EPISODE 124.5 - Minisode 124.5

[JulyDiaz 2797]

What happens when one of the greatest basketball players of the 90s becomes a superhero? Find out next week! This week Paul goes through Corrections and Omissions for Hackers, answers whether or not Nic Cage would have made Hackers better, and recommends some great TV shows during Scheer's Picks. Plus, Paul tells us whose his favorite friend from Friends, which Nic Cage character would win in a battle royale, and more as he answers your Qs!

 

Don't forget to check out Blake Harris’ Oral History of Hackers over at www.slashfilm.com!

 

People of the internet: Keep watching The League on FXX 10pm on Wednesdays! A while ago, Paul and Rob Huebel did a comedy special on a 60 foot glass bus that traveled around LA and now you’ll be able to see it. Go to https://itun.es/us/3M4J9 now to buy it! You can also see Jason in The Night Before in a theater near you!

The Hotwives (Casey Wilson, Danielle Schneider, Andrea Savage, Dannah Phirman, Tymberlee Hill, Angela Kinsey, Erinn Hayes) are back and this time they are in Vegas baby! Watch The Hotwives of Las Vegas on Hulu today!

Also, check out June in Grace and Frankie available on Netflix, Paul in Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp on Netflix, all the episodes of NTSF:SD:SUV:: on HULU for free, ScheeRL on YouTube here:

, and Jason in The Dictator (he’s still in it!).

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

This page has been here for four minutes, but I'm not showing the mini ep yet in my iTunes. What. The. Eff. How am I supposed to fall asleep now, knowing that this exists and I can't hear it yet?!?!

[hypnotizingchickens 1025]

[RyanSz 3140]

Ah the movie whose main character's final conflict was sinking a free throw with a grenade.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

Ah the movie whose main character's final conflict was sinking a free throw with a grenade.

Yes, it's very reliant on the audience knowing that Shaq was shitty at free throws in the mid-90s. Aside from that, it is a TIMELESS masterpiece.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

I expect plenty of discussion about how no one has any idea who this Steel guy could be, despite the fact that there's only like one seven-foot tall black dude in the universe that this film takes place in.

[Royboy 430]

Oh HELL yes. I am so looking forward to this. It's amazing since about a year ago, my masochistic desire to re-watch some of the worst films DC had to offer brought this to mind. Of course, my attempt to view a frittata Iron Man was somewhat hindered by the fact that it wasn't available on Netflix in any capacity. Insane, since there's so many terrible movies one can get there, but Steel was apparently where they drew the line.

 

Now I was incensed. You can't tell me I can't watch Steel! By Gods, I was now gonna find this piece of crap and watch it. To blazes with whomever gets in my way! So I went to one of the last few video rental stores here in town and found it, buried and hidden away in their superhero section. On the bottom shelf where I had to kneel down to get it.

 

The weirdest part was that when I brought the DVD up to the counter, the clerk asked "Are you the guy that called earlier about this?" I replied no, agog in the realization that that night, there were *two* people out there looking to watch Steel and I was one of them.

 

The quality of the DVD? Not good, but it played nonetheless. So I can only imagine how Paul, June, Jason and whomever their guest is (if any) managed to watch it.

 

I do hope that they'll bring up how Grandma Odessa's souffle was a real subplot to this movie. Or that the finest performance was John Hawkes as The Mugger. Since Paul and Jason are comic nerds I can imagine they might get into the history with Superman. Maybe the confusion on if Sparks was inspired by Oracle or not. And I also anticipate a joke or two about Ray J.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Super pumped about this one, too! Let's stay in the 90s forever!

 

It's funny that this is next week's episode because the crowd-funded Shaq Fu sequel had a video preview at The Game Awards yesterday. Shaq's also been a major focus of the main character in Fresh off the Boat, and he even guest starred in an episode. Are we experiencing a full Shaq Renaissance?

