Hola, Sneakers! Welcome to Episode 493 of your favourite podcast! (Just pretend it’s your favourite…)
This week: unfair advantage; cola nobility; ironic title; in the heat of the moment; sad endings; Jewison is forgiven; famous movie quotes; I can’t believe he used butter; late plug; butterfingers; standard gold; imaginary wealth; reading your fan-fic; fiction mirrors life???; good intentions; long-term Spader; Hughes who; romantic death; let’s get started; Beatle blab; Satanic attitude; Dork Shadows – Love Bites; Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; the most Canadian comic book; horse butter; diagetics; copy cats; uninvited hypnotists; comedy radio comedy; REM pets; avoid cults; and, finally, Fred the Editor returns!
Question of the week (from Ed): What is something used in film or television – a film style or a gimmick – that always captures your attention?
Sub-question (from Brent): What is on your bucket list?
Sub-sub-question: Who is a comedian you would recommend?
Sub-sub-sub-sub-sub-sub-question: What is your favourite REM song?
David made a third appearance on The Dirty harry Minute! (They just can’t get rid of him!) You can find him and the podcast here! (And apologies to Jon for this tardy link so make it up to him by listening!)
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Hey guys, I am very excited for both of you to be in the same room again, but please be safe and don’t rush. Your show has helped keep me sane in the last year, thank you for that. As for the questions, I couldn’t think of anything current for the film technique, so I’ll go with the Dutch tilt I first saw in Batman ’66. I try not to have too much on my bucket list, because I am lazy and I do not care for disappointment. But I would love to go to Liverpool someday, learn the bass line from the Four Tops’ Bernadette, retire before I die, and visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water. I have been to Taliesin West and was so taken by it. For comedians, I adore Paul F. Tompkins and cannot get enough of him, especially when he did his improv podcast. I will always download whatever podcast he guests on to listen to, I don’t care what the subject is. I also discovered Taylor Tomlinson last year, I think I heard a clip of her on the Netflix is a Daily Joke podcast (which I suppose is the podcast version of the radio station Dave mentioned), and we watched her special based on that, which I highly recommend. She is really funny. Finally, R.E.M. are my number 2 artist after the Beatles, so I was delighted when Ian started using their song titles. I was waiting for Daysleeper or I Don’t Sleep, I Dream to be mentioned, but maybe those are more obscure. My favorite of theirs is Gardening At Night. I collected a bunch of R.E.M. bootlegs in the 90s, and I was able to make a 90 minute mix tape of just versions of that song. Thank you guys, I appreciate what you do for all of us!
Something that grabs my attention in film and TV is when different actors are cast to play the same character at different ages. I like seeing how close a visual match they are and how well the younger (or older actor) emulates the main actor’s vocal and physical mannerisms. Queen’s Gambit is a recent series where you see two younger versions of the lead character. I always think, “Wow, those kids are lucky that they look just like (___).” Then I think, “Gee, I hope show biz doesn’t ruin those kids for life.”
I’m enjoying the performances of the three actors who play Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson on Young Rock. The series jumps around in time between Dwayne at age 10, 15, and as a young adult. The real Dwayne appears as himself in the framing device where he’s “running for president” in the near future. His interviewer is “former actor” Randall Park playing a funny lower self-esteem version of himself.
I’m also a sucker for a body switch or possession, especially when an adult actor has to act as if their body is inhabited by a kid, or a child actor has to play having an older character’s soul (which is more of a challenge.) The best example of the latter is Millie Bobby Brown (from Stranger Things) in a Vancouver-shot paranormal mini-series called Intruders (2014). She played a 9-year-old girl whose body is hijacked by the spirit of an old male serial killer. The way she flipped between innocent girl and jaded murderer was chilling and impressive.
Although it’s not the most upbeat R.E.M. song, my favourite is “Everybody Hurts.” It has a simple universal message and Michael Stipe’s voice has that cry in it that suits the song perfectly. I love the arpeggios that run throughout the song. Although they are “broken chords,” they keep on going and I think there is some symbolism in that.
