Episode 195 - Never Too Young to Die: LIVE! (w/ Matt McConkey)

[FrancisRizzo3 212]

20 minutes ago, samtrano said:

It was the 80s, so he was probably planning to listen to girls shower or something

It would have made sense to give Cliff a Revenge of the Nerds-like plot to peep on a sorority house.

Cliff was planning for a war we didn't know would be fought.

[WatchOutForSnakes 807]

1 minute ago, FrancisRizzo3 said:

Thus Lance saying "name" is what tipped off Ragnar that he was there under false pretenses, leading to the bug sweep.

Never underestimate the mental acuity of Velvet von Ragnar.

I figured Ragnar had Lance figured by seeing him with Danja, and because Pyramid had seen him at the stables. By shouting "Stargrove" at him, Ragnar was just checking to see what kind of reaction he'd get and whether Lance would cave right there. 

For being a top-level spy (or spy adjacent), Danja's not so great at being inconspicuous.

[Aaron TE Price 30]

I think something needs to be said for how progressive Cliff's performance is, considering the context of when this movie was made. He's an Asian-American supporting character from the 80's that doesn't speak with an embarrassing accent or make offensive Asian metaphors. The fact that he's Asian-American isn't even referenced, which seems pretty much unthought of back then.

Granted, he's a genius inventor, which could be considered a stereotype, but at least it's not an offensive one, which was a rarity.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

56 minutes ago, Aaron TE Price said:

I think something needs to be said for how progressive Cliff's performance is, considering the context of when this movie was made. He's an Asian-American supporting character from the 80's that doesn't speak with an embarrassing accent or make offensive Asian metaphors. The fact that he's Asian-American isn't even referenced, which seems pretty much unthought of back then.

Granted, he's a genius inventor, which could be considered a stereotype, but at least it's not an offensive one, which was a rarity.

Even for being a genius inventor in the 80s he wasn't once referred to as a nerd that nobody wanted around! He was maybe even more useful than Lance was considering how willing he was to also jump into action. What disappointed me was that Cliff didn't get to answer for himself when he was also offered a position as a spy, but he didn't protest and I guess went back to college too but I would think he would've been much happier building things that could be used to help people.

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

What was the "who wore it best?"

[Wil Dride 121]

So, this came out a year after Gymkata, a movie where a gymnast whose father is "killed" during the opening credits and the son is tasked with taking over the father's mission. I guess they didn't like the result of having a proper gymnast in the role instead of an actor, so they put in a Stamos.

 

Note: I guess this puts an end to any delusion that the hosts pore over the recommendation forums looking for suggestions, since this movie was recommended in 2012 and Paul had never heard of it until recently. ;)

[taylor anne photo 11311]

How old is Lance and Vanity supposed to be? I assumed that was college but the dude in the limo said he couldn't get to any money until he was 21 so he's supposedly 18-20, and Vanity is..... 25???

[Crashbangboom 18]

Loved the movie, loved the episode.

As for the incinerator Vanity was tortured in, it appears to a brickyard facility, so it was an industrial kiln used to cure clay into bricks. So...

1: the temperature dial would not go by 100's as bricks are fired 1200 Celsius, roughly 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.

2: the human body shuts down at about 250 degree and at 700, she would be on fire, the metal table would be glowing red as would the cuffs holding her down

And, probably the most baffling

3: why would someone install a two-way intercom in an oven?

[ChunkStyle 1160]

1 hour ago, Elektra Boogaloo said:

What was the "who wore it best?"

Do you mean when they were talking about Velvet's costume for the Incinerator Club show?  They said that Linda Carter wore that same outfit to perform a Kiss song.

[Smigg. 509]

Wrestling absolutely is a real man's sport.  Because Kurt Angle won the Olympic Gold Medal, with a broken fucking neck!

He broke his fucking neck, won the fucking Olympics for America, IN America, then he cried, because it was just too much fucking AMERICA to handle.  If Kurt Angle can't handle that much AMERICA, do you know how much AMERICA that fucking is?!  It's fucking LOADS!!

