Dead Format

Fun time is over as Ben brings the boys back into their element with S Craig Zahler's brutal, nasty crooked cop heist nightmare "Dragged Across Concrete". Tim is left utterly confused as to what this movie is and we get into the bizarre hardboiled cop meta-satire and we talk Mel Gibson, the myth of Zahler as right-wing auteur, how the movie uses it's cheapness to it's advantage and wonder is this like the Synder Cut of DTV sleaze? The answer might surprise you. Also discussed: Blood Meridian, All About Lilly Chou-Chou, Little Fish, Obsession, Hereditary, Shortbus and an emergency review of Elliott Tuttle's "Blue Film"^. We will back next week talking Gregg Araki's harrowing 2004 drama "Mysterious Skin".

Thanks as always to Disco and Eric.

Letterboxed: DeadFormatPod

Bluesky: DeadFormatPod

^ First act spoilers along with a cw for child sex abuse in the "Blue Film" talk, timestamp to skip is 9:00-18:00.

Tim and Ben conclude the Spring of Love by going back to 1999 with Robert Iscove's delightful high school Pygmalion riff "She's All That". The boys talk high school, M Night's ghostwriting, what a good song "Kiss Me" still is along with teen movies that still believe in a future that could be good and how even 25+ years later the idea that a 20 year old Rachel Leigh Cook looks disgusting in a pair of glasses remains an all-time great bit. Also discussed: One Hour Photo, Backrooms, Jurassic Park and probably even more Forza Horizon 6 talk I'm afraid. We will return next week to talk S Craig Zahler's deeply weird and brutal crooked cop hiest thriller "Dragged Across Concrete".

Thanks as always to Eric and Disco.

Letterboxed: DeadFormatPod

Bluesky: DeadFormatPod

The boys are back this week to talk about Maren Ade's nerve shredding, demented daddy-daughter dramedy "Toni Erdmann". We get into how much of this movie is actually about work, globalization, The EU, an American Dad comparison somehow and learning self-respect via getting butt naked in front of your coworkers to celebrate birthday. Also discussed: Speed Racer, Woman of Fire, Dead Man, Mysterious Skin, Blue Valentine and a rare new music check-in. We will be back next week with Robert Iscove's frankly delightful 1999 high school Pygmalion riff "She's All That".

Thanks to Eric and Disco as always! Letterboxed: DeadFormatPod Bluesky: DeadFormatPod

The boys get romantic again this week as we go back to Ang Lee's 2005 queer cowboy romance "Brokeback Mountain". We talk about Lee as demented auteur, the murder's row cast and crew, the insanely good acting performances plus talk a lot of Oscar controversey and the long life this movie still has as a meme in spite of it's greatness. Also discussed: Tetsuo: The Iron Man, The Shipping News, Forza Horizon 6, No Country For Old Men and Tim eulogizes Destiny 2. We will be back next week talking about Maren Ade's singluar, cringe comedy masterpiece from 2016 "Toni Erdmann".

Thanks to Disco and Eric as always.

Letterboxed: DeadFormatPod Bluesky: DeadFormatPod

The boys celebrate Tim's birthday this year with a much better episode than the last bday one we did! We get into Guillermo del Toro's nasty, classical 2021 noir "Nightmare Alley". Tim argues for the novel was one of America's greats, we get into another tortured production, push back against the idea of "Guillermoslop", crown Cate Blanchett as the living queen of noir and agree that deep down everyone just wants to believe the irrational. Also discussed: La Jetée, Pi, Forza Horizon 6 and the Alissa Nutting novel "Tampa"*. We will be back next week talking about Ang Lee's beautiful, heartbreaking cowboy romance from 2005, "Brokeback Mountain".

