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Informed film discussion for the unrefined connoisseur.
Episodes
Sunday Sep 25, 2016
Sunday Sep 25, 2016
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...
Sweet Smell of Success
Spine Number: 555
Director: Alexander MacKendrick
Genre: Drama
If you've followed this show for any length of time then you know that Jim and Clarkson are really into news and media. Not just watching, but actually looking at how our news media functions as an entity. The manner in which information is desciminated is as important as the information itself. Style has become substance, and substance has become lost.
How did this happen?
Well, as hard as it is to believe, there was a time when a handful of people could sway public opinion with little effort. It might seem like that same thing exists today, but it really doesn't. At least not like this. Back when there were three TV channels, a few radio stations, and a handful of newspapers available in each town, the people wrote the news had a lot of power.
It makes sense. I mean, people want to know about what's happening in the world, and when there are only a handful of outlets reporting on what's happening, each one has a lot of power. Not like today, when the 24 hour news cycle has become more of a 96 quarter hour news cycle. There are more news and information outlets than you can count, and each one is looking for a way to get your attention.
But there was a time...
Which brings us to "Sweet Smell of Success."
Tony Curtis plays an up and coming press agent. Burt Lancaster plays the most influential columnist/media personality in New York. Curtis needs Lancaster for his clients, Lancaster needs Curtis to do his dirty work.
It's a fascinating, stylized look at how the people who control information use it to control everything around them. This is a movie about power, corruption, and the desire to come out on top, and what that does to a man.
So, join us as we take a discuss this fascinating look at media culture and talk about how it is as relevant today as the day it was made, if not more.
In two weeks, we continue our run of movies that Clarkson will be seeing for the first time ever with...
Spine number 562: Blow Out
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 Sep 18, 2016
Sunday Sep 18, 2016
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...
Five Easy Pieces
Spine Number: 546
Director: Bob Rafelson
Genre: Drama
It's hard to imagine, but there was a time when Jack Nicholson was just an actor. Sure, he's still an actor, but he isn't just an actor. I mean, can a man who has been nominated for 12 Oscars, 17 Golden Globes, 7 BAFTAs, and basically every other award you can imagine, and who has won 3 Oscars, 6 Golden Globes (as well as the C. B. Demille Lifetime achievement award), be called just an actor.
Yes, he is an actor. But he's more of a movie star, icon, and general embodiment of Hollywood royalty at this point.
But there was a time...
After spending years as a supporting actor he finally broke through with his first Oscar nomination for his role in "Easy Rider," which led to "Five Easy Pieces," which was, incidentally, his second Oscar nomination. From there he instantly became a Hollywood institution, an awards show mainstay, and the subject of more horrible impressions than Christopher Walken.
But really, it all started here.
This is the kind of movie Hollywood just doesn't make any more. It's a low budget drama about an emotional train wreck of a man. There is no happy ending, there isn't really even a hero, it's just the story of a man running away from everything, all the time. A man outrunning everything but himself, who is determined to pull people in, just so he can push them away.
Because Jack has become JACK, it's easy to forget how incredible an actor he is. This may or may not be him at his best, but this performance definitely falls in his top five.
So, if you haven't seen it, check it out. If you have, take a listen and see what we think about it.
Next week we begin a run of movies that Clarkson will be seeing for the first time ever with...
Spine number 555: The Sweet Smell of Success
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 Sep 11, 2016
Sunday Sep 11, 2016
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...
Paths of Glory
Spine Number: 538
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Genre: Drama
Stanley Kubrick lives in some rarefied air. Few filmmakers have ever been so fully embraced as complete masters in the way he has. His following is so devout that everything he does is hailed as a cinematic achievement. For good reason. He was uncompromising, honest, and had both an eye for visuals and an ear for story that most people would kill to have. He is a director whose very name invites hyperbole.
Mention Kubrick and most people immediately go to "The Shining," or "2001," or "The Clockwork Orange," or "Dr. Strangelove," or "Full Metal Jacket." That's fine. Each of those films deserve every bit of recognition they deserve.
However, we are both of the opinion that his finest work is his most overlooked. Two films in particular. The first is "The Killing," which we will be examining in a few weeks. The second is "Paths of Glory."
When it comes to anti-war films and Kubrick most people immediately go with "Full Metal Jacket," and with good reason. That is an amazing film with an incredible message.
However... "Paths of Glory,"... I don't even know where to begin. This lean, brutal film about the horror of World War I and the absolute disconnect between the reality and the politics of war is one of the most profoundly moving and powerful statements on the nature of war as a human endeavor.
World War I was more than warfare on a global scale. It represented the destruction of the old European social structure and the birth of a new, more complicated one, and the effects of this devastating conflict are still being felt today.
However, this film goes beyond that. Any good social commentary is applicable beyond the narrow set of circumstances it presents. "Paths of Glory," presents the harrowing brutality of war, but it also shows the disconnect between politics, power, and the people who actually have to work to get the job done. It highlights the risks that those on the front line endure on a daily basis, and the complete removal from that reality enjoyed by those who make the decisions. It is as relevant to any institution, be it a school or a bank or a job selling computers, as it is to the battlefield. Those who make the decisions are spared the consequences of those decisions.
