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Christopher Nolan’s next big epic at Universal, The Odyssey, has added Himesh Patel, Elliot Page, Bill Irwin and Samantha Morton.

For Patel, Page and Irwin, it’s a reteam with the 2x Oscar-winning filmmaker. Patel starred in Nolan’s 2020 Tenet, Page in 2010’s Inception, and Irwin in 2014’s Interstellar. For 2x Oscar nominee Morton, it’s her first time working with Nolan.

The foursome join a booming ensemble that counts Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Benny Safdie and Charlize Theron.

Nolan’s mythic action epic, shot with new Imax cameras, is based on the ancient Greek poem by Homer which follows Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his perilous journey home after the Trojan War. The classic explores themes of heroism, loyalty, cunning and the struggle against divine will. The tale includes iconic stories like Odysseus’ encounters with the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens and the witch-goddess Circe,...

My guest for this month is West Anthony, and he’s joined me to discuss the film he chose for me, the 1976 comedy-drama film The Front. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.

Show notes:

Not sure what happened to the audio in the introduction, apologies! The Hollywood blacklist is a term for the treatment of people in the entertainment industry who refused to name names to the House Un-American Activities Committee from 1947 to 1960 For a more in depth take on the blacklist, check out the latest season of the phenomenal You Must Remember This podcast WonderCon is a comic book convention that was held annually in Sf until it was cruelly moved to the La area in 2012. Yes I’m still bitter about it. West also recommends the Gabrielle de Cuir directed Thirty Years of Treason by Eric Bentley Among the people famously blacklisted were Lillian Hellman, Lionel Stander,...

Fading Gigolo

Directed by: John Turturro

Cast: John Turturro, Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Vanessa Paradis, Sofia Vergara

Running Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Rating: R

Release Date: May 2, 2014 (Chicago)

Plot: Fiorvate (Turturro) is pimped out by his friend Murray (Allen) when two women (Stone & Vergara) are interested in a threesome. Unexpectedly, Fiorvante falls for a reclusive widow (Paradis) who hasn’t been touched by a man since her husband died.

Who’S It For? Those who like seeing star-struck writer/directors sell their project’s souls to past influences.

Overall

An actor/writer/director once conceded that masturbation is “sex with someone I love.” Then what room does that leave for acting/writing/directing in a film in which your master played by Woody Allen sings your praises, and Sofia Vergara and Sharon Stone hype you up to be a stallion? And most importantly, where’s the comedy in that?

The masturbatory...

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

In honor of That’s My Boy, a comedy that pairs together Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg as father and son, let’s imagine other pairs of actors who would make for dynamic father/son duos. And we’re not gonna just put two actors together and let you imagine the rest. We’ve got plot summaries too. So now I’ll just sit by the phone and wait for agents and Hollywood executives to green-light this gold.

Read Nick Allen’s “That’s My Boy” Scorecard Review (2/10)

Here are the Top 7 Actors Who Should Play Father & Son in a film.

7. Christopher Plummer (“Priest”) & Michael Fassbender (“Prometheus”)

Tentative Title: “Ice Cream Men”

Reason: Fassbender plays the world’s biggest Cher fan, who earns his keep by driving an ice cream truck for a picky boss (played by Jackie Chan) to the different towns of Death Valley.

Rank the week of August 23rd’s Blu-ray and DVD new releases against the best films of all-time: New Releases Blitz

(Blu-ray & DVD | Nr | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #9439

Win Percentage: 51%

Times Ranked: 215

Top-20 Rankings: 5

Directed By: Elliott Lester

Starring: Jason Statham • Paddy Considine • Aidan Gillen • Zawe Ashton • David Morrissey

Genres: Crime • Crime Thriller • Police Detective Film • Thriller

Rank This Movie

The Beaver

(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #5199

Win Percentage: 52%

Times Ranked: 858

Top-20 Rankings: 6

Directed By: Jodie Foster

Starring: Mel Gibson • Jodie Foster • Anton Yelchin • Jennifer Lawrence • Zachary Booth

Genres: Comedy Drama • Drama • Psychological Drama

Rank This Movie

Win Win

(Blu-ray & DVD | Nr | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #2107

Win Percentage: 61%

Times Ranked: 2455

Top-20 Rankings: 6

Directed By: Thomas McCarthy

Starring: Paul Giamatti • Amy Ryan • Bobby Cannavale • Jeffrey Tambor • Burt Young

Genres: Comedy Drama • Drama • Sports Comedy • Sports Drama

Rank This Movie

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #5643

Win Percentage: 49%

Times Ranked: 725

Top-20 Rankings:...

With reports out of France that Woody Allen is shooting a cameo for the film "Paris Manhattan," a comedy from first-time director Sophie Lellouche in which part of the plot revolves around a pharmacist (Alice Taglioni) so obsessed with his work she prescribes DVDs of his films to patients, the 75-year-old filmmaker continues a tradition of picking peculiar projects to appear in outside of his own.

In a career that's entering its fifth decade, Allen has starred in just six films he hasn't directed ("Play It Again, Sam," "The Front," "Scenes From a Mall," the 1996 "Sunshine Boys" TV remake, "Antz" and "Picking Up the Pieces") and limited himself to a handful of other uncredited cameos. Though he's scarcely performed in anything in recent years - his last role as an actor was in 2006's "Scoop" - some of his most intriguing roles have come in the films in which he's scarcely seen,...

Mike White is writing the script for Santa Wars, a holiday comedy based on the true story of rival factions that developed within a union of professional Santa Clauses. Many of you may remember the story from the “Scenes from a Mall” episode of the radio show “This American Life” hosted by Ira Glass that aired last December. The segment was written for radio by Joshuah Bearman, who will executive produce the film.

Read more on Mike White takes on Santa Wars…...