Mark's Movies
80 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 months ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsJoin Mark D, amateur movie fan, on a journey through his not insignificant movie collection. Mark thought that he could just have a lot of movies until *record scratch* one day it all changed. BWAAAAAAHHHHH
No it's not about trailers. I legitimately didn't know what to put here. Let's talk about movies. markd20 on Letterboxd!
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Episodes
Network
June 13, 2023 02:26 - 30 minutes - 41.7 MBYes, it's Network. Could you expect anything else after Medium Cool? Maybe. But you'd be wrong. It's Network. Let's look at this documentary... errr fictional satire from the mind of Paddy Chayefsky and executed with the deft touch of Sidney Lumet. I realize there's an entire laundry list of things that could have been touched upon which I did not. Again, an injury is limiting my computer time. Computer time includes recording and editing so I need to be economical with both. The character...
Medium Cool
May 24, 2023 18:11 - 37 minutes - 50 MBIf you have the opportunity to watch this prior to listening, I would want that for you. But it's probably not streaming anywhere. I mean, someone might have uploaded the entire film to YouTube but you never know. Yeah, I'm just digging through my own movie history at this point. Finding the origins of the origins. I've had some physical issues that prevent me from being on a computer for extended periods of time so yeah, there were some things that made it through the edit, and yeah, ther...
Your Highness
May 10, 2023 17:12 - 34 minutes - 79.6 MBYeah, it's back. It's an episode. Check it out. Definitely had a hot take on this one.
2022 Wrap up
December 25, 2022 14:34 - 10 minutes - 25.1 MBHey everyone, just looking back on 2022 for a second. Just taking a breath. "Late Night Radio" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ I think I only mentioned Hearts in Atlantis for 3 movies this year? That feels like a low number but that's what my data is telling me. Dazed and Confused, Bull Durham, and High Fidelity. Maybe the transcriptions are off.
Grosse Pointe Blank
December 17, 2022 01:09 - 31 minutes - 73.4 MBThe squad from High Fidelity are at it again? in what is the kinda prequel, in a meta production sense, and a really great movie in my eyes. It makes me feel good. The cast really brings it, the movie is fun, and I think it set up some conventions or archetypes that carried forward into movies we see today (I think, at any rate). This is the first time I actually make something that sounds like it's in car so if you're in a car it's double messed up. A bold strategy, Cotton. I didn't talk ...
High Fidelity
October 03, 2022 04:34 - 42 minutes - 98.8 MBTop 5 hackiest tropes in media analysis and presentation: * Cribbing aspects of the media itself * Talking about how you can do a thing but haven't and then, in the edit, do the thing. * Not actually organizing thoughts into coherent and structured form * Being late and making it rushed * Starting a Top 5 list and then running out of things so you have filler Yeah, I'm Mark and this is 2000's High Fidelity. Let's get this Hamletesque Annie Hall-like romcom on the road. To be fair the Annie ...
I.Q.
August 16, 2022 19:01 - 29 minutes - 66.6 MBWhat could go wrong when you convince a mathematician at a prestigious university that you're a genius, with the help of geniuses, just to go on a date with her? Not much, right? Right. This is I.Q. and, when I write it out this way, it seems wild. It is wild. Leave your practical brain at home and enjoy the performances, Matthau especially, and conceits of this movie as they come. Do your thing. Odds are you haven't seen and cannot easily see this movie anyway, so stay a while--and listen...
Bull Durham
July 16, 2022 01:31 - 1 hour - 223 MBThis is it. This is the pinnacle of baseball movies. As it is the pinnacle of baseball movies, it is the pinnacle of sports movies. Not in a sports way but in a movies way. This, like THE SANDLOT (which you listened to that episode, right? It's back in season 2 or whatever), has no big game. It's about more than baseball but baseball is both the frame and the delivery mechanism. Baseball teaches us about life so often--as a sport where succeeding 1/3 of the time is hugely successful will--an...
