Episode 069: Big Trouble in Little China

Episode 068

Another wonderful episode of G & T Podcast!

Luke Cage - Season One review

It's that time again folks! Netflix are unleashing another Marvel TV show that pisses all over the Marvel movies and Agents of Shield.

I am seriously surprised that we haven't seen these Netflix successes more directly influence or (seemingly) motivate more 'quality control' in the larger MCU.

Luke Cage is a fantastic series. I don't think anyone could argue that. It has brilliant performances throughout (Mike Colter is stoic, suave and powerful) with an almost completely non-white cast.

But with the focus being so organically on Black culture and Harlem (which is brought to wonderful life and almost a character in its own right), I still can't shake the feeling that there were cultural and social commentaries, jokes and poignant moments that I was missing within the show because of my lack of knowledge and understanding of black culture and Harlem history. 

Its not actually a negative towards the show in any way, it just highlights a large portion of my upbringing that remains under-developed.

In spite of my feelings that I missed a great deal of 'additional content', I thoroughly enjoyed every part of this show. 

As previously mentioned, Mike Coulter is a great Luke Cage and leads the show well. But the real element of this show that elevates it is Rosario Dawson.  

Reprising her role from Daredevil and Jessica Jones, Clair seems to be firmly establishing herself  as the key character to will (likely) be the person who unites the Defenders together and 'direct' them.

Ive been a fan of Dawson's work for a long time and she has found herself a role that allows her to utilise her natural charm and beauty, but also offers her situations to really stretch her acting chops. 

There are beautiful, heartfelt moments, comedic elements and quality action set pieces peppered throughout the show. But there is also serious drama and weight the character decisions. All of which is expertly paced and directed. 

Even the real world political and social environment in America at the moment deepen the themes within Luke Cage. Police shootings? Check. Black Lives Matters movement? Check. It service the show well and also heightens the weight of the events with the season. 

The only negative that I have for this season is one that is easily levied against Marvel TV shows and movies...

The villain kinda sucks.

'Shades', Mariah, 'Diamondback' and 'Cottonmouth' are all given fairly good scenes and overall development, but it all seems to fail to cross the finish line in any meaningful way.

Jessica Jones delivered the deliciously creepy Kilgrave and all the perverse, depraved levels of hell David Tennant brought to the role (and Jessica herself).  Daredevil unleashed the sophisticated and brutal Kingpin upon the world. Thor's brother has successfully planted himself atop the villain pile in the MCU.

Sadly none of the villainous characters of Luke Cage even come close to reaching memorable status. 

But I find it had to really hold that against the show considering the nuance and control on display in every shot of the show. Luke Cage is a brilliant addition to the Netflix library and another testament to Kevin Feige's control and planning. 

Congratulations Netflix and Marvel.  I'm not going to give this show a rating because I don't believe in that sort of thing.

However, I do heartily encourage everyone to check out this show, allow yourself to be transported to Cage's Harlem and live with these characters for thirteen hours. You will be changed and for the better.

Episode 67: After a long break

We're back!

Episode 66: The Things

Our Season of John Carpenter begins with the phenomenal The Thing.

Episode 65: The Shining, Monster Dog and Bio-Dome

Oops... forgot my notes for this week.

Episode 64: The Shawshank Redemption and Teen Wolf Too

Intro - Olympics and Killing Heidi reform

Travis’ Viewing Habits
- Freaks and Geeks
- Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
- Radio Dreams - a MIFF showing
- The Galahs - a MIFF showing
- Michael Collins
- Jason Bourne

George’s Viewing Habits
- Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
- Cliffhanger
- Supernatural
- Yuuka-Layee
- We Happy Few
- The Killing Joke

Terrible Movie Challenge
George lost for a third time This Week’s Review - Teen Wolf Too. So forgettable that this is possibly the worst review you will have ever heard!

FML Results - George lost the week, but Travis must also suffer. He has been free of the Terrible Movie Challenge for three weeks. That means he must suffer... Connect Shore!!
Monster Dog for George and Bio-dome for Travis as he has won three times in a role

Stephen King Season - Shawshank Redemption. Next movie is The Shining.

