41 thoughts on “Movie Podcast Weekly Ep. 230: Logan (2017) and I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)”

1. Had to peek at Jay’s score of Logan…now I’m really excited to listen to the review…I also give Logan a 10…I even had tears running down my cheeks 3 different times during the movie….

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   • Glad to hear it, Shannon… Just brace yourself and buckle up for Karl and Ryan’s dismissiveness of that great film… Yes, Karl, the guy who likes Transformers 4 and Ryan, the Once and Future Would-Be Geek King… (X-Men deep cut joke…)
     J

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2. This is for Ryan, I don’t know if you were serious about advice for messing with people but I have a few ways. One is to look at a fixed point past someone’s head as you are talking to them. They will turn around.

   If you really want to mess with someone and just keep them in the edge of their seat, let me know and I’ll write something when I get home.

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   • Yes totally serious !! I like to look at people’s ears sometimes instead of making eye contact. Try that ….it’s unsettling

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     • yes, I’ve done that. I’ve done a lot of things. For example, the other day I wrote about how I would keep someone on the edge of their seat with a promise to write about a way to mess with people. And sure enough, he wanted to know how to do it. And then I just let it simmer for over a week where I didn’t respond at all.

       Heh.

       =)

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     • Change your hair to the other side while they are not looking, they strangely realize that something is wrong. Change objects to a slightly smaller size (are my hands getting bigger?). Or hide objects at unusual places like shampoo in the fridge etc… Looking forward to hear about more creative ways to mess with people 😉

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3. I can’t wait to hear what Jay has to say about Encino Man!

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4. This may have been said on the previous show (concerning the Oscars), so maybe I missed it, but why don’t they just put the category name on the outside of the envelope in big bold letters? It would be basically impossible for someone to give out the wrong envelope at that point. Maybe the do that, but it certainly doesn’t appear to be the case.

   Also, I am so glad that Andy reviewed the new Mike Birbiglia stand up! He happens to be one of my favorite comedians. He has mastered the art of being both funny and somehow telling a serious story at the same time in all his stand ups, and I think it is brilliant.

   Finally, I can’t agree with a 10/10 rating for Logan. It was a pretty good movie and it had close to a flawless ending in my opinion, but the middle seemed to sag and drag on at points. I found myself “checking my watch” and wondering how long exactly this movie was at one point. This movie seemed to be aiming for a Dark Knight tone (a more realistic and less fantastical tone), but i just wasn’t as engaged and on the edge of my seat as I was with the Dark Knight. Ultimately it was a 7.5 for me.

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5. I remember Hills, Jay. That’s where I got my first Nintendo.

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   • That’s what I love you, Dark Mark. Did they have Hill’s in California? (Their slogan at Christmastime was, “Hill’s is where the toys are.” I bought my G.I. Joe action figures Roadblock and Lady Jaye from Hill’s.)
     J

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     • I definitely remember their slogan and Christmas catalogue! Some of those images are burned in my mind from staring at the toys Santa could bring. We went to the Hills in State College, PA. I grew up in a small town in Amish country, kinda near Penn State.

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6. I think the argument that Matt Damon shouldn’t speak out in favour of gun control because he uses a gun in a movie is pretty spurious, guys. I get why it could seem hypocritical, but it’s not hard to grasp that an action movie is fictional and the characters the actors play aren’t representations of their real world views. It’s like saying Leonardo DiCaprio shouldn’t be allowed to condemn racism because of the character he played in Django Unchained.

   And I’m with Reginald when it comes to the Oscars being a potentially viable platform for protest. When the President himself is getting his information from blatantly duplicitous and incendiary fake news sources it’s important for any one with pop culture influence to speak out using the widest platform available.

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   • I agree. I do wonder if action films with gun violence do advocate the purchase of guns on some level though, but that may be debatable depending on the overall themes of a film related to the use of those guns. Regardless, as you stated I don’t think that we can hold the actors/actress responsible for who they play in a film because their goal is to imitate life or fantasy.

     As for the perfect platform for a celebrity to speak out… It seems like an acceptance speech is appropriate since they are given the time to thank others or talk about themselves and their process. If they are passionate about a cause or that cause is a part of what drives them as an actor/actress then why not?

