Hola, Sneakers! Welcome to Episode 588 of the podcast for heavy hearts!
This week: hard out on; self-discovery; Big Macscot; remembering old food; button, button; tea bag; communion whine; fork-sized; parallel Fablemans; kick in the pants; effects over story; are sad endings real; theme, but not heard; the gods must be crazy; Southern fried hound; over your head; soul ownership; humour keeps moving; unreality revealed; poor Robin Duke; AFC Richmond represent; pooh friendly; ugh; Dave visited Strange World; Stillwater runs deep; kid actor mistake; presumptuous reviews; the friendly Python; miscasting Brazil; the fun isn’t on the screen; blown away; short selling a mystery; strange response; Top 5 Songs; Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; dry-ary; the incredible journal; you dirty rats; bin there, done that; lightning round; singular Shooter, and, finally, superhero graveyards.
Top 5 Songs – Names
- The Epics – “Henry Long” – CBS Records single (b-side to “Travelling Circus”), 1968 – 1:42:53
- Frank Black and the Catholics – “Billy Radcliffe” – Pistolero, 1998 – 1:47:49
- Richard Davies – “Chips Rafferty” – There’s Never Been a Crowd Like This, 1996 – 1:54:00
- Shelley Plimpton – “Frank Mills” – Hair, 1967 – 2:00:38
- Mandy More – “Harvey Muscletoe” – But That Is Me, 1972
Question of the Week: Have you returned to the movie theatres or are you still watching film at home?
Sub-question of the Week: Following on from Dave’s coming-around-from-anesthesia story, have you ever had weird experiences in a hypnogogic state?
Thanks for listening.
Depratment of Corections:
The actress playing Sam’s mother in Brazil was Katherine Helmond – not Katherine Hahn. Apologies to both wonderful character actresses.
Like Louise’s mean, ol’brother, we can get a glimpse into her diary and read an excerpt that mentions a certain popular podcast host:
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Did any other old timer Sneakers get suspicious as soon as David mentioned David’s brother? I knew the outcome was going to be bad – how could it end any other way after the trivia knife domestic dispute incident? I have a not great adult sibling myself, so can sympathize
Also glad to hear the Sinead OConnor pope reference – I still have a gripe with Madonna to this day for how she critiqued Sinead – herself and abuse victim of the Church in Ireland where the church controlled the majority of schools
P.S. This episode was a delight
Re: question #1, yes, I returned to movies quite a while ago, but we usually go to a very out-of-the-way second run cinema that is very, very quiet – I can’t think of a time when there would have been more than 10 in the theatre, total. On the odd time we go to a bigger cinema for a new feature, like when we watched Top Gun and were sitting side by side packed in a full theatre – that felt a bit weird. There have been a few other times when we were out and it felt like people were JUST TOO CLOSE but there was no getting away from them – when we saw Nate Bergahtze, at a couple of the modern dance things I’ve been to recently, and at a couple of concerts. I have yet to get on an airplane (since Covid) – that seems like it would be too close. Anyone else out there not been on a plane since early 2020?
I haven’t flown since the pandemic began either. I’m not dying to go anywhere! And I don’t want to roll the dice on my immune system and get long Covid either. For the same reason I’ve only seen one movie (Dune) in a cinema. I have flexible hours, so I could see matinees where there’d be few other movie goers. But I’m also frugal and for the price of a movie, you can get a few weeks of unlimited streaming which you can pause, resume hours or days later, rewatch, fast-forward through, or give instant verbal notes to without disturbing total strangers.
Since I started using audiobooks to fall asleep, I’ve had dreams where suddenly I’m hearing an audiobook and I frantically try to turn it off before other people in my dream hear it too.
After having COVID over the holidays, I’ve been more precautious about large and crowded places. My local theater in the neighboring town of Allen, has a great Cinemark Theater that I’ve been going to for years, it’s clean, never crowded and the staff is outstanding. I usually buy my ticket online beforehand so I can see how packed the theater is when reserve a seat. (Bet you thought I was gonna say “Pick my seat” didn’t you?) I just saw “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” there last Saturday and it was perfect, I love my Cinemark and it’s only 10 minutes from home!
