45 thoughts on “Movie Podcast Weekly Ep. 054: Gravity (2013)”

1. Hey guys! Great show as always.

   Josh: Kino put out a very good edition of NOSFERATU, but what I’m really anticipating is the Blu-Ray that’s coming in November of this year. Here’s a link to it on Amazon:

   http://www.amazon.com/Nosferatu-Classics-2-Disc-Remastered-Blu-ray/dp/B00EO2I6RO/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1381235550&sr=1-1&keywords=nosferatu+blu

   The movie is being remastered, and it’s a 2-disc collector’s set. Thanks to a recent Amazon gift card I received, this is already bought & paid for. Can’t wait to check this one out!

   And I will definitely be picking up a copy of CLEANFLIX to add to the collection!

   Again, great show, guys! I’m going to see GRAVITY on Thursday afternoon. After your review, I’m really looking forward to it.

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   • Thanks, Dave. Knew we could count on you!

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2. I can understand placing Breaking Bad second to The Wire, but to me Breaking Bad has surpassed The Wire as the Greatest Series of all time. The Wire is certainly more complex and rewards concentrated viewing, but does not lend itself to casual viewing. Breaking Bad rewards casual viewing but there are still additional rewards for detailed analysis. Still in the end, the story, characters, acting, and the production quality puts Breaking Bad on top of The Wire for me.

   Given what Ive heard regarding Josh’s reviews, I’m a bit surprised Josh disliked Breaking Bad so much. Yes the characters evolved into “scummy, disgusting, depraved” characters, but wasn’t The wire also 60 hours with similarly scummy, disgusting and depraved characters? What is really the difference between Meth and crack? The Wire is a classic example of an Anti-Hero series. Even the so called “good guys” are deeply flawed, and what the wire does so well is make you sympathize and understand the motivations behind these flawed characters.

   The most popular characters on The Wire are Stringer Bell and Omar, both drug dealing murderers, I cant really see how Breaking Bad is that different. I wonder if the commercial success of Breaking Bad has steered Josh’s opinion on the series. The Wire had more critical praise and less commercial success which may have attracted Josh more to the Wire. Breaking Bad is the rare series that gets better with each passing season – Josh if you’ve only seen through season two, the best is yet to come. Would you have the same opinion of the Wire if you only saw the first two seasons? I know I wouldn’t have liked the Wire close to as much viewing only two seasons, It takes all 5 for everything to come together and then you have the real picture and the real payoff.

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   • Okay … It is time to clear up some confusion out there. This isn’t directed just at you, Chad, but I’m getting tired of people saying that I don’t like something because it was financially successful. That’s like saying Jason didn’t like Upstream Color because it was an indie. It just comes down to taste. And further (I can’t believe that I am now wearing this as a badge of pride), I watch tons of mainstream crap all the time. I watch Survivor–the grand daddy of reality television. I just don’t like Breaking Bad.

     This is why I was anxious when Jason brought it up in the first place. I wasn’t going to crap on it. I know people like it. I can see a certain level of technical and artistic achievement. But it is not enough to overcome the things I dislike about the show, namely, I don’t like the characters and I don’t like the world it exists in. I don’t know why. I took a guess that it had to do with the scumminess of the characters, but you are right, Chad, that I watch plenty of things with scummy characters. I watch Eastbound and Down fro cripe’s sake. I love anti-heroes from Han Solo to Larry David. And I love horror movies, which are filled with unlikeable characters, top to bottom.

     One thing is that I am particularly turned off by drug culture, though. I have had and have disliked my real life interactions with both druggies and drug dealers. I have always been suspicious of druggie movies. For example, it took me a decade to come around to The Big Lebowski because it was a movie my stoner high school friends were into. Now, it is one of my favorite films of all time, but I had a prejudice I had to get over. I still hate films like Scarface and Blow and True Romance. I struggled with films such as Pineapple Express and Jackie Brown but eventually liked them in spite of myself. Others such as Traffic and City of God were so good that there was no denying them (but I don’t think Breaking Bad is anywhere near City of God level).

