Back & to the Left

John's out of town this week, so you don't get a clever episode title or description. We take a look back at all the new releases that let us down in 2018 and the one we both unambiguously loved.

Or All Cops are Brian Dennehy

Do like like war? Do you like a incredibly roided-up, veiny, shirtless Rambo?

Then you'll hate First Blood.

The Vietnam War comes home to Hope, Washington in First Blood. The first one, the weird one that almost had something coherent to say about trauma, betrayal and killing cops.

Almost.

Greg and John dig in deep about how this movie was of its time, ahead of its time, ahead of the curve and the curve and became something larger that defines American foreign policy to this day.

Yet, all in all, it's a good-almost great-movie. Hope you enjoy.

or Jai Bhim, Baby!

So, it's come to this. Do you like sacred cows? Because... hoo boy, we're going for it. We're going for Gandhi.

With the help of Arundhati Roy's "The Doctor and The Saint" BATTLPod takes a crack at just what went wrong in India and what was wrong with Gandhi, the man and the film.

Or Honorary Whitewash

First things first, Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the first Governor General of Pakistan.

That said, we're dragging Gandhi fam. Do you like owning White supremacists with facts and logic? Do you like nationalism? Do you like a camera locked down at all times? Then you'll love 1982's Gandhi.

Here in part one, the past really is prologue. Young Gandhi-an insanely handsome Ben Kingsley-is putting in the work for his Academy Award. Never let it be unsaid: this is a good movie. A good film.

Sir (also earned) Knight Commander Richard Attenborough is at the top of his directorial game. Though his brother,David-the Voice of Nature-Attenborough is up there.

Nevertheless, like the opening inscription, Gandhi's life and story requires multiple retellings.

Who better than two cisgender White males to give you the straightest dope on an ethnonationalist?

Really proud of this one, hope you enjoy.

or

Part one of the Denzel Trilogy. Zwick does it again: A confused mess from top to bottom.

Does The Siege hate the CIA, or just women?

Why so much hand-wringing over hand-washing?

Why is Arianna Huffington a bloodthirsty ghoul?

These questions and more will be asked, until we get the answers we want.

At least they blew up Hamilton.

or Men Mulling Indistinctly.

Another fun one. Don't worry Greg, the pain comes later.

It's 2015's Fury Road where we wonder if Max and man are both on an endless loop, but conclude that either way, the way out is through.

There is a lot going on here, so this is a long one. John's really happy with this one, but disappointed to learn most of the weirdest stuff is just Australia.

or Jurassic Picchu

The movie that started it all, literally. Or figuratively. Something.

After a brief debate about which of Spielberg's movies are the best, Greg and John dig deep into what made Jurassic Park great and makes so much else since so much worse.

We'll be back to crap soon, Greg needed a break.

Does John have a totally useless definition for revolution? Will JP be the Easter Island head of human civilization? Or will it be Transformers X: Civil War of the Worlds Collide or a Grimes hentai tweet?

Tune in for these questions and more.

or Exsanguinate the Rich.

Just in time for Halloween, John and Greg go back and... somewhere to 2009's Daybreakers. After cheating the elite to Titan, and before suicide bombing a Koch, Ethan Hawke takes a stab at the heart of capitalism.

Willem Dafoe does Willem Dafoe things.

John struggles to sell the merits of Daybreakers, while Greg succeeds in pointing out this is a bad one. Oof.

Prophetic and myopic, like Deacon Frost at the end of Blade: It's a mess.

Enjoy.

or, No Country for Yemen.

In this, the long-delayed third episode, Greg and John dig into 2016's Barry, by Vikram "Weird Choice" Gandhi. The missed pull was "Objects in Space," maybe the best episode of Joss "Ugh, ugh, ugh" Whedon's middling "Firefly."

Who is Barack Obama? Where is Barack Obama? Fuck if we know, we somehow know less after watching this movie.

There's too much decepting around here.

In this, the second episode of the yet-unnamed podcast, Greg and John delve deep into John's past as a mindless consumer drone. Everybody dies, and it doesn't matter. Wheeljack, Prowl, Ironhide, all gone with a 'fuck you.' Starring Orson Welles, Leonard Nimoy and Judd Nelson in roles no one remembers, as toys nobody liked, it's Transformers.