November 30, 2024 • 49 mins
Chat out of Hell's autumn break is almost over but there's just time to squeeze in a quick round of Film Club.
We dive into Meat Loaf's first big acting role in Fight Club, then just talk mostly about the admin involved in getting men to punch each other, then enjoy 90 minutes of Alec Baldwin pretending to be invisible in the Shadow. How exciting! Probably.
Chat out of Hell returns for series 3 on Monday 2nd December - be there or don't!
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Episode Transcript
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Sam (00:00):
What is this?
Emma (00:01):
This is Chat Out of Hell Film Club, where we discuss
films starring, or just looselyconnected, to Meat Loaf and or
Jim Steinman.
Even though this is supposed tobe our break from the regular
podcast, we just can't resistsetting ourselves more homework.
If you've not heard any of theother episodes, then stop! This
is a terrible place to begin.
(00:23):
Start at episode one orsomething.
Actually, maybe not episode
Sam (00:27):
one?
No, we weren't in the swing ofit by then.
Emma (00:29):
three?
Yeah, three.
Episode
Sam (00:31):
Go to episode three, and then go back to
Emma (00:33):
Yeah.
Who is Meat Loaf?
Sam (00:34):
Meat Loaf was third on the call sheet for the movie Fight
Club.
Emma (00:37):
Ooh.
Sam (00:38):
Or maybe he was fourth.
It depends if women count.
Emma (00:43):
I suspect they don't.
Sam (00:45):
Who is Jim Steinman?
Emma (00:46):
Jim Steinman wrote a song called Original Sin and he liked
it so much that he knew it hadto be the soundtrack to a
massive Hollywood blockbuster.
And maybe one day it will be!
Sam (00:58):
be! ho ho Ho! I'm laughing like a twat, even though I wrote
Emma (01:02):
that thing.
Who are we?
Sam (01:04):
We are Sam Wilkinson and Emma Crosland, stand up
comedians and the two Sisyphusesdetermined to keep rolling the
rock of critical analysis up ahill made out of Meat Loaf's
face.
And I'm watching it roll backdown, every time.
A hill made of Meat Loaf's face.
You picturing that?
Emma (01:23):
We're
Sam (01:24):
we're climbing up it with our little
Emma (01:26):
rock?
I don't like it.
No, I don't like it.
Sam (01:28):
Welcome to Chat Out of Hell! FILM CLUB! Bow now, now,
now!
Emma (01:35):
Ding
Sam (01:36):
Films.
Emma (01:37):
Oh, nice.
Nice.
Sam (01:38):
Emma, so this is Film Club, right?
We've just both had to watch twoEntire films.
Entire films and now we're goingto talk about them.
And the films that we've chosenare linked to the works of Meat
Loaf and or Jim Steinman.
Choice was the movie The Shadow,which came out in 1994, starring
Alec Baldwin, which had a JimSteinman song, Original Sin, as
(02:00):
its theme tune.
Theme tune didn't appear in theactual
Emma (02:03):
film, No.
just in
Sam (02:04):
over the closing credits, like what used to happen in the
90s.
What was your film?
Emma (02:09):
film was Fight Club, which stars Brad Pitt and that other
one whose name has just escapedme.
Sam (02:16):
David Incredible Hulk.
Emma (02:17):
Ed Norton, isn't it?
That's it, yeah.
Edward Norton.
And also stars Meat Loaf.
Sam (02:22):
Emma, tell us about Fight Club.
What is it?
Emma (02:25):
A depressed man discovers that in order to sleep, he has
to emote.
Ha ha Ha! And the only way youcan do that is while feeding off
other people's misery andlearning to cry a bit.
He goes to loads of supportgroups for horrible illnesses
and is cynical about it.
Then a woman starts doingexactly the same as him and
(02:45):
suddenly it's not all right.
The girl, Marla, is a manicpixie nightmare
Sam (02:50):
I got that as well!
Emma (02:52):
Exactly the same
Sam (02:54):
I got manic pixie nightmare girl.
Emma (02:56):
Then the, it's unnamed protagonist, isn't
Sam (02:59):
it?
Yeah, I just call him EdwardNorton throughout my notes.
Emma (03:02):
I've been just calling him the man.
Sam (03:04):
The man?
Emma (03:04):
The man.
Yeah, we'll
Sam (03:06):
Yeah, we'll call him The
Emma (03:07):
Man.
The man meets another man, Tylerand they start a fight club
after some conversation andshit.
Eventually they fall out aboutthe girl and also about the
project to blow stuff up.
There seems to be a lot oftestosterone.
The man discovers that he isTyler.
Sorry, spoilers there.
And has been beating himself upand orchestrating everything
(03:29):
from the beginning.
The man needs therapy.
But instead ends up blowing up abunch of credit card company
buildings after shooting himselfin the face and getting rid of
his imaginary friend and all theedgy boys wank themselves to
death over how meaningful it all
Sam (03:43):
it all is.
HeheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheI
Emma (03:46):
I think that sums it up.
Sam (03:47):
The opening credit sequence is zooming around.
I had to look this upafterwards.
It zooms around his brain as therelevant hormones for fear are
injected around his
Emma (03:57):
brain Of course it
Sam (03:58):
an exciting EDM dance song on the credit sequence which is,
it's a bit like Scooter's coverof The Logical song.
Emma (04:04):
Oh God, here we go.
Sam (04:05):
or Scatman Ski Bop Bop Bada Bop by Scatman John but angrier.
Emma (04:13):
The whole thing feels achingly 90s a
Sam (04:17):
Oh, Let's go straight to Brad Pitt, who I call Brad Pitt
throughout thing.
He meets Brad Pitt on a plane,and Brad Pitt spouts some of the
classic stoner conspiracyconspiracy shite heard all the
time in sixth form, and Iimagine he might keep that up
all film.
Edward Norton wants to be hisfriend because he is a fucking
idiot.
This is a man who smokes rolliesand never does his share of the
(04:39):
washing up because Fairy Liquidwas invented by the man.
He believes that every film andbook in the history of mankind
is full of drug referencesbecause he can't understand not
being obsessed with drugs allthe time.
He owns one crusty pillow
Emma (04:51):
Ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha.
Yes, Yes, I have been out withthat man several times in my
life.
One crusty pillow and a torn bedsheet.
Yep.
Sam (05:07):
Brad Pitt sounds like a character from a Coen Brothers
film, except that characterwould be the local idiot who
gets put in his place by somefolksy wisdom from the local
sheriff.
He's a more self important JeffBridges from The Big Lebowski.
The Pseud, if you will, and thenI took the rest of the day off
because,
Emma (05:26):
Very nice.
Thank you.
What I'm getting here is thatneither of us particularly
enjoyed this experience.
Sam (05:34):
No,
Emma (05:35):
I have to confess when I first saw this film back in
Probably 99, I thought it wasincredible and inspirational,
but I was a naive child at thatpoint and since then I've
discovered things like, I dunno,female empowerment, And how
toxic masculinity is ruiningeverything.
Sam (05:57):
Shall we quickly zoom in on that bit?
Because this is a film thatcritiques masculinity.
Emma (06:04):
Supposedly.
Sam (06:05):
It's aim is definitely to critique toxic masculinity.
Emma (06:07):
Yeah I'll
Sam (06:08):
that.
It's message, if there is one,is that men are really easy to
turn to fascists because theyare fucking twats.
All of which is a nice messageto try to put across.
But if you meet a man whosefavourite film is Fight
Emma (06:23):
Club It's not for those
Sam (06:24):
You should run
Emma (06:25):
away.
Yes.
In fact I wrote down here muchhas been written online about
how this is a critique offragile masculinity, but I fear
it's probably been taken out ofcontext, as so many of these
things are.
See Al Murray Pub landlord.
What do you think to themisogyny in the film?
fan.
Sam (06:41):
fan of the old misogy.
Emma (06:42):
Me either.
There's one line in particularthat really grates on me these
days.
And that's the line, we're ageneration of men raised by
women.
Sam (06:53):
Yeah.
Emma (06:54):
Fuck off.
Sam (06:55):
unlike every.
man
Emma (06:58):
really hate that.
Sam (07:00):
But Brad Pitt's character is supposed to be a
Emma (07:03):
twat Yes.
Sam (07:04):
He's more of a twat than I think the filmmakers intended.
And you are supposed to hearthat line and think, fucking
hell, what a bellend.
bellend But again, there's somany bellends out there who
don't think that.
Emma (07:17):
I think, in the current climate, where we're dealing
with incel culture and theAndrew Tate, rhetoric.
These sorts of films aregenuinely a little bit scary
now.
Because there are so many menand boys falling for that.
(07:37):
And that makes me sad and angry.
Sam (07:40):
So you mean to say that David Fincher didn't solve the
problem back in 1999 with this
Emma (07:44):
film?
No, if anything, it'sexacerbated it.
Sam (07:48):
of exacerbated.
Emma (07:49):
That is just my opinion, and I am just a girl.
Sam (07:52):
That's true.
Yes.
And my notes on girls this goesback to the minute he sees Marla
he's faking being ill at allthese support groups so that he
can do a cry, the fucked upmanly bastard.
He can't even do a cry withouthaving to pretend he's dying.
But oh no! Here comes HelenaBonham Carter and she's pulling
the same scam.
(08:13):
Her name is Marla and she livesin a world of slo mo shots
because she's a girl and girlsare trouble.
Edward Norton gets sulky thatshe exists but also he
fantasizes about her becausegirls are trouble.
Emma (08:27):
That's very much the attitude of the incel community.
Sam (08:31):
Bitches.
After he confronts her aboutgoing to these support groups
and faking it.
and harshing his mellow, Theydecide to split the support
groups between them.
And while they're doing that,she steals some clothes from a
laundrette
Emma (08:43):
Yes, Yes she does.
Sam (08:45):
shop.
Why?
Girls are bitches.
Emma (08:48):
It's to show just what a fucked up bitch she is.
Yeah.
As I say, manic, pixie,nightmare goth.
Which is, Helena Bonham Carter'sshtick.
Sam (09:00):
Yeah.
She's done a lot of that.
And an ape.
Emma (09:04):
And an ape, of course, yes, she was in.
Sam (09:07):
she did play a ape
Emma (09:08):
once.
Yeah.
That would be the crossoveryou'd like to see, wouldn't it?
I'd
Sam (09:11):
I'd love it if the whole film was the same, but she was a
ape.
Emma (09:15):
I'd love it if the whole film was the same, but everybody
was Muppets except for EdwardNorton.
Club.
Sam (09:22):
Who would you get to play Tyler Durden
Emma (09:24):
Fozzie Bear.
Sam (09:30):
Okay, who's playing the Meat Loaf role?
Emma (09:32):
Oh Sweetums the monster.
nice,
Sam (09:36):
good call.
Obviously Miss Piggy is Helena
Emma (09:38):
Carter.
Of course, She wouldn't have itany other
Sam (09:41):
way.
No, that and who else could sheplay?
Jared Leto?
Emma (09:48):
Gonzo?
Maybe?
Yeah.
Sam (09:51):
who's Kermit?
Emma (09:52):
I think Kermit might just have a minor role in this.
Sam (09:55):
this.
My God.
Yeah,
Emma (09:57):
I know that goes against
Sam (09:58):
Yeah, you've really undone the whole Muppet
Emma (10:00):
ethos here.
Yeah, yeah, but I just, Kermit'sso wholesome.
Sam (10:04):
Kermit doesn't fit any of the roles.
Oh, is Kermit Edward Norton'sboss?
Because He's just a guy tryingto get on
Emma (10:10):
job.
Yeah, Yeah, and Edward Norton isbeing a
Sam (10:13):
coming to work being a
Emma (10:14):
a yeah, okay.
Sam (10:16):
I'm glad we've been able to
Emma (10:17):
cast
Sam (10:17):
Muppet
Emma (10:18):
Club Fight
Sam (10:19):
we did fall into a very serious hole
Emma (10:21):
we're a broad church here at Chats out of hell
Sam (10:26):
talk about the Fight Club?
Emma (10:27):
Yes.
Sam (10:28):
The Fight Club originates because Brad Pitt says, Hit me
in the face.
And Edward Norton says, I don'twant to hit you in the face.
But then he insists.
They have a fight and they enjoyit.
And then they have another fightlater on and some other men come
over and are well up for gettingin on a fight.
Bloody hell, they say.
(10:49):
Fights are so cool.
And then Brad Pitt rides a bikearound his horrible house,
exactly like the twat you knewat
Emma (10:56):
sixth form.
Yeah, we've all shared a housewith that twat.
If you haven't, then you mightbe that twat.
Sam (11:03):
get a cellar to do fights in, and then the rules of Fight
Club come in.
They're very admin
Emma (11:09):
heavy.
Heh.
Sam (11:10):
I'd forgotten about how much admin there was in the
rules of Fight Club.
