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Informed film discussion for the unrefined connoisseur.
Episodes
Sunday Mar 26, 2017
Sunday Mar 26, 2017
The Criterion Collection, the last vestige of truly collectible DVD and Blu-Ray movies in existence. These are well produced, fancy pants editions of important and interesting films for the discerning film lover.
We continue our journey through Jim's collection of movies with...
Love Streams
Spine Number: 721
Director: John Cassavetes
Genre: Drama
During our time looking at The Criterion Collection there has only been one thing stranger than seeing "A Michael Bay Film" at the beginning of two of our movies. That is seeing the logo for Cannon films come up. That in and of itself is strange, but that it is at the beginning of a John Cassavetes movie... we are entering a new arena of surreal here.
For those unfamiliar with Cannon, back in the 80's, 2 Israeli businessmen, Menahem Golan and Yoran Globus, made a bunch of really low budget action and exploitation movies. There were cheap, dirty, and decidedly low brow. So, how the hell did John Cassavetes, the father of independent movies, end up working with them?
We have no idea, but the results are... interesting.
The story follows Robert Harmon, played by Cassavetes, a writer trying to find something like love, mostly by paying for it, and his sister Sarah Lawson, played by Gina Rowlands (hands down the most bad ass lady on the planet), who is having a bit of a crisis after her marriage falls apart.
The narrative is loose, and is more of a character study than anything else. It's a fascinating look at broken people who have no idea how to fix themsleves, much less help each other.
This is classic Cassavetes. Lots of smoking, drinking with the kids, and brutal emotional exposure. Not for the faint of heart.
Next time...
Spine number 753: The Thin Blue Line
Also, check this out.
The Life Masters is now it's own show with its own site and own dedicated feed. That's right, we have two completely different shows!
Right now check it out at www.thelifemasters.podbean.com.
You can also drink in our brilliance on Youtube for both The Film Thugs and The Life Masters.
http://fantasymovieleague.com/
Looks like Summer Movie League has officially become Fantasy Movie League.
It looks quite fun. Here's how it works.
You have an 8 screen theater.
Every week you pick movies and have a budget/salary cap you have to stay under.
Then you compete against other theaters in your league.
It's fantasy football for movie people.
Our league is Film Thugs 2015 and the password is Porterhouse.
And remember, you can be a part of the show any time you wild like. How's that? All you have to do is call or e-mail us. If you live in the US, or any place that makes calling the US easy, just dial 512-666-RANT and leave us a voicemail. We will read the Google Voice transcript and play your message. It's both funny AND informative.
If you live outside the US you can call us on Skype at The_Film_Thugs. You can leave a message, or someone might actually answer.
E-mail us at thefilmthugs@gmail.com and we will read/play whatever you send us, or you can e-mail thugquestions@gmail.com to be part of an upcoming "Ask the Film Thugs" show, where we answer questions on any subject without having heard them first.
Also, we are on twitter @thefilmthugs and on Facebook and Vine.
Also, be sure to check back often for our new endeavor The Life Masters, where we answer questions to other advice columnists.
Thanks for listening, and until next week...
Sunday Mar 12, 2017
Sunday Mar 12, 2017
The Criterion Collection, the last vestige of truly collectible DVD and Blu-Ray movies in existence. These are well produced, fancy pants editions of important and interesting films for the discerning film lover.
We continue our journey through Jim's collection of movies with...
A Brief History of Time
Spine Number: 703
Director: Fred Newmeyer and Sam Taylor... but let's be honest, this is a Harold Lloyd movie.
Genre: Comedy
The world of silent film comedy is reigned by Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. And with good reason. They are wildly popular, incredible influential, and their work has been shown all over the place for years.
However, there is a "third genuis," who easily stands as an equal in terms of popularity and influence. And while this genuis may not be as well known today as Chaplin or Keaton, he was possibly more popular than both at the time. While the other two lost control over their films and found their later years in trying to recapture their fame, this man had amassed a fortune that afforded him what is considered the largest and most opulent of the old Hollywood mansions, and had moved on from his his time in front of the camera to a comfortable retirement, that included founding The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Basically, Harold Lloyd was that rare success story that ended with ... and he lived happily ever after.
His films were wildly popular. However, for all his thrilling, stunt intensive work, his most popular film was smaller and more personal, but still a solid comedy.
The Freshman is an interesting film. It still follows the Lloyd formula of an everyman struggling to find success and love, it relied more on character and emotion than on thrills. Don't get me wrong, there are still some very funny physical moments, but the heart of the movie is in the character and his struggle to fit in, and in the audience relating to his struggles and humiliations.
It's just a damned fine movie. So, check it out and join us as we discuss this often overlooked comedy classic.
Next time...
