Beyond The Show - Talk Hard 13

So, we have a few points that call for further examination from Episode 13. Let's start with my claim that Jessica Lange in King Kong (1974) is possibly the most beautiful actress in any single movie. Not an easy claim to make, possibly controversial, but I'm sticking to my guns. Feel free to let us know who you'd argue deserves the top spot. But, again, why is King Kong such a perv in this movie? Why does a giant gorilla want to take a woman's top off? If squirrels wore clothes, would you walk around constantly wondering, "I wonder what that squirrel looks like naked?"

Discontinued Cereals

A couple of corrections to make on our vintage cereal discussion. It turns out that Smurf-Berry Crunch is not in production. You can buy a refrigerator magnet that looks like the box for about 3 bucks, but no cereal. Massive bummer. And Todd was right, those are clearly oranges on this 1974 box of Fruit Brute. (Shout out to '74 for making an appearance twice in one post.) I'm wondering if Allen had the special Nerds cereal bowl with the trap door. That makes all kinds of sense.

Quisp does in fact cost 60 bones on Walmart.com, but you get a 12 pack for that price. So, Todd wouldn't have to break the bank to get his hands on Quisp, but he would need to pound 12 boxes of the stuff in about 6-8 months to get his money's worth. I feel a challenge coming!

Roz Kelly

We all have friends that may be dating someone who isn't in their league. Well, Todd was adamant when he said poor Pinky Tuscadero wasn't good enough for the Fonz. I'll let you all decide.

Fan-O-Rama

This is the Futurama fan film we discussed on the show. Take a look and imagine the time, money, and effort that was sunk into this. What I love about this is that the creators are fully aware of the insanity involved, as you'll see if you read the first screen. And when I checked out their website, it's clear that Dan Lanigan and his crew have a great sense of humor. So, would you do it? Was it worth it? Considering it has well over a million views now, I'm going to guess their efforts might be repaid. If nothing else, I think it proves the people involved have a ton of talent.

The Warren Beatty Story

If you're interested in Rob Lowe's book, here it is. And I'll leave you with this. Many of you are wondering which actress Rob Lowe's girlfriend was in the story. I'm pretty sure I know. I'm not going to say it, but Lowe actually didn't have many serious girlfriends. So, if you follow the clues in the story...

Indie Wednesday: BÄR

NOTE:  BE SURE TO TURN CAPTIONS ON (CC)

An animation student, Pascal Floerks, tells a story about his grandfather's past in this short film. Visually substituting a bear for his grandfather was an interesting and, in my estimation, very effective choice. Why do you think he made that decision?

The Week Ahead 7.24.16

Monday

If you haven't already heard the last episode of Talk Hard, you need to swing over there. Allen said it's his favorite so far and I would probably agree. Don't forget to subscribe, peeps.

Tuesday

Talk Hard 13 debuts. This time we paid tribute to Garry Marshall, reminisced about classic breakfast cereals, told an epic story about Warren Beatty, talked about the "why" of fan films, and discussed the best and worst movies adapted from TV shows.

Also, we'll have an accompanying Beyond the Show post right here, so we can give you some of the visuals and links to the stuff we talked about.

Wednesday

Another installment of Indie Wednesday and the best short films out there.

Thursday

I'll head to Danville to record another episode of the podcast. This time we'll DEFINITELY all be in the same room and hopefully will have a chance to conduct our first interview for the show.

P.S.

Here's a little bonus for anyone who listened all the way to the end of Talk Hard 12. You know what I'm talkin' about, don't you. Blankity-blank Gatlins. Have a great week, everybody.

Indie Wednesday: Girl On the Escalator

For filmmakers struggling to find inspiration; a reminder that it can come from anywhere. This short adapts a Charles Bukowski poem to great effect. Exercise those filmmaking muscles whenever and wherever you can. Develop style. Develop voice. Don't agonize over writing the perfect script or finding the perfect hook at the cost of your own evolution.

