The Sopranos (S1E1) "The Sopranos" (1999) Audio Commentary

Tony in the pool. No ducks.

RC-2013-118: The Sopranos (S1E1) "The Sopranos" (1999)



With the recent passing of James Gandolfini, I felt it'd be a good time to do something I'd been meaning to do: a commentary on The Sopranos. I begin by candidly acknowledging my love for the show, ladling praise on David Chase and the late Gandolfini before explaining the series' significance. The show had a truly unique sense for the surreal and a wonderful sense of humor, I decide, and that's what set it apart in its genre. While describing how the pilot episode is different from the body of the series, I find time to wax nostalgic about how perfectly of its time The Sopranos was and explain the family's intricate hierarchy. Then I drop a bunch of Italian curse words. Salud!

Download the mp3, or let iTunes break your balls.

Poolhall Junkies (2002) Audio Commentary

Mars makes money

RC-2013-117: Poolhall Junkies (2002)



Grab a cuestick (hopefully a non-graphite one) and let's play some with the greatest pool movie of all time! Well, okay, it's a pool movie, anyway. And just as Mars Callahan's directorial debut vacillates between Farrelly brothers-style comedy and over-cranked melodrama so too does my commentary shift from poolroom subculture nitpicking to a slightly more charitable assessment of the script. Along the way, I take time to marvel at the surplus of supporting characters, sigh at the zany plot contrivances, and gripe about the film's inconsistent ethos regarding the N-word. Forget pool—this movie had me at Ernie Reyes Jr.

I screened the Region-1 DVD. To sync, hit "pause" when the Gold Circle Films logo fades to black, then hit "play" on my countdown. 

Show Notes

• Mike Massey's "finger pool" (think it looks easy?—try it)
• Rick Schroeder talks about his crazy-ass life
• Poker Junkies is coming
• That MadTV pool sketch 
• The current pro rankings are here & here (I think I was more or less correct in my surmisal that most of the top ranked pros are younger than 45, but, as I say in the commentary, there are guys around 45 or older who are still tearing it up)

Listen to the mp3 (right-click to download), or force-follow over to iTunes.

(Jeremy: Thanks for everything.)

Ace in the Hole (1951) Audio Commentary

Kirk Douglas, Porter Hall, and Jesus Christ debate journalistic ethics in Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole (Douglas had top billing)

RC-2013-116: Ace in the Hole (1951)



More thrilling than going over Niagara Falls in Kirk Douglas' barrel chest, Ace in the Hole stands tall among the giants of Wilder's career. I praise the wittiness of the dialogue and marvel at the depravity of Douglas' character, Chuck Tatum. Musings about journalistic ethics give way to my ranking of the movie near the top of Wilder's filmography. Do I successfully spot all the nods to Double Indemnity? Does Douglas' topless scene have artistic merit? And does the boyish Herbie character moonlight as Captain Marvel? Listen to the track to find out. You deserve answers.

I screened the Region-1 Criterion Collection DVD. To sync, hit "pause" after the Criterion logo fades from the screen, then wait for my countdown.

Show Notes

• The curious case of Floyd Collins
• Spike Lee is a fan of the film
• Is it a film noir? (Not addressed in the commentary—if folks want to count it as an "epic noir," I say cool)
• I said the original title was "The Carnival," but it was actually "The Big Carnival," and it was not the original title, rather, it was what Paramount re-titled the film just prior to its release and without Wilder's consent

Get the mp3, or keep the iTunes carnival humming along.

Cool Hand Luke (1967) Audio Commentary

Paul Newman's takes a lickin' but keeps on kickin' as a quasi-Christ figure in his signature role

RC-2013-115: Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Cool Hand Luke was a timely allegory for 1960s-era tumult, and I discuss why Paul Newman—and not Brando—makes a perfect Lucas Jackson. After rattling off some prison movie tropes, I compare CHL favorably to I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang and hate on its ill-advised efforts to siphon profundity from Judeo-Christian imagery. Dennis Hopper's specialness gets called out, as does the film's early embrace of Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Put 'Em on a Glass" concept. I manage to talk about George Kennedy without mentioning The Naked Gun movies—until the very end, when I make a predictable O.J. joke.

To sync up, press "pause" just after the Warner Bros. logo fades to black. I screened a Region-1 DVD.

Show Notes

• The Family Guy parody
• The Paul Muni/Mervyn Leroy film (Public Domain)
• The Guardian's top-ten prison movies
• This man can eat more eggs than Luke

Listen to the mp3, or get your ya-yas out with iTunes.

