Episode 256 - 10 Year Anniversary Reflections and Burlesque

[SlidePocket 707]

This week Paul, June and Jason get together to reflect on the past ten years of watching all these terrible movies, all the other things they could have done instead, and discuss their conflicting origin stories of the pod. Then we replay for you our very first episode, Burlesque with guest Nick Kroll. 

[Cameron H. 23786]

Still listening, but this is a real treat. I was wondering if anyone out there has any moments or bits from over the past ten years that have really stuck with them. For me, I cannot hear the word "sarong" without quoting Kroll from the FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY episode without immediately saying or thinking "a sarong never felt sa'right."

Also, I am thankful for the show for putting me in touch with all of you amazing forum people (who are all objectively better than "normal" people  )

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

It is crazy how we all look ten years younger...

 

Maybe they should do a WALL STREET 2 episode? I have never seen it. 

[Cameron H. 23786]

2 minutes ago, Elektra Boogaloo said:

It is crazy how we all look ten years younger...

 

Maybe they should do a WALL STREET 2 episode? I have never seen it. 

This would be awesome! I remember a while ago they were talking about releasing the original Old Dogs pilot with Scott and Kulap, but they had lost the file. I wonder if they would be interested in re-watching it again to see if they see anything different about it now. I would also be interested in an episode on that Bobby Long movie. I had never even heard of it.  

[RyanSz 3140]

1 hour ago, Cameron H. said:

This would be awesome! I remember a while ago they were talking about releasing the original Old Dogs pilot with Scott and Kulap, but they had lost the file. I wonder if they would be interested in re-watching it again to see if they see anything different about it now. I would also be interested in an episode on that Bobby Long movie. I had never even heard of it.  

I've seen bits of the Bobby Long film but I remember it getting pretty decent reviews when it came out and seeing the DVD box in Hollywood video, which makes me feel older, but I don't think it'd be a great fit for the show as it's not batcrap crazy or incredibly bad.

Definite high point of listening to this show and being on this forum for so damn long was seeing the actor who played Ricky in Sleepaway Camp just sign up for the forum and chat with people for that films episode while a definite low was the summer of 2013 when the recommendation sub was inundated with weekly recommendations of whatever movie came out that week, made by a brand spanking new account, who would then just troll hard whenever someone said the recommendation really didn't work with what the show was. It went on for WEEKS before they just got bored with doing it.

At least knowing this is a recap/replay episode I can make some time to listen to my audio-grab of the now lost last live episode and its near 2 1/2 episode length.

[Cameron H. 23786]

Since this is the new year and all, I would love to hear all of your Top Ten Whatevers (Movies, Books, Comics, Music, TV Shows, Whatever. 

My Top Ten Movies

1) Hamilton 2) Bill and Ted Face the Music 3) Onward 4) Palm Springs 5) The Lovebirds 6) Birds of Prey 7) New Mutants 8 ) Over the Moon 9) Soul 10) An American Pickle

[RyanSz 3140]

For movies since I didn't see much in regards to new stuff this year my choices were fairly limited but here are my ten in no particular order.

Host, Birds of Prey, The Gentlemen, Tenet, You Cannot Kill David Arquette, The Old Guard, Becky, The Wolf of Snow Hollow, The Devil All the Time, The Invisible Man, Palm Springs

Bottom ten:

The Empty Man, Tremors: Shrieker Island, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Antebellum, Capone, The Owners, Money Plane, 6 Underground, The Stalker, Fantasy Island

Since I did a helluva lot more reading I did end up reading a lot of good comics/graphic novels:

the final volume of East of West was one of the best ends to a comic series I've read in a long time, Doomsday Clock, Money Shot, A Walk Through Hell, Moonshine, Joker: Killer Smile, Basketfull of Heads, Harleen, Count Crowley, Batman: the Three Jokers

[AlmostAGhost 2718]

I feel like without theaters this year, I didn't keep up well on 2020 films. All my choices would be on Netflix/Hulu/etc. Even when new stuff was streaming, I wasn't drawn to watch it really. But my favorites were Tigertail and Palm Springs with some stuff like The Invisible Man, American Utopia, The Half Of It, and The Princess Switch: Switched Again  not far behind.