We revisit the lamps of madness and the sacred geometry that is... John Cassavetes with,
Spine number 721: Love Streams
Also, check this out.
The Life Masters is now it's own show with its own site and own dedicated feed. That's right, we have two completely different shows!
Right now check it out at www.thelifemasters.podbean.com.
You can also drink in our brilliance on Youtube for both The Film Thugs and The Life Masters.
http://fantasymovieleague.com/
Looks like Summer Movie League has officially become Fantasy Movie League.
It looks quite fun. Here's how it works.
You have an 8 screen theater.
Every week you pick movies and have a budget/salary cap you have to stay under.
Then you compete against other theaters in your league.
It's fantasy football for movie people.
Our league is Film Thugs 2015 and the password is Porterhouse.
And remember, you can be a part of the show any time you wild like. How's that? All you have to do is call or e-mail us. If you live in the US, or any place that makes calling the US easy, just dial 512-666-RANT and leave us a voicemail. We will read the Google Voice transcript and play your message. It's both funny AND informative.
If you live outside the US you can call us on Skype at The_Film_Thugs. You can leave a message, or someone might actually answer.
E-mail us at thefilmthugs@gmail.com and we will read/play whatever you send us, or you can e-mail thugquestions@gmail.com to be part of an upcoming "Ask the Film Thugs" show, where we answer questions on any subject without having heard them first.
Also, we are on twitter @thefilmthugs and on Facebook and Vine.
Also, be sure to check back often for our new endeavor The Life Masters, where we answer questions to other advice columnists.
Thanks for listening, and until next week...
Sunday Mar 05, 2017
Sunday Mar 05, 2017
The Criterion Collection, the last vestige of truly collectible DVD and Blu-Ray movies in existence. These are well produced, fancy pants editions of important and interesting films for the discerning film lover.
We continue our journey through Jim's collection of movies with...
A Brief History of Time
Spine Number: 700
Director: Wes Anderson
Genre: Comedy
For the fifth and almost final time we go back to the world of Wes Anderson. "Fantastic Mr. Fox," is a pretty substantial departure for Wes. It's his first animated film and his first screenplay that isn't wholly original. However, every other stylistic element is there. The quirk is kept in line by the fantastic dialogue, which is delivered by the incredibly well developed characters. That's what's great about Wes. The characters and dialogue are always spot on and they always act in service to the story. The story doesn't always land, but it almost always works out to be something worth watching.
This is an adaptation much in the same way "Where The Wild Things Are," is an adaptation. You have the name, and some of the characters, but there is a greater depth and the story is far more complex and inventive.
"Fantastic Mr. Fox," is a fun movie that comes close to being too darling, but never really crosses that line. It's a good time, and we kind of talk about it for a while. But you know us, this show is about whatever our scattered minds come up with at the moment. So enjoy it, it's a good ride.
Next week,
Spine number 703: The Freshman
Also, check this out.
The Life Masters is now it's own show with its own site and own dedicated feed. That's right, we have two completely different shows!
Right now check it out at www.thelifemasters.podbean.com.
You can also drink in our brilliance on Youtube for both The Film Thugs and The Life Masters.
http://fantasymovieleague.com/
Looks like Summer Movie League has officially become Fantasy Movie League.
It looks quite fun. Here's how it works.
You have an 8 screen theater.
Every week you pick movies and have a budget/salary cap you have to stay under.
Then you compete against other theaters in your league.
It's fantasy football for movie people.
Our league is Film Thugs 2015 and the password is Porterhouse.
And remember, you can be a part of the show any time you wild like. How's that? All you have to do is call or e-mail us. If you live in the US, or any place that makes calling the US easy, just dial 512-666-RANT and leave us a voicemail. We will read the Google Voice transcript and play your message. It's both funny AND informative.
If you live outside the US you can call us on Skype at The_Film_Thugs. You can leave a message, or someone might actually answer.
E-mail us at thefilmthugs@gmail.com and we will read/play whatever you send us, or you can e-mail thugquestions@gmail.com to be part of an upcoming "Ask the Film Thugs" show, where we answer questions on any subject without having heard them first.
Also, we are on twitter @thefilmthugs and on Facebook and Vine.
Also, be sure to check back often for our new endeavor The Life Masters, where we answer questions to other advice columnists.
Thanks for listening, and until next week...
Sunday Feb 19, 2017
Sunday Feb 19, 2017
The Criterion Collection, the last vestige of truly collectible DVD and Blu-Ray movies in existence. These are well produced, fancy pants editions of important and interesting films for the discerning film lover.
We continue our journey through Jim's collection of movies with...
