The Film Buffa Podcast: The casual appeal of 'The Substance' and the secret weapon in 'Den of Thieves: Pantera'
Let the Buffet podcast games begin, officially.
Lou Brown and his Cleveland Indians peeled off sections in Major League after wins. I’m adding a new section to the Buffet.
Credit the sage
from The Outside Scoop (a must subscribe for all Substack users) for firing the engines on this adventure. My average podcast output over the past year resembles the number of times Joe Pesci thinks about taking a role. It’s more scatterbrained human technology than anything resembling consistency, something I hope changes this year. If I have a New Year’s resolution this January, it’s to create more podcast content.And until I start looking like Vin Diesel at 65 years of age on camera, the plan is to make most, if not all, of the pods to include video. Since I have interviewed the likes of George Clooney and Samuel L. Jackson in my past film critic (the full-time version) career, there could be some actor and/or director interviews down the line. For now, enjoy this latest episode. It’s a little different than other previous chatty ventures on here.
Namely, it’s mostly movie stuff with some television show deep dive discussions (The Penguin and Lioness would warrant one) and a little sports. When the Cardinals start playing real baseball in April, there may be something baseball-related but it would be a new section. The official title sums it up: The Film Buffa Podcast.
For the past two years or so, I have moderated a Facebook page called The Film Buffa. Instead of pile-driving my personal FB account page with movies news and takes, I can drop endless updates and opinions there. There have been some movie reviews on the Buffet with the Film Buffa tag, so it fits. Recorded on YouTube to open a lane there, and shared here below.
Episode 1 covers two things, mainly. First off, with Den of Thieves: Pantera taking the top spot at the box office and receiving a second viewing from me this weekend (with the wife), I gave it a deeper dive than the original review. There’s a certain ingredient or secret weapon that will determine if this sequel (which is modestly different fron the original) will be worth seeing for casual moviegoers.
Secondly, since Demi Moore won the Golden Globe for Best Actress, more people have been talking about The Substance, an ambitious drama with a fair amount of body horror. With a wild third act that spins out of control but is held in check by a sharp and heartbreaking Moore, I found the movie to stick to its unique landing. But what about non-movie nerds, like the casual public? Is it worth taking the dive?
Click and find out. There’s a small slice of cheesecake’s worth of Cards and Blues talk. Otherwise, all make-believe goodness! I thank you for your attention and time spent at the Buffet, which is CARB-FREE by the way. BOOM!