Clearing The Queue

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Marva Munson, an elderly black widow living in a quiet town in Mississippi, rents a room as well as her cellar to a stranger dressed like Colonel Sanders, who arrives the very next day with a cavalcade of oddball characters claiming to be a renaissance period ensemble. These unlikely companions are not a band, however, they are thieves! Bent on robbing the Floating Casino known as the Bandit Queen, in an ingenious plot, that involves tunneling, explosives, and no small amount of tact and subtlety. The plan is solid, but execution thereof is another story entirely. Join hosts Mike and Zak on a Caper of Derring Do, put together by a crew of rubes who, despite their best efforts, cannot seem to get out of each others’ way. 

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Join Hosts Mike and Zak for their Bi-weekly check-in where they discuss all the stuff they've been watching! This week, it's all about Wakanda Forever, Weird: the Al Yankovic Story, Decision to Leave, and a heartfelt goodbye to Kevin Conroy over a discussion of Batman: the Animated Series. There are a few Spoilers in this episode, so do be mindful if you haven't seen these, you might wanna save this one for later!  

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Three Convicts escape a chain gang to pursue a treasure buried below a cabin that rests in a valley due to be flooded to make way for a hydroelectric dam. Through the sepia-soaked backdrop of depression-era Mississippi they meet many strangers along, overcome daunting odds stacked against them, and are pursued endlessly by the machinations of the Law. Whether by luck or by divine providence they manage to find a treasure far beyond their hopes or reckoning. Inspired by characters and events from Homer’s Odyssey, O Brother Where Art Thou is one of the Cohen Brothers’ most whimsical films, with an unforgettable soundtrack that by itself is worth the watch. 

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Mike and Zak have SO much to say about movies we decided to move the "What are we Watching" segment of the Clearing the Q podcast to its own time-slot bringing the CTQ podcast to a Weekly release! This week Mike and Zak talk about the Triangle of Sadness, the Banshees of Inisherin, the Man from Reno, and Inside Man, so join us for an hour or so of chitchat about what we've been watchin', and tune in Next week for your regularly scheduled programming 

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A Social commentary on the Vapid nature of American popular culture in the 1980s. Between the Greed is Good Philosophy espoused by Wallstreet Ringmasters and the last chaotic gasps of America’s cold war with the USSR, the average American was looking to cut loose, maybe drink some nose beers with their homies and watch some sweet music videos on MTV. Only problem is, the paranoia of the constant, yet still nebulously ambiguous, threat of nuclear war with a withering superpower does not for a chill high make, and with 13% of Americans living below the poverty line, John Carpenter’s They Live  (1988) struck a chord with Audiences that were watching the first shots fired in the war on the middle class through the warped lens of the first ever 24 hour news cycle. In a world infiltrated and overtaken by a race of alien lifeforms that are exploiting our planet for its resources, a good-harted,  red-blooded American drifter decides he must do two things: chew bubblegum, and Kick ASS! 

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It's Spoopy season folks, and you know what that means! We're talking movies that make your skin crawl, your knees weak, and your hair stand on end. From the Cosmic vault of many things we are proud to present our review of Panos Cosmatos' 2018  horror/revenge film: Mandy. A Twisted tale of lust turned to murder and the resulting mindbending murderfest. A visual shmorgishborg of nightmare-fule that goes off the rails more than a few times. Inspired by Heavy Metal Magazine, Clive Barker, and Dante's Inferno among other works of the phantasmagorical. Starring Nicholas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, and Linus Roache, this psychedelic spectacle will have you on your feet before bringing you to your knees. 

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 A satire of epic proportions that wears its influences proudly upon its sleeve, Mars Attacks is a delightful romp through the zeitgeist of mid 90s America, swathed in the familiar high collared sequined cowl and bulbous domed fishbowl helmet of the timeless science fiction alien invasion flick. Following a cast of characters in Washington DC and Las Vegas NV, director Tim Burton unabashedly mocks the politicians, the media, the military, sports, entertainment, spiritualism, capitalism, intellectualism, even the average trailer dwelling American yokl, easily recognizable by those who lived through the last decade before cell phones became ubiquitous. It’s part Doctor Strangelove and part War of the Worlds in the style of Ed Wood, with flavors of Arthur C. Clacke, and hosts Mike and Zak are fucking here for it. 

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Mike and Zak Celebrate their one year anniversary with a timeless Classic from the minds of Terry Jones, Brian Fraud, and Jim Henson: Labyrinth. Listen to two grown men talk about the iconic  sojourn of the soul that is the transition from childhood to womanhood. Laugh with us as we constantly acknowledge that even though this movie means so much to both of us, we are shamelessly outside the target demographic. Do you like unsettling puppets that will likely haunt you until your dying days, then this is NOT one to miss! So gather round the listening devices folks and Celebrate one year of Podcasting and movie Reviews with the Queue Crew!!

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Not to be confused with Tommy Wiseau's  "The Room," Room is an a24 film directed by Lenny Abrahamson that explores the real life implication of Plato's allegory of the cave by way of an incredibly dark and heart wrenching journey about healing from trauma. Nearly 7 years ago, Joy was abducted by a serial rapist, referred to as "Old Nick," who kept her locked up in a shed in his back yard where he visits his victim nightly. It is under this uniquely terrifying set of circumstances that Jack is brought into the world, a child who is 5 years old to the day, when the movie begins, and as you can imagine, he has some seriously strange misconceptions about how the world works. Room details their escape and the beginning of the healing process for both captives. This is NOT a feelgood flick and it's important to give the obligatory TRIGGER WARNINGS to anyone sensitive to discussions of Rape and Child Abuse. 

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Rolling on with A24 August, Mike and Zak sat down to watch a real strange one. A film by Daniels from 2016: Swiss Army Man. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll get really uncomfortable while listening to Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliff unpack why society frowns on flatulence and masturbation. Is it a journey through the underworld modeled after some long forgotten Greek myth, or is it a bizarre exploration of just how disgustingly human we all are while desperately pretending otherwise. Whatever the case may be, this film is guaranteed to delight you as much as it disturbs you.