Episode 142 - The Phantom: LIVE! (w/ Eliza Skinner, Ed Brubaker)

[Auden 1809]

So just to clarify is Ipswich on the South Shore?

Yes. And the next time you're driving that way with your pal Gus to Break some Bad, make sure you keep some maxi-pads in the glove compartment. If you don't, it could be a real "disaster."

It's MEE-LAH not MY-LAH.

 

Oh, Fister Roboto. Where are you, and your adorable cantankerousness towards things like this.

[JustinL 216]

Thought this connection was too bizarre not to point out. Apparently PAUL HOGAN would regularly portray the Phantom in sketches on his variety show.

 

[JoelSchlosberg 352]

Correction: purple is not the farthest color in the spectrum from green. Since green combines yellow and blue, and purple combines red and blue, they have blue in common. The farthest color from green is red, and the farthest color from purple is yellow.

 

[jarrycanada 2483]

Hey movie lovers! I would like to give one of the best movies that I've seen a signal boost. The Franco-Polish movie, The Innocents is making the arthouse cinema rounds in the States now (a list of movie theaters that are showing the movie is here).

 

Here is the synopsis of the movie, which is based on true events, from its imdb page, "In 1945 Poland, a young French Red Cross doctor who is sent to assist the survivors of the German camps discovers several nuns in advanced states of pregnancy during a visit to a nearby convent."

 

In an earlier thread I spoke of being drawn to stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. In The Innocents we have ordinary women helping and saving each other in the aftermath of unspeakable evil. These women are incredibly strong, incredibly brave.

 

I have a short attention span. But the movie was so intense that not once during the the movie's 1 hour and 55 minutes run time did I wonder how much longer it will be before the movie ends. And when the movie ended, someone actually clapped. Nobody has ever clapped in Regal Arbor 8 @ Great Hills.

 

Keep the name of Lou de Laâge in mind. The luminous actor who plays the French doctor is Juliette Binoche's acting heir apparent.

 

I hope you'll go see it. (Writing about the movie makes me want to see it again. Even though I'm moving in a few days and I have tons of homework.) I want movies that are directed by women, written by women, that star mostly women, to succeed.

 

 

 

I watched this crazy tv show called "flowers" This sums up about how I feel about life.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_udl-vEBM8

I sure cried a lot watching this show.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

Correction: purple is not the farthest color in the spectrum from green. Since green combines yellow and blue, and purple combines red and blue, they have blue in common. The farthest color from green is red, and the farthest color from purple is yellow.

 

While this is true, that makes yellow a complimentary color to purple. They look good together. Just as red looks good with green and therefore are both favorites of Christmas time.

 

I think their point was not only that purple stands out against green but also that the green of the jungle just doesn't look right next to the purple of his suit.

 

Clearly no one there took color theory.

[klemjohansen 748]

On an unrelated note - anyone finish Stranger Things? I remember playing the Atari 2600 version as a kid

 

[tomspanks 9039]

Stranger Things started off slow, but I ended up loving it. Looking forward to the soundtrack release tomorrow.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

I loved Stranger Things! But the two guys that Nancy could choose from are both dudes that I'm like no girl go your own way.

 

 

#JusticeForBarb

 

[klemjohansen 748]

Barb's Trapper Keeper game is strong. I was a kid in this era, and I knew a lot of Barbs- rectilinear eyewear, serious Martha Plimpton vibe. Barbs are awesome.

 

 

 

I imagine an alternate reality in which Barb survived and went on to become the queen of the alterna-kids scene at the all-ages dance clubs of the late 80's - wearing all black and a New Order T-shirt, her mother complaining "you dress like a Greek widow!"

 

 

[Auden 1809]

So 80's nostalgia is one of the things that fuel "Stranger Things", and it references many many works from that era. I wonder what the viewing experience is like for millennials.

