Measuring Flicks

Part II of Max and Jeff's conversation about Ti West, Quentin Tarantino, the nature of art vs. the nature of Content, economic philosophy and the consequences of capitalism on human expression.

Also on Tongan Ninja, which, if you're flying high on a Friday night, is available for free on YouTube, and is an absolutely fantastic time.

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It's the triumphant return of Jeff Morgan, with the cherry on top of the Masterpiece Mountain he helped build over the course of Metropolis, Dark City, La Jetée, 12 Monkeys, and Yojimbo. One film to rule them all:

Tongan Ninja.

Which you pretty much have to watch on YouTube. In 240p. Believe me when I say this is the best way to watch it. (And if you happen to have him around, sit down to chat about it with Jeff afterwards; it makes for an absolutely excellent afternoon.)

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Part II of Max and Connor’s discussion of Interstellar (2014), in which we determine what the point of all those push-ups actually was.

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Having gone already to the bottom of the ocean, Max and Connor continue their exploration of FINAL FRONTIERS by shooting through both a wormhole and a supermassive black hole like a baseball off a vampire’s bat, with Christopher Nolan’s 2014 brain-and-heart-breaker, Interstellar. We’re positive we got a lot of the science stuff wrong, but we’re equally certain we got a lot of the heart stuff right. If you haven’t seen this one yet, go and watch it on the biggest, loudest setup you can cobble together, get a session in with your therapist, and then come on back and plunge into the outer cosmos with us. You’d be a lot cooler if you did.

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Max and Cassandra wrap up their discussion of 2005’s Elizabethtown, before driving off across America with the windows down and Cameron Crowe’s favorite songs blasting.

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Max and Cassandra’s exploration of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl continues with the film that started it all: Elizabethtown (2005). Does this flick deserve all the vitriol? Or is it just the victim of sneering dismissals by cynical critics whose mothers didn’t hug them enough when they were young? Is it good? Is it bad? Is Kirsten Dunst’s Clair actually a manic pixie dream girl at all? All this and more!

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Measuring Flicks is back in the arthouse again with director Lee Chang-Dong’s brilliant Murakami adaptation Burning. Confronted with one of the most deliciously ambiguous slow-burn thrillers either of them have ever seen, Max and very special guest Alex dig into what precisely they saw, what precisely it means, and why the hell cat-sitting for someone involves so much whacking off in plain view of the whole neighborhood.

Also, if you’ve seen this movie, please. Answer us this:

DID HE DO IT?

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Max and Cassandra (of Cassandra Explains It All and Drenched In Drama) kick off their monthlong exploration of the cinematic archetype and cultural phenomenon that is the Manic Pixie Dream Girl with 2004’s Garden State. Are MPDGs just a holdover of outdated feminine societal structures from eras past? Infantilized male fantasies? Freudian Mommy stand-ins listless dudes feel okay about kissing? Are there two funk songs about Danny DeVito hidden in this episode somewhere? Find out! Tune in! Drop out!

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Hop back in the tub for Part II of Underwater, with Max and Connor! Plus: Suede Rainbow Live from the Barrel Room!

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Connor’s back in the studio to avoid talking about 2020’s Underwater. Why? We have no idea. The flick is actually really good, super fun, legit scary, well-made, well-paced, and filled with good performances and a subtle touch of world-building that’s creepy and insidious as hell.

We just hadn’t seen each other in about a year, so what we ended up with was two film nerds hanging out and having a blast for a couple of hours. I hope you all enjoy as much as we did. It’s good to be back, and to have Connor back in the madness.

If you want to go check out the Child’s Play episode we recorded immediately after this one, bop over to… Patreon.com/QuillAndFilm

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