The Film Thugs Movie Show

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Informed film discussion for the unrefined connoisseur.

Episodes

Sunday Nov 01, 2015

Criterion Year Week 15: Gimme Shelter

Sunday Nov 01, 2015

The Criterion Collection, the last vestige of truly collectible DVD and Blu-Ray movies in existence. These are well produced, fancy pants editions of important and interesting films for the discerning film lover.

We continue our journey through Jim's collection of movies with...

Week 15:

Gimme Shelter

Spine Number: 99

Director: Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin

Genre: Documentary

It can be argued, quite reasonably, that the documentary is the oldest form of film making in existence. The first films ever made were simply documenting things that happened every day. Be it a train pulling into a station or women leaving their jobs at a factory film began by simply recording things that happened. The early Thomas Edison films were largely recreations of things that regular people wouldn't have had a chance to see in person. From Annie Oakley to Jim Corbett, people would go and simply do what they were known for and a larger segment of the public would be able to see it.

Over the years, this genre has been corrupted and perverted. Simply presenting something as it occurred was no longer sufficient, people began using the format to prove a point or propagate an idea. The simple act of showing something wasn't enough. People had to manipulate the events to support a thesis or to sensationalize the events so they would reach a wider audience. The framing and presentation of "reality" became another tool for persuasion.

However, there were some people who had an ethical commitment to keeping this form of film making pure. Few people were as dedicated to this idea than the Maysles brothers. They were dedicated to the idea of simple observation and presenting what they observed. Their films "Grey Gardens" and "Salesman" in many ways set the standard for American documentary film making.

But it was their film "Gimme Shelter," detailing the Rolling Stones disastrous free concert at the Altamont Motor Speedway that went above and beyond what the genre had done in the past.

In addition to documenting the complete lack of planning that went into the show, it highlighted the total lack of organization at the grounds, and ultimately kept a man from going to jail for murder.

This film gives a fly on the wall look at one of the most important cultural moments in American history, the moment where, as many would say, the '60's died.
It's simple, sparse, direct, and to the point. This is documentary film making at its purest.

Jim will be out of town next week for a wedding, but we are not leaving you with nothing. Beginning on Thursday the 5th we will be presenting another week with The Life Masters, so get ready for some life coaching, because you are gonna get it.

In two weeks:

Spine Number 108: The Rock by Michael Bay (yes, that "The Rock.")

Also, check this out.

http://fantasymovieleague.com/
Looks like Summer Movie League has officially become Fantasy Movie League.
It looks quite fun. Here's how it works.
You have an 8 screen theater.
Every week you pick movies and have a budget/salary cap you have to stay under.
Then you compete against other theaters in your league.
It's fantasy football for movie people.

Our league is Film Thugs 2015 and the password is Porterhouse.

And remember, you can be a part of the show any time you wild like. How's that? All you have to do is call or e-mail us. If you live in the US, or any place that makes calling the US easy, just dial 512-666-RANT and leave us a voicemail. We will read the Google Voice transcript and play your message. It's both funny AND informative.

If you live outside the US you can call us on Skype at The_Film_Thugs. You can leave a message, or someone might actually answer.

E-mail us at thefilmthugs@gmail.com and we will read/play whatever you send us, or you can e-mail thugquestions@gmail.com to be part of an upcoming "Ask the Film Thugs" show, where we answer questions on any subject without having heard them first.

Also, we are on twitter @thefilmthugs and on Facebook and Vine.

You can also click on one of our sponsor links below and THEY will pay us. That's right. You won't have to pay a PENNY extra, and Amazon/Onnit/Teefury will give us a little taste.

Also, be sure to check back often for our new endeavor The Life Masters, where we answer questions to other advice columnists.

Thanks for listening, and until next week...

Jim out.

Sunday Oct 25, 2015

Criterion Year Week 14: Sanjuro

Sunday Oct 25, 2015

We continue our journey through Jim's collection of movies with...

Week 14:

Sanjuro

Spine Number: 53

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Genre: Samurai

Good sequels are hard to come by. The act of making a movie, let alone a good movie, is an insane balance of such completely disparate elements, many of which are completely beyond anyone's control, that getting a film finished counts as a minor miracle. If that film does well, many times a filmmaker is expected to go back to the same well and try and capture lightning in a bottle a second time, sometimes more. Few people can pull it off, even fewer can pull it off well.

