For only the second time in the run of this podcast, the guest Skypes in from the southern hemisphere. Thankfully though, this time I didn’t have to stay up until 1am in Toronto to get things done. While this worked out well for me, I should thank my guest here and now for the early wake-up call he endured to talk superheroes with me.

I’ll readily admit that in some respects our conversation about the blockbuster of 2012 (so far) might feel like a day late, what with the film already playing for ten days in North America. Hopefully though, you aren’t Avenger’d out just yet. If so, I’m sorry to add to the white noise – most of the rest of this summer’s shows should happen in a more timely fashion.

I hope y’all got your fill of nourishment during the three Hot Docs episodes, because it’s nothing but calorie laden popcorn from now until September.

Here’s what’s in store in episode fifty-eight…

Runtime
61 minutes, 03 seconds

Up for Discussion

1. Introduction
2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY– Q& A with this week’s guest Andy Buckle from The Film Emporium (2:09)
3. COME TALK TO ME – Fielding some listener feedback on documentaries (12:09)
4. THE NEW SLANG – Review and reaction of THE AVENGERS (21:42)
5. THE BEST OF YOU: Ryan and Andy discuss their favorite films from the Avengers.  (38:17)

More behind the scenes info on this episode can be found on Twitter by searching out #matm58

You can subscribe to the Matineecast via iTunes or RSS

Comments and feedback are welcome, and thank-you very much for listening.

Enjoy!

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35 Replies to “Episode 58”

  1. Great show! Hulk Smash!! My biggest nitpick-y thing about The Avengers was the depiction of Calcutta in it- what century was that set in? But then that made me laugh, so yeah. Love that film.

    There are some really cool movies in the year I was born like Glengarry Glen Ross and The Player and Reservoir Dogs, but since we’re talking favourites, I have to choose Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Because every kid wishes to be as cool as Kevin McCallister.

    1. Heh – HOME ALONE love, eh? My wife and her sister would love you! (They adores those movies – me not so much).

      Was that supposed to be Calcutta?

    2. I don’t know. I just know that it looked nothing like Calcutta, or at least not how it has looked in like the last 50 years.

  2. Wonderful episode! One of my favorite bloggers meets my favorite amateur podcast. I know it would rock and it did! Just a small suggestion: if Andy is going to do this a lot (which I hope) I’d recommend you to buy a new headset or whatever you use with a microphone. I think there’s better out there without having to spend a fortune on it.

    Of course I approved of a lot of your choices in the top list. I was especially happy to hear the pick of Lost in Translation, my current favorite movie. ESOTSM is also up there in the top, so no complaints there! And as if this wasn’t enough, my Swedish heart swelled with pride when you had a section about Stellan Skarsgård! Wohoo! If you want to dive deep into his past I’d recommend you to see his breakthrough-role in The Simple-Minded Murderer from 1982. It’s been a while since I watched it, but I remember it as very powerful (directed by Tomas Alfredson’s father btw.)

    Finally: the question of favorite movie from the year you were born. Well, it’s at moments like this that you’re reminded of how ridiculously old you are compared to most other bloggers. But I’m shameless, so here we go. I was born in 1967 and my choice stands between The Graduate and The Junglebook. It’s a tough choice, but if I’m honest with myself I think I like the music of The Graduate more than I actually like the movie (I’m a Simon & Garfunkel fan). So The Junglebook it is. After all it has The Bare Necessities. What more could you ask for?

    1. After posting the show, I mentioned the idea of a mic to Andy. Sorry about that, but I think we manage to work around it as best we could.

      I’d never even heard of THE SIMPLE MINDED MURDERER, so colour me curious! What are your thoughts on the film Andy mentioned? (KING OF DEVIL’S ISLAND, I think?). I have a hunch I be getting a larger dose of Stellan when I inevitably dig into Lars Von Trier’s back catalogue.

      Your answer for the birth-year film might be my favorite so far, so well done! Listen in for it getting mentioned during Ep. 59

    2. I’ve definitely heard worse mics, it’s just that if he’s going to do this a lot I think he should look into it.

      I’m afraid I haven’t seen King of devil’s island so I can’t tell. But I think it’s out on DVD and I might have seen it in my rental store. It’s one that I’d definitely like to watch.
      Skarsgård has indeed been very productive over the years, and with such a huge variety – there’s everything from bleeding edge artsy movies such as von Trier to pretty silly thrillers. He reminds a bit of his fellow countryman von Sydow in that aspect.

