Double Bill

And now, a very special wedding episode of Double Bill, featuring the brilliantly improvisational Brian Watson-Jones and Joshua “thinks-he’s-clever” Humphrey.

 

I (Joshua) am a big fan of the animated programming Renaissance we are in, with our Adventure Times, Rick and Mortys, and Gravity Fallses. So when I  saw Melissa Kaercher make this comment on Twitter:

I’m glad I’m not the only person who thinks the Steven Universe theme sounds exactly like “Creep” by Radiohead.

— Melissa Kaercher (@chebutykin) July 15, 2015

I immediately thought, “That’s a great comparison to put together for a Double Bill nugget!”

Thanks to Melissa for calling out that similarity. Melissa and her buddy Windy Bowlsby run the great film podcast Xanadu Cinema Pleasure Dome, which is worth a slot in your podcatcher.

Take a listen to the music, then decide for yourself if there are some similarities!

Up next: the live show with Paul von Stoetzel!

Michael Postle decides that there will be some religion talk in Double Bill with the pairing of Bill Maher’s “Religulous” and the HBO documentary “Going Clear.” Special guest Tim Wick, of the Geeks Without God and Reel Education podcasts, gives us added help and perspective as we delve into each film.

Coming up, Humphrey indulges his Steven Universe obsession. Compare the following for the the next nugget:

Our obsession with covers continues with Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice” coupled with the version by The Gourds. Brian Watson-Jones posits that the musical styles aren’t too far apart from each other in spirit, and this divides the panel.

Next up, Michael picks a religion-themed double bill with special guest, Tim Wick!

Religulous

and Going Clear.

Where can you go to find references to a better version of this podcast, stories about horrific encounters with deer, and a promise that we’ll never do “Battlefield Earth”? Here, on this quality podcast covering Marjane Satrapi’s “The Voices” and Mary Crawford’s (a.k.a. David DeCoteau) “A Talking Cat!?!”

It’s true: we lined up a special guest, Aric McKeown, NoisePicnic Czar and “A Talking Cat!?!” expert (he even runs this A Talking Cat!?! tumblr); watched “A Talking Cat!?!” together; and sat down to a spirited recording that brought us closer. But it all went horribly wrong due to audio kerfufflery. So, without expertise, we soldiered on with a new recording.

Next: a Gin and Juice nugget.

This episode, it’s all about the Lady Marmalade(s)! The original, Patti LaBelle classic and the new(ish) Moulin Rouge cover version.

There’s been a delay in episodes the last couple months as Joshua concentrated on his finals. But the next episode features two movies with “talking” animals! Everyone likes animals, Ryan Reynolds, Anna Kendrick, and Eric Roberts, right? That means…

The Voices…

and A Talking Cat!?!

See you soon!

This episode visits the works of screenwriter Dan O’Bannon. First is his work with John Carpenter, Dark Star, which they made mostly during their time at USC. Second is Alien, which came after O’Bannon’s stint on Jodorowsky’s Dune project.

O’Bannon said that Alien is Dark Star as a horror movie. That, we’ll let you decide for yourself.

If you’re more interested in Dark Star and its place in cinema history, check out Masters of Carpentry.

Next up: Lady Marmalade!

And now, something fun for all you fans of 80’s hair bands and YouTube superstars! It’s time for a rundown on Mr. Big’s music video for “To Be With You” and Glove and Boots’ cover version “To Meh With You.”

I love Glove and Boots. When they did their cover video, I thought it was the BEST. THING. EVER. The shot-for-shot remake and the attention  to detail (Fafa has all those little bracelets! The little chair leap!) causes joy to well from within my cold, shriveled heart. Also: the cover has a gorillas. This is reason enough to watch it.

Next up: a screenwriter Dan O’Bannon special!

John Carpenter’s “Dark Star”:

Ridley Scott’s “Alien”:

The theme is failed promise, and we explore the creative geniuses behind projects that never came to be in two documentaries: Lost in La Mancha and Jodorowsky’s Dune.

We had a lot of fun with these films, but there’s no denying that our lives are emptier because Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s version of Dune were never made. They probably never will be. They remain out of grasp–perfect in our minds, yet unrealized. And damn if that isn’t depressing.

—

Next up, a new nugget!

Mr. Big’s To Be With You

and Glove and Boots’ To Meh With You

Until next time: don’t forget to be warriors!

 

Two short pieces that challenge our sanity.

Adult Swim’s Too Many Cooks and Don Hertzfeldt’s Rejected begin our series of mini-episodes. We have a long time between our tent-pole episodes, and wanted more episodes to fill out our docket. Our answer was to create smaller-scale double bills. This is Brian Watson-Jones’ pick, so you can praise (blame) him.

But speaking of tent-poles, our next episode features documentaries of films that were to never be.

Lost in La Mancha / Jodorowsky’s Dune.