Movie House - Delta College Public Radio artwork

Movie House - Delta College Public Radio

142 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratings

Movie House is a weekly feature about new films, old favorites, the movie industry, and the movie-going experience. In each episode, Delta College English instructor Mark Brown gives insight into the art, craft, and business of the movies.

TV & Film
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Episodes

Past Lives

April 19, 2024 19:51 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

I know I'm late to the party, but I can't not do a show about Celine Song's gorgeous, heartbreaking 2023 film, Past Lives.

Extended Interview - Kelley Kent, Historic Masonic Temple

March 29, 2024 17:49 - 11 minutes - 15.1 MB

An extended interview with Kelley Kent, executive director of the Friends of the Historic Masonic Temple in Bay City.

Quiz Lady

March 25, 2024 19:03 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

In his Oscar acceptance speech, screenwriter Cord Jefferson suggested Hollywood could make several lower-budget movies for the price of one action tentpole and the first movie that came to mind for me was 2023's Quiz Lady.

Dune: Part Two

March 15, 2024 17:59 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

Using all the tools of filmmaking at his disposal, Denis Villeneuve transports viewers to whatever world he's built for a film and keeps them utterly convinced and compelled until the lights come up. And this is true of Dune: Part Two.

The Holdovers

February 16, 2024 20:58 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

While more bitter than its clear precursor, Dead Poet's Society, Alexander Payne's The Holdovers has a softness and nostalgia that his previous school-based film, Election, does not.

Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood

February 09, 2024 20:43 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

Richard Linklater's animated Space Race coming of age story is wonderfully specific, idiosyncratic, and a pleasure to watch.

Showing Up

February 02, 2024 19:45 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

Kelly Reichardt’s films are often challenging in some ways, but usually - ultimately - they are rewarding. But here it's not clear what it all really adds up to.

Maestro

January 26, 2024 20:07 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

Director Bradley Cooper seems to have checked every box under the category of Shameless Oscar Bait for this Leonard Bernstein biopic.

Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire

January 19, 2024 18:09 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

At this point it's clear that director Zack Snyder has never had an original idea in his life... at least not a good one.

Lack of Specificity - Black Adam, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, and Blue Beetle

January 05, 2024 19:35 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

A general piece of writing advice for any medium is that specifics make the world go 'round. Does a lack of specificity explain the failure of three superhero movies from the past few years?

Christmas Movies 2023

December 21, 2023 20:52 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

My annual tradition of recommending an alternative Christmas movie began as a reaction to seeing the same three movies in 24 hour marathons each year, but I'm starting to rethink that motivation.

Godzilla Minus One [SPOILERS]

December 18, 2023 20:59 - 5 minutes - 6.88 MB

Guest host Donny Winter takes a look at Godzilla Minus One to see what's made it so successful at the box office.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

December 18, 2023 20:51 - 5 minutes - 6.88 MB

Is this prequel to the 2010s hit franchise necessary or is it just a shameless cash grab?

Killers of the Flower Moon

November 17, 2023 20:12 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

Martin Scorsese is one of America's greatest living filmmakers, but there is more to Killers of the Flower Moon than just its director's legacy.

Meet Me After the Show [Extended]

November 03, 2023 19:45 - 12 minutes - 16.5 MB

I talk to film buff Scott Seeburger about his exhibition of movie posters at the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library in Midland.

Youtopia

November 03, 2023 19:41 - 5 minutes - 6.88 MB

Independence allows brilliance, but it can also allow terrible decisions, such as in Youtopia.

Objects & Join or Die

October 13, 2023 18:52 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

A good documentary instructs and edifies. I recently screened two opportunities to do just that: 2021's Objects and 2023's Join or Die.

Peak Season

October 06, 2023 18:01 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

Indie films can give us the grit, darkness, and experimentation usually missing from the mainstream, but I find it refreshing when one manages to be sweet, light, and funny.

The Flash

September 22, 2023 19:52 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

Character and story take a backseat to stunt casting and nostalgia in a new low point for comic book movies.

Hell's Half Mile 2023

September 17, 2023 22:19 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

My true favorite thing about fall in this area is the Hell's Half Mile Film and Music Festival, being Sept. 21-26 this year at various venues around Bay City.

Summer 2023 Wrap-Up

September 08, 2023 15:31 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

We wrap up the summer by taking a look at box office winners and losers, the ongoing writers' and actors' strike, and those we lost this summer.

Oppenheimer

August 15, 2023 15:09 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

Chances are, in the years to come, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer will be seen as one of the director's greatest films.

Barbie

August 04, 2023 18:53 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

The "Barbenheimer" phenomenon is fantastic news for fans of standalone movies that don't involve superheroes or extended cinematic universes, Barbie has become a fascinating cultural lightning rod (we'll get to Oppenheimer next week).

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

August 01, 2023 14:05 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

Harrison Ford returns as the whip-wielding adventurer/archaeologist for one final installment.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

July 20, 2023 18:39 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse captured the beauty, pathos, wonder, pacing, and structure of a comic book in ways that I hadn't even seen before on film and the sequel is as strong as the first and, in some ways, even more impressive.