 

The quality of the DVD? Not good, but it played nonetheless. So I can only imagine how Paul, June, Jason and whomever their guest is (if any) managed to watch it.

All the forums regulars might remember that I've brought this site up before, but there's a thing called Can I Stream It? that basically tells you where you can legally stream any movie. I think it's only US-based, but it will tell you both free services and pay services. Here's the link for Steel:

 

http://www.canistream.it/search/movie/4fc5781af5f8076a74000000/steel

 

For anyone else that's having trouble finding it, it looks like it's available to rent on iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, and PSN. They don't mention it on that site, but it also seems to be available to rent on YouTube.

[Lando 2019]

Listening to the C&O from this week gave me an insight about Hackers that I wish I had a week ago:

If Phreek ends up being the only character from the group that goes to jail, and later is forced to become Sally Can't Dance to survive in prison, and Agent Gill transfers to Baltimore to reinvent himself as Bunk, does that mean that Con Air and The Wire take place in the same universe?

[Lando 2019]

Also, good news if you subscribe to Encore Steel should be available for you to watch on-demand for free.

[OoofMaGOOF 348]

Another week, another mini episode where my Q is not A'd. SIGH.

 

Anyway, just watched the trailer for this on Youtube and uh...HO-LY SHIT. Just about lost it at the wheelchair machine guns.

[Cameron H. 23786]

Another week, another mini episode where my Q is not A'd. SIGH.

 

Anyway, just watched the trailer for this on Youtube and uh...HO-LY SHIT. Just about lost it at the wheelchair machine guns.

 

What was the Q? Maybe we can provide you an A...

 

[FisterRoboto 7499]

I have to say that the Nic Cage segment is usually my least favorite part of the minisode. I don't really share the worship that a lot of people seem to have for him both on HDTGM and on another bad movie podcast. I love his bad movies, but I feel like it's one of those Internet echo chamber reverences that makes mediocre people seem far more interesting than they really are. But I digress...

 

This week's Nic Cage stuff was AWESOME, though. At first, I thought he was just going to suggest Cage as Bracco, but Bracco as the Plague?! That's a movie I want to see. (Also, the Q about Cage characters fighting each other was only saved because of HI McDunnough).

[Cameron H. 23786]

I have to say that the Nic Cage segment is usually my least favorite part of the minisode. I don't really share the worship that a lot of people seem to have for him both on HDTGM and on another bad movie podcast. I love his bad movies, but I feel like it's one of those Internet echo chamber reverences that makes mediocre people seem far more interesting than they really are. But I digress...

 

This week's Nic Cage stuff was AWESOME, though. At first, I thought he was just going to suggest Cage as Bracco, but Bracco as the Plague?! That's a movie I want to see. (Also, the Q about Cage characters fighting each other was only saved because of HI McDunnough).

 

I 100% agree with you on the Nic Cage worship--I'm apathetic to him at best. I'm still into the new theme for the bit though, and I did like Paul's answer today. As for that other show you linked, The Flop House, is it any good?

 

I hear it advertised all the time when I listen to My Brother, My Brother and Me, and not only do their jokes seem lame, but there's one dude's voice I just can't get behind. I'm sure he's a nice dude and all, but damn...I tried to give them a chance when Max Fun did the host switcharoo last month and they took over for The Adventure Zone, but I barely made it ten minutes before I had to shut it off. So I guess my question is: is it worth giving it another shot?

[FisterRoboto 7499]

 

I 100% agree with you on the Nic Cage worship--I'm apathetic to him at best. I'm still into the new theme for the bit though, and I did like Paul's answer today. As for that other show you linked, The Flop House, is it any good?

 

I hear it advertised all the time when I listen to My Brother, My Brother and Me, and not only do their jokes seem lame, but there's one dude's voice I just can't get behind. I'm sure he's a nice dude and all, but damn...I tried to give them a chance when Max Fun did the host switcharoo last month and they took over for The Adventure Zone, but I barely made it ten minutes before I had to shut it off. So I guess my question is: is it worth giving it another shot?