As for actors playing the same role at different ages, have you watched “Dark” on Netflix Louise? You’ll get an entire cast at different ages, both young, old and middle-aged, bouncing back and forth over time while intersecting one another throughout time. Whoever did the casting for this show did an excellent job…even though the third season turned my brain into gravy. My votes for best casting of an elderly actor, one who steps in to play a main character instead of burying the actor in “aged” makeup are:
The actress Lynn Cartwright who played an older version of Gena Davis in “A League of Their Own”. We see the elder Dottie and her family during present times at the Baseball Museum featuring the women who played baseball during the war.
The actor Harrison Young as James Ryan, who steps in to play the older version of Matt Damon. He and his family visit Captain Miller’s (Tom Hanks) grave at the end of “Saving Private Ryan.”
Both these actors weren’t huge stars but it’s worth noting their successful roles as the older versions of main characters. Yeah Louise, I love when that works out as well. Next time we’ll discuss Ewan McGregor as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi…..
Damn! It just occurred to me that both these films I mentioned above have older versions of actors visiting a memorial of a Tom Hanks character in each film!!
Edward, I’ll check out Dark but hopefully it won’t be too dark! I watched Midsommar last month and despite the bright summer light that bathes most of the film, it was way too dark and disturbing. Note to Ian: do not watch Midsommar.
Hey guys, hope you’re still hanging in there after all this time being apart but I’m sure we’re close to being somewhat normal again. I went back into the office but only for three days a week, Mondays and Fridays still being from home. Still wearing masks when meeting with co-workers and in the kitchen, I figure we’ve come this far, better to be safe than sorry. Once we’re all fully vaccinated all this may be behind us.
For Brent’s question, I think my “more realistic” bucket list would be something I could do easier from where I live, like visiting NASA down in Houston. It’s not that far and I’ve always wanted to see it, so that fits in a bigger bucket for me. If I make that bucket smaller and harder to aim for, then that would be like seeing The Smithsonian in Washington some day…and we all know that place takes more than a day to see. I’ve also had friends who’ve visited Skywalker Ranch, very high on my list. If that were my bucket, it had better be full of sponges. And listening to you guys talk about traveling abroad inspires me to see other countries, so I’d like to travel more if I had the chance. Susan backpacked all over Europe while in college and has wanted to take me there ever since we met.
I know I’ve mentioned him here before as a stand-up comic and he still makes me laugh more than any other act. I don’t know if it’s his timing or the way he makes neurotic behavior funny, but Garry Shandling has always been my favorite. Looking back, I can remember taping him when he was on Letterman or The Tonight Show, I watched all his shows and now I can just sit and watch him on YouTube for hours. I think Shandling is funny because I still don’t know exactly what makes him funny…I’m still having fun figuring him out.
I’m sorry to say that I was never an R.E.M. fan, I may be listening to them and not even know it. The only song I really know by R.E.M. is “It’s the End of the World,” which was played loud….and early….every morning by someone in my dorm back in 1987. I didn’t really go down that music path at the time, I was more into The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and George Harrison at the time.
Thanks for using my question! I answered it last week so that spares me from having to write and Ian from having to read it!!
Hi Dave, Ian, and everyone!
Your mention of the “man with the mustache” made me think of Sam Elliott, followed by Tom Selleck. My son thought it was funny that mom was talking to the car stereo saying, “Is it Sam Elliott? It has got to be Sam Elliott.”
Question of the week (from Ed):
I always sit up in my seat when films switch to a split screen for scenes. It makes me think that something important is happening that is important to the plot so I need to pay attention.
Sub-question (from Brent):
I’ve wanted to visit Liverpool, England since I was a teenager. I rather look forward to walking around where the Beatles (and Tom Baker) grew up, and I am also slightly anxious that I might get there and be disappointed, too. Will the reality live up to the fangirl anticipation? At this point, you could probably have a drinking game for the number of times I’ve mentioned going to England, so I’ll just hush.
Sub-sub-question: Who is a comedian you would recommend?
In an ideal world, I would be able to name some new, fantastic, up and coming comedian to recommend that everyone would search out and say, “great recommendation.” Sadly, all the names that are coming to mind are huge celebrities already; and it’s difficult to recommend someone that everyone already knows. I am not much for the shock and curse humor that is popular in movies right now. Melissa McCarthy can be super hilarious, but when she goes rude and foul-mouthed, it just isn’t funny to me. I love to just laugh and laugh and horse laugh when I watch comedies, but often it seems like you have to sit through a lot of not funny stuff to actually get to the funny bits. Lucille Ball always makes me laugh. Her humor transcends time.
