The Cult of Matt and Mark

And we're back! This week Matt and Mark review the rip-roaring high seas adventure film Master and Commander The Far Side of the World. Doing storytelling justice, MACTFSOFTW teases out just the right tidbits to flesh out full characters, reflecting and contrasting persona to add depth without bruising the script purple with unneeded conversation. Matt discloses his spiteful appetite for minke whale while both Matt and Mark relish in the blood and splinters visceral nature of Napoleanic tall-ship combat, a form of war rarely depicted in an era of the modern shoot 'em up. Download: 084 Master and Commander

An epic podcast by Matt and Mark this go around and perhaps our longest (depending on editing). Viewing the Jack and Miles characters as two side of the same addiction-addled coin (strange-women/alcohol ...respectively), we discuss the chemistry of the unlikely duo. In addition, Matt waxes hypocritically on the snobbishness of wine aficionados while defending his Scotch addiction. Sympathies abound with the struggling novelists plight as well (please by my novel Nova Byzantium, coming out in October via Masque Books). Download: 083 Sideways

Inspiring a whole sub-genre of mystical East Coast hip hop, the 5 deadly venoms is the epitome of classic kung fu pulp. Matt indulges his nostalgia, championing the cheesy sound affects and bad dub, while Mark gives a more adult sub-titled perspective. With an arguably nebulous plot, the premise is solid but that's not really the point. This is a stunt show, similar to professional wrestling, with all the fake blood and melodrama of Hulk Hogan's turn to the "dark side." Download:  082 The Five Deadly Venoms

Adios Red Rock! This week Matt and Mark review the neo-noir western Red Rock West directed by John Dahl. A fairly straight up review, Matt waxes nostalgic for a Wyoming perhaps more intriguing than ever experienced while Mark gives us a virgin-eyed view of this early 90's classic. All actors are in top form including an non-inebriated/non-crazy Nick Cage and the ever wily Dennis Hopper. So kick up your cowboy boots, grab yourself a bottle of Bud and a shot of Jim Beam, and enjoy... Download:  081 Red Rock West

Chinatown... not so much a place as it is an unknowable reality which Jake Gittes attempts to understand when he follows John Huston's Noah Cross down his amoral rabbit hole. Steeped in classic film noir tropes, Chinatown isn't so much an homage as it is a synthesis of the classics. The water-tight script has been called the "greatest script ever" by film scholars and it's hard to argue otherwise, although Mark manages to point some a few ambiguous inconsistencies. Polanski, familiar with the abyss himself, takes us on a tour. Download: 080 Chinatown

In 1985 Steven Spielberg conjured the kids' film Goonies from his bag of money-making tricks and garnered a cult following among the adolescents of the day (Matt and Mark included). Set in the rainy berg of Astoria, Oregon, Goonies is an Indiana Jones for juniors. Mark takes issue with fat kid stereotypes but gives the film cred for its realistic fraternal relationships, while Matt reminisces about the 80's style water parks. But all in all, we still must fault Spielberg for his hallmark emotional manipulation even though he let's adolescent kids crack sex jokes and say "shit", something verboten in today's young adult film market.  Download: 079 Goonies

A film that somehow usurps its lead actor and director by its supporting performances and screenwriting, True Romance was quintessential 90's cool. Quentin Tarantino, as writer, is at the heart of this updated Bonnie and Clyde story, where comic book nerds leap from their lowly low-paying clerk status into the realm of mobsters, Hollywood coke kings, and the FBI, all the while sweeping blonde bombshells off their feet. What's not to love!? Mark and Matt both indulge this highway fantasy, while Mark discusses what cosmic alignment must occur for him to entertain the idea of procreation. Download: 078 True Romance

George Lucus's debut feature THX 1138 was one of the first and last Zoetrope films to be produced by Francis Ford Coppola's nascent production company. Before Star Wars and the ILM empire was founded, Lucas cut his chops on true Sci-Fi themes in this dystopic 1984 story revised for the 60's/70's bomb-shelter generation. Matt and Mark digest the themes of the film, embellished by a haunting sound track and stark sterile visuals. Both agree this is rock-solid sci-fi which mainstream film rarely dabbles in and few get right. Download:  077 THX 1138

Attempting to expand our listenership to the sub-continent of India, Matt and Mark review the #1 Indian cult film of all time, Sholay! A movie that leverages familiar tropes of western film to create what is called the "masala" Curry Western, director G.P. Sippy provides a bit of something for everybody. Having little exposure to Bollywood film-making, we both feel that if you're going to start somewhere, Sholay is the place. Now throw your arms in the air, like you just don't care!.... uhm... not you Thakur.... yeah, yeah... we know. Download: 076 Sholay

Damn, it's good to be a gangster! Matt and Mark review the 1999 cult classic Office Space by Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge. An existential film if there ever was one, Office Space mines the heart of darkness lurking in the quiet desperation of our ubiquitous industrial parks. In lamenting the soullessness of modern corporate life, Judge releases subtle comedic gold. We've all met Lawrences and Lumbergs, but Judge is able to introduce you to these archetypes deftly and without the heavy-handedness typical of more mainstream Hollywood comedies. Download: 075 Office Space

Mark's virgin viewing of the high-concept classic Jaws, from sophomore director Steven Spielberg. Mark gets to the heart of his prejudice against Spielberg and tries not to bring his baggage into the review, but we both find it fairly hard to defend the director's later efforts. Despite his reliance on emotional claptrap, Spielberg delivers a terrifying fish story held tight by the superb acting trio of Scheider, Dreyfuss, and Shaw. Download: 074 Jaws

You miss them until they're gone... such is the paradox of the ephemeral and beautiful teenage girl. This week Matt and Mark try to get to the bottom of a film that admits it has no answers, Sophia Coppala's The Virgin Suicides. An extremely evocative film, it deftly plays with the idealism of youth juxtaposed to the tarnished mediocrity of adulthood, allowing you only brief empathetic glimpses into the life of adolescent girls. Download: 073 The Virgin Suicides

The originator of the first cinematic fart joke, Mel Brooks hits his farcical stride in the 1974 film Blazing Saddles. Exploiting exploitation itself, Brooks manages to charm his audiences with the absurdity of our shameful national history. Both making fun of the Old West and the titular film genre of the 50's and 60's, Brooks uses every gag known to man, making its cheap laughs nearly transcendent. So fix yourself a plate of beans and a pot of coffee and join in on the gastrointestinal hilarity. Download: 072 Blazing Saddles

Another world! ... Another time! This week Matt and Mark review the Jim Henson Frank Oz puppet show masterpiece The Dark Crystal. A marvel of classic special effects, TDC proves to be an evocative film minus its human-free celluloid. Marketed as a children's movie, it challenges youthful sensibility with a touch of Grimm's fairy tales, and in so doing, gives its viewer the benefit of the doubt. So forget James Cameron's heavily borrowed Pandora and settle in to the more imaginative world of The Dark Crystal. Download: 071 The Dark Crystal

Matt and Mark delve into the big-boobed world of Russ Meyers this week when we review the 1965 cult classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! We attempt to explore the feminist angle of FPKK by juxtaposing the Varla character with the typical male-dominated action roles. What we get is an interesting hyperbole of exaggerated misogyny that may speak more truth then most men can admit. Download:  070 Faster Pussycat!