Bald Move Pulp is where you can get your fix of robots, aliens, action space adventures, and everything in between; on television or on the big screen. Pulp was not made for serious drama, if that’s your thing, you might be looking for Bald Move Prestige.
A.Ron and Jim blow all the doors down on the latest episode of HBO’s The Deuce, “We’re All Beasts”. It provokes a lot of meta discussion about progressive politics, America’s long lost battle against vice, and offensive analogies. We also talk about Eileen’s guerrilla film-making campaign for what looks to be the very watchable Red Hot. Finally, A.Ron reacts to a 70s-era porno!
It’s been three years since Don Draper and Peggy Olson left our televisions, and now Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner is back with something to say? Is it good, is it bad, is it something even worth saying? After seeing 180 minutes of his new series, The Romanoffs, we’re still oddly divided on answering those basic questions. It’s beautiful, and thoughtful, and at times absorbing, but are the disconnected lives of eight (perhaps delusional) offspring of the fallen House Romanov interesting enough to merit our attention? Over the next seven weeks we’ll see what we make of it together!
Jim and A.Ron go cruising for the latest episode of HBO’s The Deuce, and wind up going home with “All You’ll Be Eating Is Cannibals”. The Deuce has always featured duality; Frankie/Vincent being the parade example. But here we see two raids; one on an underground card game by a professional crew of criminals, another by professional law enforcement on an above ground massage parlor. We found ourselves sad and disquieted by both. We also see members of the gay community step out of the shadows and emerge as successful businessmen, politicians, neighbors working on the local council; as people, basically. And Vincent is confronted by his duality being converged, with Abby demanding him to take a side, either with her helping the women sex workers achieve safety and stability, or the mob that profiteers off their exploitation. But even if he wanted out, we’re reminded of his scene last week with the volcanic Tommy, “what do you mean, you want out?” Wanting and doing are two very different things, as we’re predicting we’ll all come to appreciate as season two enters it’s final act.
A.Ron and Jim are down to talk about the latest episode of HBO’s The Deuce, “What Big Ideas”. The Deuce drops another couple of bodies, which draws the increasing attention of the Public Morals Task Force. Unfortunately, that attention is incompetent, corrupt, or often both. Bobby and Vincent have trouble dealing with their involvement in the flesh trade, even as Abby and Dorothy beat the streets trying to organize and help their fellow women, often to little result. Also, C.C. innovates, Larry is packing, and Frankie’s misadventures running the dry cleaning entertain.
For the first time since The Young Pope, Jim and Cecily come together to record a podcast, this time on season 2 of Netflix’s Ozark. We talk about the many things we liked and the few things we didn’t. We also christen the deadliest road in all of the Ozarks, squeeze a baby for all of its juice, and find out just how much Cecily knows about poison.
HBO’s The Deuce moves out the LaLa land in the latest episode, “Seven-Fifty”. The title reminds us that even people that we think of as “good” are capable of terrible exploitation in this world, a reminder that Simon and Pecalanos like to give us every 10 minutes or so. Lori gets her time to shine without her pimp clouding her view, Eileen makes some slight headway towards securing the budget for her high concept adult film, while the first shot is fired in a mob war for control over NYC’s sex trade. We’ll be back later this week to talk Bojack Horseman and Ozark. See you then!
Special thanks once again to Sean Ray for commissioning thus podcast for the 1982 John Carpenter sci-fi/horror classic, The Thing. The location, sense of isolation and paranoia, and atmosphere of dread this film is able to generate is incredible. Kurt Russel is iconic in his role as everyman bad*ss. And the gruesome, disturbing practical effects work still effectively sells the horrific alien action.
A.Ron and Jim check out another funky episode of HBO’s The Deuce. Lori and Eileen’s careers heat up as the pimps are left out in the cold! Vincent gets nostalgic with Abby, while Paul and Bobby do their best to fight off rivals to their trades
Special thanks to multi-multi-multi-commissioner Sean Ray for dialing up the number to Blade Runner: The Final Cut (2007). This edition is intended by director Ridley Scott to be the definitive version. The interesting thing is, Jim and I have always been a bit “meh” on the classic Blade Runner experience. Sure, we see how influential it is, and can understand why it was highly regarded “for it’s day”. We both felt like we saw the film with fresh eyes on this cut. Their are problems with world building and pacing here and there, but everything tracks so much cleaner, and the third act which was always a standout is now a pure joy. Thanks again, Sean! It’s not every day that a commission completely has us do a 180 on a project, this is one of those rare times!
So Jim and I saw the final two episodes of Castle Rock, and unfortunately for any Bald Movers that walked away as fans looking forward to season two, we’re not among that number. We’re not upset with the people who do like the show, as it’s charms are evident; it looks great, boasts an incredibly talented cast, and cribs from very highly regarded plots and material by genius of horror Steven King that should add up to a mystery box show that we’re desperate to open. Maybe that’s the problem, that we’re not as steeped in King lore, so we don’t connect as much to this material? Or maybe we just don’t have faith in the show runners to give us a satisfying end? Ultimately a show either grabs you or it doesn’t, and we flat out slipped through Castle Rock’s creepy grasp.