Topic of Discussion - Suicide Squad review

Episode 63:

Another new episode where we discuss the stories coming out of Comic Con

Episode 62: Running Man and Caligula

G&T Podcast Notes

Episode Number

062 - The Running Man and Caligula

Record Date

18-07-16

Patreon Air Date

iTunes Air Date

Intro

Timecode

00:00:00 - 

Travis’ Viewing Habits

- Mr Robot - Season 2 - Presto - starring Rami Malek and Christian Slater -  Facing anxiety, depression and morphine addiction, Elliot Alderson can't really tell the difference between what's real and what's not. Still he wants to change the world, which he does through hacking.
- Green Room - available on DVD - Patrick Stewart and Anton Yelchin are part of a punk band trapped in a neo-nazi bar.
- Last Ship - Season 3 available on Stan - it is only ok. If you’ve invested through the first seasons then you might still enjoy it.
- iZombie - on Stan - 

George’s Viewing Habits

- Braindead - Channel 11 - Created by Michelle and Robert King (The Good Wife) -  A government employee discovers that the cause of the tensions between the two political parties is a race of extraterrestrial insects eating the brains of the politicians.

- Angry Birds - cinemas - starring Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad and Danny McBride -  Find out why the birds are so angry. When an island populated by happy, flightless birds is visited by mysterious green piggies, it's up to three unlikely outcasts - Red, Chuck and Bomb - to figure out what the pigs are up to.
- Stranger Things - Netflix - starring Winona Ryder and David Harbour and written by the Duffer Brothers (most notable previously for Wayward Pines season 1) - When a young boy disappears, his mother must confront terrifying forces in order to get him back.

Terrible Movie Challenge

Due to the success of The Secret Life of Pets, George had to watch the infamous Caligula.

The rise and fall of the notorious Roman Emperor Caligula, showing the violent methods that he employs to gain the throne, and the subsequent insanity of his reign - he gives his horse political office and humiliates and executes anyone who even slightly displeases him. He also sleeps with his sister, organises elaborate orgies and embarks on a fruitless invasion of Britain before meeting an appropriate end. There are various versions of the film, ranging from the heavily truncated 90-minute version to the legendary 160-minute hardcore version which leaves nothing to the imagination (though the hardcore scenes were inserted later and do not involve the main cast members).

Timecode

This Week’s Review

• Starts with a Midsummer Nights Dream-esque romp in the forest with heavy sexual undertones
• So important of a movie that reminds you of the movie name twice in the opening credits
• Nudity… so much nudity.
• Curtained-off whipping stations on the way to the Emperor.
• Brest-feeding in the baths with tens of nude women surrounding the Emperor’s station.
• Peter O’Toole is insane.
• An embarrassing dance routine for Malcolm McDowell within 11 minutes.
• More nudity with boot laces tied around a guards genitals.
• Dildos everywhere. Mass orgy.
  + The ‘innocence’ of Caligula is quite well displayed by McDowell in the early, extended scene.

FML Results

The Howling 2 (1985)
Rotten Tomatoes: 27%

IMdB score: 3.3/10

This week’s loser is George… again… God rest his zombie bones.

Stephen King Season

The Running Man (1987)
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso and Richard Dawson. Directed by Paul Michael Glaser - the original Det. Dave Starsky himself.

A wrongly convicted man must try to survive a public execution gauntlet staged as a game show.

Possibly the best quote:
Richards: I’ll be back!

Killian: … … Only in a re-run.

or later on…
Killian: Drop Dead!
Richards: I don’t do requests.

Next week’s movie will be Shawshank Redemption.

**Advanced notice that our next season will be John Carpenter movies.

Timecode

Topic of Discussion

Ghostbusters discussion.
*Head over to friedbrainproductions.com for the full written review.

Timecode

Episode 61: Maximum Overdrive and Grease 2

G&T Podcast Notes

Episode Number

061 - Maximum Overdrive and Grease 2

Record Date: 11-07-16

Patreon Air Date

iTunes Air Date

Intro: Timecode: 00:00:00 - 

Travis’ Viewing Habits

George’s Viewing Habits

- Warcraft

- Braindead (TV show)

- Midnight In Paris

- High-Rise (didn’t finish)

- Netflix’ Voltron series

- Sin City: A Dame To Kill For

Terrible Movie Challenge: Timecode 

Thanks to the long weekend, George was saved from Grease 2. If he were a bigger man, he would have defended his friend from such hell… but he’s not.

This Week’s Review:

Grease 2 with Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Caulfield

FML Results came in and George drastically underestimated The Secret Life of Pets and therefore he must watch...

Caligula (1979) with Malcolm McDowell.

One of the few movies legendary film critic Roger Ebert admitted to walking out on (during the Brothel-Boat orgy sequence), calling it "sickening, utterly worthless, shameful trash. If it is not the worst film I have ever seen, that makes it all the more shameful: People with talent allowed themselves to participate in this travesty." He reviewed what he saw, giving it zero stars, and ended with a quote from another viewer who told him "This movie is the worst piece of shit I have ever seen."

