EPISODE 125 - Steel: LIVE!

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

you're

The "are" comes after "you all." Just be glad he didn't go with the fun contraction "y'all're."

 

Edit: Never mind. You were talking about his use of "your," and I'm an idiot. Can't help ya there, Cameron.

 

Well, shit....

 

I went ahead and corrected the offending word. I have brought shame to myself and to this thread.

 

There's only one thing left I can do...

 

 

Thank you, Fister. You did all that you could.

[RyanSz 3140]

Am I the only one wishing there was a deleted scene aftre Shaq took Gish from the VA where a doctor runs in saying, "where'd she go, we were about to start the operation to repair her spine so she could walk again?"

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

Tag line: "Man of Shit. And Breadcrumbs."

[GiveMeYourBaby 102]

Forget this weird "Housewives" miniseries, I want a miniseries that's just Paul's stories of working at Blockbuster!

 

I agree. They were sort of a non sequitur but I enjoyed them. Maybe now that The League is over Paul can write a new show about being the desperate manager of the last brick and mortar video rental store. Netflix could ironically pick it up.

 

Also the correct answer to who should play Steel in the remake is Idris Elba. He's been putting in the work.

 

[EllenM 943]

Wow this was a great ep. There's so much I love about this:

 

1. The sleeping girl

2. The Second Opinion song guy

3. Paul's Blockbuster shenanigans

4. Jason's continued love for Jacob's Ladder

5. Ders, in general

 

 

Also, I got a week left of exams and currently feel like

 

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

Ommission: I don't know how anyone didn't say it during the "Roshomon" theory, but using that explanation, GISH is Iron Man. I mean, she's injured and taken prisoner, forced to make weapons, distracting her captors by whipping up petty, non-lethal bullshit while making herself a war machine on the DL? She's Tony Stark!

[seancarroll 26]

I was the "Second Opinion Song Guy" in this episode. What was cut from the podcast, right after Paul told me that I wasn't going on stage, was that I told him that I was planning to. Jason replied, "No. You get the steps." Unfortunately, I lost my pick, and spent some time searching for it. Jason threatened to throw me out. I didn't want to waste any more time, so I just said, "Fuck it! No pick!" and decided to play pick-less.

[PodPoncho 15]

There was a confusing moment where Sparks recorded the DA, and used his voice to get Steel out of jail. It was weird, because it sounded like she just recorded his voice and played it back, but then she's also speaking it - as if it's an effect on her voice to make it sound like his voice.

 

When Col. David is trying to track down Steel's location, they have a vocal effect that makes Shaq sound like - Arnold Schwarzenegger. I would have loved to see the scene where they call him up to get the words they needed for that very long conversation!

 

Eat the hot dog,

-Podponcho

[taylor anne photo 11311]

Well just found out via The Nerdist that the Silversun Pickups are HUGE fans of HDTGM and apparently have been to multiple Largo shows. This is incredible information to me.

[Cameron H. 23786]

Before we all start really shitting on this movie, I think it's important that we all take a moment to recognize the things that this movie does right.

 

For instance, one of the most important details one has to get right in order for a superhero movie to work is that the hero's main villain should be diametrically opposed to him/her, while still being in that particular hero's weight class--if not physically, than certainly intellectually. For example: Wolverine vs. Sabretooth works, while Wolverine vs. Galactus probably doesn't. In this regard, I think Steel delivers in spades!

 

Steel is a guy who seems genuinely confused when he asks Gish, "They've got a warrant out for me?"* Which, keep in mind, at this point in the movie, he's been an extremely conspicuous figure at not one, but TWO high profile shootouts in downtown Los Angeles, both of which ended with him being pursued by the LAPD in a madcap, property and police car destroying, chase though the streets of LA. So, with that all being said, I have absolutely no trouble believing that Steel's arch-nemesis is a guy who is easily suckered by the old, "whatever you do, don't press the red button on that thing I made" ploy.

 

Hell, Steel and Burke were made for each other.

 

*Taking into account Shaq's limited acting ability, I rewound this scene with closed captioning on just to make sure that it wasn't just a question mark being acted on a declarative statement, but it only just confirmed that the question mark I heard was right there in the script.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Well just found out via The Nerdist that the Silversun Pickups are HUGE fans of HDTGM and apparently have been to multiple Largo shows. This is incredible information to me.

I don't know what the hell a Silversun Pickup is, but it needs to get off my goddamn lawn!

