Loose Canons

Loose Canons Ep. 35 The Masque of the Red Death This time, we run over babies in our carriages without a care in the world.

Loose Canons Ep. 33 Friday the 13th In this episode, we get slowly killed off one by one, and at the end the real murderer is A First Person Camera Operator! 00:00:36 Another spooky podcast! Someone’s getting murdered!00:01:00 More jokes! Sorry, Flubber.00:01:49 We’re actually discussing Friday the 13th. Reuben details the plot. Spoilers! Obviously.00:03:19 The unintended twist ending of Friday the 13th.00:04:10 Patrick (hated it), Basil (liked it more than expected but still didn’t like it), Ilya (also liked it more than he thought he would), Reuben (didn’t love it)00:09:13 Basil was surprised by how much he liked the look, especially second unit. There was a discreet sense of place. Empty and desolate.00:09:51 Ilya notes that the movie includes things that most movies don’t. Patrick says it’s called “shoe leather”00:10:55 Basil thinks there’s a lot of shots you wouldn’t get in a horror movie. Basil and Reuben both describe one.00:12:10 Goofy guy or racist guy? Patrick doesn’t like the humor, was embarrassed by it.00:13:50 The cop doesn’t like weird stuff, and Basil is reminded of the cop in Cabin Fever.00:14:57 Patrick’s biggest problem: a lack of tension because he didn’t care about any of the characters, but Ilya felt involved without caring about the characters.00:15:45 Basil appreciates that the characters care about each other unlike in a lot of slasher movies. The characters are pretty sex positive too. Strip monopoly!00:17:23 One of Basil’s favorite parts is that you think Annie is gonna be the protagonist (she isn’t). No clear character that’s special over the others. Patrick still doesn’t care though. Patrick doesn’t enjoy watching people die, and they die in unsurprising ways.00:19:27 Reuben reads a review from letterboxd.00:21:20 Basil doesn’t know why he used to hate this movie.00:21:50 Patrick thinks the ending is really dumb, and on that point, he and Basil agree.00:23:04 The unrealism of killers in horror movies.00:23:45 Mrs. Voorhees cast for her big hands? Man pants.00:24:23 Ilya suggests the movie’s plot was made up on the fly. The non existence of Jason until the end also suggests this.00:25:27 Or is this a weird call back to Psycho? Reverse Psycho ending! Ripping off Halloween as well.00:27:39 What’s amusing about this movie isn’t intentionally amusing. Reuben doesn’t worry about intent though.00:29:08 The acting’s not good, but it all seems to be on a similar wavelength, so it still works.00:29:50 Patrick didn’t like the music either. Which sounded a lot like Psycho. Angelo Badalamenti ripped this off for Twin Peaks?00:31:09 Ilya liked the lack of allegory. No creepy country people, no stupid teenagers, really.00:31:42 People say this movie is anti-sex, but then you’re aligning yourself with the crazy killer woman.00:31:58 Patrick doesn’t think it’s anti-sex or anti anything really. This is just a movie that panders to audiences in his opinion. Reuben doesn’t disagree, but it doesn’t bother him much.00:33:50 Patrick didn’t like the rope scene, but Basil and Ilya did.00:36:00 Ilya liked how things shifted and changed. The Kevin Bacon death was truly gruesome. The setup of the shot doesn’t hint at his end.00:37:58 Basil also found the girl in the bathroom scene well lit because modern lighting and processing is so lazy.00:38:40 Kevin Bacon is not special in anyway. Is this the followup to Footloose?00:38:52 How did they get to Jason though?00:40:35 Jason with a burlap sack over his head is a super creepy idea.00:41:28 Gene Siskel intentionally spoiled the movie and said they should send complaints to Betsy Palmer.00:42:48 Googling portion.00:43:50 Horror sequels, not intentional back then00:44:59 Reuben thinks we’re wrapping up, but we’re not.00:45:20 The ending is deus ex machina for the villain.00:46:20 What happened to Mr. Voorhees? We get deep into all the possibilities.00:47:24 Decapitation is cray-ay-zee. Also, every 80s effect in one shot!00:48:19 The snake scene was cool: over the top scared and t