All the President's Men (1976) Audio Commentary

Robert Redford discusses strategy for the staring contest he's about to have with the camera

RC-2013-114: All the President's Men (1976)




Perhaps the greatest typewriter fetishist movie ever! Focusing on storytelling, I describe how Goldman's script hinges on scene-by-scene conflict and speculate about the mysterious Ephron-Bernstein draft. I argue that Woodstein's reporting was unbiased, then revel in my own bias by audibly scoffing at the idea that Nixon was a "complicated" figure who "also did some good things." Amid analysis of the actual movie, I explain why Nixon was a racist, astonishingly petty, and hopelessly corrupt scoundrel who got off easy. Gordy Willis and John Dean get praised. G. Gordon Liddy and the Intelligent Design-promoting crybaby known as Ben Stein get criticized. I screened the Blu-Ray. To sync, hit "pause" when the Warner Bros. logo fades to black.

Show Notes

• Redford's documentary
• Goldman's script
• Woodstein reflect on Watergate
• The breathtaking inanity of Ben Stein
• Mary McCarthy's book 
• The Nixon tapes are here and here

When I said Nixon was "a horrible human being," I was referring to him doing things like...

• Ordering break-ins
• Suggesting that black people make bad spies because they're stupid 
• Saying Jews "own the media"
• Using the IRS to "pound" his critics

Listen to the mp3, or prolong our long national nightmare about Apple by getting it on iTunes.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) Audio Commentary

Paul Newman and Katherine Ross, dodging raindrops

RC-2013-113: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)



William Goldman researched the story for years, and director George Roy Hill toiled through the production with a bad back so that now, years later, some creep on the Internet can blithely say that their fim doesn't seem as great to him as it used to. Yes, I used to like it so much more than I do now, and throughout the commentary I analyze the diminishing returns, taking the time to parse the difference between movies that are nostalgic about the old west and movies that are nostalgic about movies about the old west. I like Burt Bacharach but think his song is one of the oddest choices ever made in an otherwise solid film. There is much laughter at the heroes' leap off the cliff, and much eye-rolling at Newman's bicycle gags. Sync up by hitting "pause" after the 20th Century Fox logo has faded to black, then wait for the countdown.

Show Notes

• The nuances of Goldman's script
• The Team America montage song
• An interview with Goldman 

Listen to the mp3. Or get it from iTunes.

Laura (1944) Audio Commentary

Gene Tierney was so hot that she could make a frumpy rain hat look sexy

RC-2013-112: The Film Noir Series — Laura (1944)



Otto Preminger's Laura is beloved by many a noir aficionado, and I'm out to figure out why. (Could it have something to do with Gene Tierney being nuclear hot? Hells yeah.) I have fun with the movie, lamenting the fact that the opening titles sequence wasn't created by Saul Bass and declaring that Preminger's directorial style is "slick." Listeners might begin to suspect that there isn't an actor from the 30s and 40s that I don't adore as I swoon over the verbal acuity of Clifton Webb, the implacable demeanor of Dana Andrews, and the radioactive...uh, talent of Tierney. Along the way, I analyze the bizarro story story structure, discuss Daryl F. Zanuck's alleged homophobia, and examine the lapels on Vinny Price's double-breasted suits. Due to the Rank Speculation software I have running on my brain, I also speak about how Laura may have weighed heavy on the mind of David Lynch when he made Mulholland Dr. and how Preminger's picture also has similarities to Gilda, Vertigo, and a couple other classics the posters for which are hanging in my bathroom.

Show Notes

• The late Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" essay on the picture
• Some insight into David Raskin's score
• Clifton Webb's unofficial, posthumous web presence (!) 
• Richard Shickel's review of that Preminger biography I mention
• A tumblr dedicated to sexy-ass Gene Tierney

Listen to the mp3, or kick it iTunes style.

No Country for Old Men (2007) Audio Commentary

The dark knight rises...

RC-2013-111: No Country for Old Men (2007)



Let's call this episode "The Roger Ebert Memorial Commentary." The prolific critic felt No Country for Old Men was as good as any picture made by the Coens (and in the very next clause he warmed my heart by adding, "and they made Fargo.") Still giddy from a recent revival screening, I quit swooning long enough to explicate a lot of what makes this movie so great. I describe the skillful visual storytelling techniques, the strange deja vu structure, and the philosophical concerns found in the works of both the Coens and Cormac McCarthy. I sing the praises of Woody Harrelson, too. Then, after taking some of the more asinine criticisms and interpretations to task, I get around to articulating my own reading of the film (sort of). This one's for Roger.