Major League 2
June 13, 2022 11:16 - 14 minutes - 15.5 MBYeah, this one didn't stand the test of time. It's unfortunate but it happens. You can tell just from the poster. See what this Cleveland baseball team is up to, again! Wow. My lack of enthusiasm is apparent. But it's 1994's Major League 2 and hopefully some folks made money off of it. This is the second at-bat for the baseball trilogy, and it is... not good. Ground ball to short and a throw out at first, perhaps. It's fine. It was fine for the time. There were a flood of kid-oriented base...
Major League
May 13, 2022 01:47 - 48 minutes - 112 MBLet's dig into one of the most influential sports movies of... the history of movies, I guess. Major League was a stone whose ripples in the pond of American culture are still seen to this day. The late 80's, but especially the early 90's, were rife with baseball movies and the continued success of Major League definitely pushed studios to green light them. Links Brockmire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M95P3DTYxqg Mark Hamill doing a Harrison Ford impression https://www.youtube.com/wat...
Dazed and Confused
April 14, 2022 23:40 - 53 minutes - 51.9 MBWhat do you do with 24 young actors? You make a movie, of course. This is Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused and it's capping off the American Graffiti Sequel Trilogy (that is two episodes) that kicked off Season 4 of Mark's Movies. I said I was going to make a diagram. I didn't. I thought I was going to have something super deep to say here. I don't. Enjoy the episode.
More American Graffiti
February 27, 2022 14:45 - 40 minutes - 45.6 MBRevisiting things a few years later can be perilous and More American Graffiti is maybe a very good example of this. Even lacking most of the creative team from the first movie American Graffiti still manages to spawn a weird alternate reality sequel to American Graffiti (1973) that comes out a year later called The Hollywood Knights. Knight Time is the Right Time Of the two, The Hollywood Knights is the much more beloved. In writing this episode description I finally cracked the code. I w...
The Long Goodbye
November 29, 2021 21:03 - 47 minutes - 49.5 MBThe final entry into Noirvember 2021. Private Investigator? I barely even know her! The 1973 entry into the annals of detective movies by Robert Altman starring Elliott Gould. There's a lot to talk about and I won't mention any of it. I'll try not to. This one is coming out hot so keep your eyes peeled for any updates here. This movie definitely has some content warnings that the 70's just didn't have. Marty Augustine is huge on that. He's the prototype for the Heath Ledger Joker, pretty...
The Maltese Falcon
November 13, 2021 19:31 - 1 hour - 70 MBThe Maltese Falcon That's all I wanted on the first line. If you don't know, now you know. Definitely watch this one before listening. Housekeeping stuff: Yes, I didn't mention Arthur Edeson at all. I mentioned the cinematography but the cinematographer went unacknowledged. The fact of the matter is that, at the time of this writing, which is actually the time before the recording because I'm sick again but in new and different ways, but I know I'm not going to mention him because, to be...
Cast A Deadly Spell
October 31, 2021 10:47 - 1 hour - 105 MBYeah, the way this movie was advertised is a bit different from how I took it. That happens. This is a detective x magic crossover event that might get you your fill of both (or not!) and it's called "Cast A Deadly Spell". My DVD copy is "Hechizo Letal" as it's in Spanish. I realize now that I didn't do a great job at relating this to Halloween (as it's actually release on the 31st of October as opposed to November 1st or, as I have so hackishly declared, Noirvember 1st). At the time of th...
Last Action Hero
September 16, 2021 23:12 - 1 hour - 78.6 MB1993 was a transitional period. We were slowly, ass a country, shedding the action movie template of the 70's and 80's while experimenting with some headier notions on how we relate to media. Last Action Hero was, is, seeming, a product of this time. Woefully misunderstood or, at the very least, disliked and, probably, mostly unexamined, this episode is really going to try to dig in a little more. I'll drop a quick link here for Patrick (H) Willem's Plot Holes video to set the level. https...