This is a truly amazing film, and even if you don't listen to us ramble on about it we cannot recommend it highly enough. So check it out, and then spend some time talking about it with us.
Next week we begin a run of movies that Clarkson will be seeing for the first time ever with...
Spine number 546: Five Easy Pieces
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 Aug 28, 2016
Sunday Aug 28, 2016
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 Friends of Eddie Coyle
Spine Number: 475
Director: Peter Yates
Genre: Crime Drama
There has always been a romanticism to gangsters in movies. It's understandable, at least on the surface. Think about it. Outlaws who live by their own rules taking chances and living outside the drudgery of our nine to five lives. They live on their own terms and have a code of honor that they all abide.
"The Friends of Eddie Coyle," however, takes a different view point. While gangster movies run the gamut from the gorgeous, like "The Godfather," to the more average, like "Goodfellas," and "The Departed," to the rough, street level life of a criminal, like "Donnie Brasco," and "Mean Streets," no other movie captures the reality of life as a low rent thief like "The Friends of Eddie Coyle."
For starters, "low rent," is an understatement. The crooks in this movie are so low level that they might as well be driving a bus. Everything is so dated that this movie couldn't possible be set in any other year. Not that it was cheap, but the people in it are not wealthy. They aren't even well off. They are lower middle, to upper lower class. There is nothing even approaching the neighborhood of glamorous in this movie. But that's what makes it so great.
Well... that's one of the things that makes it so great.
What's the other thing?
Robert.
Goddamned.
Mitchum.
As Peter Boyle said, "You know what the '2001' theme is? That's the sound of Mitchum waking up."
Simply put, Robert Mitchum is an absolute BEAST in this movie. And that is saying a lot, given that Eddie Coyle is the farthest thing from a beast that you will find. He is essentially a middle man for a gun runner. He buys guns from one guy who knows people who can get guns and sells them to other guys who rob banks. That's it. He's facing two years in prison for transporting stolen merchandise and is trying make a deal to avoid those years, and trying to make enough money for his family in case he can't avoid them.
Simply put, Coyle isn't the guy, or the guy who knows the guy, or even the guy who knows the guy who knows the guy. He's the guy who goes to a bar where a guy who knows the guys works. That is this movies blessing and curse. It is a fantastic portrayal of the day to day grind of the lowest rung on the criminal ladder. It's a movie about where most of us would be if we were criminals. It's gritty, dirty, and almost a documentary on how UN-glamorous a life of crime would really be.
In short, it kills the illusion.
However, we cannot say this enough... The Friends of Eddie Coyle is an amazing film and is worth it for Robert Mitchum alone.
So, check it out and see if you agree with us.
Next Week:
Spine number 538: Paths of Glory
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 Aug 14, 2016
Sunday Aug 14, 2016
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...
Bottle Rocket
Spine Number: 450
Director: Wes Anderson
Genre: Comedy
During the 90's independent film really exploded. Well, kind of. You see, "independent," although very specific in meaning (we go with the John Cassavetes definition which means made without studio backing) came to mean something very different. "Independent' became more of a buzzword that meant "low budget" and major studios opened "independent brands," which were just arms of the larger group that would produce lower budget films. So, instead of true "independent" movies, we got films that were produced by studios, but that could claim status as independent. The studios also pretty much saw everything as being either Quentin Tarantino (edgy, cool, neo crime dramas with funny dialogue), or Kevin Smith (slacker comedy).
Bottle Rocket was as close to actual independent as you could get, and it had the added bonus of falling between the two accepted genres. It was a slacker crime comedy, so it seemed like a slam dunk.
Oh, also, it was Wes Anderson's first movie and he hatched, pretty much fully formed as a filmmaker.
We both have a somewhat challenging history with this movie. We both have always viewed it as having great characters, fantastic dialogue, and a horrible plot. Part of the reason for that was that it was pretty much advertised as a different movie.
... and the original posters didn't really help much.
It was pushed as more of a "hip comedy heist film" than what it was. So, when both of us originally saw it, what we got was so completely out of step with what we were expecting that we felt profoundly disappointed. It was good, but it was not what was advertised.
So, we were left with some cool lines and great characters, but a movie that didn't really work for either of us.
Now, years later... well, our opinions have changed.
Now that we know what it isn't we are able to enjoy it for what it is. The whole "wanna be criminals" element is there, but it takes a backseat to a much more interesting story, the story of some guys who are trying to find some sort of place in the world. They are not so much slackers as they are young guys trying to find who they are and figure out their place. They want to be criminals, but only because it seems more interesting and exciting than any of their other choices.
If you haven't seen this yet, check it out. If you have, watch it again and join us as we discuss this incredible first feature.
Next Week:
Spine number 475: The Friends of Eddie Coyle
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...