     Maybe it was living in Amsterdam for two years and all of the depravity I saw there first hand. Maybe it is that meth in New Mexico is just too close to home. I’m just guessing. With The Wire, I feel like I am getting a peek into a culture I don’t know. With Breaking Bad I feel like I am seeing an aggrandizing representation of a world that I feel like I do know and rings false. I may think The Wire rings false too if I lived in Baltimore, but at least I know that the creator was a journalist who spent years on the Baltimore streets with these stories. And I don’t think The Wire is the end all be all, I was just using Stringer Bell as an example of another great performance to push Jason’s buttons. And you are right, my favorite season of The Wire was the public schools section, not the drugs section, but at least The Wire had me hooked after the first season.

     I probably came off sounding preachy. I was mostly kidding around with Jason. Basically, I just don’t like the way the show makes me feel. I’d rather spend that time watching something I enjoy, be it art or entertainment. And that’s subjective. But I also can’t stand to have my point of view written off because of something like the financial or critical success of a show. If I did that, I would be an a**hole. Plain and simple. I don’t want to take away the enjoyment of others or even have this conversation. I wouldn’t have brought it up had Jason not asked and then Pandora’s Box was opened. I’m happy to let others enjoy it, but I don’t think it is good enough to spend my time watching or talking about it. Nothing against you, Chad. Just felt like I had to clear that up.

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     • Good response Josh – I did figure that my comment would illicit a response from you and I did intend it as a bit of a good natured ribbing (just because it seems to be something your co-hosts like to do to you).

       Incidentally Josh – I respect your expertise, and do align with your recommendations and am more likely to watch a film you recommend than the other hosts. I am still into the mainstream fare, but have been gaining an appreciation over the past few years of more art house and independent films. As I do this I cant help but be put off by some of the mainstream stuff. I’m sure we could agree on many great movies.

       I do get what you mean with not liking drug movies – I still have never come around on Big Lebowski, and really hated Trainspotting, Fear and Loathing etc. After reading your explanation I also get why someone would not like Breaking Bad but still have high regards for The Wire – I almost quit watching Breaking Bad myself after the 4th or 5th episode (with the bathtub scene). Those first episodes had a very dark feel to me. Whenever I tell someone they should watch Breaking Bad I always qualify it with “you have to watch through about 8 episodes or so” My wife quit for a while after the bathtub scene, but came back after “The Cousins” shootout in the parking lot. She went back and watched prior episodes after that.

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       • Thanks, Chad. And again, that wasn’t directed at you, just inspired by you. Just wanted to set the record straight from my point of view.

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3. @Chad and Josh:
   Chad’s comment on The Wire vs. Breaking Bad is brilliant. Indeed, Chad has inspired me to take on a personal challenge that I have been tempted to do, but now I’m definitely going to do it: I’m going to re-watch both series and conduct an in-depth compare-and-contrast to truly assess for myself which one is better. I need to know. I’ve said The Wire (maybe because an episode in Season 3 literally had me on my feet dancing!), but Breaking Bad is so close, I should probably figure it out for sure. But I’ll need to have access to both series and watch one episode every single night in a row. Yes, I’m sort of nuts…

   Josh — I don’t know why you’re being so defensive about Chad’s comment. Here is an example: On this very episode, when I said I was seeing “Captain Phillips” during the wrap-up, you clearly did not want to see it. You wanted to look for some outlier film. But that’s not the only time you’ve opted not to review the big blockbuster movie. Does that mean you’re against financially successful movies? No, you never say that outright or explicitly, but what are we all to take from your apparent aversion to big-budget fare?

   And here’s the real question: So what if you were opposed to financially successful movies? I don’t believe you are, but even if you were, what’s so bad about that? I’m generally opposed to: dramas, slow-burns and political movies. So? I’m not ashamed…

   Obviously, these are all our opinions, and our opinions are all subjective. It’s a matter of taste and to each his own, etc.

   But … you’re wrong when it comes to Breaking Bad. : ) ha ha

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   • I had simply not even heard of of Captain Phillips. Honestly. But your description, “Tom Hanks pirate movie” is what turned me off. Also, as you know, I am trying to watch Halloween-themed movies in October.

