Rock N' Reel
Rock N' Reel

Rock N' Reel

Overview
Episodes

Details

Covering movies and music of today and yesterday; new reviews, industry news, and pithy commentary, by two guys who know their stuff.

Recent Episodes

#10: Iron Man, Local H, and Roots and Influences
JUL 6, 2008
#10: Iron Man, Local H, and Roots and Influences
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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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 sound fresh? And where does it stand in terms of the Local H catalogue? We've got the scoop for you.<br /><br />To help wrap things up, we're introducing a new segment that's music-focused, aptly titled Roots and Influences. The concept is easy in that we talk about the various bands and artists that have played a major role in the development of sound for another particular band or artist. For our first Roots and Influences we keep with the Local H theme and discuss how their sound has evolved. You'll also be able to hear a couple songs by some of the bands we mention, so if you're a fan of grunge and punk this is not to be missed.<br /><br />Next episode we'll be reviewing the movie "Redbelt" starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tim Allen, and we'll also give our opinions on the new Death Cab for Cutie album "Narrow Stairs." Check back for that soon!<br /><br />0:00-0:51 Intro<br />0:51-21:05 Movie Review: Iron Man<br />21:05-38:41 Album of the Week: Local H - 12 Angry Months (feat. song "Jesus Christ, Did You See The Size Of That Sperm Whale?")<br />38:41-1:00:50 Roots and Influences (new segment!): Local H (feat. songs by Nirvana and Cheap Trick)<br />1:00:50-1:02:47 Closing/Preview of Next Week<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.libsyn.com/media/rocknreel/Rock_and_Reel_-_Episode_Ten.mp3"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169316415392693858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEPjo1Nweig1Rlrz86h9lrU0fvqpPjvz4K6diqkKscTHK4_ZMb3B-1gZyC6l9cii22NcNOGFywRx8O1sufGjsGwhgugxiQ4bFkhlE5sJ1OfO3cvcjP5LFHrb0cCVa5jzUjV1tKeHMIzdC/s400/podcast_logo1.gif" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italic">(click on the podcast icon above for the show, or subscribe with podcatcher software)</span></span><br /></div><br /><br />Subscribe and let us know what you think! <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail?view=cm&amp;tf=0&amp;ui=1&amp;[email protected]" target="_blank">Email us</a> your comments, questions, and death threats.<br /><br />Remember, you can subscribe to the RSS feed of this site using any aggregator software!
play-circle icon
-1 MIN
#9: The Comedy Show - Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Flight of the Conchords, Please Kill Me Now
JUN 16, 2008
#9: The Comedy Show - Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Flight of the Conchords, Please Kill Me Now
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:<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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 their HBO show, which is coincidentally also on DVD. Find out if we think the CD filled with songs from that show is worth your time.<br /><br />Finally, we introduce a new segment titled "Please Kill Me Now," in which we watch bad movies so you don't have to, and then describe the ways in which we'd like to be killed rather than watch the film again. For our inagural discussion we tackle the now-failed classic video game film "Street Fighter" from the 90s, starring most notably Jean-Claude Van Damme. 'Tis a thing of laughable beauty.<br /><br />Next episode: We talk about the first big blockbuster of the summer, "Iron Man," along with the new album from Chicago band Local H, titled "12 Angry Months."<br /><br />0:00-1:15 Intro<br />1:15-28:15 Movie Review: Forgetting Sarah Marshall<br />28:15-42:33 Album of the Week: Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords (feat. song "Bowie")<br />42:33-55:51 Please Kill Me Now (new segment!): Street Fighter<br />55:51-56:36 Closing<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.libsyn.com/media/rocknreel/Rock_and_Reel_-_Episode_Nine.mp3"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169316415392693858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEPjo1Nweig1Rlrz86h9lrU0fvqpPjvz4K6diqkKscTHK4_ZMb3B-1gZyC6l9cii22NcNOGFywRx8O1sufGjsGwhgugxiQ4bFkhlE5sJ1OfO3cvcjP5LFHrb0cCVa5jzUjV1tKeHMIzdC/s400/podcast_logo1.gif" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italic">(click on the podcast icon above for the show, or subscribe with podcatcher software)</span></span><br /></div><br /><br />Subscribe and let us know what you think! <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail?view=cm&amp;tf=0&amp;ui=1&amp;[email protected]" target="_blank">Email us</a> your comments, questions, and death threats.<br /><br />Remember, you can subscribe to the RSS feed of this site using any aggregator software!<br /><br /><a href="http://odeo.com/claim/feed/57507af5b5be6753">Check us out on Odeo!</a><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">My Odeo Channel (odeo/57507af5b5be6753)</span>
play-circle icon
-1 MIN
#8: Street Kings, Foals, and Pre-View Review
MAY 29, 2008
#8: Street Kings, Foals, and Pre-View Review
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:<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />Our Album of the Week is from the band Foals and their debut record "Antidotes." It has some danceable qualities to it, along with a little bit of math rock stylings. If you don't know what "math rock" is, fear not for we attempt to define it during our review. Also, the song "Balloons" is contained in this segment, and at the very least I suggest you give that a listen and see if it's your cup of tea.<br /><br />We close things out with a new segment, simply titled "Pre-View Review," where we do the impossible and judge a book by its cover, or rather a film by its trailer. With the summer blockbuster season already in full gear, we tackle the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan film "The Happening" starring Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel. Did we like this entire film based upon the 2 minutes of carefully edited footage the studio put together for us? The fun part is that after the film gets released we'll follow up and give a legitimate review just to see how accurate we were in the end. The segment is a lot of fun, and I guarantee there will be more "Pre-View Reviews" in upcoming shows.<br /><br />Next episode is our comedy-themed show, with our reviews of the Judd Apatow-produced laugh-fest known as "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and the album by New Zealand's 4th most popular folk parody duo Flight of the Conchords. We'll also debut yet another new segment, appropriately titled "Please Kill Me Now," where we watch a really bad movie and then describe ways in which we'd rather be killed than watch it again. Fun!<br /><br />0:00-1:20 Intro<br />1:20-31:15 Movie Review: Street Kings<br />31:15-45:45 Album of the Week: Foals - Antidotes (feat. song "Balloons")<br />45:45-53:00 Pre-View Review: The Happening<br />53:00-57:19 Preview of Next Week/Closing<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.libsyn.com/media/rocknreel/Rock_and_Reel_-_Episode_Eight.mp3"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169316415392693858" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEPjo1Nweig1Rlrz86h9lrU0fvqpPjvz4K6diqkKscTHK4_ZMb3B-1gZyC6l9cii22NcNOGFywRx8O1sufGjsGwhgugxiQ4bFkhlE5sJ1OfO3cvcjP5LFHrb0cCVa5jzUjV1tKeHMIzdC/s400/podcast_logo1.gif" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">(click on the podcast icon above for the show, or subscribe with podcatcher software)</span></span><br /></div><br /><br />Subscribe and let us know what you think! Email <a target="_blank" href="https://mail.google.com/mail?view=cm&amp;tf=0&amp;ui=1&amp;[email protected]">[email protected]</a> your comments, questions, and death threats.<br /><br />Remember, you can subscribe to the RSS feed of this site using any aggregator software!<br /><br /><a href="http://odeo.com/claim/feed/57507af5b5be6753">Check us out on Odeo!</a><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">My Odeo Channel (odeo/57507af5b5be6753)</span>
play-circle icon
-1 MIN