We all remember that the firsttwo rules of Fight Club are the
same because Brad Pitt's scripthad it at the bottom of the
first page and then the top ofthe second
Emma (11:20):
page Um,
Sam (11:21):
But if you were a man who was up for some fighting, You
don't need fight club.
Can we just go fight outside andthen Brad Pitt won't tell us off
for wearing our shoes orwhatever it was.
Emma (11:33):
Do you think you would like to join Fight Club?
I
Sam (11:39):
I just want to feel something even if that something
is pain.
Emma (11:45):
Have you ever thought about therapy, Jesus Christ.
Sam (11:49):
Therapy is for GIRLS and I am a man and I joined fight
club.
For men.
very admin heavy, fight Club.
They stare down the lens at onepoint and say, Everything that
happens after this point,cigarette burn in the corner, Is
weird and fantasy, so you don'thave to worry about the admin.
(12:09):
So it's fine that it makes nosense Act Three: all Fight Club,
all l the time.
Emma (12:16):
they start a cult.
Sam (12:17):
It's called Project
Emma (12:19):
I wrote, Project Mayhem is the most stupid edgy boy name
for anything ever.
Fuck off.
Sam (12:26):
we don't learn its name for a little while so my notes start
calling it the Fight Club Megamen.
Edward Norton and Brad Pitt dofight club constantly now and
keep getting their fight pals todo catastrophically, childish
acts of edge lordery likehitting cars with a baseball bat
or getting a pigeon to do shiton them.
Ooh, they blew up a computershop.
(12:48):
Take that the man there is somesort of shitty test for
potential fight club mega menwhere they have to stand outside
the house and not take no for ananswer.
Ah, and then Meat Loaf'scharacter Oh, comes up and tries
to join the
Emma (13:05):
Men.
So we've not talked about MeatLoaf's character yet.
Meat Loaf plays Robert Paulson,or Bob.
And he meets Edward Norton atthe testicular cancer group.
Where Bob is presented as beinga big bloke with massive tits.
Sam (13:22):
Bitch
Emma (13:23):
Bitch tits.
film calls them.
Yes.
Which is nice, isn't it?
Bitch tits.
That's to distinguish them fromthe desirable lady tits.
The two different types of tits.
Sam (13:34):
Tits.
Okay, taxonomy of tits.
Emma (13:37):
Indeed.
Think Meat Loaf plays it prettywell.
Yeah?
I think it surprised people thathe was capable of acting.
Sure.
And I think, he Plays thecharacter well, he's quite
emotional
Sam (13:47):
Bob's character is the most Emotionally healthy man in the
whole film, and he gets fuckedup as a result.
He is comfortable crying aboutthe difficulties and encourages
Edward Norton to let it all outas well, and Edward Norton sees
that as a weakness in him, eventhough he is That's why he's
(14:08):
gil.
He's gone To the club, to the
Emma (14:11):
group.
Yeah.
And he is able to sob into Bob'sbig tits.
Sam (14:15):
Yes.
Thus, emasculating Bob.
Emma (14:19):
Yes the character of Bob is emasculated by everybody.
Sam (14:23):
Yes.
By an incredibly on the nosescript.
Huh.
He's had to have a doubleorchidectomy.
Yes.
And therefore it's physicallyemasculated, as well as having
another man cry on And thenlater on He joins Fight Club and
has a lovely time there.
Emma (14:42):
Oh, he really seems to enjoy himself.
Sam (14:44):
has a lovely time at Fight Club.
It's a club for men.
Meat Loaf goes and has somefights and then he wants to join
the Fight Club Mega Men.
But because he's such a, insertmisogynist term here, he does
take no for an answer forjoining the Mega Men, and Edward
Norton has to go over to him andsay, actually, this is a test.
Keep refusing to give up.
(15:06):
Yeah.
Emma (15:08):
Edward norton should have just let him go.
He's not cut out for that life.
Sam (15:13):
Yeah.
And then later on he getsdeaded.
he's shot Loaf has been shot inthe head by a cop while he was
out doing edgelord crimes.
Edward Norton is mad.
All the Mega Men are confusedbecause he's using Meat Loaf's
name, but the Fight Club MegaMen don't use names.
It's basically the bit in Lifeof Brian where the mob does
everything that brian saysEdward Norton says,"his name is
(15:37):
Robert Paulson" and they allstart chanting that like a
religious
Emma (15:41):
his name is Robert Paulson.
Sam (15:43):
And that catches on with fight clubs around the world and
Edward Norton's one attempt atundoing the burgeoning fascist
cult just entrenches it evenfurther.
Yes! So it is just like that bitin Life of Brian, where all
think he's the Messiah and won'tleave him alone
Emma (16:01):
but really he's just a very naughty
Sam (16:03):
It's at that point that Edward Norton realises that Brad
Pitt has been flying all overthe shop starting fight club
clubs.
At one of the cities, herealises, HE IS TYLER DURDEN OMG
FUCKING HELL WHAT THE SHIT CANYOU BELIEVE THIS?
So he's Brad Pitt.
That don't impressa me
Emma (16:20):
much.
Oh nice! Very well done.
So yeah, he's flying aroundtrying to catch Tyler and then
he realises he is.
And so Tyler appears before himand they
Sam (16:37):
another boring And then the very end, edward Norton is being
held prisoner by imaginary BradPitt.
Who is holding a gun to him andEdward Norton realises that to
kill Brad Pitt.
He has to kill himself So heshoots himself in the head which
Emma (16:56):
which kills
Sam (16:56):
Pitt.
And then it turns out he shothimself through the cheek and
therefore Brad Pitt died fornothing.
Emma (17:03):
It's such a weird ending.
It feels like such a cop out,actually.
Cause
Sam (17:09):
There's the obvious question that if he knew he was
not shooting himself to death,
Emma (17:13):
Exactly! why didn't Tyler it's almost like a, oh, we have
to try and make this a littlebit upbeat.
Cause him just killing himselfat the end would be
Sam (17:22):
Do you think it's upbeat?
Emma (17:23):
No, The film ends seemingly on a positive note
with Ed Norton and Marlatogether.
Yeah.
Holding hands and now, intheory, better versions of
themselves.
Suggesting that the toxicity andabuse was all worth it in the
end.
And such a message is so deeplyproblematic, I think.
Especially for those that havetaken Fight Club a bit too
(17:44):
literally.
Sam (17:44):
Hahaha
Emma (17:46):
This is what I was noting down last
Sam (17:48):
Yeah, that's absolutely true.
My reading of it is that when,he says, My eyes are open, just
before he shoots himself.
Emma (17:54):
Yeah.
Sam (17:55):
And then Brad Pitt dies.
He amalgamates both hispersonalities into one, even
though only one of thepersonalities needed dealing
with.
Because the Edward Nortonpersonality at that point knows
what's going on and is a goodyin, yeah, he's, he's the best
(18:15):
version of himself.
But he chooses to absorb,
Emma (18:19):
Do you think he absorbs, or do you think he's just
Sam (18:21):
No, I don't think
Emma (18:22):
think he
Sam (18:22):
does eradicate.
Because Marla comes in.
Escorted by some of the MegaMen.
Because Brad Pitt had arrangedfor her to be brought up and
murdered and he says let's notdo the murder bit But we will
blow up capitalism
Emma (18:37):
See, I thought it was resigned to the fact that they
couldn't halt it at that point.
Sam (18:40):
he seems quite happy
Emma (18:42):
don't know, I think he's just euphoric that he's survived
shooting himself in the face.
Oh,
Sam (18:46):
Shoots himself in the face and then within 12 seconds he's
talking, a bit hoarsely.
He's got a huge hole in hischeek, Emma! I know in films
when you get
Emma (18:57):
shot,
Sam (18:58):
you're it's just a bit it's an inconvenience, isn't it It's
like an insect This a whole newlevel and of course the film has
an out for this, because they'vealready told us that all of this
is a fantasy so it doesn't haveto make sense.
Get fucked David Fincher beforewe move on from the ending, do
you know about the Chineseending?
(19:18):
When this film was released inChina, victory of the anti
authoritarianist group at theend
Emma (19:24):
Yeah.
Sam (19:25):
couldn't be allowed by the Chinese censors.
A caption just comes up andsays, Through the clue provided
by Tyler, the police rapidlyfigured out the whole plan and
arrested all criminals.
Successfully preventing the bombfrom exploding.
After the trial, Tyler was sentto lunatic asylum receiving
psychological treatment.
He was discharged from thehospital in 2012.
Emma (19:47):
Is that the end?
Sam (19:48):
Amazing!
Emma (19:48):
Amazing! Yeah! Oh my god! I love
Sam (19:52):
it.
I would have preferred it, to behonest.
Emma (19:53):
be On Rotten Tomatoes it's got 81 percent favourable
reviews.
But I was reading a Guardianreview, because Fight Club was
re released earlier this yearit's the 25th anniversary, I
think?
Yeah.
And the Guardian only gave itthree stars.
Tremendously acted classic,still feels overblown.
(20:15):
Its ungainly final twists andunreal violent sequences dim a
film with a brilliant premiseand rage that still stings."
Sam (20:22):
It feels like we're edging towards rating this film.
Before I reveal the rating scalethat we've been assigned by the
BBFC Let's separate the legionsof men who don't understand
Emma (20:36):
it
Sam (20:36):
from the piece itself.
Emma (20:37):
As I say, previously, I have really enjoyed this film.
At the time, it was verystylish.
Very beautifully
Sam (20:46):
it's very well edited and shot.
It does.
address an important problemthat society still struggles
with where should or doesmasculinity lie It's just too
long.
It's
Emma (21:02):
It's too long and it's been taken too seriously by the
edgy boys.
And in a world where that's alittle bit scary, it's quite
hard to stomach.
Sam (21:12):
Yeah.
Emma the BBFC did call me upafter they found out that we
were doing this.
this Yes.
And, And, Mr.
BBFC.
The British Board of FilmClassification, for anybody
who's have the following to sayto me.
If you are going to rate thisfilm, please use the official
BBFC film rating scale fordirector David Fincher, which
(21:33):
has David Fincher at the top,David, I wouldn't throw it in
the bincher, in the middle, orat the very bottom, David
Finchy, the misogynist bellendfrom the original UK version of
The Office.
Emma, what's this film?
Emma (21:48):
As you say, it's not a terrible film.
The subject matter is justdifficult and misinterpreted.
But also it's painfully long andlaboured.
Yes.
Sam (21:59):
It's painfully long and laboured, yet still
misunderstood, and if you'regoing to make it painfully long,
it's your fault if people stilldon't get it.
I think we do have to call thisa David I Wouldn't Throw This In
The bincher.
David, I wouldn't throw it inthe bincher! That was Fight
(22:19):
Club, Emma, 1999.
Shall we talk about a more funfilm?
Emma (22:24):
We probably should.
Sam (22:27):
I have brought us The Shadow.
Emma (22:29):
The Shadow.
Sam (22:30):
The Shadow.
Emma (22:31):
Shadow.
Sam (22:33):
This is a 1994 film starring Alec Baldwin,
Emma (22:36):
Sam, how would you sum The Shadow up in one sentence?
Sam (22:39):
it Magic Batman.
And then a second sentence toexplain that yes, nerds, I do
know that the Shadow came beforeBatman, but we live in a Batman
era, so everything I do and seeis filtered through the lens of
Batman.
The Shadow is a character who isBatman, but is also a wizard.
Emma (22:59):
Bat wizard.
Sam (23:00):
Bat wizard.
Wizard man.
You can see why they settled onthe Shadow.
An old timey car drives throughwhat the captions sensitively
call
Emma (23:08):
OPIUM FIELDS
Sam (23:09):
TIBET.
This is going to be completelyculturally sensitive and fine.
The car pulls up to a temple andtwo guys in suits rush James
Hong into a room.
James Hong has murdered one ofthe crime boss's men, and the
crime boss is Alec Baldwin! He'sall long haired and long nailed
like a vampire or some
Emma (23:28):
about the nails?
Because, eugh! I really hatedthat
Sam (23:32):
Something of the 19th century opium fiend.
It was grim.
Yeah, he like there's only onescene that he looks like this,
but it's very much Gary Oldmanin Dracula He's really vampire y
and horrible but he's clearly amassive opium addict and runs
the opium crime gang quitesuccessfully.
Emma (23:53):
And everybody knows you're not supposed to, places.
Yeah, yeah.
Sam (23:56):
To prove what a badass he
Emma (23:57):
Ha ha ha!
Sam (23:58):
Alec Baldwin gives a small speech about how one of his men
is such a loyal guy and almostlike a father to him and then
has his goons shoot through thatguy to kill James Hong.
Emma (24:11):
I said, what a bastard.
Sam (24:12):
I'm positive this film is going to explain very easily and
non dodgily why a white Americanguy is running this opium gang
in the middle of Tibet.