I could handle it, because I'm British, and the term "Yeah, that's alright, that is." is considered HIGH praise.

[Smigg. 509]

Okay, the Kiss Kaskets were brought up.  Dimebag Darrell and his brother, Vinnie Paul were buried in them.  So, if it's good enough for Vinnie and Dime of Pantera, then it's good enough for everybody else.

But, Kiss Kaskets are just the tip of the iceberg.  Some other "interesting" merch items.
- "Tongue Lubricated" Kiss Kondoms
- Kiss Mr Potato Head
- Kiss Checkers
- Kiss Air Guitar Strings

On top of all that Gene Simmons was recently selling his own branded "Gene Simmons Vault".  And for $2000, you get 10 CDs, with over 150 unreleased songs featuring a who's who of music, as well as a special edition action figure, a comemorative "In Gene We Trust" coin,  and a special book with unseen pictures throughout his career.  And the best part is?  Gene will deliver it to you personally!

He did not respond when I asked him if he would chuck some Shannon Tweed movies in there for that price.

[WatchOutForSnakes 807]

3 hours ago, Elektra Boogaloo said:

What was the "who wore it best?"

I looked this up as soon as they mentioned it and it blew my mind! 

[RyanHorn 31]

Elder Stargrove doesn’t know his left from his right. 

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

2 hours ago, WatchOutForSnakes said:

I looked this up as soon as they mentioned it and it blew my mind! 

Thank you! 

 

 Correction: Jason calls it Terrordome not Thunderdome. 

 

Question: what would get the highest bid if Paul auctioned off his junk? Arliss the Hat, signed “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” placemat, laser discs or My Buddy?

[RyanSz 3140]

A few things I want to talk about after listening to the episode.

First George Lazenby is nowhere near the worst Bond, that is easily Timothy Dalton. Lazenby is probably my third favorite Bond after Connery and Craig,  and might have been higher if he didn't get into a huge fight with the producers about how he was to promote the film, and basically leaving the contract he had for another five films if I remember correctly. The Hulu documentary about Lazenby getting the role is one of the best documentaries I've seen in years and gives quite a bit of information on the whole process of how they looked to replace Connery as Bond.

Also, I was surprised to hear that this movie cost three million as there was some big production pieces and special effects in the film. This was more shocking in comparison to Yes Giorgio that somehow cost nineteen million and looked like utter dog shit. As for Gene Simmons' wig, I was starting to think that he was wearing TWO wigs, the orange Coruthers one and the big Rocky Horror one, because there is no feasible way he could fit that mass of hair under a cap in order to put on the orange wig, it was easier to see it as him having one wig in his backpack or supply pouch and would switch as necessary.

With the club that Stamos rides his motorbike to, there are literally dozens of people also riding their bikes up the elevator into that club and are running the bikes on the dance floor. My question is how the fuck is not everyone in that club dead from carbon monoxide poisoning because there seems to be no ventilation in that club at all?

Was it confirmed that Vanity was having sex with Lazenby? Because with how she was mourning him I thought they were in a relationship, which would mean that Stamos was an eskimo brother with his own father.

Finally, since this movie seems to be the template used for young teens/adults becoming spies, can we please have If Looks Could Kill starring RIchard Greico covered by the show, because that movie is an utter disaster?

[DannytheWall 196]

2 minutes ago, RyanSz said:

With the club that Stamos rides his motorbike to, there are literally dozens of people also riding their bikes up the elevator into that club and are running the bikes on the dance floor. My question is how the fuck is not everyone in that club dead from carbon monoxide poisoning because there seems to be no ventilation in that club at all?