Tango & Cash
July 27, 2021 16:51 - 25 minutes - 25.5 MB1989 saw Stallone and Russell team up as Tango & Cash. Let's talk about this movie as there is a lot of hidden depth here. Sounds intriguing, yes? That's how I get you. Description bait. If you want the link for the Kevin Smith video I mention it's here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo2KB1dEDdk @coolmarkd on Twitter (best way to reach me) MarkD20 on Letterboxd
Marnie
July 07, 2021 11:29 - 39 minutes - 39.4 MBSometimes you're looking for the heat but you get the breaking ball. This was one of those times. Marnie was not what I expected and this episode travels down some roads that may be upsetting to some people. Sometimes The Greats aren't all that great. Sometimes they just don't show up. It can be attributed to a variety of things, both personal and/or professional. Creative or practical. You name it. We can never truly know the people we look up to. New microphone, who dis? I don't think I'll...
The Manhattan Project (1986)
June 27, 2021 20:24 - 39 minutes - 39.3 MBSpeak "friend" and build an atomic bomb with a precocious genius in this 1986 movie that, from the poster, looks like a paranoia thriller--and it almost is! Or it is, partly. But yeah this is another Saturday TV matinee movie from my youth and it's kinda good. There is a lot more to unpack in this movie than the average matinee. There's definitely some interesting attitudes towards things in the movie. Paul is very obviously down on smoking. In '86 smoking on airplanes was still a thing. T...
House and House 2
June 02, 2021 03:41 - 32 minutes - 32 MBHey, sometimes we say the wrong words. This time I said a few wrong words. No, I did not go back in and pick those up. Let me know if I need corrections. House and House 2 are, apparently, comedy horror "cult" movies from the mid-80's that live rent-free in my mind (I hadn't heard about "rent-free" until maybe two years ago so I'm trying to use it more to seem relatable. My life isn't unique but it is different. Or maybe it isn't different but it is unique. Depends on how you look at the b...
James Bond Franchise
April 29, 2021 18:30 - 7 minutes - 10.8 MBHey, everybody. Mark D. IT Guy. Generally bad spy here. Just talking for a few minutes about what's to come on the podcast. We will be jumping into the prolific James Bond franchise but not all at once and not right away.
My Science Project
March 19, 2021 04:31 - 27 minutes - 41.9 MBLet's take it back to the good ol' days and grab some UFO parts to turn in as our science project. Yep. That's the movie. I'm pretty sure I had things to say about this here but I can't think of what they are presently--I reserve the right to update this in the future. I'll be on On The Subject pretty soon. On The Subject is a really cool movie and TV podcast with them Subject boys: Malcolm, Zach, and Logan and you can find them on geeksrising.com but I didn't want to end that sentence wi...
Friday Night Lights
March 08, 2021 22:58 - 1 hour - 95.5 MBLucas Black is not from Arkansas. The roar of the crowd. The thrill of the cliché and the agony of defeat. These are just a few things I've typed into this episode's show notes. This isn't the first sports movie I've done but it is the first (American) football movie and the first one based on a true story (I think) (I think it's the first movie on the show based on a true story because I haven't bothered to check but I know that this movie is based on a true story) and it's the 1990 book'...
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
February 15, 2021 05:14 - 1 hour - 131 MB2008's Apatow-produced Segel-written Segel-acted adult comedy hit me like a guided missile. In this third calendar year of this podcast I've really come to just pick movies that I like and, by golly, do I enjoy this movie. I genuinely think I covered the majority of the ground on this one. No random 15-page notes on this episode. Disappointing even to me. Maybe I've turned a corner. In my, simultaneously, disorganized and pedantic mind I do see the web of influence sourced in this movie but ...
Checking in with 2021
February 05, 2021 04:47 - 17 minutes - 21.2 MBJust checking in with everyone for 2021. Full normal episode coming... at some point! Catch me on Twitter @coolmarkd.
