EPISODE 108 — Con Air LIVE!

[JulyDiaz 2797]

Recorded LIVE from Largo in Los Angeles, filmmaker and author Seth Grahame-Smith joins Paul, Jason, and June to discuss Con Air, one of the most requested movies in a night of Nicolas Cage films. They cover everything from Nic Cage’s southern accent, Jason’s unconditional love for the movie, June’s love of plane movies, and much more. Plus, everyone talks about John Malkovich having the greatest villain death of all time during audience Q&As!

[JeddJong 50]

The whole point about John Cusack being Danny Trejo's pick for a bona fide Hollywood badass is fascinating to me. John Cusack recently did a Chinese film called Dragon Blade alongside Adrien Brody and Jackie Chan. That alone makes it a viable How Did This Get Made? candidate, but I digress. In the film, John Cusack fights Jackie Chan, and while doing press, he said that he has been a martial artist since he was 21 and his personal coach is Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, who has done stunts in Jackie Chan movies from back in the day. Cusack has a level six black belt in the "Ukidokan Kickboxing" system. It seems like a missed opportunity to have Cusack truck out some kickboxing moves in this film. It's a long shot, but I think John Cusack could really have it in him to become a Liam Neeson-type later in his career.

 

The end credits, with all the actors smiling and out of character, really reminded me of the end credits from Predator. The tenuous connection is Danny Trejo, who appears in both Con Air and Predators.

 

Also, one of the protagonists in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, played by Oscar Isaac, is named "Poe Dameron". Poe Dameron...Cameron Poe...could it be that JJ Abrams, Michael Arndt and Lawrence Kasdan were subliminally influenced by Con Air?

[Ghost of HST 71]

I'm a Con Air virgin, er, newbie? No, virgin, because it's halfway in and I'm feeling it...Can't wait to hear the show and was scared when the only pic up didn't show her...

 

ETA: Loved it...the end credits are kinda creepy after the final reveal~~ they remind more of something like Kelley's Heroes or whatever, where everyone is a good guy, ya know?

 

 

[DJ Sheppard 51]

June Diane Raphael in: Stakes on a Plane

[ApathyMonger 309]

I hope that Paul appearing in Cage's next film won't affect the podcast doing Cage movies in the future.

[IMAHUGEHDTGMFAN 1837]

I hope that Paul appearing in Cage's next film won't affect the podcast doing Cage movies in the future.

 

 

Maybe It's the opposite and he ends up as a guest... *fingers crossed*

[Bugs Meany 69]

Question I would have asked: Is the title supposed to be a play on Conair, the hair dryer manufacturer?

[MarcusIrving 286]

Using my twos clues I'm putting this together, Jason said "We should call this whole evening Thank God This Got Made because both of these movies are awesome." Face/Off confirmed.

If it was already confirmed in the minisode or end of this one, I'll feel dumb.

[jughead 189]

My tagline for this movie..........Bon Air

[Cameron H. 23786]

As always, great episode!

 

Despite the inanity of a lot of the character's motivations and the blame that is levied at John Cusack's character for transporting two dozen criminal insane prisoners across country in a single aircraft, I can't believe that more fault wasn't directed at the single character whose actions led directly to the insanity that ensues. Of course I am talking about the co-pilot. What kind of fucking cowboy is this guy who decides he's going to "check out" the disturbance, leaving the cockpit unsecured, and taking with him the plane's only (known) gun? What's his deal? Hey asshole, fly the goddamn plane! They don't have weapons! They can't get in there! You've already let ground control know there's an issue, so land at the nearest airstrip and let SWAT take care of it. There's no reason for you to get all John McClane. Maybe some guards get harmed, but that's their job and they know the risks. Your job is to fly the damn plane! Do that!

[Cameron H. 23786]

Can anyone tell me why Poe is being imprisoned in California or Nevada instead of the state in which he was convicted? Is that a normal thing?

 

Also, if he is being paroled, why does the prison system feel it's their responsibility to ensure he gets a lift back home? Shouldn't the onus of his transportation needs rest with him and his family?

[totallycheesed 31]

hey Seth Grahame Smith

 

less talky, more listeny

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

Using my twos clues I'm putting this together, Jason said "We should call this whole evening Thank God This Got Made because both of these movies are awesome." Face/Off confirmed.

If it was already confirmed in the minisode or end of this one, I'll feel dumb.

 

they recorded face/off and con air on the same night.

[Bugs Meany 69]

Also, if he is being paroled, why does the prison system feel it's their responsibility to ensure he gets a lift back home? Shouldn't the onus of his transportation needs rest with him and his family?

 

Wasn't it his choice? I recall he was basically hitching a ride.

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

I do enjoy this movie. But it doesn't make sense. Check out this aerial view of Las Vegas: You can see the airport, the Strip, and the less populated areas around.