     But as for the larger question, if there is any truth to it, it is that I am initially skeptical of what the studios are bringing us because I know that for them it is about money first and art second. For the same reason, I am usually open to smaller films because I know that they are usually about the art first and the money second.

     Now, that is a bias going in. But IT IS NOT THE SAME as what Chad is saying (or what you are saying regarding slow-burns). What his comment suggests is that I actually watched it and still didn’t like it because too many other people did. That is ludicrous and was brought up (I hope as a joke) by Keith in episode 52, something that we talked about privately but wasn’t resolved for the audience (by group consensus). I simply saw this was a good opportunity to clear that up amongst our most active listeners. This most certainly isn’t an attack on Chad.

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     • Josh – I should also take the challenge of watching The Wire and Breaking bad again – Not sure I have the time for that commitment though I still have a bunch of movies I have bought that I have not seen yet! I may change my opinion after a re-watch – I watched the Wire once, but I watched very carefully and even took notes (first and only time I’ve done that).

       By the way after the rave reviews of Gravity, I may have to go check that out in the theater. Its not often I’ll go to the theater and prefer to wait to watch at home, but in this case I may have to go check it out.

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       • With a theater like yours, I understand, but you should really try and make it out to this .. and definitely in 3D. As much as I worry about over-selling a movie like this, I’m pretty confident you won’t regret it.

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         • I’m going to try and go see Gravity this weekend. Josh, I was wondering if you have seen Herzogs Cave of Forgotten Dreams in 3D? If not that is another one that you should come and see sometime in the theater. I’m generally am not that excited about 3D, but Cave of Forgotten Dreams is a good example of a good use of 3D. It gives a better perspective of how they used they contours of the cave for their paintings.

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     • By the way – Part of the impetus of my comment was the heated comments after episode 52 that you referenced. There were some interesting comments directed at Josh started by Karl if I am not mistaken, that resulted in a bunch of comments posted (which are now removed). Being a somewhat new listener, my assumption was that this ribbing was “part of the show”, but given the fact that the comments were removed, maybe my comments were not taken in that light. By the way – I think it is hilarious when you guys disagree, (Upstream Color, Pain & Gain etc.)

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       • Ribbing is absolutely fine. The problem in Episode 52 for me was that it was pretty harsh, untrue in my opinion, and happened when I wasn’t on the show to respond. We’ve mended our fences, it was all in good fun, but because those comments were erased (along with 1 hour of podcasting, BTW) I felt a need to make a comment.

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4. P.S. No fair, Josh… By the time I had written and posted my comment above, you had revised your initial post.

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   • So, revise yours. Haha.

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5. Again, I personally wouldn’t call The Wire the greatest series of all time, but when it comes to reflecting the real world, this is why I think The Wire is the straight dope: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87940925

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6. You guys are all evil. Evil evil evil! You all went to see gravity, then asking the listeners to go see runner runner, and write review for it?

   I am going to see gravity in IMAX this Saturday by the way, guys. And to josh, miss congeniality is above average comedy and my standard is quite high. You really should check that one out and talk about it in next weeks.

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   • Haha. That is hilarious. That really is quite evil.

     I will check out Miss Congeniality on your recommendation, Que, but only once October is over. I’ve got a lot of scary movies to catch up on and my wife will only partake with me in October.

     Enjoy Gravity!

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     • By the way I know we already have a Shining/Room 237 double feature planned, but I also have the new 30th anniversary blu-ray of Halloween that is begging to be watched I am also really interested in seeing Escape from Tomorrow which is supposed to be available for VOD streaming at the same time as the theatrical release. So i may do a night this month to watch Escape from Tomorrow if you guys are interested.

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       • A Halloween screening in October is always a must for me. Dying to see Escape from Tomorrow. That would be a good double feature with the upcoming Magic Kingdom, but who knows when that will be out. Maybe Exit From the Gift Shop instead?

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     • By the way, I am in Sydney Australia, and IMAX session gravity for 2 adults cost $65 dollars. This is before lunch, soda or popcorn.