Cowboy Bebop: Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
December 01, 2020 16:40 - 1 hour - 88.5 MBHey everyone! Mark D here and we're watching some Anime! Cowboy Bebop is a universally beloved series and we're going to go ahead and check out the movie which takes place near the end of the series--so we get all of our favorite characters. There's going to be a lot of links in these show notes so check it out on scummbags.com for easier browsing. First off--I made more than a couple of mistakes in this recording. Even after adding in the correction I think I made another mistake somewher...
The Descent
November 18, 2020 02:44 - 33 minutes - 40.8 MBJoin Mark D as he clambers down the cliff's edge and commences The Descent. If that's not a whole mood I don't know what is and maybe you're sexists but this is definitely an undercover girl-power chick-flick that absolutely slaps. Check it out streaming on Amazon (US, probably) and don't hit the spoilers because it will 100% change your experience watching the movie. I'm not going to say anything more about it. Twitter is @coolmarkd Tweet @ me for more... things? I guess? idk. The Dark Kni...
The Wolfman (2010)
October 31, 2020 23:37 - 34 minutes - 49.4 MBWe're right in the thick of spooky Halloween day (because I was literally just too busy yesterday to finish editing this even though it had already been recorded days ago and I had planned for a Halloween release--I'm a complete fuckup) with the 2010 Joe Johnston remake "The Wolfman". It's definitely a movie and there is absolutely a werewolf so be ready to be jumpscared. That's a Drake song, right? Jumpscare Jumpscare Jumpscare Therewolf acting real were (AWOO!) I'm sure there's some corr...
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003): Colon: Scary Movie For October
October 24, 2020 21:40 - 26 minutes - 41 MBRip and tear with the Doom-inspired remake of the Doom-inspiring original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That stuff about Doom? I made it up. Seems legit, though, right? There's definitely some corrections and things I want to make so I'll make there here. Also, some weird stuff going on so there may be a couple of sound issues. Not sure what that's about just yet but I'll be working those out as I go. Something good The feeling of absolute isolation and a fucked up backwater ass Texas town ...
Garden State
October 23, 2020 18:05 - 24 minutes - 26 MBIt's a spoOoOOooooOKy Zach Braff-written-and-directed post-coming-of-age pre-having-a-real-life intestitial-liminal-human-space examination. Not going to lie--I didn't prepare at all for this. It was extemporaneous. Spontaneous. Uranus. Check out the podcast though. It was supposed to be a horror movie but, clearly, that didn't happen. That won't stop me from assuming you just have my super badass podcast on auto queue and you forgo looking at the episode title to ensure that you get maximum...
Season 2b – Ep 30 – Garden State
October 23, 2020 18:05 - 24 minutes - 26 MBIt’s a spoOoOOooooOKy Zach Braff-written-and-directed post-coming-of-age pre-having-a-real-life intestitial-liminal-human-space examination. Not going to lie–I didn’t prepare at all for this. It was extemporaneous. Spontaneous. Uranus. Check out the podcast though. It was supposed to be a horror movie but, clearly, that didn’t happen. That won’t stop me from assuming you just have my super badass podcast … Continue reading Season 2b – Ep 30 – Garden State
The Mel Brooks Collection: A Retrospective
September 18, 2020 19:51 - 32 minutes - 32 MBHey, everyone! In this episode I rank things! That's what people like, right? Rankings? Well, I do that here. This is also the Season 2 finale. I didn't really think about that until now but that's what it is. So there you have it. Season 3 coming at some point. Thanks for listening @coolmarkd on Twitter @markd20 on Letterboxd
Young Frankenstein
August 30, 2020 11:03 - 31 minutes - 33.4 MBHumor is ALIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEE in 1974's Young Frankenstein written by Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks; and directed by Mel Brooks. A bold and controversial choice that maybe cemented both artists in the Hollywood hall of fame (metaphorical--I don't know if there is actually a Hollywood HOF but there is one in my heart). This is the last movie in the 9-disc 9-movie leather belt Mel Brooks Blu-ray collection. It's been a ride. @coolmarkd on Twitter. @markd20 on Letterboxd.
