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I legitimately love Apocalypse Now, and I think it's ranked about where it could be. I fully disagree with Amy and Paul's take here, that this is a movie only on the list because people think it "should" be. Yes, the backstory behind the making of it is fascinating but what I respond to is what's on screen. I don't think there's ever been a movie that so well captures a psychotic break, a descent into madness. That it's applied to the Vietnam War makes it extra-interesting, because it then becomes about comparing America's frequent military misadventures to the idea of going mad, pressing on and trying the same thing without getting any better result. Then when you consider the insane way Coppola went about making the movie, it becomes extra-extra-interesting to me because it's ALSO about how an artist can go down that same road and drive himself mad in trying to realize his vision. Was it worth it? We did get a classic movie, so maybe. But the movie itself is also saying that maybe it wasn't, that its central character(s) can never return from that journey. I think it's brilliant. Maybe accidental brilliance, but brilliant just the same. I will say that seeing this on the big screen helps a lot -- you want to be surrounded by the sound and visuals to get the full effect. When Redux came out (though I do think the original cut is better) I first got that chance and the movie clicked for me. I understood its power.

Yeah. I appreciate that as well. I also like that Dap is intelligent but also wrong/misguided as well. He had very little respect for people he thought were multi-racial. And it shows a lot of ignorance to put that on a person. People literally can't control their ancestry but also the ignorance of going back far enough since he mentions "octoroons" that in the 1980s someone who was that racial breakdown could potentially have been the product of a slave master raping a slave. There's just something refreshing about our lead character being flawed like this where it's not a huge story point like Indiana Jones biggest fear is snakes so, of course, he encounters snakes. Dap's flaw is pride/ignorance but there's not a scene where someone calls him on it leading to a scene of reflection unless someone wants to argue WAKE UP is that moment for him.

I honestly don't have much else to say beyond the podcast on this one. I think Paul & Amy heavily focusing on the filmmaking and the personalities behind the movie indicate that the film left them a little cold, and that's where I was too. Most of the films on this list, even ones I haven't loved, left me thinking about something. Swing Time even made me (and us) go, "well are these dance scenes enough for greatness?" and we pondered that. Clearly Apocalypse Now is certainly impressive enough, and its greatness is right there in the burning jungles and weird acting for all to see, but what else is there to even contemplate? *shrug* I think that's what I'm finding here with this list: I want my great movies (or, even, art in general) to make me think, to leave some sort of mark. That's what sets a 'best movies ever' list apart from a list of 'fun stuff I like' for me. But maybe it was me: so to people who love this movie, what did it make you think about?

Agreed. We can really only speculate, but I'm guessing Gamma was supposed to be the most prestigious. But really, I don't think it would have mattered much anyway. I would guess that to Lee all fraternities are the same. Dap wouldn't have wanted him to join any fraternities. And the only only reason why Dap hates the Gammas in particular was because of Julian - and that's because, in a weird way, Dap kind of respected him. One of my favorite lines in the movie was when Dap says about Julian: "No, Julian is smart, Rachel. He's confused, but he's smart." It was nice to see a character recognixe that just because people disagree with one another doesn't just automatically assume that they're dumb. Dap recognizes that Julian is smart and that's part of the problem.

While I understand the wanting to belong and sense of brotherhood I guess, again maybe partly my misunderstanding of frats, but aren't there other fraternities on campus? I guess I just stuck on the idea more so of why he had to be a "gamma" and not like say and "alpha" or "delta." He pledges to the fraternity of his cousin's seeming rival and as result puts him on the outs with him and have to interact in private. He is also put through more because of his relationship to Dap. If he went to a different fraternity things would have been different for him I image. Dap would probably still be against him being part of any fraternity most likely. I was just expecting or thought there might have been more to why he wanted to be a Gamma beyond "creates conflict and drama". Like that's where his father went, or a notable person was one or something.

I'll just ask if they want to pause the session to watch a movie I think they'll all enjoy. Then they can give me witty comments to type and make me seem funnier.

