Abel Hour: Film Discussions with Abel Valencia

On this episode of Abel Hour I start off by reviewing the newest film from director Gia Coppola, Mainstream. The social media satire stars Maya Hawke as content creator who inadvertently creates a monster of a YouTuber with Andrew Garfield's Link. While I'm left mixed on it, it might be worth checking out solely for Andrew Garfield's performance. After my review I analyze the films, performances, and overall trajectory of Andrew Garfield who is recognizable to the mainstream for playing a Spider-Man, but whose choices in roles and films always provide something off beat and daring in ways. 

In this episode I dive into the filmography of Sony Pictures Animation, the production company behind Netflix's latest animation release The Mitchells vs the Machines. While it's been critically acclaimed, the road to it's release has been bumpy due to Covid and it being bumped from a full theatrical release. Which is fitting since the studio's consistency in success and quality has been just as bumpy with some real highs (Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse) and lows ( The Emoji Movie). Listen as I also review the mixed bag that is Tom Clancy's Without Remorse, currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

The Oscars happened! The most low key and uneventful Oscar ceremony has finally happened and I give my thoughts on the ups and downs of the ceremony that had the order shook up and gave the final awards to an absent Anthony Hopkins and a very to the point Frances Mcdormand. Then I review the new take on Mortal Kombat currently streaming on HBO Max and playing in a theater near you.

The return of Abel Hour! After months of lethargy, I make my comeback through recapping the most notable films I've been itching to talk about like Kong vs Godzilla, Tom and Jerry, and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. Then I make my final Oscar predictions on the 6 major categories for the longest Oscar season that we will hopefully ever have to bare witness to.

On this episode of the week I review Malcom & Marie, the divisive, controversial and above all talky new film starring Zendaya and John David Washington. I also give my takes on the announced nominations for the Golden Globes and SAG awards while noting that we're still two months away from the Oscars. Finally I take a look at the trailers and ads that the most recent Superbowl provided for us.

On this episode of Abel Hour, I am joined by my good friend Taylor Days as we hope for better things in 2021 and look forward in the year to countdown 20 movies that we can't wait to watch. It's a long weekend so listen and see if we can get you hyped for all the movies that will (hopefully) be released in the new year.

We survived this hellish year through the thing that this podcast revolves around; movies! In this episode I pick the 10 best things I saw this year as well as 5 of the worst things I saw this year. Listen and found it if movies like Mank, Soul, Minari, or Ma Rainey's Black Bottom make the list. Stick to the end to see if I remember some of the year's big blunders like Artemis Fowl or A Fall From Grace. Either way I don't think you'll predict my top film of 2020 so listen to find out!

On this week's episode of Abel Hour, I tackle the big HBO Max drama and then review the latest slew of films to hit the streamers. It's practically all of Hollywood vs Warner Bros this week, as the controversial move to release their entire slate to HBO Max and theatrical has people pissed and ready to sue.  I also review two of the best films of the year, the dense but technically marvelous MANK (Netflix) and the intimate Sound of Metal (Amazon Prime). Also touched on are the family pictures Half Brothers, currently in theaters from Focus Features, and Godmothered which is currently available on Disney+.

On this episode of Abel Hour, I talk box office for the first time in forever as The Croods: A New Age overperforms over the Thanksgiving weekend to beat Tenet as the biggest post-Covid theatrical release. I then shine a light onto the big releases ahead such as Mank (Netflix), Sound of Metal (Amazon Prime), Godmothered (Disney+) and more. Also reviews of new Christmas releases Happiest Season (Hulu), Christmas Chronicles 2 (Netflix), and Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix). Finally I end the episode with talk about the passing of Daria Nicolodi, Elliot Page's coming out, and Peter Dinklage as the new Toxic Avenger!

It's the eve of Thanksgiving for this home struck American but that doesn't mean the film discussions stop! On this week's episode of Abel Hour, host Abel Valencia reviews Ron Howard's Hillbilly Elegy (2020), the most blatant Oscar bait movie of 2020. Witness Amy Adams and Glenn Close practically shout "gimme an Oscar!" at the screen at your own peril. Also reviewed is Hulu's horror hit RUN (2020), where horror pro Sarah Paulson joins the evil mother list by terrorizing her wheelchair bound daughter played by newcomer Kiera Allen. Finally a look forward is made by discussing Wonder Woman 1984 move to HBO Max, the diminishing number of theatrical releases for December, Tom Holland's Cherry (2021) and Chaos Walking (2021), and Monster Hunter (2020)!

On this episode of Abel Hour, I discuss Thanksgiving movies which includes the obvious ones (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles; Home for the Holidays) and slightly more obscure ones (What's Cooking; Pieces of April). As well as the month of November which is described best through in the movie world as murderous families (Knives Out, You're Next) and pies (Waitress). And finally I tackle and rank three Latinx horror titles to come out of 2020. The slasher Murder in the Woods, the comedic Vampires vs the Bronx, and the exploitive Beneath Us.