The Twelve Chairs
August 29, 2020 11:54 - 23 minutes - 24.6 MBThis is a lesser-discussed Mel Brooks movie that centers around the McGuffin of a set of dining room chairs in the early Soviet Union. It's definitely... different. @coolmarkd on Twitter. @markd20 on Letterboxd
Spaceballs
August 28, 2020 12:41 - 28 minutes - 29.6 MBLet's just send up Star Wars and science fiction adventures in general in Mel Brooks' 1987 film Spaceballs! That's really it. That's the whole show notes. @coolmarkd on Twitter. @markd20 on Letterboxd.
History of the World: Part 1
August 27, 2020 14:23 - 31 minutes - 33.9 MBWant to send up anthology movies but unsure how? Maybe History of the World Part 1 can help. Mel Brook's 1981 historical... something is a laugh riot but audiences and critics seem to be split on it. I messed up a little bit on this one too in that I "read the comments". The comments that critics had on this movie. @coolmarkd on Twitter. @markd20 on Letterboxd.
Robin Hood: Men In Tights
August 26, 2020 13:51 - 22 minutes - 22.7 MBLet's forget about robbing from the rich and stealing from the poor and instead go on a bit of a romp in Sherwood Forrest with Mel Brooks in his 1993 Robin Hood: Men In Tights. I don't remember if I needed to add any links in here... I reserve the right to update this at a later date. Twitter @coolmarkd Letterboxd @markd20
Blazing Saddles
August 25, 2020 13:11 - 18 minutes - 18.2 MB"Reach for the skyyyyyyyy" that's not from this movie. This 1974 Mel Brooks movie is Blazing Saddles and there's a bunch of other things from this movie but that's not one of them. There's a lot going on in the production and the legacy of this movie. A lot. A plethora of posts. A cornucopia of controversy. You can definitely get on the internet and read all about it. If you have 18 minutes and 26 seconds you can check out some thoughts on it here. @coolmarkd on Twitter. @markd20 on Lett...
High Anxiety
August 24, 2020 14:47 - 15 minutes - 17 MBLet's check out Mel Brook's take on a spoof of a riff on a Hitchcock paranoia thriller. It was definitely A Choice. @coolmarkd on Twitter. @markd20 on Letterboxd.
To Be Or Not To Be
August 23, 2020 14:09 - 16 minutes - 16.7 MBI actually have zero idea of what this movie is even about. There are movies in the Mel Brooks collection that I've seen many times and there are others that I've seen not at all. This is one of the latter. Let's get into it. This one actually wasn't written by Mel Brooks and is, in fact, a remake of a 1942 film of the same name so that probably does a good job of explaining why it is so different. Not doing research really gets my personal reception of the movie to the forefront but also ...
Silent Movie
August 22, 2020 15:40 - 21 minutes - 24 MBIt's not a description, it's the title of Mel Brook's 1976 film which is, more or less, a silent movie. Perhaps is was a case of creative stagnation. Or perhaps it was a case of creative excellence manifested in will imposing it's untamed and dark desires upon a major motion picture production. Stay a while and listen. Not forever, though. This one is short. @coolmarkd on twitter. @markd20 on letterboxd.
Clue
August 21, 2020 17:32 - 17 minutes - 18.3 MB1985's John Landis-written John Lynn-directed Clue is a wild take on a board game. Sometimes problematic but always goofy as hell let's revisit it. I can't find a working link for the director's commentary that Kevin Smith did. Unsure if it's taken down because of Reasons or if it's behind a paywall. So that's disappointing. As always @coolmarkd on twitter and @markd20 on Letterboxd.