Well, somehow, Akira Kurosawa is one of those who can pull it off, which is surprising to precisely no one. Sanjuro follows the hero of Yojimbo as he continues to help those who cannot help themselves. He stumbles upon a group of young, idealistic samurai who want to stamp out the corruption in their ranks. Being young, naive, and too quick on the trigger they are pretty much destined to fail. Enter Sanjuro, our nameless ronin with an unflinching code of honor and sense of right and wrong.

Simple, streamlined, and absolutely gorgeous. Sanjuro continues Kurosawa's tradition of accessible, fluid story telling and absolutely unparalleled eye for framing and composition.

Join us as we continue our Odyssey through Jim's Criterion Collection with another Kurosawa masterpiece.

Next week:

Spine Number 99: Gimmie Shelter (The Maysles Brothers documentary on The Rolling Stones' "Nightmare at Altamont.")

Also, check this out.

Our league is Film Thugs 2015 and the password is Porterhouse.

If you live outside the US you can call us on Skype at The_Film_Thugs. You can leave a message, or someone might actually answer.

Also, we are on twitter @thefilmthugs and on Facebook and Vine.

You can also click on one of our sponsor links below and THEY will pay us. That's right. You won't have to pay a PENNY extra, and Amazon/Onnit/Teefury will give us a little taste.

Also, be sure to check back often for our new endeavor The Life Masters, where we answer questions to other advice columnists.

Thanks for listening, and until next week...

Jim out.

Sunday Oct 18, 2015

Criterion Year Week 13: Yojimbo

Sunday Oct 18, 2015

We continue our journey through Jim's collection of movies with...

Week 13:

Yojimbo

Spine Number: 52

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Genre: Samurai

Master.

That's it. Master. There is no other word that more correctly conveys the level of talent shown by Akira Kurosawa. His eye for framing and composition is unrivaled, his ability to balance a simple narrative is impeccable, and his touch with creating characters that are believable and sympathetic is utterly flawless. He is a master filmmaker.

By the time he released "Yojimbo" in 1961 he had already been making movies for 20 years and had 20 films under his belt. Of those 20, no fewer than 8 have their own Criterion releases. Titles like "The Seven Samurai," "Ikiru," "High and Low," and "Stray Dog," had already been released and recognized as masterpieces of cinema. Then, at the age of 51 he releases "Yojimbo," and influences an entirely new genre of film. Make no mistake, the Spaghetti Western DOES NOT EXIST without this film.

The complex morality of the nameless hero who operates under his own code of right and wrong, the perfectly stylized visuals, the cool as hell score... all of those can be traced back to this film. It's simple, precise, and completely engrossing.

So, join us as we again discuss the immense talent of a true master.

Next week:

Spine Number 53: Sanjuro (The sequel/companion film to Yojimbo.)

Also, check this out.

Our league is Film Thugs 2015 and the password is Porterhouse.

If you live outside the US you can call us on Skype at The_Film_Thugs. You can leave a message, or someone might actually answer.

Also, we are on twitter @thefilmthugs and on Facebook and Vine.

You can also click on one of our sponsor links below and THEY will pay us. That's right. You won't have to pay a PENNY extra, and Amazon/Onnit/Teefury will give us a little taste.

Also, be sure to check back often for our new endeavor The Life Masters, where we answer questions to other advice columnists.

Thanks for listening, and until next week...

Jim out.

Sunday Oct 11, 2015

Criterion Year Week 12: Chasing Amy

Sunday Oct 11, 2015

We continue our journey through Jim's collection of movies with...

Week 12:

Chasing Amy

Spine Number: 75

Director: Kevin Smith

Genre: Comedy

The 90's were a revolutionary time for movies. Thanks to the success of films like Reservoir Dogs El Mariachi, Roger and Me, Clerks, and Slacker the world of cinema was no longer the exclusive property of the big studio gatekeepers. Yes, they still controlled the big picture, but, in large thanks to a growing college scene that rejected the big budget aesthetics in favor of more personal and intimate movies and music an independent film scene blossomed and came to influence every aspect of the American film landscape.

