The Hell With This

Today we dip our feet in the world of "modern" independent film.  Mark brings us to a film that recently caught his attention: "The Trust" – made in 2016, starring Elijah Wood and Nicolas Cage (with a hint of Jerry Lewis in a thankless role). Performers of note: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Ethan Suplee, Jerry Lewis, Sky Ferreira.

This is one of those slow-burn modern-classic films that only David Fincher could have directed.  Mark and Chad discuss, well –  is  it a "classic"?  Chad seems to think so.  Mark isn't as certain.  One thing is for sure, however: the film didn't play well on first viewing, but ultimately gets much, much better on repeat viewings.  Is that because it breaks the modern storytelling tropes?  Does it...

Mark's back with previous guest Josh Trotter to discuss the child-traumatizing film, "Poltergeist" – the movie that haunted Josh in his youth (and he's never seen it – only listened to it from behind a couch). So there's that.  And other stuff.  Did Spielberg direct this? Performers of note: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O'Rourke, Oliver Robins, Dominique Dunne, Zelda Rubinstein, Tobe...

Ah, the sweet, sweet smell of being back.  Mark and Chad are back after an extended break!  Chad went and directed a feature film in Australia (currently untitled), and Mark's been busy busting his butt on shows like "Preacher" and "My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend".  That said, we're back weekly from here on out (for the foreseeable future). Let's get to it, shall we? This week, Chad and Mark deep dive bac...

Mark, Chad and guest Steve Phelan return after a week off to explore Steve's pick, "Rumble Fish", Francis Ford Coppola's generally forgotten art-house epic(?) from 1983.  Photographed on gorgeously lush black and white film, "Rumble Fish" is a film that most likely couldn't see the light of day in our era or filmmaking – a large cast of up-and-coming stars, including Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Di...

2008 came and went with no really big issues, right?  Uhh, wrong.  Guest Brian Finifter and co-host Mark Heiliger take a look (minus Chad) at "The Big Short" (Mark's first time).  They ponder exactly what went wrong (with the economy – not the movie), and leave us with a sense of overall dread.  Thanks, guys. Performers of note: Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Finn Wittrock,...

With whispers that Terry Gilliam's ill-fated Don Quixote project might finally see the light of day, we thought we'd dive into another Gilliam film that almost didn't make it to screens: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". With the passing of Heath Ledger – half way through production – Gilliam and crew had to shut down and regroup. The result is stronger than one might expect, given the circum...

Mark and Chad dive deep into John Carpenter's "Prince of Darkness" – a film which Chad is seeing for the first time.  They talk about their collective love of Carpenter's collected works and the sentimentality they feel for that "lost" brand of filmmaking.  Actually, it's kind of a depressing episode, so have a beer handy and drink down your sorrows. Performers of note: Donald Pleasence, Jameson P...

Pretty sure you've heard of this one before.  "The famous Oscar loser", as Mark puts it, gently.  But Mark's never seen it, and Chad has (too many times), so here we are.  Why tackle a movie that's hot off the press?  Well, maybe it's a half-hearted attempt to have a conversation about  hype  and how too much of it can be a turn-off – can a great movie surpass the expectations of  hype , or is it...

Chad and  Byron Smith  tackle Chad's favorite movie from 2014, the wonderful (but oddly divisive) "It Follows".  This movie loves suspense, adores suspense and craves suspense – teasing the audience from start to finish.  Stylistically, it set the bar for last year's "Stranger Things", but it did so in a way that was probably more terrifying and less nostalgic.  Not loved by everyone, but certainl...

The era of "films for adults" is dead.  Ain't it?  We live in an age where films similar to "Sex, Lies and Videotape" seem to be hitting Netflix on a daily basis.  Why not?  Small casts, sexy, low budget, "smart" conversations on film between some intellectuals (or nonsensicals) and you've got yourself a film in the same wheelhouse.  This is a movie that hit Hollywood harder than it appeared at th...

Well, it finally happened.  Chad finally returned to the podcast, after missing 4 of the last 5 episodes.  The original duo, Mark and Chad, are back together at last, this time to bring you a movie of Chad's request: a charming "The Notorious Bettie Page" from 2005.  This little film came and went, primarily on HBO as it was produced (or at least bought) by HBO.  Starring Gretchen Mol in probably...

Hey, guess what!  Chad's missing in action for the second week straight, replaced this time by animation director extraordinaire,  Ashley Long  (also known to be dating Mark Alan Heiliger, co-host of this very podcast)!  Mark and Ashley take on the absolutely fucking wacky "Earth Girls Are Easy" from 1988, starring Genna Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, Michael McKean, and Julie Bro...