NOTE:  MATERIAL IS A BIT MATURE (but nothing we're too embarrassed to share)

The Week Ahead 7.17.16

Tuesday

Prepare yourself! We have a piping hot review (and possible flogging) of the new Ghostbusters on the Talk Hard podcast.

Wednesday

Indie Wednesday returns! If you followed the old blog, you'll remember that we used Wednesdays to showcase a new short film every week (almost) and now we're back at it. On Talk Hard, we've discussed how difficult it is just to get eyeballs on your work. So, we're going to generate a few extra views for some indie filmmakers while being your personal short film curators; plucking one out of the internet muck for your weekly enjoyment.

I believe we'll also be recording more episodes of Talk Hard; live and in person this time.

Friday

Another new episode of Talk Hard and this one is an epic installment of our usual movie banter.

Beyond the Show - Talk Hard 10

Well, there they are. Our spirit animals. Or what we look like on the inside. Or something. On the show, I posed the question:  If you could look like one actor in his prime for six months of your life, who would it be? Allen picked Burt Reynolds circa 1972 (Deliverance). Todd went with Warren Beatty ca. 1971 (Dollars). And I had to go Redford ca. 1977 (A Bridge Too Far). So, ladies... who made the right call?

So, ladies... Who are you going with?

— The WSF Guys (@WalkSoftlyFilms) July 15, 2016

The Greatest Story in Comics

At the end of the show, I told you about Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph & Torment, written by Roger Stern and illustrated by Mike Mignola. It's the greatest story I've ever read in comics (and I've read a lot), so let me tell you why.

The Story

The whole thing is based on an in-canon premise that goes all the way back to Astonishing Tales #4 by Gerry Conway and Gene Colan. Every Midsummer’s Eve, Doctor Doom attempts to rescue his mother’s soul from Hell and each year the struggle ends in a stalemate.

Through a clever and intricate first act, Doom  wins a favor from Dr. Strange that he's obligated to fulfill. Doom will use that favor in a carefully crafted plan to win back his mother’s soul once and for all. Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom versus Hell. Science and sorcery and all the weirdness that comes along with them. And, just like Strange, you're left waiting for the other shoe to drop; keeping one eye on Doom and questioning his true intent.

The Characters

Triumph and Torment also probably stands as the greatest telling of both Dr. Doom and Dr. Strange's origin stories. The parallels it draws between the two and the way it intertwines their fates is spellbinding (if you will) and makes both more intriguing. And although Dr. Strange gets top-billing, make no mistake, this is Victor Von Doom's story. Stan Lee was always of the opinion that, although the character was megalomaniacal, he was also honorable and noble. Stern picks up where Conway/Colan left off and presents the best characterization I've seen of Doom to date. For the first time, I saw what Stan saw. Dr. Doom's sense of honor and nobility makes perfect sense and his megalomania is born from unwavering belief that he can provide a better way, a better life, for everyone on Earth. This is the perfect version of Doom. In the hands of lesser writers he has always been one note, bent on world domination simply for the sake of it. This is what drives me insane when I watch Fantastic Four movies. He is unquestionably the greatest villain in comics when you allow him his depth and complexities, yet he's been utterly wasted on screen.

The Art

You may or may not know him as the creator of Hellboy, but this was Mike Mignola becoming Mike Mignola. You can see his unmistakable style taking form. The same book that became my favorite story and made Dr. Doom my favorite character, also gave me my favorite artist. Mignola captures what no one else can and needs less to do it. He's almost an impressionist. Combine his pencil work with paint and inks by Mark Badger and the book is gorgeous. It makes for an interesting combo because Mignola almost always inks his own pencils and Badger's line work is distinctively thinner, his blacks noticeably less prominent.

The Movie

In closing, I'll say this. Triumph & Torment is the best superhero movie that will never be made. It is perfectly structured for the screen and the spectacle would be incredible. To think about Cumberbatch playing out the story opposite this Doom gives me chills. Unfortunately, Dr. Doom will continue to be trapped with the incompetent ninnies at Fox for the foreseeable future.

