Shot/Reverse Shot

This week, inspired by the ongoing devolution of mainstream film criticism into a swampy morass of multi-page lists, news stories that don't contain any news and are barely stories, and the general sense that engaging film discourse is being pushed further and further away from the centre of the discussion, Joe and Ed rail against everything they think is wrong with film criticism as it exists in the digital age. It's not all negativity - they point out some sites and writers that are doing great, intelligent work and praise the big outlets that use their clout to try to create a more thoughtful approach to the dreaded listicle - but it's mainly an honest discussion about trends in film criticism that they find troublesome and downright tacky.

SEO-Friendly Alternate Title: This List Of 114 Things Wrong With Online Film Criticism Will Leave You Speechless.

We at Shot/Reverse Shot were deeply saddened to hear of the death of Robin Williams last week at the age of 63. We offer this episode, in which we discuss what he meant to us and what made him such a special performer, as a tribute to a comedian who made us laugh, an actor who made us cry, and a thoroughly decent and wonderful human being. Rest in Peace.

Inspired by Escape From Tomorrow, a deeply flawed film with a production history that's more interesting than the film itself, Joe and Ed discuss the problems that arise when you know too much about how a movie was made. Does knowing that a film was difficult to make or had a compelling back story prejudice a viewer's opinion of the work itself? Can a gimmick like Escape From Tomorrow's hurt a film by making people overly aware of its mechanics while they watch it, or is it justified by the fact that people will be drawn to it? What separates that film from Richard Linklater's Boyhood (which seemingly cannot be discussed outside of the ambitious way in which it was filmed)? These are just some of the questions that they consider as they try to figure out how much knowledge is too much. Have a listen, and feel free to weigh in on Facebook, Twitter, or by leaving us a review on iTunes. You can also listen to the episode on Stitcher.

To mark the release of Guardians of the Galaxy, the final film in Phase Two of Marvel's Cinematic Universe and their first attempt at making films that aren't strictly speaking about superheroes, Joe and Ed decided to see the film and then have a nice old chinwag about it, as well as a more general conversation about Marvel's almost unprecedented success over the last six years.