Spoiler alert! It doesn't try,it doesn't it doesn't
Emma (24:25):
Nope, not even a little bit.
Sam (24:26):
it's probably the best route to go down.
Then, Alec Baldwin getskidnapped by some other guys who
take him to their
Emma (24:34):
You've missed the bit where so he's disturbed in the
night by dreams.
Of the teacher who is gonna beat the temple.
He wakes up from a bed full ofwomen.
Sam (24:44):
Do you know what, I must have been typing during that
he's
Emma (24:49):
Yep.
Sam (24:51):
kidnappers take him to their temple.
"What, that temple," he asks,pointing to a little shabby hut.
"No, the one behind" theypointing to a massive gold
building which is right next toit.
This is literally a thing thathappens in the film without an
ounce of exaggeration.
Hahaha.
Emma (25:09):
I liked that bit.
It made me laugh so hard.
Sam (25:11):
The temple is home to a bald dude who has a lot of gold.
The bald dude Alec Baldwin'sreal name and wants to recruit
him to fight crime because he'sso good at crime himself.
And then, the director is toolazy to do an actual training
Emma (25:25):
montage.
Text on
Sam (25:26):
Yeah, we just get a sub Star Wars scrolling paragraph.
Other films would give you atraining montage showing how he
turns from this Yeah, turns fromthis evil villain into a modern
day hero.
No, It's like the Chinesecensors got to Alec Baldwin gave
up evil and became a goody underthe guise of
Emma (25:47):
The Shadow
Sam (25:48):
and then he went to New York.
Emma (25:50):
Yes, because now we're in New York city.
Sam (25:53):
years later,
Emma (25:54):
Some generic New York gangster baddies.
They're about to do a murder.
Sam (25:59):
Using the old concrete overshoes technique.
Lovely.
And are about to throw a guy offa bridge when mysterious
laughter echoes all around.
The ghostly voice of AlecBaldwin taunts the gangsters.
One of them goes mad, shoots hisgun all over the place and just
fires into the dark.
After not killing anything, hegets another, bigger gun and
(26:20):
does same The spooky ghost ofAlec Baldwin beats him up a bit
and then tells him to go confessto his crimes, he rescues the
victim and the victim, who'sobviously terrified at this
point, what Alec Baldwin does toreassure him is, shoot at his
feet loads and loads and loadsto break the concrete off.
(26:41):
this is where we learn that theShadow isn't just Magic Batman,
he's Magic Batman with evenfewer ethics.
Because he rescues this poor guyand then says
Emma (26:52):
Now you work for me.
You're one of my agents now.
Sam (26:54):
you work for me.
Oh, but in order to let theagents identify each other, Alec
Baldwin gives them all magicrings.
Oh
Emma (27:01):
Ah yes, the magic glowing
Sam (27:02):
Yes, but at no point does he measure the guy's finger.
So from this we can infer thatas well as invisibility, his
powers include knowingeverybody's jewellery
Emma (27:12):
size.
Everybody's ring size.
I think it would detractsomewhat from the film if you
brought out a ring
Sam (27:18):
brought out the ha! The set of The Measurers, the yeah, oh,
hang on.
Oh, you're between
Emma (27:23):
that's quite frustrating.
Sam (27:24):
an F, that's quite but if it gets loose do let me know.
So then Alec Baldwin goes to anightclub, but not like today's
nightclubs.
Instead of repetitive electronicdance music like Scooter's cover
of The Logical Song andteenagers taking drugs, they
have a lady singing jazz andAlec Baldwin's uncle eating
prime rib.
Emma (27:44):
I'm up for that kind of nightclub.
Sam (27:45):
Everyone in the 20s seemed to have the best nightclubs,
because there were
Emma (27:50):
stake And music that you can talk over.
Sam (27:52):
Uncle Prime Rib gets mad because alec is always late for
stuff and needs a hobby.
And then mentions that Alecdisappeared after the war for
seven years, which is weirdbecause his training takes seven
years as well.
So this means either he sets upthe opium gang in a couple of
days, or he's in constantcontact with his police
(28:15):
commissioner uncle while he'srunning the opium gang.
Emma (28:18):
Hmm.
almost as if this is quite abadly written film.
Sam (28:23):
Emma Crosland, how dare
Emma (28:24):
you.
well.
Oscar
Sam (28:25):
winning stuff.
Uncle Prime Rib is going to setup a task force to catch this
shadow character, but then AlecBaldwin does a Jedi mind trick
on him and he changes his mind.
Alec Baldwin then pops over to asexy lady two tables over and
invites her out for a succulentChinese meal.
You've been wanting to get thatin, haven't you?
Ahhhh.
(28:45):
eating a They're eating a mealEmma.
Emma (28:49):
A succulent Chinese
Sam (28:50):
Chinese meal, but she's a mind reader! OMG, he's thinking
about how nice her dress is andShe thinks like,
Emma (28:57):
yeah, she that's just women's intuition.
Oh.
Sam (29:02):
As a result, Alec Baldwin has to spend the rest of the
date awkwardly trying not tothink about how he's secretly
the shadow.
Or, presumably, her tits.
Emma (29:13):
Is that what men think about on dates?
Do they think about, tits?
Tits, yeah, on occasion.
Okay.
Yeah?
Sam (29:20):
What, were you expecting men to never think about tits?
Emma (29:24):
I know that, I just wondered if, on a date you were
so
Sam (29:27):
No, but it's, it's, No, but,
Emma (29:30):
a naive fool I
Sam (29:31):
it's more that if somebody says to you, don't think about
my tits, cause I'll know, what'sthe first thing that you're it's
don't think about a pinkelephant, isn't it?
Emma (29:40):
Yeah, I suppose so.
I suppose so.
Sam (29:42):
He's thinking to himself, shit, I'd better not think about
how I'm the shadow.
Oh, I better not think aboutthinking about how I'm a shadow.
That must have beenstultifyingly dull conversation
for her because he's staringinto the distance trying not
Emma (29:57):
think any.
Not to think
Sam (29:57):
any thoughts But regardless she wants to see him again And
he decides not to because nobrainer just find any other non
psychic woman Alec Baldwin Thereare probably like
Emma (30:08):
in your...Dozens Meanwhile dum dum dum.
Sam (30:14):
at the Natural History Museum, Professor Exposition and
his museum pal are examining asarcophagus exhibition from
tibet.
Which I'm pretty sure isn'tnatural history, unless there's
a dinosaur in there.
But there isn't.
There's a Genghis
Emma (30:32):
Khan in there! This was such a weird moment for me.
Yes.
Because I wasn't sure where itwas going.
We'd obviously seen somegangsters.
Yeah.
And I thought, oh, maybe it'sgoing to be a bit about that.
Because I've not read anysynopsis or anything.
I went into this cold.
Yeah.
And then suddenly a Genghis
Sam (30:50):
Although, let's do a spoiler alert, because we think
A Genghis Khan does come out butthen for no reason, we later
find out he's not the GenghisKhan.
Just his last living descendant,who got a lift in his
sarcophagus to America for noreason whatsoever.
NB, Genghis Khan was a notoriousshagger, And it's reckoned that
around one in two hundred peoplealive today are descended from
(31:13):
him.
This Then we cut to the federalbuilding, where Dr.
Ian McKellen and his IanMcKellen
Emma (31:20):
McKellen is
Sam (31:20):
I know!
Emma (31:21):
shit!
Sam (31:22):
And his assistant, a confused Tim Curry who isn't
sure if he's British or
Emma (31:27):
American Tim Curry!
Sam (31:29):
They're doing science for the War
Emma (31:32):
I love the lab setup that they've got.
It's proper, b movie sciencestuff.
So they've got all theelectricity and various bottles
bubbling away.
So they've mixed their sciencesbig time.
Yes.
There's no This is physics, or
Sam (31:46):
no.
Emma (31:47):
or, it's all science.
He's polymath.
all the happens.
what happens.
if we mix this chemical with theelectricity?
Exactly.
Sam (31:58):
Answer, Genghis khan.
Ian McKellen turns out to be thefather of the psychic woman, and
also colourblind.
I I bet that doesn't come upagain.
A cop, wearing one of theShadow's secret rings, takes a
message to a mysterious office.
We are then treated to anincredibly long and expensive
sequence of the message in apneumatic tube system going ALL
(32:22):
THE WAY ACROSS THE CITY, on theoutside of buildings, in and
out, up and down, under thesewers, whatever, and then goes
to Alec Baldwin's secret spybase.
Did the council not notice himinstalling hundreds of of miles
of tubing around the city forhis secret spies
Emma (32:39):
How long has he been back this point or Tibet or?
No time?
Sam (32:45):
no time,
Emma (32:46):
he had that done?
Or was it pre existing?
Is he a Oh, is it a a preexisting message this?
Yeah, yeah.
Stop
Sam (32:55):
finding logical reasons for this stupid plot to make
Emma (32:58):
But why is it pre existing?
And why is it not on some sortof council Yeah! Dunno!
Sam (33:08):
thEre's a man gathering messages on behalf of Alec
Baldwin's spies all around thecity..
And then he presses a buttonthat makes Alec Baldwin's ring
flash.
Which tells alec baldwin to thengo to his Not the bat cave, his
Alec Baldwin cave, where he canthen call that man on a sort of
(33:30):
futuristic radio
Emma (33:31):
know that this is set well and truly in a fictional past.
Why can't they just phone?
Sam (33:36):
of Yeah they did have phones then.
Emma (33:38):
then You're right.
They had phones.
What's with all of the faffingaround?
Sam (33:44):
this is Pulp, Emma! while he's been speaking to the man,
Genghis Khan, who turns out notto be Genghis Khan, has snuck in
and they have one of thoselovely conversations between the
goody and the baddy.
Where not Genghis Khan lays downhis plan to conquer the world,
and Alec Baldwin gives him tipson where to buy a tie from.
And then Khan pays for his drinkof bourbon with a mysterious
(34:07):
coin.
Emma (34:08):
Yeah!
Sam (34:09):
And then somehow in New York he's found a squad of other
Mongolian dudes in full armour.
Emma (34:15):
This blew my mind.
Where did they come
Sam (34:18):
incredible, look, there's no
Emma (34:20):
to their origin
Sam (34:21):
origin
Emma (34:21):
They're just there.
Sam (34:22):
all separately shipped over in sarcophaguses?
just in the previous scene,Siwan Khan is very clear to lay
down that I am not Genghis Khan,I am a modern man from the
modern day.
And now I'm gonna go hang outwith a bunch of men dressed like
Genghis
Emma (34:36):
khan's.
Yep.
Yep.
Sam (34:38):
army.
Alec Baldwin gets his newlyrescued science pal to analyse
the coin and it turns out to bemade of bronzium, a mythological
Chinese material which theuniverse was made of according
to a myth that definitely isn'tmade up by a writer who knows
nothing about China.
Bronzium.
Emma (34:57):
Bronzium.
Sam (34:58):
Also, bronzium is used for making atom bombs for some
reason, but you'd need a weirdcase to build one in.
I sure hope Dr Ian McKellenisn't working on one one right
right now.
Alec Baldwin transforms into theshadow in the back of a cab and
we realise for the first timethat the shadow involves a
disguise which looks just likenormal Alec Baldwin but with a
big fake nose for some reason.
(35:18):
Did you enjoy this?
I
Emma (35:20):
I enjoyed the fake nose.
Really fugly
Sam (35:23):
but also he wears a bandana over it as well.
and a big hat pulled out overhis
Emma (35:28):
eyes, and he's He could be going around in his pants and
nobody'd know.
And
Sam (35:34):
unnecessary!
Emma (35:35):
he could just hypnotise it away.
Sam (35:37):
He's got so many powers, he doesn't need fake nose power as
well.
But the baddies attack IanMcKellen's top secret lab, Alec
Baldwin comes in and has anexciting fight, and given his
superpower is being invisible,he doesn't even have to do any
acting.
The baddies just fall over a lotand go, ah, like they've been
punched, but not as expensively.
Emma (35:56):
It's convenient.
Sam (35:58):
Alec then goes off to Chinatown to have a chat with
the baddie who has bought thesame suit and tie as him, which
is very sweet.
And then they have a fight.
They both shoot guns at eachother and the bullets smash into
each other in mid air.
is very exciting, but the filmdoes not in any way imply that
this is due to magic.
It's just a massive
Emma (36:16):
coincidence.
There's no real reference tothat again, is there?
This incredible
Sam (36:21):
There is a lovely FX of the
Emma (36:23):
of the bullets
Sam (36:24):
hitting each other.
Neither of them had glowy eyesor did anything that is
associated with magic in thefilm.
Emma (36:32):
coincidence.
That is quite the coincidence.
I'd love to know the probabilityof that
Sam (36:36):
If you know the odds of two bullets hitting each other in
mid air, do emails it and chatout of hell at gmail.
com.
A sailor on shore leave makesfun of the baddies clothes in a
transphobic way.
