And the Winner Should Have Been...

Bob and Mark

Discussing what movies *should* have won and film generally.

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This week we talk about the films of Ralph Fiennes. We haven't seen all his movies, but we have seen a goodly number. If you're afraid of the sneaky and nefarious SPOILER, you probably ought to be cautious since we fear it not. 00:10 Intro and the topic 02:40 Fiennes and the theater (theatre?) 06:11 Bob attempts to categorize Fiennes' films 07:05 Bob's very wrong about Macbeth being on streaming 08:00 The bulk of Fiennes' movies 13:37 Fiennes as villain 16:03 The Avengers (1998) Bob will be wrong a few seconds later about Fiennes being the villain (it's Sean Connery); not only that, Fiennes plays the hero, which would have been a good thing to have looked up before having the rest of this conversation. Do your homework, kids! 16:51 Our discussion of The English Patient 19:18 "Never" the hero? Didn't you guys just say he was the hero of The King's Man? Tells you how forgettable that film was. 20:13 Fiennes is an actor not a star? 26:31 Work in children's films 31:46 Odds and ends 37:19 Getting off topic and talking about physical media 43:27 Favorite Ralph Fiennes film 47:25 Digression about commentaries, food, other nonsense 51:24 Least favorite Ralph Fiennes film 54:51 Winding down; upcoming episode 56:45 Quick mention of two upcoming films Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Episodes

This week we talk about the films of Ralph Fiennes. We haven't seen all his movies, but we have seen a goodly number. If you're afraid of the sneaky and nefarious SPOILER, you probably ought to be cautious since we fear it not. 00:10 Intro and the topic 02:40 Fiennes and the theater (theatre?) 06:11 Bob attempts to categorize Fiennes' films 07:05 Bob's very wrong about Macbeth being on streaming 08:00 The bulk of Fiennes' movies 13:37 Fiennes as villain 16:03 The Avengers (1998) Bob will be wrong a few seconds later about Fiennes being the villain (it's Sean Connery); not only that, Fiennes plays the hero, which would have been a good thing to have looked up before having the rest of this conversation. Do your homework, kids! 16:51 Our discussion of The English Patient 19:18 "Never" the hero? Didn't you guys just say he was the hero of The King's Man? Tells you how forgettable that film was. 20:13 Fiennes is an actor not a star? 26:31 Work in children's films 31:46 Odds and ends 37:19 Getting off topic and talking about physical media 43:27 Favorite Ralph Fiennes film 47:25 Digression about commentaries, food, other nonsense 51:24 Least favorite Ralph Fiennes film 54:51 Winding down; upcoming episode 56:45 Quick mention of two upcoming films Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Terminators 1-3

Terminators 1-3

Bob jumps straight into the topic this episode with SPOILERS from the very start. This episode we assume that you have at least a familiarity with the basic plot of the Terminator films even if, like Mark, you've never seen them. We discuss the first three films and ignore the latter three (which neither Bob nor Mark has seen). Enjoy! 00:10 Intro 00:45 Mark had not seen The Terminator; cultural significance and Schwarzenegger 05:37 Evolution from conclusive to open-ended 08:42 The Terminator 12:30 Does James Cameron care more about technical filmmaking than the story elements? 20:04 Masking the antagonist in Terminator 2 23:10 Linda Hamilton/Sarah Connor 25:41 Which is best and supporting cast 27:43 Terminator 3 is a real step down 31:12 Schwarzenegger is inextricably linked with the Terminator 34:05 Rough story moments in the second filmmaking 35:21 Edward Furlong - American History X 36:25 Robert Patrick 37:10 Kristanna Loken 40:25 Time travel and its problems 44:07 Special effects 48:35 Mild spoilers(?) for Reacher season 2 49:27 Prosthetic effects in The Terminator 52:08 Actor miscellany 56:35 Winding down Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

We return triumphantly with...a filler episode! Okay, they can't all be about timeless classics. This episode we look back at what we've seen so far and what is on the horizon. Mostly it's not great, but there were a few gems and several films which augur well. Minimal spoilers too! Enjoy! 00:17 Intro (and the brief return of the clicky pen!) 04:32 Bob's Top 5 of 2024 (so far) 08:32 Mark's movie-going (or lack thereof) 11:34 Bob raves about Perfect Days 13:58 What *should* movies be about? Are we jaded? 19:40 So many sequels/remakes on the horizon 23:57 The War of the Rohirrim 24:58 Writers strike and streaming 28:23 Movies we're looking forward to 31:38 Movies we *aren't* looking forward to 32:58 Back to The War of the Rohirrim 35:35 Upcoming release dates 42:14 Ralph Fiennes 44:00 Terminator(s) 45:49 Wrapping up Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington

00:00 Intro 04:54 Starting the topic 06:55 What's the key understanding? 12:10 A role departure for Denzel Washington 15:57 Mark's choice for a unique Washington role 22:20 Another, similar, actor 23:52 It's not necessarily bad... 26:10 Glory 29:02 Comparing to Tom Cruise 31:51 Man on Fire vs The Equalizer 36:02 (It was from Sicario. -Ed.) 36:29 Noble self-sacrifice 39:42 Roman J. Israel, Esq. 41:40 Inside Man 43:00 Training Day 43:22 Mojo Jojo? 45:45 Wrapping up? No, of course not quite yet. 47:39 Much Ado About Nothing 50:05 Unstoppable 51:27 Two Guns 53:44 Manchurian Candidate(s) 55:40 Wrapping up for reals this time

Jane Austen Adaptations

Jane Austen Adaptations

Back this episode to talk about Jane Austen adaptations. There are many, but we only have time to watch and discuss a handful. At first Bob and Mark seem to be on the same page, but by the end...well, you'll hear. As ever, SPOILERS, but really, these stories are 200 years old. If you don't know them already, that's on you. 00:00 Introduction 2:28 Austen adaptations 7:25 Pride and Prejudice (1995 and 2005) 14:30 Bob compares it to Ozu, because of course he does, and we discuss the stories as a group 20:58 Persuasion (1995) 25:11 Social conventions 33:31 Emma (1996 and 2020) 40:29 Sense and Sensibility (1995) 47:30 Bob and Mark disagree vehemently on the relative quality of the films, then Sense and Sensibility specifically 51:47 Mark finds watching a group of similar movies back to back diminishes his enjoyment 52:36 The perils of watching a lot of movies 56:30 Wrapping up 58:31 Baseball! Note: Oscar® and Academy Awards® are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This podcast is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Music:Intro and Outro music excerpted without alteration other than length and volume from AcidJazz by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Akira Kurosawa Part II

Akira Kurosawa Part II

This time it's the back half of a pair of episodes on Kurosawa. As ever, we're talking about the films with the assumption that you'll have seen them, so beware the fearsome SPOILER. Mark picked the movies for Part I and Bob has picked the films for Part II. We also talk a little about Shane and A Fistful of Dollars. Enjoy!00:10 Intro to Part 207:37 Yojimbo10:36 A Fistful of Dollars11:12 Accounts vary about exactly how much Kurosawa received, but he did win his lawsuit14:41 "Gamblers" as...

Akira Kurosawa Part I

Akira Kurosawa Part I

First of a pair of episodes about the great Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. Mark is dipping into his ouevre for the first time and Bob is revisiting many of his favorite movies. Featuring SPOILERS throughout, but also the return of the clicky pen! Listen at your own risk.00:10 Episode introduction04:08 Seven Samurai19:50 Wrong, Bob; three left20:10 Wrong again; 4 of 720:34 (Seems to be an audio error in the original recording dropping a fraction of a second...)25:14 The ending of Seven Samu...

This is as close as we get to jumping on the bandwagon of popular, recent films. We talk most about the Villeneuve Dune movies, but we also touch on the other iterations. No spoiler warnings in the episode, because the whole podcast is composed of SPOILERS!00:10 Intro - What's going to be covered and not04:50 There is no such thing as "spoiling" a 70 year old story; no spoiler warnings this podcast06:05 Dune, the novel13:35 The story from the novel changes in the transition to film15:55 ...

Coen Bros. Part II

Coen Bros. Part II

Bob finally stopped being lazy and got this edited. Wrapping up our discussion of the Coens and their films along with theme Mark thinks he's sussed out of their movies. As ever, SPOILERS!02:00 Why are we doing two episodes on the Coens?04:15 Blood Simple10:15 Spoilers begin in earnest16:49 Subscribers only (unfortunately): https://www.criterionchannel.com/videos/bill-hader-on-blood-simple21:17 The Big Lebowski23:59 Raymond Chandler33:50 Mark's thesis35:02 Inside Llewyn Davis42:24 Comparing O...

Coen Bros. Part I

Coen Bros. Part I

Another two part episode (at least two; we haven't recorded any more than this so far) this time around, but looking at a selection of Coen Brothers movies chosen by Mark. We discuss four of their films in this episode and plan to discuss four more. SPOILERS THROUGHOUT!Enjoy!00:43 Mark's flu podcast01:46 Introducing the topic04:10 Raising Arizona (SPOILERS BEGIN)20:55 M. Emmett WALSH (Bob apparently has football on the brain, he'll make the mistake again later too)24:26 Miller's Crossing42:48...

