Green Screen

Thoroughly rehydrated after their detour to post-apocalyptic Australia last episode, Sean and Cody venture into the depths of avian paranoia and Alfred Hitchcock's abusive soul as they review this classic 1963 horror masterpiece. In The Birds, manic pixie dream girl creepy stalker Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) uses a pair of lovebirds to troll Mitch (Rod Taylor) by delivering them to his family's house on the California coast. But just as she makes the delivery, birds of all kinds suddenly decide this is the perfect moment to wage an epic jihad against humankind, and the little town of Bodega Bay is first on their target list. Environmental issues discussed include "revenge of nature" stories in fiction, bird behavior and their propensity to attack, a real-life incident involving a mass bird invasion in coastal California in 1961 and its relationship to ocean ecosystems and a toxic algae, unknown at the time but discovered long after the film was made.

Just how fantastic is the scenario depicted in this film—have birds really attacked humans, and if so, under what circumstances? How can toxic shellfish cause a bird invasion? What's the history of these kind of "revenge of nature" movies, and has climate change made them even more topical than they were in the 1960s? Why don't people get anchovies on pizzas or salads anymore like they used to 50 or 60 years ago? What's the relationship between this film and those When Animals Attack shows from '90s Fox TV? How did shooting this picture ruin Tippi Hedren's life? Just how much of a sick, misogynistic bastard was Alfred Hitchcock, and, knowing now how awful he was, should we stop watching his movies? Are Hitchcock's chintzy rear-pro backdrops deliberately shoddy, or was he just getting lazy? All of these questions are swooping in for the attack in this terrifying episode of Green Screen.

Content warning: this episode contains discussion of psychological and physical abuse.

Where you can find The Birds: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-birds

The Birds (1963) on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056869/ The Birds (1963) on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-birds/

Next Movie Up: Orlando (1992)

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Glad to be back from the DDT-soaked swamps of Florida last episode, Sean and Cody are joined by Best Pick podcast host Jessica Regan for a journey into the heart of flashy pop-culture '90s-ness that is this 1995 science fiction comedy. In the world of Tank Girl, Earth has been desiccated by a comet and lovable desert-dwelling rogue Rebecca (Lori Petty) has the last water that hasn't been sucked up by the evil Water & Power corporation. When W&P exec Nestlē Kesslee (Malcolm McDowell) decides he's gotta have her water too, Rebecca nicks a tank and teams up with Jet Girl (Naomi Watts) to wreak some righteous revenge on the capitalist patriarchy. Environmental issues discussed include the real life water swindles, child poisonings and other horrendous deeds of Nestlē Corporation, and whether climate change is today what asteroid/comet apocalypse scenarios were in the '90s.

How does Nestlē gain control of water resources it doesn't own, and how does it abuse the rights of indigenous peoples to choke the planet in billions of unrecycled water bottles? Did Nestlē's soulless CEO really try to tell the United Nations that water was not a human right? Speaking of that CEO, what other evil planet-killing corporation did he sit on the board of? How was the vision of Tank Girl director Rachel Talalay compromised by sexist memos from studio executives? What's the perfect age to see this movie? Is this film a noble experiment in feminism and queerness that went off the rails, or does it remain a hidden gem of '90s culture? How much would you pay for a prosthetic kangaroo pee-pee? Should there be a remake of this film (yes) and who should play Tank Girl? All these questions and more are rolling across the desert in this much-anticipated, long-awaited episode of Green Screen.

Where you can find Tank Girl: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/tankgirl

Tank Girl (1995) on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114614/ Tank Girl (1995) on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/tank-girl/

Next Movie Up: The Birds (1963)

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Sean and Cody did not spend enough time on Arrakis for the bonus episode for their eyes to turn glowing blue, so now they're headed for the scummiest swamps of Florida—and the cinematic bargain basement—as they analyze this "classic" 1972 creature-feature horror film. In Frogs, well-endowed canoe pilot and ecology photographer Pickett (Sam Elliott) happens into a Southern fried family reunion from Hell as he winds up on a swampy Florida island owned by the cratchety Jason Crockett (Ray Milland). But when the hired help starts getting offed by geckos, snapping turtles and Spanish moss, the Crockett clan realizes they're at the epicenter of a full-on revolt of nature. Environmental issues discussed include DDT and its legacy, how the modern environmental movement started, Richard Nixon and the establishment of the EPA, and how effects of swampy environments played out in the post-slavery American South.

What fears and fads were "eco-horror" films of this period really trying to tap into? How did Rachel Carson get the credit for starting the environmental movement when a bunch of Georgia women were trying to ban DDT more than a decade before she wrote Silent Spring? Can you pronounce the full names of the chemicals in DDT? Did Tricky Dick Nixon really care about the environment, or was he just grumpy over Vietnam and Kent State? Who's William Ruckleshaus and what does have to do with Watergate? Did you know that before he was a crusty cowboy, Sam Elliott was a legit Teen Beat heartthrob? Why do the characters in this movie act like slavery was never abolished? Are frogs and geckos considered cute? How can a snapping turtle kill a human being? To what depths was Ray Milland willing to sink to cash a paycheck at the end of his career? Is this the worst film ever covered on Green Screen? Whether it is or isn't, it's what we've got, so here we go.

Frogs (1972) on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068615/ Frogs (1972) on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/frogs/

Next Movie Up: Tank Girl (1995)

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What's this? A surprise bonus? Yes, indeed, Sean and Cody are turning Halloween into Christmas by giving you this brief return to the desert planet Arrakis, now reimagined by Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve. In the 2021 version of Dune, about half of what happened in the 1984 David Lynch version happens again but with better special effects, a considerably more comprehensible script, and a shirtless Timothée Chalamet in the role of Paul Atreides that was originally pioneered by Kyle MacLachlan. Can Sean and Cody, incorrigible fans of the bizarre 1984 David Lynch version, accept this lavish CGI-drenched boondoggle as the definitive film version of Dune, or will they chew it up like a sandworm munching on a carryall? Find out! You'll also hear what Mike Miley, the guest interviewed on the original Dune episode, thinks of the new version.

As this is a shorter and more impromptu episode of Green Screen, the discussion of environmental issues is minimal, but climate change gets a mention, so there's that.

Dune (2021) on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1160419/ Dune (2021) on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/dune-2021/

Next Movie Up: Frogs (1972)

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Back from the ramparts of Beijing in the last episode, Sean and Cody blast off for another trip to outer space as they set a course for this epic 2013 survival drama directed by Alfonso Cuarón. In Gravity, chatty astronauts Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) are busy giving the Hubble Telescope a once-over when a wave of supercharged space junk turns their space shuttle into confetti. Drifting off in opposite directions and with the oxygen in their suits running out, the two have to think fast to figure out not only to survive the next 90 minutes, but how to get back on terra firma now that their spaceship is a glitter bomb. Environmental issues discussed include the real-life environment of space, the pollution of Earth orbit with too many satellites and space junk, the scenario of "Kessler Syndrome" which provides the basis of the premise of the film, and the impact back on Earth of the space shuttle program, including pollution and habitat loss from launch facilities.

What exactly is Kessler Syndrome, how common are satellite collisions, and could a scenario like the one shown in this film really occur in real life? How many operational satellites are currently in orbit around the Earth? What was the space shuttle really built to do, and how come NASA didn't end up doing very much of it despite 30 years and billions of dollars? Why did NASA have to build a manatee sanctuary in Florida? What did Sandra Bullock go through in order to film this movie? Why does Cuarón use so many fewer shots and cuts than most other directors? What did real astronauts think of the film? Is the Sandra Bullock character a strong female lead, or a damsel in distress? Can you believe how much she made from this picture? What other film, yet to be done on the Green Screen list, is Gravity most like, structurally? All these questions are heating up for fiery re-entry in this tropospheric episode of Green Screen.

Gravity (2013) on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/ Gravity (2013) on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/gravity-2013/

Next Movie Up: Frogs (1972)

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Sean and Cody return to China and the widescreen, stereophonic, you-definitely-can't-see-this-on-TV epic cinema of the early 1960s as they delve into this Nicholas Ray-directed 1963 spectacle about the Yihetuan uprising of the late 19th century, known by imperialists as the Boxer Rebellion. In 55 Days at Peking, an enclave of colonial sahibs led by the dapper Sir Arthur (David Niven) and grizzled U.S. Marine Matt Lewis (Charlton Heston) seem bewildered to find themselves under siege by the 100 million or so Chinese who have inexplicably grown tired of Western powers stealing everything in their country that isn't nailed down. When a Chinese fundamentalist sect in groovy red turbans attacks the foreign compound in Beijing, the Westerners fight desperately to win the day, and the eyeballs of viewers who might otherwise be home watching I Love Lucy. Environmental issues discussed include the ecological collapse of China in the late 1800s, the worst flood in recorded history, the environmental impact of Confucian family planning, and the awareness—or obliviousness—of Westerners to the environmental havoc they create when adventuring in faraway lands.

What was the so-called "Boxer Rebellion" and why is everything Westerners think know about it, including its name, a distortion? How can a movie whose plot is entirely based on an environmental disaster manage to avoid mentioning the environment for its entire 2½ hour run time? Why was the British East India Company the most evil corporation in history? What were the Opium Wars about, and why were they even worse than their name suggests? How did Confucius manage to screw up China's environment centuries after he was dead? What were the contents of Charlton Heston's pithy "note to self" that he wrote after making this film? Why did filmmakers always go to Spain in the 1950s and '60s to make big-budget historical epics? How did director Nicholas Ray become the most egregious victim of bisexual erasure in Hollywood? What 1964 picture is Ridley Scott's Gladiator an uncredited remake of, and was the original better than the remake? Why would a remake of 55 Days at Peking/Beijing be the biggest picture of all time, Titanic for a new generation, and why hasn't Hollywood (and Beijing) jumped on it? All these questions are ready to storm the walls of the Legations in this big budget epic episode of Green Screen.

55 Days at Peking (1963) on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056800/ 55 Days at Peking (1963) on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/55-days-at-peking/

Next Movie Up: Gravity (2013)

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After three straight episodes in the barrios and freeways of L.A., Sean and Cody sample some slow living in the early 19th century Pacific Northwest as they examine this quirky and unusual 2020 indie Western. In First Cow, frontier cook Otis "Cookie" Figowitz (John Magaro) gets fired and chased through the forest by his former employers, and is fortunate to hook up with Chinese immigrant King-Lu (Orion Lee) who's similarly down on his luck. When they spot a single cow wandering through the Oregon forest they hatch a scheme to milk it and use the dairy to make tasty oily cakes to sell at the local trading post. Unfortunately their best customer, the Chief Factor (Toby Jones), is also the owner of the cow. Environmental issues discussed include the role of cows and cattle in European settlement of the West, how cattle was a harbinger of colonialism, and the environmental history of Sauvie Island, Oregon where the movie was filmed and presumably takes place.

Why would a single cow be such a valuable resource in Oregon Territory in 1820? Who owned Oregon Territory at that time anyway, and why is it so hard to tell? Why did a British Navy captain deliberately import cows into Hawaii in 1792, and why was the King of Hawaii so jazzed about the arrangement? What's "cattle colonialism"? How come Westerns usually focus on the stories of white men with guns "taming" the West, and how does this film present a different story? Why would this movie make John Wayne really, really mad? Which racist trope which has appeared in numerous other Green Screen films is refreshingly absent from this one? How do you pronounce "clafoutis"? How about "Auberjonois"? Which That Guy in this film is the son of another That Guy who appeared in a previous film profiled on the podcast? Why does Amazon think anyone in their right mind would watch reruns of Murder, She Wrote with commercials? All these questions and more are ready for milking in this decidedly bovine episode of Green Screen.

First Cow (2020) on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9231040/ First Cow (2020) on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/first-cow/

Next Movie Up: 55 Days at Peking (1963)

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Fresh from being serenaded by singing 'toons in the last episode, Sean and Cody sprint for the finish line of their "L.A. trilogy" and delve into the heart of darkness—and modern Los Angeles—as they examine this media-savvy 2014 thriller. In Nightcrawler, sleazy ne'er-do-well Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) graduates from Satan's entrepreneurship program and starts going around L.A. filming bloody car crashes and crime scenes so he can sell the gore-soaked tapes to Channel 6's program director Nina (Rene Russo). But when he and his camera witness a murder that's tailor-made to inflame the fears and prejudices of Angelenos, whatever used to pass for journalistic ethics gets sliced, diced and filleted as Lou uses the incident to vault to the top of the city's grimy underground of freelance stringers. Environmental issues discussed include the geography of crime and its incidence as an environmental threat, how the digital media landscape affects political decisions, and how Los Angeles got to be the way it is, especially after the processes discussed in the recent Chinatown and Who Framed Roger Rabbit episodes.

How can cities be designed better to cut down on crime? Why did Los Angeles not only ignore all the ways that can be done, but actively try to thwart them by doing the opposite? Is crime in big cities going up or down, or does it depend on the political beliefs of who you ask? How many "stringers" are there in L.A.? What wild animal is the character of Lou Bloom based on? How does Nightcrawler uniquely illustrate the "Six L.A.s" discussed in the Strange Days episode? How are right-wingers taking over America's local news TV stations? What's the connection between Nightcrawler and Chinatown? What legendary science fiction writer did one of the Green Screen hosts have lunch with in 1999? Now having done three L.A. pictures in a row, can we please move on to something else? All these questions are creeping out of the suburbs and coming for your children in this creepy-crawly episode of Green Screen.

Nightcrawler (2014) on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2872718/ Nightcrawler (2014) on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/nightcrawler/

Next Movie Up: First Cow (2020)

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We're on the second part of the "L.A. Trilogy," and Sean and Cody are joined by two very special guests: John Dorney and Tom Salinsky, two of the three hosts of the Best Pick movie podcast! The Best Pick guys thought Who Framed Roger Rabbit should have won Best Picture in 1988, and they're here to make their case. In this zany live-action and animated comedy film noir send-up, cartoon star Roger (voiced by Charles Fleischer) is effing up at his job in 1940s Hollywood when he thinks his wife Jessica (voice of Kathleen Turner) is playing pattycake on him with one of L.A.'s biggest landlords. Private gumshoe and sometime alky Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) gets dragged into the case, which involves a mega-conspiracy to bulldoze Toontown's rail transit to build a bunch of ugly freeways. The major environmental question of the film is a big one in L.A. and American history: did a consortium of automakers and real estate developers deliberately sabotage the transit system? We puzzle out the answer, as well as the details of one of the most beloved films of all time in this toontastic episode of Green Screen.

What's the real story behind the "Red Car" train that used to grace L.A.'s streets? Why were nine U.S. companies convicted in antitrust court in 1949 of conspiring to kill rail transit, and why did that case not solve the issue? Did something like the "Cloverleaf company" depicted in this film really exist? How and why did the Automobile Club of Southern California sketch out a plan to use freeways as a tool of ethnic cleansing in Los Angeles? Was the script for this film really first intended as "Chinatown, Part III?" How did the creators of this film manage to make such a huge technical achievement look so easy? What would the cartoon version of Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard look like? How is the film radically different than the book it's based on? Is Judge Doom the most terrifying cinema villain of all time? Who's Eddie Deezen and what does he have to do with this movie? All these questions and many, many more are bumping the lamp in this, one of the most fun episodes of Green Screen ever.

Big thanks to John Dorney and Tom Salinsky of the Best Pick podcast, which has been a major influence on Green Screen.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096438/ Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/who-framed-roger-rabbit/

Next Movie Up: Nightcrawler (2014)

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We're back, and the "L.A. Trilogy" is finally here! Joined by Los Angeles journalist and historian Hadley Meares, Sean and Cody delve into the environmental history of L.A. by examining this classic 1974 film noir thriller, generally regarded as one of the finest pictures ever made. In Chinatown, private gumshoe J.J. Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is hired by a mysterious femme fatale to stick his soon-to-be-sliced nose into a grubby affair involving L.A.'s water commissioner. The case soon takes a nasty turn as Gittes and his moll Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) find themselves in the mist of a labyrinthine conspiracy to steal water and prime real estate in the biggest swindle of all time. Environmental issues discussed include the real-life "water wars" of L.A. vs. the Owens Valley in the early 1900s, the St. Francis dam disaster of 1928, the Los Angeles river, and ethnic cleansing by Los Angeles authorities in the 1930s, especially involving the power of eminent domain.

How true is the Bond villain-like conspiracy at the heart of Chinatown's plot? How close is it to the real conspiracy, engineered in the early 1900s, to inflict a deliberate drought on Los Angeles's prime crop land in advance of a vote on a bond measure to fund water infrastructure? William Mulholland: hero or villain? Why did Owens Valley farmers go full-on terrorist in the 1920s, attacking aqueducts with dynamite? How did the Chinese-American population of L.A. get shafted by their white neighbors, not once, but twice? How does this film exemplify the genre of film noir? What does this picture have to do with the Manson murders and Roman Polanski's own monstrous crimes? How does Chinatown lead into the next film in the L.A. Trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? All these questions and more are shadowing you in a '35 Packard in what may prove to be an iconic episode of Green Screen.

Content warning: the director of this film, Roman Polanski, is a convicted child rapist; there is brief discussion of his crime in the episode.

Chinatown (1974) on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071315/ Chinatown (1974) on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/chinatown/

Next Movie Up: Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

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