Suddenly, filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers were not the only ones familiar with low budget auteurs who made movies outside of the studio system. Names like Tarantino, Smith, Linklater, Rodriguez, and Soderberg were known by people outside of the small world of film fanatics. Not only that, but much like the stand up comedy boom of the late 80's, people began to realize that if you had a story to tell, you could tell it on film and actually have a shot at people seeing it.

Enter Kevin Smith. Possibly the most independent of the independents. His film "Clerks." blew people away. Here was this kid from Jersey who wanted to make movies that were about the day to day lives of people who, on the surface, were absolutely ordinary. These weren't the jocks or the super nerds, these were the people in the middle. He wanted to make movies that reflected the lives of people his age who were going to see them. Bored, underemployed, but by no means unintelligent, his characters were pop culture obsessives that said cool, funny shit, were open and honest about their personal and sexual lives, and who were trying to find their way in a world that had somehow become much bigger than the one they grew up in.

Clerks set the stage, Mallrats opened the universe, and Chasing Amy gave it a heart.

Chasing Amy is a very personal film that is perfectly reflective of the era that spawned it. Young people trying to navigate love while trying to figure out who they are as people.

Neither Jim nor Clarkson has seen this movie in 15 years. Both went in remembering it as Smith's masterwork. And both were nervous about how they would react to it at this stage in their lives.

So, listen and find out what 15 years of life does to how this movie plays out.

Next week:

Spine Number 52: Yojimbo (The spine number is out of sequence because I just got the Yojimbo/Sanjuro box set, so we are jumping back for the next two weeks)

Also, check this out.

Our league is Film Thugs 2015 and the password is Porterhouse.

If you live outside the US you can call us on Skype at The_Film_Thugs. You can leave a message, or someone might actually answer.

Also, we are on twitter @thefilmthugs and on Facebook and Vine.

You can also click on one of our sponsor links below and THEY will pay us. That's right. You won't have to pay a PENNY extra, and Amazon/Onnit/Teefury will give us a little taste.

Also, be sure to check back often for our new endeavor The Life Masters, where we answer questions to other advice columnists.

Thanks for listening, and until next week...

Jim out.

Sunday Oct 04, 2015

Criterion Year Week 11: Rushmore

Sunday Oct 04, 2015

We continue our journey through Jim's collection of movies with...

Week 11:

Rushmore

Spine Number: 65

Director: Wes Anderson

Genre: Comedy

Few directors come out as fully formed as Wes Anderson. From the beginning it was clear what kind of filmmaker he was going to be. Quirky, yes, but not in an off putting way. Funny, but with a big heart and a lot of love for his characters. Visually distinctive, but with a style firmly rooted in his influences (Harold and Maude, we are looking at you). Unique characters who are completely believable as part of the world they inhabit.

His first film, Bottle Rocket (which we will be watching for this series eventually), was a statement but Rushmore was the absolute distillation of what he was all about. Max Fischer, Herman Blume, Rosemary Cross, Bert Fisher, Dr. Nelson Guggenheim, Dirk Callaway, Margaret Yang, Magnus Buchan, Ronnie and Donnie Blume and the rest are all very real, fully formed people who make this unique world the rich and engaging place that it is. This is a warm, funny, imminently re-watchable movie that leaves you feeling better than you did when it started, which is a rare achievement. So, join us as we talk Rushmore, one of the best movies of the past 20 years.

Next week:

Spine Number 75: Chasing Amy

Also, check this out.

Our league is Film Thugs 2015 and the password is Porterhouse.

If you live outside the US you can call us on Skype at The_Film_Thugs. You can leave a message, or someone might actually answer.

Also, we are on twitter @thefilmthugs and on Facebook and Vine.

You can also click on one of our sponsor links below and THEY will pay us. That's right. You won't have to pay a PENNY extra, and Amazon/Onnit/Teefury will give us a little taste.

Also, be sure to check back often for our new endeavor The Life Masters, where we answer questions to other advice columnists.

Thanks for listening, and until next week...

Jim out.