  3. Great episode as always Ryan. I want to come back at some point. Dark Knight Rises?

    Regarding your Hulk issue, I think I have some sort of explanation. Recall that in the very end of the Ed Norton HULK movie, Banner was able to turn at will. My theory is that he has control of it for the entirety of AVENGERS, hence, he’s always angry. He loses it on the Helicarrier because of Loki’s influence; he had lost control of Banner, so the Hulk was going to go nuts. But once he calms down and is able to get over Loki’s meddling, he is able to turn at will and control it. Well, maybe not control it, but (again, like he said in the Norton HULK), aim it. That’s my theory.

    Which also adds extra evidence to my argument that Loki is one hell of a villain! If he can cause Banner to revert back to the mindless beast he has worked so hard at taming, what can’t he do.

    Like you Ryan, I am astonished at the achievement of Marvel. This really is one of the accomplishments of film in the last ten years. Between this, HARRY POTTER, and LORD OF THE RINGS, I’m hoping we get more people approaching big, epic sagas like this in the future.

    Also, like you, my only real quip is how shortchanged Hawkeye was. I mean, he makes up for it, thanks to his ability to be an unbelievable badass in the finale, but I would have like to see him as more than a mindless henchmen.

    Then again, since this is Whedon we’re dealing with, the Hawkeye thing is a great way to explore the character of Black Widow. She was a real surprise here. Whedon knows how to write women, man.

    My takeaway would be the long tracking shot during the final battle that sees the entire team working in perfect tandem. Apart from the a certain moment involving Hulk and Loki, it brought an enormous smile to my face!!

    SUNSHINE IS BRILLIANT!!!!!

    1. Oh, forgot.

      Favorite movie from year I was born, with the year being 1991…

      It’s a tie between BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and TERMINATOR 2

    2. I *do* need to get you back on soon, but I’m afraid I already have plans for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES episode.

      You might be on to something with The Hulk…it might well be that I was at a disadvantage given that his film was the one I had the hardest time remembering. I’ll revisit that point when I inevitably mainline all six films.

      I agree with you on LORD OF THE RINGS, but can’t agree with POTTER. That series had the benefit of a consistent cast, but didn’t have the steady hand on the wheel where story and tone were concerned. They couldn’t – when they started, the books weren’t finished. As an entire series, it works very well…but I suspect things could have gone even better if they’d started just five years later, and had a better read on what storylines and characters were the most important.

  4. I’m mostly in agreement with you guys. I think I liked the movie a little less than both of you, I thought the action was rather weak and the front end, like Andy says, doesn’t quite work.

    However, I’m not in agreement about the wider Marvel films leading up to this one, which range from terrible to tolerable. (Note: Haven’t seen Thor or America.) Even the original Iron Man, which I liked the first time I saw it, comes across as vapid and goofy whenever I catch a few minutes of it now.

    A lot of great selections in The Best of You section. Particularly a shout out to Zodiac and Jackie Brown which are two severely underrated films, I think they’re the best from both directors, although I have a feeling I’m alone on that sentiment. Great shout-out out to Sunshine as well. I like that film a lot, even the last act. Easily the best Boyle film for me (probably alone on that view as well).

    The only title I’d mention is The Brother’s Bloom for Ruffalo. I know it’s not a film everyone loved, it has some issues, but it’s a whole lot of fun and the performances are fantastic.

    1. I was actually quite taken with the action. Considering the age we live in, and how so many directors turn pixels fighting pixels into something incomprehensible, Whedon deserves a lot of credit for giving those smackdowns a lot of clarity and gravity.

      I have to call shenanigans on your position re. the wider Marvel universe. You haven’t seen two of the six, and they’re two of the better ones. Give CAP and THOR a look sometime and come back to me. You might be surprised on how much they bring to the table – especially the former.

      I’m sorta surprised more people aren’t fussed about THE BROTHERS BLOOM. Perhaps there was too much of a BRICK hangover.

      PS – Favorite movie from your birth year?

  5. Thank you, Ryan, for name checking “Ronin.” Oh, how I cherish that movie. No disrespect to “The Avengers” but that’s just so much more my kind of action movie. Good chat, gents.

    Favorite movie from the year I was born? “Annie Hall.” The rom com to end all rom coms.

