American Scene

Looking back at American Heart, American Dreamz, and The Last Days of American Crime, we discuss the great Jeff Bridges, some of our favorite scumbag performances, whether Dennis Quaid (or anyone in Dreamz) would do this movie in 2021, and some other absolutely nonsensical elements of Last Days. Also: shout-out to "Fired Up!", one of the best comedies of the 2000's! (recorded April 23, 2021)

2008's American Violet centers on a young mother (Nicole Beharie) fighting for justice in a small Texas town after she is falsely accused and arrested for selling drugs. In this special episode, we discuss the relevance and effectiveness of the story, and then Ben speaks with The Marshall Project's Keri Blakinger about several issues addressed in the film, including police raids, the use of confidential informants, public defenders, and plea bargains.

Trailer: American Violet

Colin Farrell is Jesse James and Scott Caan is Cole Younger in this 2001 western that pits the James-Younger gang against the greedy railroad tycoon Thaddeus Rains (Harris Yulin) as he attempts to steal their town's land with the help of the dogged Allan Pinkerton (Timothy Dalton). We discuss classic Western genre tropes and the conflict of the little guy battling corporate America. PLUS, mentions of Justin Timberlake and the Bye Bye Bye music video, Gregory Smith's cinematic mortality, and another Sopranos cast-member! (recorded April 8, 2021)

Trailer: American Outlaws

References:

The Great Train Robbery (1903) - WIkipedia

Olivier Megaton directed this 2020 Netflix film based on the 2009 graphic novel of the same name by Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini that stands out with an incredible 0% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 2.5 hour runtime. Édgar Ramírez, Anna Brewster, Michael Pitt, and Sharlto Copley star in a film about an American dystopia in which a nationwide signal will inhibit all citizens from committing illegal acts. We discuss government control in post-9/11 America and the increased militarization of police, and we also poke several holes in the film's world-building. (recorded April 1, 2021)

References:

"USA Patriot Act" (Investopedia)

"The 2014 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Public Service" (The Pulitzer Prizes)

"Bryan Mills jumps a fence" (YouTube)

"Call Me" from American Gigolo inspired us to riff on our favorite original songs, which you can check out in a special American Scene playlist on Spotify. We also discuss some interesting casting in the new American Gigolo series coming to Showtime. We share some personal tales from the mall (one involves singing!) and name some of our favorite mall movie scenes. Finally, Ben goes on Cruise control, and your patriotic co-hosts discuss the career power rankings of the young actors from TV's Friday Night Lights.

References:

"The 50 Best Original Songs Written for Movies" (Little White Lies)

"The 49 all-time best songs made for movies, ranked" (Insider)

When this film was released, America was over five years into the Bush presidency and the War in Afghanistan and over four years into the reign of American Idol. Directed by American Pie's Paul Weitz, "American Dreamz" stars Hugh Grant, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Sam Golzari, and Chris Klein in what Roger Ebert calls a satire. We discuss the influence of entertainment on its audience and in the world of politics. Plus, Allen shares his love of Golden Globe-winner (and future Oscar-winner) Mr. Grant. (recorded March 12, 2021)

References:

"The bumbling idol" (www.RogerEbert.com)

Jeff Bridges and Edward Furlong - two actors who will appear again on this podcast - are the stars of "American Heart," directed by documentary filmmaker Martin Bell. We discuss the conflict between the dangers of city life and the freedom of the frontier as well as the prevalence (and ultimately the failure) of individualism as a governing philosophy. We also debate which characters would be likely to wear a KN95, and Ben surprises Allen with an American name drop. (recorded Mar 3, 2021)

Trailer: American Heart

In this week's minisode, Ben and Allen have their final (on-air) conversation about the incomparable Christian Bale as they rank their five favorites from his filmography. They also applaud American Flyers cinematographer Donald Peterman and dig into the infamous "dinner scene" featuring Jennifer Grey. Finally, Allen picks out some of his favorite little things in American Splendor.

Tom Cruise reunites with "Edge of Tomorrow" director Doug Liman for 2017's "American Made," a film very loosely based on the true story of Barry Seal. We discuss Barry's character in relation to federal agencies and the political landscape of the era and the consequences of greed. We also touch on Cruise's accent work and 2017's MVP Caleb Landry Jones, and Allen is excited to share his most American moments from the film. (recorded February 13, 2021)

Trailer: American Made

In the late 2000's run of teen musicals (High School Musical, Hairspray, Camp Rock, Fame) came MTV's "The American Mall" starring a pre-Vampire Diaries Nina Dobrev as an aspiring singer-songwriter. We discuss the rise (and fall?) of the American shopping mall and the conflict between the corporate world and the independent world. (recorded January 27, 2021)

Check out the FULL MOVIE on YouTube: The American Mall

References:

A brief history of the American shopping mall (PBS)

The Rise And Fall Of The Mall (Business Insider)