Episode 167 - Chopping Mall: LIVE!

[Episode 167 - Chopping Mall: LIVE!]

Maybe we should stop right here. Because this is pretty thinly veiled putdown, and that doesn't really have any place on these forums. Here would be a good place for me to note that Fister has a long comment history and good standing besides. But avoiding personal attacks is good policy even if the preceding weren't true.

 

Just my 0.02.

Thank you. I wish we could have agreed to disagree a long time ago. I will continue to enjoy future episodes of HDTGM with no further input. I apologize for disrupting the community. As a new commenter, it was not my place to interfere.

[Episode 167 - Chopping Mall: LIVE!]

To amend my previous statement slightly (mostly because I've been thinking about the Polanski analogy you proposed), would it have been better if they had just hit it right out of the gate?

 

I'm sure no one on the show knew what a creepy asshole Wynorski was when they picked the movie. I'm guessing that kind of stuff comes up during their research (and I'm not totally sure how much of that would have been uncovered by Paul and how much would have been Nate). And it's obvious June didn't know until the clip was played, so I would assume Jason wouldn't know either (since he often watches movies on the way to a recording, I don't see him doing a lot of research).

 

I also don't know how much of that kind of audio Paul listens to. I would imagine that he listens to anything they play beforehand, but at the same time, they do have researchers, and maybe he just trusts their instincts? Or maybe he listened to it quickly and thought, "Yeah, this dude's a creep," but it didn't really register how bad it really was until he saw June's reaction? Or maybe he chose to put it at the end of the show because he didn't want to cast a pall over the whole show?

 

So I guess I'm trying to figure out where in the show they should mention this. If they mention it up top, maybe it's a bit better because it prevents the whole "yay boobs" discussion and curtails some other discussions about the nudity in the movie. But at the same time, you could feel the wind pushed out of the show entirely after they played that clip, and that could be a really hard thing to recover from when you're trying to do a comedy show where people have paid money to see you make fun of a movie. So I kind appreciate what kind of situation Paul was in. Maybe he mentions at the top of the show that this guy is a creeper, but they don't play the full audio of his creepy, manipulative bullshit until the end?

 

I don't know.

Someone passed on to me that you are still bothered by my personal opinion so: Why use the movie at all if the found research and director commentary would cast a pall over the whole show if mentioned up front? I used Polanski to make the point that I would find the movie choice off putting regardless of personal experience with the director or not. I can't recall them doing a movie before that was helmed by an exploitative porn director to compare this to.

 

I don't know.

[Episode 167 - Chopping Mall: LIVE!]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience, and I'm sorry that this was a bad episode for you. However, it's not "shutting you down" or "recontextualizing" to point out that they DID address the exact thing you complained about. And that even the people saying the "yay bewbs" stuff (which has been a running bit for Jason's persona on this show for pretty much as long as they have been doing movies like this) called him a fucking creep.

 

If this was a show about representation or exploitation, it would be one thing. But this a podcast that makes fun of bad movies and the people that make them. It doesn't mean you have to like the people who made those movies, but it also means that it's kind of silly to rail against the show and the hosts because you had a bad experience with a filmmaker (especially when they call out the filmmaker for the same things you have problems with).

 

Eventually, they did. I never miss an episode and I will always be a fan. I don't really need a refresher course on the podcast, thanks. If this were a Roman Polanski episode, I bet you would also want to know upfront. Maybe I'm too close to it; I understand this is a personal problem. However, by your logic June also being uncomfortable with this guy is offside when it comes to a podcast that only exists for making fun of the movie.

 

But since you completed my mansplain bingo card with "silly, I'm sorry you feel that way and well, actually" I'm going throw in the towel. (Correcting a "railing" woman and dismissing her concerns about how women are portrayed on the screen and treated in the workplace were the free spaces, in case you were wondering.)

[Episode 167 - Chopping Mall: LIVE!]

Also, pretty sure Paul doesn't do, or does very little of, the research himself since he names Nate and Avril. He picks the movies and, like most of us, knows very little about the director beforehand unless it's an easily recognizable name which is argue Jim Wynorski isn't.

 

And after the research was done, they made a point to include and address it in the show. It's brought up a bit lightheartedly but I don't go to comedy shows for a serious discussion. I like that they didn't ignore it which they easily could have.

 

I definitely understand the hatred of the director and wanting to avoid his work. I can understand being uncomfortable with any movie that has gratuitous nudity with everything we know about Hollywood lying to and using women. June succinctly and perfectly advises women in the industry.

 

Couple this with their history of pointing out creepy directors like Renny Harlin with The Covenant, I'll give then a pass for not going into this knowing about Jim Wynorski's scumbag life.

 

That's fair. I guess I just get fired up that such a demonstrably gross person gets any airtime at all without an upfront caveat that everyone agrees he is foul.

[Episode 167 - Chopping Mall: LIVE!]

 

So you didn't hear June's comments on the disgustingness of the commentary? Because she covered it pretty well.

 

I stuck around past June's comments and I really appreciated her disgust. I listened to a majority of this episode, but ultimately bailed because I have personal experience with this vile person and as a result this episode was not for me. All the "yay bewbs" stuff was very unpleasant for me because I experienced it in real time in my workplace.

 

Thanks to everyone for re-contextualizing my experience with Wynorski. It feels great to be shut down by people who have not had the displeasure of working with him and then having him re-emerge on your favourite podcast.

 

[Episode 167 - Chopping Mall: LIVE!]

I signed up to the Earwolf forum specifically to let you know what a massive effing creep Jim Wynorski is to work with and how disappointed I am in your show for even in engaging in this movie and Paul and Jason's delight over the gratuitous nudity. Jim is an appalling, exploitative person who sprung nudity on our set - the actress was implied to be his girlfriend - with no notice on the call sheet. Wardrobe was not informed because she didn't need any at all. The movie was in no way scripted to have porn or sex or nudity. I was brought into the production by a show runner I trusted and he was really ashamed and apologetic once he realized how things were for our actresses and crew.

 

I love your podcast so much and never miss an episode, but couldn't finish this one and honestly my opinion of Paul and Jason has diminished a bit over this. You usually feature trivia and research and alternate scenes/endings. How did the foulness of this guy get past you? It's easy to find plenty of information on how awful he is to the female gender on both the cast and the crew.

 

Like I said, June and Paul and Jason and all your wonderful guests have delighted me for so long. I was surprised by how actively angry your dismissal of such a gross person's behaviour made me. I hope I don't ever feel compelled to sign into these forums for anything other than praise and respect again.