    1. I *did* end up re-watching RONIN the day after Buckle and I spoke about it, and that movie has aged gloriously!! I might have to write an entire post about it, because I fear time has given it something of an underrated status.

  6. Ehehe, I’m liking downloading podcasts and listening to them during class (it is nothing against the rules, I promise).

    Really great episode! It was great to hear Andy have his podcast debut. Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun.

    I absolutely loved The Avengers. I can’t really think of much I didn’t like about it – the start was a bit meh, as everyone says, and I wish that Hawkeye hadn’t been compromised so early on.

    Anyway, I think that Tom Hiddleston deserves major props for his performance. He was great.

    Love everything from the Best of You segment. Sunshine is a brilliant film. So is Lost in Translation (one of my absolute favourites) and Zodiac.

    As for my favourite films from the year I was born, it definitely has to be Toy Story, followed by Se7en, Strange Days, Before Sunrise and Dead Man Walking.

    1. Sure, you say that now…wait until one of your teachers busts you and calls me a bad influence.

      Re: LOST IN TRANSLATION – Can you perhaps explain why many out there don’t seem fussed about it?

      Great choices for your birth-year titles. Of course, from that year I would also give a nod to the ever-depressing LEAVING LAS VEGAS and Scorsese’s CASINO.

  7. Really glad to hear that Ronin still holds up well, Ryan.

    Yes, I will look to invest in a better mic. I figured the one in my laptop would be sufficient, but turns out it wasn’t.

    Like James, I also liked The Brothers Bloom. Another great Ruffalo performance and also feat. two of my fav. actors in Adrien Brody and Rachel Weisz.

    On the topic of Lost In Translation and why people don’t seem fussed, that really threw me. I feel in some instances the humour may have been too subtle and low-key for some people. It is a very funny movie, but most of the humour comes through nuance, mannerism and recognition of their situation. If one has travelled and been alone in a foreign country, the ordeals of these characters hit the spot. I just find it incredibly watchable, and the film I think about when I hear Scarlett Johansson’s name. Not Bill Murrays – that’s Groundhog Day haha.

    For my birth-year title I am going to go with Spoorloos [The Vanishing]. 1988. Swedish thriller about a young woman who mysteriously disappears at a service stop, and the torment it causes for her partner. Really unconventional approach in its revelation of the villain.

    Really enjoyed being a part of the show, and great to see plenty of feedback here.

    1. I watched THE BROTHERS BLOOM once when I bought it, but haven’t pulled it from the shelf for a second look since then. I should probably get on that.

      Good points about what people might not like about TRANSLATION. Sorry to have put you on the spot with that one, but when I’ve asked people to name films everyone else loves but they don’t, TRANSLATION comes up often.

      Part of me also believes we’re just in an age where hype kills.

  8. I don’t know if it would help you understand it (since it was a bit of a struggle to write), but here’s an essay I wrote about Naked Lunch for a course I took about David Cronenberg (yes, there’s a such thing as a course about David Cronenberg): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P_An2He4yuUZMI54_AtRfVj7Fi8GBF22_nuMzH0Ospg/edit?hl=en&authkey=CL-LqMoG

    Also here’s my birthday year answer:
    Since I was born in 1982, which is probably one of the greatest years for movies EVER, it would be hard for me to choose to just one. However, I would probably go with E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, which I have a soft spot for.

    1. I’ll give it a read for sure. I really dug NAKED LUNCH, even if I didn’t “get it”. I was actually thinking this morning about when the shift happened for the world at large: When many stopped being awed by what they didn’t understand, and instead started becoming dismissive of what they don’t understand.

  9. My birth year (1984) was a pretty solid one for films. While I like ‘Ghostbusters’, ‘This is Spinal Tap’, and ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’, my favourite from that year has to be from the master of animation Hayao Miyazaki – ‘Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”. An amazingly beautiful animated feature which has extremely strong narration for an animated film of that time. Like most Miyazaki films, it has a very strong female heroine. I love this film.

    1. Welcome to The Matinee Sam! Happy to see you chiming in.

      Sounds like a great choice for 1984 – which WAS an epic year for films indeed – and a film that I’ll now have to put on my “To See” list now that I have a better grasp on anime as a whole.

      Come back soon now, yes?

