Did we, in fact, deliver a commissioned podcast on the 1997 Robert Zemeckis science fiction film Contact? Well, all I can say for sure is that we recorded a conversation and released it as a podcast. Your own personal experience with the podcast will have to inform your answer to that question.
Andrew “The Commissioner” Mount has indicated a fifth movie that needs some Bald Move attention, this time the 2012 horror “The Cabin in the Woods”. Written by Joss Whedon and directed by long time collaborated Drew Goddard, and staring the Mighty Thor, it was what I would describe as a pleasant surprise. I was prepared for a stock slasher flick, and what I got was… something more than that. Can’t really say much else, and if you’re a horror fan who somehow missed this, I encourage you to give it a watch before you give this a listen.
This Australian crime drama from 2010 really snuck up on us. It’s not what you might think given only that description, but it delivers the goods. We talk about a mother who kisses her children just a little too long, some of the excellent performances, and how it stacks up against other films in the gangster genre.
Many thanks to Em from the No Ship Network (purveyors of fine podcasts on Vikings, Spartacus, Penny Dreadful, and more) for commissioning this podcast, covering the 1999 psycho-sexual drama, “Holy Smoke”. Directed by Jane Campion (“The Piano”, Top of the Lake”) and starring Kate Winslet and Harvey Kietel, it starts off as an intriguing and campy telling of a young girl being deprogrammed from a cult experience, and then… turns into something else entirely. Lots of at times uncomfortable discussion about power imbalances in relationships, masculinity and femininity, and what we’re supposed to take away from the film, if anything. Thanks again, Em! It was an experience worth experiencing! If you’re curious about the film, it is available on Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes for streaming.
Special thanks to Bobby Z for commissioning this 1983 classic piece of original televised cinematic history; V: The Miniseries. A.Ron had fond memories of this series from his childhood, while Jim experienced it for the first time. We discuss 80’s fashion, television tropes, heavy handed allegory, the plausibility of this as a first contact scenario, and the abject horror of prominent matte lines. Oh, and some pets get eaten and people get their faces torn off. That’s pretty scary too, I guess.
Thanks to Jefferson Betmarik for making us pull 1999’s The Matrix off our shelves and talk about it. This movie was directed by the Wachowski siblings, and stars Keanu Reeves, Lawerence Fishburne, and Carrie-Anne Moss among others. Jim and I have watched this movie so much, and spent so much time talking about it over the years, so it’s no surprise that we were able to easily fill 1:20 with our personal thoughts and observations. What surprised is was how many new thoughts and ideas we had from our latest watch. We had a lot of fun revisiting the movie, and I hope you get a kick out of listening.
Much thanks to Steven Sprague, who commissioned us to do a podcast on the 2013 Quentin Tarantino joint, “Django Unchained”. Jim and A.Ron talk about the star power, the dialogue, the action, and social issues involved in the making and consuming of Django.
Special thanks once again to Andrew “The Commissioner” Mount, for having us do the 2001 Christopher Nolan movie, “Memento”. Starring Guy Pierce and Carrie-Anne Moss, Memento is an engaging, cerebral, well crafted thriller mystery with an ingenious plot device that plays with our sense of memory and time. We both highly recommend you see this movie before listening to the podcast, as the first time viewing experience of this movie is hard to beat, and it’s an excellent film. If you can find it please give it a shot and then come back and see what we had to say about it.
Thanks, Andrew, that was fun and intellectually stimulating! Do you have something you’d like us to blab about on a special podcast just for you? Find out how you can commission your very own podcast right here.
Thanks once again to Andrew “The Commissioner” Mount for ponying up for our coverage of the wonderful 2003 film, “The Station Agent”. Staring a murderer’s row of Bald Move stars; Peter Dinklage, John Slattery, and Bobby Canavale among others, and directed by The Wire alumnus Thomas McCarthy, it is many things… A slow burn, life affirming, a study of loneliness and isolation, and the effects on being truly different on your perception and interfacing with everyday life. I highly recommend everyone watching it, and it’s free on Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant!
Special thanks to Keith Alejandro who pulled the trigger on this Commissioned Podcast, covering the 2005 David Cronenberg directed thriller, “A History of Violence”, starring everyone’s favorite ranger, Viggo Mortensen. Jim and A.Ron talk about the multiple meanings of the title, the human capacity for violence, survival of the fittest, the strong’s societal obligation to the weak, and how sea turtles make surprisingly effective, though extremely cruel, living refrigerators.