TMR 061 – Napoleon Dynamite

Explicit content warning

03/09/21 • 107 min

This week on Total Movie Recall, we try to decide whether this is a charming, unique film about staying true to yourself, or a nightmarish descent into the insanity that comes with living in a barren, desolate landscape like rural Idaho, where the Uncle Ricos of the world keep subterranean dungeons for unsuspecting Debs. This might say more about where our heads are at right now than about this beloved comedy. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) d. Jared Hess w. Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess Starring: Jon Heder Efren Ramirez Jon Gries Aaron Ruell Diedrich Bader Tina Majorino Sandy Martin

In small-town Preston, Idaho, awkward teen Napoleon Dynamite has trouble fitting in. After his grandmother is injured in an accident, his life is made even worse when his strangely nostalgic uncle, Rico, shows up to keep an eye on him. With no safe haven at home or at school, Napoleon befriends the new kid, Pedro, a morose Hispanic boy who speaks little English. Together the two launch a campaign to run for class president.

Things discussed in the show: Russian movie posters Chinatown (Roman Polanski, Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston) Dumbo (Disney, Samuel Armstrong, Sterling Holloway, Edward Brophy, Herman Bing) Kung Fu Cult Master Real Steel (Shawn Levy, Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo) Robot Jox Rocky (John G. Avildsen, Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young) Lionheart (

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TMR 060 – Dolemite

This week on Total Movie Recall, these two born-insecure honkies break down the seminal Blaxploitation movie of 1975 and do a pathetic job of trying to reconcile its progressive vision of black empowerment with the misogyny of the pimp game. It gets complicated. Dolemite (1975) d. D'Urville Martin Story by: Rudy Ray Moore Starring: Rudy Ray Moore D'Urville Martin Lady Reed Jerry Jones Hy Pyke

Dolemite is released from jail after being wrongfully convicted to take on rival pimp Willie Green, corrupt police officers who framed him and even the mayor! With the help of his friends: Queen Bee (the madame of his brothel), Creeper (the heroin addict Hamburger Pimp), Reverend Gibbs (the gun-running preacher), and his gang of female prostitute karate experts, Dolemite takes back his turf and club through martial arts prowess and sheer oratory showmanship.

Things discussed in the show: Blaxploitation films The Jerk (Carl Reiner, Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Catlin Adams) Black Mama White Mama (Eddie Romero, Pam Grier, Margaret Markov, Sid Haig) Coffy (Jack Hill, Pam Grier, Booker Bradshaw, Robert DoQui) Shaft 1971 (Gordon Parks, Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi) The Last Dragon (Michael Schultz, Taimak, Vanity, Christopher Murney) Wu Tang Clan Kung Fu and Hip Hop Fargo season 1 (

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TMR 062 – From Dusk Till Dawn

Remember the innocent 90s, when white directors thought they had the N-word pass for some reason? What do you think their “woke” movie would look like? Probably like this, where the N-word is replaced by horrific rape and Mexican jokes. This proto-edgelord movie was looked at as such a good time romp that it was considered the perfect vehicle to transition from the hit network show ER to the big screen. What a simpler time... From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) d. Robert Rodriguez w. Robert Kurtzman (story), Quentin Tarantino (screenplay) Starring: Harvey Keitel George Clooney Juliette Lewis Quentin Tarantino Salma Hayek Cheech Marin Danny Trejo Tom Savini Fred Williamson

On the run from a bank robbery that left several police officers dead, Seth Gecko (George Clooney) and his paranoid, loose-cannon brother, Richard (Quentin Tarantino), hightail it to the Mexican border. Kidnapping preacher Jacob Fuller (Harvey Keitel) and his kids, the criminals sneak across the border in the family's RV and hole up in a topless bar. Unfortunately, the bar also happens to be home base for a gang of vampires, and the brothers and their hostages have to fight their way out.

Things discussed in the show: Sex Machine and Santanico Pandemonium Full Tilt Boogie (Sarah Kelly) Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Rosanna Arquette, Eric Stoltz, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Kathy Griffin) Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen) Dolemite