“The Player” (1992)

Ah, the sweet, sweet smell of being back.  Mark and Chad are back after an extended break!  Chad went and directed a feature film in Australia (currently untitled), and Mark’s been busy busting his butt on shows like “Preacher” and “My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”.  That said, we’re back weekly from here on out (for the foreseeable future).

Let’s get to it, shall we?

This week, Chad and Mark deep dive back into Robert Altman (that didn’t come out right)… with “The Player”, a 1992 opus that features every fucking actor ever.  The movie breaks the first rule of filmmaking: don’t make a movie about filmmaking.  If you haven’t seen it before, maybe check it out before listening – as always, we WILL spoil the movie (and cameos) for you.

Performers of note: Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Gallagher, Brion James, Cynthia Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Dean Stockwell, Lyle Lovett, and a million cameos.

“Rumble Fish” (1983)

Mark, Chad and guest Steve Phelan return after a week off to explore Steve’s pick, “Rumble Fish”, Francis Ford Coppola’s generally forgotten art-house epic(?) from 1983.  Photographed on gorgeously lush black and white film, “Rumble Fish” is a film that most likely couldn’t see the light of day in our era or filmmaking – a large cast of up-and-coming stars, including Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane and Nicolas Cage, would frankly be unheard-of in a modern independent shot on black and white film (or video, for that matter).  It’s a relic of its time, for sure.

Performers of note: Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Nicolas Cage, Chris Penn, Laurence Fishburne, Tom Waits, Sofia Coppola, S.E. Hinton, Francis Ford Coppola.

“The Big Short” (2015)

2008 came and went with no really big issues, right?  Uhh, wrong.  Guest Brian Finifter and co-host Mark Heiliger take a look (minus Chad) at “The Big Short” (Mark’s first time).  They ponder exactly what went wrong (with the economy – not the movie), and leave us with a sense of overall dread.  Thanks, guys.

Performers of note: Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Finn Wittrock, John Magaro, Tracy Letts, Marisa Tomei, Rafe Spall, Hamish Linklater, Jeremy Strong, Melissa Leo.

“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (2009)

With whispers that Terry Gilliam’s ill-fated Don Quixote project might finally see the light of day, we thought we’d dive into another Gilliam film that almost didn’t make it to screens: “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”. With the passing of Heath Ledger – half way through production – Gilliam and crew had to shut down and regroup. The result is stronger than one might expect, given the circumstances, with some flaws along the way. The real question is – can Terry Gilliam return to form?

Performers of note: Heath Ledger, Andrew Garfield, Lily Cole, Christopher Plummer, Verne Troyer, Tom Waits, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, and a hint of Gwendoline Christie.

“Prince of Darkness” (1987)

Mark and Chad dive deep into John Carpenter’s “Prince of Darkness” – a film which Chad is seeing for the first time.  They talk about their collective love of Carpenter’s collected works and the sentimentality they feel for that “lost” brand of filmmaking.  Actually, it’s kind of a depressing episode, so have a beer handy and drink down your sorrows.

Performers of note: Donald Pleasence, Jameson Parker, Victor Wong, Lisa Blount.

“La La Land” (2016)

Pretty sure you’ve heard of this one before.  “The famous Oscar loser”, as Mark puts it, gently.  But Mark’s never seen it, and Chad has (too many times), so here we are.  Why tackle a movie that’s hot off the press?  Well, maybe it’s a half-hearted attempt to have a conversation about hype and how too much of it can be a turn-off – can a great movie surpass the expectations of hype, or is it always doomed to fail?

Performers of note: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Rosemarie DeWitt, J.K. Simmons.

“It Follows” (2014)

Chad and Byron Smith tackle Chad’s favorite movie from 2014, the wonderful (but oddly divisive) “It Follows”.  This movie loves suspense, adores suspense and craves suspense – teasing the audience from start to finish.  Stylistically, it set the bar for last year’s “Stranger Things”, but it did so in a way that was probably more terrifying and less nostalgic.  Not loved by everyone, but certainly worth a look.

