The Cult of Matt and Mark
Summary: A discussion of cult films by two guys located in a basement somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Matt holds a B.S. and M.S. in Physics, and works as an aerospace engineer. Mark holds a B.S. in biochemistry and works as a research technician... both are graduates of Snohomish High School Class of 91/92 respectiviely, none of which qualifies them to discuss film in any meaningful way... so... "caveat emptor" and all that.
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- Artist: Matthew Rivett and Mark Hudson
Podcasts:
We enter the "slightly heightened reality" of Wes Anderson in his breakthrough 1998 film Rushmore. Beyond its illusionary comedic mantle lies a darker film that explores the limitations of youthful hubris and the facade of success. Jason Schwartzman, at the age of 17, offers an outstanding performance as the punkish Max Fischer, while Bill Murray plays his foil as only Bill Murray truly can. Enjoy! Download: 008 Rushmore by Wes Anderson
Interzone awaits in this week's film review, The Naked Lunch by David Chronenberg, released in 1991. A biopic like none-other, we take a glimpse into the drug addled world of the beat generation's number one author, William S Burroughs. Despite its homoerotic phantasmagoria and post-modern cut-up nature, we both come to the conclusion that the film is more or less a straight forward narrative of a tortured soul. The Naked Lunch stars an outstanding Peter Weller as William Lee, Judy Davis as Joan Lee/Frost, Ian Holm, Julian Sands, and the late Roy Scheider. Enjoy! Download: 007 The Naked Lunch by David Chronenberg
We review the certified cult classic Dark City by Alex Proyas (released in 1998) in this week's episode. While both admitting this film is an amazing, groundbreaking, and influential piece of cinema, we spend a great deal of time discussing the film's theme (and our minor confusion thereof...) with a bit of nitpicking... perhaps undeservedly. Avoiding the usual scene-by-scene breakdown (we leave that up to Roger Ebert's excellent DVD commentary), we instead stick to 'big picture' concepts in the film. I tout its Sci-Fi street cred, while Mark begs to differ... Dark City stars Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, and William Hurt. Enjoy! Download: 006 Dark City by Alex Proyas
In this week's episode, we review the 90's postmodern/psychedelic western Dead Man, by indie film director Jim Jarmusch. Both of us agree this is an exceptional film and ground breaking in its re-interpretation of what could be considered a bygone genre, the western. Packed with notable personalities, Jarmusch offers a beautiful sequence of vignettes, that unto themselves, requires little context. Filmed on location in our native Northwest, we attempt to add a little local flavor to the discussion. Dead Man stars the ever adventurous Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, awesomely weird Crispin Glover, Lance Henricksen, legend Iggy Pop, Michael Wincott, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfred Molina, John Hurt, and late western icon Robert Mitchum. Enjoy! Download: 005 Dead Man by Jim Jarmusch
In this week's episode we review the 70's Sci-Fi cult classic Logan's Run. Unfortunately nostalgia for the post-hippie free love and drugs era wasn't enough to stave off the plot holes and silliness of this far out mind blower. In the end, Matt and Mark both decide Logan and his young attractive city dwellers were better off dying at 30. Logan's Run was directed by Michael Anderson and stars Michael York, Jenny Agutter, Richard Jordan, and Peter Ustinov. Enjoy! Download: 004 Logan's Run by Michael Anderson
We up the production value with a little bumper music courtesy of Dan-O at www.danosongs.com while adding in a little Ebert-esque intro clip. In this week's episode, we discuss the seminal cult classic Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, a cult movie if there ever was one. Mad Max 2: TRW was a watershed moment for action film and the post apocalyptic fiction in general. It literally defined the look and feel of the genre. The Road Warrior was written and directed by George Miller and stars the volatile and never boring Mel Gibson. Enjoy... 003 Mad Max 2 - The Road Warrior
This week we review An American Werewolf in London by John Landis released in 1981, an excellent early eighties example of camp/comedy horror that would lead the way for such classics as Evil Dead II. Matt laments the current state of CGI and the blight of Stephen Meyer's Twilight and its dismal degradation of werewolves and the horror genre in general. Enjoy! 002 An American Werewolf in London by John Landis
In our inaugural episode we attempt to untangle the byzantine plot of David Lynch's Lost Highway and are marginally successful. Lost Highway stars Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, Robert Blake, Robert Loggia, and Henry Rollins. Download: 001 Lost Highway by David Lynch
