The Good, The Pod and The Ugly

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LEATHER & WAX: BIGELOW'S THE LOVELESS and POINT BREAK with Kathryn Bigelow Scholar Ryan.
FOUR FILMS BY FOUR DIRECTORS PICKED BY FOUR GUESTS 4X4 II
IT'S THE EPISODE THAT ALMOST DIDN'T HAPPEN!
DOUBLE THEME SONG! Due to losing an audio file (thanks, zencastr!) ace host and engineer Jack was able to, uh, re-do his part on half the episode. A feat that has to be heard to be believed. Podcasting is a rough business.
1981's The Loveless (credited with Monty Montgomery) was Bigelow's debut. It charts a fateful day in the 1950s when a small Georgia town has a gang of leather-clad motorcyclists rolling through and then... hanging out. Willem Dafoe makes his screen debut as Vance. It's a mood piece, all right, and a pretty good one we have a lot to say about (shocking).
1991's Point Break has become Bigelow's most beloved film. For good reason - it is amazing. Lightning in a bottle casting with a borderline absurd script and strange deification of surfer bros but it works perfectly. The main character in named Johnny Utah and the film is NOT a parody. It is one of the best action movies of an era comprising some of the best action movies ever. A treat start to finish, we show it a lot of love.
THEME SONG BY: WEIRD A.I.
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Ken: Ken Koral
Jack: jackk1096

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S3 E13 SUDDEN HEARTBREAK
TRIGGER WARNING: One of the films covered in this episode, Sudden Impact, has a major plot point concerning sexual assault.
1983's Dirty Harry epic SUDDEN IMPACT, is Eastwood's only film in the series as director. Made after personal project Honkytonk Man (S3 E12) in 1982, Clint is in clear "one for them, one for me" mode here, casting Sondra Locke (her 6th and final Eastwood film) as a vengeful woman whose tactics are not dissimilar to Harry's. But they are illegal. But if they are, then aren't his? Potentially intriguing themes but is Locke the key that makes it work or is there a reason they never made a movie together again? This is the most financially successful Dirty Harry movie ever. Good, right? "Go ahead, make my day," is one of the top five most memorable quotes in film history, according to this one poll on the internet we saw! The Enforcer (S3 E2) was supposed to be Clint's final Dirty Harry movie, having ended with Harry walking off, once again, after the system being a failure (also once again). A few tough breaks at the box office (Bronco Billy, Honkytonk Man) along with smaller films Clint needed studio backing for and he was pulled back in to the old shoulder holster (and banked a reported THIRTY MILLION for his efforts). For good or nah? The Dead Pool (S3 E12) would follow and end the Dirty Harry series five years later.
1986's Heartbreak Ridge ends (spoiler) with the invasion of Grenada. Clint plays a guy named Thomas Highway. He trains a group of ragtag marine youths - RECON!! - with discipline problems. Does he get them ready to invade Grenada? What's Clint getting at with this odd little character piece, anyway? It's either boldly enigmatic and unknowable or... something else. Mario Van Peebles plays the ultimate 80s supporting character: Stitch Jones, the Marine Recon rock and roll front man who sings, among other classics, "I love you (but I ain't stupid)."
American Hero and Iraq veteran Larry returns to help us figure it all out and see what Ridge got right and got wrong.
DISASTER IN THE STUDIO: As resident plot recapper, who keeps every episode nominally moving, Ken takes copious notes when watching every Eastwood movie to use when recapping plots when we record. KEN LOST HIS NOTEBOOK SHORTLY BEFORE RECORDING THIS EPISODE! Can the crew survive without his notes? He has no idea who the heck is in these movies! Will we even know what movie we are talking about?
SUDDEN IMPACT 00:03:02
HEARTBREAK RIDGE 00:49:13

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4X4: HARMONY KORINE PT. 1 OF 2: BEAUTIFUL LOSERS

PEANUT BUTTER SISTER F*CKER

GUMMO & JULIEN DONKEY-BOY

You must out-plastic them this episode: Jack “The Jammin' Jabber” along with regional chair-wrestling champion Ken join Thomas (it’s just Thomas) for the second director in our 4x4 series Harmony Korine (1973 – 4ever) covering not just why angels ain’t got no hooves but Korine’s first two films GUMMO (1997) and JULIEN DONKEY-BOY (1999).

Auteur of “mistakist art” and partially raised by circus folks before his buddy got his head cut off in this park in Nashville—Harmony Korine—yes, we could cover more of the life of this enfant terrible in these show notes but if you invite Hitler into your home make sure you have ground rules about eating titties.

TOP 100 SECRETS KNOWN TO THE ILLUMINATI THAT MAY HAVE KILLED BOB HOPE

#62 – The connection between Meryl Streep and Harmony Korine

GUMMO – Fictionally located and originally meant to be shot in Xeno, OH, home of Alien World Skateboards and many devastating tornadoes (instead shot in Harmony’s hometown of Nashville, TN), this premiere film reintroduced to the world Nick Sutton (in the role of Tummler), previously unseen since his appearance on the Sally Jessy Raphael episode “My Child Died From Sniffing Paint” and Linda Mantz back onscreen after 16 years as mother to Nick’s friend, fellow entrepreneur, and occasional narrator Solomon. Layering of images and sound and little rooster goes cock-a-doodle-doo-doo-la-doo-la-doo and blurring the line between script and fiction and the lives of those the camera normally doesn’t see and sure, sure, nothing new for trash like you.

JULIEN DONKEY-BOY – Invited to make the first film in the U.S. under Dogme 95 rules (which it’d break and be the second American film to do so), Korine chose to induce schizophrenia in viewers through digital cameras, editing, and a titular character based on his uncle who would have been cast in the film but failed to receive institutional release. With blind ice skaters, armless drummer, and a cast of non-professional actors, this film in 2022 remains ranked in the Top 20 films of all times starring a Black albino straight from Alabama. Plus, Werner Herzog as Julien’s father holds court at the dinner table, recounting a scene from Dirty Harry.

Sit back with a brown paper bag of your favorite brand of huffing glue (or vintage cough syrup and house slipper if that’s your poison) and enjoy the careening visual lyricism that is Harmony.

(episode write-up by Thomas)

THEME SONG BY: WEIRD A.I.
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/TGTPTU
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Buzzsprout: https://thegoodthepodandtheugly.buzzsprout.com/
Letterboxd (follow us!):
Ken: Ken Koral
Jack: jackk1096