Break time!

[Gabriel Girard]

It was inevitable that we would have to take a break at some point. We will return next week with the much awaited Sam Peckinpah episode. In the meantime you can hit us with some suggestions or feedback!

[Mach6]

How about our favorite Canucks talking about Andrew Davis? I admit I’m a little biased since he’s set some of his major films in my home town of Chicago. He does have a solid resume with Under Siege, The Fugitive, A Perfect Murder, & Code of Silence. I will always argue that Under Siege is the 2nd best Die Hard rip-off (Speed is my #1 DH rip-off). I hate Steven Seagal as much as the North crew hates Christopher Lambert yet Davis made Seagal likable or someone you wanted to root for in his action flicks. Davis just doesn't get the respect he deserves. I know he’s not in James Cameron or John McTiernan’s league when it comes to the action movie genre, but he’s only a step below them. I never saw Holes, but judging from the reviews & box office, it did prove he could direct a successful PG family film.

I will also admit that Davis had a few stinkers that will easily make anybody’s Bad and/or Ugly list (cough, Collateral Damage, cough).

[Andrew Forbes]

Davis is so... workmanlike. Not sure there's a lot to talk about. Plus, I'm reluctant to put any Chuck Norris flicks on my viewing schedule. I may be overruled, though.

[Steve T Power]

I hate Steven Seagal as much as the North crew hates Christopher Lambert

I think it's only Jon really... I love Lambert, and I keep having to remind Jon that he's French, not deaf!

[Mach6]

Davis is so... workmanlike. Not sure there's a lot to talk about.

I will give you that when it comes to his bad stuff; Davis sticks to the script & doesn’t bother to add any style. Chain Reaction and Collateral Damage (especially Damage) are as generic as it gets when it comes to action movies. They’re not God awful or make you say “What the hell were they thinking”, they’re just boring & predictable. Even Peter Hyams could’ve directed those two. Say what you will about Michael Bay, but at least his action abortions (Transformers 2, Bad Boys 2, etc.) have his personal style & “ambition” all over them.

I hate Steven Seagal as much as the North crew hates Christopher Lambert

I think it's only Jon really... I love Lambert, and I keep having to remind Jon that he's French, not deaf!

My poor memory had everybody ripping a Lambert a new one when they were talking about Fortress during the Stuart Gordon podcast. I’ll have to get off my lazy butt & listen to it again. Lambert will always get my respect for how awesome he was as Raiden in Mortal Kombat. He had the right amount of camp & seriousness in that part. BTW, Lambert was pretty good as a cold-blooded, calculating think 3 steps ahead, terrorist leader on NCIS: LA last season. Maybe he missed his true calling in life & should’ve played villains for most of his career.

[molly1216]

can you take a break from your format?

i'd like to listen to a show where you boys discuss how Canadians are portrayed in american movies and vice versa.

[Steve T Power]

Davis is so... workmanlike. Not sure there's a lot to talk about.

I will give you that when it comes to his bad stuff; Davis sticks to the script & doesn’t bother to add any style. Chain Reaction and Collateral Damage (especially Damage) are as generic as it gets when it comes to action movies. They’re not God awful or make you say “What the hell were they thinking”, they’re just boring & predictable. Even Peter Hyams could’ve directed those two. Say what you will about Michael Bay, but at least his action abortions (Transformers 2, Bad Boys 2, etc.) have his personal style & “ambition” all over them.

I hate Steven Seagal as much as the North crew hates Christopher Lambert

I think it's only Jon really... I love Lambert, and I keep having to remind Jon that he's French, not deaf!

My poor memory had everybody ripping a Lambert a new one when they were talking about Fortress during the Stuart Gordon podcast. I’ll have to get off my lazy butt & listen to it again. Lambert will always get my respect for how awesome he was as Raiden in Mortal Kombat. He had the right amount of camp & seriousness in that part. BTW, Lambert was pretty good as a cold-blooded, calculating think 3 steps ahead, terrorist leader on NCIS: LA last season. Maybe he missed his true calling in life & should’ve played villains for most of his career.

