EPISODE 108 — Con Air LIVE!

[MelissaBecker 79]

I must add to the general confusion about why Poe was on this federal prison transport plane since there is no reason why he would have been charged with a federal crime. Most crimes are illegal at both a federal and state level allowing for duel jurisdiction however, there must be a federal "hook". Generally this involves the use of interstate commerce in the commission of the crime or targeting a federal officer. So, the Oklahoma City bombing killed 168 people, but the federal case only had 11 deaths. Those were of federal agents who were killed.

 

I spent my first summer of law school interning for the federal prosecutor, and a large part of the job was trying to make sure that cases all had federal hooks. Drugs are easy, since drugs travel in interstate commerce. But crimes against persons are much harder. If this had been a murder for hire where Poe had used a computer or cell phone to arrange the deal, then you'd have something. But I can not think of any reason this would be a federal crime. Unless the rednecks turned out to be government agents.

 

The "you are a deadly weapon and so can't get self-defense" doesn't actually work in this context. However, self-defense laws often include an element involving retreat. Basically, if you can get away safely then you must so that. If you fail to retreat you do not get to use self-defense. This is the big issue with "Stand Your Ground Laws"; they eliminate the duty to retreat. I suppose a jury might reject the self-defense argument by saying that Cage could have retreated safely. I mean, not from what we say but who knows what the witnesses testified to on the stand.

 

But no way would it be in federal court. Nope. Cameron Poe would be in state prison and not flown anywhere upon release.

 

Also, while Con Air does exist it is not really the most common federal prison transport system. I don't think that we had one person transferred via plane the Summer I was interning, but we did have a lot of people coming via federal buses.

 

One more correction: prisons do have convenience stores! Well, sort of. The Prison Commissary provides a lot of different items that prisoners can buy using money placed in their prisoner accounts (and sometimes that they earn from working while imprisoned). These are not luxury items. Toilet paper. Snack foods. Spices. Envelopes and paper for writing home. Radios. The mark-up on commissary items can be quite high (I've been told 50% is standard but I haven't done any research myself) but many family members feel they must put money into the accounts just because the prison provided living items are of such poor quality. But a stuffed animal would NOT be one of the things they would sell. Mostly because such an item would be contraband since it could be used to hide drugs or other items inside of the stuffed animal.

[Ghost of HST 71]

Great episode and great sound for a live one - especially happy the Skype worked for most of the show...

 

Two things that have come up here that people seem to have missed (I mean, I spaced on quite a bit of the "plot" points myself also...)

- Cage was getting transferred because some official said "You have to get released from your original place of incarceration..." Of course thought, there is no reason why he would ever have been transferred out of state for manslaughter in the first place - it is no federal crime. (ETA: B of D just posted the breakdown simultaneously.)

- He got the picture of his daughter back soon after the inmates took the plane when the guard was chained up. Cages says, "See, I told you I'd get it back."

 

I the scene when they find all of the plans and documents (The Anarchist's Cookbook!), and then just happen to discover one cipher that reveals "Carson City"...Especially when the amount of secret correspondence and planning that went into this was pretty intensive since it expanded across prisons ~ Swamp Thing gets in at Carson City, I believe...

Also, doesn't he just threaten the pilot once about saying anything on the radio but then leaves him totally alone in the cockpit? Why wouldn't the pilot tell everything then...

Still, I agree with June and Jason - LOVED IT!

 

 

 

ETA: I thought June might have been confusing this with Turbulence where Ray Liotta plays a psychotic killer being transferred on a plane and takes it over.

"If it takes place on a plane, you know it's gotta be good."

[Ghost of HST 71]

ooops double-post

[CiciRude 13]

Soooo, June loves plane movies.....& I agree with she & Jason, this movie IS dope.

 

How about trying again with a truly and really bad plane movie that both lost a Razzie to Con Air AND co-stars Breesees Gleesees?

 

It's another prisoner transport story, this time on a commercial flight (???) & it's Christmas eve. I already see a recommendation thread for it from a few years ago & forgive me for this, I'm hoping my post here will get some momentum behind it:

 

TURBULENCE.

 

I recall Roger Ebert's aghast response to it so well--"Have you ever seen Christmas decorations on a commercial plane?!?"

 

Ray Liotta, Lauren Holly., and again, and God knows why, I guess this was his bridge to Lake Placid---

BRENDAN GLEASON.

 

Thanks for hearing me out & "June, ARE YOU WITH ME!!!???!!!"

 

[Snake 165]

I must add to the general confusion about why Poe was on this federal prison transport plane since there is no reason why he would have been charged with a federal crime. Most crimes are illegal at both a federal and state level allowing for duel jurisdiction however, there must be a federal "hook". Generally this involves the use of interstate commerce in the commission of the crime or targeting a federal officer. So, the Oklahoma City bombing killed 168 people, but the federal case only had 11 deaths. Those were of federal agents who were killed.

 

I spent my first summer of law school interning for the federal prosecutor, and a large part of the job was trying to make sure that cases all had federal hooks. Drugs are easy, since drugs travel in interstate commerce. But crimes against persons are much harder. If this had been a murder for hire where Poe had used a computer or cell phone to arrange the deal, then you'd have something. But I can not think of any reason this would be a federal crime. Unless the rednecks turned out to be government agents.

