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“It’s blowing you and me...” We watched:

That has always been pretty much my impression of the film as well - baby boomers stuck in the past, oblivious or just not caring how the world has passed them by. And while I get that comparisons to Spinal Tap are inevitable given that a lot of the same people are in both movies, it's also important to remember that a lot of the energy and appearance of the earlier film is down to Rob Reiner as a director.

When Young Steinbloom told Mitch that Mitch was Mr. Steinbloom's favorite, I expected him to say that to all the groups.

I agree with this. It really is kind of like the flip side of Spinal Tap in it that the true antagonist is self-importance. These are characters who are barely remembered even within their own circle (“I remember this song. It’s pretty. It had the kiss.”), so the fact that they’re even doing this huge show is a big deal. And even then, the show isn’t what you’d really call a “big deal” as it’s a PBS concert that will amount to basically nothing. So the movie is about a bunch of has beens trying to recapture a moment that never actually was.

Will Mitch lose his mind and never return? Do the Folksmen figure out what to play? There's drama there, it's just not as showy as a drummer exploding. And I'd argue that's the point. That's the nature of such a quiet folk music world. The big drama is when the opening act opens with the song the next band was going to play. The jokes are quieter, the drama quieter, the music quieter. This isn't about rock stars, it's about a bunch of corny musicians.

Not necessarily. Unlike a play or something, they all have their own sets that are completely independent from one another. Not quite the same thing, but I played in a Battle of the Bands with 20 something bands, and while we all got a chance to do a sound check, we didn’t sit through them. You’d do your thing and then go off and wait for your turn.

That makes sense and I get what you are saying. Now that I think about it there is type of meta-commentary in that. That there is no growth to these characters because they are mostly stuck in their little world. You can see that in The Folksmen who complain about The New Mainstreet Singers not being 'real' folk, because they have this very specific and slight version of what they should be and folk should be. To a degree they all do, and to expect them to change or grow would be counter to that.

Again, I think the movie is showing how uncool folk is. Where you expect there to be drama, there isn’t — except for *them* there is. Does that make sense? It’s a bunch of Mr Rogers and this is as edgy as they get. I loved the New Mainstreet Singers, because it was about how a group can evolve to the point it’s unrecognizable, but is able to kind of “cash in.” They only have one of the original 9 members so they can technically call themselves the same band, but they’ve gone from being this quasi-Christian group to this color worshiping cult. It reminded me of how Mike Love gets to call his group “The Beach Boys” even though Brian Wilson has more original band members in his current band.

Not to mention they could only get three groups to play. The influence Mr. Steinbloom was reputed to have was illusory as well. ("Illusory". Thank you Word-of-the-Day calendar!)

I used to have a mighty wind but that's why I started taking Baldwin's Wind & Digestive Pills.

So I've seen this movie four times now and I always think the same thing, "This is funny but pointless." Most of the Guest movies as much as they are a collection of scenes the always seem to have a point or an overall story. Spinal Tap (not officially his movie) sees the band breakup and reform, Waiting for Guffman is putting on this show to be noticed, Best in Show is a competition and who will be number 1. A Mighty Wind just kinda seems to lack that. It's all about getting to the show and putting on the show but the fact the show will go on or without a hitch never seems to be in question. The Mitch and Mickey story is the only one with any kind of arc. The others are fine but just full of little bits that don't all add up or go anywhere. It's funny but just feels a bit hollow in the end.

I agree with the first point. As I said the Mitch and Mickey stuff is the heart of the movie and the only part to provide an arc. The Folksmen until you said that (concert aside) I didn't realize that was their story until now. And if it was it was one scene late until the movie. To me their thing is Michael McKean character seems so apart from the other two you're just kinda thinking something will come from that. When they're practicing their songs there is tension from him about the Skeleton song so there is stuff there but it just to me feels like it goes nowhere. The New Main Street Singers has so many plot threads that just kinda go nowhere or have nothing. The movie is funny. I don't deny that and I get it is being more subtle but just at the end it seems more like "Oh that was funny, put that bit in" then a constructed story leading to something. That's why I'd rather watch his prior movies to this one.

Well the conclusion was it's "pointless" and I'm saying completely otherwise. The point is this is what this world is.

It's a Memphis Kansas Breeze song in reverse! https://twitter.com/twlldun/status/1301806534687690752/photo/1

Well my friend, you can buy the entire series on DVD from Shout! factory: https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/reboot-the-definitive-mainframe-edition?product_id=1567 Or apparently it is on Prime video in the US and Crave here in the Canadas. There is also a terrible looking new live action series called The Guardian Code on Netflix, I have not managed to get through an episode of it yet but I guess I haven't tried very hard either.

Hi! Welcome, and thanks for all that. I am somewhat familiar with the history of Transformers having lived through it (born in 1968); I was not a fan of the original show (too old for it by then I suppose) but I feel like I have been a big fan of some stuff that is related to it one way or another. For example Marvel's comics adaptation of The Micronauts, a toy line called Microman in Japan that I think is considered to be the source of the shapeshifting cars/vehicles? Anyway, in that series writer Bill Mantlo (probably best known now for creating Rocket Raccoon) created a mythology for those toys and created some new characters to throw in with them. Marvel did a lot of toy-related series in the late 70s and early 80s including Team America, Go Bots, GI Joe, Rom, and Shogun Warriors, to varying degrees of success. The other thing I loved was Mainframe animation - they are the company who worked on Beast Wars (not sure if they also did Beast Machines) and I think BW was probably their most lucrative work apart from some Barbie films. I love their series called Reboot, especially the latter two seasons where they got some comics writers like Len Wein in to create some sharp episodes lampooning stuff like The Evil Dead and The Prisoner.

In a Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode, a college professor remarks over the battle of who will be the next dean (paraphrasing): "You know why the battles are so intense? Because the stakes are so low." That seems to be the case here. Also, there was no run-through that afternoon? I find that hard to believe given how easily they passed off parts (and had perfect harmonies for the large group) when they sang A Mighty Wind at the end. The Folksmen would have discovered that the New Mainstreet Singers were going to open with Wandrin'.

I expected that as well. It really felt like that’s what it was setting up.

The first rule of Trite Club is: We always talk about Trite Club

I can generally agree with that. I will have a lot more to say about it but your point is why I can take it in occasional viewings instead of often.

Is this a dagger that I see below me and slightly to the left, back under the table a bit, wielded by a simpering, diminutive orphan?

Give me your meat boys and fill my holes, I want to get lost in your cock and balls

I watched it last night. My big problem is James' being so sure he was right at every turn, especially when his bandmates complained about not having been paid. He acted like they were being totally unreasonable when he was committing a breach of contract. His seeing Bobby Bird at the end rang a little hollow but I liked the look on his face at the very end. They skipped over "Living in America". I was surprised at that. That would have been a signature performance for Chadwick.