[EllenM 943]

So 80's nostalgia is one of the things that fuel "Stranger Things", and it references many many works from that era. I wonder what the viewing experience is like for millennials.

You rang?

[Auden 1809]

> : (

[taylor anne photo 11311]

You rang?

Saaaaame

 

[klemjohansen 748]

I like to think that Wednesday and Suzuki Beane were reluctant friends in "square" school

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P909e3DznY8

[DonnyHo 2]

Long time listener, first time poster.

 

So, i watched "The Phantom" on Friday night, then on Saturday night I watched 'Elvira, Mistress of the Dark'. And i was shocked to see the climaxes of both films are pretty much the same thing:

 

In 'The Phantom', Drax collects the magical objects he's been looking for (3 skulls), while in 'Elvira' Vincent Talbot collects the magic object he's been looking for (his sisters magic cook book). These objects give them powers they didn't have before.

 

Both the Phantom and Elvira 'discover' that their rings, which have been present the whole time, have the power to counteract the powers that Drax/Vincent have acquired. In both films the rings were never shown to have powers until this point.

 

During the final, climactic battle, Drax/Vincent shoot an energy beam at the Phantom/Elvira and the ring is used to block said beam. Then the rings emit their own beams, which engulf Drax/Vincent in a other worldly fire causing them to disappear.

 

And for good measure the pirate island burns (from lava), while Elvira's house also burns ( form regular fire).

 

So is 'The Phantom' just a really odd homage to 'Elvira, Mistress of the Dark' or did i just stumble on a weird ass coincidence?

[Auden 1809]

Saaaaame

 

 

But seriously, I wasn't trying to say Millennials don't know anything. I was interested in a relatively unbiased look at Strangers Things. Nostalgia made me predisposed to like the show. I'm curious to know what's left when you take that away. (Surely not the ugly 80's fashion!) For example, if you've lived through the reign of Winona Ryder as the princess of cool, you'd appreciate that in Strangers Things the princess was allowed to grow old. But without that background, does Joyce come across as yet another hysterical movie mom?

[JustinL 216]

I enjoyed Stranger Things well enough while I was watching it, but I wish I had liked it more. I had too many problems with the acting of many of the main characters and frankly the writing, which I felt was full of plot contrivances and was way more concerned with invoking other sci-fi properties than making any of those elements cohesive or internally consistent or logical. That said, I want to own the score soundtrack as well.

[Auden 1809]

Hahaha. Here's an interesting article, Enjoyment of trash films linked to high intelligence. (h/t How Did This Get Blogged.)

"To such viewers, trash films appear as an interesting and welcome deviation from the mainstream fare", says Sarkhosh. "We are dealing here with an audience with above-average education, which one could describe as 'cultural omnivores'. Such viewers are interested in a broad spectrum of art and media across the traditional boundaries of high and popular culture." He went on to explain that their engagement in film culture is demonstrated by their discussion of these films in blogs and forums [emphasis added].

[taylor anne photo 11311]

 

But seriously, I wasn't trying to say Millennials don't know anything. I was interested in a relatively unbiased look at Strangers Things. Nostalgia made me predisposed to like the show. I'm curious to know what's left when you take that away. (Surely not the ugly 80's fashion!) For example, if you've lived through the reign of Winona Ryder as the princess of cool, you'd appreciate that in Strangers Things the princess was allowed to grow old. But without that background, does Joyce come across as yet another hysterical movie mom?

Ahahahaha! I definitely didn't take it that way so have no worries! I think I was more remembering that I am in fact a Millennial? Even though I still don't really feel like one? I mean I still have to Google shit on how to use Snapchat, but then on the flipside the other day someone used Zendaya as a reference just for Millennials and I definitely got it cause I really like her so there's that.

 

Anyway, Winona was still very much the princess while I was growing up so it's very awesome to see her in this kind of role. I also really loved her in Black Swan despite it being such a small part. Even with that, Joyce definitely did not come off as just another hysterical mother. Every one of her actions and reactions were warranted and understandable and I thought Winona killed it.