 

The "you are a deadly weapon and so can't get self-defense" doesn't actually work in this context. However, self-defense laws often include an element involving retreat. Basically, if you can get away safely then you must so that. If you fail to retreat you do not get to use self-defense. This is the big issue with "Stand Your Ground Laws"; they eliminate the duty to retreat. I suppose a jury might reject the self-defense argument by saying that Cage could have retreated safely. I mean, not from what we say but who knows what the witnesses testified to on the stand.

 

 

You answered your own question - the federal government gave him the training that made him into a deadly weapon.

[Valerieblaise 74]

I posted some Baby-O diabetes stuff in the mini-episode thread, and I don't know if it's OK to quote yourself here, so that's on page 2 of that thread if you want to know how wrong they got diabetes. However, Seth Grahame-Smith was wrong that Cameron Poe giving Baby-O a Hostess Snoball was problematic. Given his physical shape, there's no way Baby-O has Type 2 Diabetes and is on insulin - being that muscular and not overweight, he could completely control Type 2 via diet and exercise, MAYBE some oral diabetes meds at most. So, he has to be a Type 1 Diabetic, meaning he has to take insulin daily (likely twice a day, but I don't know how much insulin dosing has changed in the past 20 years). Insulin makes blood sugar go lower, and so does physical activity. Carbohydrates (not just sugar) make blood sugar go up. That Snoball is no better or worse for his blood sugar than a couple pieces of toast or a small serving of rice. Baby-O is mopping the floors when Cameron hands him the Snoball, which is enough activity to drop his blood sugar. He might well have needed a boost right then. If I spend too long walking around Costco, my sugar can drop enough that I have to have some juice or soda right away, unless I'm lucky and it's a food sample day. So I'd say the Snoball scene is neutral or correct with regards to Diabetes, unlike every single other 'betes-related element of this movie.

[TonyaThompson 8]

I don't know if anyone else has thought of this, but what if the little girl isn't a ghost or a figment of his imagination, but something more sinister? We don't see anyone else in that trailer park, is it possible that she has murdered everyone else who lived there and is celebrating with a tea party when Buscemi finds her. He doesn't murder her because he recognizes a kindred spirit in her, not because he's reformed. Very upsetting.

[Bumpy 1674]

Cameron Poe:

 

Poe Dameron:

 

Think about it, won't you?

[SlidePocket 707]

Soooo, June loves plane movies.....& I agree with she & Jason, this movie IS dope.

 

How about trying again with a truly and really bad plane movie that both lost a Razzie to Con Air AND co-stars Breesees Gleesees?

 

It's another prisoner transport story, this time on a commercial flight (???) & it's Christmas eve. I already see a recommendation thread for it from a few years ago & forgive me for this, I'm hoping my post here will get some momentum behind it:

 

TURBULENCE.

 

http://forum.earwolf.com/topic/7451-turbulence/

 

Here's the thread where you can talk about that one.

[HotSaucerman 2051]

It was so great to have June back! She's the heart of the show. Paul is the mind. And Jason is the genitals.

[CiciRude 13]

 

http://forum.earwolf.com/topic/7451-turbulence/

 

Here's the thread where you can talk about that one.

 

Right & will do, thanks.

[Jon Heston 8]

This could also be mentioned in the Face Off episode, but Billy Joe, the guy that tries to rape Tracy Poe, does actually succeed in having sex with Nicolas Cage's wife in a very roundabout way. The actor who plays Billy Joe is Kevin Gage (aka Waingro from Heat) and he was married to Kelly Preston who later went on marry John Travolta. As we know from Face/Off Nicolas Cage and John Travolta are one and the same. Ergo, Billy Joe has sex with Nicolas Cage's wife.

[ClaireSheller 30]

I legitimately loved this movie as an adolescent.

 

SO many quotable quotes in this thing.

 

Danny Trejo (sans his signature handle bar mustache): Do you know what I am?

 

Cage: Ugly all day long.

 

Baby-O: What's wrong with him?

 

Cage: My first guess would be, a lot.

 

Those things being said, this movie defies the laws of physics. In the final fire engine chase scene (which by the way, Poe's like fuck my family, and fuck asking ANY of these hundreds of law enforcement officers for help, let's steal these motorcycles and go after them on our own!) both John Cusack and Nic Cage fly upwards of 25ft through the air and land soft as feathers, within walking distance of the original plane crash site. Both are in pristine condition, ready to offer up disgusting sewer bunnies to their estranged children or reconcile with a genuinely talented Irish actor, clinging to his America accent for dear life.

 

Baby-O is also dying for about 3/4 of the movie. As soon as he gets his insulin injection, he is almost immediately shot in the belly. Never a dull moment in this winning film.

[ClaireSheller 30]

This is also interesting- Steve Buscemi's character references the 1977 plane crash that killed multiple members of Lynryd Skynyrd. The type of plane they were flying in? a CONVAIR CV-300.

[starri 116]

There are a lot of times where, if I didn't know how much Jason clearly adores June, his treatment of her would really bother me.

