In his first exposure to Whit Stillman, Jim expresses relief and surprise at how easy it was to relate to a film populated exclusively by wealthy, teenage Manhattanites musing about the slow death of their livelihood (seriously!). It helps that Stillman's satirical take on the people and social sphere he's depicting is so clear (think Jane Austen in the Upper East Side of 1990).

To follow along on the path toward cinematic edification with I Do Movies Badly:

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- battleshippretension.com/category/idmb

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- twitter.com/nolanfixesteeth

On this episode of IDMB, a very Caucasian man (Jim) talks to a non-Caucasian man (Rudie Obias) about another Caucasian man who makes films about wealthy Caucasians (Whit Stillman). The boys discuss how it's possible to connect with films that you cannot relate to on a socio-political level, the artificiality of the wealthy elite, the Cleveland Cavaliers and how much Rudie fucking hates Joe Swanberg before getting onto the recommendations: Metropolitan (1990), Barcelona (1994) and The Last Days of Disco (1998).

To follow the work of Rudie Obias:

- twitter.com/rudie_obias

- http://mentalfloss.com/authors/rudie-obias

To follow along on the path toward cinematic edification with I Do Movies Badly:

- [email protected]

- battleshippretension.com/category/idmb

- facebook.com/IDoMoviesBadly

- twitter.com/nolanfixesteeth

Douglas Sirk month is coming to an end and Jim sheds some tears - literally - over his final (and longest) film, Imitation of Life. Though lacking Rock Hudson or Robert Stack, Imitation of Life still lives up to the reputation that Jim now understands to be "Sirkian": emotionally complex people failing to acknowledge that the life they think they're living is all just an illusion. Come for the melodrama, stay for the hidden Kids in the Hall reference!

To follow along on the path toward cinematic edification with I Do Movies Badly:

- [email protected]

- battleshippretension.com/category/idmb

- facebook.com/IDoMoviesBadly

- twitter.com/nolanfixesteeth

It's not Written on the Wind, but The Tarnished Angels is still a fine example of a master craftsman at work. In this episode of I Do Movies Badly, Jim discusses how The Tarnished Angels loses the satire that made Written on the Wind special, but still manages to establish its strengths by subverting your expectations of a melodrama.

To follow along on the path toward cinematic edification with I Do Movies Badly:

- [email protected]

- battleshippretension.com/category/idmb

- facebook.com/IDoMoviesBadly

- twitter.com/nolanfixesteeth

Scott Nye reviews "The Tarnished Angels": http://criterioncast.com/reviews/blu-ray-reviews/scott-reviews-douglas-sirks-the-tarnished-angels-masters-of-cinema-blu-ray-review

Video Free Brooklyn: http://www.videofreebrooklyn.com/

Douglas Sirk:1, Jim's Skepticism:0. After being initially terrified that melodrama wouldn't be his thing, Jim takes this episode to gush over Sirk's Written on the Wind, a superbly-acted, emotionally complex drama that does not revel in overdramatics, but instead uses their over-the-top execution to satirize Hollywood ideals in a way that would make Billy Wilder proud.

To follow along on the path toward cinematic edification with I Do Movies Badly:

- [email protected]

- battleshippretension.com/category/idmb

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“Written on the Wind” review by Roger Ebert: http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-written-on-the-wind-1956

“Written on the Wind” review by Laura Mulvey: http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/97-written-on-the-wind

Love is in the air (that's not an allergen for all you victims of pollen) and thus, Jim invites Scott Nye from CriterionCast onto I Do Movies Badly to help him learn how to love the films of the Master of Melodrama, Douglas Sirk. Listen as the boys discuss what melodrama is, why it doesn't deserve the negative connotation it's developed and how it has NOTHING to do with modern day rom-coms. As for the recommendations: Written on the Wind (1956), The Tarnished Angels (1957), and Imitation of Life (1959).

To follow the work of Scott Nye:

- criterioncast.com

- battleshippretension.com/category/scott-nye

- twitter.com/railoftomorrow

To follow along on the path toward cinematic edification with I Do Movies Badly:

- [email protected]

- battleshippretension.com/category/idmb

- facebook.com/IDoMoviesBadly

- twitter.com/nolanfixesteeth

Contest to win things! Oh, and also, I suppose, the final episode of 1980s Fantasy Films in which Jim discusses the not-great-but-not-terrible Ladyhawke. Tune in to hear Jim talk about the awful score composed by Alan Parsons, the somewhat satisfying comedic stylings of a very young Matthew Broderick, and how 1980s fantasy films don't seem to serve the genre. Also, a contest! Want to win a free DVD/Blu-ray copy of any of the titles Jim has discussed on the podcast up to now? Here's your chance! Gotta listen to hear how though.

To follow along on the path toward cinematic edification with I Do Movies Badly:

- [email protected]

- battleshippretension.com/category/idmb

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Are you looking for a film where Arnold Schwarzenegger runs around with no clothes on? Then Conan the Destroyer is the film for you! Are you looking for an interesting fantasy film with three-dimensional characters and exciting sword and sorcery elements? Maybe look anywhere else. On this episode of I Do Movies Badly, Jim discusses how - unlike Excalibur, which fell short of its grand aspirations - Conan the Destroyer tries to appeal to everyone and in doing so, appeals to no one.

To follow along on the path toward cinematic edification with I Do Movies Badly:

- [email protected]

- battleshippretension.com/category/idmb

- facebook.com/IDoMoviesBadly

- twitter.com/nolanfixesteeth

1980s Fantasy Films month gets off to a weird start thanks to the guy who brought us Zardoz. On this episode of I Do Movies Badly, Jim talks about the one-of-a-kind Excalibur, a film with aspirations of epicness to which its sloppily choreographed battle sequences and awful ADR can't exactly live up. Still, at the end of the day, its a fascinating, earnest film. Also, Jim makes a really bad sex joke (the man who pulls out becomes king. Come on now).

To follow along on the path toward cinematic edification with I Do Movies Badly:

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- battleshippretension.com/category/idmb

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It's May at I Do Movies Badly and May means mixup in some language Jim hasn't discovered yet. Helping Jim mix it up from a filmmaker to a genre is Mat Bradley-Tschirgi of the recently retired Sequelcast to recommend some 1980s Fantasy Films - the genre you never knew you needed! Mat (and, for a period, his dog, Starbuck) stop by to talk to Jim about the college film student experience, the disappointment that has become the Final Fantasy video game series and many other tangents en route to the (DVD-based) recommendations: John Boorman's Excalibur (1981), Richard Fleischer's Conan the Destroyer (1984) and Richard Donner's Ladyhawke (1985). 

To follow the work of Mat Bradley-Tschirgi:

- http://sequelcast.libsyn.com/

- http://battleshippretension.com/category/mat-bradley-tschirgi/

- twitter.com/sequelcast

To follow along on the path toward cinematic edification with I Do Movies Badly:

- [email protected]

- battleshippretension.com/category/idmb

- Facebook.com/IDoMoviesBadly

- Twitter.com/NolanFixesTeeth