In this episode, we see what folks were cool with back in the 20s.  Loose Canons Ep. 31 The Adventures of Prince Achmed

In this episode, we try to figure out how robots learn to taste. Loose Canons Ep. 30 The Garden of Words

This time we take a closer look at World War II and find sympathy for the Nazis. Well...one of them anyway. Loose Canons Ep. 29 Black Book

This time we get drunk and bust out some kung fu. Michael, our resident Kung Fu Master, fills in for Patrick. Loose Canons Ep. 28 Come Drink With Me

This time we do some good work, or make a good catch, or a nice find, or whatever beau travail is supposed to mean. Also, Marcia joins us to play games! Loose Canons Ep. 26 Beau Travail 00:00-01:05 Marcia joins the Podcast! (Ilya is away)01:05-09:10 Let’s Play a Game!09:10-11:30 Brief Plot Recap: Reuben (who used to hate this movie) 11:30-19:30 Loved It (Reuben), Liked It (Marcia, Patrick liked it OK), On The Fence (Basil) 19:30-22:00 Reuben thinks this movie is funnier/more playful than he initially gave it credit for 22:10-22:40 The perfect crease 22:40-23:20 Weird army exercises 23:20-24:00 The women are the Greek chorus of the movie 24:00-25:50 Colonialism & Branding 25:50-26:30 Marcia thinks the movie is less postcolonial as much as it is about new colonial powers 26:30-27:30 The Sexyfication of Sentain 27:30-29:05 Laura Mulvey and the meaning of looking 29:05-30:30 Galoup’s body issues as satire of Leni Riefenstahl’s obsessive bod worship 30:30-32:00 Galoup – He’s The Greatest Dancer 32:00-32:45 Patrick likes that kiss-kiss pop song in the beginning 32:45-33:30 Basil likes the women staring back in the African Disco 33:30-34:30 Galoup’s heaven is a Discotheque (with him in it) 34:30-36:00 Is there even any good work left in the world? 36:00-37:45 More weird Army exercises 37:45-38:30 Galoup and Sentain get really close to kissing 38:30-41:15 Patrick doesn’t get the Galoup/Sentain jealousy 41:15-42:00 Computer proooooooooblems! 42:00-42:45 Marcia read a hilarious gay panic-filled synopsis of this movie 42:45-43:20 GOOGLING PORTION! 43:20-44:30 Looking at pictures of the French Foreign Legion 44:30-44:45 Join the French Legion and get hugged! 44:45-45:40 Reuben likes that this is a poetic movie that also makes fun of itself 45:40-46:20 Basil feels like that church digging scene was from another (worse) movie 46:20-46:50 Instead of slow motion people just move really slowly 46:50-48:35 Loose scripting and amateur acting 48:35-49:30 Finally a movie that acknowledges Denis Levant is weird-looking 49:30-50:20 Reuben thinks he looks weird in a good way 50:20-51:10 Patrick talks about Rooney and Kate Mara for a bit 51:10-52:00 Betsy hates Denis Levant’s face 52:00-53:20 Reuben saw a movie where Sentain looks like a child 53:20-54:00 How about them salt fields! 54:00-55:00 Basil had a lot of salt in his movie diet that day 55:00-55:50 Reuben likes a lot of shots in this movie 55:50-57:40 Basil hates the digital look (and hates that he notices that) 57:40-58:20 Car problems in Beau Travail 58:20-01:00:10 Reuben wants to check other Denis films for funny parts 01:00:10-01:01:10 I Can’t Sleep and Vendredi Soir 01:01:10-01:02:40 Inversions in Beau Travail (Military life as regular life, sexual repression causes perversion) 01:02:40-01:04:30 JBaum on Beau Travail (as usual, his review ends when it gets really interesting) 01:04:30-01:12:00 Let’s Play a Game again! 01:12:00-01:12:47 Thanks, Marcia! Thanks for listening everybody!

