Once a year Chicago’s McCormick Place is transformed into a sea of Tie Fighter Pilots, Storm Troopers, Superheroes and the fans thereof at C2E2.

The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo – also known as C2E2 – is a convention spanning the latest and greatest from the worlds of comics, movies, television, toys, anime, manga and video games. Bringing the best of popular culture to Downtown Chicago, C2E2’s show floor is packed with hundreds of exhibitors, panels and autograph sessions giving fans a chance to interact with their favorite creators and screening rooms featuring sneak peeks at films and television shows months before they hit either the big or small screen! C2E2 just celebrated it’s fourth year this April, and it nearly doubled in size from years past.

In what has become an annual tradition CinemaJaw cozied up at our very own table in “Podcast Alley” to spread the word and land some cool interviews. Boy, did we ever! Over the course of the weekend we talked to Tron himself , Mr. Bruce Boxleitner. Along with two of his collaborators Bruce walked us through his new steam-punk television show in development, Lantern City. We also sat down with comic book super star J. Scott Campbell to discuss his upcoming projects, summer movies, and have a little CinemaWAR. Last, but not least, we were fortunate to get a few minutes of time from Lance Fenserman the guy who RUNS C2E2! Lance also happens to be a fabulously interesting dude, and also gets his chance at a trivia rematch against Matt K.

Matt and Ry take a breather at C2E2. For the rest of our C2E2 photos, check out our Facebook album!

So sit back, relax and adjust you blaster holsters and lightsabers. Get your geek on with CinemaJaw’s C2E2 special!

Reviewed this episode: With Great Power, Mud
CinemaWAR: Which Comic Book Director is Better, Sam Rami or Christopher Nolan?
I for an I: The Great Gatsby
Trivia: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey McGuire Movie Trivia

(There were so many great interviews that we got at C2E2 that we couldn’t fit them all into one episode. Rest assured that they will come out! Follow us on Twitter for constant updates)

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Thanks for the memories!

Ah 2012, what a year for film. We saw sequels, prequels, reboots and even some originals of epic proportion grace the silver screen with their luminosity! Without naming names here, some of the best actors and directors were at the top of their game this past year, and stunning examples of cinema were produced. That is why this week on CinemaJaw we take a look back and choose our favorite films of 2012. Flying solo (as we like to say) we have our engineer Eliaz Rodriguez fill in the guest slot and offer up his opinions on the year and also participate as victim…er uh… CONTESTANT in trivia and judge of CinemaWAR.

But wait! …There’s More! We will also cover our favorite movie quotes, death scenes, and hidden gems of the year as well. How’s that for content?!

So goodbye 2012, we loved the flix. Looking forward to an even better year!

I for an I: Broken City
Reviewed This Episode: Zero Dark Thirty, Queen of Versailles, Django Unchained, This is 40
CinemaWAR: Who got the biggest Oscar Snub this year?

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The leaves are falling everywhere.

While we are somewhat reluctant to mourn the end of another great summer season (and one of the best in decades) it’s time to turn our sites to Fall and the season that Ry likes to call Oscar Bait. The leaves will salute the season with a fiery hue, and apple orchards will fill up with tourists trapped in corn mazes while the Great Pumpkin eludes Linus for yet another year.Yes JawHeads it is once again time for the Fall Movie Preview Special. And helping us on this Special Episode of CinemaJaw is a very special man… Donny Rodriguez, writer and performer of comedy for Wood Sugars. Donny will lend our boys the help they need to sift through the nonsense and pick the best of the season like so much ripe fruit ready to fall and give us gravity.

Also dropping this episode, the usual bad apples: I for an I, Trivia, Hollywood Headlines and a whole lot more. Harvest it.

I for an I: the Expendibles 2
Reviewed This Episode: Searching For Sugarman, Comic Con Episode IV: a Fans Hope, WE
CinemaWAR: is Liam Neeson still an A list star? Or has he slipped down to the B list?

