The Q Filmcast

Up next in the Q is the (1995) Jim Jarmusch classic   DEAD MAN   starring Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer and a ridiculously fantastic posse of cameos! This exquisite noir western tells the tale of  William Blake (Depp), a newly-orphaned accountant who leaves his home in Cleveland to accept a job in the frontier town of Machine. Upon his arrival, Blake is told by the factory owner Dickenson that the job has already been filled. Dejectedly, he enters a nearby tavern, ultimately spending the night with a former prostitute. A violent altercation with the woman's lover ,also Dickinson's son, leaves Blake a murderer as well as mortally wounded, a bullet lodged dangerously close to his heart. He flees into the wilderness, where a Native American named Nobody (Farmer) mistakes Blake for the English poet William Blake and determines that he will be Blake's guide in his protracted passage into the spirit world while a band of ruthless hired guns are close behind.

This week in the Q is the (1971) granny gone wild cult classic   HAROLD  MAUDE   from director Hal Ashby. This over the top black comedy tells the tale of Harold, played by the iconic Bud Cort, a wealthy 17 year old who insecurities with death keeps him on the verge of emotional collapse. He spends his time staging elaborate suicide tableaux to get the attention of his mother, but she JUST  keeps planning his inescapable future for him instead. Obsessed with the trappings of death, Harold freaks out his blind dates, modifies his new sports car to look like a mini-hearse, and attends funerals, where he meets the spirited Maude, played by the classic Ruth Gordon, an eccentric  to the core 79 year old! Maude lives exactly as she pleases, with avid collecting and nude modeling among her many pursuits. To the disgust of Harold's relatives and the befuddlement of Harold's shrink, Harold falls in love with her. As lilting Cat Stevens tunes play on the soundtrack, Maude teaches Harold a valuable lesson about making the most of his time on earth

LISTENER APPRECIATION EPISODE Up next in the Q is the much talked about    I SAW THE DEVIL    as requested By Kelly O'Neill from Edmonton Alberta. This shockingly violent and stunningly accomplished tale of murder and revenge from Korean genre master KIM Jee-woon stars Oldboy's CHOI Min-sik who plays  a demented psychopath who kills for pleasure. The embodiment of pure evil, he has committed horrifying and senselessly cruel serial murders on defenseless victims, successfully eluding capture by the police. On a freezing, snowy night, his latest victim is the beautiful Ju-yeon, daughter of a retired police chief and pregnant fiancée of elite special agent Soo-hyun. Obsessed with revenge, Soo-hyun decides to track down the murderer, even if doing so means becoming a monster himself. And when he finds Kyung-chul, turning him in to the authorities is the last thing on his mind. The lines between good and evil fall away in this diabolically twisted game of cat and mouse -pushing the concept of revenge to its most extreme limits... Not for the squeemish, perfect for the conversation!  

SADDLE UP! This week we set out to discuss the under appreciated Will Ferrell película (as some may say)   CASA DE MI PADRE    Set in Mexico and completely told in Spanish, we hear the tale of  Armando (Will Ferrell), who has lived and worked on his father's ranch his entire life. As the ranch encounters financial difficulties, Armando's younger brother Raul, shows up with his new fiancé, Sonia. It seems that Raul's success as an international businessman means the ranch's troubles are over as he pledges to settle all debts his father has incurred. But when Armando falls for Sonia, and Raul's business dealings turn out to be less than legit, all hell breaks loose as they find themselves in a war with Mexico's most feared drug lord, the mighty Onza! Completely rompus, and ridiculously ironic, Casa De Mi Padre is anything but subtle. Fake mannequins and perfecto accents - throw in an epic love scene and see what happens! We also break down our "Top 3 Nude Scenes we wish we'd NEVER Seen", as inspired by endless NALGAS!

SPECIAL EDITION BONUS DIDN'T SEE IT COMING EPISODE!!!In what is sure to be a yearly tradition, we offer up our first ever "Q'Sker" awards! The five of us gathered in secret to breakdown the best and worst of the films we've Queued up the past year. Listen as we unapologetically pass judgement on both the films AND each other! From Best Picture to Best 'Splosion, we have you covered - from thrilling upsets (yea, why not), to shocking wardrobe malfunctions, it's all here... Yep, THE Q-SKERS! Where the only shinny little men are the ones talking.

NERD ALERT!!! Up next it's COMPUTER CHESS the completely BIZARRE yet strangely alluring (2013) film from Writer/Director Andrew Bujalski. Set over the course of a weekend tournament for chess software programmers thirty-some years ago, COMPUTER CHESS transports us to a nostalgic moment when the contest between technology and the human spirit seemed a little more up for grabs. Delightfully retro and oddly humorous, Bujalski takes us down a rabbit hole of head scratching turns and offers a conclusion that may just question artificial intelligence as we know it and what it may mean to us in the future. It's as odd a film as you'll see this year! Check it out, see if we put the pieces together.