Stephen King Season: Timecode

Maximum Overdrive

Topic of Discussion: Timecode

Episode 59: Sticking The Boot In

G&T Podcast Notes
Episode Number - 059 - Sticking The Boots In
Record Date: 27-06-16
Patreon Air Date: 04-07-16
iTunes Air Date: 11-07-16
Intro: imecode: 00:00:00 - 00:26:37
We briefly discuss the weather (as any good English Gent should) and the language of emoji’s.

Travis’ Viewing Habits
1) Independence Day: Resurgence
2) Revisiting Skyrim
3) Shameless promotion of King For A Day; Travis’ new podcast
4) Carrie (the original)

George’s Viewing Habits.
After a long and tiresome week, George only had time enough to watch a single movie. But what a movie… Amelie.

Terrible Movie Challenge: Epic Movie: Timecode: 00:26:38 - 00:38:58
This Week’s Review: To review this movie, all you have to do is copy and paste George’s thoughts from Meet The Spartans and Disaster Movie. It’s all terrible.
He has also sworn that if he somehow draws another of these god-awful movies to watch, that instead he will watch two terrible movies instead.
FML Results: This week’s loser was Travis
This week’s movie is another in a long line of animated animal in real world stories… Marmaduke.

Sticking The Boots In: imecode: 01:07:45 - 01:30:39
A new segment in our show where we break down our disapproval of two articles…
First up: Australian Comic Con
Second: Fall Out Boy’s Ghostbusters Theme.

Episode 58: The Last Boy Scout

G&T Podcast Notes
Episode Number - 058 - The Last Boy Scout
Record Date: 20-06-16
Patreon Air Date: 28-06-16
iTunes Air Date: 04-07-16

Intro: We talk about our viewing habits and the arrival of the new South Park: The Fractured But Whole trailer from E3.
Timecode: 00:00:00 - 00:49:32

Travis’ Viewing Habits
1) The Cell - Stephen King adaptation
2) Pontypool
3) Terminator: Genisys
4) Eye in The Sky
5) The Last Ship & Orange is the New Black

George’s Viewing Habits
1) Penny Dreadful
2) Netflix’s Voltron animated series
3) The Man Who Knew Too Little
4) X-Men Apocalypse

Terrible Movie Challenge: United Passions: 2014 FIFA movie
Timecode: 00:49:33 - 01:05:56
This Week’s Review: This is a movie that attempts to celebrate the executives of the “Sport of Passion”. Every time there is a glimmer off something substantial and interesting, they jump forward, or go to a new scene.
There are quality actors in this movie but they are given nothing worthy of their talents.

FML Results: This week’s loser was George
This week’s movie is another in the line of “From the Guys who made Scary Movie”… Epic Movie. Yes, George cried.

Movie Season
The final movie in the Shane Black Season comes to an end this week.
Timecode: 01:05:57 - 01:34:56
Sadly, The Last Boy Scout is a big misstep and the worst Shane Black Movie we’ve watched. It’s arguably the worst movie in Black’s career as it has none of the chemistry between the leads and the story is utterly forgettable.
Our new season is Stephen King Adaptations and the first up is the Frank Darabont adapted and directed The Mist. Legendarily, Frank altered the movie and Stephen King was so impressed that he went on record saying that he wish ed he’d thought of that. 

Topic of Discussion
This week we talk about the new Ghostbusters movie and if it even has a chance of getting a fair shake. People have vocally pronounced their feelings for the movie one way or another. But when it actually comes out, how will it critically fare?
Timecode: 01:34:57 - 01:55:36

Episode 57: The Long Kiss Goodnight

00:00:00 - 00:30:32

Introduction and the usual rigmarole, plus our viewing habits.

George has been watching Gotham Season 2 which has been improving as well as playing more Battleborn.

Travis watched Now You See Me 2 (with a deviation into the first movie), he watched Truth (a disappointing, long and arduous movie which squanders its talented cast. He has also been playing Overwatch but sadly the beta issues of "same-house" gaming persist.

Both fine gentlemen watched The Nice Guys which they both really enjoyed.

00:30:33 - 00:54:20

Our Terrible Movie Challenge continues with the Lindsey Lohan mess, I Know Who Killed Me. Meanwhile we decide to have a diversion into Irvin Welsh territory.

Then because he messed up on the Fantasy Movie League, George has to watch the FIFA movie debacle, United Passions for next week's show.

00:54:21 - 01:11:18

Topic of Discussion this week is about the potential for movie/TV experiences we would want in VR. Some of the highlights include:

* Ghostbusters VR

* Aliens: Colonial Marines VR

* Fast and Furious Kart VR

* Indiana Jones VR

Warning 01:08:00 to 01:09:00 is sensitive and listener discretion is advised.