Columbus
August 20, 2020 14:17 - 27 minutes - 29 MBKorean director Kogonada's 2017 feature debut is a quiet and introspective film set in Modern-architecture-laden Columbus, Indiana. Jin and Casey meet and slowly learn about themselves and each other. Spoilers in this one as always. @coolmarkd on twitter. @markd20 on letterboxd.
Speed Racer
August 19, 2020 22:07 - 10 minutes - 11.2 MB2020 has been an awful year and I can only do my part and make it worse. The way I do that? Another rapid fire podcast episode. That's right. Zero prep. Minimal thought (that's actually normal). We'll talk about the Wachowski's 2008 movie Speed Racer at a very quick and very surface level. This is a real quick episode. Give it a listen if you're not into pedantry. If I manage to be pedantic I deserve an award. @coolmarkd on Twitter and @markd20 on Letterboxd.
Mandy
August 17, 2020 19:24 - 33 minutes - 38.2 MBWhat a ride. Mandy is wild movie. Release in 2018 and written and directed by Panos Cosmatos of Beyond the Black Rainbow fame or notoriety. This is another one that just shocked me so I hurried up and just made an episode. Stick around I remember now what I wanted to put in here. Nic Cage's character, Red Miller, wears a raglan with 44 on his chest. I felt like that was a reference to "44-inch Chest" a movie starring Ray Winstone which also has Ian McShane which is... a lot closer to a stag...
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
August 04, 2020 21:06 - 1 hour - 128 MBOne word: "oooooooof". This is a doozy. 2010's Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, based on the series of Scott Pilgrim graphic novels written and illustrated by Bryan Lee O'Malley, directed by Edgar Wright and screenplay by Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall is a movie that did not find commercial success, initially, but has become a cult classic that is near and dear to so many hearts. I know you're all here for the veritable cornucopia of links but for that, and more, use a podcatcher that supports...
Beyond the Black Rainbow
June 24, 2020 04:26 - 28 minutes - 29.4 MBThis was a rough one. It was unplanned. It was almost spontaneous. Because this movie just got me. It hit me. The poster above is actually a Mondo Tees poster by a very talented artist named Jay Shaw that probably will never exist again but it's amazing. There's a lot to go on about with regards to this movie but I'll break down some stuff real quick here. I don't like the official artwork for the Blu-ray. Watch this movie. It's on Vudu and Tubi for free (ish? I think they may have commer...
The Sandlot
June 16, 2020 01:13 - 1 hour - 85.2 MBThis is probably the first sports movie on the show. It's really great, though, and it's called The Sandlot. There are a lot of great moments and a lot of great actors and a lot of great stuff and a lot of great balls of fire! No, that song actually doesn't appear in the movie but I'm just riffing here. Just padding this paragraph. I'm not sure what to say. I let all of this intro stuff kinda hang out in the podcast. Nothing really to say here but even Roger Ebert liked this shit. I do tal...
Scarface
June 04, 2020 05:18 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBJimmy Carter should see this Human Right and that's very telling. Scarface, directed by Brian DePalma, definitely runs the gamut of reviews. In this episode I'm going to talk a bit, in a loose fashion, about how this movie impacted me and the world around me. I don't know that there's a whole lot of objective information here but there is a bunch of subjective stuff going on. There are some links I do want to throw in. They will be forthcoming. As always you can find me on Twitter @coolmar...
Two-Lane Blacktop
May 15, 2020 00:13 - 1 hour - 86.3 MB"Let's make it fifty" is a phrase that screen writer Rudy Wurlitzer, billed as Hot Rod, says right before he gets one-upped and gets his ass handed to him by James Taylor's The Driver and Dennis Wilson's The Mechanic when he races against The Car in Monte Hellman's iconic 1971 art-house road movie Two-Lane Blacktop. This is a hell of a movie and most obnoxious film fanatics, yours included, have seen it and somewhat studied it. I came about it a little more organically, through the car ang...