Show Notes

• That super-comprehensive Wikipedia page on the film's themes and analysis
• An example of some slightly less-than-thoughtful criticism of NCFOM, along with a withering rebuttal to said criticism
• David Denby's review in which he wonders why Llewelyn didn't get a death scene
• A cool Coen Bros. fan site
• McCarthy's two-man play, The Sunset Limited
• A Sight & Sound essay on NCFOM

Listen to the mp3. Or get the track at the gettin' place, iTunes.

Ebert

A young Roger Ebert, a lifelong newspaperman, peruses his beloved Sun-Times in the newsroom

The news of Roger Ebert's death has impacted nearly everyone who loves movies, and many who don't. He attained the kind of trust and name recognition that only a handful of critics have ever enjoyed. And he deserved it. Ebert was smart without being a pedant, open-minded without being wishy-washy. He wrote with a palpable ecstasy for movies, and for other things.

The next episode of this podcast will be posted soon, and it will be dedicated to Ebert. He will be missed.

Double Indemnity (1944) Audio Commentary

The old noir trope of putting a Chandler and a Wilder on a loveseat...

RC-2013-110: The Film Noir Series — Double Indemnity (1944)



We continue down the noir path with a lively dissection of Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity. Right from the start I cop to being in love with nearly every aspect of the film, particularly its three leads. Although I lack the suave drollness of Walter Neff, I make up for it by telling a few charming tales about the film's production and the testy relations between Wilder and Chandler. You'll hear me explain why the boss of the insurance company, Mr. Norton, reminds me of Principal Ed Rooney from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. There is then some wondering out loud as to whether the film actually has something serious to say about the issue of nepotism-versus-meritocracy in WWII-era America. Though I giggle Walter's flurry of sexual innuendos, I don't try to come up with any myself.

Show Notes

• A rundown of Barbara Stanwyck's pre-code naughtiness
• Fred MacMurray's appearance on "What's My Line"
• Wilder speaks about the film and its alternate endings
• More lowdown on the gas chamber ending that was scrapped by Wilder
• An essay about film noir by Stanley Crouch
• The definition of film noir, ctd.

Listen to the mp3. Or go straight down the line to get it at iTunes.

Annie Hall (1977) Audio Commentary

Little known fact: when he was in grad school, Dr. Ian Malcolm was friends with Tony Lacey

RC-2013-109: Annie Hall (1977)



Recently, Turner Classic Movies aired Annie Hall, and I was reminded of just how extraordinary a picture it is—a romantic comedy that's exceedingly romantic and funny. This commentary was inevitable. As you watch Alvy's hangups doom his love life, you'll hear me marvel at the film's wildness, the way it breaks every rule. Along the way, I explain how Ralph Rosenblum and Gordon Willis influenced Allen's artistic vision, why the film's non-chronological structure works so well, and the background on Marshall McLuhan's cameo. Freud gets discussed, as does Shelly Duvall.

To sync up, pop in your copy of the film, and hit "pause" when the United Artists logo fades to black.

Show Notes

• Robert B. Weide's Woody Allen documentary
• The Film That Changed My Life book by Robert K. Elder
• Rosenblum's book, When the Shooting Stops, the Cutting Begins

Listen to the mp3. Or be an iTunes person.

Scarlet Street (1945) Audio Commentary

The "self portrait" of Kitty March, Joan Bennett's fast-talking femme fatale who steals Edward G. Robinson's heart in Fritz Lang's film noir, Scarlet Street 

RC-2013-108: The Film Noir Series—Scarlett Street (1945)




Ask a person to name her five favorite Fritz Lang films, and you're not likely to hear Scarlet Street. Yet it has all we've come to love about Lang—and about film noir. Inside the dusty B-movie packaging we find a big star, Edward G. Robinson, playing somewhat against type as a meek cashier named Chris Cross. As we watch the noir vortex suck him in, my heavily shadowed commentary addresses the ongoing debate over film noir's definition, the way Fritz Lang utilizes his roots in German expressionism, and the snappy dialogue of Dudley Nichols' screenplay. I'm also able to put my love of the film aside long enough to discuss the fascinating life and career of Robinson and the even more fascinating life of Joan Bennett, the femme fatale who would see life dangerously imitate art only a few years later. You have my permission to pronounce "film noir" any way you like. To sync up, hit "pause" just after the old Universal logo fades away and the "Walter Wanger Presents" title card takes over the screen.

F.Y.I., This film belongs to the public domain. It may therefore be downloaded, legally, with impunity.

Show Notes

• I referenced this biography of E.G.R. a couple of times
• All about Joan Bennett and that deadly love triangle here
• More on the definition of film noir 

Listen to the mp3. Or get it at iTunes, for cat's sake...