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A long time ago. In a galaxy far far away…

In what is sure to be a trilogy of Special Episodes (read: 6 part), we once again return to that galaxy far far away and take a look at our beloved Star Wars. It bears repeating, after all this year marks the 35th anniversary of Episode 4 A New Hope, the first of what would be come a long lasting cultural phenomenon. Star Wars has touched so many of our lives. Whether you were on board from Luke’s igloo on Tattoinee or grew up eating Jar Jar cereal doesn’t really matter, there is one common thread that connects us, it surrounds us and penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together. That thread is the love of Luke, Leia, Han and Chewy. The love of Star Wars.

Joining us once again aboard the Millennium Falcon of CinemaJaw is Star Wars expert, and Documentary Filmmaker Cris Macht. (Interestingly Chris shares a birthday, May 25,  with Star Wars and his last name, literally translated from German means Power, or… FORCE). You may remember Cris from our first Star Wars Special way back in episode 27. At that time he was touting his first film The Force Among Us. This time Cris is fresh off a successful Kickstarter campaign for his latest look at lightsaber lust, albeit a much more personal and emotional look, The Force Within Us. Chris is our co-pilot for the whole episode as we delve into the depths of this Sarlacc Pit.

All our greatest bits are covered. I for an I, CinemaWAR and a whole lot more. So enjoy this amazing episode of CinemaJaw, and May The Force Be With You!

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Gonna bust some blocks like I’m Super Mario!

The Summer Blockbuster Season is nearly here again, and boy is this one is stacked up to be a doozy! This 2012 season will see the culmination of the Marvel films of the past several Summers, Christopher Nolan’s next entry in the Dark Knight franchise, and Ridley Scott’s return to form with Prometheus, And that’s only the tip of the iceberg! CinemaJaw will take a look at the most anticipated upcoming films this Summer, so get your checklists ready!

Joining the Jaw for this episode is a genius filmmaker and comedian at large: Joe Avella. You may remember him form his last visit to CinemaJaw.  Joe, a prolific producer of short films, recently completed his first feature length film Master of Inventions, which we discuss along with other interesting tidbits in our interview. Avella was kind enough to join in for the whole episode including regular segments, I for an I, CinemaWAR, Trivia and a bunch of others. It’s a jammed Jaw! LISTEN!:

I for an I: The Avengers
Reviewed This Episode: We Bought a Zoo, Carnage, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Kung Fu Panda 2
CinemaWAR: Does Mel Gibson have a comeback in his future, or is he done?

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#C2E2

Wow. Chicago’s answer to the San Diego Comic Con, C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo) continues to grow and grow, and this year we think it really hit its stride! CinemaJaw was there to promote, record, repeat and boy did we manage to get some pretty cool interviews! Including folks from independant animated films The Silver Circle and Aidan 5, not to mention the guys from The Thin Ice and Faded Pearl and even an interview with the filthyest podcast in Chicago: Doomed City. Topping off our interview list was a personal favorite of both Matt K. and Ry The Movie Guy: CinemaJaw was treated to some time with Noah Hathaway who is best known for his Battlestar Galactica, and Atreyu in Neverending Story roles. Noah joins us to talk about the past, his latest project with Mark Hamill, tattoos and behind the scenes romances on 80′s sitcoms. Man that was cool!

Plus we reached out to the JawHeads at C2E2 and asked: Which Summer Superhero Movie are you Most Excited About? The Amazing Spider-Man, The Avengers, or Dark Knight Rises? The answer will shock you!

Please enjoy our Special C2E2 episode of CinemaJaw, and thanks to all our cool guests! …and now for some gratuitous Con pics.

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Now officially into triple digits, CinemaJaw pauses this Valentines Day to reflect on love, romance, candy and stuff like that… You know, stuff like Prison Movies! What sweeter way to celebrate the holiday of Love than a day late and with a discussion of prison? We couldn’t think of one. We needed a cellmate in this stint in the clink, luckily James VanOsdol was on Skype with us playing the fresh fish.

You may know James from his work on Q101, his many WGN Television appearances, his ChicagoNow blog, or as the latest addition to the pioneering Steve Dahl Podcast Network. This guy is a prolific personality, and we had a great convo on media, prison films, and life in general. Thanks to James for being on the Jaw!

