Leaderboard

What was your first episode of HDTGM? The movie that could have lead the team to re-think if this process was worth it... The Last Airbender. Luckily for us they persevered. Favorite catchphrase? Nothing will ever beat "What's its Mission." A clip or moment that you'll always remember? This is selfish choice, but I was lucky enough to be noticed by Paul for my Betty White Holding an Urn tee shirt. I even got to ask a great question during Superman IV episode (ep 178; 1:19:37) But one that is more general... I still love the team trying to break down the cold open of Sleepaway Camp (ep 48; 9:17) The episode you revisit the most It was Devil's Advocate till I lost it. Please re-release that one!!!! "My acting secret is that I have downs" The movie that you loved or hated watching Loved watching "No Holds Barred" and hated watching "Gooby" How HDTGM fits into your weekly routine Any kind of commuting I do (I live in NYC; so a lot of public transportation) I will listen to HDTGM. It's just the perfect way to pass the time. What the show has meant to you after all these years or any other sappy stuff This show has given me so much joy in my life. The amount of bullshit that we are dealing with in this climate is unfathomable, but Paul, June and Jason help me and others forget all about that for a few hours. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that this is a free podcast where the hosts must dedicate an extreme amount of time out of their work and personal life... just to make us idiots laugh. I guess this is why I have always tried to weigh-in on the message boards, worked on the Howdies, or assist when a movie can't be found (Rad, Freejack, cutting down Yes, Giorgio.) I will always try to do anything to help alleviate stress and make the podcast better for the team and fans. I know it doesn't go unnoticed by Paul, June and Jason. In fact, I was very blessed to have met Jason at a bar once and told him how much the podcast meant to me. He couldn't have been more kind and sincere with his thanks. The trio understand that they have a strong support system in their fans and never phone it in. Thank you Paul, June and Jason. Please know that your efforts in suffering through some really horrible films, does not go unnoticed.

So WAS Coach's plan really that great? Wouldn't it have been smarter to buy off more than one guy instead of killing a bunch of people? Or are all these union heads just saints? I'm sure there's got to be something they want. It seems like it would have been easier to flood the playing field with your guys and kill people (for plot purposes). Then have one of them have a come to Jesus moment and turn on him giving Jackson much needed evidence or helping him in a standoff etc.

I have an observation that may fill in a mentioned plot hole. So when Action Jackson goes looking for Papa Doc he goes into this bar or pool hall type place. We see many customers playing pool and drinking at the bar as well as another bartender on staff. Yet after being sucker bottled and knocked out we see the bartender and his crew awaken Jackson in the bar pool hall now entirely empty. But wait I can hear you now "Cam Bert, we saw Vanity come through a set of doors, clearly this was some sort of backroom." Fair point if not for the fact the entire scene takes places with the stairs they entered and exited from present in the background the entire scene! Now this is where the plot hole gets filled in. Action Jackson is knocked out. Then the bartender goes back into the main room and slowly starts closing up shop telling the customers they have to go for some reason or another. The other staff knows the drill and leaves during this process as well. However just prior to this Vanity free of Action Jackson and still craving heroin meets Billy from Predator in the bar. When she asks him where she can score. He takes her into a back room to conduct a little transaction. Billy mentions that if she needs another fix he's got a place at the hotel where she happens to be staying as well. However before she can complete the deal and shoot up she hears the commotion of everybody leaving and hides in the backroom. Billy knows better than to mess with these testicle fetishists so he leaves and goes back to the hotel. Shortly after the rest of the hot dog time crew shows up and starts in on Action. Vanity can't stand by any more and bursts from the backroom to save Jackson. The rest of the movie plays out as normal. This is why later when Jackson goes to the hairdresser to get some exposition she knows that Billy is also in the hotel and seeks him out to the fix she was denied earlier. Plot hole resolved.

