Junk Filter

Latest Episodes:

TEASER - 97: Michael Mann: Heat (with Chris Calogero) Jul 29, 2022

Show notes

Access the entire 84 minute episode (and additional bonus episodes) by becoming a patron of Junk Filter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/69724035

The very funny actor and comedian Chris Calogero joins me from Los Angeles for a discussion on one of the great L.A. films, Michael Mann’s Heat!

Michael Mann is back in action lately, with Ferrari in production, the impending release of his first novel Heat 2, and the news that it will be adapted for the screen as a prequel/sequel to the 1995 classic.

Chris and I go to Riff City for this episode: we talk about the influence Waingro has had on today’s hard-right insurrectionists, Mann’s 1989 TV movie L.A. Takedown which Heat is a remake of, the increasing insanity of Al Pacino’s portrayal of Vincent Hanna, and finally we also offer Mann some free ideas for what he can do when he finally adapts Heat 2 for the big screen.

You can watch L.A. Takedown (Mann, 1989) for free on YouTube.

Patrons of the Junk Filter podcast receive at least two additional exclusive episodes a month: some of our notable previous guests include Jared Yates Sexton, David Roth, Alex Shephard, Sooz Kempner, and Jacob Bacharach. More to come! Sign up at https://www.patreon.com/junkfilter

Follow Chris Calogero on Twitter and visit chriscalogero.com

96: Blue Murder (with Patrick Marlborough) Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

The writer, actor and musician Patrick Marlborough, a regular contributor to Vice, Gawker and The Guardian, joins me from Perth in Western Australia for a show about the groundbreaking 1995 miniseries Blue Murder, starring Richard Roxburgh.

Blue Murder tells the true story of corruption in the New South Wales police department and the friendship between the hot-headed detective Roger Rogerson and the Sydney crime kingpin Neddy Smith, who was given the “green light” by Rogerson to commit crimes, including murder, with police protection. This bombshell series, produced by the public broadcaster ABC, was banned from the airwaves in New South Wales for 6 years.

We discuss this terrific miniseries, the inferior recent sequel Blue Murder: Killer Cop (2017), produced by the private channel Seven Network, and Patrick offers some insights into Toxic Masculinity, Aussie-style, and the landscape of media culture Down Under that these two miniseries represent.

Both Blue Murder and the sequel are currently available to stream on Prime Video in Canada, and can also be found on YouTube.

You can find Patrick Marlborough on Twitter and Patrickmarlborough.com

“Blue Murder: Nothing Has Exposed Australia’s Mean Streak Better Than This Sleazy Drama” by Patrick Marlborough, for The Guardian, July 26, 2022

Ad for the DVD release of Blue Murder (Michael Jenkins, 1995)

Ad for Blue Murder: Killer Cop (Michael Jenkins, 2017)

95: Mission: Impossible 2 (with Aaron and Carlee from Hit Factory) Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

The hosts of the Hit Factory podcast, Aaron Casias and Carlee Gomes, return to the show from San Francisco to defend John Woo’s Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), generally considered the weakest film in the series.

Woo’s underappreciated sequel is best enjoyed as his attempt to fuse modern American blockbuster filmmaking with the delirious style of Hong Kong action cinema and the spirit of Hitchcock’s grand Hollywood entertainments, in this case openly echoing the plot of Notorious. It also set the template for Mission: Impossible as a continuing series of thrillers.

Most importantly, this was the movie where Tom Cruise turned into the Tom Cruise we have today: the man who does his own death-defying stunts and the last real Hollywood movie star, who practically makes propaganda for himself.

Follow Aaron Casias and Carlee Gomes on Twitter.

Subscribe to the Hit Factory podcast; you can also support the show directly through Patreon.

Trailer for Mission: Impossible 2 (John Woo, 2000)

Trailer for Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946)

"Aeropuerto", John Woo’s great commercial for Nike, 1998 (he was working on this when he was tapped by Cruise to direct M:I 2.)

A great interview with Thandiwe Newton for Vulture where she spills the tea on her film career and talks about working on M:I 2.