* "Tampa" is basically "Lolita" with a lady so cw if you find child abuse objectionable. If you want to skip it talk goes from 11:30-18:45 Letterboxed: DeadFormatPod Bluesky: DeadFormatPod

The boys are back discussing Wes Anderson's 2001 film about hating your dad and wanting to smash with your hot not-sister (?). We get into fake New York City, bird ransom, the secret sauce that is Owen Wilson and enjoy some Hulk Hogan style lying from Alec Baldwin. Also discussed: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Upgrade, The Phoenician Scheme, The Lighthouse and the films of Ken Russell. We will be back next week with Tim's birthday episode where we will be taking Guillermo del Toro's brutal 2021 noir Nightmare Alley, a movie about the love of lying to people for money.

Letterboxed: DeadFormatPod Bluesky: DeadFormatPod

The boys are back this week for one of Ben's all timer favorite romcom's, Andrew Bujalski's beautifully demented look at love and personal training, "Results". We talk about Bujalski's catalog, this movie as a response to "Computer Chess" being called mumblecore, marvel at how great all of the performances are and get into genre tropes and how hard this movie subverts them. Like "The Beast" last week, we love this movie and hope this gets you to check it out. Also discussed: Funny Ha Ha, The Invisible Man, Point Blank, Step Brothers, Wolf Man, Aliens and Titanic PLUS reaction to the first trailer for "Resident Evil". We will be back next week with another love movie, this time about loving your sister (?) and hating your dad: Wes Anderson's 2001 masterpiece "The Royal Tenenbaums".

Thanks to Disco for the show art and to Eric for the theme music.

Letterboxed: DeadFormatPod

Bluesky: DeadFormatPod

Tim and Ben continue the Spring of Love with another low budget, sci-fi romance horror (?) Bertrand Bonello's brutal 2023 film "The Beast". We dig into the insane generation spanning plot, marvel at the beast mode level acting performances, question how much this actually adapts from the Henry James novel that suggested it, grumble over having to stream the end credit stinger to your phone and Ben reports back on the movie Bonello made while waiting out Covid "Coma", which is much less good! "The Beast" is really something special and hopefully you check it out if you haven't seen it already. Also discussed: The Terror, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, The Informant!, Mother Mary and Vox Lux. We will be back next week talking about Andrew Bujalski's delightfully subversive 2015 romcom about using the gym to avoid confronting your problems, "Results".

Thanks to Disco for the show art and to Eric for the theme song.

Letterboxed: DeadFormatPod Bluesky: DeadFormatPod

Tim and Ben really shake up the format this week and talk about a pleasant movie with a happy ending, Claude Lelouch's dreamy 1966 romance "A Man and A Woman". We get into the fly by night production, debate the possible themes in the cornucopia of film stocks, Ben loses it over talented women acting with their faces and Tim offers some valid criticism to go with Ben's gushing. Also discussed: Michael Clayton, John Wick 4, Constantine, Dune pt 1, Minority Report plus another Crimson Desert check-in. The Spring of Love continues next week about movie that is going to make you feel BAD, Bertrand Bonello's 2023 sci-fi romance horror (?) "The Beast".

Thanks to Disco for the show art and to Eric for the theme song.

Letterboxed: DeadFormatPod Bluesky: DeadFormatPod

The boys kick off The Spring of Love proper with a beefy double feature of Andrei Tarkovsky's arthouse sci-fi tale of love and loss along with the confusing but interesting remake by our boy Soderbergh. We talk about Tarkovsky's beef with Kubrick and 2001, filmmaking in the USSR and how not very different it was from the West, explore the depths of hatred author Stanisław Lem had for both adapations and marvel about how Hollywood got together to make sure George Clooney's nude ass could appear in a PG-13 rated movie. Also discussed: Bad Day at Black Rock, Apocalypto, Ad Astra, Intersteller, The Drama (spoiler warning) plus the Larry McMurty novel Lonesome Dove and the new game from Pearl Abyss Crimson Desert. We will be back next week when we go back to 1966 for Claude Lelouch's gorgeous romance "A Man and a Woman".

Thanks to Disco for the show art and to Eric for the theme music!

Letterboxed: DeadFormatPod

Bluesky: DeadFormatPod