I wish I could remember what the first episode of HDTGM I listened to was. It might be BATMAN AND ROBIN. I know I posted on social media excited when hey did DAREDEVIL (shut up, I like comic book movies) so it was definitely before that. I think the first time I commented on the forums was CONFESSIONS OF A MARRIAGE COUNSELOR. I think it's more fun now that I post on the forums. It's interactive and whatever! I don't know about favorites. I would often listen to old episodes when I was anxious. And I said so on the forums and when the paywall went up other forum posters we're like offering me their saved episodes on the DL which was very sweet. (After I had posted about a recent hospitalization for PTSD.) I thought it was kind of funny. "Are you okay? Do you want my copy of the BLOODSPORT episode?" I don't know about favorite catch phrases either. I like Paul's Blockbuster stories and Jason's Harry Potter references (especially since I work in children's publishing). I do find myself saying things like "that was wild" (tm Nicole Byer), "so upsetting" and "what is happening right now?". It made me wonder if other regular listeners have started using HDTGM verbiage. I even saw a friend who lives in Italy mention Stellar Skateboard. She didn't know about the podcast but had seen that name on Wikipedia and adopted it. (As anyone I am friends with would IMMEDIATELY do.) I was pleased.

For the first question, I'm honestly pretty terrible at recognizing directors. Unless it's someone super well-known, I probably wouldn't know if it was their first film or tenth. So, I guess my answer would have to be no. For the second question, for me, a good story can absolutely transcend bad CGI. I feel like I have a movie on the tip of my tongue that would be a good example, but it's eluding me at the moment. I'll post it later if it comes to me.

Well, this makes me think of something else to ask everyone: Do you judge a film more favorably if it's a first-time director? Are you more forgiving of its flaws if you know it was made on a shoe-string budget? I'm thinking about this right now because I just watched Christopher Nolan's first film, Following, which was made on a budget of $6000. If I had seen it in 1998, I'm sure I would be impressed by it for both reasons. Seeing it now, it's not super great, but I still feel a respect for any film that can be shot for that much money. (Even Tangerine cost $100,000 and that was shot with an iPhone.) Another example off the top of my head is Bong Joon-Ho's film The Host, which was a monster movie made on an $11 million budget. The CGI appearances of the monster look terrible, very SyFy-channel in nature. If he'd have gotten Peter Jackson money, I'm sure the CGI monster would have looked super great. Does the terrible CGI hurt your appreciation of the film, or do you overlook it because it was the best they could do for the money?

I'll be ready with my next pick in just a few!

Paul mentioned how nice Jericho's apt was for a police Sergeants salary but no one mentioned that his apartment building had a valet, Jericho clearly tipped the valet $5 and the dialogue hinted that Jericho always tips the valet well. If Jericho ONLY leaves to go to work 5 days a week and tips $5 each time he returns that comes to $1300/year. Currently a Detroit Police Sergeant salary is between $58K and $81K which adjusted for inflation would have been $28K to $38K in 1988. Jericho was likely giving his valet 4.7% to 3.4% of his PRE-TAX salary and the valet drove his car like a dick! Plus being divorced he is probably also paying alimony as well. edit: Jericho is living outside his means!

A family friend moved into a cottage on a lake near this giant Mcmansion that had two dummies posed on it's terrace when I visited her. Apparently they moved them around sometimes and she was once terrified by them because she they had dressed one was a maid and she was watching her through the window. They were, like all dummies and mannequins, terrifying and I HATED them.

To answer the question at hand... I haven't really been ranking them as we've gone along like other people have. But in general, when I do compare for ranking movies, difficulty of shooting doesn't really factor in much. [About to state reasons why... oh wait, the melatonin is kicking in]. ETA: Waking up a bit now. I can imagine situations where knowing the difficulty of a shoot might enhance the appreciation of a scene. But that's usually something after you already like a movie. In situations where it matters, it seems like because of its difficulty, you shouldn't get many movies that do whatever this hypothetical difficult shoot is supposed to be doing though. I'm thinking, for example, in Fitzcarraldo, they actually dragged that boat over a mountain. However, the scenarios I gave is the difficulty is inherently tied to what you're getting on screen. The, "yeah, the reason why you don't see this on film too much is because it's really difficult to do," which that rarity is probably already affecting my opinion of a film (and more-so than it being a difficult shoot). I think Amy and Paul, when going this line of thought though seem to put the difficulty before the film itself as the reason why people like it so much, it feels like they're probably missing the real appeal of the film or at least, why it appeals to the people it appeals to.

