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Paul, June, and Jason discuss the 1984 martial arts action horror film Ninja III: The Domination. They talk about the V8 sex scene, aerobics, ninja possessions, and more. Plus, Paul sharess his childhood V8 recipe. Please visit these links Justice for Breonna Taylor Black Lives Matter Campaign Zero EJI Vote

The modern depiction of ninjas is from the Kabuki tradition. The audience knew to ignore the stagehands, dressed in all black, as not part of the action of the play. But sometimes, an "invisible" stagehand would kill someone in the play, and that was regarded as a ninja secretly assassinating someone. Historical ninjas would never dress like that, even at night, as they are trying to blend in and such an outfit would be incredibly suspicious. As spies, they would want to avoid the kind of confrontation that would ensue from dressing like that. As much as anything, movies use that trope so the heroes can wholesale slaughter any numbers of faceless enemies without it being alarming.

Urban dictionary has quite a few sex definitions for "V8" https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=V8

Microphone check one-two...what is this? We watched:

Oof, yes. You are correct. I don't mind people disagreeing with the hosts. I disagreed with Amy on parts of her Goodfellas criticisms. But when someone comes on, first post complaining, I immediately get red flags due to the sheer number of first time posters who have to disagree with a woman.

Haha! I THINK you mean so long as I DONT log on solely to complain about her (seems like you accidentally dropped a word there)? Thanks. I have commented on a few Unspooled episodes here and there and have avoided commenting on episodes—like Goodfellas—where I figured she was getting a ton of shit flung at her anyways. There are areas that I do agree with her (like how there are too many Marvel movies—and I do like some of them, but it does seem like having a handful of them per year is kinda excessive) and I like how she champions independent movies. I like their -best-of-the-year eps. She does an amazing job at research (as does Paul), which is often the most entertaining part of the shows. I admire the fact that they are forcing themselves to sit through some of the films on the AFI list with an open mind (there are a lot of films on the list that I either have seen so many times I don’t want to see them again or are just not my bag). So—to make a long story long—my reaction to the podcast is of two extremes: agreeing /accepting her POV as interesting 2/3rds of the time, and 1/3rd wondering if she set out to pick apart a film inch-by-inch. RE: Cameron’s point, I also would rather watch The Mummy (or Big Trouble in Little China, or The Guest, or Tango & Cash, or other fun pulp) than A Clockwork Orange—I’m no big celebrator of “the classics” as being timeless or a fan of blanket-labeling directors as “geniuses” (for example, as a writing major forced to read a lot of Shakespeare and have open-mindedly tried to watch a lot of Shakespeare plays—and was even in one in middle school—I’ll freely admit that I find a lot of Shakespeare to be boring. I also think Kubrick stopped being a genius filmmaker after his 60s period and that the sequel to The Shining is a much more well-written movie than The Shining.The Shining is iconic and entertaining...but emotionally hollow. What can I say, I’m a heretic). I’m in no way looking for Amy to validate my point of view and she’s absolutely entitled to rip on as many celebrated films as she wants. I just sometimes think her complaints are superficial to her detriment.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sorry to involve my Metal Nonsense in an ABBA thread, but I figured this would be the best place to share music/HDTGM crossover content. So if you are into the anachronistic swords-and-magic aesthetic of the 2011 film SEASON OF THE WITCH, then may I suggest... Wolftooth - Season of the Witch (Sorry, for some reason, Youtube absolutely refuses to allow this video to be embedded). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2En3oxF3mk

1) F-Baranski, M-Walters (she’s solid and successful on her own), K-Streep (too serious and bland) 2) F-Skateboard, M-Firth, K-Brosnan I realize this makes me mortal enemies with Cameron H. Crap.

F, marry, kill: Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skateboard

I've been following HTDGM from the first few episodes, for years and years and years. How? By downloading the mp3's. Now, literally the only way you can listen to podcasts on Earwolf is to subscribe to a feed so it automatically downloads whatever it wants to, with no control. You cannot manually download anything with Omny. I do not understand why whatever portion of the fanbase that listens as I do has gotten a big middle finger, but hey. What can you do. Not allowed, and the operators don't seem to care at all. I guess whatever deal they cut is more important than some of the fans. Oh well, nice ride while it lasted, I guess. Five bucks for stitcher, holding the majority of the episodes hostage? I'll give my money to the We Hate Movies guys through their patreon, and I'd advise anyone else who has been increasingly dissatisfied with the directions Earwolf has been going to do the same. 300+ episodes, for free, that you can download. Support the people who care about the fans.

On a formal level, probably Dr. Strangelove is the one on the list that most meets the standards of "great filmmaking" while also being funny.

I think this is why I voted “no” as well. It’s also why I feel like comedies are so hard to pin down in terms of greatness. From a cinematic perspective, they rarely push the envelope. It’s not like you can point to the camera work or something more tangible. It honestly comes down to “Is this funny?” It has to essentially live and die on that question alone, and as we’ve discussed before, that’s a highly subjective thing. Did I think Bringing Up Baby was funny? Sure. Are there other movies that I find funnier? Absolutely. Honestly, one of the reasons I keep pushing for Groundhog Day for inclusion, even though it’s not necessarily my favorite comedy, is because it’s not only funny, but it’s well-crafted, innovative in subject matter (Groundhog Day has become an adjective to describe similar time looping stories), and it has a point of view. There’s a philosophical reason for it to exist, even if the viewer doesn’t personally subscribe to that philosophy. With movies like Bringing Up Baby it’s all just “aren’t dizzy dames and leopards zany?”

imdb Just watched this movie, and holy shit, is it bonkers... It has everything: Aliens, shadowy government organizations, Evangelical priests, white punks, black musicians, repo men, supernatural cars, Emilio Estevez... I can't even begin to describe the plot. It's absolutely worth a HDTGM episode, IMO.