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

colm meaney is up there with brendan gleeson when it comes to great irish actors. if you want to see him at his funniest he plays the dad in the barrytown trilogy of films. most people have heard of the commitments but there are two other films to accompany it. they are not really sequels but they are all set in the same part of dublin, barrytown.

 

the 3 films are the commitments, the snapper and the van.

 

in my opinion the funniest of the 3, and probably the funniest irish film full stop, is the snapper. if you can track down a copy of it states side you wont regret it. (but you might need the closed captions on)

 

this trailer doesnt do it justice but it at least gives you an idea

 

[noketchup 15]

This movie always makes me think of the "How Do I Live" controversy that came with it. The song was originally wrote for and recorded by a 14 year old Leann Rimes. When the movie people heard the song they thought she sounded to young for the adult themes of the movie so they got Trisha Yearwood to record it. After the Trisha Yearwood version was released Leann Rimes' people heard it and released her version. So that meant that this one song was played on the radio and on TV with two different people singing it. Eventually BOTH versions of the song were nominated for a Grammy, which meant Rimes and Yearwood were competing against each other with the EXACT same song! Oddly enough neither song was on the Conair Soundtrack.

 

 

*Disclaimer: When this movie was released I was in middle school and a big Leann Rimes fan so I found this whole thing very upsetting

[Bugs Meany 69]

Cameron Poe:

 

 

 

Sanderson Poe:

 

 

 

I know I'm not the only one who appreciated the reference.

[starri 116]

This movie always makes me think of the "How Do I Live" controversy that came with it. The song was originally wrote for and recorded by a 14 year old Leann Rimes. When the movie people heard the song they thought she sounded to young for the adult themes of the movie so they got Trisha Yearwood to record it. After the Trisha Yearwood version was released Leann Rimes' people heard it and released her version. So that meant that this one song was played on the radio and on TV with two different people singing it. Eventually BOTH versions of the song were nominated for a Grammy, which meant Rimes and Yearwood were competing against each other with the EXACT same song! Oddly enough neither song was on the Conair Soundtrack.

 

How much will you judge me if I say I have Leann's version on my iPod?

[RyanSz 3140]

Corrections and Omissions: Cameron gets convicted because you can see after he kills the guy with a swift palm strike to the nose, the other duck dynasty brother picks up the knife. Thus, Poe was in a hand-to-hand fight and with his superior training should have known to back it off. Obviously, his testimony as well as his wife's at trial that these murdering/raping assholes having switchblades, chains, and broken bottles was not the least bit believed . I think the jury wanted revenge on Poe for his actions in the Mai Lai Massacre and our loss in 'Nam.

Yeah I was going to mention this, so unfortunately Poe became a victim of "he said/they said," which as we can see can hurt him as Mobile is apparently home to the most anti-military people on Earth. As far as buying a bunny in prison, the inmates do get magazines and catalogs where they can order various things for themselves or as gifts for family. They can get things like CDs, books, radios and TVs, and various games like chess or checkers, among other things.

[Xandar1977 421]

I watched this again today after having only seen it at the theater when it came out. There's something about it that made me think 'I'm glad I turned my brain off for this, because I feel it was worth two hours of my time.' I'm not sure if that makes me a bad person.

[Darbler Cheesegarbler 1110]

This episode definitely lived up to the hype, honestly just about everything Jason said made me laugh; he was on fire.

 

Not really an omission but I think it's interesting to point out that, according to IMDB, Dave Chappelle improvised most of his lines.

 

A couple more from IMDB:

 

The Las Vegas scenes were filmed at the legendary Sands Hotel immediately prior to its demolition in late 1996. When the production team heard about the city's intentions to raze the historic landmark, they immediately scheduled a multiple camera setup to take advantage of the rare event, which is what you actually see in the movie.

 

The song "How Do I Live" was nominated for both an Oscar as Best Original Song and a Razzie as Worst Original Song. It did not win either award.

 

I have one very important question for Paul: do you play video games? If so, what are some of your current favorites and/or beloved classics? I guess that's two questions, but that fits with the Q's from the audience in this episode.

[LTL 154]

I legit hated Con Air ...and i think hated Face Off even more both practically unwatchable.

[Molly L. 99]

They touched on this during the show, but I was really confused by the time frame (probably in part because I wasn't paying very close attention...I just couldn't get into this movie); if Poe's family was in Alabama awaiting his arrival, how did they get to Nevada so quickly? How long was that plane in the air? I don't recall where the flight started from, but I only remember it being dark at the very end of the movie, meaning everything (from the time they got on the plane) happened over the course of one day, and I'm pretty sure that it was still light out when his wife and daughter arrived in what I assume is Nevada. It also felt like Larkin was able to move around VERY quickly. I'm sure I was thinking about it too hard, and I could definitely be totally wrong about everything, but it gave me a headache...

[adamd1 0]

I just wanted to say that after hearing this podcast, and having avoided this movie since it came out, I now have a reason to want to watch it.

 

You guys are amazing. It's on my bucket list to try and head out there to see a live show.

 

Thanks for being awesome. Great show.