Netflix Book Club

Episode 66 again proves we are a cultured and intellectual podcast, it's Y Tu Mama Tambien! The diplomatic and well spoken Lauren Grudzien sat with us and talked the finer points of seeing such a sex-laden film in your teens as opposed to a wee bit later in life. Morality, lust and more are discussed in the arena of Alfonso Cuaron's international hit film on this episode, and if you have something to opine yourself, please share it with us! Reach out @flixbookclub on Twitter, or head on over to the Facebook page and throw us a like. Tune in next week for more movie discussion limited to the Netflix instant selection! We are a cheap bastard crowd, are we not!?

We had a week off, but we are back strong, and what an appropriate pick for it. Episode 65 is Phoenix, a 2014 German film by Christian Petzold. Why, that sounds rather high brow, doesn't it? Well of course it is, as our guest is none other than comedian and actor Matt Burke (@heymattburke). You might remember him from our The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover episode. Phoenix is a debatably noirish post war film about a concentration camp survivor looking for answers and trying to make sense of her life. This is not Ida (OK music played a big role in both and someone commits suicide in both unexpectedly..but..but..), for the record. I make myself laugh a lot in this episode and I rescind that there was more to this film than I first thought. Thanks for listening, please subscribe on iTunes, leave us a comment, share with your friends!

Seventeen years ago I saw this movie in theaters, and I've since thought of it fondly without ever revisiting it. Until now. Courtesy of stand up comic and writer Corey Reppond (@reppocs) episode 64 is science fiction comedy send up of sorts, Galaxy Quest! Tim Allen had just finished Home Improvement, a long ass run on a major network that yielded him a ton of money. And then, love him or hate him or feel apathetic about him - he starred in a really funny movie. Have a listen and watch the movie if you haven't before, and please reach out to let us know what you think @flixbookclub or anywhere you can leave a comment. Subscribe on iTunes, "Like" us on Facebook, by Grabthar's hammer, talk with us about movies!

Episode 63 reunited us again with stand up comedian, photographer and film buff extraordinaire Ryan Brook! He comes on to talk about the very divisive People, Places, Things starring exactly one half of the New Zealand musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, Jemaine Clement. It's a movie about a sloppy sort of irresponsible dude who is left by the mother of his kids, and where will he take it from there!? This discussion thrived and we arrived at conclusions. Reach out to us @flixbookclub, subscribe on iTunes, catch us next week!

Continuing our theme of foreign tribulations, Netflix Book Club episode 62 is Beasts of No Nation. Stephen sits this one out (you'll notice a lack of in depth knowledge on the actual situations in Africa) so we keep it nice and short. We're joined by Brian Jian (brianjian.com) and Lori Palminteri (@loripalminteri), two good friends and hilarious stand up comedians - seriously check them out. Beasts stars Idris Elba and Abraham Attah and is the first Netflix Original Film, and you know we love Netflix. It shows the story of young Agu trying to survive in a nation plagued by a war that has taken his family from him. Super cheery stuff! Check the movie, listen to the podcast, leave a message at the beep. Next week we talk about People, Places, Things.

You might just learn yourself a thing or two if you check out Episode 61, Winter On Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom! Comedian Joey Giarratano (@YourFriendJoeyG) came on and talked to us about this Netflix Documentary (we love Netflix, you know that, right?) about the crisis in the Ukraine in 2014. If you're an idiot like me, these sort of documentaries are great to make you feel like less of a dumb-dumb and more aware of what's going on in the world. So check it out and listen to the podcast! Subscribe on iTunes, tweet us @flixbookclub, comment!

Netflix Book Club trucks on with Episode 60, The Good, The Bad, The Weird! Full disclosure: this was a canned episode from over a year ago that features KC Arora and Neil Constantine from the early days of NFBC (we may have gone by Crossing Streams or Flix Book Club). We canned it exactly for this purpose - when real life takes too much demand and we can't do our favorite thing, get together with pals and talk movies. Anyway this is streaming right now on Netflix so check it out and listen to our episode! NEXT WEEK: Winter on Fire (Been trying to get this episode out for three weeks so hopefully this times the charm!) Follow on Twitter @flixbookclub, "Like" the official Netflix Book Club Facebook page, and subscribe on iTunes! Thanks!

Episode 59 finally let's Stephen and I get cozy and do one of these things by ourselves. We talked Blade Runner, the sci-fi noir classic by Ridley Scott. Harrison Ford gets pulled outta retirement to hunt down four skin jobs, or replicants - robots who can blend in with humans. It was 1982 and cyberpunk was starting to turn up and William Gibson was getting all Neuromancer'd! Subscribe on iTunes, like the Facebook page, reach out on Twitter @flixbookclub. Next week we talk the Netflix documentary Winter on Fire.

I reckon NFBC episode number 58 is Sling Blade with Billy Bob Thornton, mm-hmm. I reckon you might've seen this movie before, like comedian/director/writer Joe Pontillo (@JoePontillo), our guest today. I reckon you maybe do the voice and have a few laughs over it. But this movie wrecked me. WRECKED ME. I'd never seen it, knew very little about it, and it's stuck with me since. That's it. Listen to the episode to hear us talk about this masterful film written/directed/starring Billy Bob Thornton. This movie basically gives him a pass the rest of his career. If you haven't seen it yet, watch it, then listen. NEXT WEEK we talk sci-fi classic Blade Runner.

While everyone was wetting their pants over Spotlight (a solid film but, C'MAWN, BEST PICTURE?!) me and Netflix Book Club were jawing over a real Boston classic. Episode 57 is Good Will Hunting! Bryan McKenna returns to talk about his FIRST viewing of this Gus Van Sant...dare I say masterpiece? I dare. We also have stand up comedian Tim Krompier sitting in offering a perspective of having seen the movie before "How do ya like DEM apples?!" was integrated into common nomenclature. Click the link, subscribe on iTunes, find us on Stitcher. But most importantly reach out to us! Like the Netflix Book Club Facebook page, follow us on Twitter @flixbookclub, or just leave a comment. Thanks for listening and we'll talk to you next week about Billy Bob Thornton's Sling Blade!