Author: Max&Mike

Episode 57: The Godfather (1972)

Our respected listeners: thank you for inviting us to your audio device on this, the day of your daughter’s wedding.  And I hope that your first podcast will be a masculine podcast.  Always remember: leave the gun, take the cannoli.  And the podcast.  Yes friends, this week in “I Keep Meaning to Watch That”, Mike finally gets to watch the American classic “The Godfather.” How did he get me to watch this movie? He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. What was this offer? “Hey, Max, we’re watching ‘The Godfather’ next week.” You can see I had no choice.  Featuring brilliant performances (hey, remember when Al Pacino could be subtle?), an amazing script, and heaps of Oscars, this movie has been a part of our culture for over 40 years. But how does someone who has absorbed the movie through popular culture but never actually seen it react, once he does see it? Tune in and find out.

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Episode 56: A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Great to see you back, dear listeners! Wonderful! Just stellar! Absolutely stellar! Stellar! Stellah! HEY, STELLA!!! Yes, that’s my brilliant lead-in to this week’s entry in “I Keep Meaning to Watch That,” “A Streetcar Named Desire.” With a screenplay written by Tennessee Williams, and adapted from his successful stage play, this movie stars two of the most amazing actors of its time: Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh. Chosen by Mike, this is one of “those” movies, the movies you’re supposed to see if you consider yourself a fan of film (no, I’d never seen it either; I’d read the play but never seen the movie). With its raw, gritty emotion and rather painful view of humanity, this isn’t the easiest movie to watch.  Is it worth the effort? Tune in and we’ll let you know what we think.

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Episode 55: Giant (1956)

Howdy, podners! Yee haw, we got us a giant-sized episode of “I Keep Meaning to Watch That” this week, chosen by Max, and he chose “Giant.”  Why? Because I’ve always felt that the true story of the Jolly Green Giant has gone untold for too long.  Where exactly is his valley? What is his relationship to Sprout? How did . . . excuse me? Oh, oh right, this is the Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean sprawling story of the trials and tribulations of a Texas cattle, and later oil, family.  Sigh.  I guess we’ll have to wait for that Green Giant biopic.  Someday . . .  But yes, this film represents 25% of James Dean’s film career and when you watch him in this . . . well, you see what a damn shame it is that his career was cut so short. Technically, Dean is only a supporting character, but do Hudson and Taylor carry the film? Lend us your ears (we’ll give them back, largely undamaged) and we’ll let you know what we think.

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Episode 54: Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)

Welcome our most tubular and non-grody listeners! In this week’s episode of “I Keep Meaning to Watch That,” Mike chooses another Cameron Crowe-written opus: the teen movie classic “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” directed by Amy Heckerling.  This movie is a bit more complex than you might expect and, while full of goofy bits (like Sean Penn, in what I consider the greatest role of his career: Spicolli the surfer dude), we also get hit with some surprisingly serious themes, none of which linger.  See the early days of Judge Rheinhold, Phoebe Cates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, not-so-early Ray Walston, Phoebe Cates, Phoebe Cates, Phoebe . . . *ahem*, ‘scuse me, moments of my lost youth overwhelming me there.  So give a listen and see what my co-host Phoebe Cates, DAMMIT, Mike makes of this movie, never seeing it as a teen, now seeing it as . . . well, in the eyes of the law he’s an adult.  Technically.

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Episode 53: Almost Famous (2000)

Heeeeeyyy, dudes and dudettes! Welcome back to WMMM, that’s Radio Max, Mike; Movies, playing all the hits, all the time, all the way home! We’re here with Captain Nutbar, Squeegee, The Countersunk Screw and all the wacky crew . . . right, that’s enough of that.  Yes, our movie this week in our series “I Keep Meaning to Watch That” is Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical film about his days following a band for Rolling Stone, and yes, there’s a lot of cool music in it but that’s no excuse for us to act like wacky morning DJs.  Ever.  This week’s movie is Max’s choice; I kept hearing how good this movie is and how great the soundtrack is.  I guess what really sold me is the famous scene when they’re all on the bus singing that great tribute song to the star of “Who’s the Boss?” Hm? Oh, come on, you know.  The Elton John song.  “Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza.” Why are you rolling your eyes like that? Come and roll your ears at us instead.