I agree that the backstory doesn't play into my ranking of a movie, personally. It might give me an extra appreciation for a performance (such as Katharine Hepburn puking her guts out through that opening scene), but the film should be good on screen and be able to be interpreted/judged based on what you see. Certainly the difficulty of certain shots/locations, etc. can play into the technical achievements of a movie, I don't think they make it any better or worse. It depends on what you do with it. I also didn't know any of the backstory for Apocalypse Now, and none of it made me like it any more. It kind of just made me dislike Francis Ford Coppola. If we're judging and adding movies to the AFI top 100 based on backstory, The Room should be up there

I have a genuine question: was this movie meant to be a comedy/parody of action movies? I don't think it's as meta as Last Action Hero, but I think there are parts where the movie that know how jokey this is. The origin of the movie is just guys sitting around talking about an action movie and I've definitely had these kind of conversations that devolve into my friends laughing at how ridiculous our ideas get. Carl Weathers definitely has some reactions and line readings that come across as aware of itself. Almost winking at the camera kind of performance in spots. I think Carl Weathers is a good enough actor to at least play it more serious if that's what the role demands. There are puns so bad I'm not sure they could be unintentional. Burning a person then saying chill out makes so little sense it almost has to be a joke right? This movie is right at the cusp of action stars playing with their personas and the genre itself. Big Trouble In Little China was pretty recent. Robocop had just come out and, while it's not a comedy, there are a lot of intentionally humorous parts. Sledge Hammer! was in the middle of its run. Twins comes out later this year (not an action movie but an action star doing comedy). I don't think this movie is as smart as True Lies or Austin Powers or other action comedies/genre parodies. I just think it's a little bit aware of how goofy it is instead of just inept filmmaking. Definitely some of this movie is just lazy writing that doesn't make sense but some of it feels to me that there is a little bit of "wouldn't it be funny if..." going on here.

...

I mean, extreme direction is just as valid a reason as using "Oscar winner" as some sort of judge of what's worthwhile... But yea, I agree - I don't know these backdrop stories, nor do I care at all. But I imagine there's some mythologizing here by the movie industry -- like "look what we go to to get you your entertainment, aren't we awesome!" And movie industry people -- AFI voters, critics, actor/comedian/podcast hosts included -- probably are way too quick to use it as 'proof'.

I completely agree with you, but movie awards and movie lists are voted on by movie people, and I think many of them often value the narrative of the movie-making procedure more than they value the narrative in a film.

It definitely doesn't matter to me, but part of me does think it might matter to AFI voters. It certainly seems to matter to the Academy, as they honor ambition over quality over and over again. But I hope that acknowledging that as a possibility doesn't feel like it's demeaning your love of the film. I think Titanic is great, and I think it deserves its place on the list, while also acknowledging the possibility that it got on the list based on its perceived ambition. (I'm tempted to say that it didn't deserve 11 Oscars, but at the same time, that was a not a particularly stellar year for movies. The Full Monty was nominated for BEST PICTURE!)