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       • Ouch.

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7. What a boring mess boys give up this calamity of a cast it bites. Gravity spavity

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   • So unaccustomed are we to criticism that you have people doubting the veracity of your comments and identity. I’m not sure if you are saying that we are a boring mess or Gravity is, but either way, I can see how someone could have that perspective. I for one, was very unorganized during this conversation and I am a little worried that we may have been gushing a little too much over Gravity, but it was a totally unique experience. So, sorry if we over-sold it or if our review was all over the place. Having said that, I am just starting to really enjoy myself on this thing and have no intention of giving it up. I will keep doing it until I am at least boring myself. Take comfort in the fact that you don’t have to listen, though.

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8. WOW! — This comment thread has more people than my high school!

   Thanks for writing, Everybody.

   Also: Josh, I want to second — and back — what Que said about Miss Congeniality. It’s surprisingly endearing for a light, popcorn comedy. Good stuff.

   @Que — $65 is a crime, but I’d still say it’s worth it for “Gravity.” My wife saw it in IMAX 3D today, and she loved it, too.

   @Chad — Very observant. Yep, we started a battle in the comments with a plan to battle it out “in the ring” on the podcast. We indeed recorded a 58-minute Battle Royale, but I decided to cut it altogether because it just wasn’t entertaining upon re-listening to it and it killed the flow of the show. I know that’s hard to believe (because I like to hear people battle on podcasts, too), but it just wasn’t very good content, honestly. When I asked the guys what they thought, they all agreed that I should cut it. And since we had referenced this battle in comments, I thought we’d just cut it all out since it all went unanswered. It’s one thing to hear hosts battle for 5 minutes or so, but after an hour, it’s like beating a dead horse. : ) So, that’s what happened. Great catch!

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9. Another Sandra Bullock movie that worth checking out is ‘ murder by number’.

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   • That features a crazy Ryan Gosling performance, with a face lick to boot.

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10. @Luke — Yours sounds like one of those BillChete comments…

    Two questions, “Luke”:

    1. Did you even see “Gravity”? I suspect you haven’t. 10 out of 10. You should give it a chance.

    2. And when you say “calamity of a cast,” are you referring to the cast of “Gravity” (Bullock and Clooney), or were you using the cool kat abbreviation for “podcast”?

    Thanks for commenting.
    Jason (aka Jay of the Dead)

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11. @Luke Try using some punctuation. I find it (the antecedent is “punctuation”) helps to properly convey a message. Also, when commenting on a podcast dedicated to movies, you should probably take the extra split second and type out “podcast” if you mean the “podcast.”

    Thanks for listening.

    @Que Wow. $65 for IMAX viewing for two seems ridiculous. Is there that large of a disparity between US prices and Aussie prices for all films?

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    • Didn’t these two went out dating for a little while after this movie? Cute tales.

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    • Here in sydney normal ticket for a movie is $17.5, a few bucks extra for 3d. There are premium theatres that come with sofa seats that cost $25 per ticket. Tuesdays are the cheap days where $17.5 drops to $12.5.

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      • Son. Of. A. Bitch! For those prices – not only should it come with soft seats – it should come with 2 hookers, a steak dinner and an apology!

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        • Correct. Here if you take a girl to a movie you need to advancing bases; and if you see movies twice in cinema, that means LOVE.

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          • I saw Lord of the Rings – Return of the King in the Odeon in Leicester Square in London and tickets were 18.50 GBP (in 2003). At the time the GBP to USD conversion rate was about 2 to 1 so that movie cost me over $35.

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12. Hello Everybody,

    I just wanted to give my two cents about Gravity.

    I LOVED IT! I give it 10 out of 10 and highly recommend seeing it in theaters. (To be honest, what choice did I really have with my rating, the podcast boys would never let me guest on their podcast again if I didn’t agree with them.)

    And even though it might not be everybody’s cup of tea, I feel strongly that it is a great example of high quality film-making and is worth supporting or at least seeing it once.

