1

(40 replies, posted in Episodes)

"This was the best movie I have ever seen."

-Nobody

2

(25 replies, posted in Episodes)

I just heard something interesting. I remember you guys mentioning how weird and out of place Frost's line about Arcturian Poontang was since it seemed to be contrary to the fiction of the universe the rest of the dialog was building (i.e. that humans had never to their knowledge encountered alien life beyond probably "bugs" and microbes).

I was listening to the Cracked podcast in an episode in which they discussed best and worst fictional companies to work at and they referenced the Wolfpop podcast "I Was There, Too". In that podcast, they interview "everyone else" from famous movies and scenes (such as everyone on the bus from Speed who wasn't Sanda Bullock and Keanu Reeves).

Anyway, apparently they did an ep in which he interviewed Ricco Ross (the actor who played Frost). I haven't listened to the original ep yet, but the topic of the "Arcturan Poontang" line came up. I remember you guys puzzling over that line in the podcast and I had the same reaction because it seemed to be contrary to the canon of the universe they were building otherwise (that humans had probably never encountered alien life outside of maybe "bugs" and microbes). According the podcast that mentioned it, the "Arcturan Poontang" line was actually improvised by Ross and wasn't part of the original written screenplay. According to the actor, they thought it was funny so they wrote it in.

I'm trying to verify this, but it would make sense as it didn't really seem to fit.

3

(44 replies, posted in Episodes)

Invid wrote:

Fun fact: if you search for Watchmen, this thread is the last thing that comes up.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has seen the "Ultimate" version of the movie, the one that edits in the Tales of the Black Freighter. It's a choice between buying that for $25 on DVD, or the Uncut version on Blu Ray.

I went for Ultimate, just because as the collector's item I like to get the most complete/closest to the original source material version. I don't know that I'd call it the quintessential version because it is really, really long but unlike some other special editions (like Aliens) I didn't think that any of the added content on its own detracted from the movie.

4

(23 replies, posted in Episodes)

This was a movie I have fond memories of from when I was a child, but with a different set of third act problems than say "Explorers" because this movie was from that era when children's films good be freakin' horrifying. I had an audio storybook of this movie on cassette that had a strong emphasis on the cute, floating robots and curiously omitted parts like the corpses of the murdered crew being turned into robot slaves.

Kinda reminds me of the children's film viewfinder I had that showed clips from the original "Alien" movie (and no, I'm not joking. This was a real kids toy and I had it when I was in single digits).

5

(25 replies, posted in Episodes)

Xtroid wrote:

Sam Raimi admits he messed up with SPIDER-MAN 3 (and OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL) on the Nerdist Podcast.

https://www.nerdist.com/pepisode/nerdis … sam-raimi/

Sam Raimi: It’s a movie that just didn’t work very well. I tried to make it work, but I didn’t really believe in all the characters, so that couldn’t be hidden from people who loved Spider-Man. If the director doesn’t love something, it’s wrong of them to make it when so many other people love it. I think [raising the stakes after SPIDER-MAN 2] was the thinking going into it, and I think that’s what doomed us. I should’ve just stuck with the characters and the relationships and progressed them to the next step and not tried to top the bar …

Sam Raimi: [But] directors don’t like to talk about their bad films.

Chris Hardwick: I don’t think that ‘bad’ is the right word.

Sam Raimi: Awful!

I actually liked Oz, but Spiderman 3 was a terrible mess.

6

(25 replies, posted in Episodes)

http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/78862/ … ral-hicks/

7

(30 replies, posted in Episodes)

The mockumentary style is a bit of a turnoff for me because I feel like it pretty much spoils the ending. Obviously, unless at least part of the story isn't anecdotal, you already know who makes it through intact and who doesn't and that reduces the tension for me. Lake Mungo, The Bay, Europa Report, etc all have this issue because it doesn't take long for you to figure out who did and didn't make it and then you're spending the rest of the film waiting to see -what- happens to them, but the certainty over their fate kinda kills it for me.