Sub-sub-sub-sub-sub-sub-question:
Confession time, ya’ll: I’ve never owned a REM album. I remember when Losing My Religion was a huge hit and received a lot of radio and MTV play. I enjoyed the mandolin on that song, but for some reason, I didn’t run out and buy the album. The only other two REM songs that I can recall to memory are It’s the End of the World and Everybody Hurts. They were good songs. I think I might venture over to YouTube after sending this message and listen to some of their other songs.
Have a great week!
Boy, that’s a lot of questions this week! Better take a sip of water, Ian…
Something that will grab my attention in a movie is a sequence without dialogue. I’m a big fan of early 20th century cinema, especially the great silent comedians, and it’s always interesting to see how many of the techniques of the early film pioneers can still engage a mainstream audience today. A couple that come to mind are the first half hour or so of Wall-E, which is pretty much a ‘silent’ mini-movie in itself, and the brilliant sequence in The Hudsucker Proxy. where a young boy starts the hula hoop craze. Come to think of it, the Danny Boy sequence that Ed mentioned in Miller’s Crossing is also dialogue-free, as I remember.
I also admire writers who can deliver exposition throgh dialogue so skilfully that you hardly notice. Going back to the Coens, there’s a great exchange in Fargo, when Jerry says to his father-in-law, ‘This could be a real sweet deal for Jean, Scotty and me.’ The older man’s reply is something like, ‘Jean and Scotty never have to worry.’ Just seven words, but they tell the audience everything we need to know about these characters’ history and their present relationship.
I’ve never given much thought to a bucket list. However, I do have lots of songs I’ve written over the past few years that I’ve been meaing to record properly and release somehow, and that’s a project I’m finally knuckling down to this year.
Favourite comedian could be any of many, but I’ll pick Stewart Lee. As well as being hilarious and highly individual, he has a kind of Penn and Teller gift of showing you how the machinery behind the act works in a way that adds an extra dimension. Plus, the Daily Mail hates him, which puts him squarely on the side of the good guys. I also loved the late and much missed Jeremy Hardy. And Ross Noble has brought me to tears more often than any man has a right to.
REM were a group I always liked, but never truly oved. However, things changed when I finally saw them in concert. This was a fairly large gig at Stirling Castle, not long after Bill Berry had left the band. I was pretty excited to see them, and took my son Hamish, who was then12. It was just his second gig.
Musically, the band – augmented by three additional players – were exceptional, running through a longish set that featured note-perfect renditions of most of their best known songs. And that was a problem. I don’t WANT tastefully faithful copies of the recordings, dammit! I have those at home. Live music should be well-rehearsed, sure, but also thrilling, spontaneous, edgy, daring and sometimes chaotic. I’m guessing that’s what REM would have been like in their early days, but by the time I saw them, the act had gotten polished to a kind of corporate sheen that was kind of, well, boring.
On the plus side, the support act was Teenage Fanclub – the mighty Fannies! – so that saved the day for me.
I should also report that Hamish had a great time and, as we were leaving, I heard plenty of people saying it had been a fantastic gig. So what do I know?
I’ll opt for Nightswimming as favourite song, and Monster as best album.
REM song: Rockville
Bucket list: Well, it seems like I have actually ticked a few things off the old bucket list of late: snowshoeing, snowboarding, and surviving a pandemic (knock on wood!). And just pre-pandemic, I also went to Asia, and while I was there in HK we had a political uprising so there go two more off the list. Still waiting for: a trip to NZ, home of my father’s family. Also on the bucket list is a road trip across the US of A, which we almost managed 7 years ago but had to cancel when Dave’s job dissolved suddenly. I’d love to to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water and the lesser known but very nearby Kentuck Knob. I’d love to go Christmas shopping in London and then spend Xmas with my UK relatives. I’d love to spend NYE in NYC. Also on the bucket list is to go to that hotel in Africa where the giraffes stick their head in through the windows while you’re eating breakfast, but that might be one that goes unrealized.
Comedians – maybe not all of these people are everyone’s cup of tea these days, but – George Carlin (especially Fondue Sets for Namibia), Woody Allen (especially the Moose sketch), Steven Wright, Mitch Hedburg, Bob Newhart, Flight of the Conchords and Monty Python, if they count.