    On a much lighter note, who needs Breaking Bad or The Wire, when you can binge watch “The Carrie Diaries” on The CW Network. Honestly, I don’t know how Carrie managed to get through her mother’s death at such a young age and still turn out so well and balanced. I give her mad props!

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    • Haha. And I’ll take a good old fashion Hee Haw rerun over The Carrie Diaries any day. Now if it was Stephen King’s Carrie Diaries, that would be a different story.

      I was planning on giving your number rating on the podcast for the listeners, William, but I forgot, so thank you for posting it here.

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13. WOW. You guys are gonna hate me when I give my review of Gravity. 🙂

    Saw it today….

    -K

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    • guess that slow-burness killed you aye, Karl.

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    • Oh, boy. Here we go. Are you really “Luke,” Karl?

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14. Question to Movie Podcast Weekly:

    for superb Gravity, who would make equally good if not better Ryan than Sandra Bullock?

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    • Do you mean Meg Ryan? I think she is great actress, but all of her facial injections make her too hard to look at. She’d do better to grow old gracefully, I think. You have to be able to move your face to emote. I’m not sure she’s even acting anymore. The last thing I saw her in was IN THE CUT with Mark Ruffalo before the plastic surgery onslaught. She was fantastic in it (and still very attractive), but that was nearly 10 years ago. She’s a really talented actress that I don’t think gets enough credit for what she can do, so often relegated to romantic comedies (much like Bullock).

      Honestly, I’m not generally a fan of Bullock’s (mainly because of her project selection), but I can’t imagine anyone turning in a better performance in Gravity and I’m definitely now a convert to The Church of Sandy.

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    • Sorry, I misunderstood your comment, Que. I had a mental lapse and forgot that Bullock’s character’s name was Ryan. I thought you were asking about Meg Ryan. But we discussed your question on Episode 55 and gave you a few names.

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15. Attention:
    The following “fan letter” written by Anthony Hopkins, praising Bryan Cranston’s performance in “Breaking Bad” proves my assertion that Cranston’s performance as Walter White is the best television performance I have ever seen.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/14/anthony-hopkins-breaking-bad-letter_n_4098441.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

    Jason

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    • Oh, that proves it? Because it came down from on high from the Mighty Odin? Haha. BTW, I never said he was bad. In fact, I said he was good! Silly, Jay.

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16. Hey guys. Great episode. Couldn’t help but laugh out loud at Andy’s experience of watching ‘Alice Sweet Alice’ for the first time where the film skips to the end and he misses mostly the entire thing. I find this particularly funny because it reminds me of a similar experience I had a few years ago, when me and my friend decided to go take trip to our local cinema to catch a showing of the James Bond film ‘Skyfall’, here in Sheffield, England.

    On our journey there, unfortunately we were running a bit late, so we rushed quickly to get our tickets, and then proceeded with a slow jog into the screening.
    We must have been only 5-10 minutes late. Normally this isn’t too much of a bad thing because you only miss the trailers, so didn’t really understand the stranger than usual looks were we getting with the added low murmurs we could hear from some of the viewers that were already comfortably seated.

    10 minutes goes by while watching the film, but it doesn’t make that much sense. We eventually turn to each other and ask the question, “Do you know whats happening? because there is some serious plot holes going on”, we must have missed the whole intro”.

    Ah! the relief when we hear the James Bond music. Fantastic, we haven’t missed that much, this must be the title sequence…..
    But this relief soon turned to embarrassment when what proceeded was actually the END CREDITS to the film…
    With all the rushing around, what we had done is actually not checked the screen number correctly and walked into the wrong showing completely and only watched the last 15 minutes of a different timed screening of the film.
    Then cue the laughs from the fellow viewers when they see the looks on our faces when we realised what we had actually done.
    We explained to staff what had happened and thankfully we managed to see the film in its entirely (and correctly) later that evening, even though we had totally spoiled it.
    (Loved the film by the way, and now the ‘in-joke’ for me and my friend, is that the ending is that good, its worth seeing it twice).

    This film will now always be classed to me as ‘Sky-FAIL’.

    Anyway. Keep up the good work. Love the show.

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