Yeah, we definitely did pick on him a little... but I'll always love Highlander, Greystoke, and, yes, Fortress...

can you take a break from your format?

i'd like to listen to a show where you boys discuss how Canadians are portrayed in american movies and vice versa.

J, that's actually kind of a cool idea... Could be worth a look see if we get a week where we haven't managed to squeeze in enough flicks for a chosen topic or we're short on time...

[Gabriel Girard]

I'd do Renny Harlin before Andrew Davis, just sayin'.

Joyce - that's a good idea; I've thought about playing with the format. I.E. Stephen King adaptations, people who only made one good film, etc..

[Attrage]

Are you guys going to do Kubrick? I think to say that his films inspire debate is an understatement!

[Andrew Forbes]

Are you guys going to do Kubrick? I think to say that his films inspire debate is an understatement!

We'll definitely get to him, but he's one of those endlessly-praised guys, and that makes him a low-ish priority. There is no doubt that he has a fascinating body of work, though.

[Gabriel Girard]

Are you guys going to do Kubrick? I think to say that his films inspire debate is an understatement!

We'll definitely get to him, but he's one of those endlessly-praised guys, and that makes him a low-ish priority. There is no doubt that he has a fascinating body of work, though.

Yeah Kubrick would make for some interesting discussion indeed. I'm keeping him for when we have less time. I'm pretty sure we've all seen most if not all of his films and I'm guessing our views are pretty much set by now. I'm probably the biggest Kubrick fan of the group and don't have an ''ugly'' for him.

How would people feel about a ''horror director only'' month for October?

I was also thinking an episode where we could each feature a ''lesser director'' who wouldn't really be worth a full episode.

[Mach6]

Davis is so... workmanlike. Not sure there's a lot to talk about. Plus, I'm reluctant to put any Chuck Norris flicks on my viewing schedule. I may be overruled, though.

I'd do Renny Harlin before Andrew Davis, just sayin'.

It looks like a podcast about Andrew Davis has about as much chance happening as my Chicago Cubs winning a World Series. A Renny Harlin one would be interesting just to wonder how the same guy who directed Die Hard 2 got reduced to the WWE's John Cena infomercial called 12 Rounds.

I'll go with an obvious one. Is a podcast about Paul Verhoeven at least coming up in the future???? He's very worthy of a two-part, nearly three hour discussion like the ones about David Cronenberg and Sir Ridley Scott.

One last idea, how about doing a The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly on an actor’s/actress’ career instead of a director’s?

[Steve T Power]

One last idea, how about doing a The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly on an actor’s/actress’ career instead of a director’s?

That's something I was kind of interested in as well.

[J.M. Vargas]

If you're still taking suggestions (from the first post), here are some ideas for director's I'd love to hear four canadian podcasters talk about:

SAM FULLER AND/OR ROBERT ALDRICH: if you love Peckinpah (and you do since you talked about him for a whole podcast) then you should also gravitate toward the movies from these tough sons of bitches about even tougher sons of bitches on the screen. Between "Kiss Me Deadly," "The Dirty Dozen," "The Steel Helmet," "The Big Red One," "Attack!" and/or "White Dog" there are so many movies to be talked about as good/bad/ugly I would get testosterone boosts just from listening to you guys talk about these flicks. Naturally they'd be two separate podcasts, but Fuller and Aldrich (along with Peckinpah) are all cut from the same old-school Hollywood cloth.

GEORGE LUCAS: small filmography as director (six movies, four of them on the same cinematic universe) but that would help condensate the good/bad/ugly into a few obvious choices that would allow for longer, in-depth discussions of a certain popular franchise that would bring in the hits/comments (wink, wink). Who knows, this might be a rare under-an-hour podcast worth doing when one about a bigger director falls apart because, come on, who hasn't seen everything Lucas has directed besides me?

ROBERT BRESSON: also a small filmography (13 movies over 40 years), but sooo much subtext and pretention (if you care to see it that way, I don't but it's easy for Bresson's cinema to be perceived as such) to explore. And I'd be genuinely interested to see how each person arrives to their good/bad/ugly and why. Bresson's cinema stimulates interesting conversations.