Up next in the Q it's   GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS   the much appreciated (1992) stage to screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning play from David Mamet. Times are tough in a Chicago real-estate office; the salesmen are given a strong incentive by Blake to succeed in a sales contest. The prizes? First prize is a Cadillac El Dorado, second prize is a set of steak knives, third prize is you're fired! There is no room for losers in this dramatically masculine world, only CLOSERS! Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Jonathan Pryce, Kevin Spacey and Alec Balwin lead an all star ensamble thru the world of high pressure sales and the temptations that come with it... So, put the coffee down and listen here to see if you can buy what we're sellin'! We also offer up our Top 3 Movies Ensambles as well.

This week we duke it out with   BRONSON    the (2008) Nicolas Winding Refn film staring Tom Hardy. This blistering true life tale tells the story of Michael Peterson, one of the U.K.'s most notorious prisoners. Desperate for notoriety, Peterson takes his 34 year sentence (most in solitary) on a joy ride as he sheds his former existence for another - Peterson the boy, fades away and 'Charles Bronson,' his superstar alter ego, takes center stage. But who is the real man behind the warped persona? It's the story of a Savage, queued up by a "Savage"- Listen as we discuss the film that brought both Refn and Hardy to the forefront.

SIGHTSEERS the (2012) film from director Ben Wheatley is where we're going next! This twisted little dark comedy staring Alice Lowe and Steve Oram takes us through the British Isles in an Abbey Oxford Caravan. Longing for tranquility and self awarness, Tina and Chris set out to let it all go - but as the miles wear on, and inner voices takes over, we soon find out just how much these two misfits bring out the worst in one another. Before it's all over, litterbugs, noisy teenagers and Tina's meddling mother, will conspire to send them, and anyone in their way, over a very jagged edge

This week we Queue up the (2012) critically acclaimed charmer FRANCES HA! the Noah Baumbach directed film peeks into the life of Frances, a twenty something who lives in New York, but she doesn't really have an apartment, is an apprentice for a dance company, but she's not really a dancer, has a best friend named Sophie, but they aren't really speaking anymore. Frances throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as their possible reality dwindles. Frances wants so much more than she has but lives her life with unaccountable joy and lightness! Check us out next week to see JUST how on board we are with one of the more talked about indy films from that year.

DEATHSTALKER! Cue the cod pieces! We're taking on the ridiculous (1983) cult film staring Richard Hill and Barbie Benton. This sweat drenched sword and sorcery romp has it all! Pig mutants, magic, evil warlocks, scantily clad damsels, sword fights, goblins and 25 cent wardrobe budgets. It's outrageous - truly, truly outrageous (Seriously Michael, you don't remember JEM?). Sometimes you just can't resist a truly AWSOME movie poster, and that's certainly the case here!

This week we have an appointment with HOLY MOTORS The highly acclaimed French avant garde film from writer/director Leos Carax. Nearly indescribable and ultimately mesmerizing, it tells the tale of Monsieur Oscar, a shadowy character who journeys from one life to the next. He is, in turn, captain of industry, assassin, beggar, monster, family man. He seems to be playing roles, plunging headlong into each part - but where are the cameras? Monsieur Oscar is alone, accompanied only by Céline, the slender blonde woman behind the wheel of the vast engine that transports him through and around Paris. Strange and willfully perverse, Holy Motors offers an unforgettable visual feast alongside a spellbinding and unapologetic narrative...We do our best to peel this one back with some help from Savage, who may have just figured this whole thing out.

Episode 23, Our attempt to class it all up takes us to Denmark as we queue up the 1990 stage to screen adaptation of ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD! From writer/director Tom Stoppard - Staring Gary Oldman, Tim Roth and Richard Dreyfuss. Told as a tale of Shakespearean origin from a skewed and unexpected perspective, two relatively minor characters from Hamlet take center stage as they try to determine the source of the prince's tortured despair. Along the way, the duo ponders the question of fate as their predetermined roles are played out. Meanwhile, they dabble in a little verbal tennis and some ill-advised science experiments... In other words, Roth & Oldman deliver Shakespear in a round about way while Richard Dreyfuss pulls the strings. And yes, that was his ACTUAL HAIR! Flocked and locked!

This week we let Adam drive the car as we Queue up the 2012 Horror Film THE POSSESSION . Here's what you have - A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, young girl is unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit, young girl's father teams with his ex-wife and a band of heroic Orthodox Jews to find a way to end the curse upon their child. In other words, its about "A Possession". Creepy music, contorted limbs, and Kyra Sedgwick - it all there! We also get into our TOP 3 "Evil Film Artifacts"... Should be "spirited affair" (get it?)

MARWENCOL - It's where we're heading this week as we queue up the heartfelt documentary from 2010 about the life of artist Mark Hogencamp. After a vicious attack leaves him brain-damaged and broke, Hogancamp seeks recovery in "Marwencol", a 1/6th scale World War II era town he creates in his backyard. Inspiring and fascinating, Marwencol depicts its subject with heartfelt tenderness, raising poignant questions about art and personal tragedy. Small in scale, large in everything else - Kinda like this podcast!