Film Junk Podcast Episode #446: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Posted by on December 20th, 2013   Filed under: Featured, Film Junk Podcast

podcast446

0:00 – Intro
8:10 – Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
1:02:35 – Headlines: Interstellar Trailer, Godzilla Trailer, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Trailer, Jupiter Ascending Trailer, Joaquin Phoenix Wanted for Batman vs. Superman Villain
1:21:55 – Other Stuff We Watched: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Extended Edition, A Night in Casablanca, For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism, The Lovely Bones, Before Midnight, Harlequin, Is the Man Who is Tall Happy?, Citizen Ruth, Gentleman’s Agreement, A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas, Fanboys, Passenger 57, 24/7: Road to the Winter Classic, Warrior, Frozen, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Pacific Rim, Red Dawn (2012), The Image Revolution, Dear Mr. Watterson, Crocodile Dundee, Grumpy Old Men, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Overboard, Trance, Stoker
2:44:30 – Junk Mail: Amazon Pulls Digital Copy of Disney Movie, Novelty Movies as Gifts + Favourite Christmas Specials
2:57:55 – This Week on DVD and Blu-ray
3:03:45 – Outro

Film Junk Podcast Episode #446: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug by Filmjunk on Mixcloud

» Download the MP3 (86 MB)
» View the show notes
» Rate us on iTunes!

Subscribe to the podcast feed:
RSS iTunes

Donate via Paypal:




 Recurring Donation $2/Month:

Around the Web:



←  Older Comments
 →
  • Nick Poliskey

    I can see why people wouldn’t like the Jay-Frank banter, but I for one love it! I think Jay does sometimes push it a little too far, but that is how guys talk, and I am perfectly fine with that. I do agree that occasionally it overshadows the movie they are reviewing, and that gets annoying, but that is a tiny thing.

    Now where I DO have a problem is the lack of Greg. It was never explained why he left, and that is Film Junk perogative, but I miss him big time. I still love the show, but what Greg has IMO is the everyman-opinion of the movies he watches. “Fuck off”, that is my favourite Greg line, and I loved every time he said it about some weirdo in a movie. That is what the Sean-Jay-Frank chemistry lacks. I think Frank is amazing, and by far the funniest aspect of Fimljunk, but i think they are far better as a 4-some. I think that Year and a half?Maybe? I think when all 4 were regulars was the best period of Filmjunk.

    I don’t think Greg kept jay in check, I think he kept all 3 of the others in check. The problem I see is the Sean, Jay, and Frank are sort of movie specialists in different ways, Sean is kind of the facts guy, Jay is the production knowledge guy, and Frank is the ratings guy. I love them all, but Greg had that “I just like Movies” appeal that I think I and alot of others miss. Instead of Jay going off on a camera angle technique on a movie from the 40’s for 15 minutes, Greg would just say something like “who gives a shit” and then Frank wold laugh wildly, and they would move on to something else.
    Now this in no way is a criticism of Jay or Sean, i think Greg and Frank together lack the film knowledge and it gets to jokey, I really think it is the 4-some that makes the magic.

    PLEASE bring Greg back. I will start the petition. I will pay a buck a podcast if greg comes back.

  • Nick Poliskey

    One more thing, movies SUCK this year. 2013 blows. the only movies I have even remotely enjoyed were Captain Philips and Gravity. And those would have been in the lower half of my top ten had they been in 2012.

  • J R

    Jerry > Skottie >>> Squirt

  • Greg

    Junkers,

    I received some tweets that there was some uncivilized behaviour in the comments section of the most recent podcast and that my name kept popping up, so I decided to check it out. Turns out that everyone is right. Let me explain.

    The first couple of years that I did the show with Jay and Sean, we had some amazing chemistry. It was an absolute blast. That chemistry evolved into a different kind of amazing when Frank joined in to make it a foursome. The last year or so that I was on the show, my performance, compared to what it used to be, was shitty. There were many reasons for my shitty performance and none of them had anything to do with the other three fellas.
    There needs to be a certain level of professionalism for this podcast. Film Junk deserves to have high quality performances. I just wasn’t able to do that consistantly. On three separate occasions over the last 18 months I was on the show, Jay, very professionally, said to me – and I’m paraphrasing – ‘What can we do to help you get the best of your ability on the show?’. Everything that I said I needed, they did, without question, but I still couldn’t bring the level of performance that the show deserved.