If you'd like to read it, it's on the Marvel Comics app for ten bucks and Marvel Unlimited if you have a subscription. Or you could go old school and order up that paper version.

Countach (for Giorgio)

Listen, I've had a deep and undying love for Waylon Jennings since he was just a pair of hands and a voice on The Dukes of Hazzard. I'm actually into his music now more than ever. That longterm love for The Balladeer means I'm going to root for his son in whatever he does. But, still, how does Shooter's new album make any sense on a film blog? Well, I'll tell you.

Countach is dedicated to / inspired by Giorgio Moroder. If you know him, now you get it. Giorgio is the purported inventor of electronic music and creator of some of the most 80s sound tracks that the 80s ever produced. Top Gun... The NeverEnding Story... Over the Top...?! Yeah. Shooter said the album is a love letter to his childhood and we're only a year apart, so his childhood is my childhood (minus the tour bus and Willie and lots of drugs and whatnot).

"Something that I had just written off as the sound of the Eighties, it was all Giorgio. He's the one that made that wave of music happen. It hit me like a freight train."  -Shooter Jennings

Now, I've known for years that Shooter blazes a trail that is all his own in the music business. And when I saw the magnificent album cover for Countach (JUST LOOK AT IT -- IT HAS FALKOR WITH A MACHINE GUN FOR CRIPES SAKE), I knew this one was going to be further "out there" than he'd ever been before. As I listened to it, my first thought was, "Yeah this is weird." and my second thought was, "but it totally works." From what I've seen, that's even the consensus from people who get paid to have thoughts about music. So congratulations, Shooter Jennings.

Ultimately, what this boils down to is how much you want to hear a cover of The NeverEnding Story sung by Brandi Carlile. The answer is very much.

The Week Ahead 7.11.16

Allen has returned from his beach vacation looking like a bronze Adonis and that means it's time to get back to work at WSF HQ.

Tuesday

Talk Hard is back! We hope you enjoyed your week to get caught up on the podcast. Be glad you did, because the newest episode is a rip-roaring ride of good times and machismo. I can promise some details on Al's vacation, but trust me; this episode is going to go places you did not expect and you might like it. Or you might be disturbed. Either way, you'll want to listen.

Wednesday

An album review on a film blog? Sort of. Get over it. You'll understand when you read it.

Weds/Thurs

We'll be recording at least one, and as many as three, episodes of Talk Hard. One of which we hope will be our first interview.

Friday

You may or may not receive your second podcast episode of the week. We have to play these things by ear, you know. You tell us, do you like more than one episode in a week?

Filmmaking Updates

Being that this is an indie film site, some of you might like to keep track of what we're up to behind the camera. So... Henceforth, you can hear detailed stories of every shoot and updates on every production in our Tales From the Field segment on the Talk Hard podcast. We'll also supplement those stories right here on the blog with pictures and whatnot.

Normally, Tales will be a segment on the show when we have something in the works. But this time, it was an entire episode of talk about production on the Todd Sheene joint, Rural Legend. And Allen digs deep into our perceived roles within the group.

So don't be shy, click on over to the Talk Hard page or, better yet, go ahead and subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

Random Film Thoughts #6

Willy Wonka's limping entrance and flip is a magic moment and has to be one of the greatest actor-devised scenes in film history.

The Story

After reading the script, Gene Wilder said he would take the role of Willy Wonka under one condition: that he would be allowed to limp, then suddenly somersault in the scene when he first meets the children. When the director asked why, Gene Wilder replied that having Wonka do this meant that "from that time on, no one will know if I'm lying or telling the truth."

So, not just the spectacle of it, but the thought behind it. It's brilliant storytelling and the type that only movies can produce. This is our first glimpse of Wonka. He's a complete mystery, not only to all the characters in the film, but the audience as well. His walk, allowed to play out in full from door to gate, is slow and controlled. His limp plays into many of the rumors we've heard about the chocolatier. And then suddenly, after he loses his cane... a fall, a flip, and the carefully developed tension instantly turns into whimsy. Wonka becomes fascinating from his very first moment.