A Brief History of Time
Spine Number: 699
Director: Errol Morris
Genre: Documentary
Stephen Hawking is an intersting guy. First off he is crazy smart. Like... damn. Ridiculously smart about stuff that, on a fundamental level, most people will never understand. He is also a real human being who is intersting and has done interesting stuff.
Errol Morris is one of the best documentarians ever.
Combine them, and you have "A Brief History of Time."
This is a great documentary about stuff that we don't understand at all. So... we spend a lot of time talking about what it would be like to take Hawking to a stip club. The end result is one of our funniest shows ever. If you haven't seen the movie, that's OK, we don't talk about it much. But this is one of the most accurate representations of what its like to hang out with us.
So, have some beers and hang out with us.
Next week,
Spine number 703: The Freshman
Also, check this out.
The Life Masters is now it's own show with its own site and own dedicated feed. That's right, we have two completely different shows!
Right now check it out at www.thelifemasters.podbean.com.
You can also drink in our brilliance on Youtube for both The Film Thugs and The Life Masters.
http://fantasymovieleague.com/
Looks like Summer Movie League has officially become Fantasy Movie League.
It looks quite fun. Here's how it works.
You have an 8 screen theater.
Every week you pick movies and have a budget/salary cap you have to stay under.
Then you compete against other theaters in your league.
It's fantasy football for movie people.
Our league is Film Thugs 2015 and the password is Porterhouse.
And remember, you can be a part of the show any time you wild like. How's that? All you have to do is call or e-mail us. If you live in the US, or any place that makes calling the US easy, just dial 512-666-RANT and leave us a voicemail. We will read the Google Voice transcript and play your message. It's both funny AND informative.
If you live outside the US you can call us on Skype at The_Film_Thugs. You can leave a message, or someone might actually answer.
E-mail us at thefilmthugs@gmail.com and we will read/play whatever you send us, or you can e-mail thugquestions@gmail.com to be part of an upcoming "Ask the Film Thugs" show, where we answer questions on any subject without having heard them first.
Also, we are on twitter @thefilmthugs and on Facebook and Vine.
Also, be sure to check back often for our new endeavor The Life Masters, where we answer questions to other advice columnists.
Thanks for listening, and until next week...
Sunday Feb 05, 2017
Sunday Feb 05, 2017
The Criterion Collection, the last vestige of truly collectible DVD and Blu-Ray movies in existence. These are well produced, fancy pants editions of important and interesting films for the discerning film lover.
We continue our journey through Jim's collection of movies with...
Foreign Correspondent
Spine Number: 696
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Genre: Suspense
I have said, for years, that if you give a great script to a bad director that you will get an OK movie, and if you gave a bad script to a brilliant director, you will also get an OK movie. Essentially, if the basic story is solid enough it will shine through, no matter how bad the director. Conversely, if the basic story isn't solid no director, regardless of skill, can turn it into something great.
This is the case with Hitchcock's "Foreign Correspondent."
This is the issue with Foreign Correspondent. It has all the elements of a classic Hitchcock movie, but the story is just missing too many little parts to make it really good. It's not bad, but it is just a few shuffled elements away from being really good.
But that's ok. Even a lower tier Hitchcock is better than what most people can do, so in that regard it's pretty good.
We also go off quite a bit about soda, for some reason. Which is always nice.
So, check it out.
Next week,
Spine number 699:A Brief History of Time
Also, check this out.
The Life Masters is now it's own show with its own site and own dedicated feed. That's right, we have two completely different shows!
Right now check it out at www.thelifemasters.podbean.com.
You can also drink in our brilliance on Youtube for both The Film Thugs and The Life Masters.
http://fantasymovieleague.com/
Looks like Summer Movie League has officially become Fantasy Movie League.
It looks quite fun. Here's how it works.
You have an 8 screen theater.
Every week you pick movies and have a budget/salary cap you have to stay under.
Then you compete against other theaters in your league.
It's fantasy football for movie people.
Our league is Film Thugs 2015 and the password is Porterhouse.
And remember, you can be a part of the show any time you wild like. How's that? All you have to do is call or e-mail us. If you live in the US, or any place that makes calling the US easy, just dial 512-666-RANT and leave us a voicemail. We will read the Google Voice transcript and play your message. It's both funny AND informative.
If you live outside the US you can call us on Skype at The_Film_Thugs. You can leave a message, or someone might actually answer.
E-mail us at thefilmthugs@gmail.com and we will read/play whatever you send us, or you can e-mail thugquestions@gmail.com to be part of an upcoming "Ask the Film Thugs" show, where we answer questions on any subject without having heard them first.
Also, we are on twitter @thefilmthugs and on Facebook and Vine.
Also, be sure to check back often for our new endeavor The Life Masters, where we answer questions to other advice columnists.
Thanks for listening, and until next week...