Special thanks to Judd Blevins, who as a Marine has a special place in his heart for Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket and thus pulled the metaphoric trigger on this commission. A tale of two movies if there ever was one, and featuring what A.Ron describes as a very “un-Kubrickian” structure and asthetic, they guys talk about life in the military, ethics and morality in times of war, season two of Serial Podcast, and probably ill-informed commentary on geopolitics.
The First Post, The Old Familiar, The Famous Cock, The Cross Hands, The Good Companions, The Trusty Servant, The Two-Headed Dog, The Mermaid, The Beehive, The King’s Head, The Hole in the Wall, The World’s End. We went to all of ’em! Join us next week for our Edgar Wright wrapup.
We’ve seen the latest Coen brother’s film, “Hail, Caesar!”, and it’s really… something. Funny, but not hilarious, interesting but ultimately meaningless… or is it? A crazy stew of singing and dancing and politics and religion and featuring more star power than the Milky Way, like most Coen films it will probably reward multiple views. Check out our spoiler free mini-review, and if you’re a Club member, stick around for a spoiler filled in depth discussion.
Jim and A.Ron check into the Overlook Hotel as we are compelled to podcast on the 1980 Stanley Kubrick psychological-horror masterpiece, “The Shining”. Starring Jack Nicholson and Shelly Duvall, it’s an incredible combination of beautifully crafted shots, stunning and terrifying visuals and imagery, and Jack Nicholson’s fully insane acting. There is so much to discuss; the film itself, our reactions, Stephen King’s antagonism towards the film, the various theories and documentaries the film has spawned, subliminal messages and hidden meanings, and fine naked ladies with implausible afros. All this and more is discussed, and we felt like we hardly scratched the surface.
Edgar Wright took a departure from his pasty-white British protagonists, and embarked on a journey of new discovery with a pasty-white Canadian protagonist. This week, we watched the ultra-kinetic coming-of-age video game sim known as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The film is a stage-based, third person brawler with character-driven set pieces and an impressive cast. It’s a mundane epic that punches the highlights out of your hair. Eric and Levi had a great time watching it. Join us next week for The World’s End.
Special thanks to Frank Cantelmi for pulling the metaphoric trigger to commission a podcast on “A Prophet”, a 2009 French film and Academy Award nominee directed by Jacques Audiard. An intense, beautiful, absorbing look in how a hapless youth is pulled ever deeper into a world of violent crime, Jim and A.Ron compare it favorably to The Godfather, Goodfellas, and Scarface. Yes, really. Thanks again, Frank!
Hey, it’s our first ever community commissioned podcast! Thanks to eight intrepid members of the Bald Move community for pitching in and making this podcast happen. Pulp Fiction is a Tarantino classic, starring Sam Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman along with many others. It’s funny, it’s violent, it’s cool as hell, it is watchable as all hell, features a lot of interesting structural and visual details, and offers some of the all time best dialog ever. We love this film, and we hope you all love the podcast. If you want another Bald Move take, check out Eric and Levi’s Direct podcast covering Pulp Fiction.
Special thanks once again to Aaron Spaulding, who for his double commission feature selected the wonderful, weird, and fully preposterous Luc Besson joint “The Fifth Element”, of which Jim and I are very familiar with. We delve into the depths of Jim’s annoyance with Ruby, while A.Ron explains how he quit worrying and learned to love the Rodd, Besson’s partly crazy, partly insightful look into life in the 24th century, and spend quite a bit of time analyzing the lead actors Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, and Gary Oldman.
This commissioned podcast is brought to you by the generosity of one Aaron Spaulding, thank you! Aaron wanted us to check out the 1991 mystery/thriller, “The Silence of the Lambs”, directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster. It’s no surprise that we’re mesmerized by Hopkin’s performance of the chilling yet suave and charming Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and found the film offered some smart commentary on a female breaking into a male dominated space as well. What might be to some surprise is Jim and A.Ron’s relative unfamiliarity with the material, which led to some confusion in places. Hope you enjoy the podcast, I hear it pairs well with a nice Chianti.
You, the listeners, chose Edgar Wright as our new director on Direct. Levi and Eric are stoked! Wright brings his action comedy sensibilities to broad genre films and fill them with pop culture reference gold. Check out these resources as you begin with us on our Edgar Wright journey: