Honey, You Should Watch This.

It's our 50th episode, and Greg has been threatening this movie since episode one:  1987's "Ernest Goes to Camp."  

For this first half of the episode, Susan and Greg talk about the first Ernest movie starring Jim Varney, John Vernon, and Iron Eyes Cody.  Greg and Susan discuss Varney's early career and how the advertising career he pursued after quitting acting jettisoned him into the stoplight with the creation of Ernest.

In the second half of the episode,  Greg and Susan reminisce over the first 50 episodes and discuss which movies delivered, which were lacking,
and so much more.  

After some "backsliding," we use to rededicate ourselves to our podcast by discussing Susan's pick: 2004s "Saved!" starring Jenna Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin, Eva Amurri, Patrick Fugit, and Mary Louise Parker.  

For this episode, Greg selected a gem of an 80s film. Well, it might be closer to a Diamonique of a movie with a gem of an actor.   Anyway, Susan and Greg watched "Who's Harry Crumb?" starring John Candy, Annie Potts, Jeffery Jones, and Shawnee Smith.  

Susan has Greg watch the beautiful disaster that is 2009s "Jennifer's Body." The two examine the once-maligned comedy/horror film starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried and written by Diablo Cody that is now enjoying a cult revival. The couple discusses how "Jennifer's Body" is prime example of how studio marketing can derail the creators' vision. They also explore how the studio did a disservice for the film's star, Cody, and its director, Karen Kuzyama. 

Resources referenced:

After an unplanned hiatus, Greg and Susan are back!  We did not 'cast away" our podcast. Nor did we break in our recording schedule to get into castaway shape.  COVID hit our household.  We're back and raring to jump into Greg's pick for Susan: 2000's "Cast Away" starring Tom Hanks and Helen Hunt.

Susan and Greg look towards "a Northwesterly direction" as they discuss Susan's pick, Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest." The film, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, and Martin Landeau, is considered one of the greatest films of all time. Do your hosts feel the same way? Listen and find out!

The Ultimate Fashion History. (2017, January 11). FAVE FILM FASHION: “North by Northwest” (1959). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Turner Classic Movies. (2020, April 16). Eva Marie Saint and Martin Landau Discuss Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwIZoD7r8H8

Cary Grant Calls Jamie Lee Curtis. North by Northwest Meets Halloween. 

https://youtu.be/HiCHeZNxMxwNorth by North West

Along with their friends Barb and Jacob, Greg and Susan get lost in the fantasy, horror craziness that is the film "Dave Made a Maze."

The movie stars Nick Thune as Dave, an artist that can't seem to finish what he starts, and Meera Rohit Kumbhani as Dave's long-suffering girlfriend, who must put her and their friends' lives in peril to rescue Dave from his latest creation.

Dave Made a Maze was written and directed by Bill Watterson (the actor, not the cartoonist) and featured a gallery of wonderfully imaginative and artistic set pieces. The group discusses the cast, the script, and the movie's meaning in a "no holds barred" conversation.

Resources referenced in this episode:

Bill Watterson and cast talk "Dave Made A Maze" at Sundance 2017, BeyondCinemaMagazine, YouTube, https://youtu.be/ItXFogIbSwo

Dave Made a Maze Is a Wacky Fairy Tale About the Folly of Trying to Make Something Perfect, Evan Narcisse, August 18, 2017, Gizmodo https://io9.gizmodo.com/dave-made-a-maze-is-a-wacky-fairy-tale-about-the-folly-1797990367

DAVE MADE A MAZE; Or, the Artist Matures, Words: C.H. Newell, September 18, 2017, Fathers of Holy Gore, https://fathersonholygore.com/2017/09/18/dave-made-a-maze-or-the-artist-matures/

Dave Made A Maze - preproduction behind-the-scenes, Dave Made a Maze, April 30, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpNb4-k-RSU

In this episode, Susan and Greg discuss another Coen Brother's film and  Greg's pick 2007's "No Country for Old Men."  The 2008 Academy-Award Best Picture winner stars Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin with a featured performance by Woody Harrelson.

Do Susan and Greg continue with 90s movies in this episode? Oh ya, you betcha! Susan selected 1996's "Fargo" starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, and Harve Presnell and written and directed by the Coen brothers.

In this episode, the couple discusses the Academy Award-nominated film's key themes, the original casting decisions by the Coen Brothers, and other trivia about the film.

Resources referenced in this episode:

 Cobb, K. (2020, December 28). Is the Coen Brothers’ Movie “Fargo” a True Story? Decider. https://decider.com/2020/12/28/is-fargo-movie-based-on-a-true-story/

VanDerWerff, E. (2016, March 8). Fargo turns 20 today. Its fans are still arguing about this scene. Vox. https://www.vox.com/2016/3/8/11177872/fargo-movie-mike-yanagita-anniversary

Whatcha' going. Whatcha' going to do? Well, Greg wanted Susan to watch 1995's "Bad Boys." And that's what she did! The blockbuster action-comedy stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in their first leading film roles. It is the first feature film directed by Michael Bay.  "Bady Boys" also stars Téa Leoni and Tchéky Karyo.