 

I remember going to Las Vegas shortly after I saw it. (Actually, I think I saw it on the plane to Las Vegas, but that can't be right. They wouldn't show a plane crashing movie on a plane? Would they?) And the airport is SO CLOSE to the strip. Anyway, my whole group stood at the airport, looked over at the strip. Looked at open desert nearby and was deeply confused.

 

They say it's because they're running out of fuel that they have to land on the strip. While I don't know how to fly a plane, if you were running out of fuel in a car, you could still turn the wheel to veer in a different direction. Even if the ONE MILE to the airport was too far to travel. They could've landed in the desert. Or at least somewhere less populated. I maintain that Swamp Thing purposefully murdered all those people.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

I am so glad y'all mentioned the sewer bunny because the whole time I was watching that last part I kept yelling, "DON'T GIVE HER THE SEWER BUNNY!" Cause let's be real that thing was probably covered in germs after being in a Las Vegas sewer!

 

OH! Also can we all talk about how GIANT those explosions were?! Every thing that blew up was as if 5 trucks full of gas went up in flames all at the same time. Which really can only be a good explosion for the actual gas station but not every single one! And I love how everyone was terrified of the fire while walking away except for Cyrus who did that "bad ass dudes walking away from explosions without looking back" thing.

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

there was a show on channel 5 (UK) last weekend, the ultimate top 40 action movies or something, and they had an interview with Simon West. He said his first meeting with Jerry Bruckheimer consisted of Bruckheimer giving him 3 scripts and telling him to pick one to make. So he picked Con Air. Good choice ..

 

Then he went on to discuss the making of the film. Going back to Paul's point about the script changing every day, West said he kept getting told by Bruckheimer that they needed extra action .. more explosions ... because as they were making this movie, other movies like The Rock, Mission: Impossible, Independence Day, etc were released, so Bruckheimer wanted to make Con Air bigger than any of them.

 

Then he finished by saying the scene where the plane crashed into the Sands was all due to lucky timing. The Sands was actually due to be demolished at the same time they were filming this and when the production team heard this they got the owners of the Sands to postpone the demolition for a month or something so they could film the plane crash scene. They set up all the cameras and just rammed the front of a plane into the building. All one shot .. i think he said that it was a 5 million dollar action scene (or some such stupid amount of money)

[jarrycanada 2483]

UPDATED IT FOR THE SHOW.

 

 

FACT: the only item from this movie in this poster is nicks hair and that isn't even his.

 

later noted: It's been a week and I still get a good laugh at pauls little jail bird outfit.

it's a cheap Halloween outfit you can buy at amazon LOL

[taylor anne photo 11311]

One more thing I want to add... I have this feeling that even if the DEA agent on the plane didn't have a gun as soon as he made himself known as an undercover agent he would have been shot. Maybe not because they could have just handcuffed him like the female officer but it seems like no matter what he didn't have a good future ahead of him. If he had just stayed quiet and maybe saw that Nic Cage wasn't a lunatic he could have banned together with him, but alas he was an idiot.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

I have yet to listen to this podcast, but I have read both 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' and 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' and they are two of the worst books I've ever read. I love Jane Austen, Zombies, Lincoln, AND Vampires, and Seth Grahame-Smith managed to make all of those things incredibly boring. I guess good on him for managing to sell garbage to millions of people, but still, ugh.

[Wien 401]

God I missed June. Never have another episode without her.

[denimgremlin 1179]

I have yet to listen to this podcast, but I have read both 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' and 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' and they are two of the worst books I've ever read. I love Jane Austen, Zombies, Lincoln, AND Vampires, and Seth Grahame-Smith managed to make all of those things incredibly boring. I guess good on him for managing to sell garbage to millions of people, but still, ugh.

 

I haven't read the books but when he said there was a movie called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies I thought they should just book it for HDTGM right then and there. What are the chances that's not going to be terrible?

[JonathanB.Reid 34]

They made a lot of references to the racist stereotypes in this movie. There's a Cracked.com video that actually provides some explanation for those portrayals. The short answer: Bruckheimer is a staunch conservative and Con Air was his right-wing manifesto on the dangers of immigrants, gays, and hippie-treehugging-peaceniks. That's the short answer, the actual video presents it a lot funnier. Enjoy:

[jarrycanada 2483]

for me Steve Buscemi really stole this movie. when he sits with the little girl drinking tea.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

for me Steve Buscemi really stole this movie. when he sits with the little girl drinking tea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFFJhO90VN8

 

I agree! But also I got the feeling that we were supposed to cheer for him because he didn't kill her? Like I mean I'm really happy that she lived but I'm still not going to feel happy that the dude who wore a head as a hat got away in the end.