    This is a hell of a podcast and I was doing a disservice to the show and to my three friends, so a change needed to be made. The show is incredible, it’s different, but it’s still incredible. Those guys put in so much work to give you so much entertainment and I wasn’t able to pull my weight and to be honest, that’s not fair.

    The show was awesome before and it’s still awesome now. It’s just a different dynamic. I appreciate those who miss me on the show and I respect the fact that those who didn’t enjoy my performance can share their opinions.

    Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

  • Mark

    Hi Greg

    Thanks for your comments- you are a true gent, and although in my opinion you are being much too hard on yourself, fair play.
    I still, however, hope you come back at some point.

    I stand by my previous comments in this section, but I hope they didn’t come across as too uncivilized… I certainly was not trying to cause trouble, just stating my opinions, but possibly went too far. Sorry if that was the case. Like I think many of us were saying, we still like Filmjunk very much, but regret your exit from it.

    Anyway, as ever, you are the man Greg. I’ll keep listening to Balljunk and will keep hoping you return in some way to Filmjunk.
    Have a great Christmas yourself!
    Cheers.

  • Nick Poliskey

    Essie, Gregs “supposed” lack of film knowledge is exactly why I loved him on the show. He was sort of the everyman who would slow the other ones down (Jay in particular) when they would starting going down really technical movie aspects that I really don’t care about. What I liked about the Greg years is that is was more like 4 funny guys at a diner talking about movies, and it was fun, but now it is a little more like 3 professors who are still funny. but as someone else pointed out, they sometimes try so hard to define which professor is right about whatever aspect of the movie, that “was the movie fun or not” gets lost completely.

  • Nick Poliskey

    Greg, your a classy man, buddy, but I would rather listen to you talk about a movie you haven’t seen, than most people talk about movies they have.

  • Matt the Kiwi

    Jay, I got a kick out of you enjoying the Marx Brothers movie so much. For me they make up a third of my classic movie Holy Trinity: Marx Brothers, Errol Flynn & Humphrey Bogart. As far as wit, crazy stunts and sheer talent, I can’t think of a modern group of actors that come close. Still waiting for all their films to come out on Blu-ray so I can update my DVD collection. And you are right, any scene where Harpo breaks out the harp is incredible and warm fuzzy inducing (highly recommend his autobiography, Harpo Speaks to hear how that all got started). Leave you with a Groucho quote: ‘Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read’.

  • Matt the Kiwi

    Pretty sure you are wrong on the point of Jay being sarcastic…sounded to me like he genuinely enjoyed that scene. And I know you’re wrong about most people today not finding them funny. They are funny in the way that they are clever and original – you are not just watching somebody play an instrument, you are watching somebody play around with it and still make great music. The difference between seeing a basketball game or watching a Harlem Globe Trotters show, for example.
    Maybe I just hope that you are wrong because I still love em. Merry Christmas either way :-)

  • Matt the Kiwi

    I think a lot of people these days are surprised when they enjoy any old black and white movie (which is a shame). This would explain why not everybody watches them, right?

  • Victor

    I’m fifteen or twenty years older than the guys of Filmjunk, and it continually amazes me that they seem to know so little about Hollywood’s golden age. They’d never seen an Errol Flynn movie? The Marx Brothers for the first time? I grew up with these films on television. What happened in those twenty years between my youth and theirs? Did the arrival of video (and later DVD) make them watch recent films more often? Was it the cable networks like HBO? Classic films of the thirties and forties, which used to be late night fare, have been banished to special channels.

  • DanLorien

    Don’t get me wrong– I love the Marx Brothers too. I love their fast talk, I love their movies’ crazy plots, I love especially their interactions with Margaret Dumont. But I do not think their musical interludes are funny. I think they are there because in those days, people going to the movies wanted a little bit of everything– some jokes, some dancing, some singing, some musical recitals on the harp or piano. I see it as a holdover from the vaudeville shows audiences were used to at the time. But of course, to each his own, and Merry Christmas.

  • stud in the mud

    i like skottie. not only he’s cool and to the point, but also he seems to have a positive influence on the entire show.. jay gets [even] better when there’s a guest, i’ve noticed.
    it’s a real shame he was caught in the crossfire, undeservedly.

    we should just calmly thank the entertainers.. these are quality folk with a quality show.

  • Good guy Greg.

  • Good guy Greg.

←  Older Comments
 →