The Godfather (1972) Audio Commentary

Marlon Brando getting his Don makeup on while Francis Ford Coppola waits patiently for his nemesis, Popeye, to show up

RC-2013-107: The Godfather (1972)



When e-mailer Tomy suggested a few films that might be ripe for a commentary, The Godfather was the one that lept out at me most. It seems there's actually quite a lot to say about the movie nearly everyone regards as great, so why not give it a Rob Job. (I'm so sorry. I will never say that again.) I discuss how Coppola's uncanny decade (approximately 1970-80) was enabled by the exciting changes happening in American filmmaking from about 1964 to 1980 (a span of years I select arbitrarily), deciding that Coppola and his dream that was American Zoetrope represent  the best characteristics of the so-called Film School Generation. While pointing out the big stuff, like the lovely computerized opening shot and the film's many quotable moments, I also gab about such matters as Michael's bifurcated personality, how Gordy Willis' stark lighting helps highlight the film's handling of gender, and the beautiful way Coppola doesn't "lean into" the many instances of visual symbolism. I also theorize as to why this film has become a synonym for "great movie" and, as is my habit, think out loud about how movies attain the status of classic. At some point, I also prove that I can name all the (fictional) five families of New York, and then I pathetically commend myself for being so perspicacious about trivia. I screened the Blu-Ray of The Godfather while recording the track; to sync up, hit "pause" on your player just after the Paramount logo has faded to black.

Show Notes

• Howard Stern's interview with Gianni Russo (the guy who played Carlo and who, among other things, claims to have slept with Marilyn Monroe when he was a teenager)
• Pauline Kael's original review of The Godfather—her lede: "If ever there was an example of how the best popular movies come out of a merger of commerce and art, 'The Godfather' is it." 
• An educational documentary about the Film School Generation (hosted by John Lithgow!)
• The saga has its own wiki
• One of the many books about the saga can be browsed here
• Vanity Fair's excellent 2009 feature piece about the making of the film
• John Belushi playing the Don in that classic SNL sketch
• Production notes by TCM 

Listen to the mp3. Or keep your friends close and your iTunes closer.

Special Episode: "Back Beyond" — the deleted scenes featurette for The Master

Freddie dreams of Auntie Bertha

RC-2013-106: "Back Beyond" (Deleted scenes featurette for The Master)



In this special episode, I keep the conversation about The Master going by taking 20 minutes to babble through "Back Beyond," the deleted scenes featurette found on the newly released DVD/Blu-Ray. So, even though we've already enjoyed a spirited commentary track on the film, let's sift through the cutting room floor detritus together. Come on. What bothers you about our travels into the past?!


Download the mp3. Or get your iTunes on.

Take This Waltz (2012) Audio Commentary

Sarah Polley sees no sign of zombies on the set of Take This Waltz

RC-2013-105: Take This Waltz (2011)



Sarah Polley's intelligent second film takes its name from a Leonard Cohen song, and speaking in my deepest, most morose voice I explore the really brightly colored poetry of Take This Waltz. Praising Polley's directorial skills, I compare the film to her first feature, Away From Her, and decide that this latest film is refreshing in many ways and slightly missing the mark in others. Before long, I decide I know best about comedians acting in movies, waxing arrogant on the acting of Sarah Silverman and Seth Rogen. The commentary gets weird during an explanation of how handsome men like Luke Kirby learn how to "work that thing" ("that thing" = their handsomeness). Come for the commentary; stay for the dissection of why mere mortal men should not try to pick up women using the rap Luke Kirby's character lays down in the infamous "martini scene." No Canadians were harmed in the recording of this commentary.


Listen to the mp3. Or flirt with those kinky fuckers over at iTunes.

Margaret (Extended Cut) (2011) Audio Commentary

Lisa Cohen, interested in her teacher.

RC-2013-104: Margaret (Extended Cut) (2011)



It took a while, but Kenneth Lonergan's follow up to You Can Count On Me finally got seen by audiences in 2011. During the marathon commentary (for, Lonergan's extended cut stretches past the three-hour mark), I go into the legal wrangling that delayed the release of Margaret. I comment on the theatrical cut's benefit's and shortcomings before declaring that Lonergan's cut—the film he turned in—is a masterpiece. (Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker oversaw the editorial paring-down process that produced the theatrical cut, and though Lonergan ultimately approved, I will argue in this episode, he knew his cut was better.) After pointing out some of the differences between the cuts—which include everything from sound design to score to whole storylines that were excised—I settle into gush mode and praise the film's fresh approach to familiar themes. I spend the rest of the episode (when I'm not sticking up for Anna Paquin) telling the world why Jeannie Berlin's performance may be the most under-appreciated supporting turn in the history of moving pictures. Lonergan himself, playing Lisa Cohen's distant dad, is chubbier than you probably imagined he'd be, and Matt Damon looks younger than you thought he'd look. This movie is weird like that. Grab your popcorn and a diet cola, and settle in—this three-hour urban opera is a doosie... And don't call me honey, okay?