This time we take a trip down memory lane to find out if we were complete idiots when we were younger. Loose Canons Ep. 27 Nostalgia Films

This time we risk life and limb for a podcast no one listens to. Loose Canons Ep. 25 The Wind Rises 00:00-02:00 The podcast gets really weird really quick02:00-03:15 Brief Plot Recap: Patrick03:15-07:30 Liked It (Everyone, Ilya not very much), Disliked It (Nobody!)07:30-09:00 Basil imitates the movie’s sweet lofi sound design09:00-11:40 Does the movie lionize or critique Jiro?11:40-13:45 Reuben doesn’t think it does either13:45-14:30 "Would you rather live in a world with or without the Pyramids?"14:30-15:20 Patrick thinks the movie was critical of Jiro15:20-16:30 Ilya thinks Naoko is instrumentalized as a muse character16:30-18:55 Basil thinks Miyazaki is ambivalent about the planes and their constructors18:55-20:30 They’re gonna put guns on it, Jiro20:30-23:20 Jiro is straightforward & heroic but doesn’t know how to live23:20-24:40 Everyone in the movie except for his sister enables Jiro24:40-24:50 God, let Patrick talk!24:50-26:30 Miyazaki uses Jiro to take stock of his own filmmaking process26:30-27:30 Jiro’s a dreamer (he’s the only one)27:30-28:40 Ilya likes the super weird coughing on the soundtrack28:40-30:00 The sound design and dialogue remind Ilya of Lynch sans irony30:00-31:00 Miyazaki is just doing his thing at this point31:00-32:10 Basil likes that the movie doesn’t divide itself into “for adults” and “for kids” parts32:10-33:30 Contrast/similarity to Spirited Away33:30-34:10 There’s an ad on the podcast!34:10-35:30 There’s no talking in the first five minutes of the movie (followed by lots of talking)35:30-36:50 Jiro’s voice-actor is as restrained as his character’s range of emotion36:50-37:10 It’s Basil’s birthday!37:10-39:15 Patrick likes how Jiro’s myopia mirrors his emotional condition39:15-41:00 Paper plane chase turns into near-death experience41:00-41:30 Life is pretty miserable isn’t it? Yes, it is.41:30-43:30 Critique of Japanese valorization of work and big stuff that kicks ass! 43:30-44:30 Ilya thinks it’s weird that the movie doesn’t show civilian/non-Japanese cost of war44:30-45:30 Basil thinks awfulness of World War 2 can be inferred45:30-46:30 Reuben likes the sympathetic portrait and Japanese perspective on WW246:30-47:00 Also, Reuben thought Ilya disagreed that Basil liked Dinosaurs as a kid47:00-48:00 Sentimentalization of Axis powers’ past still gross48:00-50:20 Brief scene in Germany is evocative of Nazi regime/Jiro’s cluelessness about it50:20-52:00 Basil thinks not seeing the Axis powers as monsters helps people be more aware of/non-participatory in their ideology52:00-52:50 Hans Castorp is a stand-in for the Weimar émigré of the late 1930s52:50-56:10 His invisibility to the characters mirrors the obliviousness of the time56:10-57:25 Song sounds like it’s from Noriko’s Dinner Table57:25-58:00 GOOGLING SECTION OF THE PODCAST BEGINS HERE!58:00-59:00 Reuben loves the shot of Nayoko in her wedding dress59:00-01:00:10 Felliniesque planes01:00:10-01:01:00 Ilya brings up The Aviator and we discuss Scorsese01:01:00-01:02:00 De Niro banging his head against the wall in Raging Bull should be a 10-hour Youtube loop01:02:00-01:03:00 Caproni’s massive plane looks like Howard Hughes’ Hercules01:03:00-01:04:30 Caproni throwing film into the water is reminiscent of the failures you don’t get to see when watching movies as well as with historiography01:04:30-01:06:00 Miyazaki’s “every artist gets ten years to do great work” is probably tongue-in-cheek01:06:00-01:06:30 This movie is much better than Ponyo & Howl’s Moving Castle01:06:30-01:07:40 Let’s speculate on Studio Ghibli projects!01:07:40-01:10:00 “From the Studio that brought you…” & other hilarious marketing strategies!01:10:00-01:10:45 This movie is much, much better than The Aviator01:10:45-01:12:30 “World War 2 was my favorite war!” – Stephen Spielberg (according to JBaum, via Joe Dante)01:12:30-01:14:00 Patrick compares Miyazaki’s popularity in Japan to Spielberg in US01:14:00-01:17:20 Ozu/Mizoguchi/ Kurosawa/Miyazaki/Oshima – Wh

