EPISODE 120.5 - Minisode 120.5

[jarrycanada 2483]

someone had to go and beat me too it.

 

but here goes anyway..

 

 

 

[souprman 10477]

Can't go that way indeed my friend. Jesus what a terrible waste this film is. Is it a vanity project? For who though? Rolling Stone? As a jaded teenager this was exactly the reason why I quit reading Rolling Stone. The film is actually a Perfect analogy for how tone-deaf the magazine became to music/counter culture in general. So much nothing happens in this film the little funny awkward moments that occur barely rise above the banality of the rest of it. Terrible music and even worse music cues. Chase scenes that have no tension, payoff or even purpose. I look forward to the crew getting some traction on tearing this apart, but I can't image much more than Jason screaming "What the fuck is this?! I mean What the fuck even is this?!!" about literally every scene.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

 

Strongly Agree. Had to watch this over half a dozen sittings. Just got bored. I kept looking for all this hidden deeper meaning to it all, like thinking Jamie Lee Curtis was Mackenzies sister or something, but nope..... it's just a one-dimensional snooze fest.

 

Also wouldn't recommend the 5 min workout scene where Travolta and Curtis are just thrusting their hips at each other. Jesus, we get it! They've been playing "Special Places"

 

What the fuck happens to that leotard when she stands up straight? That looks so dangerous.

[DanNicholson 83]

I think it's the subtlety of this movie that I appreciated the most

 

http://imgur.com/PNFr5rE

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

I have to agree with demonlover as every scene in this thing has the air of "what the fuck even is this?!?!" It plays like... if Rolling Stone had been found guilty in federal court of libel or something and were sentenced to community service that took the form of the magazine making a true 1980s-style after-school special on ethics in journalism. Except with tits and spandex-covered dick-thrusting. From the awkward ADR just about every thirty seconds, the dance/aerobic sequences that seem to go on for hours, to scenes that are as heavy-handed on the exposition as a Jamie Lee Curtis Activa ad.

 

Speaking of Jamie Lee Curtis, I think the older I get, the hotter 80s-90s era Ms. Curtis gets. I could not appreciate her charms fully as a young/idiotic man. This movie is still a bizarre piece of garbage, but at least she brings her talents to that really dumb dialogue.

[Cameron H. 23786]

After reading everyone's reaction to this movie, I think I've isolated my biggest problem with it, one I'm sure they will bring up in the episode. While watching Perfect, it's like being stuck in the B plot of a much more interesting movie, and the movie itself treats it like that. One of the main reasons Travolta is even covering gyms being the "singles' bars of the eighties" is because he is going to be in LA covering the "important" story. Even the climax has nothing to do with the aerobics story, but his refusal to give up tapes that might incriminate his other subject. At multiple times in the movie, one time just before having sex with Curtis,Travolta effectively leaves the movie to go cover his other (more interesting) story. It would be like if All the President's Men was about two reporters covering the pet rock fad, and Watergate was just something they were doing on the side.

 

Really, Perfect could have been two different movies and either one might have been okay. The first movie is about a reporter who gets an exclusive interview with a man and refuses to give up crucial evidence due to his personal honor ("I promised him I wouldn't") and the subsequent ramifications for standing by his convictions. The second movie is about a reporter doing a story about health clubs and the human cost of trying to be "perfect." The movie fails because it refuses to commit to either story, or when it does, it commits to the wrong one. It's like an argument about the Star Wars prequel trilogy I heard Dan O'Brien make on the Cracked podcast awhile back. With the infinite stories George Lucas could have told in the Star Wars' universe, the prequel trilogy suffered from him continually choosing the least interesting angle to tell his story. That, to me, is Perfect.