[RikkiHo 84]

I really think we need a supercut of Shaq laughing while on the Steel-cycle.

 

Was it a risky move for Judd Nelson to immediately start making black market weapons manufacturing offers to Big Willy right in front of his employees? What if they thought they legitimately worked for an arcade game company?

 

When Judd decided he couldn't trust Duvray, he blew up the elevator she was in along with a couple other henchmen. No mention of this is made ever again in the movie. I guess from Big Willy's perspective, if you're hanging assault weapons from a nail in arcade cabinets, random explosions occur on the job site pretty regularly.

[PushkinThunderLiger 21]

Did Steel actually swing his hammer at any point in this movie, or do anything hammer-like with it? I get that the character is meant to be a reference to the folk hero John Henry, but for how he uses it in the course of the film there is no reason for it to be a hammer. He mostly just uses it to shoot lasers out of the bottom, and switch on his electromagnet. Would a laser gun and a button not have been more convenient, not to mention lightweight?

 

 

Also I can't tell if "Big Willy" the arcade manager was meant to be more social commentary, were people blaming video games for gun violence as early as 97, and his scheme was just a very literal portrayal of it?

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Also I can't tell if "Big Willy" the arcade manager was meant to be more social commentary, were people blaming video games for gun violence as early as 97, and his scheme was just a very literal portrayal of it?

I don't know about the second part, but the violence in video games thing goes back quite a ways (even back to shitty games with barely recognizable characters like Death Race from 1976). But ESRB ratings became a thing in 1994 because of content controversies.

[Cameron H. 23786]

Was anyone else concerned for the kid when Steel hurled his 400 lbs, steel-coated body on top of him to shield him from the grenade blast? I felt for sure that the next shot was going to be of Steel clutching the shattered body of the kid and screaming, "Oh no! It's happening again!"

[Cameron H. 23786]

Did Steel actually swing his hammer at any point in this movie, or do anything hammer-like with it? I get that the character is meant to be a reference to the folk hero John Henry, but for how he uses it in the course of the film there is no reason for it to be a hammer. He mostly just uses it to shoot lasers out of the bottom, and switch on his electromagnet. Would a laser gun and a button not have been more convenient, not to mention lightweight?

 

No, but I think Gish gave it to him more for ornamentation (because of his name) rather than any use as an actual melee weapon. Although, as alluded to on the show, it should have been a dead giveaway for his secret identity.

 

"Yeah, we're looking for an African-American male, 7 ft tall, approximately 350 lbs, and wielding what looks like a large railroad hammer."

 

"Oh, like John Henry..."

 

*sighs* "Yes, like John Henry...Wait a tick. John Henry? John Henry...Irons? Oh. My. God. I think I've cracked the case!"

[DavidHirsch 12]

I have an Omission for this movie. I was at the live show (sitting directly behind the sleeping girl) but sadly didn't get a chance to share my experience with Shaq.

 

Shaq came to my high school back around 2010 to give a motivational speech so we had 300 people packed into the gym to listen and he asked if anyone had a question for him. Two guys jumped up, grabbed the mic, and started singing "That's How I Beat Shaq" by Aaron Carter to him. They got to the the part of the song where Shaq has a short one-line reply and held the mic up to his face but he just stared at them like he had no idea what the fuck was happening. Then he just took the mic back and said "no more questions"

[Handinpants 91]

I'm listening to the ep right now and am excited. But, I had to stop to post. When I heard about the June BB8 t-shirt, I immediately rushed to the store because that is a thing that I need... but.

 

 

There's a teensy grammatical error here. June said "What's its mission" not "what's it's mission." It's meaning "it is".

 

Anyway, I used to be a copy editor and proofreader so I'm annoying about this stuff. But I will proofread future shirts for you FOR FREE, if you want. ha.

 

What is it is mission might be my new catchphrase.

 

I love the shirt, but the grammatical error kills it for me, as well. I just can't wear an error on my chest all day.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

Well just found out via The Nerdist that the Silversun Pickups are HUGE fans of HDTGM and apparently have been to multiple Largo shows. This is incredible information to me.

The Silversun Pickups were easily the best part of "Sucker Punch", and by that, I actually mean the TRAILER for "Sucker Punch".

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

I have an Omission for this movie. I was at the live show (sitting directly behind the sleeping girl) but sadly didn't get a chance to share my experience with Shaq.