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Episode 52: The Black Cauldron (1985)

What ho, valiant varlets! We got us a brand new “I Keep Meaning to Watch That” entry.  This one is Mike’s choice and involves an obscure Disney animated film (which I know sounds like a contradiction in terms): 1985’s “The Black Cauldron.” Can’t understand why this wasn’t a bigger hit; who wouldn’t want to watch a whiny swineherd who thinks he’s a hero with his precognitive-for-some-reason pig do battle against one of the most one-dimensional Disney villains of all time? Plus, we’ve got one of the most annoying “comic relief” sidekicks in history: Gurgi, the Jar Jar Binks of old-school Disney.  Does the film have redeeming qualities? Why isn’t it better known? All will be revealed, as we consult our clairvoyant aardvark, Clarence.  Speak to us, Clarence! Speak! . . . Um . . . anybody out there speak aardvark?

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Episode 51: Key Largo (1948)

Hail and well met, friends and fanciers! This week on Max, Mike; Movies we’re starting a branding spanking (a spanking! A spanking!) new series (awwww!): “I Keep Meaning to Watch That.” In it, Mike and I take turns choosing a classic, famous, or infamous movie that we’ve always meant to watch but have never gotten around to actually . . . you know, watching.  This week is my choice: the 1948 Bogey-and-Bacall classic “Key Largo”.  What’s that? Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall aren’t enough for you? Geez, what is your deal? No seriously, how about we throw Edward G. Robinson and Lionel Barrymore into the mix? Yes, the mix gets a bit lumpy but it’s totally worth it.  Lend us an ear (we’ll give it back, we promise)!

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Episode 50: They Drove Us to Drink!

Wel . . . wel . . . welcome to fiftieth *hic* amplitude, no, wait, epishode, episode of Mix, Mork; Moogies.  No, no, wait, I got this: the fiftieth thingy of Maalox, Meringue; Smoothies. *hic*, shorry, shorry, hang on . . . Sheriously, I mean, seriously, this is our fiftieth episode! The big five-oh! And we’ve decided to do something special for all you loyal, sober listeners: we’re just taking this episode to talk about the worst movies we can remember seeing.  I mean the real stinkers, the ones that made us, or almost made us, walk out of the theater (remember theaters? People used to see movies in them, back in the Long Ago).  But of course there’s no way we could talk about these cinematic crapburgers in a rational state of mind, so Mike and I took the opportunity, as we were both in the same geographical location, to . . . um . . . fortify ourselves with a few small libations of . . . . ok, we got drunk, ok? We knocked back a few, I got more pompous, Mike somehow got stuck in an English accent.  Yes, these are movies that quite literally drove us to seek solace in sweet, sweet booze.  Pour one out for the fallen films and join us in our drunken ravings!

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Episode 49: The Mummy (1932, 1999)

Ok, look, I swear we didn’t do this on purpose.  We wanted to do a series where we compare classic films and their remakes in this “Then and Now” or “What, This Again?” series.  We did NOT intentionally set out to make the last three episodes in the series, and thus almost half the series, about famous movie monsters.  Seriously! That’s a series unto itself! It just worked out that way! It ain’t our fault! We was framed! We fell in with the wrong crowd, see? We didn’t mean nothin’ by it, honest!
So, yes, we close out “Then and Now” with another of the Universal monsters, The Mummy.  Hey, at least we didn’t include the Wolfman.  Yet.  So here we deal with the King of Wrap, the Bandaged Bandit, the Crypt-in Egyptian . . . the Mummy (or Imhotep, if you’re a stickler for detail).  We start off with the original 1932 version with Boris “Lugosi’s Bane” Karloff and end with the version with Brendan Fraser.  Sure, why not? Hey, be grateful we didn’t subject you to the *shudder* Tom Cruise version.  Grab your scarab beetle repellent and give a listen!

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Episode 48: Dracula (1931, 1979, 1992)

Good eeeevening, children of the night! What sweet music you make! Seriously, you over there on the accordion? First rate stuff! This week on “Then and Now,” we bring you a special treat: a three-fur! Yes, we’re dealing with a cinematic character who can’t be contained to a mere two movies: Count Vlad Irving Dracula! (not many people know about his middle name).  Yes, he needs one! Two! Three! Three movies! Ah ah ah! {insert thunderclap sound effect} We’ve got Bela Lugosi (spooky Dracula), Frank Langella (sexy Dracula) and Gary Oldman (what-the-flippin’-heck-is-this-crap Dracula).  Give a little listen and see how we rate and rank these three interpretations of the classic character . . . if you dare! Oooo! Very scary!

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