Episode 87 — Trollmaster General

[agata 2789]

Film critic Devin Faraci from BadassDigest.com joins Jake to talk about his part in the documentary Jodorowsky's Dune, David Lynch, and Star Wars. Then, he discusses his career path starting from political activism to message boards to writing to film criticism and how it affects his life now - including a tale of an in-person revenge beat-down. As always, check out all the videos from today’s episode over at youtube.com/TheFogelnestFiles!

[klemjohansen 748]

Imagine Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings hadn't been finished (it almost wasn't) and all we had was a notebook of drawings.

 

As much as I like the Peter Jackson films, I think the film nerd in me would consider the unfinished Bakshi version more authentic and I would spend hours boring my friends with anecdotes of what might have been (even though it actually was- but you get my point).

 

On a side note, before the first film in Jackson's trilogy came out, before it popped onto my radar at all, I foolishly bought one of the few existing copies of the Bakshi version. Unavailable on DVD at the time, I bought the fucker on VHS for $60 because I'm a sucker. I have watched it a grand total of one time since then.

[DEATHMAN 3317]

I want to see Jodorowsky's Dune so bad but it isn't playing anywhere near me because I don't live in the good cities.

 

Also, Jake, you're flying across the country to be a guest on a podcast? What a life

[kneisage 2108]

Yesss super excited to see Devin on here. He's one of my favorite critics/pundits ever, and BadassDigest is by far my favorite movie site so it was great to hear him discuss his approach to such things. Also I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple times and he was very cool and didn't ever troll me.

 

You guys discussing it convinced me I really have to get out there and see Jodorowsky's Dune as soon as possible. Luckily I live in one of the good cities so I can make that happen. Nice episode!

[Hot - Slunch 772]

Haven't listened yet, but I've been dying to see Jodorowsky's Dune since I first saw the trailer. It looks amazing. I even emailed an indie theater that's 30 miles away to request/make sure they had it. They're getting it in about 2 weeks I think... Guess I'll have time to see Under the Skin.

 

Imagine Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings hadn't been finished (it almost wasn't) and all we had was a notebook of drawings.

 

As much as I like the Peter Jackson films, I think the film nerd in me would consider the unfinished Bakshi version more authentic and I would spend hours boring my friends with anecdotes of what might have been (even though it actually was- but you get my point).

 

On a side note, before the first film in Jackson's trilogy came out, before it popped onto my radar at all, I foolishly bought one of the few existing copies of the Bakshi version. Unavailable on DVD at the time, I bought the fucker on VHS for $60 because I'm a sucker. I have watched it a grand total of one time since then.

 

This will make you mad, but I bought a VHS of Bakshi's version at a k-mart for $2.99 in like 1999/2000/2001 (pre-Jackson movies). I also only have watched it once, but I still have it.

[Joe Lerini 7329]

The discussion of Jodorowski's Dune and the idea of a tremendous cinematic undertaking that simply doesn't happen reminds me of the mid-90s Superman Lives fiasco (because I'm a huge nerd), and the effort to make a documentary about that:

 

 

But anyway, Faraci sounds super-cool, and now I'm gonna have to check out his stuff. And apparently Jodorowski's Dune is coming to Pittsburgh, so I have to find a way to get out there for it.

[klemjohansen 748]

This will make you mad, but I bought a VHS of Bakshi's version at a k-mart for $2.99 in like 1999/2000/2001 (pre-Jackson movies). I also only have watched it once, but I still have it.

 

 

Probably a month after I got the VHS tape in the mail, I saw it on DVD for $9 at walmart. I mistakenly left that part out of my shitty anecdote. For me, the Bakshi version represents a certain era when D&D was new and that whole genre felt really unfamiliar, open-ended, and almost dangerous. Subsequent experiences have dulled that memory enough that I really miss it.

 

There are a handful of things I wish I could do again for the first time: listening to Talk Talk's Laughing Stock, making a game in BASIC on the TRS-80, and watching Bakshi's version of Lord of the Rings. Also, I am a horrible nerd.

[IanR 153]

The bio of the "stop denying my age" kid makes a lot of sense

 

"I am a boy with a dream and a hope to one day enter the gaming industry and share my ingenious ideas with the world. I was born in 1998, diagnosed with high-functioning autism at age 3, I am a Christian, and I am destine to be a successful video game creator. "

[jakefogelnest 517]

The "Stop Denying My Age" kid is my favorite. I wrote him a fan letter. He's the best kid. I want him to get all the Nintendo and Sonic stuff in the world for the rest of his life. His other videos are equally as endearing.

[skizelo 2536]

The "Stop Denying My Age" kid is my favorite. I wrote him a fan letter. He's the best kid. I want him to get all the Nintendo and Sonic stuff in the world for the rest of his life. His other videos are equally as endearing.

 

he is really good.

[rachelpi 228]

Great episode! I was unaware of Devin's reputation and found him an enjoyable podcast guest. I just got home from Jodorowsky's Dune (who knew it would play here in Des Moines) and I wanted to comment and say thank you for the recommendation. I really enjoyed it. For 'Files fans like us here on the board, there was a fun treat where one of the blurbs/reviews for EL TOPO shown early in the film was from Screw Magazine.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

I just saw 'Jodorowsky's Dune' and found it fascinating. Jodorowsky himself is a brilliant lunatic who lives totally in his own world of malleable reality, morals, and social mores, so it amazes me that he's ever been able to get any movie made, let alone the journey he took in his attempt to make 'Dune.' I mean, he forced his son to train for two years under intense physical and mental strain in order to be a part of his vision. For a movie.

 

But I'm glad Jodorowsky never actually made this because, for example, he describes his passion for the project as like the dream of a poet... but movies are not poetry, they are a collaborative medium involving the input and livelihood of many people (hundreds in the case of a big budget film). If he wants to make poetry, go right ahead, and it seems like the comics and animated stuff presented at the end is a much more Jodorowsky-vision-quest-friendly venue for his vision than a Sci-Fi epic would have been anyway. To his credit, 'El Topo' and 'The Holy Mountain' are just about as close to poetry, for better or for worse, as movies have ever gotten, and that in itself is pretty remarkable. If production actually started, it probably would have ruined people's careers instead of making them, as so many of the contributors went on to do great work in future films.