  10. My birth year is way back in 1976 (wow, that’s old!). I haven’t seen a ton of movies from that year, but there are some great ones. My favorite is All the Presidents’ Men, which just edges out my sentimental pick of Rocky. I didn’t see All the Presidents’ Men until a few years back, and I was stunned by how tense it is given the fact that we know what happens. You guys mentioned the excellent Zodiac on the podcast, and the atmosphere of Fincher’s film owes a lot to All the Presidents’ Men. Other strong films that I’ve seen from 1976 include Taxi Driver, Network, and the wonderful Assault on Precinct 13.

    1. You’re only two years older than me dude, easy now!

      Funny though, because when I think “1976” my brain *always* goes to TAXI DRIVER. Your choice though is a solid one, back when Hollywood wasn’t afraid to make timely movies for grown-ups. Something like that would never play now.

      And when was the last time you watched NETWORK – it has aged gorgeously!

    2. I watched Network maybe five years ago, and you’re right that it holds up really well. Taxi Driver is the big choice from 1976 for sure. It’s pretty much splitting hairs with the top pick because they’re so good.

      We’re not old, it just seems that way when you have 17-year-olds who seem to know more about film than us! Some of them are great writers, too.

  11. So finally got around to this ep…

    Firstly, I was about to rip you two a new one for your HULK comments (re: the two HULK moments and why they’re different), only to see Sebastion above clearing it up for you. But if you’re interested the best explanation I’ve found online expressed by Mr. Faraci at BadassDigest here (http://badassdigest.com/2012/05/08/about-the-hulks-two-hulk-outs-in-the-avengers/)…

    Basically they’re different, and they’re both very explainable. I’m quite happy that we don’t get that one throwaway line that makes it ok for the people who weren’t paying attention or able to use their brains (looking at Ryan)…

    Anyways, great ep.

    So feedback:

    Birthday Film? 1986 = THREE AMIGOS (hand’s down)

    My take on Avenger movies:
    Purposely avoiding all the ones you guys mentioned:

    Sam Jackson: Jungle Fever
    Jeremy Renner: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
    Scarlett Johansson: A Love Song For Bobby Long
    Chris Evans: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
    Mark Ruffalo: The Brothers Bloom
    Robert Downey Jr: Soap Dish
    Chris Hemsworth: Cabin the Woods (not much to pick from for him)

    1. Getting a lot of clarification on that Hulk point, looks like I just need to go back and do my research, eh?

      I have to smile dude, because of all the films I think about from 1986 – THE THREE AMIGOS is not the first one that comes to mind…

  12. I thought I would include my list of film with Avengers cast members (you would find that I made some interesting picks):
    Samuel L Jackson: Snakes on a Plane
    Jeremy Renner: 28 Weeks Later
    Scarlett Johanson: Ghost World
    Chris Evans: Sunshine
    Mark Ruffalo: The Brothers Bloom
    Robert Downey Jr: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
    Chris Hemsworth: Star Trek

    1. I thought about GHOST WORLD for Scarlett, but opted out because it isn’t really her show. That film really feels more like an outlet for Birch and Buschemi. It is a glorious film though – have you ever read the graphic novel?

    2. No, not a big reader of graphic novels (even though I frequently browse in The Silver Snail – more for the collectible figurines).

  13. Ryan:

    Two things. I went to the Avengers marathon that AMC had in Mississauga on the Thursday. All five Avengers prequels, plus the main event. I got Hulk 3D glasses.

    http://biffbampop.com/2012/05/05/saturday-at-the-moviesavengers-assemble-sixteen-hours-of-avenging/

    Second: I think there may have been some miscomprehension in the whole RuffaHulk. When he said “I’m always angry”, he’s saying that he’s achieved a degree of control over the other guy. Sure, there’s the chance that, if he’s been manipulated by a mystic staff and then knocked unconscious by an explosion it might slip, but he can on most occasions control the beast.

    That’s why the play on the catchphrase. “Please don’t make me angry.” He’s always angry.

    Justin

    2. As mentioned above, it would appear as though I just needed to refamiliarize myself with the only entry in the series I’ve seen only once.

      But thanks for listening man! I envy you for doing the six-film marathon. Had AVENGERS not opened at the tail end of Hot Docs, I would have given that a go myself.

    3. It was an interesting experience. Mainlining all the films at the same time definitely made for an interesting experience, and let you re-contextualize them all as one large narrative.

      Tim Roth remains the best thing about Incredible Hulk.

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