Did you guys get out to see Shazam! yet? I rather enjoyed it and there’s an Easter egg I want to ask you about, but first I have to know if you saw the film already. Time to bring back Fansplainers!
I guess my brain doesn’t mess with me when I’m put under, I usually just sleep and when I wake up after the procedure I feel as if nothing has happened yet. I remember being put under for my wisdom teeth surgery many years back and more recently a few colonoscopies and a tooth extraction, but those are about it. As far as the usual hypnogogic state from just sleeping, I have a habit of working in my sleep. Usually it’s some random, abstract thing that I can’t explain but I have to get it done. Whenever I wake, I’m so happy it’s not real that I just dismiss it not giving it a second thought. Do you guys have a reoccurring place you dream more about than anywhere else? I dream most frequently about the house I grew up in and my grandparent’s house more than anything. The mall in Mesquite I used to work at finds it’s way into my dreams, the way it looked in the 80’s before they redesigned the place.
Ian, I confess that I’ve never read the Legion of Superheroes in all my years of collecting and reading comics. I know the main members but I couldn’t name them all by a long shot. Your Legion name assessment was great though, huge teams all suffer the same fate. My late friend Sean who worked with me at Lone Star Comics read Legion and loved it, he did his best to convert me too but I never picked it up. When Sean died, his brother wanted to give me Sean’s collection, or most of it…and there were the Legion issues in there too. I declined the collection and told Sean’s brother to hold onto the comics and sell or auction them one day, then use the money for Sean’s nephew’s education. If I recall, Sean had not one, but two X-Men #1 issues from 1963, so that’s some serious dough if you can find the right buyer. If Sean’s brother doesn’t go for any of that, I say give them to your boys to read, that’s what they’re for anyway!
Signing off for this week, I never miss the chance to write…more than anyone else! I hope I don’t overstay my welcome but I do wish the Best to All. It’s the least I can do for making everyone sit through my rants…
I think my comment died!
Short version:
– Slipped a disc
– guzzled meds
– developed immunity
– pain respite needed
– Tried a gong bath
– Body slept whilst mind awake
– couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or not
– Understand Out Of Body experienced better now.
– recommend Gong Baths to you!
x p
I go to the movies about twice a week.
Tips: find out how long the pre-show is at your movie theatre. For my local Cineplexes, the movie typically starts after a 15 minute pre-show. For instance, if I have a ticket for 7pm I will show up at 7:15pm. Also I recommend using public transit if you can. You don’t have to worry about parking, and you can think about the movie/discuss with friends on the way home.
Obviously go on Tuesday if you can. Don’t see post-converted movies in 3D. Avoid realD 3D, but IMAX 3D can be fine.
I was thinking about the collaborations among the Pythons, so I tried to find as many things as I could. Meaning of Life would be a valid “end of Python proper,” so I wouldn’t count things like Yellowbeard and Time Bandits. But here are as many film projects as I could hunt up:
Brazil (1985): Gilliam (dir.), Palin
A Fish Called Wanda: (1988) Cleese, Palin
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988): Gilliam (d.), Idle
Erik the Viking (1989): Cleese, Jones (also d.)
Splitting Heirs (1993): Cleese, Idle
The Wind in the Willows (1996): Cleese, Idle, Jones (also d.), Palin
Fierce Creatures (1997): Cleese, Palin
Absolutely Anything (2015): [voices of] Cleese, Gilliam, Idle, Jones (also d.), Palin
I wanted to like The Reluctant Traveler, because I’ll give any SCTV alum a chance (and I agree Robin Duke is underappreciated–she knows how to get laughs with a well-timed look or expression). I love Eugene Levy just being himself, he’s charming and a quick wit. But I reckon it suffers from the same issue as so many “reality-based” shows: they’re too tightly edited and scripted (as opposed to written, if that makes sense). There’s no room to breathe, they cut from set piece to set piece, jam the gags and tropes in place, and boom! Done! Next episode! Nobody has much time to reflect on where they’ve been, what they learned, how they might have changed or grown. I’m left with the empty cardboard tube after the cotton candy is snarfed up, and it’s not really fulfilling. I’d rather read a memoir.