Caddickisms » midnight movie club

TIDBABSH the second, part the first

Jeff — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:23:02 +0000

Last month’s podcast was such a great success that I decided to do another one.

When I say it was a great success, I mean that it was successfully uploaded and at least three people were able to download and listen to it. I make no statements about the actual quality of the content (though those 3 people who admit to hearing it seemed to enjoy it (which reminds me, your payments will be sent shortly)).

With such a wave of accomplishment and adoring fans to bolster me, how could I not do another? It just wouldn’t be fair to all of you to deprive you of that which you have come to hold so dear. Or possibly, that which you have tolerated heroically.

This time around I left my wife to deal with the kids while I waxed (and waned) philosophic with Australia’s favorite son: Lee Sargent.

Well, he’s from Australia, anyway.

Lee is slowly taking over the internet, appearing on podcasts all over the world while simultaneously co-hosting his own podcast at Lee and Dan’s Midnight Movie Club and keeping his take on the world of pop-culture front and center (of the far left, rear facing department of the underside of the internet – which is a more prominent position than it sounds) on his blog, Quit Your Day Job. Take some time to visit his sites. They’re better than this one.

So, Lee and I attacked this month’s topics with a vengeance. I had a lot of fun in this conversation. We got so involved in some of these topics that we actually ended up with enough material to cover two podcasts. And yet, this month’s podcast is shorter than last month’s! Well, that’s because you’re only going to get the first half of the discussion today. We’ll get to Part 2 later.

This month, strap yourself in for some rambling on the following topics (following a rambling introduction that covers a surprising amount of surprising information about Australia):

Doesn’t look like much, does it?

You’ll be amazed at some of the places those links take us.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my discussion with Lee, where we take on some more of popular culture, including our thoughts on a mess of upcoming movies and TV shows that have released trailers lately, some movie news and rumors, the portrayal of women (wonderful and otherwise) in superhero roles, gender neutrality in the X-Men, and more.

Go forth and listen!

Return to MidMo and other short subjects

Jeff — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:58:57 +0000

My second guest shot on the Midnight Movie Club was posted this week, reviewing the film “Return To Me” (with a stellar cast led by David Duchovny and Minnie Driver – in the movie, not the podcast). If the stats are accurate, many of you missed this film when it came out in 2000 (though the odds are apparently better if you were in an airplane around then). That’s a shame because it’s a great movie. You really should rent it. You won’t be disappointed. In any event, go listen to the podcast and hear Lee and I wax philosophical about such barely relevant topics as insurance forms for sex addicts, and how much acting ability is necessary to overcome being a complete whack job in real life.

In other news, I saw a couple of movies recently – one new, and one older.

Iron Man 2 was very good. It seemed almost on par with the first installment to me. Some things I liked better, some things I didn’t. Still a very fun ride, though.

Pixar’s Cars was a mixed bag for me. I liked it, but I’ve got to put it at the bottom of the Pixar pile. For a movie about race cars, it was kinda slow. I know I’m blowing against the prevailing winds since just about everybody I know puts Cars at or near the top of the Pixar list, but it didn’t grab me the same way the others did, and my kids were mostly bored.

In future movie news, the live-action feature release of Green Lantern – not scheduled to open until June 17, 2011 – has already been scheduled for a sequel with the same writing team. That team has also been scheduled to write a new movie about The Flash. It’s unclear whether the Green Lantern sequel or Flash film will be the next on the production line. I really hope this approval and trust is based on what they’ve already seen and not on wishful thinking. I really, really, really want to love the Green Lantern movie.

Looking back to the past, some guy has collected over 3000 classic lunch boxes. He says he has all but about 8 that were ever produced. That is some serious collecting. Here’s one of them:

Hey, kids! Just dropping by to kill you and your swell daggit!

That’s even cheesier than the show it’s based on!

