. It also pushes the film from PG-13 to an R rating.

I hate having to do this, but I feel that I need to pre-emptively defend myself when I talk about this movie because there is a small, but vocal minority of toxic DC fans who feel entitled to be gatekeepers of this movie. However, that doesn’t disqualify me from sharing my opinion — I’m a DC comic book fan. I like Greek mythology. And while I don’t love Snyder’s work, I don’t think he’s a bad director. With that being said, this movie is littered with bad decisions (“Martha!”, Luthor, etc.)

I could rant about this movie all day, but instead, I’m going to highlight its best aspects. I appreciate Snyder’s exploration of Superman’s psyche and his struggles to wield vast power. He cares, and his failures weigh on him.

Affleck is surprisingly good as Batman and has the best scene in the movie, a brutal warehouse fight with Russian mercenaries. I’m excited to see Affleck in the upcoming “The Flash” movie. I know people had problems with Batman using guns, but I think it works here.

Finally, Snyder knows how to compose some amazing visuals. There are a lot of pretty pictures and people to look at, which is extremely comic book accurate, I suppose. — David (@itsmedavidcross)

Press Start on This Video Game-Inspired Time Loop Movie

john@awardwieners.com (Award Wieners ) — Mon, 8 Mar 2021 09:07:00 -0500

Director Joe Carnahan’s “Boss Level” is a welcomed addition to the growing “time loop” genre. While it’s not wholly memorable, it is stylish and entertaining. What impressed me most was that it paid homage to video games without turning into parody, i.e. “Guns Akimbo.”

Frank Grillo plays Roy Pulver, a retired special forces officer who’s trapped in a time loop. Every day he fights off a host of colorful characters before he’s eventually killed in some form of over-the-top mayhem. He likens his dilemma to being trapped in the boss level of a video game. To make matters worse, Ray has no idea why any of this is happening to him.

Ray’s hunt for answers eventually leads him to Gemma (Naomi Watts), a scientist and his estranged lover. Gemma works for a secretive corporation headed by Colonel Clive Ventor, played by an extremely wooden Mel Gibson. As you probably guessed, Gemma and her boss are monkeying with time.

“Boss Level” is loaded with interesting visuals and choreography. Having lived the same day over a hundred times, Ray mindlessly moves with perfect timing, dodging machetes, bullets, and cars. On top of this, we’re treated to Ray’s internal narration. He’s a put upon action hero, exhausted, tired, and frustrated. He might look like a bad-ass, but that’s only because he’s done this song and dance so many times that it’s rote. In fact, Ray’s narration veers close to “MST3K” levels, which helps balance out the ridiculousness of the story.

As mentioned up top, “Boss Level” has a bevy of whacko assassins, all with their own schtick. It would’ve been easy for these characters to overwhelm the film, but almost all of them are kept in the background as humorous diversions. I can’t underscore enough how impressive this is. Most filmmakers would have let these characters ham it up on screen, bogging down the story. Instead, Carnahan gives us just enough to make them interesting, while keeping the story moving at a breakneck pace.

“Boss Level” is a mashup of a lot of films, including “Happy Death Day,” “Mortal Kombat,” and “Scott Pilgrim vs The World.” If you like any of these movies, hit the start button on his video game homage. — David (@itsmedavidcross)