 

Shaq came to my high school back around 2010 to give a motivational speech so we had 300 people packed into the gym to listen and he asked if anyone had a question for him. Two guys jumped up, grabbed the mic, and started singing "That's How I Beat Shaq" by Aaron Carter to him. They got to the the part of the song where Shaq has a short one-line reply and held the mic up to his face but he just stared at them like he had no idea what the fuck was happening. Then he just took the mic back and said "no more questions"

This reminds me of when I got to meet Chuck D when he came and talked at my school about a decade ago. I went to Slippery Rock University in western Pennsylvania, and while we'd get some good acts and speakers, it always seemed like the people that were in charge of planning events (Public Relations majors, maybe? I don't know...) weren't very good at it. Anyway, Chuck was there to kick off Black History Month, gave a great lecture, and told some good stories. I didn't get to ask this in the Q&A, but afterwards, he signed a lot of stuff and talked to fans, and this was part of the conversation I had with him...

 

Me: "Sir, I was wondering if you had a chance to look at our schedule, if you happened to see what we had planned for the rest of our Black History Month celebration?"

 

(pause)

 

Chuck: "Yeah, I saw it all right..."

 

Me: "Okay, cool, so I want to ask you what you thought about..."

 

Chuck: "Oh, I know where this is going..."

 

Me: "What are your thoughts on the fact that you're a pretty big deal, that you have some really smart and important stuff to say, that you were brought in to kick off Black History Month, but that we're apparently ENDING the month with a very special screening of 'Soul Plane'?"

 

(pause)

 

Chuck: "Yeeaahhhhhhh. Yeah, I don't think that the person that made that decision is in this room right now."

 

END SCENE

 

 

He actually got a kick out of someone bringing that up and was a super cool dude and talked to me and my friend for a few more minutes. When asked by another fan whether Flavor Flav was being exploited on TV, he claimed that he WASN'T, but mind you, this was February 2005, so he'd been on maybe ONE VH-1 show by that point.

 

[ChunkStyle 1160]

I really think we need a supercut of Shaq laughing while on the Steel-cycle.

 

To go along with that supercut I would like a supercut of all of Judd Nelson's satisfied smirks.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

 

To go along with that supercut I would like a supercut of all of Judd Nelson's satisfied smirks.

Speaking of SuperCuts, I just finished watching "Return of the Jedi" again, and I'm curious to see the evolution of Mark Hamill's hair game in "Force Awakens".

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

 

I would like to co-sign this. This is also the reason why Geordi from Star Trek was never even hinted at being in a romantic relationship and why in Beverly Hills Cop, Eddie Murphy never kisses the white woman who was mutual friends with the guy that was killed; instead, they make Judd Reinhold the "romantic" partner, and its fucking weird.

Just an addition to what June brought up, but it was 100% a racist decision not to have Shaq kiss Annabeth at the end of the movie.

 

I dont know if anybody else has seen that documentary The Slanted Screen about how asians are portrayed in hollywood movies. But in it they bring up the movie Romeo Must Die, where Jet Li is cast along with Aaliyah as Romeo and Juliet respectively, but even though they were supposed to be the two romantic leads of the movie, at the end it has them give each other some awkward hug.

 

All because either studio or producer notes about how they felt that American audiences werent ready to have an Asian actor as a romantic lead. Its pretty much certain a similar situation happened here.

 

I worked at a movie theater in the early 2000s, and whenever there was a movie with an interracial kiss or love story, we would get angry letters. There was one guy in particular who was VERY put out about it and sent us threatening letters everytime he saw a film with "race mixing. My manager was like, "Please stop calling us. We don't decide what the studios do." We didn't even decide which movies we got since we were part of a chain.

 

But now whenever i see a movie where people of different races make out, it makes me smile knowing somewhere that asshole is having a heart attack.

[jarrycanada 2483]

 

Could not get the image out of my head.

[MissMovies 9]

Hey Friends,

 

This is my first time posting so please forgive me if I should post my "correction and omission" in a different place.

 

I was at this live show and raised my hand to ask this question but next time I will bring a small notepad and raise it in the air like a reporter so I will be noticed. That being said, here was my question/omission:

 

Tagline: Can Shaq Lift It? Yes He Can!

 

Omission: Who exactly is funding all of this? The items they made in the junkyard are clearly more advanced and would need some financial backing so I am wondering where they got the money to make items such as their earpieces and all of her technology.

 

That's all. Love the show and thanks for letting me crash the message board.