 

I was hoping someone would ask about the sheer number of motorcycles in this film. But with only 3M to make this picture, they must have needed to double-down (or triple, or quintuple or whatever) on their vehicle stunt coordinator! Why was the club so crazy-full of random motorcyles driving IN AND OUT of the club?! Plus, there must have been at least three different motorcycles Stamos had to use over the course of the film. The second of which was after the fiery explosion of Random Drunk Guy taking a cycle-bomb meant for Stamos, which then forced a completely unnecessary scene so Stargrove returning to the dorm room and borrowing Cliff's, telling him straight out that he probably shouldn't expect it back.      

A shout out to the car stunts in the next scene, though. Equal parts crazy and fun, with Vanity scooting under the semi that was driving quite steady for a driver WHO WAS DRINKING?!  Can't explain the very cardboard-looking medieval weapons on the thugs chasing them down, however. 

BTW great episode. One of my favorite HDTGMs! 

[Gdaynongman 11]

Is the biker-filled club where Stamos sees Velvet Von Ragner for the first time the same biker-filled club Whatshisnuts rescues Diane Lane from in Streets of Fire?

[DannytheWall 196]

The rapid-repeats in the editing of the love scene reminded me so much of the feature of Hong Kong cinema, where someone gets punched and the impact is emphasized by quickly repeating it three or four times. Not sure why that's supposed to be more sexy, but it certainly makes it feel more violent. And also points to Stargrove Jr being pretty inexperienced, likely a virgin. That would be in line with how much of a "kid" he is in the beginning, and how it's emphasized that "now he is a man" at the finale. The love scene is one more rite of passage into manhood, one that the character tries to deny with his sparkling water and apples and close-ups on his reluctant and confused expressions. 

One more thing about the editing-- IMDB credits two people for this film. One, Paul Seydor, has this film as his very first "Editing by" credit. The other, Ned Humphreys, was coming into this film hot off of a 1984 screwball sex comedy "Joy of Sex." That could either justify or excuse the love scene, your call.            

[BeingAllFishies 99]

I'm yet another person for whom the reveal worked perfectly and was awesome. I think it's more obvious if you go into the film knowing Gene Simmons is the big name, so you're looking for him, and also if you know what he looks like. XD

Couple things:

1. In the tomato scene muttnik mentioned, I love that one of the henchmen says, "Yeah, eat it! Make him eat it!" I expected Stamos to be like, "Um, okay, fine. I mean, it's a tomato, I was probably going to eat it later anyway."

2. I like that when Vanity picks Stamos up after she shoots the bikers, he gets in the car with no problem, and then as soon as she pulls away he shouts, "Hey, my bike!" (Actually, Cliff's bike) But why did you get in the car without any questions about what would happen to your own vehicle? Why not just ride after her?

And finally, Lazenby is the best Bond. It's all about respect for women. (In fact, this movie knew how lucky it was to get him. In the credits, he's called a "Special Guest Star." In a movie. As TVTropes.com puts it, "How exactly someone can 'guest star' in a production that doesn't have a regular cast is left as an exercise to the reader.")

[joshg 207]

14 hours ago, WatchOutForSnakes said:

I looked this up as soon as they mentioned it and it blew my mind! 

 

As a lifelong Lynda Carter fan, I'm indebted to this board for bringing this to my attention:

 

The KISS sequence starts at 2:32, but the whole thing is worth a watch.

I'm fascinated to know how the dress made it from her closet to his. And did anyone else wear it between 1980 and 1986, in any context whatsoever?

 

[BeingAllFishies 99]

1 hour ago, joshg said:

And did anyone else wear it between 1980 and 1986, in any context whatsoever?

 

 

If anyone was in the same room as that dress and didn't immediately put it on, they're a fool.

[Cameron H. 23786]

I think it’s the height of arrogance that Stargrove goes to all the trouble of creating a secret, underground spy bunker to house all of his counterintelligence memorabilia, but keeps all of his top secret and classified files in an unlocked, run-of-the-mill, Office Depot filing cabinet.