When it works for me is in an example like Last Ecorcist or [REC] where a news report or documentary is the pretense for filming, but there are no "post event" interviews and the movie is just the "found footage".

8

(30 replies, posted in Episodes)

Regarding the movie, it was crap for sure. Found footage is a bit of a paradox for me, because while I would define it as one of my favorite genres of horror, the vast majority of found footage movies I see I think are crap. But when it's done right, I think it's an awesome mechanic. Blair Witch was obviously the first one that saw any kind of mainstream success, but even that film doesn't really hold up that well for me upon later rewatching even though I thought it was great the first time I saw it. The earliest one I know of is an obscure indie film called "The Last Broadcast" that was about the Jersey Devil. It's not great, to be honest, but it was pretty experimental for its time. Since then, there have been a plethora of shitty FF movies that have come out (this one included) and the stuff you guys said about it being a massive cost saving measure is interesting and something I never considered. It's sad that it ends up getting used in that fashion, because I think it can be used to great effect when the story is designed around the concept.

I've seen a ton, but the only ones I've really thought were good were:

[Rec] (but not the US remake at all) This one was creepy as hell, but the US version fell flat in pretty much every way. It's one of many examples of how horror (like comedy) is such a delicate formula and if just one element is out of place the entire thing can fall apart.
[Rec2] to a lesser extent but overall it did a lot of things right like [Rec]
Blair Witch
The Last Exorcism (not the scariest but the story was really interesting)
V/H/S 1 and 2 (fun stories and with the first film even though it was almost two hours I would have happy to watch another story)
I'm watching V/H/S 3 right now but I'm not sure if it's as much fun as the previous installments.

The Paranormal Activity movies are ok at best, but they follow a very set formula. Weird shit happens, a little bit at first then more frequently. Only one person actually buys it for a while until around the end of the second act when it escalates, then in the third act most of the characters believe and get killed. I haven't seen the 4th, but the 3rd was the first one that I actually liked because it was the first one that had likeable characters. Pro tip: If you want your horror movie to work, make the characters relatable and likeable or else the audience won't care what happens to them.

What (if any) found footage films have you guys enjoyed?

BigDamnArtist wrote:
Byshop wrote:

Related note: They just announced that they are going to offer a "streaming only" service like Netflix as an option for non-HBO subscribers. I would have gotten this years ago, if it didn't at the time mean I would have had to get both cable -and- HBO.

Not to be /that/ guy, but that's kinda what we've been talking about.

Anyways, my reaction when I first heard the news was "ABOUT FUCKING TIME" Granted it doesn't really change anything for non-us peeps, we all still get to the piracy route. So...yah...woo. /sarcasm

My bad. The article I read was dated today and the most recent message in the thread was from yesterday and seemed to be talking about it like it were a hypothetical. I'm usually good about reading the entire thread before I post, so mia culpa.

Phi wrote:

More details on Entertainment Weekly, indicating that they're considering three models.

Plepler ran down three potential distribution models for the streaming service.

The first is to sell the online-only service through HBO’s existing cable providers. (For example, if you have broadband service through Time Warner or Comcast and want the network’s streaming service, you would be able to purchase the online service without having any cable channels.)

The second is to distribute the service via new partners like Amazon, Google or Microsoft.

The third method would be to attempt the Netflix model, whereby HBO markets its streaming service direct to consumers and skips the middlemen.



Is HBO Go currently a USA only thing? I've never even looked into it.

Yup, US only. The computer you connect to the service has to have a US IP address, including Hawaii and Alaska.

Related note: They just announced that they are going to offer a "streaming only" service like Netflix as an option for non-HBO subscribers. I would have gotten this years ago, if it didn't at the time mean I would have had to get both cable -and- HBO.