So he hypnotises him intojumping off the Empire State
Building, which is fair enough,really.
yeah, yeah, yeah.
That sailor was a prick.
Alec Baldwin goes to confrontTim Curry,, but does so, for
(36:58):
some reason, in a massive watertank.
Emma (37:00):
Yeah, I gave so few shits about the Tim Curry character.
And I didn't really understandwhy there was the water tank.
Sam (37:08):
Yeah, at first I thought, oh, Tim Curry lives in some sort
of eccentric house by the docks.
It was just a big water tank andthe Shadow felt it so important
to speak to him that he had togo there then.
And, wouldn't you know it, TimCurry filled it with water!
Emma (37:22):
Dum, dum,
Sam (37:23):
And then runs away so that Alec can drown.
Emma (37:26):
But he uses his special magic
Sam (37:28):
Yes, he's got another magic power, it turns out.
The brain
Emma (37:32):
Yes.
Why didn't
Sam (37:33):
he use that to speak to the spy guy
Emma (37:35):
earlier Well, yeah! I like the idea of the brain phone,
but, oh, I don't know.
I might get cross line, and thenyou end up saying something that
you don't.
It's like when you accidentallytext the person that you were
texting about.
That'd happen, you know itwould.
Yeah, it would.
You'd think in the wrong way andsuddenly you're bitching about
(37:56):
Susan to Susan.
Sam (37:57):
I think this is supposed to be her reading his mind again.
He decides to think, oh, comerescue me from the water.
So that implies that for thepast, whatever it is, two days
he's been resolutely, notthinking about
Emma (38:11):
anything, Or she's heard everything.
Oh, I really need a piss.
I
Sam (38:15):
I'm she's known, he's the shadow since day one she's been
very politely waiting.
Yeah, I do have nice tits, he's
Emma (38:24):
alright.
Sam (38:24):
Yeah, she rescues him in the lowest stakes action
sequence we've had so far.
Quick, let's go to the baddie'sMongolian themed penthouse,
where they're putting the finaltouches on their magic atomic
bomb.
And then, Emma! It's ourfavourite trope, SPINNY
NEWSPAPER!
Emma (38:39):
Love a spinny spinny newspaper and
Sam (38:42):
a kid shouting, EXTRA.
Extra,
Emma (38:44):
Extra!
Sam (38:45):
This film is five stars, give it all the
Emma (38:48):
Oscars.
Hehehehe!
Sam (38:50):
The baddie sets the bomb's timer for two hours and then he
says to Tim Curry, We're gonnaleave in one hour.
Why not just wait an hour, andset the timer for an hour?
Emma (39:00):
such a long
Sam (39:01):
time! It's so weird! Obviously the shadow breaks in,
Cowardly Tim Curry is sent alongwith three of the tough guys to
find him, And immediately sendsthe tough guys away.
He gets all beaten up.
And then Alec Baldwin displaysanother of his trademark
unethical punishments.
It's after subduing Tim Curry,he hypnotises him into jumping
(39:22):
out of a window.
Hypnotise him into turninghimself into the cops?
Nah.
Emma (39:27):
Window.
Sam (39:28):
Then there's the boss fight on the top floor.
And then we cut back and forthbetween the boss fight and Ian
McKellen and his daughter
Emma (39:34):
Oh my god.
Chasing
Sam (39:36):
the bomb around the hotel because for some
Emma (39:39):
is pure
Sam (39:40):
sphere.
Emma (39:40):
slapstick.
Yes! So the bomb was the bigsphere and it might as well have
had bomb written on the side ofit.
Yeah, fuse.
A big fuse, and so Ian McKellentries to defuse the bomb and
manages to knock most of the twohours off.
And then it becomes detached androlls around the hotel.
It chases them down the stairsat one point.
It does!
Sam (39:59):
point.
It does! Which
Emma (40:00):
is really stupid.
Sam (40:02):
Yes, how they achieve that?
And then at the end, the old redgreen confusion comes in with a
wire.
Yep, but fortunately she's thereto save the day.
Women!
Emma (40:11):
Sometimes they're
Sam (40:12):
alright.
That's
Emma (40:14):
That's the lesson that we take away from
Sam (40:15):
from this.
battle with the baddie whichtakes place in a perfume advert.
Emma (40:21):
Yep.
Sam (40:21):
all the mirrors smash and there's glass everywhere.
Alec Baldwin stabs him in thehead with a piece of glass.
And then we get the coda scenesat the end where the baddie is
stripped of his powers after hislife is saved by brain surgery
and sent to a 1920s y insaneasylum.
But, the doctor who performedthe operation shows off his
shadow ring, implying one lasttime, just how much Alec Baldwin
(40:45):
is up for unethical, vigilanteacts of justice against
Emma (40:48):
can just jails.
Yeah.
Sam (40:51):
Alec Baldwin gets off with the psychic lady in the street
and walks off, confident thathe's put in enough effort to
enter franchise territory.
Or has he
Emma (41:01):
This flopped big time, didn't it?
Sam (41:03):
Yes, so it had a budget of 40 million dollars and it
grossed 48 million worldwide
Emma (41:08):
yep.
It's got a 37 percent rating onRotten Tomatoes, which feels
about right.
As you've already mentioned, itwas anticipated that this was
going to be the start of a megafranchise, sort of Batman esque
but it flopped so badly that nofollowup ever came and they'd
even completed a SNES game forit.
They built and completed a SNESgame, but it was never released.
(41:29):
Yeah, that's how much of a flopIt was.
Amazing.
Yep.
'cause Dark Wing Duck got avideo game.
Post
Sam (41:36):
Game.
So this came out in 1994.
Yeah.
The early 90s was a big time forpulp revival.
There was a Dick Tracy movie in1990 with Warren Beatty.
Do you know about WarrenBeatty's Dick Tracy sequels?
So Warren Beatty has the rightsto make Dick Tracy films.
And to prevent the rightsreverting to, I think it's
(41:59):
Disney, it might be Universal,whoever, he's been making a shit
sequel every however many yearsit is, to keep the rights
rolling over with himself.
He just puts on the Dick Tracycostume and bitches about
something in the modern day.
and releases that in the mostminimal way possible to qualify
for a film release.
(42:21):
So the most recent one is DickTracy Zooms In that was made
during the pandemic and heliterally is talking into his
laptop wearing the Dick Tracycostume complaining about Covid
regulations.
Emma (42:33):
Wow.
Wow.
Is bloody mindedness,
Sam (42:37):
It's incredible.
Can we talk about what's good?
Because I love the visuals init.
Emma (42:41):
Okay, yeah,
Sam (42:42):
The 1920s pulp New York, and the miniatures, there's a
lot of camera work zoomingaround the city which is clearly
made of models, and I think allthat Deco stuff looks really
good.
Oh
Emma (42:53):
yeah.
Yeah, it's quite a pretty filmto look at The script is
terrible
Sam (42:59):
bad script.
It's
Emma (43:00):
really bad script
Sam (43:02):
I found a lot of fun in it though.
Emma (43:04):
It's a silly Saturday afternoon film.
That's
Sam (43:06):
I thought as well,
Emma (43:08):
well.
It's a, oh, it's raining, thereis literally nothing else in the
world to do.
Let's watch this daft film thathappens to be on.
Sam (43:15):
cast it has, it is dreadful.
Everybody is rubbish in it,absolutely everybody.
Emma (43:21):
The premise for the film I feel like they did it a
disservice with the script.
It's been really badly written.
And it could have been a lotmore fun and campy and
Sam (43:33):
doesn't lean into this.
Yeah, you're right it doesn'tlean into
Emma (43:37):
so the reason that we've picked this particular film to
talk about
Sam (43:40):
about Yeah,
Emma (43:41):
Is because as the end credits roll you get version of
Original Sin which is one of JimSteinman songs It's a song that
I really like as we discussed atthe last proper episode of Chat
out of Hell.
Yeah It's a banger of a song.
It's Steinman's Bond theme.
Sam (43:58):
Yes,
Emma (43:59):
it's been pissed away on this.
Sam (44:01):
Yes.
now This is interesting becauseit is steinman's bond theme he
clearly wants to put this songon a big, bombastic, brilliant
action film and puts it on this.
I realised after we talked aboutit last episode, the reason it
isn't a Bond theme is because wewere in a big Bond drought at
(44:21):
the time.
Timothy Dalton's last film wasin the 80s and then it's like a
decade until we get Goldeneye.
I do believe there were like bigarguments over the rights, and
it was stuck in production hellbetween different companies.
But I think probably at somepoint in the early 90s, Jim
Steinman says,
Emma (44:39):
this'll do.
Sam (44:40):
have to do.
But! The director of this filmwas Russell Mulcahy, Who did the
first two Highlander films,featured a lot of accent
confusion, so maybe Tim Curry'shis fault But he also directed
the video for Total Eclipse ofthe Heart! Double link! So I
think we must be able to inferfrom that at some point Russell
(45:02):
rings up his old mate jim andsays, I think we
Emma (45:06):
from the themes of the song, I was expecting a very
different film.
Sam (45:11):
Yeah.
Emma (45:12):
It's not dark enough to have to have original sin.
Sam (45:15):
No, it's not.
The character starts out as acrime lord and he's redeeming
himself and, bullying baddies inall sorts of horrible ways, but
it doesn't lean into thatenough.
No.
I think if it was made now, itcould be really exciting.
If you Batman Beginsed it yeah.
you could make it very darkYeah.
(45:37):
We've got ideas.
Call me.
You
Emma (45:39):
fly me out.
I don't mind travelling economy.
I
Sam (45:46):
It's time to rate this film,
Emma (45:47):
Emma.
Yeah, God.
What have you been sent?
Sam (45:49):
This one I had to build a big AI.
in between episodes, I've beenworking on an AI to generate
Rating scales for me.
Yeah?
Emma (45:59):
make one yourself
Sam (46:00):
did have to make You're out
Emma (46:02):
Yeah,
Sam (46:02):
they're not good enough for our purposes.
I did build a Rating Scale Namer
Emma (46:07):
5000.
Ah, what a surprise was
Sam (46:13):
attempt.
Emma (46:14):
You have been busy.
Sam (46:18):
the lever, and the electricity sparked between the
two big towers on top and thetiny little black and white
screen in the middle of itopened up little metal iris
thing.
on the screen it said, Is thisfilm Russell Mulcahy?
Russell, I guess it's okay y.
Or, Russell, absolutely no wayy.
(46:38):
And then it exploded, so we'llnever use it it again.
What do you think, Emma?
Emma (46:44):
It's a bad film but it's quite entertaining.
Sam (46:46):
I am going to place this film alongside things like
Prince of Thieves, Ghostbusters2 the less good Star Trek films.
This is a fun film to watch on aSaturday afternoon.
So I am calling this a Russell IGuess Is Okay.
Emma (47:03):
I will agree with that.
Sam (47:05):
Okay, you don't have to.
Emma (47:06):
no, I do agree with that.
I think it's a bit of fun.
bit of
Sam (47:10):
of fun.
Emphasis on the bit.
That was Chat Out of Hell FilmClub.
But listeners, what did youthink of Please don't watch
either of them.
And I know some people did goahead and watch them last time
because they thought theysounded fun.
Don't watch Fight Club.
If you are going to watch one ofthem, watch The Shadow.
Emma (47:31):
Fight Club doesn't need any more people to watch
Sam (47:33):
Exactly.
Whereas, if you watch TheShadow, you can play with your
phone while it's on.
You have opinions on thosefilms, do let us know, at
chatoutofhell@gmail.com Or,we're about to return with
Series 3, crashing intoDecember, and we are going to be
talking about the Jim Steinmanmonologues.
(47:54):
Wasted Youth, also called Love,Death and American Guitar, from
the Bad for Good or Bat Out ofHell 2 albums, Nocturnal
Pleasure, which appears on thealbum Dead Ringer, and also on
the Pandora's Box album I'veBeen Dreaming Up a Storm Lately,
and I've Been Dreaming Andfinally, the Want Ad, both of
which are, again, Pandora's Box.
So if you can find those, Tellus some opinions about them.
(48:14):
We have had some emails in ourbreak, but we're going to save
those for next time.
Emma, any final thoughts on FilmClub?
Emma (48:22):
I'm just thinking about the Jim Steinman monologues,
which was a less successful onewoman show.
Sam (48:28):
Emma done a funny.
Emma (48:31):
Mean.
You did! It's just the way yousay it.
Sam (48:36):
I'm sorry.
I found it funny.
Emma (48:39):
Good.
Thank you.
Sam (48:40):
found it funny, but I also didn't have a laugh
Emma (48:43):
ready.
You have to have a laughprepared?
What fucking psychopath are you?
Jesus! I just knew that if did a
Sam (48:52):
knew that if I did a fake laugh, you'd think it was a fake
laugh But it funny.