It's pretty hit or miss and depends on the movie. If they're doing a movie I've seen, I'll listen, but I don't find it as reliably enjoyable as HDTGM. Elliott's voice is definitely grating, and he clearly thinks he's a lot funnier than he actually is. He's a writer for the Daily Show (and I work in marketing, so maybe my opinion doesn't count for shit), and a lot of his concepts are funny, but his execution is often pretty poor. I generally like hearing the other two guys' takes on it more than his.

 

But, my love of bad movies keeps me listening when there's a movie I enjoy (unlike HDTGM, which I will listen to regardless of the movie because it will always be funny, even if I hated the movie). We Hate Movies is better, but still a ways behind HDTGM.

[Lando 2019]

People act like every movie Nic Cage has ever made is campy comedy gold, but while I think that Cage has made a few fun bad and campy movies, he's also made a few really really good movies (I LOVE Adaptation for example). But I think John Travolta deserves the attention more than Nic Cage.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

People act like every movie Nic Cage has ever made is campy comedy gold, but while I think that Cage has made a few fun bad and campy movies, he's also made a few really really good movies (I LOVE Adaptation for example). But I think John Travolta deserves the attention more than Nic Cage.

Totally agree about Cage. I think his good movies are as good as his bad movies are bad. Moonstruck, Kick-Ass, Lord of War, Adaptation, Matchstick Men, and The Rock are all Cage movies that I genuinely enjoy. Hell, I even like Guarding Tess. His biggest problems are that 1) he doesn't seem to pass on pretty much anything, and 2) he needs a director that can rein in some of his crazier quirks onscreen. When you match him up with a director with the competence of the Coens or Jonze, you can get a really great performance out of him.

 

Personally, my favorite terrible movie star is Schwarzenegger, but again, it's not all in. While there's a lot of his shit that's fun because it's terrible, there's also stuff like Terminator, Maggie, and True Lies. Cheesy action movies are my favorite bad movies, so I'd put him, Stallone, JCVD, or Vin Diesel ahead of Cage for my favorite bad movie actor.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

HDTGM just posted on Facebook and Twitter that this movie and Kazaam will be the two movies for the live show at Largo on 12/12.

 

While I'm excited about Kazaam, I'm guessing this means the Steel episode will be late =\

[OoofMaGOOF 348]

 

What was the Q? Maybe we can provide you an A...

 

 

It would be fun actually...I asked on the Facebooks what our hosts' hacker names would be...

[OoofMaGOOF 348]

People act like every movie Nic Cage has ever made is campy comedy gold, but while I think that Cage has made a few fun bad and campy movies, he's also made a few really really good movies (I LOVE Adaptation for example). But I think John Travolta deserves the attention more than Nic Cage.

 

Matchstick Men is another legit GREAT movie that nobody seems to talk about-and he was excellent in it!

 

[OoofMaGOOF 348]

HDTGM just posted on Facebook and Twitter that this movie and Kazaam will be the two movies for the live show at Largo on 12/12.

 

While I'm excited about Kazaam, I'm guessing this means the Steel episode will be late =\

 

Yeah, I was wondering, I thought the live shows hadn't happened yet. Ohhhhh weelll...at least we know ahead of time!

[Cameron H. 23786]

Personally, my favorite terrible movie star is Schwarzenegger, but again, it's not all in. While there's a lot of his shit that's fun because it's terrible, there's also stuff like Terminator, Maggie, and True Lies. Cheesy action movies are my favorite bad movies, so I'd put him, Stallone, JCVD, or Vin Diesel ahead of Cage for my favorite bad movie actor.