On the other hand, music-wise, I have a LONG list, but here's my top 15

1. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
2. Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman
3. Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter
4. Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas
5. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
6. Thurston Moore - By The Fire
7. Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?
8. Matt Berninger - Serpentine Prison
9. Jess Williamson - Sorceress
10. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways
11. Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters
12. This Is The Kit - Off Off On
13. Honey Harper - Starmaker
14. Adrianne Lenker - songs
15. JFDR - New Dreams

 

[Cameron H. 23786]

15 minutes ago, AlmostAGhost said:

I feel like without theaters this year, I didn't keep up well on 2020 films. All my choices would be on Netflix/Hulu/etc. Even when new stuff was streaming, I wasn't drawn to watch it really. But my favorites were Tigertail and Palm Springs with some stuff like The Invisible Man, American Utopia, The Half Of It, and The Princess Switch: Switched Again  not far behind.

On the other hand, music-wise, I have a LONG list, but here's my top 15

1. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
2. Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman
3. Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter
4. Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas
5. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
6. Thurston Moore - By The Fire
7. Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?
8. Matt Berninger - Serpentine Prison
9. Jess Williamson - Sorceress
10. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways
11. Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters
12. This Is The Kit - Off Off On
13. Honey Harper - Starmaker
14. Adrianne Lenker - songs
15. JFDR - New Dreams

 

I’m need to check out your list. I wanted to give my music list, but all I had were Dylan, Springsteen, and McCartney.

I was woeful in terms of keeping up with music in 2020.

[AlmostAGhost 2718]

Just now, Cameron H. said:

I’m need to check out your list. I wanted to give my music list, but all I had were Dylan, Springsteen, and McCartney.

I was woeful in terms of keeping up with music in 2020.

I'll pick out a few to note then!

Not sure if you're a National fan, but if those were the records you liked this year, check out the Matt Berninger album (he's the lead singer of The National). You might like him.

The Phoebe album was far-and-away my favorite, I think it's stunning. There's a few of these young women songwriters who I think are going to be running music for years to come, like her and Maggie Rogers, and I'm excited to see what they continue to do.

I consider Laura Marling one of the all-time greats and she keeps putting out beautiful, smart, cool records. She talked a little about how this song on her new album was influenced by her new-found love of solo McCartney (though it is a bit atypical of her sound):

 

[Cameron H. 23786]

5 minutes ago, AlmostAGhost said:

I'll pick out a few to note then!

Not sure if you're a National fan, but if those were the records you liked this year, check out the Matt Berninger album (he's the lead singer of The National). You might like him.

The Phoebe album was far-and-away my favorite, I think it's stunning. There's a few of these young women songwriters who I think are going to be running music for years to come, like her and Maggie Rogers, and I'm excited to see what they continue to do.

I consider Laura Marling one of the all-time greats and she keeps putting out beautiful, smart, cool records. She talked a little about how this song on her new album was influenced by her new-found love of solo McCartney (though it is a bit atypical of her sound):

 

I do like The National, but I’m not familiar with much of their catalog. Just that I like what I’ve heard and been meaning to “get into” them.

Thank you for all the recommendations.  
 

ETA: I’m loving that Laura Marling song.

[AlmostAGhost 2718]

1 minute ago, Cameron H. said:

I do like The National, but I’m not familiar with much of their catalog. Just that I like what I’ve heard and been meaning to “get into” them.

Thank you for all the recommendations.  

I'd start with them then over the solo project, it's good but might as well try the main stuff first. High Violet was the National album that really made me a fan for life. I was basically full-on obsessed with it for like a year once, it hit me haaard. Try that and Boxer and see if they click for you; if so they have a few other recent ones worth exploring too.

[Cameron H. 23786]

2 minutes ago, AlmostAGhost said:

I'd start with them then over the solo project, it's good but might as well try the main stuff first. High Violet was the National album that really made me a fan for life. I was basically full-on obsessed with it for like a year once, it hit me haaard. Try that and Boxer and see if they click for you; if so they have a few other recent ones worth exploring too.

Listening to Boxer right now

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJjd882JBIo/?igshid=vs2gucut3yl9

for NYE, Paul and Jason discussed WW84 with a baffled Natasha Leggero and Rob Hubbel. I have a lot to say about this film. I both loved it and hated it. Because everyone was great but it made no sense and kept taking me out of the movie. I kept wanting to tweak things myself or give notes. 