I try not to comment too much before I’ve listened to an episode, but AN, for me, is a movie I appreciate without actually loving. In fact, my first Letterboxd review basically said I’d probably never watch it again unless for academic purposes, and well, here we are I guess What I appreciate about AN is its commitment to surrealism. It’s like a Salvador Dali painting. It’s interesting to look at, but like Dali, the absurdity can seem at times to be almost too calculated. For me, this results in a kind of emotional detachment. So while I can marvel at the technical ability, I don’t feel particularly drawn to either AN or Dali. In my opinion, Platoon does a better job of getting you into the shit with the characters. It feels more real because the characters feel more real. However, from a sound and visual aspect, AN is the more interesting movie to ingest. That being said, I’d be far more likely to rewatch Platoon over AN even if it’s the more prosaic of the two.

I think that's part of the failure of the film but it's part movie shortcut because we only have two hours. I think there are a lot of reasons we speculate on. It could be Half Pint is a virgin and Gamma's slogan is "only a Gamma man is a real man". So we might be expected to interpret that as an attack on masculinity or could be a comment on Half Pint's insecurity.

I'm super uninformed on this subject, so please bear with me. Casual Googling says that almost all of the black members of post-Reconstruction era Congress elected prior to 1985 were members of BGLOs (Black Greek Letter Organizations). Prominent black Americans like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall belonged to BGLOs. Again, casual Googling says BGLOs were created to unite black students with common principles. And BGLOs at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) can have different pledging processes than those at PWIs (Predominately White Institutions) too. So I think there must be prestige associated with being a part of the select few who pledge and get accepted to BGLOs?

My interpretation is just that he's desperate for a sense of belonging. Through the whole movie, we see all these different groups of people tying themselves to particular identities , and in some way or another, usually for something arbitrary, all these groups are against each other. That's why the "wake up" scene is so important. It's that realization that there's a need for unity. Half -Pint is looking for "brothers," but it's a false brotherhood. At the end, we see Julian and Dap standing together giving hope that if they can finally put all the phoney shit behind them, they can actually start to make things better.

I was never in a fraternity myself (in fact, one of the things I liked about my school was that it didn’t allow them), but I had friends who were. Ideally, from a social standpoint, I think they help people make friends and give a sense of belonging - which can be important when it’s your first time away from home. Also, Post-college, they can help establish a professional network that you might otherwise be difficult to build from the ground up. That being said, there’s no denying that fraternities seem to foster a toxicity and elitism.

I wish someone had told me this before I majored in tug of war with a minor in flag dancing.

Try harder!

I try telling the kids that being good at tug of war and flag dancing will get them nowhere in life

we're all here to tell you that school extracurriculars are pointless

Add me to that list as well. I was explaining to a friend why the other day. I liked Breaking Bad but they seemingly turn Walter White bad pretty quick. It's suppose to be this slow descent but it doesn't always feel that way. On Breaking Bad Jimmy even when doing shitty thing you still know deep down he's a good person and so conflicted and his relationship with Kim grounds that character and when he does fully turn it is going to be so tragic. Also people are quick to praise Mike and Chuck and that but Kim is the star of the show.

Unacceptable

FLUSHED OUT

Eh cam bert will steal all the funny comments anyway

Better Call Saul is hands down my favorite ever attorney show. When Giancarlo Esposito enters it again, his role is much more flushed out and he brings so much to it.

Shouldn't have said that, now we'll always assume every witty comment you ever make is someone else

I haven't seen it! I have listened to the episode, but I only vaguely remember details. I'll try to make it

Here is the commercial that they were unsure existed. It is for Double A copy paper. Daly does appear, but only briefly. There also appears to be a knock-off by the same company that was targeting an asian audience:

I remember this one was “the one my friends got to see before I could, but assured me beforehand that I could come with them when they went to see it again. There was no second viewing.” Was kinda relieved to learn that it was a complete piece of shit and that they weren’t just avoiding me.