The Artist Part II

The Artist Part II

First episode of the new year is...finishing the topic we started at the end of last year. We're thinking about maybe tackling some smaller topics this year, but the best laid plans, etc. As ever with our podcast SPOILERS ABOUND! Listen at your own risk.00:10 Intro04:42 The Artist10:18 Would it work as a true silent movie?12:55 Mark doesn't like the title character16:32 Bob loves this movie27:24 The Descendants29:15 Connection to Sideways30:57 George Clooney32:29 The Artist vs The Descendants...

The Artist Part I

The Artist Part I

This time around we decided that since the 2012 Best Picture had 9 nominations, we'd split the discussion into two parts so we didn't have to either run very long or skim over films without discussing them. So 4 this episode, 5 next time.00:10 Intro and beard discussion03:47 Podcast topic - 2012 Best Picture06:05 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close08:25 SPOILERS BEGIN!18:58 Hugo31:10 Midnight in Paris39:26 "Bougie" interlude40:39 Back to the film42:10 Owen Wilson, wow!42:47 Moneyball45:16 The...

Another movie that's (loosely) connected to the story of Jesus. We didn't plan it that way, but there it is. The other four films all have some connection to World War II, which at the time was still fresh in the mind for many people. We do have SPOILERS, but not so many as in other episodes? Listen at your own risk; as always we tend to talk about the films with the assumption that our listeners have seen them.00:10 Intro1:24 Monty Python boys3:31 Old films, color vs black and white fil...

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Wrapping up the Indiana Jones trilogy this time around. Hope you enjoy it, SPOILERS, of course! We're not going to talk about the latter two films; at least, not for the foreseeable future. Never say never, though!0:10 Opening salutations1:13 "The jewel of Southeast Asia"4:45 Synopsis8:50 Is Indy actually searching for the Holy Grail?12:51 Comparing the three films: villains19:06 Donovan vs Belloq20:55 How does the Grail actually *work*?27:53 Nit-picking minor gripes29:46 Schoolboy adven...

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Installment number two in our evaluation of the Indiana Jones franchise. (Ugh, it feels a little dirty saying "franchise.") We'll at least get the the third, but no promises about anything further. Very, very mild spoilers for The Sixth Sense (trailer level), and of course SPOILERS! for Temple of Doom. Enjoy! 00:10 Episode 50!03:05 Thinking about Temple of Doom differently after watching it this time05:00 The Sixth Sense (very mild) spoilers05:35 End of The Sixth Sense spoilers09:11 Deliber...

Raiders of the Lost Ark Redux

Raiders of the Lost Ark Redux

Still taking our sweet time in this sleepy summer, we return with a (relatively) in-depth look at a single film. Obviously, spoilers, but c'mon. If you've not seen this, then I don't even feel sorry for you being spoiled. It's your own fault for avoiding such a good movie for this long.00:10 Intro1:27 Recapping the lost first attempt3:07 The deliberate homage to serial films6:08 An Alfred Molina discursion7:18 The good stuff12:24 Museum nostalgia14:36 Film as icon; sequels17:20 Moichandising!...

It's been a bit slower because...it's summer. Yeah, that's it. Summer, that's the ticket. But we're back again with another episode, this time talking about 1944 and Bing Crosby's big year winning Best Actor in the Best Picture, Going My Way. Talking about it and the other Best Picture nominees we discuss MANY SPOILERS! You have been warned.00:00 Intro - Heat and the 4th05:38 Going My Way20:25 Double Indemnity31:16 Gaslight40:52 Wilson47:35 Since You Went Away56:54 Other films in 19...

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments

Slowly getting back into the swing of things; we're back with another timely episode talking about movies from nearly 70 years ago. It's almost silly, but SPOILER WARNING! We're going to spoil them all, insofar as that's possible, since some of them really aren't traditionally spoil...able? Enjoy!00:10 Intro and desultory chit-chat02:45 The nominees04:05 They're how long?!04:41 Around the World in 80 Days10:43 Palin's Around the World in 80 Days14:32 The cameos!17:47 Could it have been shorte...

The year is 1997. The category is Best Picture. Who will win? Well, as is unsurprising at this period in history, it's the film pushed by the Weinsteins. But perhaps it ought not to have? We discuss the movies from 1996 that might should have been considered the Best Picture when the awards season rolled around in the first part of 1997. SPOILERS AHOY! No timestamps because Bob was in a hurry, but if you're a regular listener you have the advantage of knowing which movie Bob chose f...

We're Right and the World is Wrong

We're Right and the World is Wrong

Oh, hey, it's an old episode that Bob forgot to edit and upload. Let's draw a veil on that and we can pretend that it didn't quite happen that way. Spoilers abound for a variety of films old and new in this episode where your two hosts run down lists of movies they dislike, but with which the world seems to be enamored. In addition to the movies on our lists, we also spoil (a little) La La Land and Rogue One.Spoilers, spoilers everywhere!00:00 Wait, what?02:15 How did we choose (bad but...