We’re in our last batch of New Jersey flicks for our AIN’T THAT AMERICA series and it might seem like a given that we would discuss this notorious Zach Braff debut film from 2004. It is named for the state’s nickname after all. Yeah, dude. GARDEN STATE. A movie often cited as a prime example of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl movie trope. We revisit the sneakily humorous if not overwritten hit movie that had a whole generation about that Shins song. Did Zach Braff kill the Shins? Maybe. Back when we first watched this 22 years ago we probably crushed on girls like Sam. Now, in our forties, she just seems fuckin’ annoying. Peter Skarsgaard did pretty good in this. You know he was trying to murder his mother, right? We talk about the movie and then break down the geography and aftermath of the story of Garden State. So hit it up.

33:56 - Geography of Garden State

38:07 - The Final Fate of Andrew Largeman

CREDITS

“Let Go” by Frou Frou: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJVOo4K_GGM&list=RDbJVOo4K_GGM&start_radio=1

“Don’t Panic” by Coldplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWeuUwpEQfs&list=RDyWeuUwpEQfs&start_radio=1

“New Slang” by The Shins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYwCmcB0XMw&list=RDzYwCmcB0XMw&start_radio=1

“Caring is Creepy” by The Shins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqMbZY_iv6E&list=RDUqMbZY_iv6E&start_radio=1

“Sometimes I Miss You So Much” by P.M. Dawn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DDRtprRIVU&list=RD2DDRtprRIVU&start_radio=1

Drone Tour of South Orange, NJ by Hearth Realty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu-kWWkskSA

Peace Rally - South Orange, NJ 1972 by RedPalm Films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG3uyEgttT0

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OUR FIRST ROAD MOVIE for our AIN’T THAT AMERICA SERIES and it takes place entirely in New Jersey. We’re finally getting to a stoner comedy with this comedy classic from 2004, “HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE” the breakout roles fro John Cho & Cal Penn. A wilder odyssey than Christopher Nolan could execute as we cut diagonally through the state from Hoboken to Cherry Hill. We actually map out what we believe their route is. There’s actually a map link below. So hear us all unfold it as we get deep into the geography from Taylor Ham to Pork Roll. 

Harold & Kumar’s route: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1j6ay3RovL5NUqdsvCava5nKbdbfAMwk&ll=40.345637029975464%2C-74.3379723643673&z=9

CREDITS

“White Castle, buy ‘em by the sack - Life in America” by Recollection Road: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glgclYk8sI0

“Let’s Get Retarded” by Black Eyed Peas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrkEc2V3mO4&list=RDLrkEc2V3mO4&start_radio=1

“Can You Get to That” by Funkadelic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl3fIXaAXow

IG: https://www.instagram.com/theprojectorsshow/

Subscribe to THE PROJECTORS on YouTube and podcast for a plethora of movie discussions as well as weekly repostings of our very first movie podcast “Documenteers” and much much more!

NEW INTRO IS TIMESTAMPED (00:41) SO FEEL FREE TO SKIP IT IF YOU’VE HEARD IT

Documenteers was a documentary themed podcast that ran from 2016 to 2020. The RSS feed was taken down but now we’re reposting these classic documentary film discussions every Tuesday for well over a hundred weeks.

Subscribe to THE PROJECTORS  on Youtube and podcast for more episodes of Documenteers as well as old and new episodes of The Projectors.

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FINALLY! We’re back to the 3rd state in our union for our state series “Ain’t That America”. Our first half of New Jersey at the Movies was months ago but now obligations are fulfilled and we’re finally here again for movies about the Garden State. For this discussion we’re going to the west end of the George Washington Bridge where a sad bag NYPD wannabe Sheriff gets to kid glove a town whose residents are an entire Police precinct. WHADDAYAKNOW they’re corrupt! Were talkin’ an early outing from James Mangold with a stellar cast, COP LAND from 1997. Stallone, De Niro, Liotta, Grafalo, Keitel all in a fictional town of Garrison, New Jersey but they should have just said Edgewater, New Jersey because it’s just about all literally that town. This movie represents that North Jersey identity that stems from standing in the shadows of New York City. Thank God they got all of those mobsters and crooked cops out and brought in more Koreans. If I see one more hoagie shoppe I’m gonna burst.

CREDITS

“You’re on Fire” by Bruce Springsteen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrpXArn3hII&list=RDlrpXArn3hII&start_radio=1

“Like a G6” by Far East Movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4s6H4ku6ZY&list=RDw4s6H4ku6ZY&start_radio=1

“Stolen Car” by Bruce Springsteen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0RNWwXcQiU&list=RDf0RNWwXcQiU&start_radio=1

IG: https://www.instagram.com/theprojectorsshow/

Subscribe to THE PROJECTORS on YouTube and podcast for a plethora of movie discussions as well as weekly repostings of our very first movie podcast “Documenteers” and much much more!