Oh hello, everyone.  Chad here.  This week's podcast features people not including myself – I know, I know – but the show must go on (including next week, which I'm also absent for).  All this aside, co-host Mark brings us two things this week: "Back To School", the 1986 Rodney Dangerfield classic; and a guest appearance by fellow podcaster & writer, Josh Trotter. Performers of note: Rodney Danger...

Hey everybody, Chad's back!  Chad's back! *Crickets* …and so is Steve Phelan, returning for his third consecutive podcast with the fellas.  Today they attempt to tackle one of Chad's suggested films – the Justin Lin helmed "Better Luck Tomorrow", from 2002.  This film reeks of late-90's style, and is FULL of nostalgia because of it.  Not many films captured this particular era as well as this – an...

With Chad absent AGAIN, last week's guest – Steve Phelan – makes a fill-in look natural.  This time Steve picks the movie: the original "The In-Laws" from 1979, starring the great Peter Falk and Alan Arkin in a film directed by Arthur Hiller.  Mark's never seen the movie (neither has Chad, for that matter, not that he's here today (but he IS writing this, strangely, in the 3rd person)).  "The In-L...

Today we celebrate the absence of Chad from the podca– er, we mean, no, we like Chad… but he's absent from this particular episode, as he's vacationing in jolly good England.  In his stead, comes friend-of-the-podcast, one mister Steve Phelan, whom some of you might recognize from the early 2000's podcast,  Digital Llama Radio .  Or not. In any case, "Chad" (Steve) and Mark dive back into an oldie...

2016 saw the release of many a great film, topped by "Moonlight" at the academy awards (almost, famously, "Lalaland").  One of the forgotten films of the year – by critics and moviegoers alike – was "The Light Between Oceans", a film Chad considers a "top 3" film of the year.  We put Mark to trial and see how the movie fares – can a deeply depressing melodrama be considered a top film? Performers...

Hot off his debut film,  Big Night,  Stanley Tucci wrote and directed this comedy in the style of Wilder/Marx/Hardy/Costello… to mixed success.  Mixed, meaning it is right up Mark's alley, and diametrically opposed to the very fiber of Chad's being.  It's a movie about actors that was made by actors, so it's no surprise that the attitudes and quirks of actors are captured well here.  Much like the...

Robocop ,  Total Recall ,  Basic Instinct ,  Showgirls ,  Starship Troopers , and…  Black Book ?  What do these have in common?  They're all (mostly) awesome – and they're all directed by a crazy man by the name of Paul Verhoven.  After two critical flops,  Starship Troopers  and 2000's  Hollow Man , Verhoven seemingly left Hollywood behind for a grand return to his native Dutch roots.  After a fi...

Whatever your opinion might be on the films of Robert Altman, no one can deny his films have a specific style.  Mark introduces Chad to this 1973 film, hoping to clarify his own feelings on the movie – is it good, or nay? Performers of note: Elliott Gould, Nina van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden, Mark Rydell, Henry Gibson, with small cameos by Arnold Schwarzenegger and David Carradine.

Somewhere, lost in the sands of time, this movie was released in theaters to a non-existent audience.  Gradually that audience grew on DVD and "Grandma's Boy" eventually reached cult status.  This is a movie Chad unabashedly loves, with all its warts, so he takes the time to introduce it to a less-than-impressed Mark Alan Heiliger.  Maybe y'all will enjoy it as much as Chad does.  Maybe not. Perfo...

Where this movie disappeared to is beyond us.  Frankly, Chad had never heard of "Talk Radio" prior to Mark suggesting it as a possible option. At the height of his prime, Oliver Stone set out to direct this film – a film based on a PLAY, by the way – and generally knocked it out of the park, despite the movie vanishing from at least our own little world views.  All this considered, "Talk Radio" is...

Finally we crack open an "older" film – Stanley Kubrick's "Paths of Glory".  Mark and Chad take a crack at what appears to be Kubrick's baby-legs movie – the first film that put Kubrick on the map.  There's signs of rawness and flaws amongst glimmers of genius that shaped Kubrick.  It's clear here that he's got a unique vision that would later blossom into, well, the film's we know and love (most...

RIP Bill Paxton, you talented bastard.  Mark and Chad sulk in a darker world and try to bring ourselves around to a world without Private Hudson.  This is a special episode for us – it's our first time having a special guest on the episode – a coworker of Chad's and editor on the Bill Paxton series, "Big Love", Mr.  Byron Smith  joins the gang.  "Frailty" seemed like the right choice to memorializ...