025 Time Bandits by Terry Gilliam

"Evil apparently has something to do with freewill" so goes the Supreme Being's nebulous rational for his creation in the 1981 classic Time Bandits. Matt and Mark explore the richness of Terry Gilliam's cinematic palette as we indulge a kid's movie that transcends the genre, all the while sneering at the absurdity of adulthood and its materialistic trappings. Backed by a few of the Pythons (John Cleese and Michael Palin) and starring the talents of Sean Connery, David Warner, and Ian Holm, Time Bandits lays the groundwork for Gilliam's quirky future filmography. Enjoy!   

Download: 025 Time Bandits by Terry Gilliam

024 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Sergio Leone

One bastard goes in, another comes out. Like an exercise in game theory, Matt and Mark delve into Sergio Leone's classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly released in 1966, starring Clint Eastwood in his defining role as "Blondie" (aka the Man with No Name). Taking typical western tropes and turning them on their head, we're treated to a post-modern recycling of the well-trod American western. TGTBATU legitimized the much denigrated spaghetti western into high art, raising the bar, and in doing so, usurping the genre it pays homage to. Enjoy!

Download:  024 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Sergio Leone

023 Sorcerer by William Friedkin

Matt and Mark return from our Scottish sojourn! This week we review the strangely titled Sorcerer by 70's power-director William Friedkin and starring Roy Scheider. A remake of the 1953 classic Wages of Fear (which we both have not seen), we can only speculate as to whether or not it achieves the homage Friedkin was going for. As far as tension goes, the simplicity of the concept is second-to-none in cinema. Themes of fate-versus-freewill are hinted at in a story about deliverance, not necessarily out of Hell, but out of Purgatory. Enjoy!

Download: 023 Sorcerer by William Friedkin

022 Local Hero by Bill Forsyth

As both Matt and Mark are currently in Scotland, we thought we'd serve you up another helping of Scottish themed cinema with Bill Forsyth's sleeper hit Local Hero, released in 1983. With its quiet plot and measured pacing, Mark goes for a more literary approach and comes up with a dire interpretation of the ending while Matt begs to differ. Filled with small town quirk and handcrafted snapshots of seaside village life, Local Hero makes for an enjoyable dramedy that's worth coming back to. Enjoy!

Download: 022 Local Hero by Bill Forsyth

021 Highlander by Russell Mulcahy

Matt and Mark are heading off to the Highlands of Scotland! (Matt's getting hitched!... kilt and all!) So, in the spirit of our travels we thought we'd pick an appropriate cult favorite: Highlander. Matt and Mark discuss the logistics of immortality and come to the realization that only after about 1000 years does an immortal truly gain a sense of humor (Lighten up Macleod!) So, Cheers Lads and Lasses, enjoy!

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020 Blade Runner by Ridley Scott

"More Human than Human" that's our motto. This week we review the dystopian near-future masterpiece Blade Runner by Ridley Scott. Released in 1982, starring Harrison Ford, Sean Young, Rutguer Hauer, Edward J Olmos, and newcomer Darryl Hannah, this proto-cyberpunk neo-noir laid the groundwork for an entire genre. There's so much ground to cover, Matt and Mark try to do this evocative film justice, but no doubt come up short. If you haven't seen this film recently, please do yourself the favor. As I always say, Blade Runner will always be about life thirty years into the future, no matter what future you currently occupy. Enjoy!

Download: 020 Blade Runner by Ridley Scott

019 Adaptation by Spike Jonze

Breaking the genre mold, Spike Jonze brings us a "meta-movie" with Adaptation released in 2002, a "sort-of" autobiographic film about screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's struggles with adapting the nearly unadaptable book The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean to film. Matt and Mark explore Charlie's inexhaustible supply of self-doubt and social anxiety, and in trying to answer the questions the film offers up, circle the existential dilemma of passion with a bit of clinical dispassion, but not without irony. Adaptation stars a brilliant Nicolas Cage as the Kaufman twins Charlie and Donald, with an Oscar winning performance by Chris Cooper. The film also stars Meryl Streep, Brian Cox, and Tilda Swinton with walk-ons by John Cusack, Katherine Keener, and John Malkovich. Enjoy!

Download: 019 Adaptation by Spike Jonze