Now I have nothing else toAnyway, that was Film Club.
We'll see you all some pointreally soon, because we're
running late on this, but it'llbe December 2nd, whenever that
is.
See you all then.
(49:13):
Bye! Bye! Bow now, now, now!
What is this?
Emma (00:01):
This is Chat Out of Hell Film Club, where we discuss
films starring, or just looselyconnected, to Meat Loaf and or
Jim Steinman.
Even though this is supposed tobe our break from the regular
podcast, we just can't resistsetting ourselves more homework.
If you've not heard any of theother episodes, then stop! This
is a terrible place to begin.
(00:23):
Start at episode one orsomething.
Actually, maybe not episode
Sam (00:27):
one?
No, we weren't in the swing ofit by then.
Emma (00:29):
three?
Yeah, three.
Episode
Sam (00:31):
Go to episode three, and then go back to
Emma (00:33):
Yeah.
Who is Meat Loaf?
Sam (00:34):
Meat Loaf was third on the call sheet for the movie Fight
Club.
Emma (00:37):
Ooh.
Sam (00:38):
Or maybe he was fourth.
It depends if women count.
Emma (00:43):
I suspect they don't.
Sam (00:45):
Who is Jim Steinman?
Emma (00:46):
Jim Steinman wrote a song called Original Sin and he liked
it so much that he knew it hadto be the soundtrack to a
massive Hollywood blockbuster.
And maybe one day it will be!
Sam (00:58):
be! ho ho Ho! I'm laughing like a twat, even though I wrote
Emma (01:02):
that thing.
Who are we?
Sam (01:04):
We are Sam Wilkinson and Emma Crosland, stand up
comedians and the two Sisyphusesdetermined to keep rolling the
rock of critical analysis up ahill made out of Meat Loaf's
face.
And I'm watching it roll backdown, every time.
A hill made of Meat Loaf's face.
You picturing that?
Emma (01:23):
We're
Sam (01:24):
we're climbing up it with our little
Emma (01:26):
rock?
I don't like it.
No, I don't like it.
Sam (01:28):
Welcome to Chat Out of Hell! FILM CLUB! Bow now, now,
now!
Emma (01:35):
Ding
Sam (01:36):
Films.
Emma (01:37):
Oh, nice.
Nice.
Sam (01:38):
Emma, so this is Film Club, right?
We've just both had to watch twoEntire films.
Entire films and now we're goingto talk about them.
And the films that we've chosenare linked to the works of Meat
Loaf and or Jim Steinman.
Choice was the movie The Shadow,which came out in 1994, starring
Alec Baldwin, which had a JimSteinman song, Original Sin, as
(02:00):
its theme tune.
Theme tune didn't appear in theactual
Emma (02:03):
film, No.
just in
Sam (02:04):
over the closing credits, like what used to happen in the
90s.
What was your film?
Emma (02:09):
film was Fight Club, which stars Brad Pitt and that other
one whose name has just escapedme.
Sam (02:16):
David Incredible Hulk.
Emma (02:17):
Ed Norton, isn't it?
That's it, yeah.
Edward Norton.
And also stars Meat Loaf.
Sam (02:22):
Emma, tell us about Fight Club.
What is it?
Emma (02:25):
A depressed man discovers that in order to sleep, he has
to emote.
Ha ha Ha! And the only way youcan do that is while feeding off
other people's misery andlearning to cry a bit.
He goes to loads of supportgroups for horrible illnesses
and is cynical about it.
Then a woman starts doingexactly the same as him and
(02:45):
suddenly it's not all right.
The girl, Marla, is a manicpixie nightmare
Sam (02:50):
I got that as well!
Emma (02:52):
Exactly the same
Sam (02:54):
I got manic pixie nightmare girl.
Emma (02:56):
Then the, it's unnamed protagonist, isn't
Sam (02:59):
it?
Yeah, I just call him EdwardNorton throughout my notes.
Emma (03:02):
I've been just calling him the man.
Sam (03:04):
The man?
Emma (03:04):
The man.
Yeah, we'll
Sam (03:06):
Yeah, we'll call him The
Emma (03:07):
Man.
The man meets another man, Tylerand they start a fight club
after some conversation andshit.
Eventually they fall out aboutthe girl and also about the
project to blow stuff up.
There seems to be a lot oftestosterone.
The man discovers that he isTyler.
Sorry, spoilers there.
And has been beating himself upand orchestrating everything
(03:29):
from the beginning.
The man needs therapy.
But instead ends up blowing up abunch of credit card company
buildings after shooting himselfin the face and getting rid of
his imaginary friend and all theedgy boys wank themselves to
death over how meaningful it all
Sam (03:43):
it all is.
HeheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheI
Emma (03:46):
I think that sums it up.
Sam (03:47):
The opening credit sequence is zooming around.
I had to look this upafterwards.
It zooms around his brain as therelevant hormones for fear are
injected around his
Emma (03:57):
brain Of course it
Sam (03:58):
an exciting EDM dance song on the credit sequence which is,
it's a bit like Scooter's coverof The Logical song.
Emma (04:04):
Oh God, here we go.
Sam (04:05):
or Scatman Ski Bop Bop Bada Bop by Scatman John but angrier.
Emma (04:13):
The whole thing feels achingly 90s a
Sam (04:17):
Oh, Let's go straight to Brad Pitt, who I call Brad Pitt
throughout thing.
He meets Brad Pitt on a plane,and Brad Pitt spouts some of the
classic stoner conspiracyconspiracy shite heard all the
time in sixth form, and Iimagine he might keep that up
all film.
Edward Norton wants to be hisfriend because he is a fucking
idiot.
This is a man who smokes rolliesand never does his share of the
(04:39):
washing up because Fairy Liquidwas invented by the man.
He believes that every film andbook in the history of mankind
is full of drug referencesbecause he can't understand not
being obsessed with drugs allthe time.
He owns one crusty pillow
Emma (04:51):
Ha Ha ha ha ha ha Ha.
Yes, Yes, I have been out withthat man several times in my
life.
One crusty pillow and a torn bedsheet.
Yep.
Sam (05:07):
Brad Pitt sounds like a character from a Coen Brothers
film, except that characterwould be the local idiot who
gets put in his place by somefolksy wisdom from the local
sheriff.
He's a more self important JeffBridges from The Big Lebowski.
The Pseud, if you will, and thenI took the rest of the day off
because,
Emma (05:26):
Very nice.
Thank you.
What I'm getting here is thatneither of us particularly
enjoyed this experience.
Sam (05:34):
No,
Emma (05:35):
I have to confess when I first saw this film back in
Probably 99, I thought it wasincredible and inspirational,
but I was a naive child at thatpoint and since then I've
discovered things like, I dunno,female empowerment, And how
toxic masculinity is ruiningeverything.
Sam (05:57):
Shall we quickly zoom in on that bit?
Because this is a film thatcritiques masculinity.
Emma (06:04):
Supposedly.
Sam (06:05):
It's aim is definitely to critique toxic masculinity.
Emma (06:07):
Yeah I'll
Sam (06:08):
that.
It's message, if there is one,is that men are really easy to
turn to fascists because theyare fucking twats.
All of which is a nice messageto try to put across.
But if you meet a man whosefavourite film is Fight
Emma (06:23):
Club It's not for those
Sam (06:24):
You should run
Emma (06:25):
away.
Yes.
In fact I wrote down here muchhas been written online about
how this is a critique offragile masculinity, but I fear
it's probably been taken out ofcontext, as so many of these
things are.
See Al Murray Pub landlord.
What do you think to themisogyny in the film?
fan.
Sam (06:41):
fan of the old misogy.
Emma (06:42):
Me either.
There's one line in particularthat really grates on me these
days.
And that's the line, we're ageneration of men raised by
women.
Sam (06:53):
Yeah.
Emma (06:54):
Fuck off.
Sam (06:55):
unlike every.
man
Emma (06:58):
really hate that.
Sam (07:00):
But Brad Pitt's character is supposed to be a
Emma (07:03):
twat Yes.
Sam (07:04):
He's more of a twat than I think the filmmakers intended.
And you are supposed to hearthat line and think, fucking
hell, what a bellend.
bellend But again, there's somany bellends out there who
don't think that.
Emma (07:17):
I think, in the current climate, where we're dealing
with incel culture and theAndrew Tate, rhetoric.
These sorts of films aregenuinely a little bit scary
now.
Because there are so many menand boys falling for that.
(07:37):
And that makes me sad and angry.
Sam (07:40):
So you mean to say that David Fincher didn't solve the
problem back in 1999 with this
Emma (07:44):
film?
No, if anything, it'sexacerbated it.
Sam (07:48):
of exacerbated.
Emma (07:49):
That is just my opinion, and I am just a girl.
Sam (07:52):
That's true.
Yes.
And my notes on girls this goesback to the minute he sees Marla
he's faking being ill at allthese support groups so that he
can do a cry, the fucked upmanly bastard.
He can't even do a cry withouthaving to pretend he's dying.
But oh no! Here comes HelenaBonham Carter and she's pulling
the same scam.
(08:13):
Her name is Marla and she livesin a world of slo mo shots
because she's a girl and girlsare trouble.
Edward Norton gets sulky thatshe exists but also he
fantasizes about her becausegirls are trouble.
Emma (08:27):
That's very much the attitude of the incel community.
Sam (08:31):
Bitches.
After he confronts her aboutgoing to these support groups
and faking it.
and harshing his mellow, Theydecide to split the support
groups between them.
And while they're doing that,she steals some clothes from a
laundrette
Emma (08:43):
Yes, Yes she does.
Sam (08:45):
shop.
Why?
Girls are bitches.
Emma (08:48):
It's to show just what a fucked up bitch she is.
Yeah.
As I say, manic, pixie,nightmare goth.
Which is, Helena Bonham Carter'sshtick.
Sam (09:00):
Yeah.
She's done a lot of that.
And an ape.
Emma (09:04):
And an ape, of course, yes, she was in.
Sam (09:07):
she did play a ape
Emma (09:08):
once.
Yeah.
That would be the crossoveryou'd like to see, wouldn't it?
I'd
Sam (09:11):
I'd love it if the whole film was the same, but she was a
ape.
Emma (09:15):
I'd love it if the whole film was the same, but everybody
was Muppets except for EdwardNorton.
Club.
Sam (09:22):
Who would you get to play Tyler Durden
Emma (09:24):
Fozzie Bear.
Sam (09:30):
Okay, who's playing the Meat Loaf role?
Emma (09:32):
Oh Sweetums the monster.
nice,
Sam (09:36):
good call.
Obviously Miss Piggy is Helena
Emma (09:38):
Carter.
Of course, She wouldn't have itany other
Sam (09:41):
way.
No, that and who else could sheplay?
Jared Leto?
Emma (09:48):
Gonzo?
Maybe?
Yeah.
Sam (09:51):
who's Kermit?
Emma (09:52):
I think Kermit might just have a minor role in this.
Sam (09:55):
this.
My God.
Yeah,
Emma (09:57):
I know that goes against
Sam (09:58):
Yeah, you've really undone the whole Muppet
Emma (10:00):
ethos here.
Yeah, yeah, but I just, Kermit'sso wholesome.
Sam (10:04):
Kermit doesn't fit any of the roles.
Oh, is Kermit Edward Norton'sboss?
Because He's just a guy tryingto get on
Emma (10:10):
job.
Yeah, Yeah, and Edward Norton isbeing a
Sam (10:13):
coming to work being a
Emma (10:14):
a yeah, okay.
Sam (10:16):
I'm glad we've been able to
Emma (10:17):
cast
Sam (10:17):
Muppet
Emma (10:18):
Club Fight
Sam (10:19):
we did fall into a very serious hole
Emma (10:21):
we're a broad church here at Chats out of hell
Sam (10:26):
talk about the Fight Club?
Emma (10:27):
Yes.
Sam (10:28):
The Fight Club originates because Brad Pitt says, Hit me
in the face.
And Edward Norton says, I don'twant to hit you in the face.
But then he insists.
They have a fight and they enjoyit.
And then they have another fightlater on and some other men come
over and are well up for gettingin on a fight.
Bloody hell, they say.
(10:49):
Fights are so cool.
And then Brad Pitt rides a bikearound his horrible house,
exactly like the twat you knewat
Emma (10:56):
sixth form.
Yeah, we've all shared a housewith that twat.
If you haven't, then you mightbe that twat.
Sam (11:03):
get a cellar to do fights in, and then the rules of Fight
Club come in.
They're very admin
Emma (11:09):
heavy.
Heh.
Sam (11:10):
I'd forgotten about how much admin there was in the
rules of Fight Club.
We all remember that the firsttwo rules of Fight Club are the
same because Brad Pitt's scripthad it at the bottom of the
first page and then the top ofthe second
Emma (11:20):
page Um,
Sam (11:21):
But if you were a man who was up for some fighting, You
don't need fight club.
