martin

29 Apr

A Comprehensive History of George R.R. Martin’s NFL Draft Takes

New DVD releasecomprehensive, draft, george, history, martin, takes

Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin loves three things above all else: writing exhaustive descriptions of feasts, killing Starks, and watching NFL football. When the “A Song of Ice and Fire” creator is not writing the most impactful bit of fantasy storytelling since The Lord of the Rings, he follows his two favorite football teams: the New York Giants and the New York Jets (yes, supporting two teams in the same city is highly unusual and yes, he’s apparently fine with it).  Martin is fond of expounding upon his fandom in interviews (including this one with ex-NFL defensive end…

Read More

03 Feb

George R.R. Martin Sees His Shadow, Provides Hopeful Winds of Winter Update

New DVD releasegeorge, hopeful, martin, provides, shadow, winds, winter

February 2 is an important date on the United States calendar. That’s the day when a beleaguered, snow-stricken nation casts its eyes to a Midwestern meteorological rodent, who then communicates to us whether spring is on the horizon or winter will last for six more weeks. Funnily enough, this year’s Groundhog Day also indulged another increasingly frequent tradition. For, just like Punxsutawney Phil, beloved Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin emerged from his den to let us know if Winter was on the way…The Winds of Winter that is. Martin took to his charmingly outdated Livejournal blog, fittingly titled…

Read More

28 Jan

Martin Scorsese’s Fran Lebowitz Netflix Doc Series is an Irresistible Tonic

Netflix, New DVD releaseirresistible, lebowitz, martin, netflix, scorsese, series, tonic

Filmmaker Martin Scorsese and humourist Fran Lebowitz aren’t sure how they met. It may or may not have been at the 50th birthday party of a mutual friend, neither remembers. What they do remember is that every time they ended up at the same party, they’d spend the whole night talking. To guess from their new seven-part Netflix documentary series, it’s likely that Lebowitz did most of the talking, and Scorsese most of the laughing.  Talking is Lebowitz’s job. Her previous Scorsese collaboration, 2010 HBO film Public Speaking, followed the speaking engagements that have earned her a following, a reputation as one…

Read More

18 Oct

The Trial of the Chicago 7: Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin Were the Martin and Lewis of the Radical Left

Netflix, New DVD releaseabbie, chicago, hoffman, jerry, martin, rubin, trial

“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” Bob Dylan intoned on his song “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” influencing a group of young mad bombers to blow against the wind. The group at the center of Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 didn’t blow up bathrooms in federal investigative agencies; they protested bombings, and all other forms of violence, when they stood against authority at the Democratic National Convention in 1968. The Youth International Party, or Yippies, was non-violent, even if one of the co-founders, Abbie Hoffman (played by Sacha Baron Cohen in the movie),…

Read More

14 Oct

Martin Eden

Max SchindlerMovie reviewsmartin

Martin (Luca Marinelli) is a self-taught proletarian with artistic aspirations who hopes that his dreams of becoming a writer will help him rise above his station and marry a wealthy young university student (Jessica Cressy). The dissatisfactions of working-class toil and bourgeois success lead to political awakening and destructive anxiety in this enveloping, superbly mounted bildungsroman.Rated: Not RatedRelease Date: Oct 16, 2020

Read More

29 Sep

Game of Thrones: George R.R. Martin Names His ‘Least Favorite Scene in the Entire Show’

New DVD releasefavorite, george, least, martin, names, scene, thrones

A dozen dogs, minimum. At least thirty men wearing puffy tunics and women in massive croissant-shaped hats. Boars, deer, bears, spears and carcasses everywhere you look. Any 15th century tapestry will tell you that in ye olden days, a royal hunting expedition involved more fuss and hoopla than your average Glastonbury. So why, when King Robert Baratheon, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm goes hunting in Game of Thrones’ first season, does he pitch up with only his little brother, a single guard, a spear apiece, and a boy to carry the wine bladder? That’s the complaint…

Read More

22 Aug

Real Life Gangster Inspiration for Martin Scorsese’s Casino Dies

New DVD releasecasino, gangster, inspiration, martin, scorsese

Frank Cullotta, a member of Chicago’s mob the Outfit, died of a variety of ailments including COVID-19 at a Las Vegas hospital, on Thursday, Aug. 20, according to Deadline. He was 81. Chicago gangster Anthony “Ant” Spilotro brought Cullotta to Las Vegas in 1978 to oversee the legendary robbery crew called the “Hole in the Wall Gang.” Known for bypassing alarm systems by drilling or precision explosives, the crew burglarized between 250 and 300 homes in Las Vegas by 1981. The crew was caught on July 4, 1981, after a botched robbery at Bertha’s home furnishings store on East Sahara…