Loose Canons Ep. 24 The Loose Canon Part 2 Herein we detail, undeniably the greatest movies of all time. For this year and least and indeed at most. 00:00:00-00:00:29 Disclaimer and theme song00:00:30-00:02:58 Bad jokes, introduction, and awkwardness00:02:59-00:08:43 Margaret (presented by Reuben), we already did a podcast on this, Lisa tries to deal with grief in “cinematic” ways, slowly goes from a “movie moment” to real world processing, would’ve watched the long cut (unreleased), one of the few post 9/11 films that deals with responsibility/guilt as opposed to just sadness and loss, even small details relate to the themes, best ensemble acting ever according to Reuben, extremely small and extremely global at the same time00:08:44-00:10:53 Basil thinks it’s one of our best podcasts, Ilya likes the podcast but hasn’t watched the movie, Reuben didn’t spoil the movie for Ilya (or the listeners), more talk about spoilers00:10:54-00:16:19 Certified Copy (presented by Basil), Basil describes the opening shot in detail, overlaying of Certified Copy in multiple languages at the same time, you feel like a person in the audience waiting to hear this speaker, film is a copy of reality, talks about all performances and representation (gender, personal), how film informs or reflects our lives00:16:20-00:21:33 Abbas Kiarostami is good, Ilya and Reuben agree, Reuben thinks Basil should see Close-Up, Reuben didn’t see what Basil said in Certified Copy but wants to rewatch it, would make a nice pairing with Margaret, Basil thinks it turns cliches into real full lived moments, Ilya didn’t like the interviewer of Kiarostami when he saw this movie, Reuben compares Ilya’s experience to a fictional experience in Chocolat proving Basil and Kiarostami’s thesis, Basil is frustrated by the level of discussion on this movie, Reuben’s got jokes00:21:34-00:26:47 Night & Fog (presented by Reuben), Reuben doesn’t like the orgiastic moment of despair, You don’t know what it’s like through watching a movie, Resnais keeps you from having that moment, the theme of this movie is shut up because you have nothing to say that adds to these horrific events, the music doesn’t provide the emotional release you might be seeking, Reuben didn’t finish this movie the first two times he tried to watch it, the film denies being conclusive00:26:48-00:27:26 Ilya thinks Reuben described the movie very well without describing it at all, Reuben’s glad the next movie is next as opposed to the one after that00:27:27-00:32:01 Elsa la Rose (presented by Basil), Basil tends to hate documentaries, modern documentaries are about convincing you of something they already believe as opposed to legitimately exploring a topic, this film doesn’t pretend documentary and reality are the same, one of Basil’s favorite parts is the reenactment because it is both sweet and cinematic and highlights that film is in its own way a memory, film never fully captures what a person is, not knowing is OK00:32:02-00:33:39 It’s not just me and Basil the whole time!, it’s not just discussions about the intersection of film and reality!, Reuben’s favorite part is that the narrator reads the poems faster than the subtitles can go, romantic poems become noise but is still beautiful00:33:40-00:39:04 Showgirls (presented by Basil), Basil’s favorite movie and therefore the hardest to talk about, too uncomfortable to take seriously, questions why you find so many things in movies happy or sexy or appealing, Basil used to not like this, “I thought it was smarter than Showgirls but Showgirls was smarter than me” - Adrian Martin, Basil likes to acknowledge that he doesn’t know anything and can be wrong, Roger Ebert refused to change his mind, but Basil will change his, wish he had gotten to write the book about Showgirls00:39:05-00:40:56 a Canadian wrote it though!, get some good American film criticism, Patrick’s got references, the greatest moment in letterboxd historySPOILERS 00:40:57-00:45:33 Time Indefinite