Scottscope Talk Radio 10/12/2013: Piracy on the High Seas!

On this week’s edition of Scottscope Talk Radio, we’ll be reviewing the new Paul Greengrass thriller Captain Phillips!  How closely does it follow the actual events that took place during the Maersk Alabama hijacking?  Can it be considered in any way factual and/or historically accurate?  Does a “pseudo-biographical action thriller” have to be realistic?  Is absolute realism a requirement for films such as this?  Are they obligated to provide more than entertainment value?  Can the portrayal of the Somali pirates be considered unfair or racist in any way?  Is Paul Greengrass the premier action director of his era?  Has he refined chaos cinema to an artform?

We’ll also be celebrating the 10 anniversary of Kill Bill Volume 1?  Is it the better half of Quentin Tarantino’s martial arts opus?  Where does it rank in his filmography?  How does it compare to the classic martial arts films and spaghetti westerns that inspired it?  How much of a debt does it owe to films like Lady Snowblood, They Called Her One Eye, and Shogun Assassin?  How does it stand up to modern martial arts films like The Raid: Redemption and Reign of Assassins?  Should Quentin ever return to this genre?

We’ll also be discussing the legal situation surrounding Michael Phillips Punisher fan film The Dead Can’t be Distracted!  Why did a lawyer send him a cease-and-desist letter?  Why haven’t other such fan films, which are currently available via YouTube, suffered the same fate?  How do corporate entities like Marvel and DC decide which fan related projects to suppress?  Why could this situation mean for the future of fan films?  Will this action alienate fans?