Well it’s officially Fall. So before this blog starts to turn more spooky as well as toward some exciting upcoming movie releases, I wanted to get this bonus episode of The People’s Albums in. After all, what mega-selling album has a cover that radiates such quintessential Fall vibes?
Album: Tapestry
Artist: Carol King
Release Date: February 10, 1971
Copies Sold In U.S.: 13 million Continue reading
We just wanna have some kicks, we just wanna get some clicks! This week, in honor of the return of school that accompanies any September, we’re enrolling at Rock ‘n’ Roll High School. Coming from the same blog/podcast feed that hosted a show called Rokk Talk, we can’t help but get into talking about the Ramones and how it’s both strange and amazing that they got to be such an integral part of a delightful little comedy. We also talk a bit about the Roger Corman production company and ethos that birthed the movie, as well as the unsung story of director Allan Arkush and his Letterboxd feed. Gabba gabba hey! Continue reading
Another week has gone by and Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is once again at the top of the U.S. box office. Who knew that releasing a Marvel movie in theaters without the option of streaming could actually make you a bunch of money? While touching on Shang-Chi a bit in this episode, the bulk of it is dedicated to a different kind of martial arts film. A film often considered the first “arthouse martial arts movie” as well as the high point of director King Hu’s career, 1971’s A Touch of Zen. We talk about Hu’s career as well as the complicated conception of Zen, its lasting impact on its genre, and even make room on the show for a new segment. Continue reading
Don’t say his name 5 times, but feel free to listen to this podcast 5 times (you know, in case you miss some of the nuances). In lieu of the Candyman remake that came out last week, we’re taking a look at the original 1992 film while also offering a few thoughts on how the two movies compare. We also get a bit into the character’s background and how it’s kind of a miracle how effective this character is (even if his mythology is inherently a little inconsistent). Also, if that isn’t scary enough, John offers his take on a mutant hybrid of a snack concocted by Pringles and Wendy’s. Continue reading
In two separate assessments of albums released earlier this year, I both raised the theory that making more than one album with Jack Antonoff producing might be a bad idea, and that Lorde’s Solar Power would be the deciding factor of whether his status as pop’s favorite producer has run its course. While I harbor no grudges against Antonoff, as he’s produced some albums that I love (including Lorde’s Melodrama), Solar Power makes it apparent that both these fears have been confirmed. While Antonoff was able to create fantastic results by teaming up with modern pop’s biggest female stars, including Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, and St. Vincent, each of the follow-ups to those albums, which Antonoff also produced, have been less exciting. Granted, none of those albums were complete busts by any measure, but they all feel a little soulless, and Solar Power might be the most blatant example. Continue reading
As another strange Summer comes to a close, we take a trip to Italy by talking about 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. We do a bit of a deep dive into the many past (and future) adaptations of author Patricia Highsmith’s most famous creation as well as a brief look at Highsmith’s career. This conversation goes in a lot of different directions and we spend a surprising amount of time talking about Chris Kattan. How do we get there? Well, you’ll just have to listen and find out. Continue reading
We’ve reassembled the squad for the first episode of The Pick of 2021! Hopefully this will be another fun and fruitful run of episodes that will see us continue to do what we do best — forcing each other to watch movies and then talk about them. This episode sees us diving into a recent release that probably would’ve been more fun to watch in a theater than on HBO Max, but that’s the reality of living in a world that can’t quite return to normal. Also, each one of us offers some decidedly musical Little Picks, which marks the return of John exploring McDonald’s recent trend of half-baked promotional meals endorsed by pop stars. Continue reading