TEASER - 94: Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (with Alex Shephard) Jul 04, 2022

Show notes

Access the entire 84 minute episode (and additional bonus episodes) by becoming a patron of Junk Filter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/68615908

Alex Shephard, senior writer for The New Republic and co-host of the Mr. Difficultpodcast, returns to Junk Filter for a discussion of Baz Luhrmann’s maximalist jukebox musical biopic Elvis, starring Austin Butler in a star-making role as The King and the distracting cartoonish performance from Tom Hanks as his manager/svengali Colonel Tom Parker.

Plus: Alex discusses his recent TNR interview with the documentary filmmaker Alex Holder, recently subpoenaed to testify for the January 6 Committee in DC about what he captured on the day of the insurrection for his upcoming Discovery+ series on the outgoing first family in the final days of the Trump Presidency.

Patrons of the Junk Filter podcast receive access to additional exclusive episodes a month: some of our notable previous guests include Jared Yates Sexton, David Roth, Will Sloan, Bryan Quinby, Karen Geier, and Jacob Bacharach. More to come! Sign up at https://www.patreon.com/junkfilter

Follow Alex Shephard on Twitter and check out the Mr. Difficult podcast.

93: Lightyear (with Adam Jackson) Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

Writer Adam Jackson (Vice, Noisey) returns to the podcast for a discussion of the new Disney/Pixar animated feature Lightyear.

Why did Lightyear fail at the box office? Was it the convoluted premise (this isn’t a movie about the toy Buzz Lightyear or even a Toy Story film, this is the movie about the actual Buzz Lightyear that young Andy loved so much in 1995 that he bought the toy)? Was it the “controversial” LGBTQ content (which adds up to about 45 seconds of screen time and yet triggered hysterical calls for boycotts of the movie from the anti-Disney religious right)? Was it anger over the replacement of the conservative Tim Allen with the affable Chris Evans as the voice of Buzz? Was it stiff market competition from Jurassic World Dominion and Top Gun: Maverick? Adam and I went to see it together to see for ourselves where things went wrong.

Follow Adam Jackson on Twitter.

Trailer for Lightyear (Angus MacLane, 2022)

92: Serial Mom (with Karen Geier) Jun 20, 2022

Show notes

Toronto-based writer and content strategist Karen Geier returns to the show for a discussion of John Waters and his 1994 “true crime” comedy Serial Mom, starring Kathleen Turner as a suburban Baltimore housewife who is eventually discovered to be a serial killer and becomes a tabloid sensation during her criminal trial. The remarkable thing about this film is it was released mere weeks before the O.J. Simpson murders and Waters strangely anticipated the cultural issues brought up by this case: the American obsession with crime and celebrity.

Karen and I discuss the film and some adjacent current topics including Cancel Culture, the moral panic over Trans Rights and Drag Queen Story Time, the legacy of the O.J. trial, and the popularity of True Crime podcasts and documentaries.

Follow Karen Geier on Twitter and check out her podcast On Belief. She also has a Patreon!

Trailer for Serial Mom (John Waters, 1994)

TEASER - 91: Bully (with Ricky Camilleri and Chris Chafin) Jun 12, 2022

Show notes

Access the entire 90 minute episode (and additional bonus episodes) by becoming a patron of Junk Filter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/67675544

The hosts of the 30 Years Later podcast, Ricky Camilleri and Chris Chafin, join me from New York City to discuss Larry Clark’s 2001 true-crime drama Bully.

Possibly the ultimate Florida movie, Bully is a tale of crime and punishment that contrasts a strongly moralistic narrative with Clark’s sweaty, lurid and lecherous visual approach to adapt the true story of a group of sex-crazed stoner teens in Fort Lauderdale who conspire to commit the brutal murder of young Bobby Kent, himself a tormentor of one of the killers, his lifelong pal Marty Puccio.