11

(25 replies, posted in Episodes)

I had a slightly different read on the whole Bud's Hanzo sword bit. My interpretation was that Bud told Bill that he pawned the sword as basically a "fuck you" to Bill because he knew that Bill would be horrified at the idea that Bud pawned it for $250 for chew and beer money. I also figured that even though Bud knew that his sword was priceless he wouldn't part with it because it was this highly personal and amazing gift from his brother, regardless of how quickly he could use it to change his rather shitty, self-loathing situation without expending hardly any effort and in spite of whatever unexplained situation happened to make Bud hate him so much. This made Bud one of the most interesting characters in the films for me, even though he was one of the least fleshed out because there's so much implied there.

12

(44 replies, posted in Episodes)

Hey guys. Loved this movie, loved the commentary. I used to collect foreign DVDs back when DVD was a thing and I have a Japanese region 2 version fo Kill Bill Volume 1. Yes, the House of Blue Leaves scene is in full, glorious color but one other addition is when Sophie is in the trunk and Kiddo is threatening to cut off bits if she's less than forthcoming, B. Kiddo actually cuts her other arm off on screen. This was something else I guess they cut for rating.

Here's the full scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDh8KbMfZZk

BTW, I have the same car as Sophie (Nissan 300zx somewhere between 90 and 96) and there's no way in hell you are going to fit a person in that trunk. Totally took me out of it!

13

(20 replies, posted in Episodes)

Wow, this one was a bit of a brain warp for me. I thought it was going to be something new because it didn't ring a bell at all, which surprised me because I grew up with the likes of Flight o' dee Navigator, D.A.R.Y.L., Clock and Dagger, and The Last Starfighter. I got about 15 minutes in before I realized that I had seen this movie when it came out and I loved it when I was nine years old. I still only remember the basic premise but I look forward to rewatching it as an adult with commentary.

Side note: This is what bugs me about almost all vampire and immortal themed fiction. I don't have a poor memory, in fact I think it's probably at least average if not a little bit better than average, but if you ask me what I was doing 30 years go, I'd really have to piece that together. Why is it that in every tv show, movie, book, etc. depicts any 500 year old immortal with perfect recall, too. I've only ever seen one movie actually address this.

Edit: Wow. So I -completely- blanked out on the third act and now I understand. I was blocking out traumatic memories from my childhood. Now it has all come back.

14

(248 replies, posted in Off Topic)

I'm so sorry to hear this, but I'm very happy to see how much support this campaign has generated in such a short amount of time. I don't have 10k to spare but I've thrown my two cents in. Please keep us updated as to how he's doing and what the story is with the driver who hit him.

15

(44 replies, posted in Episodes)

Speaking of the fantastic being regarded as the mundane, here was a Louis CK take on it that reminded me of the Patton Oswalt bit you guys mentioned.

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/avmzsg/st … t-a-second

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/1myllo/st … -of-flight

Regarding Hal's personal brand of crazy, 2010 notwithstanding, I read Hal's crazy as being a result of him getting the whole thing. Mr. Super Computer not only knew what the mission was about but understood what the monolith was and what it meant to mankind and as such he didn't want to chance humans screwing it up but not realizing that it doesn't work if you don't bring at least one human along.

Edit: I'm still watching the commentary but it sounds like you guys made the same point. Nevermind. smile

16

(39 replies, posted in Episodes)

ShadowDuelist wrote:

I'm still kinda mad at them for doing the Scott Pilgrim movie without having a single person who'd read the comics on the panel. Instead they just kinda speculated about what the comics might be like the whole time and the commentary suffers for it.

I haven't caught that one yet, but someone mentioned hating the comic in this commentary. I didn't catch who it was.

17

(39 replies, posted in Episodes)

Who hates the Scott Pilgrim comic? WTF?

18

(25 replies, posted in Episodes)

On a related note: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p … khv7xCKVP0

Curiously, it doesn't have extendable rocket pods.

19

(44 replies, posted in Episodes)

Invid wrote:

As a control, listen to a commentary which says the film sucks and see if you then hate the film. It might be you more than this podcast smile

(this is the first test of a new keyboard. So far, sFG*_@@@@+-!)

