sycasey 2.0

For those who missed the stream, they played this during the live episode: Release the butthole cut!

Part of it is that Tom Hooper is a terrible director for musicals. He doesn't get the stylistic needs at all. Everything about the Cats movie indicates that the director is striving for a kind of in-your-face realism. Yeah, that's right, for freakin' Cats! The way Hooper insists on recording the singing live on set, using CGI to make it all look like "real" fur, the way his hand-held camera is constantly moving and shaking around in medium and close-up shots of the actors . . . it's all a horrible way to do a musical that relies on big group dance numbers for its "wow" factor. I'm not sure that ALW musicals translate well to the screen anyway, but Hooper makes the wrong choices whenever possible.

There was a lot of confusion about what Cats is supposed to be about, but per the great theater director Harold Prince, Andrew Lloyd Webber already told us what it's about. It's about cats.

This was the first time I'd ever watched an Ozu film, and I feel like I went through this journey in real time throughout the movie. Found it a bit stilted and slow at first, but as it went along I became more engrossed and was won over. The filmmaking style (described as "too Japanese" for Western audiences at times) reminded me of a passage in Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, where he lays out the differences in storytelling between Eastern and Western comic artists. http://bilalhafeez.com/the-comic-difference-between-western-and-eastern-mindsets/? Japanese comics tend to devote more time to setting the scene or creating mood and aren't in as much of a rush to get to something "happening." American/European comics tend to focus a lot more on action, and on what will happen next. I saw similar things in Ozu. He lingers so much more on exterior shots of buildings, trains, power lines, drying laundry, etc., than you would ordinarily see in an American film (even a slower, more esoteric kind of American film). It can make you restless at first, but this way of shifting your focus to what is not happening over what is happening builds up over time.

Just gonna post the artwork for this one too:

Paul & Amy raise up 1987’s Coen Brothers kidnapping caper Raising Arizona! They track the secret references to other Coen projects, learn why they thought of a baby as an “emotional squib,” and ask why Hi and Ed are so lovable despite committing an awful crime. Plus: discovering Nic Cage’s thoughts on babies. This is the first episode in our Kinspooled series on “effed up families”; next week’s film is Tokyo Story! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also apply to be a guest on our upcoming game show Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

I would also argue that Lebowski does strike some emotional notes during Donnie's death and subsequent funeral scene.

I basically agree with this. I see all of its virtues, and I think there's something to be said for it as the first movie that truly crystallizes what people recognize as the "Coen style." But there are several Coen comedies I enjoy more. It's a purely subjective thing.

Straight ticket voting might be an explanation for what happened here, but I'm pretty sure California doesn't have a straight ticket voting option. You have to actually choose the individual candidates. The laziness of the writing here is especially galling, since there was already The Distinguished Gentleman, an Eddie Murphy movie with a similar premise that had a much better explanation for how some random person gets elected to Congress: he has the same name as a real candidate who recently died. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Distinguished_Gentleman

Amy & Paul tear into 1968’s seminal zombie horror Night Of The Living Dead! They learn about director George Romero’s history making political advertisements, praise the way Romero makes you care about the characters he’s killing off, and analyze how casting a black lead actor in Duane Jones changed the tenor and meaning of the film. Plus: Weighing in on the eternal question, can zombies run? This is the third episode of our “Unghouled” horror miniseries; next week’s film is Night Of The Living Dead! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also apply to be a guest on our upcoming game show Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

Amy & Paul burst out of 1982’s Antarctic John Carpenter sci-fi feature The Thing! They learn how the incredible special effects were literally dreamt up, praise Wilford Brimley’s everyman appeal, and ask what relevance this story of paranoia and mistrust has in modern-day life. Plus: An excerpt from The Thing: The Musical. This is the final episode of our “Unghouled” horror miniseries; next week we kick off a series on “effed up families” with Raising Arizona! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also apply to be a guest on our upcoming game show Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

But then of course, at the end they still can't be sure they actually beat the Thing. That's the brilliance of the movie's paranoia.