Asteroid City

July 13, 2023 17:42 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

I've joked for years about wanting to see a sci fi movie from Wes Anderson. With the arrival of Asteroid City, I've finally got my wish... or have I?

Blood Simple

June 15, 2023 13:13 - 4 minutes - 6.18 MB

1984's Blood Simple is surprisingly accomplished for a first movie and absolutely has all the hallmarks of later Cohen Brothers films.

Small Theaters

June 12, 2023 12:52 - 4 minutes - 6.18 MB

This week, I want to say a few words of praise for the small, single-screen theater.

A Face in the Crowd

June 05, 2023 20:53 - 4 minutes - 6.18 MB

As politicians and the 24-hour news cycle prepare for the next presidential election, one terribly underappreciated movie keeps coming to mind - 1957's A Face in the Crowd.

Baby Face

June 05, 2023 20:40 - 4 minutes - 6.18 MB

Until the Production Code, early motion pictures were like an unregulated Old West, but one of the films that brought an end to that era was 1933's Baby Face.

Double Indemnity

May 23, 2023 20:53 - 4 minutes - 6.18 MB

One thing I love about film noir is its unrepentant darkness. And one of the earliest noir films is also one of the best - 1944's Double Indemnity.

Sneaking into the Theater

May 15, 2023 21:09 - 4 minutes - 6.18 MB

In junior high, a couple of my friends had a whole scheme to sneak into the movies and they wanted me in on their plan.

The Reel

May 05, 2023 17:55 - 4 minutes - 5.49 MB

For me, a bad night at the movies is better than a good day at work.

Fire of Love

April 14, 2023 18:36 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

I thought a lot about poetry and what makes a film poetic as I watched Fire of Love, the 2022 documentary about volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft.

How It Ends

April 07, 2023 19:43 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

How Hollywood coped with COVID restrictions could be an ambitious grad student's dissertation some day and when it gets written, one chapter could focus on 2021's How It Ends.

The Wonder

March 27, 2023 19:44 - 5 minutes - 6.88 MB

Paul Schrader wrote about films that give you a "transcendent" experience, which I thought about when I watched 2022's The Wonder.

The Last Duel

March 17, 2023 19:41 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

On paper, The Last Duel should have been a critical and commercial slam dunk, but the execution made for a gigantic flop.

The Fablemans

February 06, 2023 19:49 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

Steven Spielberg is probably the most important filmmaker of my lifetime and his latest film, The Fabelmans, is a cinematic memoir of his own movie history.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

January 31, 2023 15:59 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

My relationship with the Knives Out films has been a rollercoaster, so when the sequel came out, I kept my expectations low just to see what would happen.

Avatar: The Way of Water

January 20, 2023 15:26 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

After 13 years, how does the Avatar sequel stack up to the visually groundbreaking original?

The Summit of the Gods

December 16, 2022 20:19 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

I've never particularly cared for mountain climbing, but I am a sucker for great animation and independent films.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

December 09, 2022 20:35 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

Super hero movies function best as metaphors that explore something authentic about us as people. The sequel to Black Panther mourns the first film's star, Chadwick Boseman, while continuing to deal with real world issues in a fictional world.

Poser

October 26, 2022 20:26 - 4 minutes - 6.19 MB

My favorite fiction film from this year's Hell's Half Mile Film Festival was 2021's Poser, about a young woman on the fringes of the Columbus, OH art scene.

Bad Axe

October 17, 2022 14:47 - 5 minutes - 7.55 MB

"If you want to write about humanity, write about a human." This principle is demonstrated perfectly in this documentary focusing on filmmaker David Siev and his family during quarantine.

Hell's Half Mile 2022

October 07, 2022 19:11 - 5 minutes - 6.88 MB

My wife and I spent to the last weekend of September in Bay City attending the 16th annual Hell's Half Mile Film and Music Festival.

Stop at Nothing/The Program

October 07, 2022 19:06 - 5 minutes - 6.87 MB

Two different takes on the Lance Armstrong story: the 2014 documentary "Stop at Nothing" and the 2015 drama "The Program."

The Poison Rose

September 26, 2022 19:52 - 5 minutes - 6.87 MB

Sometimes my wife and I embrace the garbage and watch a movie we know will be stone-cold bad, such as 2019's star-studded The Poison Rose.

The Gray Man

August 19, 2022 13:52 - 5 minutes - 6.88 MB

With the Russo Brothers' first post-Marvel movie, they have a chance to cut loose and sell their souls a little more.

The Lost City

August 12, 2022 19:36 - 5 minutes - 6.88 MB

2022's The Lost City is a light-hearted romp fueled entirely by star power.

Thor: Love and Thunder

August 09, 2022 13:46 - 5 minutes - 6.88 MB

It's Chris Hemsworth's comedic skills that are on best display in the latest MCU offering.