01:11:19 - 01:30:01

Our penultimate Shane Black movie is The Long Kiss Goodnight. A wonderful action movie with stella performances from Gena Davies and Samuel L Jackson.

We are going to finish the Black Season with the under-appreciated movie, The Last Boy Scout. 

Episode 56: Lethal Weapon

Introduction and What We've Been Watching: 00:00:00 - 00:26:26
Winter has come to Melbourne; Powershot ruined Game of Thrones for George and Travis took a trip to Brisbane. 
George has started playing Battleborn on X-Box One as well as Defence Grid 2. Battleborn is George's first foray into the MOBA genre. He also fell in love with Northern Exposure.

Travis revisited a classic of the Golden Age of cinema... Ice Station Zebra with Rock Hudson, Patrick McGoohan and Ernest Borgnine. He has also been playing Overwatch on X-Box One.

Terrible Movie Challenge: 00:26:27 - 00:33:18
Delayed until next episode due to us being brilliant and terrible organisation. But we now know that Travis will chat with Lindsey Lohan. She is going to reveal Who Killed Her! We also mention Full House and Kirk Cameron gets his weekly mention.

Shane Black Season: 00:33:19 - 01:14:32
Lethal Weapon (1987) with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover is the focus of this week's Shane Black movie. We discuss the awesome filmography of Richard Donner and the excellence of Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and Gary Busey.

Next week we watch The Long Kiss Goodnight.  

Topic of Discussion: 01:14:33 - 01:39:33
Finally our topic of discussion this week is about what would be the best and worst movie/TV world to find yourself in or have a theme park based on.
WARNING! We may have pushed the envelope too far with Schindler's List Land.
Listener caution is advised.

Episode 55: Last Action Hero

What We've Been Watching: 00:00:00 - 00:45:59
George: Sleepy Hollow Season 3, Captain America: Civil War, Castle Series Finale, Preacher, Triple 9, Deadpool,

Eight Seasons and they finally finish the show.

Travis: The Americans, Fed Up (documentary), 4th Man Out, Wolf Creek (TV series).

Terrible Movie Challenge: 00:46:00 - 00:59:00
Geoguessr winner: Travis - by a large margin.
George had to watch Meet The Spartans (2008)
Next Week's Movie: I Know Who Killed Me.

Thankfully it is shorter than Disaster Movie

Shane Black Season: 00:59:01 - 01:23:50
Last Action Hero (1993) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Charles Dance

Schwarzenegger was once noted as saying that this movie was the first major flop for him. But how does it stand against the res of time?

Next week we watch Lethal Weapon.  

Topic of Discussion: 01:23:51 - 01:55:26
Teaser trailers. CBS Star Trek and the notion of Nathan Fillion as the new Captain. Star Trek Beyond trailer 2.  Warcraft. Ghostbusters Trailer 2.

Episode 54: Monster Squad

A brief detour into Politics.

What We've Been Watching: 00:00:00 - 00:47:17

George: Focus, JFK, iZombie, Sleepy Hollow.

Travis: The Americans, All Things Must Pass (about Tower Records), Doom on X-Box One.

The Terrible Movie Challenge: 00:47:17 - 01:06:30

We used geogussr to see who would have to watch this week's Terrible Movie Review! Travis delivers his review of Glee: The 3D Concert Movie.  The short answer... It was awful. The 

Shane Black Season: 01:06:31 - 01:00:00
The new season begins with the cult 1987 classic, The Monster Squad. 

​Next week we watch the classic Last Action Hero

Topic of Discussion: 01:00:00 - 02:10:33
This week's topic is Nintendo Movies!

Episode 53: Frost/Nixon

What We've Been Watching:
George: Penny Dreadful, The Crow, The Man In The High Castle.

Travis: Resurrecting Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, A Most Violent Year, Overwatch

Our Politics Season comes to an end with Frost/Nixon.

Next time, we are watching all things Shane Black starting with Monster Squad

Our Topic of Discussion this week is "What makes a great villain?"

Episode 52: Civil War battles

What We've Been Watching: 00:00:00 - 00:35:35
Gravity Falls, Freddy Vs Jason, The Flash
Radiohead's new album and specifically Burn The Witch, Midnight Special, Three Amigos

Terrible Movie Challenge: 00:35:36 - 00:51:16
Jack and Jill
The Next Terrible Movie to watch is Glee: The 3D Concert Movie
We also introduce our new challenge setter... Geoguessr

Topic of Discussion: 00:51:17 - 01:21:59
This week is Captain America: Civil War. George and Travis have varying opinions and fears.

Politics season wraps up: 01:22:00 - 01:49:35
All The Presidents Men is our penultimate movie in the Politics season.
We also reveal our new season... Shane Black Season and we're starting with Monster Squad.