Episode 129 - The Apple: LIVE!

[IJoinedJustForThis 35]

badmovies.org's review of the apple: http://www.badmovies.org/movies/apple/

 

Just because a website is dead doesn't mean it can't help.

[jarrycanada 2483]

Also Mr. Tops looks just like a younger Donald Sutherland to me

 

There can only be one mr tops, you know what I

.

 

 

Michael Caine as MR tops.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Anybody have an explanation for the bit at the end where Alphie looks at Mr. Boogalow and Shake and sees this for a split second?

 

It's in case you didn't get the oh-so-subtle metaphor of him as the devil. There are a couple other times (like during Boogalow's first song) where he appears in a similar devil form for single shots.

[paultab 225]

One thing we haven't addressed, although it gets indirectly addressed during the podcast:

 

Throughout the course of the movie, there are some characters who say BoogaLOW and some that say BoogaLOO, in the same conversation. It's almost like the actors are arguing while the cameras are rolling.

 

(I love this movie.)

[walterwoodsiv 215]

It's in case you didn't get the oh-so-subtle metaphor of him as the devil. There are a couple other times (like during Boogalow's first song) where he appears in a similar devil form for single shots.

 

Wait a minute! Was this some sort of Adam and Eve story?! What year is it?!

 

Yeah, I get he's dressed as the devil. I'm more interested in what Shake is wearing.

[Darbler Cheesegarbler 1110]

Andy Richter was the PERFECT HDTGM guest. He did his homework, he had many insightful things to say, and he was just hilarious. Please have him back! I feel like he meshed with everyone really well, including the audience.

 

I have to say, almost everyone in this movie except for Alphie and Bibi, and the landlady and the hippies, seemed like Chris Tucker from The 5th Element. In fact, The 5th Element seemed to take some cues from this movie, which rattles me to the core because I love The 5th Element.

 

Some notes / omissions:

• This movie could've benefited greatly by showing some tits, especially during that Cosby'd orgy sex scene.
  
• Alphie seemed to remember people, like the reporters (including Pittman or whatever his name is), from scenes he wasn't in. He never met those people, as far as we know.
  
• The Bim mark is a triangle and it appears everywhere: Illuminati confirmed.
  
• This takes place in 1994 and the movie was made in 1980, so presumably all of the characters were alive when the world was normal and saw it transform into this crazy fucking mess. Jewish landlady even talks about the old days.
  
• Is there some time travel subtext here? The hippies are "refugees from the 60's", it's only 14 years after this movie was made and everything is hyper-futuristic, and "God" shows up in a golden car for some reason. Maybe we're meant to view time in the 4th dimension and the 60's have been destroyed, somehow leaving behind some refugees in the present, and all of this bonkers futuristic bullshit has been brought back to 1994 from the future. Is this theory really any crazier than the movie itself?
  

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

Also Mr. Tops looks just like a younger Donald Sutherland to me

 

Which is strange, because even young Donald Sutherland never actually looked like a young Donald Sutherland. He was seemingly born with old man face.

[AllanCanumay 0]

Fine! The Apple, wonderful. But I got something even more HDTGM fantas-cular... The 1982 movie "She". GO...

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

 

Yeah, I get he's dressed as the devil. I'm more interested in what Shake is wearing.

 

Is he Serpentor, maybe?

 

 

[ChunkStyle 1160]

Regarding BiBi and Alphie's very large child. Obviously the most likely answer is that casting (or the prop master?) just didn't do the math.

 

But maybe BiBi and Alphie did a very nice thing and adopted a child. Very nice right up until they made the child drink the kool-aid with them in the suicide Cadillac Cult. Speaking of which I'd like for my god Mr. Topps to say something more concrete than "maybe there is another planet" before I drank.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

Some notes / omissions:

• Alphie seemed to remember people, like the reporters (including Pittman or whatever his name is), from scenes he wasn't in. He never met those people, as far as we know.

 

HOLY SHIT YOU'RE RIGHT! I didn't even register that when I watched it! Since the audience had met the reporter I guess I just filled in the blanks. Wow that's it this movie is TRASH!

 

 

 

• Is there some time travel subtext here? The hippies are "refugees from the 60's", it's only 14 years after this movie was made and everything is hyper-futuristic, and "God" shows up in a golden car for some reason. Maybe we're meant to view time in the 4th dimension and the 60's have been destroyed, somehow leaving behind some refugees in the present, and all of this bonkers futuristic bullshit has been brought back to 1994 from the future. Is this theory really any crazier than the movie itself?

 

I don't think anyone in this movie did any math whatsoever. The Lead Hippie/Mr. Tops dude was the only one who would have been old enough to really be part of the 60s and considered a refugee. The rest of them were Alphie & Bibi's age according to looks or just children. There is a possibility then that their parents were actually 60s refugees and they were born in the 60s but then Lead Hippie would not have been the only one in his age group in that commune. None of those people who look like they were born in 65-70 would be considered 60s refugees. Plus seeing kids who would have been my age in 94 are not fucking 60s children. Unless there is some weird time loop thing and they still think it's 1980.