Can we just go fight outside andthen Brad Pitt won't tell us off
for wearing our shoes orwhatever it was.
Emma (11:33):
Do you think you would like to join Fight Club?
I
Sam (11:39):
I just want to feel something even if that something
is pain.
Emma (11:45):
Have you ever thought about therapy, Jesus Christ.
Sam (11:49):
Therapy is for GIRLS and I am a man and I joined fight
club.
For men.
very admin heavy, fight Club.
They stare down the lens at onepoint and say, Everything that
happens after this point,cigarette burn in the corner, Is
weird and fantasy, so you don'thave to worry about the admin.
(12:09):
So it's fine that it makes nosense Act Three: all Fight Club,
all l the time.
Emma (12:16):
they start a cult.
Sam (12:17):
It's called Project
Emma (12:19):
I wrote, Project Mayhem is the most stupid edgy boy name
for anything ever.
Fuck off.
Sam (12:26):
we don't learn its name for a little while so my notes start
calling it the Fight Club Megamen.
Edward Norton and Brad Pitt dofight club constantly now and
keep getting their fight pals todo catastrophically, childish
acts of edge lordery likehitting cars with a baseball bat
or getting a pigeon to do shiton them.
Ooh, they blew up a computershop.
(12:48):
Take that the man there is somesort of shitty test for
potential fight club mega menwhere they have to stand outside
the house and not take no for ananswer.
Ah, and then Meat Loaf'scharacter Oh, comes up and tries
to join the
Emma (13:05):
Men.
So we've not talked about MeatLoaf's character yet.
Meat Loaf plays Robert Paulson,or Bob.
And he meets Edward Norton atthe testicular cancer group.
Where Bob is presented as beinga big bloke with massive tits.
Sam (13:22):
Bitch
Emma (13:23):
Bitch tits.
film calls them.
Yes.
Which is nice, isn't it?
Bitch tits.
That's to distinguish them fromthe desirable lady tits.
The two different types of tits.
Sam (13:34):
Tits.
Okay, taxonomy of tits.
Emma (13:37):
Indeed.
Think Meat Loaf plays it prettywell.
Yeah?
I think it surprised people thathe was capable of acting.
Sure.
And I think, he Plays thecharacter well, he's quite
emotional
Sam (13:47):
Bob's character is the most Emotionally healthy man in the
whole film, and he gets fuckedup as a result.
He is comfortable crying aboutthe difficulties and encourages
Edward Norton to let it all outas well, and Edward Norton sees
that as a weakness in him, eventhough he is That's why he's
(14:08):
gil.
He's gone To the club, to the
Emma (14:11):
group.
Yeah.
And he is able to sob into Bob'sbig tits.
Sam (14:15):
Yes.
Thus, emasculating Bob.
Emma (14:19):
Yes the character of Bob is emasculated by everybody.
Sam (14:23):
Yes.
By an incredibly on the nosescript.
Huh.
He's had to have a doubleorchidectomy.
Yes.
And therefore it's physicallyemasculated, as well as having
another man cry on And thenlater on He joins Fight Club and
has a lovely time there.
Emma (14:42):
Oh, he really seems to enjoy himself.
Sam (14:44):
has a lovely time at Fight Club.
It's a club for men.
Meat Loaf goes and has somefights and then he wants to join
the Fight Club Mega Men.
But because he's such a, insertmisogynist term here, he does
take no for an answer forjoining the Mega Men, and Edward
Norton has to go over to him andsay, actually, this is a test.
Keep refusing to give up.
(15:06):
Yeah.
Emma (15:08):
Edward norton should have just let him go.
He's not cut out for that life.
Sam (15:13):
Yeah.
And then later on he getsdeaded.
he's shot Loaf has been shot inthe head by a cop while he was
out doing edgelord crimes.
Edward Norton is mad.
All the Mega Men are confusedbecause he's using Meat Loaf's
name, but the Fight Club MegaMen don't use names.
It's basically the bit in Lifeof Brian where the mob does
everything that brian saysEdward Norton says,"his name is
(15:37):
Robert Paulson" and they allstart chanting that like a
religious
Emma (15:41):
his name is Robert Paulson.
Sam (15:43):
And that catches on with fight clubs around the world and
Edward Norton's one attempt atundoing the burgeoning fascist
cult just entrenches it evenfurther.
Yes! So it is just like that bitin Life of Brian, where all
think he's the Messiah and won'tleave him alone
Emma (16:01):
but really he's just a very naughty
Sam (16:03):
It's at that point that Edward Norton realises that Brad
Pitt has been flying all overthe shop starting fight club
clubs.
At one of the cities, herealises, HE IS TYLER DURDEN OMG
FUCKING HELL WHAT THE SHIT CANYOU BELIEVE THIS?
So he's Brad Pitt.
That don't impressa me
Emma (16:20):
much.
Oh nice! Very well done.
So yeah, he's flying aroundtrying to catch Tyler and then
he realises he is.
And so Tyler appears before himand they
Sam (16:37):
another boring And then the very end, edward Norton is being
held prisoner by imaginary BradPitt.
Who is holding a gun to him andEdward Norton realises that to
kill Brad Pitt.
He has to kill himself So heshoots himself in the head which
Emma (16:56):
which kills
Sam (16:56):
Pitt.
And then it turns out he shothimself through the cheek and
therefore Brad Pitt died fornothing.
Emma (17:03):
It's such a weird ending.
It feels like such a cop out,actually.
Cause
Sam (17:09):
There's the obvious question that if he knew he was
not shooting himself to death,
Emma (17:13):
Exactly! why didn't Tyler it's almost like a, oh, we have
to try and make this a littlebit upbeat.
Cause him just killing himselfat the end would be
Sam (17:22):
Do you think it's upbeat?
Emma (17:23):
No, The film ends seemingly on a positive note
with Ed Norton and Marlatogether.
Yeah.
Holding hands and now, intheory, better versions of
themselves.
Suggesting that the toxicity andabuse was all worth it in the
end.
And such a message is so deeplyproblematic, I think.
Especially for those that havetaken Fight Club a bit too
(17:44):
literally.
Sam (17:44):
Hahaha
Emma (17:46):
This is what I was noting down last
Sam (17:48):
Yeah, that's absolutely true.
My reading of it is that when,he says, My eyes are open, just
before he shoots himself.
Emma (17:54):
Yeah.
Sam (17:55):
And then Brad Pitt dies.
He amalgamates both hispersonalities into one, even
though only one of thepersonalities needed dealing
with.
Because the Edward Nortonpersonality at that point knows
what's going on and is a goodyin, yeah, he's, he's the best
(18:15):
version of himself.
But he chooses to absorb,
Emma (18:19):
Do you think he absorbs, or do you think he's just
Sam (18:21):
No, I don't think
Emma (18:22):
think he
Sam (18:22):
does eradicate.
Because Marla comes in.
Escorted by some of the MegaMen.
Because Brad Pitt had arrangedfor her to be brought up and
murdered and he says let's notdo the murder bit But we will
blow up capitalism
Emma (18:37):
See, I thought it was resigned to the fact that they
couldn't halt it at that point.
Sam (18:40):
he seems quite happy
Emma (18:42):
don't know, I think he's just euphoric that he's survived
shooting himself in the face.
Oh,
Sam (18:46):
Shoots himself in the face and then within 12 seconds he's
talking, a bit hoarsely.
He's got a huge hole in hischeek, Emma! I know in films
when you get
Emma (18:57):
shot,
Sam (18:58):
you're it's just a bit it's an inconvenience, isn't it It's
like an insect This a whole newlevel and of course the film has
an out for this, because they'vealready told us that all of this
is a fantasy so it doesn't haveto make sense.
Get fucked David Fincher beforewe move on from the ending, do
you know about the Chineseending?
(19:18):
When this film was released inChina, victory of the anti
authoritarianist group at theend
Emma (19:24):
Yeah.
Sam (19:25):
couldn't be allowed by the Chinese censors.
A caption just comes up andsays, Through the clue provided
by Tyler, the police rapidlyfigured out the whole plan and
arrested all criminals.
Successfully preventing the bombfrom exploding.
After the trial, Tyler was sentto lunatic asylum receiving
psychological treatment.
He was discharged from thehospital in 2012.
Emma (19:47):
Is that the end?
Sam (19:48):
Amazing!
Emma (19:48):
Amazing! Yeah! Oh my god! I love
Sam (19:52):
it.
I would have preferred it, to behonest.
Emma (19:53):
be On Rotten Tomatoes it's got 81 percent favourable
reviews.
But I was reading a Guardianreview, because Fight Club was
re released earlier this yearit's the 25th anniversary, I
think?
Yeah.
And the Guardian only gave itthree stars.
Tremendously acted classic,still feels overblown.
(20:15):
Its ungainly final twists andunreal violent sequences dim a
film with a brilliant premiseand rage that still stings."
Sam (20:22):
It feels like we're edging towards rating this film.
Before I reveal the rating scalethat we've been assigned by the
BBFC Let's separate the legionsof men who don't understand
Emma (20:36):
it
Sam (20:36):
from the piece itself.
Emma (20:37):
As I say, previously, I have really enjoyed this film.
At the time, it was verystylish.
Very beautifully
Sam (20:46):
it's very well edited and shot.
It does.
address an important problemthat society still struggles
with where should or doesmasculinity lie It's just too
long.
It's
Emma (21:02):
It's too long and it's been taken too seriously by the
edgy boys.
And in a world where that's alittle bit scary, it's quite
hard to stomach.
Sam (21:12):
Yeah.
Emma the BBFC did call me upafter they found out that we
were doing this.
this Yes.
And, And, Mr.
BBFC.
The British Board of FilmClassification, for anybody
who's have the following to sayto me.
If you are going to rate thisfilm, please use the official
BBFC film rating scale fordirector David Fincher, which
(21:33):
has David Fincher at the top,David, I wouldn't throw it in
the bincher, in the middle, orat the very bottom, David
Finchy, the misogynist bellendfrom the original UK version of
The Office.
Emma, what's this film?
Emma (21:48):
As you say, it's not a terrible film.
The subject matter is justdifficult and misinterpreted.
But also it's painfully long andlaboured.
Yes.
Sam (21:59):
It's painfully long and laboured, yet still
misunderstood, and if you'regoing to make it painfully long,
it's your fault if people stilldon't get it.
I think we do have to call thisa David I Wouldn't Throw This In
The bincher.
David, I wouldn't throw it inthe bincher! That was Fight
(22:19):
Club, Emma, 1999.
Shall we talk about a more funfilm?
Emma (22:24):
We probably should.
Sam (22:27):
I have brought us The Shadow.
Emma (22:29):
The Shadow.
Sam (22:30):
The Shadow.
Emma (22:31):
Shadow.
Sam (22:33):
This is a 1994 film starring Alec Baldwin,
Emma (22:36):
Sam, how would you sum The Shadow up in one sentence?
Sam (22:39):
it Magic Batman.
And then a second sentence toexplain that yes, nerds, I do
know that the Shadow came beforeBatman, but we live in a Batman
era, so everything I do and seeis filtered through the lens of
Batman.
The Shadow is a character who isBatman, but is also a wizard.
Emma (22:59):
Bat wizard.
Sam (23:00):
Bat wizard.
Wizard man.
You can see why they settled onthe Shadow.
An old timey car drives throughwhat the captions sensitively
call
Emma (23:08):
OPIUM FIELDS
Sam (23:09):
TIBET.
This is going to be completelyculturally sensitive and fine.
The car pulls up to a temple andtwo guys in suits rush James
Hong into a room.
James Hong has murdered one ofthe crime boss's men, and the
crime boss is Alec Baldwin! He'sall long haired and long nailed
like a vampire or some
Emma (23:28):
about the nails?
Because, eugh! I really hatedthat
Sam (23:32):
Something of the 19th century opium fiend.
It was grim.
Yeah, he like there's only onescene that he looks like this,
but it's very much Gary Oldmanin Dracula He's really vampire y
and horrible but he's clearly amassive opium addict and runs
the opium crime gang quitesuccessfully.
Emma (23:53):
And everybody knows you're not supposed to, places.
Yeah, yeah.
Sam (23:56):
To prove what a badass he
Emma (23:57):
Ha ha ha!
Sam (23:58):
Alec Baldwin gives a small speech about how one of his men
is such a loyal guy and almostlike a father to him and then
has his goons shoot through thatguy to kill James Hong.
Emma (24:11):
I said, what a bastard.
Sam (24:12):
I'm positive this film is going to explain very easily and
non dodgily why a white Americanguy is running this opium gang
in the middle of Tibet.
Spoiler alert! It doesn't try,it doesn't it doesn't
Emma (24:25):
Nope, not even a little bit.
Sam (24:26):
it's probably the best route to go down.
Then, Alec Baldwin getskidnapped by some other guys who
take him to their
Emma (24:34):
You've missed the bit where so he's disturbed in the
night by dreams.