[AndyReichel 16]

Was I the only one excited that the cab driver was the guy from the Polly-O String Cheese commercial?

https://youtu.be/BG7273yDpdA

[klemjohansen 748]

Was I the only one excited that the cab driver was the guy from the Polly-O String Cheese commercial?

https://youtu.be/BG7273yDpdA

 

Those kids talking in Italian and French as if the French invented pizza- ugh. Can you imagine an alternate universe in which French chefs invented pizza and people loved it? A disc of croissant slathered in fatty cream sauce and topped with bœuf bourguignon and brie. Actually, that does not sound horrible now that I think about it.

[JoelSchlosberg 352]

On an unrelated note - anyone finish Stranger Things? I remember playing the Atari 2600 version as a kid

 

 

That's obviously not real, since graphical elements have more than 4 colors! The Nintendo Entertainment System could assign at most 4 colors to each individual sprite; that's why, for instance, Mario's hair is the same color as his clothes:

The more technically-limited Atari 2600 could display only 4 total colors on each of the TV display's horizontal lines. (See here.) So there is no way that there would be an entire three hues used for that kid's hat.

[klemjohansen 748]

For 1982/3, a text adventure game on a TRS-80 would probably have been more accurate.

 

 

 

You're in a super-spooky clearing in the woods. A path leads to safety to the south. There are creepy-looking paths leading east and west.

 

You hear screams, high teenagey girl screams that might or might not be Nancy, coming from inside the tree to the North.

 

> Go north

 

Into the tree with the fucking split-face monster? Are you out of your fucking mind? Nancy is hot and all, but it's time to move on.

 

> Inventory

 

You are carrying: a flashlight, jacket, an unfortunate haircut

 

> Knock on tree

 

I don't understand those words.

...

Actually I do. I just think this is a dumb idea.

 

> Set beartrap

 

You cannot do that here.

 

> Mope

 

This action has no effect.

 

> Hit on barb

 

Better idea, but she's not here.

 

> Go north.

 

No.

...

A creepy hand reaches out of the creepy hole in the creepy tree, creepily.

 

> grab hand

 

You probably guessed that it's not the monster's hand but Nancy's. Good job. You've seen movies before. *golf clap* By the way, if you think you're going to make out with her now, you're sorely mistaken. Check a map, buddy. The zone you are in is clearly labelled "friend."

 

 

 

 

 

I used to play them on my Trash-80 all the time because I was (am) a huge nerd. Because you couldn't store anything (without sacrificing your Queen's Greatest Hits cassette) I learned to write games super fast. I thought it would impress girls.

 

 

 

It did not.

 

 

[tomspanks 9039]

Those kids talking in Italian and French as if the French invented pizza- ugh. Can you imagine an alternate universe in which French chefs invented pizza and people loved it? A disc of croissant slathered in fatty cream sauce and topped with bœuf bourguignon and brie. Actually, that does not sound horrible now that I think about it.

 

I'd eat it.

[JoelSchlosberg 352]

For 1982/3, a text adventure game on a TRS-80 would probably have been more accurate.

 

Good point, a text-based game would have been able to offer a lot more depth. What's notable about E.T. on a modern rewatch is how little electronics period the kids have in 1982! They have lots of old-fashioned mechanical or stuffed toys, they have a TV, but the only notable interactive electronic toy is a Speak & Spell. There's not even an Atari 2600 hooked up to the TV, despite the obvious cross-promotional possibilities in the movie that famously incorporated Reese's Pieces. So whether the game was on an Atari 2600 or on an early home computer, Elliott wouldn't have been able to play it.

 

However, a graphical game would not be impossible on that era's pre-8-bit hardware. There is a Halo game for the Atari 2600 that does indeed bring Master Chief to the 4-color-scanline screen! Yes, it really exists as an actual game that really does run on the original hardware:

It can be played online here.