Sunday, February 9, 2025

Podcasts at Fan Expo New Orleans & Clerks from Chambana

Ninety For Chill: The #Podcast with @CatBusRuss

Episode 202: Ninety For Chill X NOLA Film Scene: Fan Expo New Orleans 2025

CatBusRuss⁠ ventures to ⁠Fan Expo New Orleans 2025⁠ to host his first podcast panel of the new year, and he could not have asked for better guests than local podcasters ⁠TJ & Plaideau from NOLA Film Scene⁠. This was the first panel these hometown actors have starred in and this was the first in person roundtable discussion Russ has been able to post on this podcast. It was a learning experience for all, but more importantly, a fun conversation about why 100 minutes is the ideal maximum movie runtime. But the NOLA boys do help our host figure out how you can grab for a few extra minutes.

TJ and Brian were gracious in providing their Southern Hospitality to a shy Yankee. And fortunately both their wives approved their efforts (despite birthdays) or attended (and helped produce). It shows that there were witnesses to that this moment in history happened. The cast of "Back to the Future" cannot take that away from them.

Episode 204 - Clerks on "Clerks" with CouchManBakes

The host of ⁠"Baking While Baked", Andrew "Couchman" Tiede⁠, returns to the show to discuss the feature that put ⁠Kevin Smith⁠ on the map, "⁠Clerks⁠". ⁠CatBusRuss⁠ and his guest determine this is a feature about trying to find one's own identity. And, since these two make a living as customer agents, how this film serves to remind them not to take life too seriously, and always have a true hustle too focus on. Unless slacking is something you find comfort in. Thus, this podcast may have been better titled, "The Book of Randle".

The conversation the two have serves as a chance to share their own war stories about customers and expectations set on them. It is interesting because Smith's film only seems crazy to those who have not been employed in the retail space. Every scene triggers trauma our two podcasters have endured, and they love the story for that. Smith made a film that shows the clerk is not alone, despite what the customers want us to think. Damn, more people need to see this movie so they know what kind of douches they choose to be.

And since craziness was brought up, Couchman and CatBus review how "⁠Ninety For Chill⁠" has evolved into "⁠I Dig Crazy Flicks⁠". They look back on some of the films they have discussed, and which ones are truly bonkers. An argument can be made for all of them after they stopped and determined that Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday from "⁠Tombstone⁠" are parallels to Joliet Jake and Elwood from "⁠The Blues Brothers⁠".

Follow me on Twitter @catbusruss. If you want to be on the show, contact me on Twitter or send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All we need is a theme, movie, director, or actor and a focus on sub 100-minute material. As long as the credits start before the 1:39:59 mark on the runtime bar, the movie qualifies.

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The Undrafted and Wrongfully Drafted

"Bull Durham" was not drafted on the Baseball Draft (A film that can only be drafted at #1)
"No Fear of a Black Hat" on the Fictional Band Mini-Mega Draft
The entire George Lucas Draft
"The Birdcage" instead of "La Cage Aux Folles" on the Drag Draft
"Road Trip" was not even mentioned during the Road Trip Draft
"Major League" instead of "Drop Zone" on the Wesley Snipes Draft
"Black Swan" instead of "Mermaids" on the Wynona Ryder Draft
"Akira" instead of "Ghost World" on the Comic Book Movie (Non-Super Hero) Draft. Tetsuo is a Supe.
"Now You See Me" instead of "Diggstown" on the Con Artist Movie Draft
"The Onion Movie" instead of "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask" on the Sketch Comedy Anthologies Draft
"The Big Lebowski" not being marked eight on the Coen Bros. Draft
"Labrynth" or "Dark Crystal" not receiving the number 1 or 2 spot in the Jim Henson Draft
"Stage Fright" on the Giallo Draft. It is a slasher despite the presentation.
"Assault of Precinct 13" and "Prince of Darkness" Instead of "Escape from New York" and "The Thing" on the John Carpenter Draft
"Con Air" instead of "US Marshalls" and "Universal Soldier" instead of "Time Cop " on the 90's Action Draft
"WarGames" instead of "Spies Like Us" on the Cold War Draft
"Traffic" instead of "Side Effects" on the Steven Soderbergh Draft
"Fight Club" instead of "The Virgin Suicides" on the 1999 Draft ("Suicides" made the Actor Directorial Debut Draft)
Any Kirk Douglass instead of "The Shining" being on the Kubrick Draft
"Return of the Jedi" instead of "Tokyo Drift" on the Threequels Draft (there's only one "Return," okay, and it ain't "of the King," it's "of the Jedi.")

Deserves a Second Chance

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).

I find the DC movies, or at least Zack Snyder, was trying to bring comic books to the big screen as opposed to adapting comic books for the big screen. If you read, (or watch the excellent animated adaptation of) "The Dark Knight Returns", it is a very slow build to the battle between the Bat and Supe. This is regarded as one of the best threads in comics.

As a guy who fell in love with wrestling in the 1980's, the very methodical showdown is what I loved. It's a love letter to comic book fans who read and note every detail and want to try figuring out the plot before the character do. Come at the flick this way, and I think you will get something out of it.

Tropic Thunder (2008)

This is a feature that dares you to be offended. When director Ben Stiller is that forthcoming like Robert Downey Sr. was with 1969's "Putney Swope", an audience saying that something is in poor taste, hence not funny, means they are afraid to make a mockery of a concept.

My own experience with junkies bankrupting me allows me to thoroughly enjoy Jack Black's making addiction seem ridiculous. Robert Downey Jr. nails his taboo performance and I would say helps the call for actors from a demographic to be the first people called on for the roles representing them. As for the "Forest Gump" knock off jokes, they serve as a way to ridicule us for what we accepted (and encouraged) as fine a decade prior. The narrative that controls the pace in the second act can drag, but the content that is delivered cannot be cut.

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