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 In this episode, Marty gives Clif the film Repo Man to watch and Clif gives Marty Sisu to watch.

First up is Repo Man, the 1984 cult classic starring Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton. When young punk Otto gets pulled into the world of automobile repossession, he discovers that the job comes with it's own strange philosophy, a collection of unforgettable characters and one very unusual Chevy Malibu. Clif and Marty revisit Alex Cox's singular blend of punk-rock attitude, science fiction, deadpan comedy and low-budget ingenuity. They talk about the killer soundtrack, the movie's wonderfully unpredictable structure, it's characters delivering their personal codes for living and the little details that reward repeat viewings. They also discuss why the film has aged so well, how it's punk-rock aesthetic gets so much right (and a few things hilariously wrong) and how a movie that once seemed scattershot can reveal new layers as you get older.

Then it's time for Sisu, the 2022 Finnish action film about a former soldier prospecting for gold in the wilderness at the end of World War II. When a group of Nazis make the mistake of getting between him and his newfound fortune, they discover that they've picked a fight with a man who simply will not stop. What begins as a relatively grounded survival story gradually transforms into something closer to a live-action cartoon, with the violence escalating to video-game boss-level absurdity. The guys debate whether that tonal shift works, admire what the filmmakers accomplished on a modest budget and explore how the movie borrows familiar action and revenge-film conventions while managing to make them feel like its own. 

Along the way: the Circle Jerks, the brilliance of “Pablo Picasso Was Never Called an Asshole,” Harry Dean Stanton, the mysterious rules of the Repo Man universe and the art of cinematic violence.

#TalkingPondo #FilmPodcast #RepoMan #Sisu #EmilioEstevez #HarryDeanStanton #AlexCox #ActionMovies

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Theme Song "The Rain" by Russ Pace

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 In this episode, Marty gives Clif the film Judgment Night to watch and Clif gives Marty Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves to watch.

First up is Judgment Night, the 1993 thriller starring Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Denis Leary, Stephen Dorff and Jeremy Piven. Clif and Marty revisit a movie they actually encountered during their days working together at a movie theater and discover that nostalgia doesn't necessarily make a bad movie better. They dig into the movie's increasingly ridiculous chase sequences and characters who seem remarkably unfazed by nearly being killed.

But there is one thing about Judgment Night that Clif and Marty still absolutely love: the soundtrack. Featuring collaborations between rock, metal, hip-hop and alternative artists, the album gets considerably more love from the guys than the movie itself. Slayer and Ice-T, Helmet and House of Pain, Dinosaur Jr. and Del the Funky Homosapien: the soundtrack may have been the real star of Judgment Night all along.

Then it's time for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, the 2023 fantasy adventure starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis and Hugh Grant. This one surprises both Clif and Marty by actually capturing the experience of playing D&D: the unlikely plans, the strange detours, the questionable decisions, the characters who shouldn't survive but somehow do and the feeling that the whole adventure has gone completely off the rails. They talk about the movie's ensemble cast, it's humor, it's practical and visual effects, the turn-based feeling of its fight scenes and the D&D cartoon cameo.

Along the way: trashing movie theaters, the difference between a great soundtrack and a great movie, Dungeon Masters who love screwing with their players and the dangers of poorly worded wishes.

#TalkingPondo #FilmPodcast #JudgmentNight #DungeonsAndDragons #HonorAmongThieves #EmilioEstevez #ChrisPine #MovieReview 

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Theme Song "The Rain" by Russ Pace

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 In this episode, Marty gives Clif the film The Last Starfighter to watch and Clif gives Marty Night of the Comet to watch.

First up is Night of the Comet, the 1984 post-apocalyptic sci-fi comedy starring Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney and Robert Beltran. Marty revisits a movie he loved as a kid and discovers that watching it again decades later brings back a very specific snapshot of 1980s movie culture. Clif and Marty talk about the film's wonderfully strange combination of teen comedy, zombies, video games and low-budget sci-fi. They also discover a few familiar faces hiding in the cast.

Then it's Clif's turn with The Last Starfighter, the 1984 adventure about a teenager whose mastery of an arcade game turns out to be much more important than he ever imagined. Clif and Marty dig into the movie's groundbreaking computer-generated effects, the dream of seeing a video game become a real spaceship  and the video game that almost existed. They also discuss the way The Last Starfighter captures that particular moment when video games suddenly felt like they were going to change everything.

Both movies are packed with video game references and both are unmistakable products of their time. And both have that quality of being movies you could watch repeatedly on cable or VHS until they practically became part of your childhood. Clif and Marty talk about the difference between today's instant-consumption movie culture and the old experience of living with a movie and watching it five, ten, twenty times because there simply wasn't anything else on.

Along the way: Tempest, Atari, the great video-game crash, Robert Beltran's convention potential, the Kevin Bacon game, Clint Eastwood and an orangutan, Catherine Mary Stewart, VHS and cable television.

Welcome to Talking Pondo. This is where it starts.

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Season One

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Theme Song "The Rain" by Russ Pace

Photos by Geoffrey Notkin

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 In this episode we talk with Geoff Notkin from Desert Owl Productions. Geoff has produced movies with us, acted in them, done makeup, art and set production and a slew of other jobs

Love Song Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz4VOHtdid0

TusCon Link:

https://tusconscificon.com/

Geoff’s Incredibly Strange Book Link:

http://geoffnotkin.com/my-life-in-comics-and-why-special-editions-are-special

Ghost - Pottery Scene Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGWMarTNw28&pp=ygUTZ2hvc3QgcG90dGVyeSBzY2VuZQ%3D%3D

Meteorite Men Link (Wisconsin Fireball):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThLOkFdt04M&pp=ygUnTWV0ZW9yaXRlIE1lbiBMaW5rIChXaXNjb25zaW4gRmlyZWJhbGwp

Stem Journals Link (Social Insects):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyn7Gj2v08Q&pp=ygUjU3RlbSBKb3VybmFscyBMaW5rIChTb2NpYWwgSW5zZWN0cyk%3D

Criterion:

https://www.criterionchannel.com

Fireball Steve Link:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgFjl6LxD3ntWDHm3h9Sy2lHrsRSTQN7S

Philip K. Dick:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick

Molly Kiely:

https://www.mollykiely.com/

The Bone Wars:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_Wars

William Gibson:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gibson

Lach:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lach

The Clash: Westway to the World Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo-FAqWGYRs&pp=ygUnVGhlIENsYXNoOiBXZXN0d2F5IHRvIHRoZSBXb3JsZCBUcmFpbGVy

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBDLRvjHVOY&pp=ygUeQmF6IEx1aHJtYW5u4oCZcyBFbHZpcyBUcmFpbGVy

Dr. Ed Gibson:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Gibson

Dr. Sian Proctor:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sian_Proctor

Support the show

Find our films here:

The Love Song of William H Shaw

Revenge of Zoe

Writing Fren-Zee

Making Pondo on Facebook

Bluesky

Instagram

Making Pondo on Letterboxd:
Season One

Season Two

Season Three

Season Four

Season Five

Theme Song "The Rain" by Russ Pace

Photos by Geoffrey Notkin