Seems like we may get a HDTGM about it? 

Also, I have a question. I haven’t seen the first WW in awhile but isn’t there a scene where she tells Steve she doesn’t have a dad? (That the movie is adhering to the original origin story for her where her mother made her out of clay?) But then in this movie she mentions her dad hiding Themiscyra and I was like, wait is it also in the new timeline where Zeus is her dad????

Help a nerd out.

 

[RyanSz 3140]

4 minutes ago, Elektra Boogaloo said:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJjd882JBIo/?igshid=vs2gucut3yl9

for NYE, Paul and Jason discussed WW84 with a baffled Natasha Leggero and Rob Hubbel. I have a lot to say about this film. I both loved it and hated it. Because everyone was great but it made no sense and kept taking me out of the movie. I kept wanting to tweak things myself or give notes. 

Seems like we may get a HDTGM about it? 

Also, I have a question. I haven’t seen the first WW in awhile but isn’t there a scene where she tells Steve she doesn’t have a dad? (That the movie is adhering to the original origin story for her where her mother made her out of clay?) But then in this movie she mentions her dad hiding Themiscyra and I was like, wait is it also in the new timeline where Zeus is her dad????

Help a nerd out.

 

If I recall she mentions the original origin story of her being made out of clay by her mother, which was carried over in the AMAZING Brian Azzarello New 52 version of the character which was set around the Greek Pantheon in the modern DC universe. It is revealed later in both the movie and comic that she is an illegitimate child of Zeus, making her a demigod, though in the film it is done more for the reveal as her being a "god-killer" left by a dying Zeus to stop Ares, Zeus would also shield her homeland from Ares as part of his final act.

As for the sequel, I liked it for what it was, as the leads were great and it had better villains than the first film, but damn you could tell how hard the shutdown had hurt production and they were just trying to make the best of a horrible situation. There were numerous shots of Wonder Woman "running" that looked worse than the original Superman film and I felt that the final confrontation between WW and the main villain was a bit lacking in oomph.  Also how in the blue fuck do you have a movie set and promoted as being in the mid-80s and NOT HAVE A SINGLE licensed song from the era?

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

The music was a huge let down. 

[RyanSz 3140]

7 minutes ago, Elektra Boogaloo said:

The music was a huge let down. 

Yeah and again I was giving a huge benefit of the doubt in guessing it had to do with trying to finish a bit over half done but when I looked it up just now and saw that all shooting of this was finished back from the start of 2019 to reshoots in mid 2019 with post production being finished in December of that year, there is no excuse now for the look and issues that the movie had.

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

1 hour ago, RyanSz said:

Yeah and again I was giving a huge benefit of the doubt in guessing it had to do with trying to finish a bit over half done but when I looked it up just now and saw that all shooting of this was finished back from the start of 2019 to reshoots in mid 2019 with post production being finished in December of that year, there is no excuse now for the look and issues that the movie had.

I have questions about this too. Because I remember thinking, after seeing the CGI in the first WW, that their budget was significantly less than other DCEU movies. And I thought that was because they didn’t believe WW1 would do well. 

For comparison, “Man of Steel” had a budget of 225-250$. “Wonder Woman”s budget was $120 million. Now that’s still a huge budget but you could tell there were places Patty Jenkins had to make do. (Particularly in the fight with Ares at the end which Jenkins said she didn’t even want in the film.)

And this second one had a higher budget, $200 million. But I want to know why Wonder Woman still isn’t getting as much money as the first Superman (which was awful) let alone BvS or Justice League. 

And that made me wonder if they pulled some last minute type budget stuff (song rights?, some editing) when they realized it would go to streaming and not theaters? 

Is this a conspiracy theory? Idk. But I feel like the Wonder Woman movies could be better than they are if they were given more attention. The second one needing more help than the first, obviously. 

 

 

[RyanSz 3140]

16 minutes ago, Elektra Boogaloo said:

I have questions about this too. Because I remember thinking, after seeing the CGI in the first WW, that their budget was significantly less than other DCEU movies. And I thought that was because they didn’t believe WW1 would do well. 