[Vladimir Poutine 62]

I am profoundly disappointed that no one in the audience suggested the alternate title of this movie as, "Xanadu 2: Electric Boogalow."

[GiveMeYourBaby 102]

I know it's a bit cliche to attach a Jacob's Ladder scenarios to HDTGM movies but I think this case actually has some interesting implications. I believe the turn from reality happens around two thirds of the way through the movie just after Alphie gets beat up for trying to talk to Bibi and punching Roger Daltrey. This is the point where the movie diverges from the classic fame rise, fall, and redemption plot. Alphie wakes up and the land lady is talking about him trying to kill himself. It's worth noting that this is the character's lowest point. He's alone, broke, rejected professionally and romantically. The next thing that happens is Pandi's nightmare Cosby seduction. Why does Boogalow need to corrupt Alphie too? Bibi is his next star and audiences apparently hate Alphie. Then he meets the previously unestablished hippie commune that live in an implausible cave under a bridge. Shake also lets Bibi go for absolutely no reason other than it fits Alphie's fantasy of escaping commercialism and pursuing blind idealism. The slap dash deus ex machina appearance of Mr. Topps at the end is just the cherry on top. Which brings me to the crux of my theory. We establish early in the film that drugs are widely available and commonly used in this world's society. I believe that after Alphie's life collapses around him he attempts to overdose on pills and the rest of the movie is his dream from his pre-fatal coma leading up to him drifting into oblivion chasing a spectral Cadillac that does not exist.

 

The movie lapses into dream logic throughout but the latter half does so especially.

 

I'd also like to call out how most of songs were mostly just a single line repeated over and over (Child of Love being the worst offender). The writers couldn't even put together a chorus.

[Great Lake Avenger 18]

I think why the same actor played Hippie king and Mr Topps in this Genesis/Revelations mashup is this: They are part of the Holy Trinity. Topps is God the Father, Hippie King is the 2nd coming of Christ, the Son. And the Gold Caddie is the Holy Spirit? Kinda like KITT?

[Great Lake Avenger 18]

Was the Hippie Rapture, the same as the Wookie Life Day candle walk into a star?

[CaptainWeasel 3]

I haven't seen the film, but I've listened to the episode and it sounds insane. Given that, I just pulled up an episode of the UK Kitchen Nightmares, and it's about the actor of Dandi, Allan Love's restauarant. Weird coincidence that I had to share. The episode is on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onR8qdoJ4JA

[FisterRoboto 7499]

So, I might have dozed off a few times during the movie. I was really tired while I was watching it, and I think I just missed stuff like them repeating, "Hey, hey, hey BIM's on the way" about two million times. (I would doze off about halfway through a song and wake up, and it would still be on). So I don't have a ton to add to everything, except to say that I really wish this had had a bigger budget so they could have gotten a better known cast. Specifically, how great would this movie have been if Dandi and Pandi had been cast as David Lee Roth and Grace Jones?

 

Actually, fuck it. Can we make that movie happen now? Who would be in y'all's dream cast?

 

Edit: Also, a couple people mentioned it, but Paul being this episode's June and June reminding him of it several times was literally the best thing that has ever happened on HDTGM.

[hornacek 43]

1) Is there any reason that when Mr. Boogalow was shown as the devil he only had one horn? He had a horn on his left temple only. Why wouldn't he have a matching horn on this right temple? Even in scenes where he isn't trying to hide who he really is, he only has the one horn.

 

2) In The Apple song when they're trying to get Bibi to eat the apple, no one has mentioned that one of the background singers/dancers has two faces. He can be seen at 1:18 of the trailer; he's one of the people that says "Taste it! Taste it!" I know this scene is supposed to be hell, and that guy is only visible for a few seconds, but he freaked me out.

[DanEngler 5249]

1) Is there any reason that when Mr. Boogalow was shown as the devil he only had one horn? He had a horn on his left temple only. Why wouldn't he have a matching horn on this right temple? Even in scenes where he isn't trying to hide who he really is, he only has the one horn.

This probably has something to do with the archaic belief that "left" carries a negative connotation. The word sinister, for example, historically means both "evil" and "on the left side".

[RyanSz 3140]

Omission:

 

Was the kid that Bibi carrying at the end really her and Alfi's kid? If he was then what the fuck because that kid was like 3-4 years old and they were only hiding in the hippy commune for about a year. Also when Mr. Tops tells Boogalow that he is going to start over again, just without him this time, does that mean that there are countless other planets where people have just been abandoned by this higher power who basically said "well fuck it, this won't work" and left them to wither in purgatory? And finally, why did none of the other reporters realize that Boogalow was an uber-dictator when he basically told the guy that asked him the question about rigging the contest that he was having him fired and that he would basically flounder in poverty for the rest of his life, on camera and surrounded by dozens of microphones, without batting an eye? You would think that would create a whole new line of questioning for these reporters looking for a huge scoop.