Listen to the mp3. Or turn your life into an iTunes opera—Bravi!

The Master (2012) Audio Commentary

You have to admit—some of those ink blotches do look sexual

RC-2013-103: The Master (2012)



Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master will be released on home media later this month—I'm on top of it. After making listeners jealous by bragging about being one of the lucky few who got to see the film projected properly on glorious 70 mm, I heap praise on DP Mihai Malamare for his use of the old-school film stock—the clarity, the depth of field, the rosy red colors of Philip Seymour Hoffman's nose! Noting that many were perplexed by the movie, I go on to explain my pet theories about What It All Means. The commentary spirals into a little bit of love fest, with me ladling more compliments on the casting choices and Anderson's daring, to-hell-with-convention screenwriting. I then go crazy by having the audacity to mildly criticize His Excellency Harvey Weinstein, resigning myself to never working in this town again. Questions addressed include: Which scenes are actually dreams? How old is Amy Adams? Why does Hoffman sing that song to Phoenix at the end? Bottom line, your desire to listen to this commentary track is an intergalactic implant from millions of years ago... Let's have some fun.

To sync up with the commentary, cue up to the start of the movie. Then, hit "pause" just as The Weinstein Company logo fades completely to black, and hit "play" again on my countdown.  


Listen to the mp3. Or get it from those pig fuckers over at iTunes.

A Few Good Men (1992) Audio Commentary

A girl named Jo is not as weird as a girl named Demi

RC-2013-102: A Few Good Men (1992)



Dipping into the requests pile (thanks Jeremy), I take on the 1992 Rob Reiner blockbuster A Few Good Men. During the film, I sing the praises of glorious genre of the courtroom drama, comparing Reiner's movie to other specimes like The Caine Mutiny and Anatomy of a Murder, as well as well-structured courtroom comedies like Liar Liar and My Cousin Vinny. Additionally, I riff on the formidable dramatic skills of Kevin Pollak and wade far out of my depth by opining on the differences between civilian and military courts. After ignorantly critiquing the lawyer's legal strategy, I explain my beef with the film's climax and the way Sorkin, who was pretty green as a screenwriter then, sets it up. Even if you hate me and hate everything I say in this commentary, I think you should still give me credit for being the only person on Earth to sit through A Few Good Men without doing a douche-y Jack Nicholson impression.


Listen to the mp3. Salute your iTunes shorts.

Killer Joe (2012) Audio Commentary

Yes, the entire movie is like this

RC-2013-102: Killer Joe (2012)



In this episode, I reach into the requests pile for a criminally underrated 2012 picture about criminally overconfident numbskulls. Before listening to this commentary, pick yourself up some K-fry-C—that way you can nosh through your bucket as I talk through one of 2012's most delightful surprises, Billy Friedkin's Killer Joe. Aside from the revelation that is Juno Temple, the track covers the whys and hows of Friedkin's old-school talent and the underrated genius of Old Man McConaughey. The film's opening sequence reminds me of the old Universal monster movies, and I say why. Then, I launch into an argument for Caleb Deschanel's stark, suggestive lighting schemes, without commenting on his cooky-sexy genes. Also, I find time to laugh at Thomas Hayden Church and Gina Gershon. I mean, I laugh with them. Listen for me calling out the sync point, which comes just after LionsGate logo on the Region-1 DVD.


Listen to the mp3. Or go ahead and be an iTunes snob.

A Separation (2011) Audio Commentary

What happens in the doorway doesn't stay in the doorway in Asgar Farhadi's A Separation

RC-2013-101: A Separation (2011)



I've decided that a great way to start 2013 is with what I regarded as the best movie of 2011—Asgar Farhadi's A Separation. Throughout the commentary, I attempt to stop myself from gushing about such a fantastic work of art, and fail miserably. With hardly a bad word to say about Farhadi's pre-classic masterpiece, I fall back on cinema geekery. I attempt to situate the movie within the larger context of Iranian movies, providing a sloppy-but-well-meaning crash course in the cinema of that fascinating nation. Ultimately, I seem to conclude that what makes the film work is that it's actually a mystery movie that doesn't tell you it's a mystery movie until there's this huge, yet still somehow understated, reveal that makes you say "Holy cow!" If you don't like this movie, I'm afraid it will be hard for us to remain friends. It's not me; it's you.


Listen to the mp3. Get your iTunes on.