For comparison, “Man of Steel” had a budget of 225-250$. “Wonder Woman”s budget was $120 million. Now that’s still a huge budget but you could tell there were places Patty Jenkins had to make do. (Particularly in the fight with Ares at the end which Jenkins said she didn’t even want in the film.)

And this second one had a higher budget, $200 million. But I want to know why Wonder Woman still isn’t getting as much money as the first Superman (which was awful) let alone BvS or Justice League. 

And that made me wonder if they pulled some last minute type budget stuff (song rights?, some editing) when they realized it would go to streaming and not theaters? 

Is this a conspiracy theory? Idk. But I feel like the Wonder Woman movies could be better than they are if they were given more attention. The second one needing more help than the first, obviously. 

 

 

Well Man of Steel's budget came a lot from the heavy CGI it had and even though they aren't the huge names that they once were, Russel Crowe, Kevin Costner, and Diane Lane, aren't cheap to hire and neither is Amy Adams. With WW1 there wasn't much CGI outside of showing off Amazon Island and the final fight scene, most of that film was practical war movie effects and costuming so it cost a lot less, plus Gal Gidot wasn't commanding a paycheck like she is now, same for Patty Jenkins. For BvS and Justice League you had a couple big things separating it from WW1 in that the cast had some established names in it, A LOT of CGI especially in the case of Justice League, and considering how they were these pipe dream films fans never thought they would see, especially BvS, they poured a boatload into marketing the films, which is also why both barely broke even at the box office. I could see some cuts being made to music licensing after the fact given how much Disney has bled this year. with it reportedly losing $90 million/day with its parks closed around the world, and in all honesty that might be answer.

It will be the same thing that happens this year when the next four Marvel films come out, as you can bet Black Widow and Spider-Man 3 are getting the lion's share of budget and marketing in comparison to an unknown entity like Shang-Chi. Hell I could see Spider-Man getting a budget similar to JL considering it looks like they are really pushing the multiverse angle with this film and bringing back old villains and the actors that portrayed them in the other Spider-Man film iterations, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see a former Spider-Man actor or two to make a cameo.

[GrahamS. 803]

Honestly, in terms of top ten for movies, not a lot stuck with me this year. Perhaps because everything I saw was on the small screen and all of the “great” stuff got so much critical hype that it felt a little flat (or I’ve missed it). Here are the ones I did like:

Extra Ordinary, Color Out of Space, The Invisible Man, Shirley, Small Axe Mangrove and Lovers Rock (haven’t seen the rest of that series yet), Palm Springs, An American Pickle, American Utopia, The Assistant (although it’s so documentary-like and dry—it reminded me of when I interned at a small production company in college—that it’s hard to recommend to people who aren’t intensely fascinated by the subject matter). I know there are more, but I can’t think of them right now.

Film that was most praised that I was underwhelmed by: She Dies Tomorrow (I think I’m getting burnt out on the art-house horror trend . Didn’t hate it but it just didn’t leave much of an impression).

Film that was critically trashed that I was legitimately surprised how much I enjoyed: Underwater. It’s no masterpiece, but for an Alien knockoff, I liked it a helluva lot more thanPrometheus or Alien:Covenant. 
 

Top TV: Big Mouth, Good Lord Bird, The Queen’s Gambit, The Flight Attendant, Schitt’s Creek, Lovecraft Country (it was hit-or-miss, but overall I liked it), Search Party. There are more, but that’s what I remember.

TV that was less than the sum of its parts: Devs. And the third season of Westworld sucked.

I spent a lot of 2020 playing  more videogames than I can count.

There was a lot of music I liked this year, but RTJ4 and Fetch the Bolt Cutters were by far what I listened to the most.

Finally, I will sincerely promote the latest album from Deep Sea Diver called Impossible Weight. They’re an up-and-coming Seattle band and —full disclosure—friends of mine. They were recently profiled on Rick Rubin and Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast and their album has a 79 on Metacritic. 