Of the teacher who is gonna beat the temple.
He wakes up from a bed full ofwomen.
Sam (24:44):
Do you know what, I must have been typing during that
he's
Emma (24:49):
Yep.
Sam (24:51):
kidnappers take him to their temple.
"What, that temple," he asks,pointing to a little shabby hut.
"No, the one behind" theypointing to a massive gold
building which is right next toit.
This is literally a thing thathappens in the film without an
ounce of exaggeration.
Hahaha.
Emma (25:09):
I liked that bit.
It made me laugh so hard.
Sam (25:11):
The temple is home to a bald dude who has a lot of gold.
The bald dude Alec Baldwin'sreal name and wants to recruit
him to fight crime because he'sso good at crime himself.
And then, the director is toolazy to do an actual training
Emma (25:25):
montage.
Text on
Sam (25:26):
Yeah, we just get a sub Star Wars scrolling paragraph.
Other films would give you atraining montage showing how he
turns from this Yeah, turns fromthis evil villain into a modern
day hero.
No, It's like the Chinesecensors got to Alec Baldwin gave
up evil and became a goody underthe guise of
Emma (25:47):
The Shadow
Sam (25:48):
and then he went to New York.
Emma (25:50):
Yes, because now we're in New York city.
Sam (25:53):
years later,
Emma (25:54):
Some generic New York gangster baddies.
They're about to do a murder.
Sam (25:59):
Using the old concrete overshoes technique.
Lovely.
And are about to throw a guy offa bridge when mysterious
laughter echoes all around.
The ghostly voice of AlecBaldwin taunts the gangsters.
One of them goes mad, shoots hisgun all over the place and just
fires into the dark.
After not killing anything, hegets another, bigger gun and
(26:20):
does same The spooky ghost ofAlec Baldwin beats him up a bit
and then tells him to go confessto his crimes, he rescues the
victim and the victim, who'sobviously terrified at this
point, what Alec Baldwin does toreassure him is, shoot at his
feet loads and loads and loadsto break the concrete off.
(26:41):
this is where we learn that theShadow isn't just Magic Batman,
he's Magic Batman with evenfewer ethics.
Because he rescues this poor guyand then says
Emma (26:52):
Now you work for me.
You're one of my agents now.
Sam (26:54):
you work for me.
Oh, but in order to let theagents identify each other, Alec
Baldwin gives them all magicrings.
Oh
Emma (27:01):
Ah yes, the magic glowing
Sam (27:02):
Yes, but at no point does he measure the guy's finger.
So from this we can infer thatas well as invisibility, his
powers include knowingeverybody's jewellery
Emma (27:12):
size.
Everybody's ring size.
I think it would detractsomewhat from the film if you
brought out a ring
Sam (27:18):
brought out the ha! The set of The Measurers, the yeah, oh,
hang on.
Oh, you're between
Emma (27:23):
that's quite frustrating.
Sam (27:24):
an F, that's quite but if it gets loose do let me know.
So then Alec Baldwin goes to anightclub, but not like today's
nightclubs.
Instead of repetitive electronicdance music like Scooter's cover
of The Logical Song andteenagers taking drugs, they
have a lady singing jazz andAlec Baldwin's uncle eating
prime rib.
Emma (27:44):
I'm up for that kind of nightclub.
Sam (27:45):
Everyone in the 20s seemed to have the best nightclubs,
because there were
Emma (27:50):
stake And music that you can talk over.
Sam (27:52):
Uncle Prime Rib gets mad because alec is always late for
stuff and needs a hobby.
And then mentions that Alecdisappeared after the war for
seven years, which is weirdbecause his training takes seven
years as well.
So this means either he sets upthe opium gang in a couple of
days, or he's in constantcontact with his police
(28:15):
commissioner uncle while he'srunning the opium gang.
Emma (28:18):
Hmm.
almost as if this is quite abadly written film.
Sam (28:23):
Emma Crosland, how dare
Emma (28:24):
you.
well.
Oscar
Sam (28:25):
winning stuff.
Uncle Prime Rib is going to setup a task force to catch this
shadow character, but then AlecBaldwin does a Jedi mind trick
on him and he changes his mind.
Alec Baldwin then pops over to asexy lady two tables over and
invites her out for a succulentChinese meal.
You've been wanting to get thatin, haven't you?
Ahhhh.
(28:45):
eating a They're eating a mealEmma.
Emma (28:49):
A succulent Chinese
Sam (28:50):
Chinese meal, but she's a mind reader! OMG, he's thinking
about how nice her dress is andShe thinks like,
Emma (28:57):
yeah, she that's just women's intuition.
Oh.
Sam (29:02):
As a result, Alec Baldwin has to spend the rest of the
date awkwardly trying not tothink about how he's secretly
the shadow.
Or, presumably, her tits.
Emma (29:13):
Is that what men think about on dates?
Do they think about, tits?
Tits, yeah, on occasion.
Okay.
Yeah?
Sam (29:20):
What, were you expecting men to never think about tits?
Emma (29:24):
I know that, I just wondered if, on a date you were
so
Sam (29:27):
No, but it's, it's, No, but,
Emma (29:30):
a naive fool I
Sam (29:31):
it's more that if somebody says to you, don't think about
my tits, cause I'll know, what'sthe first thing that you're it's
don't think about a pinkelephant, isn't it?
Emma (29:40):
Yeah, I suppose so.
I suppose so.
Sam (29:42):
He's thinking to himself, shit, I'd better not think about
how I'm the shadow.
Oh, I better not think aboutthinking about how I'm a shadow.
That must have beenstultifyingly dull conversation
for her because he's staringinto the distance trying not
Emma (29:57):
think any.
Not to think
Sam (29:57):
any thoughts But regardless she wants to see him again And
he decides not to because nobrainer just find any other non
psychic woman Alec Baldwin Thereare probably like
Emma (30:08):
in your...Dozens Meanwhile dum dum dum.
Sam (30:14):
at the Natural History Museum, Professor Exposition and
his museum pal are examining asarcophagus exhibition from
tibet.
Which I'm pretty sure isn'tnatural history, unless there's
a dinosaur in there.
But there isn't.
There's a Genghis
Emma (30:32):
Khan in there! This was such a weird moment for me.
Yes.
Because I wasn't sure where itwas going.
We'd obviously seen somegangsters.
Yeah.
And I thought, oh, maybe it'sgoing to be a bit about that.
Because I've not read anysynopsis or anything.
I went into this cold.
Yeah.
And then suddenly a Genghis
Sam (30:50):
Although, let's do a spoiler alert, because we think
A Genghis Khan does come out butthen for no reason, we later
find out he's not the GenghisKhan.
Just his last living descendant,who got a lift in his
sarcophagus to America for noreason whatsoever.
NB, Genghis Khan was a notoriousshagger, And it's reckoned that
around one in two hundred peoplealive today are descended from
(31:13):
him.
This Then we cut to the federalbuilding, where Dr.
Ian McKellen and his IanMcKellen
Emma (31:20):
McKellen is
Sam (31:20):
I know!
Emma (31:21):
shit!
Sam (31:22):
And his assistant, a confused Tim Curry who isn't
sure if he's British or
Emma (31:27):
American Tim Curry!
Sam (31:29):
They're doing science for the War
Emma (31:32):
I love the lab setup that they've got.
It's proper, b movie sciencestuff.
So they've got all theelectricity and various bottles
bubbling away.
So they've mixed their sciencesbig time.
Yes.
There's no This is physics, or
Sam (31:46):
no.
Emma (31:47):
or, it's all science.
He's polymath.
all the happens.
what happens.
if we mix this chemical with theelectricity?
Exactly.
Sam (31:58):
Answer, Genghis khan.
Ian McKellen turns out to be thefather of the psychic woman, and
also colourblind.
I I bet that doesn't come upagain.
A cop, wearing one of theShadow's secret rings, takes a
message to a mysterious office.
We are then treated to anincredibly long and expensive
sequence of the message in apneumatic tube system going ALL
(32:22):
THE WAY ACROSS THE CITY, on theoutside of buildings, in and
out, up and down, under thesewers, whatever, and then goes
to Alec Baldwin's secret spybase.
Did the council not notice himinstalling hundreds of of miles
of tubing around the city forhis secret spies
Emma (32:39):
How long has he been back this point or Tibet or?
No time?
Sam (32:45):
no time,
Emma (32:46):
he had that done?
Or was it pre existing?
Is he a Oh, is it a a preexisting message this?
Yeah, yeah.
Stop
Sam (32:55):
finding logical reasons for this stupid plot to make
Emma (32:58):
But why is it pre existing?
And why is it not on some sortof council Yeah! Dunno!
Sam (33:08):
thEre's a man gathering messages on behalf of Alec
Baldwin's spies all around thecity..
And then he presses a buttonthat makes Alec Baldwin's ring
flash.
Which tells alec baldwin to thengo to his Not the bat cave, his
Alec Baldwin cave, where he canthen call that man on a sort of
(33:30):
futuristic radio
Emma (33:31):
know that this is set well and truly in a fictional past.
Why can't they just phone?
Sam (33:36):
of Yeah they did have phones then.
Emma (33:38):
then You're right.
They had phones.
What's with all of the faffingaround?
Sam (33:44):
this is Pulp, Emma! while he's been speaking to the man,
Genghis Khan, who turns out notto be Genghis Khan, has snuck in
and they have one of thoselovely conversations between the
goody and the baddy.
Where not Genghis Khan lays downhis plan to conquer the world,
and Alec Baldwin gives him tipson where to buy a tie from.
And then Khan pays for his drinkof bourbon with a mysterious
(34:07):
coin.
Emma (34:08):
Yeah!
Sam (34:09):
And then somehow in New York he's found a squad of other
Mongolian dudes in full armour.
Emma (34:15):
This blew my mind.
Where did they come
Sam (34:18):
incredible, look, there's no
Emma (34:20):
to their origin
Sam (34:21):
origin
Emma (34:21):
They're just there.
Sam (34:22):
all separately shipped over in sarcophaguses?
just in the previous scene,Siwan Khan is very clear to lay
down that I am not Genghis Khan,I am a modern man from the
modern day.
And now I'm gonna go hang outwith a bunch of men dressed like
Genghis
Emma (34:36):
khan's.
Yep.
Yep.
Sam (34:38):
army.
Alec Baldwin gets his newlyrescued science pal to analyse
the coin and it turns out to bemade of bronzium, a mythological
Chinese material which theuniverse was made of according
to a myth that definitely isn'tmade up by a writer who knows
nothing about China.
Bronzium.
Emma (34:57):
Bronzium.
Sam (34:58):
Also, bronzium is used for making atom bombs for some
reason, but you'd need a weirdcase to build one in.
I sure hope Dr Ian McKellenisn't working on one one right
right now.
Alec Baldwin transforms into theshadow in the back of a cab and
we realise for the first timethat the shadow involves a
disguise which looks just likenormal Alec Baldwin but with a
big fake nose for some reason.
(35:18):
Did you enjoy this?
I
Emma (35:20):
I enjoyed the fake nose.
Really fugly
Sam (35:23):
but also he wears a bandana over it as well.
and a big hat pulled out overhis
Emma (35:28):
eyes, and he's He could be going around in his pants and
nobody'd know.
And
Sam (35:34):
unnecessary!
Emma (35:35):
he could just hypnotise it away.
Sam (35:37):
He's got so many powers, he doesn't need fake nose power as
well.
But the baddies attack IanMcKellen's top secret lab, Alec
Baldwin comes in and has anexciting fight, and given his
superpower is being invisible,he doesn't even have to do any
acting.
The baddies just fall over a lotand go, ah, like they've been
punched, but not as expensively.
Emma (35:56):
It's convenient.
Sam (35:58):
Alec then goes off to Chinatown to have a chat with
the baddie who has bought thesame suit and tie as him, which
is very sweet.
And then they have a fight.
They both shoot guns at eachother and the bullets smash into
each other in mid air.
is very exciting, but the filmdoes not in any way imply that
this is due to magic.
It's just a massive
Emma (36:16):
coincidence.
There's no real reference tothat again, is there?
This incredible
Sam (36:21):
There is a lovely FX of the
Emma (36:23):
of the bullets
Sam (36:24):
hitting each other.
Neither of them had glowy eyesor did anything that is
associated with magic in thefilm.
Emma (36:32):
coincidence.
That is quite the coincidence.
I'd love to know the probabilityof that
Sam (36:36):
If you know the odds of two bullets hitting each other in
mid air, do emails it and chatout of hell at gmail.
com.
A sailor on shore leave makesfun of the baddies clothes in a
transphobic way.
So he hypnotises him intojumping off the Empire State
Building, which is fair enough,really.
yeah, yeah, yeah.
That sailor was a prick.
