PODCAST: The SIgnal Watch Talks About The Oscars! w/ Maxwell, MRSHL and Ryan

It's Academy Awards Season! Our panel of experts sits down to talk about the Oscars! What are they? Why are they? How did they come to be? It's a four hour program full of tiny clips of movies, awkward shots of celebs, and where you walk away with a paper weight, so what's the deal?



Music:
The Oscars Theme - Greg Hulme

Links:

• 2018 article from NPR: in 2016 after it was revealed that 92% were white and 75% male -  
• 2018 article from MotionPictures.org - in 2014, the Academy voter was on average 63 years old, with 76% of the members being male, and 94% of the members being white. 
•  Preferential voting explanation

Happy 90th to Gene Hackman

Today is the 90th birthday of noted American actor Gene Hackman. 

I am unsure if the kids really understand what a big deal Hackman is in movies, but he was one of the most solid actors of the second half of the 20th Century.  He was in top-flight movies and elevated the B-movies her appeared in, always bringing something great to the part.

For my Super-Pals, of course he played Lex Luthor in three Superman films, but the role I'll always love best is Royal Tenenbaum, the guy I will surely age into. 

Noir Watch: The Captive City (1952)

Watched:  01/26/2020
Format:  Noir Alley on TCM on DVR
Viewing:  First
Decade:  1950's

The Hayes Era produced some interesting bedfellows between Hollywood and public officials.  Esepcially as we headed into the HUAC years and Hollywood watched as colleagues were dragged out in front of cameras or placed in rooms to testify, naming names.  An odd side-effect was the over-compensation and big hug some movies gave law enforcement in some movies as they attempted to illustrate the complicated scenarios the officials were on about.

PODCAST: "Captain America: Civil War" (2016) - Avengers Chronological Countdown 13 w/ Jamie and Ryan

Watched:  01/04/2019
Format:  Disney+
Viewing:  Unknown
Decade:  2010's

We get to the dark middle chapter of the Avengers Chronological Countdown as Cap and Tony cannot agree on some paperwork, Bucky says a farewell to arms, a "Cats" understudy becomes a hero and Aunt May is suddenly way more interesting. It's "Captain America: Civil War"! and Jamie and Ryan are going to talk about it!



Music:
Captain America: Civil War, Main Theme - Henry Jackman, Captain America: Civil War OST

Complete Chronological Countdown:

When You Send Stuart a Picture of Your New Superman Toy

So there's a new line of DC toys sculpted by McFarlane Toys.  I was pretty excited to see them offered, and just got the Animated Series figure.  So, who cares about this?  (a quick polling of my house says zero Jamie's and Scout's are interested).  Stuart!  So I sent him a picture, and a few minutes later, the responses started rolling in.

Noir Watch: The Big Night (1951)

Watched:  01/20/2020
Format:  Noir Alley on TCM on DVR
Viewing:  First
Decade:  1950's

A movie full of interesting ideas and what I'd give a solid B- for execution, The Big Night (1951) follows a sweet kid as he spends a long night trying to get back at the man who humiliated and beat his father in front of a crowd of people.

On his 16th birthday and believing himself to be entering the world of manhood, Georgie LaMain returns home to his father's Bar & Grill where he's met with a small, sad party made up by the tavern dwellers.  Moments after the candles are blown out on his cake - with little explanation - local sports writer Al Judge enters the place and orders Georgie's father from behind the bar and to remover his shirt.  He then beats him mercilessly with a cane and takes his leave.

PodCast: "1917" (2019) - SimonUK and Ryan in one long take!

SimonUK and Ryan ponder the atrocities of WWI via the 2019 critical darling and single-shot technical exercise, "1917". As accolades pile up, our two heroes must traverse a conversation across enemy lines and ponder what a war movie means and looks like in 2020.



Music:
1917 - Thomas Newman, 1917 OST

SimonUK Playlist:

Catch-Up Watch: Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (2019)

Watched:  01/20/2020
Format:  Amazon Streaming
Viewing:  First
Decade:  2010's

Happy Birthday, Dolly Parton

Here, playing Jolene in 1973

And, in 2019, playing with The Highwomen (check out that Highwomen album, btw.)

Wenders Watch: Until the End of the World (1991)

Watched:  01/17/2019
Format:  Criterion BluRay
Viewing:  Third
Decade:  1990's

It was a miracle I even got out of this five hour movie alive.

Way, way back in the 1990's, I saw this movie the first time - I believe - between my junior and senior year of high school.  My vague memory of the film was that it was known for two things - it was a movie directed by the same guy who did Wings of Desire (which I'd never seen), and for the soundtrack full of musicians both huge and indie (back when that meant something in particular).  Ads appeared in Spin and/ or Rolling Stone for the OST, which read as a mixtape from a pal with particular but good taste (Now That's What I Call College Rock vol. 1!).