The Film Thugs Movie Show

Criterion Year Week 64: A Brief History of Time

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...

Criterion Year Week 63: Foreign Correspondent

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...

Criterion Year Week 62: It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

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...

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Spine Number: 692

Director: Stanley Kramer

Genre: Comedy

 

The thing about the movie business is that it's a business. As much as we love the artistry and the beauty of what they produce, at the end of the day, movies are a business. And as much as we may want to make that business about art, it is, was, and every will be about money. That's not a bad thing, but it does explain some things.

Throughout the history of the industry there has been a figt for an audience. Be it against TV, streamig, video games, whatever, the industry has always been fighting to stay relevant. This has given us amazing things like super wide screen formats, and foolish wastes of time, like 3D (over and over again).

One of these attempts was the string of EPIC films back in the day. Normally, they were big on spectacle and budget. The idea was to create an experience that could no tbe replicated at home.

This weeks movie, Stanley Kramer's, "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," took the  idea of EPIC and applied it to comedy and decided to spend it's sizeable budget on EVERY SINGLE COMEDIAN ALIVE AT THE TIME, or so it seemed. Sid Ceasar, Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett, Jonathan Winters, Carl Riener, Phil Silvers, Buster Keaton, The Three Stooges, and many, many more all appear in this... I guess "romp," is the only appropriate term.

However, this movie completely belongs to Dick Shawn.

It's a good time. There is no denying that. This is a fun movie, and as long as you don't take any time to stop and realize that there are no sympathetic characters, and that pretty much everyone is either dead or badly maimed by the end... it's still a very good time.

So, enjot an old school, mad cap adventure, won't you?

 

Next week,  

 Spine number 696:Foreign Correspondent 

 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...

Criterion Year Week 61: Thief

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...

Thief

Spine Number: 691

Director: Michael Mann

Genre: Heist

 

Michael Mann is in that rare club of directors with a first film that is not only far better than any first feature has the right to be, but also whose first film shows their style fully formed. Few people have figured out how to shoot at night as well as Mann (hint, wet streets), or make shadows against deep blue look as striking, or to present focused anti-hero protagonists with an uncompromising moral code as deftly.

In short, Michael Mann is a bad ass, and his first film "Thief," shows it.

 

James Caan stars as Frank, an ex con who pulls carefully planned heists while maintaining the facade of a local business owner. In his quest to have a normal life, the normal life he has no real life guide to, he decides to pull a job for a syndicate and get the big payday he needs to walk away. 

But things never go that easily, do they?

Everything about this movie is bad ass. The music by Tangeriene Dream, the use of Chicago at night, the cast (including Tuesday Weld, Jim Belushi, and Willie Nelson himself) are all pitch perfect. 

Hell, even the original poster is so incredible that it makes Criterion's decision to change it all the more baffling,

I mean... my DAMN!

 

So, if you haven't checked out this masterpiece yet, do yourself a favor and get on it. If you have, then enjoy it with us again. 

Also, the soundtrack to this episode is provided by Zombi, so check them out as well.

 

 

Next week,  

 Spine number 692: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

 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...

Criterion Year week 60: The Devil's Backbone

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...

The Devil's Backbone

Spine Number: 666

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

Genre: Horror

"“If there isn’t a monster on the call sheet, I don’t show up for work.”

-Guillermo Del Toro

There are few directors who have a love of film and filmmaking that is evident in every frame of their work. I'm not talking about care or dedication to the art, I'm talking about the kind of love that most of us lose when we grow up. That unadultered, childlike joy and wonder that adults normally don't hold on to, for whatever reason.

Guillermo Del Toro is one of those directors. His absolute love of what he does permeates every image. His stories, no matter how grounded in real life, all have a fantastical element that you cannot create without giving your heart over to the process.

Even a movie as dead serious, and... let's be honest, as much of a downer as "The Devil's Backbone," could only be made by someone who loves what they do.

The subject matter is a bit... well, it's about a boy coming to an orphanage during the final days of the Spanish Civil War and uncovering disturbing secrets. Oh, and there is a ghost.

This movie isn't so much scary as it is creepy, and creepy is way worse. The way movies use scary these days is just cheap, quick jump scares that have no build up and no follow through that leave you just as quickly as they arrived.

But creepy... creepy builds and gnaws at you. It in the room the entire time. Creepy... that's the way to do it. 

Creepy also takes time. The kind of time you can only dedicate if you love doing it. And, Del Toro LOVES doing it.

This is an absolute stand out of a movie. It's a simple, effective story, that utilizes everything from performance to lighting to setting flawlessly to create an amazing experience.

Check it out with us, won't you?

Next week,  

 Spine number 691: Thief

 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...