Alec Baldwin goes to confrontTim Curry,, but does so, for
(36:58):
some reason, in a massive watertank.
Emma (37:00):
Yeah, I gave so few shits about the Tim Curry character.
And I didn't really understandwhy there was the water tank.
Sam (37:08):
Yeah, at first I thought, oh, Tim Curry lives in some sort
of eccentric house by the docks.
It was just a big water tank andthe Shadow felt it so important
to speak to him that he had togo there then.
And, wouldn't you know it, TimCurry filled it with water!
Emma (37:22):
Dum, dum,
Sam (37:23):
And then runs away so that Alec can drown.
Emma (37:26):
But he uses his special magic
Sam (37:28):
Yes, he's got another magic power, it turns out.
The brain
Emma (37:32):
Yes.
Why didn't
Sam (37:33):
he use that to speak to the spy guy
Emma (37:35):
earlier Well, yeah! I like the idea of the brain phone,
but, oh, I don't know.
I might get cross line, and thenyou end up saying something that
you don't.
It's like when you accidentallytext the person that you were
texting about.
That'd happen, you know itwould.
Yeah, it would.
You'd think in the wrong way andsuddenly you're bitching about
(37:56):
Susan to Susan.
Sam (37:57):
I think this is supposed to be her reading his mind again.
He decides to think, oh, comerescue me from the water.
So that implies that for thepast, whatever it is, two days
he's been resolutely, notthinking about
Emma (38:11):
anything, Or she's heard everything.
Oh, I really need a piss.
I
Sam (38:15):
I'm she's known, he's the shadow since day one she's been
very politely waiting.
Yeah, I do have nice tits, he's
Emma (38:24):
alright.
Sam (38:24):
Yeah, she rescues him in the lowest stakes action
sequence we've had so far.
Quick, let's go to the baddie'sMongolian themed penthouse,
where they're putting the finaltouches on their magic atomic
bomb.
And then, Emma! It's ourfavourite trope, SPINNY
NEWSPAPER!
Emma (38:39):
Love a spinny spinny newspaper and
Sam (38:42):
a kid shouting, EXTRA.
Extra,
Emma (38:44):
Extra!
Sam (38:45):
This film is five stars, give it all the
Emma (38:48):
Oscars.
Hehehehe!
Sam (38:50):
The baddie sets the bomb's timer for two hours and then he
says to Tim Curry, We're gonnaleave in one hour.
Why not just wait an hour, andset the timer for an hour?
Emma (39:00):
such a long
Sam (39:01):
time! It's so weird! Obviously the shadow breaks in,
Cowardly Tim Curry is sent alongwith three of the tough guys to
find him, And immediately sendsthe tough guys away.
He gets all beaten up.
And then Alec Baldwin displaysanother of his trademark
unethical punishments.
It's after subduing Tim Curry,he hypnotises him into jumping
(39:22):
out of a window.
Hypnotise him into turninghimself into the cops?
Nah.
Emma (39:27):
Window.
Sam (39:28):
Then there's the boss fight on the top floor.
And then we cut back and forthbetween the boss fight and Ian
McKellen and his daughter
Emma (39:34):
Oh my god.
Chasing
Sam (39:36):
the bomb around the hotel because for some
Emma (39:39):
is pure
Sam (39:40):
sphere.
Emma (39:40):
slapstick.
Yes! So the bomb was the bigsphere and it might as well have
had bomb written on the side ofit.
Yeah, fuse.
A big fuse, and so Ian McKellentries to defuse the bomb and
manages to knock most of the twohours off.
And then it becomes detached androlls around the hotel.
It chases them down the stairsat one point.
It does!
Sam (39:59):
point.
It does! Which
Emma (40:00):
is really stupid.
Sam (40:02):
Yes, how they achieve that?
And then at the end, the old redgreen confusion comes in with a
wire.
Yep, but fortunately she's thereto save the day.
Women!
Emma (40:11):
Sometimes they're
Sam (40:12):
alright.
That's
Emma (40:14):
That's the lesson that we take away from
Sam (40:15):
from this.
battle with the baddie whichtakes place in a perfume advert.
Emma (40:21):
Yep.
Sam (40:21):
all the mirrors smash and there's glass everywhere.
Alec Baldwin stabs him in thehead with a piece of glass.
And then we get the coda scenesat the end where the baddie is
stripped of his powers after hislife is saved by brain surgery
and sent to a 1920s y insaneasylum.
But, the doctor who performedthe operation shows off his
shadow ring, implying one lasttime, just how much Alec Baldwin
(40:45):
is up for unethical, vigilanteacts of justice against
Emma (40:48):
can just jails.
Yeah.
Sam (40:51):
Alec Baldwin gets off with the psychic lady in the street
and walks off, confident thathe's put in enough effort to
enter franchise territory.
Or has he
Emma (41:01):
This flopped big time, didn't it?
Sam (41:03):
Yes, so it had a budget of 40 million dollars and it
grossed 48 million worldwide
Emma (41:08):
yep.
It's got a 37 percent rating onRotten Tomatoes, which feels
about right.
As you've already mentioned, itwas anticipated that this was
going to be the start of a megafranchise, sort of Batman esque
but it flopped so badly that nofollowup ever came and they'd
even completed a SNES game forit.
They built and completed a SNESgame, but it was never released.
(41:29):
Yeah, that's how much of a flopIt was.
Amazing.
Yep.
'cause Dark Wing Duck got avideo game.
Post
Sam (41:36):
Game.
So this came out in 1994.
Yeah.
The early 90s was a big time forpulp revival.
There was a Dick Tracy movie in1990 with Warren Beatty.
Do you know about WarrenBeatty's Dick Tracy sequels?
So Warren Beatty has the rightsto make Dick Tracy films.
And to prevent the rightsreverting to, I think it's
(41:59):
Disney, it might be Universal,whoever, he's been making a shit
sequel every however many yearsit is, to keep the rights
rolling over with himself.
He just puts on the Dick Tracycostume and bitches about
something in the modern day.
and releases that in the mostminimal way possible to qualify
for a film release.
(42:21):
So the most recent one is DickTracy Zooms In that was made
during the pandemic and heliterally is talking into his
laptop wearing the Dick Tracycostume complaining about Covid
regulations.
Emma (42:33):
Wow.
Wow.
Is bloody mindedness,
Sam (42:37):
It's incredible.
Can we talk about what's good?
Because I love the visuals init.
Emma (42:41):
Okay, yeah,
Sam (42:42):
The 1920s pulp New York, and the miniatures, there's a
lot of camera work zoomingaround the city which is clearly
made of models, and I think allthat Deco stuff looks really
good.
Oh
Emma (42:53):
yeah.
Yeah, it's quite a pretty filmto look at The script is
terrible
Sam (42:59):
bad script.
It's
Emma (43:00):
really bad script
Sam (43:02):
I found a lot of fun in it though.
Emma (43:04):
It's a silly Saturday afternoon film.
That's
Sam (43:06):
I thought as well,
Emma (43:08):
well.
It's a, oh, it's raining, thereis literally nothing else in the
world to do.
Let's watch this daft film thathappens to be on.
Sam (43:15):
cast it has, it is dreadful.
Everybody is rubbish in it,absolutely everybody.
Emma (43:21):
The premise for the film I feel like they did it a
disservice with the script.
It's been really badly written.
And it could have been a lotmore fun and campy and
Sam (43:33):
doesn't lean into this.
Yeah, you're right it doesn'tlean into
Emma (43:37):
so the reason that we've picked this particular film to
talk about
Sam (43:40):
about Yeah,
Emma (43:41):
Is because as the end credits roll you get version of
Original Sin which is one of JimSteinman songs It's a song that
I really like as we discussed atthe last proper episode of Chat
out of Hell.
Yeah It's a banger of a song.
It's Steinman's Bond theme.
Sam (43:58):
Yes,
Emma (43:59):
it's been pissed away on this.
Sam (44:01):
Yes.
now This is interesting becauseit is steinman's bond theme he
clearly wants to put this songon a big, bombastic, brilliant
action film and puts it on this.
I realised after we talked aboutit last episode, the reason it
isn't a Bond theme is because wewere in a big Bond drought at
(44:21):
the time.
Timothy Dalton's last film wasin the 80s and then it's like a
decade until we get Goldeneye.
I do believe there were like bigarguments over the rights, and
it was stuck in production hellbetween different companies.
But I think probably at somepoint in the early 90s, Jim
Steinman says,
Emma (44:39):
this'll do.
Sam (44:40):
have to do.
But! The director of this filmwas Russell Mulcahy, Who did the
first two Highlander films,featured a lot of accent
confusion, so maybe Tim Curry'shis fault But he also directed
the video for Total Eclipse ofthe Heart! Double link! So I
think we must be able to inferfrom that at some point Russell
(45:02):
rings up his old mate jim andsays, I think we
Emma (45:06):
from the themes of the song, I was expecting a very
different film.
Sam (45:11):
Yeah.
Emma (45:12):
It's not dark enough to have to have original sin.
Sam (45:15):
No, it's not.
The character starts out as acrime lord and he's redeeming
himself and, bullying baddies inall sorts of horrible ways, but
it doesn't lean into thatenough.
No.
I think if it was made now, itcould be really exciting.
If you Batman Beginsed it yeah.
you could make it very darkYeah.
(45:37):
We've got ideas.
Call me.
You
Emma (45:39):
fly me out.
I don't mind travelling economy.
I
Sam (45:46):
It's time to rate this film,
Emma (45:47):
Emma.
Yeah, God.
What have you been sent?
Sam (45:49):
This one I had to build a big AI.
in between episodes, I've beenworking on an AI to generate
Rating scales for me.
Yeah?
Emma (45:59):
make one yourself
Sam (46:00):
did have to make You're out
Emma (46:02):
Yeah,
Sam (46:02):
they're not good enough for our purposes.
I did build a Rating Scale Namer
Emma (46:07):
5000.
Ah, what a surprise was
Sam (46:13):
attempt.
Emma (46:14):
You have been busy.
Sam (46:18):
the lever, and the electricity sparked between the
two big towers on top and thetiny little black and white
screen in the middle of itopened up little metal iris
thing.
on the screen it said, Is thisfilm Russell Mulcahy?
Russell, I guess it's okay y.
Or, Russell, absolutely no wayy.
(46:38):
And then it exploded, so we'llnever use it it again.
What do you think, Emma?
Emma (46:44):
It's a bad film but it's quite entertaining.
Sam (46:46):
I am going to place this film alongside things like
Prince of Thieves, Ghostbusters2 the less good Star Trek films.
This is a fun film to watch on aSaturday afternoon.
So I am calling this a Russell IGuess Is Okay.
Emma (47:03):
I will agree with that.
Sam (47:05):
Okay, you don't have to.
Emma (47:06):
no, I do agree with that.
I think it's a bit of fun.
bit of
Sam (47:10):
of fun.
Emphasis on the bit.
That was Chat Out of Hell FilmClub.
But listeners, what did youthink of Please don't watch
either of them.
And I know some people did goahead and watch them last time
because they thought theysounded fun.
Don't watch Fight Club.
If you are going to watch one ofthem, watch The Shadow.
Emma (47:31):
Fight Club doesn't need any more people to watch
Sam (47:33):
Exactly.
Whereas, if you watch TheShadow, you can play with your
phone while it's on.
You have opinions on thosefilms, do let us know, at
chatoutofhell@gmail.com Or,we're about to return with
Series 3, crashing intoDecember, and we are going to be
talking about the Jim Steinmanmonologues.
(47:54):
Wasted Youth, also called Love,Death and American Guitar, from
the Bad for Good or Bat Out ofHell 2 albums, Nocturnal
Pleasure, which appears on thealbum Dead Ringer, and also on
the Pandora's Box album I'veBeen Dreaming Up a Storm Lately,
and I've Been Dreaming Andfinally, the Want Ad, both of
which are, again, Pandora's Box.
So if you can find those, Tellus some opinions about them.
(48:14):
We have had some emails in ourbreak, but we're going to save
those for next time.
Emma, any final thoughts on FilmClub?
Emma (48:22):
I'm just thinking about the Jim Steinman monologues,
which was a less successful onewoman show.
Sam (48:28):
Emma done a funny.
Emma (48:31):
Mean.
You did! It's just the way yousay it.
Sam (48:36):
I'm sorry.
I found it funny.
Emma (48:39):
Good.
Thank you.
Sam (48:40):
found it funny, but I also didn't have a laugh
Emma (48:43):
ready.
You have to have a laughprepared?
What fucking psychopath are you?
Jesus! I just knew that if did a
Sam (48:52):
knew that if I did a fake laugh, you'd think it was a fake
laugh But it funny.
Now I have nothing else toAnyway, that was Film Club.
We'll see you all some pointreally soon, because we're
running late on this, but it'llbe December 2nd, whenever that
is.
See you all then.
(49:13):
Bye! Bye! Bow now, now, now!
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