Well, Apollo 18 is one of my favorite films still...

ROFL

Just kidding. Teague, please don't my account. Also I never saw "The Devil Inside" in spite of my fondness for found footage movies because the reviews were so god awful but now that I've heard about the ending from the A18 commentary I'm kind of curious to see just how bad it is.

I've done over a dozen DIFs so far and Constantine is the only one that has changed my feelings on the movie, although to be fair it's not like I went from dislike to like. I really enjoyed Constantine, I just thought it was more schlocky than I do now (although I still think that the golden cross shotgun he uses at the end is still one of the cheesiest movie props I've ever seen and it kind of took me out of it a bit). I still love Jackie Brown even though the crew was pretty luke warm on it at best. Dark City I hold in pretty high regard even though I think they could have taken the premise a bit further to reach Matrix level coolness. My opinions are not easily swayed because I don't come to them lightly or unintentionally (I always know -why- I like or dislike something), but I'll fully acknowledge that I won't notice everything and more data about something is more likely to change my opinion than an opinion that is contrary to my own.

Nope, Constantine is the only one  that I've significantly shifted my position on, but I hope that'll change the more I listen because I like to learn just as much as I like to be entertained.

20

(44 replies, posted in Episodes)

TimK wrote:

I'm pretty sure it's pronounced "Digimon."

That's pretty much what I've always thought as well.

This was one of my first DIFs and I really enjoyed it. I saw this movie when it first hit DVD and I thought it was pretty good at the time, but nothing special really. Just another in a long list of supernatural adventure/thrillers and mediocre comic book adaptation. Watching it again years later and with the DIF commentary, I found it to actually be surprisingly detailed and there were a few levels of nuance that I had missed my first time through. I have a newfound appreciation for this movie and my opinions are not easily swayed because I can entertain a thought without agreeing with it (i.e. I can agree with all the reasons someone likes or dislikes a movie without also liking/disliking it myself). However, in retrospect this was a better movie than I gave it credit for the first time out. The fact that your commentary changed my mind about this movie is what has made me really interested in listening to every single other commentary you guys have recorded.

Thanks.

21

(34 replies, posted in Episodes)

BigDamnArtist wrote:

Naw man, alls good. Just be prepared for the inevitable onslaught of us old fucks pulling shit like this.

I turn 38 this year so it sounds like I'll be in good company.

22

(30 replies, posted in Episodes)

Invid wrote:

The DVD has a commentary with the director and editor. The director is French. That's about all I got from the four minutes of it I listened to. Well, that and the fact they were editing up until two weeks before release, about the time the commentary was recorded.

Sounds like we might have a "Troll 2" situation going on here.


farley22 wrote:

The thing I'm going to take from this commentary is the fun that came from the whole "moon naming game" that went on within the chat.

A couple dozen pun moon names and not one person suggested "Moondock Saints"?

HenryChM wrote:

Make a cream dish called 'Creme de la LEM'

I don't know if anyone here is a fan of "The Shield" but...

  Show
Shane Vendrell made some 'Creme de la Lem' with a hand grenade at the end of season 5.

23

(34 replies, posted in Episodes)

redxavier wrote:

And me three.
... is this a mind game?


I don't even remember writing that post on the first page, weird reading what you wrote years ago.

I hope you nobody minds me necro-posting my way through every thread in this forum as I slowly catch up on the backlog. I feel like I'm late to the party when I could have been listening to these for years, but it's nice to have a wealth of good entertainment at my fingertips whenever I have the time to watch.

24

(34 replies, posted in Episodes)

I'm just happy you guys referenced the old Lucasarts video game.

25

(30 replies, posted in Episodes)

Jimmy B wrote:

John Pavlich and I recorded a commentary for Hot Fuzz a couple of weeks ago and I excitedly shout 'Bill Bailey' every time he appears. No doubt to the annoyance of John and to listeners.

It had to be done, though. It had to.

Bilbo!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4TX6x2WLgk