We discuss this film as a black comedy, Chris vouches for the accuracy of the film’s portrayal of Y2K South Florida teens, we tackle the issues of exploitation and consent that accompany tales of the film’s turbulent production, and we wonder if a movie as uncompromising as Bully could even get made in America today.

Patrons of the Junk Filter podcast receive at least two additional exclusive episodes a month: some of our notable previous guests include Jared Yates Sexton, David Roth, Will Sloan, Bryan Quinby, Sooz Kempner, and Jacob Bacharach. More to come! Sign up at https://www.patreon.com/junkfilter

Follow Ricky Camilleri and Chris Chafin on Twitter.

Check out the 30 Years Later podcast! I was a recent guest of the show to discuss Patriot Games. They have also launched a new Patreon feed.

“An Oral History of Larry Clark’s Cult Classic Bully” by Daniel Clemens, for i-D magazine, July 27, 2021

Trailer for Bully (Larry Clark, 2001)

90: Riders of Justice (with Gus Lanzetta) Jun 06, 2022

Show notes

Writer and podcaster Gus Lanzetta returns to the podcast from São Paulo, Brazil for a show about Mads Mikkelsen and his 2020 Danish action comedy Riders of Justice.

Along the way we discuss Mikkelsen’s two careers in domestic and international cinema, the history of Danish cinema that dates back to the beginning of the medium, and how Riders of Justice balances action, violence and comedy and puts a uniquely Danish spin on familiar genre tropes.

Plus: Gus lends his Fast Saga expertise to discuss the latest news from the set of Fast X. Has Vin Diesel snapped?

Follow Gus Lanzetta on Twitter.

Trailer for Riders of Justice (Anders Thomas Jensen, 2020)

Music video for “Bitch Better Have My Money” - Rihanna, 2015

Vin Diesel singing “Stay” by Rihanna in his house

TEASER - 89: Ricky Gervais (with Rob Rousseau) Jun 01, 2022

Show notes

Access the entire 72 minute episode (and additional bonus episodes) by becoming a patron of Junk Filter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/67140452

From Montreal, Rob Rousseau returns to the podcast for a discussion of the decline of comedian Ricky Gervais, with the release of his new Netflix special Super Nature. We’re a long way from the heights of The Office now. Why does Gervais seem more determined now to court controversy than to tell actual funny jokes? Do edgy "anti-woke" comedians with huge platforms realize (or even care) that they are contributing to a cultural anti-trans panic that is already making life dangerous for LGBT people?

Plus: Ontario sleepwalks towards the re-election of Doug Ford as Premier.

Follow Rob Rousseau on Twitter, and check out his podcasts @insurgentspod and @TRRSpod.

88: The Imperial Six (with Gerry Flahive) May 27, 2022

Show notes

Writer and former NFB senior producer Gerry Flahive joins the podcast to discuss moviegoing in Toronto in the 1970s, at the dawn of the multiplex age. Gerry worked as a teenage usher at the new Imperial Six cinema, under the precise command of cinema manager Phil Traynor, the inspiration for Gerry’s alternate Twitter persona Bert Xanadu, who tweets from the year 1973 where he is both the reigning mayor of Toronto and the manager of the Imperial Six. Bert’s tweets and essays have been collected in Gerry’s new book I Own This Town: The Mayor Bert Xanadu Xanthology.

Gerry and I talk about the many movie theatres, from cavernous palaces to alternate film spaces to grindhouses that used to exist on Yonge Street, the eclectic programming and architecture of the Imperial Six, and the local film culture that led to the development of cinema multiplexes and the Toronto International Film Festival.

Follow Gerry Flahive and Mayor Bert Xanadu on Twitter.

I Own This Town: The Mayor Bert Xanadu Xanthology by Gerry Flahive is now available at the Spacing store in Toronto and other fine bookstores. Also available as an e-book at Amazon.

Famous Players Theatres “Next Attraction” snipe, mid-1970s

Famous Players Theatres “Gift Books” snipe, 1972

Trailer for Emperor of the North (Robert Aldrich, 1973)

Trailer for The Harrad Experiment (Ted Post, 1973)

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