On this episode host Abel Valencia talks about the complete lack of interest and attention for the theatrically released The Empty Man (2020), and the onslaught of major releases on streaming services competing to be "movie of the moment." These movies include Bad Hair (Hulu), On the Rocks (Apple TV+), Rebecca (Netflix), The Witches (HBO Max), Over the Moon (Netflix), and Borat Subsequent Film (Amazon Prime). 

After an inconsistent, bizarre, and overall strange summer in many ways, the summer movies of 2020 have all come and gone! So I have returned and will list the top five movies of the summer in this week's episode. But first I pay my respects to the late, great Chadwick Boseman who sadly passed away recently at the age of 43.  But in the second half of this episode I review, the trippy, dense, and incredibly wordy I'm Thinking of Ending Things written and directed by Charlie Kaufman which is currently streaming on Netflix. And I end it all with a preview of two teen centric releases coming to us soon; the horror comedy The Babysitter: Killer Queen which is coming to Netflix on September 10th and the Sony release The Broken Hearts Gallery, coming to theaters on September 11th.

After an unexpected break, I have returned with an episode that I pulled basically out of nothing. Movies that I love to hate, the ones that I passionately dislike and react to strongly for reasons that don't necessarily have to do with quality. See what reasons I have for hating the 1984 classic Red Dawn, 2005's Chicken Little, and 2015's The Green Inferno. I also review the 1989 film My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown because it has Daniel Day Lewis painting with his foot. 

The Oscars and the MCU may be delayed so this week we mash them and deliver the goods to you directly! In this episode I am joined by Marvel mega fan Kaila Gutierrez as we select the best of the best from the MCU. Listen and see what we ended up choosing for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, etc. from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Once upon a time there was a summer movie season, with large scale blockbusters and major event movies coming out every week. While this summer is incredibly uncertain, movies are still coming out! Netflix, Hulu, and documentaries will be providing us the must watch movies of the summer whether we like it or not. Also at the end of the episodes I review the new Netflix release The Half of It (2020), which might be the most unexpected summer blockbuster for what is definitely the strangest summer movie season ever.

In this episode I am joined by guest host Daniel Solano, a cinephile who consumes the Criterion Collection significantly more than your average streamer. So it was only right for me to bring him on for this episode as we discuss the Criterion Collection and it's streaming service, The Criterion Channel. And we pick a total of 10 films streaming on the service for those interested in getting into the service and seeing the diverse films in the collection. Our list includes films from directors like Akira Kurosawa,  François Truffaut, and Spike Jonze.

This week I venture into one of the circles of movie hell; video game movie adaptations. I am joined by my friend Casey Jacobs, an actual gamer, as we tackle movies based off video games and discuss what's wrong with them, what works, and if there can ever be a great movie based off a video game. We also buckle down and pick 5 movies that we actually found to be the most "watchable" of the bunch.

In this episode of Abel Hour, I am joined by guest host Rocky Moore as we discuss and rank the films of one Taika Waititi, the New Zealand director behind Jojo Rabbit (2019), Thor: Ragnorak (2017), and What We Do in the Shadows (2015). We talk about what we love about his humor, his visuals that take us from the forests of New Zealand to the trash planet Sakaar, and then duke it out over what is his best film. Is it the satirical Nazi-skewing Jojo Rabbit? The buddy adventure Hunt for the Wilderpeople? Or does the father/son tale Boy (2010) still ring the truest of all? Listen to find out.

New streaming service Quibi is here and the only way you can watch it is on your phone. In this bonus episode I review the first wave of Quibi's 'Movies in Chapters"; movies that are about 100 minutes released into daily "bite size" chapters. In this episode I talk about Survive with Sophie Turner, When the Streetlight Goes On with Queen Latifah, The Most Dangerous Game with Liam Hemsworth, Flipped with Will Forte, and 50 States of Fright by Sam Raimi.

Disney+ takes over I as tackle their latest additions Onward from Pixar and The Straight Story from David Lynch. Two movies that are about slightly estranged brothers and involve unconventional road trips. A double feature that should make sense, right? Then I take a ranking at the current streaming services and sees who is at the top and who may have trouble a head.

On this episode host Abel Valencia tackles the topic of Hyperlink Cinema; movies with big casts and multiple narratives playing at the same time. He starts with the early examples of this style seen in films like Nashville (1975) and The Rules of the Game (1939), the influence and style that Pulp Fiction (1994) had to some later films, and the onslaught of depressing film examples that Abel admits to loving.

A special bonus episode for the week, as I give suggestions for a virtual movie night. Being in different states, different rooms doesn't mean you can't connect and bond through watching a questionable Netflix movie like you would if you were all together. These suggestions range from rightful classics, to potentially out all awful TV movies, to watchable movies with just the right amount of movie stars. Enjoy and stay connected folks!

While the world seems to be ending, here on Abel Hour it is all about the beginning; the beginning of the career of 5 filmmakers that is! In this episode I dive into the first films from directors like Terrence Malick (1973's Badlands), Spike Lee (1986's She's Gotta Have It) Kelly Reichardt (1994's River of Grass) Christopher Nolan (1998's Following), and Trey Edward Shults (2016's Krisha).

