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Hey fellas,

So I just recently watched Altman's "The Long Goodbye" the other day on Netflix streaming and was tremendously impressed by its off-kilter, non-traditionalist take on the classic Raymond Chandler novel of the same name. A brave script and stellar performances by Elliot Gould and Sterling Hayden have easily made it one of my new favorite films.

At the same time, I began to think a little about the film noir genre, its tropes, and whether or not it still plays outside of its original mid-twentieth century context. Certain recent films, most notably (to my mind) "L.A. Confidential," have proven that noir can still be a commercially and critically successful genre, but it seems to me that noir set in the present day must be at least a little self-reflexive in order to avoid feeling campy or archaic. Films like the "The Long Goodbye" or "Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang" very much fit this mold in that they acknowledge, and even revel in, the inherent clichés of film noir. As such, they don't take themselves as seriously as their forbearers and are somehow more accessible to modern audiences.

My question, if I haven’t already put you to sleep, is whether you prefer the traditional noir films of the 30s, 40s and 50s or the more recent "neo-noir," which has emerged since the 1970s.

Thanks,

Shimmy

St. Catharines, ON, Canada

Hey guys

Do you think that that awkward final scene of Captain America would have been better used as the post credit scene? That way, you could still have your surprise Avengers reveal and also keep the tone of the film intact.

Hello whoever is on this episode and Matt Rorie! Rapid fire question time!

So now that Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are dating do you despise Andrew Garfield?

(They are actually dating apparently the picture is to ease the pain)

Also

I was just wondering how you felt about "Heaven" in movies and how its handled. The recent Harry Potter film got me thinking about this and I have to say whenever I see it in a film it always bothers me. It just strikes me as absurdly silly the whole white lights and white clothes.

And

If you haven't answered this already through the course of the podcast, what was your favourite panel at comic-con?

Finally; how crazy is Ghost Rider: Spirit of vengeance gonna be?

Thanks!

You get a puppy for answering these.

(If you don't click all those links i'll be one disappointed Screenpup)

From a studio's point of view, is being #1 at the US. box office enough for them to consider that movie a success even if said movie is ultimately a financial flop?

Covering huge events Like Comic Con, E3 can be a grueling task. How do you guys prepare for such events? Any essentials that are needed to keep your sanity intact?

Can You (Matt) and Alex share some horror stories of conventions past?