     It has always been my understanding that the Matt Damons of the world do big budget crapfests for the money and notoriety so that in the time between they can do projects they are passionate about. I’d rather sit through a preachy acceptance speech then having to watch commercials about a new TV series or movie trailer about “Guns: The Metal Monsters and Killers of Children” narrated by Matt Damon.

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     • I loved this episode so much! l have the unbearable wish to hide my shoes the next time somebody is coming over…

       Pretty interesting discussion, you guys have there. Although I didn’t find an answer yet, I’m asking myself a lot of questions about this issue. Wouldn’t it imply that peace-loving actors shouldn’t play any violent super heroes for example? Wouldn’t that mean that every violent hero had to be played by a gun-loving badass or someone who needed the money or reputation? (DiCaprio is not a good example for me though, because he is clearly the villain and not the hero of that movie).
       I remember that Clint Eastwood once told the LA Times that there is no hidden agenda in Million Dollar Baby, for example. He said: “I’m just telling a story. I don’t advocate. I’m playing a part. I’ve gone around in movies blowing people away with a .44 magnum. But that doesn’t mean I think that’s a proper thing to do.”
       As I said, I didn’t find an answer yet, but keep on discussing! It’s really interesting!

       I also think that the Oscars are not a bad place to make a point. Even though some MPW members like to complain about famous people and the overrated celebration of an exclusive club (and I agree) but you also keep on talking about the Oscar’s and those mentioned issues. You give them a platform – even if you don’t agree with them. And I think that’s what they want: Raising awareness. And it is obviously working.

       BTW I just watched that Amy Schumer stand up Netflix show (not recommending it) and she said, that she is not against all guns but she is not ok with the regulation that blind and mentally ill people, those on the terrorist watch list and domestic abusers are allowed to own guns. Just saying.

       Keep up this great work, you guys. Looking forward to the next episode (hopefully with more tips how to drive people crazy!)

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7. Jay, what ever happened with the 7-Eleven $5 movie contest? Announced at the end of 226, briefly referenced in 227 (to advise that no updates would be forthcoming in that episode because of the then-lag in posting times), and then mysteriously absent from the annals of MPW ever since. Come on, brother, I spent at least 60 seconds executing my research into the origin of Karl’s soul.

   There’s a pattern emerging: The same thing happened in this episode with the intriguing proposed discussion of the awesomeness of the trailer for Logan. Ry makes a couple of solid points, then Karl sidetracks the discussion with a lame joke about the title of the movie and the trailer never comes up again. We never hear Jay’s thoughts about what made the trailer was so great.

   Very intrigued, incidentally, by Jay’s swooningly positive review of Logan. I reviewed the mostly crappy Origins flick for the Daily Herald back in the day, but was so underwhelmed by that one that I still haven’t ever checked out The Wolverine (which the MPW crew was mostly down on, if I recall correctly). We’re living in strange times when Jay like a well-reviewed Wolverine movie better than Ryan does.

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   • Cody,
     Sorry about the delay. The 7-Eleven prize give-aways will be announced on Ep. 232. (I was saving them for something special. … You’ll see on Ep. 232.)
     J

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     • The plot thickens. 🙂

       Incidentally, I went back to that first trailer for Logan last night and watched it like seven or eight times in a row. It was mesmerizing. That’s not even the first time I’ve seen a trailer use the Johnny Cash cover of “Hurt,” and it was still captivating. It’s definitely a heck of a trailer.

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8. “But everyone is an a**hole, yes, and dildos. Yes, F***-faces.” Should be the quote of 2017. Jay and Reginald ( I don’t even know who that is) thanks for the recommendation for I Don’t Feel at Home in This World. It was awesome. It did feel Cohen brothers-esque with a little dash of Blue Ruin/Green Room violence. Elijah Woods rat tail was majestic! I challenge Ryan to grow one. 9 out of 10 high priority stream! Thanks again!

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9. Kong: Skull Island is fun. Dumb dumb fun. But fun. Seemed for a while that it might be really amazing, but it kind of bogs down a bit into some typical action movie stuff. Still, some shots and scenes are terrific and I love John C. Reilly’s character. I still prefer Peter Jackson’s King Kong to this, as that had better weight and character to it, overall. But this is a decent 7.5, and totally worth seeing on a big screen.