Paul & Amy sink their teeth into 1973’s visionary vampire film Ganja & Hess! They learn how director Bill Gunn used the success of films like Blacula to get funding for his more experimental work, examine the parallels the film draws between Christianity and vampirism, and explore the role race plays in Gunn’s vision. Plus: a look at how the critical reaction at the time shaped the film’s legacy. This is the fourth episode of our “Unghouled” horror miniseries; next week’s film and the winner of the Unghouled fan vote is The Thing! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also apply to be a guest on our upcoming game show Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

I just couldn't get into this one. It felt like a movie that required Cliffs Notes to be at all understood. Abstraction and moody imagery are great, but I frequently had a hard time grasping what was going on at all. Hate to say it, but I kind of agreed with the negative New York Times review (though I found more elements to appreciate than they did). But that said, I think I was expecting this to be more of a horror movie than an experimental, personal art film, in large part because it's contained within this run of Unspooled horror movies. Perhaps revisiting with different expectations would yield a different response.

OMG.

That was my other thought: perhaps the Boogaloo itself has healing properties.

Was it just me, or did Turbo somehow heal a broken leg in roughly 36 hours' time? His leg is in a cast and elevated in the hospital bed, but then later that day he's out there dancing with the crowd. Is Turbo an X-Man?

This is one of many classic horror movies that I'd never got around to seeing, because I was never a horror-movie fan as a young person. I just didn't seek out horror movies as a rule. I don't have a particular taste for gore and blood in movies. But as I get around to them now I find that the very best ones tend to be pretty clearly great right from the jump. Halloween was like that. So was Night of the Living Dead: that opening sequence in the cemetery is pretty masterfully done, especially considering the time period and the budget, and set up the rest of the film beautifully . . . just enough character development to get you hooked, and now here come the zombies! Boom, perfect. The only thing I have to forgive is that some of the acting is a bit amateurish at times (though not from the lead). The filmmaking itself is strong. Given the genre influence and social impact I think it's an easy yes vote. Only question is whether this or Dawn of the Dead is the better representative.

Paul & Amy knock three times on 2014’s Australian psychological horror film The Babadook! They learn how director Jennifer Kent was influenced by classic creature features, spotlight a trope most horror films use that this one avoids, and explore why the film is such a relatable depiction of parenting. Plus: A look at the Babadook’s second life as an LGBT icon. This is the second episode of our “Unghouled” horror miniseries; next week’s film is Night Of The Living Dead! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. Also check out our live Spool Party episodes on youtube.com/earwolf, and apply to be a guest on Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

Haven't seen this movie since it was in theaters in 2014, but I liked it a lot at the time. I thought Kent showed great control over the cinematic form (lots of smart show-don't-tell visual storytelling) and that the metaphor was well delivered under the horror surface: the monster is the stress of being a widowed single mother (maybe it doesn't even exist!), and you "defeat" it by learning to live with it, not by killing it. So it's really good, but I'm a no vote because (1) it's still pretty new and (2) I'm not sure if this is really the best Jennifer Kent can do. She might have an even better masterpiece coming down the line, and this is her Mean Streets or something. The Nightingale also had some pretty impressive filmmaking going on. I'm also now realizing I saw this before becoming a parent, so it might resonate differently upon rewatch.

Amy & Paul reanimate 1931’s literary creature feature Frankenstein! They learn Boris Karloff’s real name, discuss what the film has to say about the human act of creation, and ask why “burgermaster” is no longer a public title. Plus: A quick look at the follow-up “Bride Of Frankenstein.” This is the first episode of our “Unghouled” horror miniseries; next week’s film is The Babadook! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. Also check out our live Spool Party episodes on youtube.com/earwolf, and apply to be a guest on Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

Compelling.

It was only available through the next day, even if you paid for it. But I bet it will be released as a regular podcast episode eventually.

There was a lot of talk about what this play/movie is actually about, but per the great theater director Harold Prince, Andrew Lloyd Webber already told him what it was about. It's about cats.

Prince seems to have a weird idea that acting like a 10-year-old makes grown women fall in love with you. I guess it worked for him!