This is the last selection for “YOU’RE NEVER OUT”, our heist block for our LIVES OF CRIME series. Want a heist movie? Well, how about the movie called “HEIST” from 2001 starring Mean Gene Hackman. It’s our second David Mamet involved selection for “YOU’RE NEVER OUT” and this one he directed and wrote and boy did he wrote this thing. He dripped all over it. He fucked this thing into a cocked hat. Mamet co-wrote “Ronin” too and so we’ve recently discussed two movies with the phrase “fucked into a cocked hat”. Do you know what a cocked hat is? It’s not a double entendre. New Jersey Part 2 is coming soon but right now we fuck into this cocked hat.

CREDITS

“Raised on Robbery” by Joni Mitchell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R45_yXbyJDc

IG: https://www.instagram.com/theprojectorsshow/

Subscribe to THE PROJECTORS on YouTube and podcast for a plethora of movie discussions as well as weekly repostings of our very first movie podcast “Documenteers” and much much more!

NEW INTRO IS TIMESTAMPED (00:41) SO FEEL FREE TO SKIP IT IF YOU’VE HEARD IT

Documenteers was a documentary themed podcast that ran from 2016 to 2020. The RSS feed was taken down but now we’re reposting these classic documentary film discussions every Tuesday for well over a hundred weeks.

Subscribe to THE PROJECTORS  on Youtube and podcast for more episodes of Documenteers as well as old and new episodes of The Projectors.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/theprojectorsshow/

This block of heist films we’re doing for our LIVES OF CRIME series is called “YOU’RE NEVER OUT” and no flick in this block encapsulates that title more than this debut from Jonathan Glazer. Of course we’re talking about “SEXY BEAST” which came out 26 years ago. Hard to say why we never watched it until now, perhaps then it looked a little like too much of the Tarantino/Guy Ritchie inspired stuff but we did our past selves a disservice because this film backs up it’s style with rich characters that are far more layered than many we saw in the genre films of the time. Underrated but its appreciators are out there. You can’t keep that Ben Kingsley performance quiet. It needs to be seen.

CREDITS

“Peaches” by The Stranglers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2w0rbp6J9Y&list=RDj2w0rbp6J9Y&start_radio=1

“Golden Brown” by The Stranglers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KIHvuMl4Kk&list=RD7KIHvuMl4Kk&start_radio=1

IG: https://www.instagram.com/theprojectorsshow/

Subscribe to THE PROJECTORS on YouTube and podcast for a plethora of movie discussions as well as weekly repostings of our very first movie podcast “Documenteers” and much much more!

“YOU’RE NEVER OUT” is the heist series of our rotating theme LIVES OF CRIME and today we’re hitting up our first John Frankenheimer flick for the show. So let’s go to France and meet “Sam” (Robert De Niro) a former CIA agent that is in on a plan to steal a case of great value but  can people be trusted with this job? Of course not. A stellar cast which includes an actor we’ve discussed more than any other for the show. This movie is known for its car chases and rightfully so. Do you like ice skating? It’s got that too. That’s because of the Russians. They love that shit. We got French and Irish in here too. Sinn Fein approved and disapproved. Are you more Deidre or Seamus? Why is it called “Ronin”? Y’know…it explains Ronins but by the end the connection is pretty tentative. Gotta call it something cool sounding I guess. There isn’t even any Japanese in it.

CREDITS

“Ronin” by Sturgill Simpson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuFZElUoKG8

“Saboteur” (Roots Mana Version) by Amon Tobin & Xen Cuts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXMrk-qHlQ8&list=RDtXMrk-qHlQ8&start_radio=1

IG: https://www.instagram.com/theprojectorsshow/

Subscribe to THE PROJECTORS on YouTube and podcast for a plethora of movie discussions as well as weekly repostings of our very first movie podcast “Documenteers” and much much more!

NEW INTRO IS TIMESTAMPED (00:41) SO FEEL FREE TO SKIP IT IF YOU’VE HEARD IT

Documenteers was a documentary themed podcast that ran from 2016 to 2020. The RSS feed was taken down but now we’re reposting these classic documentary film discussions every Tuesday for well over a hundred weeks.

Subscribe to THE PROJECTORS  on Youtube and podcast for more episodes of Documenteers as well as old and new episodes of The Projectors.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/theprojectorsshow/

Our next LIVES OF CRIME block is all about heists and the big personalities behind them. We’re calling it “YOU’RE NEVER OUT” and we’re long overdue to get to this seminal hit film from the 1970s that won Best Picture and more at the Academy Awards. We’re talkin’ THE STING from 1973. It’s hijinks and capers and rag time as Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford, RIP) and Henry Gondorf (Paul Newman, RIP) team up with a surprising amount of people to score big time off of the gangster boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw, RIP). Misdirects and danger aplenty but also so whimsical that it stands out from the any of our noir film discussions. Half of Chicago had to be in on this scam. Everybody probably got $100 bucks and a bag of popcorn after the money was all divided up.

CREDITS

“The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND2rMET4MVw&list=RDND2rMET4MVw&start_radio=1

IG: https://www.instagram.com/theprojectorsshow/

Subscribe to THE PROJECTORS on YouTube and podcast for a plethora of movie discussions as well as weekly repostings of our very first movie podcast “Documenteers” and much much more!