 

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

BOND NERD DEBATE! No way, Lazenby is clearly the WORST. He's just so dull and uninteresting in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, a movie that is otherwise pretty great (Telly Savalas as Blofeld, Diana Rigg as Tracy Bond, possibly the best Bond Girl). My favorite moments of his performance in that movie is when Bond is supposed to be doing an accent of a heraldry expert and Lazenby is dubbed by another, better, actor.

And I have watched the Hulu documentary about him, which only made me dislike him more. He just came across like a egomaniacal tool, while Bonds like Dalton and Moore are Unqualified Gentlemen.

Speaking of Dalton, I really enjoy him as Bond. I think Moore had so solidly established a brand of his quip-heavy, arched eyebrow charm as James Bond, the franchise needed something drastically different. Timothy Dalton brought that, with his searing sexiness and undercurrent of rage. He's, in my opinion, the closest Bond to Fleming's novels and so I definitely enjoy his performances.  Craig has that anger and bitterness too, but it's more on the surface, more unleashed than the quintessentially English Agent Dalton plays him as (even though the character is of Scottish heritage and Dalton is Welsh).

[Smigg. 509]

Gene Simmons being a dick should be discussed a little more, because, I've been a Kiss fan for a good few years.  But, Holy Shit, isn't Gene Simmons just a constant stream of ridiculous.

So, here's a story that should further show just what a tool this man is.

When Penelope Spheeris was putting together interviews for "The Fall of Western Civilisation Part II: The Metal Years", she was asking various guys in the "Heavy Metal" scene to do interviews for the movie, and where they would want to be interviewed.  Ozzy was just interviewed at home, but insisted that he gets to wear his bathrobe, because he was really pleased with the bathrobe, Lemmy wanted to be interviewed at The Whiskey, and guys just picked where they wanted to do their's.

Gene Simmons can't help but be Gene Simmons.  When he was approached by Penelope, he said "I'll do the interview.  However, I don't want to do anything tacky or embarrassing."  Penelope then said "That's fine, I wouldn't want you to do anything that you would think was embarrassing.  So, where do you want to do the interview?"

Was it in his sprawling mansion?  A mansion that Chris Jericho said was a huge museum for all things Kiss.  Nope.  Maybe one of the studios that Kiss works in?  Nope.  Well, he doesn't want it to be tacky, so maybe his favourite place to hang out?  No.

Then again, it is Gene Simmons, and Gene Simmons will be Gene Simmons, so how about The Playboy Mansion?  He's friends with Hugh Hefner, Shannon Tweed was a Playmate of the Year.  No.

The interview took place somewhere that wasn't in the least bit "Tacky or Embarrassing"

A fucking lingerie store!

[Cameron H. 23786]

9 minutes ago, Quasar Sniffer said:

BOND NERD DEBATE! No way, Lazenby is clearly the WORST. He's just so dull and uninteresting in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, a movie that is otherwise pretty great (Telly Savalas as Blofeld, Diana Rigg as Tracy Bond, possibly the best Bond Girl). My favorite moments of his performance in that movie is when Bond is supposed to be doing an accent of a heraldry expert and Lazenby is dubbed by another, better, actor.

And I have watched the Hulu documentary about him, which only made me dislike him more. He just came across like a egomaniacal tool, while Bonds like Dalton and Moore are Unqualified Gentlemen.

Speaking of Dalton, I really enjoy him as Bond. I think Moore had so solidly established a brand of his quip-heavy, arched eyebrow charm as James Bond, the franchise needed something drastically different. Timothy Dalton brought that, with his searing sexiness and undercurrent of rage. He's, in my opinion, the closest Bond to Fleming's novels and so I definitely enjoy his performances.  Craig has that anger and bitterness too, but it's more on the surface, more unleashed than the quintessentially English Agent Dalton plays him as (even though the character is of Scottish heritage and Dalton is Welsh).

I am a HUGE fan of Dalton. He fucking smolders. I wouldn't say Lazenby is the worst Bond, but I agree that Hulu documentary makes him come off as a terrible human being.