Performers of note: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Lili Sepe, Olivia Luccardi

“Sex, Lies, and Videotape” (1989)

The era of “films for adults” is dead.  Ain’t it?  We live in an age where films similar to “Sex, Lies and Videotape” seem to be hitting Netflix on a daily basis.  Why not?  Small casts, sexy, low budget, “smart” conversations on film between some intellectuals (or nonsensicals) and you’ve got yourself a film in the same wheelhouse.  This is a movie that hit Hollywood harder than it appeared at the time, because it really opened up the door to a whole new generation of filmmakers, from Steven Soderberg himself, across the indie darling spectrum all the way to Kevin Smith.

Performers of note: James Spader, Andie McDowell, Peter Gallagher, Laura San Giacomo.

“The Notorious Bettie Page” (2005)

Well, it finally happened.  Chad finally returned to the podcast, after missing 4 of the last 5 episodes.  The original duo, Mark and Chad, are back together at last, this time to bring you a movie of Chad’s request: a charming “The Notorious Bettie Page” from 2005.  This little film came and went, primarily on HBO as it was produced (or at least bought) by HBO.  Starring Gretchen Mol in probably her best-ever performance, “The Notorious Bettie Page” is a film directed by Mary Harron (“American Psycho”).

Performers of note: Gretchen Mol, Chris Bauer, Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, Cara Seymour, Sarah Paulson, David Strathairn, and Norman Reedus.

“Earth Girls Are Easy” (1988)

Hey, guess what!  Chad’s missing in action for the second week straight, replaced this time by animation director extraordinaire, Ashley Long (also known to be dating Mark Alan Heiliger, co-host of this very podcast)!  Mark and Ashley take on the absolutely fucking wacky “Earth Girls Are Easy” from 1988, starring Genna Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, Michael McKean, and Julie Brown.

Performers of note: Genna Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, Michael McKean, and Julie Brown.

“Back to School” (1986)

Oh hello, everyone.  Chad here.  This week’s podcast features people not including myself – I know, I know – but the show must go on (including next week, which I’m also absent for).  All this aside, co-host Mark brings us two things this week: “Back To School”, the 1986 Rodney Dangerfield classic; and a guest appearance by fellow podcaster & writer, Josh Trotter.

Performers of note: Rodney Dangerfield, Sally Kellerman, Robert Downey Jr., Paxton Whitehead, Terry Farrell, M. Emmet Walsh, William Zabka, Ned Beatty, Robert Picardo, Adrienne Barbeau and a wonderful cameo by Kurt Vonnegut.

“Better Luck Tomorrow” (2002)

Hey everybody, Chad’s back!  Chad’s back!

*Crickets*

…and so is Steve Phelan, returning for his third consecutive podcast with the fellas.  Today they attempt to tackle one of Chad’s suggested films – the Justin Lin helmed “Better Luck Tomorrow”, from 2002.  This film reeks of late-90’s style, and is FULL of nostalgia because of it.  Not many films captured this particular era as well as this – and absolutely none of those films did it with an entirely Asian-American cast.  This movie shines, and we hope it’ll shine for you, too.

Performers of note: Parry Shen, Jason Tobin, Karin Anna Cheung, Sung Kang, John Cho, and Jerry “The Beave” Mathers

“The In-Laws” (1979)

With Chad absent AGAIN, last week’s guest – Steve Phelan – makes a fill-in look natural.  This time Steve picks the movie: the original “The In-Laws” from 1979, starring the great Peter Falk and Alan Arkin in a film directed by Arthur Hiller.  Mark’s never seen the movie (neither has Chad, for that matter, not that he’s here today (but he IS writing this, strangely, in the 3rd person)).  “The In-Laws” (1979) can currently be found in the Criterion Collection.

Performers of note: Peter Falk, Alan Arkin, Arthur Hiller, James Hong, and Ed Begley Jr.

“Last Action Hero” (1993)

Today we celebrate the absence of Chad from the podca– er, we mean, no, we like Chad… but he’s absent from this particular episode, as he’s vacationing in jolly good England.  In his stead, comes friend-of-the-podcast, one mister Steve Phelan, whom some of you might recognize from the early 2000’s podcast, Digital Llama Radio.  Or not.