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10. The Dark Below: How can a woman survive under a frozen lake for 75 minutes? I have the answer: she’s in an pocket within a sunken plane!! You’re welcome.

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    • air pocket….

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11. I still haven’t quite caught up to this episode (you guys are too on the ball now!), but I did watch I Don’t Feel at Home…, and wow did I love it. I realize it’s not the same filmmaker as Blue Ruin and Green Room, but of course there’s a connection and influence, and I think I like this just a little better than either of those. Unique and interesting characters and situations, and a very fun role for Elijah Wood (didn’t even recognize him for a scene or two). I’m giving it a 9, which puts it in the lead for my BMOTY (doubt it will hold that… and I hope it doesn’t or the rest of the year will be disappointing).

    Also, on a friend’s recommendation I checked out Look Who’s Back, which is also on Netflix. This is a German film from a couple years ago that plays with the idea of Hitler somehow moving through a time warp from when he was in the bunker, emerging in 2014 as if he just woke up from a nap. It’s pretty interesting and can be amusing as a Borat type of thing. Hitler ends up becoming a celebrity in the typical modern ways (talk shows, YouTube, etc.). Of course, people think he’s a very dedicated impersonator and that it’s all meant as black humor. But it moves into some areas where it is a commentary on how societies at different times could possibly embrace such a person and have similar situations and attitudes that led to his rise.

    To be clear, it is never endorsing him and his views, though some people he interacts with do, saying things like, well he has a good point about that political problem, and so forth. And we shudder to realize that some political/social factions today would embrace a guy like that, who speaks his mind with ideas about how things should change for his vision of a better society. (Note: this is not meant as some kind of Trump = Hitler parallel, though certainly some resonance can be found there.)

    The satire of it aside, it is still disconcerting to see Hitler’s image so prominently for the length of the film, which is one of the meta points of it, about the power and reaction he still elicits. (I’m amazed that this film was made and celebrated in Germany, but I suppose that was most fitting.) It is uneven in terms of interest and pacing, but does end very strong in a poignant and symbolic and disturbing way. I give it a 6.5 and say definitely check it out if it sounds interesting or if you like Borat style humor and satire.

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12. Indy 5 was announced several months ago.

    I was with many in feeling disappointed about Indy 4 when I saw it in the theater, but giving it a chance again a few years later on DVD, I thought it was fine. Still an Indiana Jones movie in the usual ways, just not as good (or even nearly as good) as the previous three. I actually think it’s great right through the fridge nuke (and yes, I love the fridge nuke for being a creative over-the-top way for Indy to survive yet again), but then goes steadily downhill from there. But if you like the franchise, give Crystal Skull a watch again with no or low expectations and I think you might find it okay. I agree with Karl that it doesn’t deserve its general perception of being the worst thing ever.

    Regardless, I can only assume that #5 will be better, as they have something to prove this time. And I believe Lucas will not be directly involved, which should help.

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13. Hmm, Karl…

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14. To all concerned:

    Just finished listening through the “Mini Reviews” section of the podcast, and I have one overwhelming response to it:

    I would, without a doubt, watch the “The Andy Factor”…

    …especially since discovering he puts meat in the middle of his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

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15. Mark, while I still agree with your assessment from last week that I did not do a good enough job of selling The Handmaiden while on the show, I will say that I’ve now succeeded in getting them to talk about it on three separate episodes. And there will at least be a fourth episode once Ryan sees it (I do think Ryan will love it).

    Also, in response to Andy’s question to Jason, I do think Andy will like The Handmaiden since he liked Oldboy.

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    • And, by the way, The Handmaiden is now streaming on Amazon for free to Prime subscribers. Hallelujah!

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      • Also, IMO, Jason mentioning that the handmaiden is there to con the Japanese woman is a spoiler. Granted, in the theatrical version it’s revealed relatively early – but in the extended version, it happens much later in the first act (maybe 30 minutes in).

