Rafer Guzman

Spanning four hundred years, and featuring an all-star cast of award-winning actors (most of whom play multiple characters), the new film "Cloud Atlas" is big, ambitious, and divisive.

Not surprisingly, Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer find themselves disagreeing about whether it's any good, whether it makes any sense, and whether it's worth ...

Friday is movie day on the Takeaway. Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer weigh in, as usual. In addition to hosting the podcast, Rafer is film critic for Newsday and Kristen is culture p...

In this week's Movie Date podcast, Kristen finds one new movie comparable to "Scooby Doo" and another to be comparable to the tea cup ride at Disneyland. Meanwhile, Rafer confesses to some bad behavior at a certain movie screening, and admits that he likes Madea.

We have three very unusual movie releases this week: “Alex Cross,” which stars Tyler Perry in his first non-Tyler Perry role; “Paranormal Activity 4,” which supposedly brings the low ...

In this week's Movie Date podcast, Kristen shares her memories of the Ayatollah Khomeini and waterbeds while Rafer reminisces about Dr. Demento and parody music. It's all in honor of the new Ben Affleck-directed movie - based on real events - "Argo." They also talk a bit about "Seven Psychopaths" and Mahatma Gandhi.

Rafer and Kristen have learned a lot from movies over the years. But it's quite possible that no movie will ever teach them more than this weekend's big release, "Taken 2," starring Liam Neeson. In this week's podcast, Rafer and Kristen go over ten of the lessons they learned from the action thriller.

In honor of our weeklong series on education, we want to hear your favorite high-school-based movies. In the spirit of our series, we're going to stick with movies that take place at public schools.

This week, Rafer and Kristen remember their favorite teachers and their favorite teaching movies. It's all in honor of "Won't Back Down," the new movie that pits teachers against parents against student unions. To help them get a grasp of the subject matter, Rafer and Kristen are joined by Kitty Crowley, a real veteran teacher from a failing New York City public school.  

Kristen doesn't know much about baseball. Rafer knows even less. But they do know this: when it comes to baseball movies, even the most well-researched one won't hit a home run unless it also hits the heartstrings. Does Clint Eastwood's "Trouble With the Curve" hit those stings? Did Rafer cry when he watched it? And (most important to Kristen), dies Clint Eastwood talk to a chair in the movie?

Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer discuss "Trouble With The Curve," a film that revives the debate presented in last year’s hit “Moneyball,” with a professional baseball scout. Which m...

From "The Innocence of Muslims" to "The Master," it's a big week for religion and movies, with one inciting violence overseas and another inciting audiences to ask if L. Ron Hubbard and a character named Lancaster Dodd are the same man. Rafer and Kristen discuss both films, and along the way, ask a lot of questions, express a lot of confusion, and share their favorite Scientology memories. 

It may only be in a small smattering of theatres in New York and L.A. at this point, but “The Master” is already one of the most talked-about movies of the year. Directed and written ...

It's been a mediocre movie summer, but Rafer and Kristen are trying to look on the bright side. Fall is officially here, and with it, some pretty leaves and promising entertainment. From the story of a big-hearted butter sculptor in Iowa to the real mission of a fake movie crew during the Iran hostage crisis to an a capella chick flick smackdown, there's something for everyone.   

The end of the summer music season came this week, and that may be for the best. Based on the number of movie tickets sold, this was the worst summer in 20 years. What’s behind the sl...

Sometimes Rafer and Kristen hate movies. Sometimes they love movies. And sometimes they love movies in a way that other people hate them. This is one of those weeks. On the roster: 'Oogieloves,' 'The Possession,' and 'Lawless.'

It’s Friday when we talk about movies, and we’ve got three big openings this week, with a little bit of something for everyone. Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy team up as bootlegging broth...

By popular demand, Rafer and Kristen talk about their favorite documentaries of the summer. From a look at someone who's stolen 500 identities to a pair of elderly identical twin prostitutes getting by to a couple that's managed to live way beyond their means, the films are stranger than fiction in some cases...and hit awfully close to home in others. 

This week, Rafer finds a certain movie too stupid to enjoy, and Kristen considers the same movie not quite stupid enough. Also, is the world ready for a children's horror movie? And the Movie Date team gives their verdict on Whitney Houston's final swan song: "Sparkle." 

It's a big week of openings, so Kristen Meinzer and Rafer Guzman get down to business to discuss "The Expendables 2," "ParaNorman," "The Odd Life of Timothy Green," and "Sparkle."

In this week's Movie Date, Rafer explains why "The Bourne Legacy" has no right to use the words "Bourne" or "Legacy" in its title. Kristen does a truly horrendous imitation of Alfred Hitchcock. And Rafer and Kristen try their best to dance around the "things" that Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones do together (and by themselves) in the new romantic comedy "Hope Springs."