In TV news, Tom Welling has said that next season will be the last for Smallville. I’ve heard that before, but this time I believe it. Chloe, the only original character left in the show, will only be a recurring character next season. Will Clark put on the suit his mom made for him by the end of the season? We’ll see.

After the excellent “Children of Earth” miniseries last year, Torchwood has finally been confirmed to return… but not until next year, and with only 10 episodes. This will also likely be its final season. Rather than centering in Wales, it will be a much more globe trotting season with higher stakes and a huge ending. Jack and Gwen are returning. I’m really looking forward to it.

Finally, this news is a few months old, but I think it’s one of the greatest Hollywood news stories lately: the guy who wrote the John Travolta stink-bomb “Battlefield Earth” has apologized. He also had this to say:

Actually, comparing it to a train wreck isn’t really fair to train wrecks, because people actually want to watch those. … Now, looking back at the movie with fresh eyes, I can’t help but be strangely proud of it. Because out of all the sucky movies, mine is the suckiest.

You just gotta appreciate the honesty.

Greetings, Program!

Jeff — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:30:04 +0000

I mentioned last week that I was a guest on a podcast over at Lee and Dan’s Midnight Movie Club. The show has now been released so head over and listen. You should be able to pick me out. I’m the one who doesn’t have an accent.

The topic of the day is Tron, the 1982 movie starring Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner, and Jeff Bridges. And of course, Lacy Underalls with huge glasses.

Some of the topics discussed:

How marital discord arises in a geek marriage
Avatar
Lee’s kleptomania
“The Black Hole” and Disney’s failure in producing live action movies
Arcade games, including Australia’s newest sensation, Pong
Babylon 5 actors
The aforementioned Lacy Underalls

We also mention Tron a few times.

One thing I’m surprised I didn’t mention in the podcast is that there is one phrase that immediately brings me back to the fun of the film. If someone says, “Greetings, Program!” to me, I instantly feel some sense of camaraderie, and in my head I go back to the last scene of the film, where the good guys have won. It’s cool that a 2-word phrase from a movie that did rather poorly when it was released can engender good will.

Go check out the podcast, and let me know what you think, whether here or over there.

Old movies, new reviews

Jeff — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:43:41 +0000

Well… “reviews” might be pushing the definition of the word. It’s more like a couple of self-proclaimed geeks talking about the movie, which, as it turns out, is kinda fun.

If you’ve ever wondered how geeks converse about movies (though I’m not sure why you would), Lee and Dan’s Midnight Movie Club is a good place to go. It’s not a monologue, like most blogs, it’s a conversation. That’s what I find most interesting about this concept. I enjoy the back and forth of the discussion, and how some completely relevant statement can lead off into some completely irrelevant topic, but still stay interesting. Plus, they don’t take themselves too seriously – they’re just having fun talking about something they enjoy (or don’t) and it’s always fun to hear people talk about their passions.

The other thing about the “club” is that they don’t waste their time reviewing movies currently out in the cinema or recently released on DVD. That’s much too mainstream for them. No, they prefer to stick to movies that you might run across flipping through channels just as you’re about to go to bed – when you have to make the decision, “do I stay up and watch this, or go to sleep?” They watch one movie a week that they consider to be one that you might stay up for, and then talk about whether they made the right decision, and why.

So far, they’ve hit James Bond’s Moonraker, The Great Muppet Caper, Scrooged, Back to the Future, and Cannonball Run. Next up is Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I just recorded a guest appearance on a podcast that’ll be released in a couple of weeks about one of my favorite films from the ’80s (I’m not going to say which one – don’t want to spoil their announcement). I had a good time talking with these guys. Take a few moments and head over to the site. Join in the conversation. And in a couple of weeks, go back and hear me spout off and generally prove how full of useless knowledge I am (don’t worry, I’ll post a reminder in case you forget).

You’ll have to hear my voice, but that’s the price you pay, I’m afraid. After all, I have a master plan to consider here, and you must play your part.