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    • Dino – Great idea sending The Handmaiden to Ryan – and I retract my earlier criticism now that I see your stealth techniques at work getting the word out 🙂

      Also, I agree with you that Andy would like it – this time it was Jason that did a poor job selling it 😉

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16. This is unrelated to this week’s podcast or movie reviews, but for the last couple of weeks I’ve been catching up on above-average, lesser-known, post-millennium Westerns (plus a couple of Neo-Westerns) that I never saw when they came out. All seven are interesting, worthwhile films (each with revisionist elements) – and a few of them are exceptional standouts. For fans of Westerns, here’s a mini-review (and a rating) for each one:

    Open Range (2003)
    Directed by Kevin Costner; starring Costner, Robert Duvall, Annette Bening.

    A very solid Western, using the trope of the retired gunfighter forced back into action – but adding enough revisionist touches and small-scale social commentary to avoid being predictable. I found the final gun battle a little unfocused and scattered, but overall a very good film (with another classic Duvall performance), and likely to please most Western fans.

    7.5/10

    The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
    Directed by Tommy Lee Jones; starring Jones, Melissa Leo, January Jones.

    Tommy Lee Jones’ first directorial effort is a Neo-Western which I’d always heard good things about, but had never managed to see. And yes, it’s truly an excellent film – with both a superb script that accomplishes something I don’t think I’ve ever seen done before (or at least rarely so well ): a simple and humane examination of a good man’s death – and with one of Tommy Lee Jones’ best performances ever. I have to imagine the Coen Brothers saw this, and immediately hired him for No Country for Old Men (filmed the following year). A must-see film that is both quietly devastating and brutally honest – and incredibly prescient at this moment of talk of a Mexican border wall.

    9/10

    Down in The Valley (2006)
    Directed by David Jacobson; starring Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, David Morse.

    A very odd little Neo-Western that I’d never heard about, but stumbled across at IMDB. The first two acts of this film are quite exceptional – leading the audience through completely unexpected and ever-wilder terrain (while referencing some American classic films from the past) – with a powerhouse performance from the 17-year old Wood. I don’t want to say much because this is really a film to watch with zero knowledge beforehand – I’ll only add that, like many films that just miss being “great”, it stumbles in the third act with a heavy-handedness and reliance on plot-device (rather than authentic character motivation), but this is one that has value seeing simply for Wood and Norton’s performances and the strange, unexpected journey.

    6.5/10

    Seraphim Falls (2007)
    Directed by David Von Ancken; starring Pierce Brosnan and Liam Neeson.

    This entire revisionist Western is one long chase set-piece, starting with a clever opening in the mountains and slowly leading the chase down to the mud-flats of the low desert – with stunning cinematography and very little dialogue throughout. I found the first 2/3rds of it mesmerizing, including the best performance I’ve ever seen from Brosnan. The final third, while still good, falls victim to heavy-handed symbolism that wasn’t necessary. Still, it’s a unique film in many respects and very effective in others; e.g. shifting the audience’s loyalty between the one being chased and the pursuers, as it slowly doles out pieces of the puzzle behind the chase. Worth seeing for fans of Westerns or “chase” films.

    7/10

    Appaloosa (2008)
    Directed by Ed Harris; starring Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Irons, Renée Zellweger.

    A very funny, poignant, revisionist Western that explores the deep bond of friendship between two gunslinging lawmen, while dealing with the slippery, ever-resourceful, well-connected bad man they keep trying to put away. The opening scene of them arriving in town and negotiating a contract with the town council sets the quirky, revisionist, and humorous tone immediately – and that tone continues through to the end. The acting is superb across the board (Harris and Mortensen are simply brilliant); guaranteed enjoyment for fans of clever Westerns.

    8/10

    The Homesman (2014)
    Directed by Tommy Lee Jones; Starring Jones, Hilary Swank, John Lithgow.

    Jones’ second feature film (a revisionist Western) proves once again that he’s a very good director. Although not quite as stellar as Three Burials, it’s still a remarkable film – shining a light on unexplored territory of the genre (with a poignant feminist bent), with a reverse Eastward-bound “wagon train” – dragging with it all the metaphorical baggage such a journey implies. This movie has the most shocking, unexpected turn that I’ve seen in a film in quite some years – that literally lift me dumbstruck moving forward. Highly recommended for both fans of revisionist Westerns and smart-themed movies handled with a subtle touch.