PIER PAOLO PASOLINI: another director with a relatively tiny output (12 movies) but at least he had the excuse of being a jack of all trades (poetry, painting, columnist, documentarian, etc.) and seeminly master of all. "Salo" is bound to come as a good/bad/ugly and the inevitable already-covered-elsewhere controversy/real-live stories surrounding its creation and afterlife, but the podcast would also talk about the other Pasolini movies so it would help give context to the guy's cinematic work as a whole.

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA: 'nuff said, although four canucks unanimously choosing "Jack" as their bad would be too predictable. Pull a Ray Cameron on me, guys: 'Thrill me!'

AKIRA KUROSAWA: 'nuff said part deux.

[Gabriel Girard]

If you're still taking suggestions (from the first post), here are some ideas for director's I'd love to hear four canadian podcasters talk about:

SAM FULLER AND/OR ROBERT ALDRICH: if you love Peckinpah (and you do since you talked about him for a whole podcast) then you should also gravitate toward the movies from these tough sons of bitches about even tougher sons of bitches on the screen. Between "Kiss Me Deadly," "The Dirty Dozen," "The Steel Helmet," "The Big Red One," "Attack!" and/or "White Dog" there are so many movies to be talked about as good/bad/ugly I would get testosterone boosts just from listening to you guys talk about these flicks. Naturally they'd be two separate podcasts, but Fuller and Aldrich (along with Peckinpah) are all cut from the same old-school Hollywood cloth.

GEORGE LUCAS: small filmography as director (six movies, four of them on the same cinematic universe) but that would help condensate the good/bad/ugly into a few obvious choices that would allow for longer, in-depth discussions of a certain popular franchise that would bring in the hits/comments (wink, wink). Who knows, this might be a rare under-an-hour podcast worth doing when one about a bigger director falls apart because, come on, who hasn't seen everything Lucas has directed besides me?

ROBERT BRESSON: also a small filmography (13 movies over 40 years), but sooo much subtext and pretention (if you care to see it that way, I don't but it's easy for Bresson's cinema to be perceived as such) to explore. And I'd be genuinely interested to see how each person arrives to their good/bad/ugly and why. Bresson's cinema stimulates interesting conversations.

PIER PAOLO PASOLINI: another director with a relatively tiny output (12 movies) but at least he had the excuse of being a jack of all trades (poetry, painting, columnist, documentarian, etc.) and seeminly master of all. "Salo" is bound to come as a good/bad/ugly and the inevitable already-covered-elsewhere controversy/real-live stories surrounding its creation and afterlife, but the podcast would also talk about the other Pasolini movies so it would help give context to the guy's cinematic work as a whole.

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA: 'nuff said, although four canucks unanimously choosing "Jack" as their bad would be too predictable. Pull a Ray Cameron on me, guys: 'Thrill me!'

AKIRA KUROSAWA: 'nuff said part deux.

Coppola, Kurosawa, Fuller and Aldrich are already on our list. Lucas might have too small a filmography but we'll put him under consideration (maybe we can invite the two Yankees to buff up the podcast). I'd be game for Bresson and Pasolini but I don't know about the other guys (especially the Newfies )

Oh and ''Jack'' is more of an ugly than a bad.

[J.M. Vargas]

WHAT???!!! "Jack" is not bad (that would imply someone sees something remotely redeeming about it), "Jack" is shit, i.e. ugly. Say it ain't so, Girard!

I didn't suggest it, but I'm assuming Kurosawa would be another two-parter podcast separating the early years (mid-40's to 1970) from the latter one's (1970 to early 90's).

[Gabriel Girard]

WHAT???!!! "Jack" is not bad (that would imply someone sees something remotely redeeming about it), "Jack" is shit, i.e. ugly. Say it ain't so, Girard!

I didn't suggest it, but I'm assuming Kurosawa would be another two-parter podcast separating the early years (mid-40's to 1970) from the latter one's (1970 to early 90's).