[Hummie Mann 1]

Ok, I was going a bit crazy that no-one brought this up in the episode, although it's entirely possible it was mentioned and I just missed it.

Does no-one else see that BIM is just IBM re-arranged? Like the writers just chose a conglomerate and made the minimum effort necessary for them not to be sued. It just speaks to the sheer laziness of the writing and worldbuilding of this movie.

[CindyPeng 14]

Something that I think deserves mentioning -- the Japanese have been broadcasting daily calisthenics exercises (only a few minutes long) over the national radio station for over 80 years and many employers and schools there have it twice a day. There are videos on Youtube of construction workers doing it on site in Japan and Google even made a video of actors wearing suits spelling out Google's logo and doing the calisthenics to celebrate the anniversary of the first radio broadcast.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou-bM6mPrGY

 

I know of all this because a former coworker of mine used to play the calisthenics video every day and we'd all do the exercise at the office once a day in the afternoon. And, you know ... it's really quite useful to help you relax and stretch during the workday! Although after watching this movie, I will never see the calisthenics the same way again. I do kind of wonder if the screenwriter knew about this practice and were inspired to create BIM Hour. Or if BIM Hour is based on something much more sinister, like the forced calisthenics practiced on Jews during the Third Reich.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Something that I think deserves mentioning -- the Japanese have been broadcasting daily calisthenics exercises (only a few minutes long) over the national radio station for over 80 years and many employers and schools there have it twice a day. There are videos on Youtube of construction workers doing it on site in Japan and Google even made a video of actors wearing suits spelling out Google's logo and doing the calisthenics to celebrate the anniversary of the first radio broadcast.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou-bM6mPrGY

 

I know of all this because a former coworker of mine used to play the calisthenics video every day and we'd all do the exercise at the office once a day in the afternoon. And, you know ... it's really quite useful to help you relax and stretch during the workday! Although after watching this movie, I will never see the calisthenics the same way again. I do kind of wonder if the screenwriter knew about this practice and were inspired to create BIM Hour.

I'd be very interested to hear Cam Bert's thoughts on this, since he lives in Japan (Osaka, if I remember correctly?) and is our resident Japanese culture expert.

 

Or if BIM Hour is based on something much more sinister, like the forced calisthenics practiced on Jews during the Third Reich.

Sinister, you say?

This probably has something to do with the archaic belief that "left" carries a negative connotation. The word sinister, for example, historically means both "evil" and "on the left side".

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

Ok, I was going a bit crazy that no-one brought this up in the episode, although it's entirely possible it was mentioned and I just missed it.

Does no-one else see that BIM is just IBM re-arranged? Like the writers just chose a conglomerate and made the minimum effort necessary for them not to be sued. It just speaks to the sheer laziness of the writing and worldbuilding of this movie.

That thought crossed my mind while watching it, but I can't decide if it is just coincidence or not because I honestly don't think the writers gave this movie enough forethought for even THAT weak of an example of worldbuilding.

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

i know Andy pointed out that Nigel Lythgoe choreographed this movie and Paul mentioned pop idol and Im sure this is old news to most put when i saw his name pop up in the credits i had a few thoughts:

 

so this movie starts with a couple of kids competing in a televised song contest and going from unknowns onto to gaining great fame etc etc. which is why i mention Lythgoe.

 

one of his first producer credits was on "the big big talent show". it was a uk talent show where unknown acts get a chance to perform on prime time saturday night tv. he then went on to produce gladiators. which is a show where unknowns get to show off there strength and fitness by competing against "the gladiators". this is all sounding very familiar.

 

then in 2000 he became known as "Nasty" Nigel when he was a judge/producer on a show called "Popstars". this was the first of the massive singing contest shows in the UK. he then left this show and, along with simon fuller, he developed and produced "Pop Idol". this was the original show that later spawned the world wide Idol shows including "American Idol", without which there would be no "X Factor", "The Voice" etc.

 

He was also involved with "Survivor" and as Andy mentioned, "So you think you can dance".

 

So is Nigel Lythgoe a real life Mr. Boogalow? I mean he was instrumental in releasing all these "Reality" shows which have taken over the worlds TV screens .. not to mention bringing the likes of Simon Cowell worldwide fame and riches ... Should i really blame the Kardashians fame on Lythgoe and not Ray J and his video camera??? Should I blame him for the likes Honey Boo Boo and the so called "dumbing down" of TV every where??? And why am i using so many quotation marks in this???

 

Basically what I am asking is did his experiences on this movie plant a seed in Lythgoes head which later grew into todays reality TV? Does Paul owe Golan and Co. a massive thank you for the Bachelor?