 

I had a Holiday Party at work today, so as you can imagine, rather than endure the torture that is fraternizing with my knuckle-dragging co-workers, I set my mind to who my favorite terrible movie star--and it was a lot more difficult than you'd think. As you said earlier about Cage, and something that I think can be applied to most actors, is given the right director and material, almost anyone is capable of turning in a good performance. The thing I can say about Cage is that we've all seen him act really well in tons of movies, so when he does go a little nuts, you know it's a choice he's making for that particular role and not because he's not capable of turning in a good performance. Do his choices always work? No, but at least he's trying to do something.

 

So taking all of that into consideration, I'd have to say my vote for best worst actor has to be post-Pulp Fiction John Travolta. I think early in his career, Travolta was actually a...let's say, "decent" actor. Even if you just look at movies like Staying Alive and Perfect, he's doing the work. It's not like we don't like Tony or Adam because his acting is bad, it's because they are garbage people and that's what he's portraying. But sometime after Pulp Fiction, Travolta just seemed to have just thrown any speck of ability he possessed into the shitter and started acting like a goddamn Jon Lovitz character.

 

 

His characters are so cartoonishly over the top, that I can't help but be entertained by him.

 

HDTGM just posted on Facebook and Twitter that this movie and Kazaam will be the two movies for the live show at Largo on 12/12.

 

While I'm excited about Kazaam, I'm guessing this means the Steel episode will be late =\

 

That's kind of a bummer. Oh well, I guess that just gives us more time to talk about weird shit. For instance, she thought she was going to get away with it unremarked, but in the Hackers thread, Ellen M mentioned how Rankin and Bass's Santa Claus really did it for her when she was younger...

 

 

Anyone else want to volunteer their weird cartoon crushes?

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

It would be fun actually...I asked on the Facebooks what our hosts' hacker names would be...

 

I saw that one! That would have been good!

 

I'm not on Facebook, but I do lurk their page from time to time just to make fun of all the silly, "If I Q'd in a cup, would you drink it with your A?" nonsense, and I thought that your's would definitely be read. On a side note--I saw someone posted a question about me, which I found to be incredibly flattering even if it was meant as a joke.

 

But to answer your question, I'd say:

 

Paul--Dialed Up

June-- Error 404

Jason--Hard Disk Jockey

 

Once we get through these, can we do their rapper names?

[FisterRoboto 7499]

So taking all of that into consideration, I'd have to say my vote for best worst actor has to be post-Pulp Fiction John Travolta. I think early in his career, Travolta was actually a...let's say, "decent" actor. Even if you just look at movies like Staying Alive and Perfect, he's doing the work. It's not like we don't like Tony or Adam because his acting is bad, it's because they are garbage people and that's what he's portraying. But sometime after Pulp Fiction, Travolta just seemed to have just thrown any speck of ability he possessed into the shitter and started acting like a goddamn Jon Lovitz character.

Except for Get Shorty. He was fucking awesome in that.

 

Side note: was it here or on DLM that Broken Arrow came up recently? Either way, that needs to be a HDTGM movie.

 

That's kind of a bummer. Oh well, I guess that just gives us more time to talk about weird shit. For instance, she thought she was going to get away with it unremarked, but in the Hackers thread, Ellen M mentioned how Rankin and Bass's Santa Claus really did it for her when she was younger...

 

 

Anyone else want to volunteer their weird cartoon crushes?

If EllenM is into puppets, she should see Anomalisa. I went to see that with a date at a film festival, and it was, well....SUPER awkward

because of puppets fucking.

 

[Cameron H. 23786]

Except for Get Shorty. He was fucking awesome in that.

 

Yeah, I'll give you Get Shorty. It goes back to that good material, good director thing again, though.

 

Side note: was it here or on DLM that Broken Arrow came up recently? Either way, that needs to be a HDTGM movie.

 

I don't think it was here, but I agree that it should be done. More Christian Slater! Now!

 

 

If EllenM is into puppets, she should see Anomalisa. I went to see that with a date at a film festival, and it was, well....SUPER awkward

because of puppets fucking.

 

 

Now, now--we're not here to judge, but to share our quirky, super deviant cartoon fetishes.