 

Also, the movie does a lot of talk about the ethics of journalism, but aside from Travolta initially misleading Curtis as to his story's subject, he never does anything particularly unethical. It seems to me, that once he starts to care about Curtis, he was going to write a different story anyway. He even goes so far as to remove her from it at her request! It's not until she blows her shit, thus leaving him in bit of a lurch, that he goes back to writing his original story. Yet, throughout the movie, Perfect leads us to believe that he's a real scum bag, but there is nothing really there to back that up. He records his conversations with the people he interviews and directly quotes his them--as he should! Her issue seems to stem from the fact that what he writes in his article has the potential to hurt "real" people, but that's a bullshit argument. She's accusing him of being "sphincter muscle" journalist, but really it all boils down to his subjects' own vanity. Drunk or not, everything Newman, Henner, and the other gym people tell him, is what they actually believe. He never takes them out of context or fabricates facts. Should he not write his article because it has the potential to hurt or embarrass them? Even the reporter that outed Curtis' high school affair with her coach, by her own admission, wasn't making anything up. Although a part of Curtis' complaint stems from the reporter not doing the story he initially tells her he's doing, he doesn't make anything up--he's literally just doing his job.

[Cockney Mackem 514]

I'm surprised no one else other than me and Cameron H are willing to talk about "Perfect". I'm guessing everyone is considering this to be the most forgettable of the bad John Travolta movie canon that was done on the show. While Cameron thought it was boring, the Razzie Movie Guide begs to differ, as it does have unintentionally humorous moments I feel. But who knows, once everyone watches it before the episode goes up, replies will be off the roof!

 

I want to join in the discussion but I haven't found a way of watching the film yet so I'm a bit behind. I vaguely remember seeing about half of it years ago but that's not the standard these great people are used to.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

We also tend not to do a lot of talking about the movie in the minisode thread because the good conversation often happens in the main threads, and this is usually our "fucking around and talking about comic books or some shit" thread.

 

Oh, also, I haven't had a chance to watch this crapfest yet.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

We also tend not to do a lot of talking about the movie in the minisode thread because the good conversation often happens in the main threads, and this is usually our "fucking around and talking about comic books or some shit" thread.

 

Oh, also, I haven't had a chance to watch this crapfest yet.

I haven't watched it yet either (may not actually do it at all)

 

But speaking of comics I just found out that CM Punk is writing a Drax series for Marvel and I am rather interested!

[Cameron H. 23786]

We also tend not to do a lot of talking about the movie in the minisode thread because the good conversation often happens in the main threads, and this is usually our "fucking around and talking about comic books or some shit" thread.

 

Oh, also, I haven't had a chance to watch this crapfest yet.

 

With all due respect, I think you have that backward.

 

I believe this is the "good" thread, where we have interesting conversations with one another about a variety of topics with respect and humor, and the episode thread is where we have to sift through page after page of posts that either are repetitions of what other people have already posted, complaints about the live episode's audio quality, awful jokes (again, often repeated), unattributed transcriptions of Blake Harris' articles, or C&O's that were clearly talked about during the episode. But, in fairness to that last item, a lot of these posts are prefaced with, "I haven't listened to episode yet, but here's what I have to say about Travolta's crotch thrusts," because, even without listening to the episode, you just know they didn't bring that up.

 

That being said, I do get what you mean. Usually, if I talk about the movie of the week in the mini-sode thread at all, it's my general impression of it--whether I liked it or not. I try to save any specific observations, for the episode thread proper.

 

Then again--this is coming from someone who just wrote three whole paragraphs about Perfect a couple of hours ago.

 

More than anything though, I just try to go where the conversation takes us. If people want to talk about the movie, I'll talk about it; if they want to talk about something else, I will do that too. It's why I love the Wednesday and Thursday before the mini-episodes so much. It's after the main movie discussion has mainly run it's course and it's just all of us getting goofy and weird.

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

Avaryl put a couple of clips up on her movie bitches page (which is well worth subscribing to). i think they might be featured in the ep so i guess ...SPOILERS

 

 

[taylor anne photo 11311]

...and it's just all of us getting goofy and weird.

I have no idea what you're talking about, sir.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

 

With all due respect, I think you have that backward.

