Leaderboard

Does anyone know a place to watch this other than Amazon Prime? Im willing to pay but I'm not joining Amazon Prime for a month just to watch this.

Regarding Unspooled, I certainly get the criticism, and I personally know of a few people who have stopped listening for just that reason. Hell, I myself haven’t listened in quite a while. On the other hand, I feel like Unspooled is a chance for her to take off her movie critic’s hat and just be a movie fan. It’s what allows me to give a film like Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy movie 5-Stars on Letterboxd while simultaneously giving A Clockwork Orange or Raging Bull 2 and 1 stars. Sure, on an intellectual level I get that they are better movies, but they also aren’t movies that I particularly like sitting through either, and I would definitely have nits to pick on how to “improve” them. Honestly, it’s just the way the show has been structured from the beginning. And not to sound like a smart ass, but isn’t wishing she would do it differently kind of like complaining about Dylan’s voice or wishing Goodfellas was something other than what it is? There are plenty of “good/classic” movie podcasts that would probably agree with you. If you don’t agree with her, or if her opinions tend to get on your nerves, my suggestion would be to find a different podcast to listen to. I mean, sometimes it sucks when you want to like something and just can’t, but life’s too short to waste time on something that doesn’t bring you joy.

All fair points. I think when you have a group that iconic, it’s pretty much impossible to cover what everyone wants in a feature-length doc that’s not a filmed performance (ala Stop Making Sense). There should really be a Netflix/Hulu/Hbo/whatever season-length documentary about them. Something like what Wu-Tang got (my phone keeps wanting to call them “Will-Tang” for some reason, which makes them sound like a Will Smith backing band). COMPLETELY unrelated tangent: are any of you fans of Unspooled? Sometimes I like it—and I’ve liked their YouTube shows—but sometimes I find Amy’s opinions so nit-picky as to be cringe-inducing and damn near unlistenable (thinking specifically of the Goodfellas episode, where she seemed to take issue with what the movie WASN’T as to what it actually was. Don’t get me wrong—we don’t have to universally value something as a classic, but comparing the actual version of a film to an imaginary version in your head just reeks of BS to me. I couldn’t finish that episode because she did that so frequently that it undercut any valid points she had and it drove me nuts). Just curious.

There were two previous movies by the same Production company "Cannon Films", even starring the same actor, Shô Kosugi. although in 3 very different roles. The First was "Enter the Ninja", which I found on PlutoTV, The Second was "Revenge of the Ninja" Also on Pluto, or Vudu for free, and then this one. There is no continuity of Story, or of any single character, so watching them all won't add anything except a bad taste in your mouth. You can trust me on that, or blame me for pointing out where to find them. LOL

This is the second time that Paul has read a C&O from me but did attribute it to me. I’m beginning to feel like Homer when Mr. Burns wouldn’t remember his name.

Heartbreak in the time of quar, Jason returns for another chat, and more on this week’s mini-sode! Paul offers advice as he opens up the Paul Help Line, goes through Corrections and Omissions for Megaforce, shares a deleted scene from the Megaforce episode, and Blake J. Harris interviews Megaforce producer Al Ruddy. Plus, find out which movie will be covered next week! Subscribe to Unspooled with Paul Scheer and Amy Nicholson here: http://www.earwolf.com/show/unspooled/ Check out The Jane Club over at www.janeclub.com Check out new HDTGM merch over at https://www.teepubli…wdidthisgetmade Where to Find Jason, June & Paul: @PaulScheer on Instagram & Twitter @Junediane on IG and @MsJuneDiane on Twitter

I welcome anyone coming to the Unspooled boards even if they disagree with Amy. I generally agree with her but I've found nitpicking a bit much sometimes as well. So long as you log on (or create an account) just to complain about Amy and then never post again which happened with Goodfellas (and had happened here with several women guests).