Read More

11 Aug

Martin Margiela: In His Own Words

Max SchindlerMovie reviewsmargiela, martin, words

One of the most revolutionary and influential fashion designers of his time, Martin Margiela has remained an elusive figure the entirety of his decades-long career. From Jean Paul Gaultier’s assistant to creative director at Hermès to leading his own House, Margiela never showed his face publicly and avoided interviews, but reinvented fashion with his radical style through forty-one provocative collections. Now, for the first time, the “Banksy of fashion” reveals his drawings, notes, and personal items in this exclusive, intimate profile of his vision.Rated: Not RatedRelease Date: Aug 14, 2020

Read More

29 Jul

Game of Thrones Fans Prepare to Put George R. R. Martin in Jail

New DVD releasegeorge, martin, prepare, thrones

Look, there’s not a massive amount to do at the moment. Our social calendars aren’t exactly overflowing, and very few people will experience the consequences of this frustrating predicament more than George R. R. Martin today, thanks to the burgeoning memeification of one of his old blog posts. Back in 2019, the beloved fantasy novelist pledged to touch down at this year’s World Science Fiction Convention in New Zealand with long-awaited A Song of Ice and Fire instalment The Winds of Winter thoroughly “in hand” – and if he should fail to deliver said book by July 29, 2020? Well,…

Read More

07 Jul

Martin Scorsese Making Documentary on New York Dolls’ David Johansen

New DVD releasedavid, documentary, dolls, johansen, making, martin, scorsese

Is it a crime to fall in love with Frankenstein? Martin Scorsese has, and hard. Pre-punk hard. The director is best known for movies with killer soundtracks, but he’s also brought such classic musical films as The Last Waltz–he even got Michael Jackson down a subway platform in the music video for “Bad.” Not to mention the work he did early in his career following Elvis Presley. Scorsese will next tilt his camera at the legendary David Johansen in a Showtime documentary, according to Rolling Stone. “I’ve known David Johansen for decades, and his music has been a touchstone ever…

Read More

02 Jul

Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In: The Complete Fourth Season

New DVD releasecomplete, fourth, laugh, martin, rowan, season

Rent It Well, I guess I had to see it to believe it. After reviewing Time-Life's set of Laugh-In's third season, where all 26 episodes were affected by a serious mastering error, I didn't think the problem would have carried over to any of the other sets. In this set of the fourth season with 26 more episodes from the show's 1970-71 season, ONE episode (#22) seems to have come out right but the remaining 25 are still afflicted. I'll talk more about that in the quality section, but first a bit about the show itself:Dan Rowan and Dick Martin…

Read More

11 Jun

Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese

Max SchindlerMovie reviewsdylan, martin, revue, rolling, scorsese, story, thunder

Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese captures the troubled spirit of America in 1975 and the joyous music that Dylan performed during the fall of that year. Part documentary, part concert film, part fever dream, Rolling Thunder is a one of a kind experience, from master filmmaker Martin Scorsese.Rated: TV-MARelease Date: Jun 12, 2019

Read More

22 Apr

Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In: The Complete Third Season

Max SchindlerNew DVD releasecomplete, laugh, martin, rowan, season, third

Rent It Time-Life releases the seven discs comprising the 1969-1970 season of "Laugh-In" from the complete series set put out last summer separately here. I hadn't seen much of the show aside from a few brief clips and had always wanted to see more of it; I'd even contemplated springing for the big set myself but got a chance to review this individual volume. Unfortunately there's a serious flaw with the picture quality that now makes me glad I didn't buy the whole set, which I'll discuss in the details below, but first some words about the show itself:"The Brady…

Read More

09 Apr

Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In: The Complete Second Season

Max SchindlerNew DVD releasecomplete, laugh, martin, rowan, season, second

Recommended The Show: Last year, Time-Life released a complete series box set of the classic neo-vaudeville comedy series, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (DVD Talk has a review right here). Now, Time-Life is breaking down the big box into season sets; seasons 1 through 3 are currently available, with season four due in May. Up for discussion currently is the show's second season, which originally ran from September 16, 1968, to March 31, 1969.Hosted by nightclub comics Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, Laugh-In is an unusual hybrid of old-style showbiz and (then-)modern sensibilities. Sort of a sketch show, sort of a…

Read More