I have seen every Coppola film outside of ''Tetro'' and ''Jack'' is definitely the worst movie he ever made = definitely an ugly.

Kurosawa will definitely be a two parter.

[Steve T Power]

If you're still taking suggestions (from the first post), here are some ideas for director's I'd love to hear four canadian podcasters talk about:

SAM FULLER AND/OR ROBERT ALDRICH: if you love Peckinpah (and you do since you talked about him for a whole podcast) then you should also gravitate toward the movies from these tough sons of bitches about even tougher sons of bitches on the screen. Between "Kiss Me Deadly," "The Dirty Dozen," "The Steel Helmet," "The Big Red One," "Attack!" and/or "White Dog" there are so many movies to be talked about as good/bad/ugly I would get testosterone boosts just from listening to you guys talk about these flicks. Naturally they'd be two separate podcasts, but Fuller and Aldrich (along with Peckinpah) are all cut from the same old-school Hollywood cloth.[/b]

I'd love to talk about Sam Fuller. I love his war stuff, but everything else I've seen by him left me a tad disappointed to be honest.

GEORGE LUCAS: small filmography as director (six movies, four of them on the same cinematic universe) but that would help condensate the good/bad/ugly into a few obvious choices that would allow for longer, in-depth discussions of a certain popular franchise that would bring in the hits/comments (wink, wink). Who knows, this might be a rare under-an-hour podcast worth doing when one about a bigger director falls apart because, come on, who hasn't seen everything Lucas has directed besides me?

I'm gonna come out and say it - I think a Lucas episode would be freaking BRILLIANT! I'd be hard pressed to find a favorite between THX-1138 (Which I still consider one of the finest "debut films" in Hollywood) and Episode IV.

ROBERT BRESSON: also a small filmography (13 movies over 40 years), but sooo much subtext and pretention (if you care to see it that way, I don't but it's easy for Bresson's cinema to be perceived as such) to explore. And I'd be genuinely interested to see how each person arrives to their good/bad/ugly and why. Bresson's cinema stimulates interesting conversations.

I've only seen two films, and wasn't all that gone on either one...

PIER PAOLO PASOLINI: another director with a relatively tiny output (12 movies) but at least he had the excuse of being a jack of all trades (poetry, painting, columnist, documentarian, etc.) and seeminly master of all. "Salo" is bound to come as a good/bad/ugly and the inevitable already-covered-elsewhere controversy/real-live stories surrounding its creation and afterlife, but the podcast would also talk about the other Pasolini movies so it would help give context to the guy's cinematic work as a whole.

Ohhh god... You really hate me don't you Vargas?

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA: 'nuff said, although four canucks unanimously choosing "Jack" as their bad would be too predictable. Pull a Ray Cameron on me, guys: 'Thrill me!'

How many expletives can steve use to describe how insanely amazing Apocalypse Now is? Quite a few i'd wager...

AKIRA KUROSAWA: 'nuff said part deux.

Eventually... yes. It will be an interesting one, as Kurosawa just got colder and colder for me as he went on. I have a deep rooted love of his early-mid jidai-geki... and Stray Dog, but most everything else left me kind of... bored to be honest. This would be a mighty intriguing episode.

[Gabriel Girard]

I told you Bresson and Pasolini would be a hard sell. I would love to do a Lars Von Trier episode but I also know tht i'm the only one interested in doing so.

[J.M. Vargas]

Just pick and choose which canuck to excuse the week Bresson and Pasolini would be discussed and replace him with a shiny new American podcaster man-enough to admit his dying love for a gay catholic frenchman or gay atheist radical italian filmmaker. USA, USA, USA! Powers is out for these, bring in "The Substitute" (and no, that's not code request for a Robert Madel podcast).

[mavrach]

I would love to do a Lars Von Trier episode but I also know tht i'm the only one interested in doing so.

I loved the two Von Trier movies I've seen, but I have the feeling I lack the positive energy required to survive his entire filmography in a week. Dancer in the Dark was like somebody dared him to make the saddest movie possible. Then he made a movie that announced it was melancholy in the title.