There were so many terrible "ninja" movies in the 80s but for my money there are none worse than the tales of Ninja Master Gordon by Godfrey Ho:

I listened to their last album right after I finished watching the movie. RE: Jarobi, I absolutely agree. I totally agree with that as well. Films do need to be re-evaluated and I agree with both her and Paul’s take on that. I guess my reaction to her nit-picking comes from my creative writing background. Constructive criticism is valid and useful, but sometimes I don’t think her criticisms are constructive, they come more from what she wishes something could be, which severely undercuts whatever valid points she might make. It’s like me wishing Bob Dylan had a better singing voice. It might be something I personally prefer, but it’s completely irrelevant to his cultural significance and his work. does that point make sense? If I were to stay on topic and make it more focused on her, I just sometimes find it convenient that she’s willing to nitpick how realistic Goodfellas is and it’s casting and then adore Titanic (which I won’t bash on the whole, but Billy Zane and his subplot, c’mon), which offers up a pretty romanticized version of history. You can dislike/have issues with Goodfellas all you want—everyone’s taste is subjective, after all—but she raised so many inconsequential points on that episode (in my opinion) that I was surprised she didn’t think think the title should be changed to Good Fellows.

I was thinking - perhaps this documentary should have just been about Phife's life. That may have tempered some of our missed expectations and maybe have made it even more emotional. One thing that always surprises me about their last call reunion record was how great Jarobi sounded on it. He was never a huge part of the music, but his voice was strong on the last one. And yea, a bunch of us have been in on Unspooled since episode one and it has its own forum here if you scroll down a little bit on this here website. Come over and join us! We're pretty pro-Amy over there, though. No, it's common critique, I think. She doesn't bother me though. I want her nitpicks and value them. I do find I agree with her a lot, but if not, that's how I strengthen my opinions/arguments too. I do to some extent come at these movies with a "we need reevaluate a lot of these sacred cows" angle like she does, and that, I think, is true.

I’m on the side of “it was good, but could have given me more.” It was great to have that kind of access, but the film itself felt pretty dry to me. I feel like a group as innovative as ATCQ deserves a documentary that doesn’t feel so prosaic.

Yea, I'll add, I'm a super fan of the band for sure. They're my second favorite rap group and I have all their stuff. (Outkast is first.) But I did not particularly enjoy the documentary. It's weird though because I do agree with the points Graham made, but also with what Cinco said. It needs more music. It needs more Ali Shaheed. It does give good access to the Tip and Phife, for sure, and some of it isn't all rosy. I would have preferred to see more of them when they were young, instead of seeing an older Q-Tip going to see his high school teacher. I dunno. Show me how their clashes and closeness created this music and made them popular and influential. That's the connection I think the documentary needed. Also they don't even mention "Scenario" once.

I watched this the year it came out but didn't watch it again this week. But I was curious how different it feels now that they got together for one last album (which is fantastic if anyone hasn't heard it) and Pfife dying. My recollection is this ended on a note of "well... that was the story and nothing will bring the guys together again." So, knowing it wasn't the end and having a real end probably makes it feel a lot different.

So since I am a super fan, I will post a shitload of other video links here. First, the deleted scenes: Now, the unplugged show with De La Soul on MTV in 1991: Now, some of the music videos: Those were videos from their first three albums, the next were from their 2016 album (after the doc, which came out in 2011). That album featured Elton John, Jack White, Andre 3000, Kendrick Lamar and a ton of other guests who were happy to help pay tribute. But the main draw is that the original band was reunited (although I believe their DJ, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, was largely busy doing the music for Luke Cage). Finally, a good interview with Q-Tip about Prince, Phife Dawg and much more. ok, I’ll stop now.

Haven't had a chance to watch the doc yet but I do recall that ATCQ was famously ensared in an early case about sampling because the used the famous bass hook from Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side. They were allowed to release the song "Can I Kick It" (and arguably, launch their career) but only if they agreed to give Lou all the royalties from that song. Seems pretty harsh now but apparently that was the precedent at the time.

There are so many documentaries and books written about this subject, it’s hard to boil it down to a concise explanation, but I think this short video does an excellent job of doing that.

I have to give kudos to Michael Rapaport for taking this on as his first directed movie. He’s obviously a superfan but his questions are not slavishly adoring. As Graham S. said the doc pulls no punches. Good job, goofy guy in Deep Blue Sea!

I admit to not being overly impressed. I stopped it the first time. When I revisited it I watched the whole thing from the start. As a non-fan I would have liked to see more music, just to see what made these guys so successful. I would have liked more focus on the other two members. I think Q-tip at one point says Jabori (sp?) is the soul of the group but I never find out why. The other thing I would have liked to learn is why the hip hop generation was the first to “scratch” and sample music. There is a comment along the lines of “You use what tools you have, and we had records.” Lots of other people only had records but didn’t take them in this direction. Thoughts?