[RyanSz 3140]

1 hour ago, GrahamS. said:

Honestly, in terms of top ten for movies, not a lot stuck with me this year. Perhaps because everything I saw was on the small screen and all of the “great” stuff got so much critical hype that it felt a little flat (or I’ve missed it). Here are the ones I did like:

Extra Ordinary, Color Out of Space, The Invisible Man, Shirley, Small Axe Mangrove and Lovers Rock (haven’t seen the rest of that series yet), Palm Springs, An American Pickle, American Utopia, The Assistant (although it’s so documentary-like and dry—it reminded me of when I interned at a small production company in college—that it’s hard to recommend to people who aren’t intensely fascinated by the subject matter). I know there are more, but I can’t think of them right now.

Film that was most praised that I was underwhelmed by: She Dies Tomorrow (I think I’m getting burnt out on the art-house horror trend . Didn’t hate it but it just didn’t leave much of an impression).

Film that was critically trashed that I was legitimately surprised how much I enjoyed: Underwater. It’s no masterpiece, but for an Alien knockoff, I liked it a helluva lot more thanPrometheus or Alien:Covenant. 
 

Top TV: Big Mouth, Good Lord Bird, The Queen’s Gambit, The Flight Attendant, Schitt’s Creek, Lovecraft Country (it was hit-or-miss, but overall I liked it), Search Party. There are more, but that’s what I remember.

TV that was less than the sum of its parts: Devs. And the third season of Westworld sucked.

I spent a lot of 2020 playing  more videogames than I can count.

There was a lot of music I liked this year, but RTJ4 and Fetch the Bolt Cutters were by far what I listened to the most.

Finally, I will sincerely promote the latest album from Deep Sea Diver called Impossible Weight. They’re an up-and-coming Seattle band and —full disclosure—friends of mine. They were recently profiled on Rick Rubin and Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast and their album has a 79 on Metacritic. 

Loved Color Out of Space as well and was utterly suprised by how decent Underwater was. Also ended up really enjoying Sonic the Hedgehog and wondered why we can't have more of THAT Jim Carrey these days, as well as The Hunt which ended up being a pretty good action flick. If you've been playing as many games as I have and are on a Lovecraft kick, definitely check out The Sinking City which is set in the world and works of HP Lovecraft and goes about breaking down how kind of fucked up he was as a real person with his beliefs.

[AlmostAGhost 2718]

1 hour ago, GrahamS. said:

Finally, I will sincerely promote the latest album from Deep Sea Diver called Impossible Weight. They’re an up-and-coming Seattle band and —full disclosure—friends of mine. They were recently profiled on Rick Rubin and Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast and their album has a 79 on Metacritic. 

I love Deep Sea Diver, I have all their vinyl and their early EP on cd. There's some great songs and I love her voice. I met Jessica a time or two years back when she was touring with Beck. She was very nice and it's been a blast to follow her band from early on. Back in around 2009 or 2010, they did this one show in Hermosa Beach I went to, which was crazy because it's not a place bands play and it was right near where I lived at the time. Turned out it was a charity benefit in the local auditorium and not many people were there and I watched them jam out up close too.

 

[Cameron H. 23786]

29 minutes ago, RyanSz said:

Loved Color Out of Space as well and was utterly suprised by how decent Underwater was. Also ended up really enjoying Sonic the Hedgehog and wondered why we can't have more of THAT Jim Carrey these days, as well as The Hunt which ended up being a pretty good action flick. If you've been playing as many games as I have and are on a Lovecraft kick, definitely check out The Sinking City which is set in the world and works of HP Lovecraft and goes about breaking down how kind of fucked up he was as a real person with his beliefs.

I just watched Sonic, and I agree. Jim Carey was surprisingly decent.

[RyanSz 3140]

3 minutes ago, Cameron H. said:

I just watched Sonic, and I agree. Jim Carey was surprisingly decent.

It is very much an early 90s era Carrey and I am assuming that when he got on set the director just said, "you do you." Ben Schwartz was also really good as Sonic and gave life to a character that really has been on fumes for the better part of 20 years.

[RyanSz 3140]

So finished watching She Dies Tomorrow and boy was that a misfire. It's definitely not the worst artsy horror film I've seen, that still belongs to Kuso and Be My Cat: a Film For Anne, but it definitely pushes the Mumble-horror notch up to ten. What was worse was that it's a fairly interesting idea of basically Inception where the planted idea is your death, but it doesn't do much with it to make it worthwhile.