 

I believe this is the "good" thread, where we have interesting conversations with one another about a variety of topics with respect and humor, and the episode thread is where we have to sift through page after page of posts that either are repetitions of what other people have already posted, complaints about the live episode's audio quality, awful jokes (again, often repeated), unattributed transcriptions of Blake Harris' articles, or C&O's that were clearly talked about during the episode. But, in fairness to that last item, a lot of these posts are prefaced with, "I haven't listened to episode yet, but here's what I have to say about Travolta's crotch thrusts," because, even without listening to the episode, you just know they didn't bring that up.

I stand corrected. I meant to say that most of our conversations about the movies are in the main threads (in between all the stuff you mentioned), and that this is where we have all our fun.

 

My favorite from the main thread are the ones that that are clearly posting their stream of consciousness over 19 consecutive posts as they listen to the episode. Bonus points if they're in random fonts.

[jarrycanada 2483]

Avaryl put a couple of clips up on her movie bitches page (which is well worth subscribing to). i think they might be featured in the ep so i guess ...SPOILERS

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDsVygXp8q8

 

On the phone call all it needs is

in the background then it would be perfect!!

 

I am trying to get that font down from the computer. it needs termanal font but i can't find it on the options here.

 

There was a lot of unnecessary crotch shots in this movie, we need to come up with a word or term for it.

 

Now that we are talking about the film. did you guys notice that there is not one good song in this film, all of the music is shit. and who the fuck works out to "William Tell Overture"

[taylor anne photo 11311]

My favorite from the main thread are the ones that that are clearly posting their stream of consciousness over 19 consecutive posts as they listen to the episode. Bonus points if they're in random fonts.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

It's okay. We all know who I'm talking about.

 

 

It's taylorannephoto.

 

[taylor anne photo 11311]

[EllenM 943]

Oh baby, I'm ready for this

 

[DanNicholson 83]

There was a lot of unnecessary crotch shots in this movie, we need to come up with a word or term for it.

 

I'm a bit nervous about prempting the podcast, but. ..... Groin-O-Vision!

[Cameron H. 23786]

My favorite from the main thread are the ones that that are clearly posting their stream of consciousness over 19 consecutive posts as they listen to the episode. Bonus points if they're in random fonts.

 

 

I'm racking my brain, but I honestly can't say I've ever encountered that. hmmmm....

 

But...now that you mention it, I do like the idea of just shouting my thoughts into the void, loudly and continually, completely oblivious to how that might make me come off. And these posts that you're describing, can they be done at such an incessant interval that the focus will be solely on me and my thoughts? You see, I'm a narcissist at heart, and the idea of having a one sided conversation, especially one where all you knuckleheads will all be forced to just sit and listen to what I have to say, is very appealing to me.

 

I just want to be noticed, you know? That's why I'm seriously considering retiring from the boards completely and just creating all future posts from the cut out letters in a magazine.

 

 

I'm also really excited we've all seemed to adopt the "spoiler tag." It gives every post a real sense of mystery. I can't even begin to describe my gleeful anxiety every time I see one. "Oh Boy! Is this going to be a true spoiler or just a gif of some dude's butt? Only one way to find out..."

 

[jarrycanada 2483]

Why did I think the font was Green when it's yellow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guess I was thinking of someone elses movie.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Well, at least it wasn't blue...

 

 

 

[Cameron H. 23786]

I've always felt like pink makes one seem more approachable...

 

 

 

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Bluish-white isn't too bad, either:

 

 

 

[Blast Hardcheese 636]

My Top 5 of the Year:

 

1). Maximum Overdrive

2.) Face/Off

3.) Furious 7

4.) Tango and Cash

5.) Con Air

 

Top Movies Covered This Year (and why):

 

1.) Maximum Overdrive (FINALLY!!! And well worth the wait).

2.) Deep Blue Sea (Trying to out-Jaws Jaws, and failing miserably - despite a rap song about being a shark).

3.) Sharknadoo (The HDTGM crew realizing - hopefully - that this franchise has plateaued).

4.) Masters of the Universe (That hemorrhoid creature's gravy beard work cannot be denied).

3.) Furious 7 (Again: FINALLY!!! So worth the wait).

 

I would also like to take this opportunity to nominate the joy-by-attrition classic, Christmas with the Cranks, as this year's HDTGM holiday movie.