James joins us for the whole episode as we cover our top 5, I for an I, Movie Reviews, Guest vs. Host Trivia, Hollywood Headlines, CinemaWAR and a whole lot more! So escape from the prison of reality with a mp3 file baked into a cake: CinemaJaw!

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Should we feel old?

Against all odds, and Reno’s better judgement, The Greatest Movies Podcast Ever: CinemaJaw has reached it’s landmark 100th episode! So this is a very special CinemaJaw indeed. For our first half, we reveiw some movies, go I for an I, and the usual. We also reflect back on what it has been like lo these 3 years of recording the podcast and even play a few of our favorite clips from the archives. Then… whooo nelly.

We threw an awesomely WEIRD party down at the Original Mother’s with some performances that, well… if you weren’t there you just cant imagine anyway. Then it was Matt K and Ry The Movie Guys turn to take the stage. Many of our close friends and past guests were in attendance and even comment on the two live segments. We have recorded it all and present it to you as our second half of our 100th Episode Extravaganza! We hope you enjoy it.

Thank you one and all for listening to us, here’s to 100, 200, 500 more! Viva la Jaw!

I for an I: The Vow
Reviewed This Episode: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Sponsor: Want to see unlimited movies at the theaters for one low price? You need MoviePass! Make sure to use promo code “CinemaJaw”  for $15 off!

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goodbye 2011, hello 2012!

Another year has gone by and, wouldn’t ya know, it was a doozy of a year for films! This episode features the boys trying to make sense of the past year as they choose their TOP 10 of 2011. Who better to help out on this mission than our “Best of 2011 So Far” guest, David J. Fowlie of Keeping-it-Reel.com? Answer… No one. So David joins the boys once again to put the proverbial lid on the past year.

Also ever present are our usual suspect segments: I for an I, Guest Vs. Host Trivia, Hollywood Headlines and a whole lot more!

Plus there were some HUGE announcements this episode!  Our 100th Episode Extravaganza is Jan 31st at Mother’s in Chicago. And we have a brand new sponsor! MoviePass! What movie-goer wouldnt want to pay one low price to see unlimited movies at the theater? Check them out here, and be sure to use the promo code “CinemaJaw” for $15 off your plan!

Reviewed This Episode: War Horse, A Dangerous Method, Young Adult, Mission Impossible 4, Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil, Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
Top 5 New Years Resolutions
Sponsor: Want to see unlimited movies at the theaters for one low price? You need MoviePass! Make sure to use promo code “CinemaJaw”  for $15 off!

Come and meet Matt K. and Ry the Movie Guy at the CinemaJaw 100th Episode Extravaganza! Jan 31st, 8pm at the Original Mothers!

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Goodbye 2011!

This is our last CinemaJaw of 2011! It is hard for us to believe that another year has come and gone, but alas… it sure has. 2011 was a good year, we believe, with some pretty memorable highlights. We had natural disasters and also great discoveries. We lost memorable people and no doubt gained some promising new ones. We had ups and downs and all-arounds, but most importantly (to this podcast) we had some GREAT movies in 2011! We knew that we needed to go out on a highnote and get a guest that really knows his stuff.

Enter: Matt Pais, Entertainment Reporter for the Chicago RedEye and a Chicago film critic through and through! Matt has been on the scene for a long time and is jus the wxpert that we needed to hlep wrap up this roller coaster of a year and put it into perspective. You can hear Matt P. with Ry The Movie Guy and Matt K. on all your favorite segments this week. Including: I for an I, CinemaWAR!, Guest vs. Host Trivia, Hollywood Headlines and a whole lot more. We wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

Reviewed This Episode: Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, Rise of The Planet of the Apes
I for an I: Iron Lady
CinemaWAR: What will 2011 bbe remembered for more: Avengers or Harry Potter?

Sponsor: Please visit Evil Squirrel Comics in Chicago, or online, for the best deals on comic books around!

CinemaJaw is planning something very special for it’s upcoming 100th Episode!

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