The most New York-centric episode of Abel Hour ever! I am now on the east coast, where everything is three hours ahead and the streets are packed with people. So in honor of my arrival to this city, I decided to watch three New York set movies and decipher what lessons to pull from them to survive this city. The movies were Midnight Cowboy (1969), Working Girl (1988), and The Fisher King (1991). Later on I also pick my most anticipated films set to screen at this year's Tribeca Film Festival. 

In this week's episode I am joined by my friend and fellow movie fan Yaset Quintero Hernadez, as we dive into the 1980s films of famed director Brian DePalma. Despite some audio trouble, our conversation covers everything from the lurid and outrageous nature of Dressed to Kill (1980) to the brutal and upsetting Casualties of War (1989). So sit back and listen to us argue about the talent of Nancy Allen, whether Body Double (1984) is memorable, and if Phantom Thread by Paul T. Anderson was worth being made.

After a two month stint working the Sundance Film Festival I am back in the California sun. But most importantly I have 17 new movies to talk about with on here! So listen up as I guide you through which movies I saw, the ones I loved, the ones I didn't like nearly as much, and just my overall thoughts on the festival.

The Oscar nominations are up and how could I not talk about them? Netflix is big and on the up, A24 has only one nomination, and Joker is Joker. Which means it's a tremendous a success, garnering the most nominations with 11. But before I get to them I review 1917 and Underwater, which may have more in common than I thought.

The first episode of the new year! Of the new decade! I start off the episode listing some of the films that I am most excited for and then go on to react to a dull and unexciting Golden Globes that left me shrugging more than anything.

Another Top 10 list? Another episode already? Yes I felt the need to cram as much content before the end of 2019 with another list, this one detailing my personal picks from 2010-2019. Listen and find out which films crack my list.

2019 is about to wrap up, so of course I had to comeback to give my top 10 movies picks of the year. Does Joker, my favorite comic book movie, land up making the 10? Which Adam Driver movie do I mention as my favorite? Is Cats really so bad, it turns back around to be amazing? Listen as rundown my favorites (and my least favorites) of the year!

It's another solo episode this week, as I give reviews for the new releases Charlie's Angels and Ford v Ferrari, as well as the yet to be released tear-jerker The Friend. Then I discuss the slate of films Disney inherited for Fox in 2019, and what worked, didn't work, what lies ahead.

Another bite size episode in which I review the divisive and wacky Jojo Rabbit, praise the efforts of Mike Flanagan with his sequel of The Shining, Doctor Sleep, and again attack the lackluster Netflix Rom Com of the week Let it Snow. I also discuss the news that the newest Beverly Hills Cop movie is headed to Netflix and wonder if all movies will been seen as a "Netflix Movie."

After an unwanted break I have returned! This week I am joined by my friend Christian Hoffman as we discuss the Terminator: Dark Fate, the franchise overall, and analyze the state of other franchises that don't seem to know when to call it quits.

It was a streaming type of weekend, as I found myself staying home and watching a trio films that hit the streamers. Eli and The Laundromat on Netflix, and Wounds on Hulu. All were entertaining, but none are great, so they hit that streaming sweet spot. I also give my thoughts on 1998's Wild Things and try to tackle Francis Ford Coppola deciding to trash Marvel even more than Martin Scorsese. So please enjoy this audio recording of me rambling my thoughts. 

We're in the smack dab of Halloween season and I celebrated by inviting my good friend and fellow horror aficionado Michael Sanchez. In the mood for something scary? Well listen up as we list our 5 horror picks of the year and give you some ideas of what to watch this 31st. Curious if the Child's Play is worth a go? Wonder if I we can recall a little movie called Us? Press play and find out!

The Joker has been set loose on the world, so join host Abel Valencia and his guest host Robert Gallegos as they follow the trajectory of a phoenix. A Joaquin Phoenix that is. From his unconventional childhood, to his commercial success in the 2000s, to whatever I'm Still Here is, and then we cap it all off with Joker talk. So sit back and put on a happy face as you listen to this week's episode.

On the fourth episode of Abel Hour: Film Discussions with Abel Valencia, we're talking about the Oscars. And just like the 2017 Oscars, a pretty crucial blunder was made and the audio this week is a little wonky. But you know here on Abel Hour if we recorded it, we will post it! For The First Oscar Show, I am joined by my friend Kate Hon and we analyze the acting contenders, wonder which film can get the win, and which films can possibly can crash the race and which films crashed before the race even started. Enjoy!

Hear me out as I review the stunning and somber Ad Astra, the horrifying yet moving Tigers are Not Afraid, and take a stab on the bloody antics going on in American Horror Story: 1984.

In this episode of Abel Hour, join host Abel Valencia and his guest Harley Grow as they discuss the films of Robert Rodriguez from the years 2000 to 2009. Listen as they note how many kids movies Rodriguez actually did in the decade, argue over the very existence of The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, and try to decide what is his best film from the 2000s.

After what was undeniably one of the most pitiful and unexciting movie summers in years, ring in a promising and movie packed Fall with your host Abel Valencia! Join him as he goes through big and small releases, letting you know what comes out when and why you should or should not give this movie a shot.