    8.5/10

    In a Valley of Violence (2016)
    Directed by Ti West; starring Ethan Hawke, John Travolta, Taissa Farmiga.

    I’d say this is the weakest of the seven Westerns I recently watched; partially, I suppose, because it’s hard for me to accept Ethan Hawke as a tough guy. Nonetheless, it’s attempts to mix black comedy with revisionist Western does yield some fruit – there are some funny moments (and running gags), but it also fails at times to mix the contrasting tones of humor and violence well. Nevertheless, I think most Western fans will find some enjoyment here – just don’t expect too much.

    6.5/10

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    • Wow. Nice work Mark. Super good reviews.

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      • Thanks so much, Jennifer!

        Even for people that aren’t normally Western fans, I’d heartily recommend either of the two feature films that Tommy Lee Jones has directed. While he does make use of some of the tropes and trappings of the genre, both of them explore their meaty themes with a fresh, unseen-before perspective – painting honest, generous, and highly-compassionate portraits of almost all of the characters that appear.

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    • Thanks Mark.

      I love Westerns and there are a few here which I haven’t seen. I will be adding them to my list.

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      • You’re welcome, Andrew!

        I had fun doing the mini-retrospective, and luckily there were no absolute stinkers in the group. 🙂

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        • Yeah I have seen Open Range, Apaloosa and Seraphim Falls and they were all great as far as I can remember. In fact I remember loving Open Range quite a bit. I will have to give that one another watch too.

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    • Joel and Ethan Coen’s True Grit isn’t really lesser-known, but it did come out in 2010 and it’s certainly far, far above average. Due respect to the original, but the 2010 True Grit is probably my favorite Western ever made.

      One Western worth mentioning that is lesser-known, post-2000, etc., is The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

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      • Thanks, Cody – although I probably should have mentioned that I excluded the following post-2000 revisionist Westerns from the list since I had already seen them:

        The Proposition
        3:10 to Yuma
        The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
        True Grit
        Django Unchained
        Bone Tomahawk
        Slow West
        The Hateful Eight

        True Grit is definitely my favorite post-2000 revisionist Western (although, of all time, I think I might like Unforgiven more). But I think Tommy Lee Jones’ The Homesman is almost as good as True Grit (if you haven’t seen it, you should really check it out).

        Also, Jones’ first film, Three Burials, might be my favorite Neo-Western ever made.

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        • No, it was clear (to me, at least) that you were only discussing films you’d seen recently. I was just adding to the conversation. 🙂

          I’ve been meaning to watch Appaloosa forever. Love the cast and was encouraged by all the good reviews when it was in theaters. Just lost track of it before it was available on DVD and haven’t ever gone back to it since then. I’ve found this happens to me a lot. (Partly because my wife is generally more into TV than movies, and I rarely watch things without her. Too few hours in the week to spend very many of them watching a movie by myself.) I need to figure out a better system for watching stuff that I don’t catch the first time around.

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          • Yes, you’re describing well the problem all of us are facing more and more – especially with the deluge of new content that keeps getting bigger.

            It’s getting more and more rare for me to go back and catch up on films that I miss seeing within a year or so from release. I had to plan and execute my post-2000 Western movie roundup into my schedule as if I was invading Normandy. 🙂

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17. I think I must have skipped one of the podcasts (or blanked during a section while listening to one of them):

    Whatever happened to Ryan and Andy’s deal that Andy would watch 4 episodes of The Young Pope (or was it Taboo?) and Ryan would watch 4 episodes of The Wire?

    I’m guessing that was at least 6 weeks ago, and I don’t recall it ever being mentioned again.

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    • I’ve been wondering that, too. There was a passing reference to it either in this episode of the previous one. It was brief; Andy said something about always doing his homework that was not in reference to this particular deal, then Ry (who seemed to have thought he was being called out) said something like “Am I about to get busted,” and then the conversation switched over to something else. I’m pretty sure that neither one of them has followed through yet.

      I don’t think Ry is planning to ever bring it up again. Our only hope is that Andy actually watches The Young Pope and then comes for him.

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