What was your first episode of HDTGM? My first episode of HDTGM was Punisher: War Zone. Years after this movie's theatrical release, I was curious-enough to watch this gonzo action film. After doing so, I scoured the Internet for more information on it and stumbled upon the HDTGM episode with Patton Oswalt and director Lexi Alexander. I was hooked on this show--the first I have actually ever listened to--instantly. From there, both my wife and I started devouring all of the back episodes between the weeks when new episodes would appear. My wife, Amy, now listens to a wide range of podcasts (My Favorite Murder, James Bonding, The Dollup, Myths and Legends, Sordid Details, Do You Need A Ride?, etc, etc.), and her listening habits/fandom can be directly attributed back to HDTGM. When Patton Oswalt came to Powell's Books here in Portland to promote his book, Silver Screen Fiend, my wife and I asked him to sign a DVD copy of Punisher: War Zone (which he graciously did) and we thanked him for essentially introducing us to this wonderful podcast that has been a huge part of our lives. Favorite catchphrase? "Hello people of Earth." While "What's up, jerks" and What's it's mission?!?" are great catchphrases, Paul's "Hello people of Earth" will always be my favorite. This is going to sound cheesy, but Paul's introduction makes me feel, as a listener, included in on this wonderful thing only my fellow bad movie-loving misfits know about and enjoy. A clip or moment that you'll always remember? (timestamps are nice ) The one moment from an episode that comes immediately to mind is from the Batman and Robin episode where Jessie Falcon does the imitation of the X-Men movie producer: "They will be on snowboards, claw fighting the entire way down." The episode you revisit the most I bring this episode up quite a bit, but hands-down my favorite is 88 Minutes. This episode is nothing but wall-to-wall jokes, laughter and spot-on insight into an insane (and insanely re-watchable) movie. Pete Holmes laughter is infectious, and his Al Pacino impression ("Give me your fuckin' phone, you cock sucker!") is absolutely amazing. This episode (much like this week's, Action Jackson) is so much fun to listen to. It's one I definitely go back to when I need a comedy pick-me-up. The movie that you loved or hated watching Van Helsing. I both loved and hated this movie. I remember only watching the first couple of minutes of this movie when it first came out on home video and turning it off about 10 minutes in: the campy acting and trite action movie plot were too much for me at the time. Thankfully, when it was announced for HDTGM, I watched it from beginning to end with my wife, who was absolutely giddy at the film's sheer a awfulness. Seeing her enjoy the insane plot contrivances, blistering CGI and over-the-top hammy acting made watching this film so much fun. My wife's pretty much the best bad movie watching partner in the world. How HDTGM fits into your weekly routine I have Fridays off from work, which is when new episode and minisodes usually land. While I'm straightening up the house, doing laundry and generally getting shit done, HDTGM is beaming either from my TV or through my earbuds. When there is a particular movie I really want to comment on, I'll sit down and take the time to craft observations I hope Paul, June, Jason, and the message board will hopefully find entertaining, funny and not a complete waste of their time. What the show has meant to you after all these years or any other sappy stuff  This is going to sound sappy as all get out, but HDTGM is like family to my wife and me. We've spent seven years listening to this show, and it never fails to entertain us or lift our spirits when we're down. Not to give away to much of the store, but I suffer from depression (anxiety, agoraphobia, panic attacks, etc) and I've been slowly learning how to positively navigate my way through it all. HDTGM plays a huge part in helping me tackle my depression. When I lost my sister in 2014, and my mom was diagnosed with cancer a year ago (she's recovering now), I'd listen to old episode of HDTGM to get me through. I don't know Paul, Jason or June personally, but I love, admire and respect them as if I did. That old cliche about people you'd want to get a beer with? It totally applies here. This show has been there for me when I needed it most, helping me to realize the world is a great place with wonderful, talented and like-minded people in it. Our fellow fans on the message board are an absolutely delightful and intelligent group of compatriots, and my wife and I look forward to their hilarious insights and observations each week. Thankfully, there's no troll-like shittiness there: just people who love bad movie as much as my we do. HDTGM means quite a bit to us. If the show ever makes it's way up to Portland, there will be two goofy fans up here waiting to welcome you guys with open arms (arms we promise not to utilize to grab the mic during the audience Q & A). Thank you Paul, Jason, June, the crew, and the message board for making HDTGM one of the absolute best things in the world!

I would love it if this movie was the result of a long-gestating attempt to make a live-action movie version of the Mego action figures. Sorta like how it took over two decades to adapt G.I. Joe into a theatrical release. But with years of script edits and studio interference, the team of scuba diver, Aussie marine (is that what he said?), karate expert, etc. was whittled down to "demoted Detroit cop with superhuman physical abilities" and the only thing that remained was the title.

This is the worst news I've heard in quite a while. While it lasts, you can catch the following AFI Top 100 Films on FilmStruck/Criterion Channel: 1. Citizen Kane 5. Singin' in the Rain 11. City Lights 31. Maltese Falcon (expires Nov 15) 36. Bridge on the River Kwai (expires Nov 2) 37. The Best Years of Our Lives 38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (expires Nov 15) 44. The Philadelphia Story 55. North By Northwest 58. The Gold Rush 63. Cabaret 78. Modern Times 88. Bringing Up Baby 98. Yankee Doodle Dandy Additionally, it seems the following titles are expiring today (if you want to spend your Friday night binging AFI Films): 7. Lawrence of Arabia 16. Sunset Boulevard 22. Some Like It Hot 47. A Streetcar Named Desire

The second opinion song was really great this week. I love Carl Weathers. I want to talk to the guy who works with him more.

Hot corn cold corn dry corn wet corn fat corn thin corn ground corn sky corn hammer corn nail corn mamma corn daddy corn. Jimmy don’t care. He big star. He crack ‘em all.

Sorry, we're only doing observations for this episode

The best 2 man 1 woman podcast