I started this thread early because—as a fan of this group—I fucking love this movie. After watching it tonight I feel like it has only gotten better—and more emotional—with age. Before I watched it, I read some of the reviews that came out at the time. They were largely positive but some complained that there wasn’t enough of the band performing. I agree—I would happily take a two and a half or three hour version of this movie with more performances. But what I think what the film has is extraordinarily candid access to all the members of the group. What it captures through this access is a portrait of the group’s rise to success, their eventual tumultuous breakup, the strong sense of a fan’s longing for the band to get back together, the sense of their gradually rebuilding their relationship, and a heartbreaking portrait of a lost hip-hop icon (and more than one if you include a brief interview with Adam Yauch). That’s a lot of fucking stuff packed into a 97-minute documentary. And perhaps it doesn’t work as well if you’re not a fan. But for me, there are a number of things that make this movie special: 1. Priceless moments, like Q-Tip talking about creating beats on a school desk and being a computer geek in high school, the inspiration for Phife’s “Seaman’s furniture” lyric, their outfits in 1990, etc. 2. The fact that it does not always paint everyone in the most flattering light (in fact, Q-Tip refused to promote this movie because he didn’t like how he was portrayed). Some critics wrote this off as a toothless fan-made “authorized” doc, but I disagree. I think one of the strengths is how the film shows the group’s arguments. It could easily have just coasted on nostalgia. The fact that Michael Rapaport captures the dismay of the group’s seemingly irreconcilable differences pays off in the possibly hopeful ending and ... 3.The fact they reunited for 2016’s awesome We got it from here...Thank You 4 Your Service. An amazing gift of an album. It’s great that Q-Tip dedicated the album to Phife Dawg. Finally, 4. The interviews with Phife (who died at 46 from his battle with diabetes) now have an aura of melancholy. In the final third, the scenes where he gets a kidney from his wife made me choke up. Maybe I’m just a sap. R.I.P., Phife Dawg. So those are just a few of the reasons why I think the film is an important part of the band’s legacy. It was a film that definitely made me emotional, perhaps partly because of the horrific week we’ve just had. But I’m definitely glad that I rewatched it.

Oof magoof, I used the wrong bike! HERE is the correct Megaforce inspired flying motorcycle. I REALLY wanted to have Angelino Statham stopping by the Sharkies on the Santa Monica Pier(he loooves fish tacos), and the In-N-Out, but a quality model was not available.

If Paul doesn't know your name it means he likes you and doesnt want to mispronounce it maybe? I can't believe Anonymous asked for MG children's books that are also movies when our dear friend Daniel Radcliffe has been on this podcast! (Probably why she didn't leave her name. FLIPPED and HOLES are also good one offs if you don't want to commit to the whole HP series.)

That suuuuuucks!

It's so great, all that Dave Filoni stuff has been great. As a person who is old enough to be one of those obnoxious fans who has loved Star Wars all his life and only loves the original trilogy etc., it annoys me no end how much some "fans" sneer at the animated series or anything that Lucas didn't teabag himself. Honestly I think it's the best thing to come out of the prequels. I'd rather watch that concluding movie again before at least half of the canonical big screen ones.

I love The Clone Wars, and I really enjoyed Rebels

Amy you have completely misread the last 30 minutes of Goodfellas. The prominence of the making of the food and the brother in the 3rd act has absolutely nothing to with Henry Hills relationship to them. It is merely meant to show his state of mind. That it is jarring to the audience is precisely the point. The film isn't trying to say he goes out of his way to pick up his brother and make him his favorite meal amid all the craziness because of some great love or loyalty. He's out of his mind on drugs, he shouldn't even leave the house. The fact that stirring sauce and trafficking guns and drugs is given the same weight by the narrator is insane and that's the point!! He has lost the ability to tell the difference between the mundane and ultra serious parts of the story he is telling. These things had only been shown in background up until now because they were incidental to the story. They still are but he's so off the rails there is no difference in his mind. This is exactly the way that someone that coked out would tell it. It's actually brilliant.