delightful episode! I need to finally watch LA Story. It's only been available to buy for $10 and not rentable for some reason for at least a year, so weird. But it shall be bought now.
Great episode you California Dudes! As always, i came away with MANY suggestions for flicks i need to see or, moreso, have been meaning to see for a long time!! Thanks!!!!
Rando notes:
1) Took me WAYYYYYY to long to figure out Patricks edibles joke. phenom wordplay.
2) Ya'll were discussing the allure of Rollercoaster. That was one of those flicks that i realllly looked forward to coming on network tv as a kid each year. Setting a thriller or horror flick in an amusement park* just seemed genius (honestly it still does....recently revisited the prologue of Final Destination 3 and liked it more than i recalled originally). Plus Timothy Bottoms was such an amazing baddie with his dead-eyed evil calmness. I revisited the movie after not watching for decades and found that as an adult there was a lot to like about the cat-and-mouse nature of the chase between Segal and Bottoms...theres very little carnage or action but solid tension!
(*Alas for some reason KISS fumbled the ball with this premise a year later...honestly KISS Meets The Phantom of the Park should be one of the greatest cult movies of all time.)
3) Too bad the podcast wasnt about the best SCENES for california...then we'd all unanimously agree that the correct answer for #1 is: Skeet Surfing in Top Secret.
Loved the California movies discussion. But as a lifelong (mostly) Californian my mental list was growing, rather than shrinking, with every movie you mentioned. Anyway it got pretty long, mostly with some super obvious stuff, but also with movies I only just remembered I loved, and that I think still capture something interesting about this place. Also as as someone closer to John's age than Patrick's it included more 70s and 80s stuff. Anyway, I edited it it down to just 12 - if you ever do a part 2 I'll be listening (hoping) for some of these to enter the conversation:
Barfly The Big Sleep Beyond the Valley of the Dolls Car Wash To Sleep With Anger Decline of Western Civilization S.O.B. Repo Man Bullitt Colors Hollywood Shuffle License to Drive
Anyway great episode, and enjoy your time in Cali, Patrick.
All excellent choices. I still remember my favorite line in Barfly (which I pronounce like an adverb, “bar-flee.”) Mickey Rourke to Faye Dunaway, “Hey, you can’t eat that corn… it’s green.”
Yes! That's a great line - I had friends who could get a lot of mileage at parties out of imitating Mickey Rourke in this. I'd love to hear your thoughts on S.O.B. - I have a feeing it hasn't aged well, but I haven't seen it since the late '80s. I used to think it was hilarious, and that it captured a bit of the last stages of "old Hollywood" in a way. Might even make an interesting double feature with Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood(?)
Parts of it date, parts of it do not. Although it was Andrews’ nude scene that got all the attention when the film was first released, I think it’s Richard Mulligan that gives the performance of the film—he’s an authentic madman. Shelly Winters and Robert Vaughn’s kinkiness now come across as quaint. I’ve read the “decent Viking funeral” scene was inspired by an infamous drunken night in the 40’s featuring some friends of John Barrymore. The mind boggles.
Yeah I can see what you mean about the "kinkiness." As for Richard Mulligan, I totally see your point. When I first saw the movie I just sort of assumed he was as big a deal as WIllaim Holden - he looked familiar, what did I know? - anyway looking over IMDB it may be the biggest, swing for the fences role of his career. Think I need to read more about John Barrymore - thanks!
delightful episode! I need to finally watch LA Story. It's only been available to buy for $10 and not rentable for some reason for at least a year, so weird. But it shall be bought now.
ReplyDeleteGreat episode you California Dudes! As always, i came away with MANY suggestions for flicks i need to see or, moreso, have been meaning to see for a long time!! Thanks!!!!
ReplyDeleteRando notes:
1) Took me WAYYYYYY to long to figure out Patricks edibles joke. phenom wordplay.
2) Ya'll were discussing the allure of Rollercoaster. That was one of those flicks that i realllly looked forward to coming on network tv as a kid each year. Setting a thriller or horror flick in an amusement park* just seemed genius (honestly it still does....recently revisited the prologue of Final Destination 3 and liked it more than i recalled originally). Plus Timothy Bottoms was such an amazing baddie with his dead-eyed evil calmness. I revisited the movie after not watching for decades and found that as an adult there was a lot to like about the cat-and-mouse nature of the chase between Segal and Bottoms...theres very little carnage or action but solid tension!
(*Alas for some reason KISS fumbled the ball with this premise a year later...honestly KISS Meets The Phantom of the Park should be one of the greatest cult movies of all time.)
3) Too bad the podcast wasnt about the best SCENES for california...then we'd all unanimously agree that the correct answer for #1 is: Skeet Surfing in Top Secret.
Loved the California movies discussion. But as a lifelong (mostly) Californian my mental list was growing, rather than shrinking, with every movie you mentioned. Anyway it got pretty long, mostly with some super obvious stuff, but also with movies I only just remembered I loved, and that I think still capture something interesting about this place. Also as as someone closer to John's age than Patrick's it included more 70s and 80s stuff. Anyway, I edited it it down to just 12 - if you ever do a part 2 I'll be listening (hoping) for some of these to enter the conversation:
ReplyDeleteBarfly
The Big Sleep
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Car Wash
To Sleep With Anger
Decline of Western Civilization
S.O.B.
Repo Man
Bullitt
Colors
Hollywood Shuffle
License to Drive
Anyway great episode, and enjoy your time in Cali, Patrick.
All excellent choices. I still remember my favorite line in Barfly (which I pronounce like an adverb, “bar-flee.”) Mickey Rourke to Faye Dunaway, “Hey, you can’t eat that corn… it’s green.”
ReplyDeleteYes! That's a great line - I had friends who could get a lot of mileage at parties out of imitating Mickey Rourke in this. I'd love to hear your thoughts on S.O.B. - I have a feeing it hasn't aged well, but I haven't seen it since the late '80s. I used to think it was hilarious, and that it captured a bit of the last stages of "old Hollywood" in a way. Might even make an interesting double feature with Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood(?)
DeleteParts of it date, parts of it do not. Although it was Andrews’ nude scene that got all the attention when the film was first released, I think it’s Richard Mulligan that gives the performance of the film—he’s an authentic madman. Shelly Winters and Robert Vaughn’s kinkiness now come across as quaint. I’ve read the “decent Viking funeral” scene was inspired by an infamous drunken night in the 40’s featuring some friends of John Barrymore. The mind boggles.
DeleteYeah I can see what you mean about the "kinkiness." As for Richard Mulligan, I totally see your point. When I first saw the movie I just sort of assumed he was as big a deal as WIllaim Holden - he looked familiar, what did I know? - anyway looking over IMDB it may be the biggest, swing for the fences role of his career. Think I need to read more about John Barrymore - thanks!
Delete