In any case, “Chad” (Steve) and Mark dive back into an oldie-but-baddie, the universally panned, “Last Action Hero”, mostly to see if it got better over time.  Their verdict?  Well, maybe you should just listen to the damn podcast.

Performers of note: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin O’Brien, Charles Dance, Mercedes Ruehl, Art Carney

“The Light Between Oceans” (2016)

2016 saw the release of many a great film, topped by “Moonlight” at the academy awards (almost, famously, “Lalaland”).  One of the forgotten films of the year – by critics and moviegoers alike – was “The Light Between Oceans”, a film Chad considers a “top 3” film of the year.  We put Mark to trial and see how the movie fares – can a deeply depressing melodrama be considered a top film?

Performers of note: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander

“The Impostors” (1998)

Hot off his debut film, Big Night, Stanley Tucci wrote and directed this comedy in the style of Wilder/Marx/Hardy/Costello… to mixed success.  Mixed, meaning it is right up Mark’s alley, and diametrically opposed to the very fiber of Chad’s being.  It’s a movie about actors that was made by actors, so it’s no surprise that the attitudes and quirks of actors are captured well here.  Much like the surplus of subplots that never add up to anything, The Impostors has a collection of funny sketches that never coalesce into something greater.  For fans of old school comedies only!

Performers of note: Stanley Tucci, Oliver Platt, Alfred Molina, Michael Emerson, Lili Taylor, Tony Shalhoub, Steve Buscemi, Allison Janney, Richard Jenkins, Isabella Rossellini, Billy Connolly, Campbell Scott, Hope Davis, Woody Allen, and a million others.

“Black Book” (2005)

Robocop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Showgirls, Starship Troopers, and… Black Book?  What do these have in common?  They’re all (mostly) awesome – and they’re all directed by a crazy man by the name of Paul Verhoven.  After two critical flops, Starship Troopers and 2000’s Hollow Man, Verhoven seemingly left Hollywood behind for a grand return to his native Dutch roots.  After a five year break from directing (as far as we could tell), he returned – better, in Chad’s opinion – to direct the largest film in Dutch film history, 2005’s Black Book (and eventually leading up to 2016’s Elle, which garnered an oscar nomination for lead actress Isabelle Huppert).

Having dominated Hollywood blockbusters since the 1980’s, Verhoven has seemingly taken the next step to tackling more dramatic, more meaningful films… without losing the quirks that make him unique.

“The Long Goodbye” (1973)

Whatever your opinion might be on the films of Robert Altman, no one can deny his films have a specific style.  Mark introduces Chad to this 1973 film, hoping to clarify his own feelings on the movie – is it good, or nay?

Performers of note: Elliott Gould, Nina van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden, Mark Rydell, Henry Gibson, with small cameos by Arnold Schwarzenegger and David Carradine.

“Grandma’s Boy” (2010)

Somewhere, lost in the sands of time, this movie was released in theaters to a non-existent audience.  Gradually that audience grew on DVD and “Grandma’s Boy” eventually reached cult status.  This is a movie Chad unabashedly loves, with all its warts, so he takes the time to introduce it to a less-than-impressed Mark Alan Heiliger.  Maybe y’all will enjoy it as much as Chad does.  Maybe not.

Performers of note: Allen Covert, Nick Swardson, Linda Cardellini, Doris Roberts, Joel David Moore, Shirley Jones, Jonah Hill.

“Talk Radio” (1988)

Where this movie disappeared to is beyond us.  Frankly, Chad had never heard of “Talk Radio” prior to Mark suggesting it as a possible option.

At the height of his prime, Oliver Stone set out to direct this film – a film based on a PLAY, by the way – and generally knocked it out of the park, despite the movie vanishing from at least our own little world views.  All this considered, “Talk Radio” is a pretty great watch and a valid political piece that still holds true today (ESPECIALLY NOW).  Inspired by (SPOILER, but based on real life facts?) the real life murder of a Denver, Colorado talk radio host – a Jewish man whose mouth and words got him in trouble with the far-right white supremacy group that ultimately killed him in the parking lot outside of his radio station.  This movie deserves some attention.

Performers of note: Eric Bogosian, Alec Baldwin, John C. McGinley, Ellen Greene, Leslie Hope.