Closing Thoughts and Credits

Hey, It's me, Stuart Wellington on the Fophouse podcast. and we are doing another Fop House mini, and I'm joined by my co host, intntroduce yourself feellas. Dan McCoy Elliot Charles Kalen The second. Now welcome back to the inaugural episode of a new Flop House mini segment. R Welcome back to the. I already got them. I already got them all end up with another classic Stewart brain teaser. But to get back to the origin brain attack. we're ready for it. So brain teasers asign. Let's get back to the meat of this and that is coming back to the inaugural episode of a new flop house mini format. That's right we are at ' called Ts and flops. right. We are talking about tops and flops. Now that baseball card company. You're probably thinking we're talking about baseball bed bald cards. All theses have been bed. We can't use these this thing I mess it all up. Get those balls some hys. Yeah, we're not talking about When you hear Tops and flops, you're probably thinking of baseball cards and flip flops. We are not talking about that. We are again talking about a rare thing here on the flop house, which is movies. Normally on the flop house minis, we talk about whatever, but here on usually still movies. Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Okaykay, fine. Undercut my initial point, we are going to be talking about movies We are going to be talking about the best movies by communal decision and the worst movies by communal decision by various directors. Now those ratings are going to be based on IMBB. Now I would ask my I am BB. I'm BB eight, baby. I wish I amBot com I wish BB That's more like four bees right there. I wish I amBb d. com was this just a website where you just go and there's a picture of BB eight and he just says, I'm BB eight, baby wonderful guys I'm feel like our fucking curse is that we can't not talk about star Yeah save me from this. Okay. So the idea is that we are going to be talking about different filmmakers. In this inaugural episode, I have selected a couple of directors and we're going to look at the IMDB rankings and we're going to look at the one that is considered the best by the ranking system And we're going to be looking at the worst by the ranking system. Now this collection of directors I have chosen by I tried to pick a little bit of a diverse crowd, a crowd, but it is still limited by directors who I believe there's a good chance we have seen most some of their movies. It's also a lot of hearenace. Yeah. And alsoova, all of them And keeping in mind that the ranking systems is from IMDB users. so it's you know they'll be G while Graino salt, Graino salt. Yep. So we are I would askin Grino salt sounds like a DC supervillain from the nineteen fifties. It's like the Batman's like, Oh, all my clothes are so c weird in collaboration with the Grainos salt company They're like, this is a limited time character. Okay, so we are I would ask my co host to not use IMBB at the same time just to preserve some of the excitement on this. Alen. So what we're going to do is We're going we're going to list the filmmaker. We're going to mention, you know, kind of guess at what the top one is, kind of guess at what the bottom one is. and then we'll kind of discuss whether or not Either of those choices are what we expected or what we think should be or what might be influencing that U So the first one, he has a big movie out Now as of time of recording, that is mrter Steven Spielberg. And Fells, give me two seconds It's a movie It's called Dclos Day. It's about aliens sexually harassing Michael Douglas That actually tracks. I'm just going to be using the old internet here. So we are using this by Nope. Yep by Wi Fi, which stands for Wireless wireless Deli wireless ire exit Wireless fire exit. sorry, I expected this to Stewart. I expected this to go much faster and now I'm going. Will it function impossible? And refine. Okay, so what do we think is the number one movie the top movie. Show me Sugarland Express I'm I'm gonna guess. Jaws, there's a chance it is Schindler's list, but I'm gonna say jaws. I'm gonna say ET It is, it is Schindler's list with. nine point zero U Jaws isn't even in the top five. Well, that is wild . ET is also not in the top five. That is also wild. five problem with IMDV. Top five is Schindler's list, saving Private Ryan, Raiders the Lost arr, Jurassic Parkin. Indiana Jones and the L last Crusade, which I would argue is probably like I feel like the first four Iicons. the argument. You can make an argument. The last Crusade is better than ET Jaws, close encounters seemeems seems wild. Yeah. Yeah I I would say I would say the Fableman's is better than Las Crusade in my mind, you know Um Now, what do you think H his lowest rating one is one I have not seen or heard of. I have a strong guess for this Oh, not heard of. Well I'm going to gu Rich of spies? Al because I feel feel like yeah Something like Hook has too many millennial fans, you know, ready player one has too many nerd fans. I'm going to say Always. I'm gonna say is um, Uh the TV movie he did before Duel that I can't remember the name of. Devils something. Is that playground? Firelight Oh firelight firelight is the That' like short. that is firelight is. Firelight year is listed as two hours and twenty minutes. Really Isn't that like that'ing I set it to the criteria was set to movies. I believe that's a student film though, isn't it? I thought Firelight. Nonetheless. Okay. So ignororeing So it is it's nineteen sixty four. That's the movie made when he was a teenager. Yeah yeah. The one above that would be nineteen forty one. This is. Aording it be, only three minutes and forty seconds of the footage of Firelight has been made public Okay, so I can see why I would have a bad rating. Yeahough on a bud. He's talked with us on a budget of five hundred dollars, he made five hundred and one dollars at the box office. So even then there get his money back, bllockbuster. So what's the mo, Steve. When you take out Firelight, what's the bottom one nineteen forty one. Okay. That's that's another one I would have guessed, Yeah. because it's Yeahah Al is in the bottom five. Along with TwilightZs on The Movie, the BFG, and Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. I for he made the BFG. I never saw that. I never saw a ready player never got made that. Yeah. when you become an old man director, you either take a long time, which is straight in the middle here. you're an old man director, you either take a lotin. Okay. You either take a lot of time to make movies or you just churn them out. and I feel like Spielberg has been in a churning themount section of his career. you know Yeah. Well, I mean, he always though, like it's like he's He's made a lot of setting something up while he's got he's got like five things going on and then whatever's ready to go. he Yeah, I feel like the War of the Worlds movie is ranked fairly low. I like that movie a lot. I like that movie a lot. I think it's good. The only thing I don't like is that there's no universe where I believe Tom Cruise is like a longsore one. Yeah toooo pretty. Sugarland Express is pretty low.' great movie though It's just just loccus people haven't seen it I think there's going to be, I mean also the movies, I'm amazed that ET is not higher up, but the movie, it makes sense to me that the lower movies are the ones that are more about people and less about Sctacle You know Yeah based on the IMDB voting audience, you know Where's where where's where's Bridg of sppies on there Brid of Spies was, wait, I just lost it. Bridge Spies was straight in the middle. Okay, what about the paper or the post, sorry, the post. Also like low to mid. Okay Do you have now, do you have a personal? I mean, I think when we guessed, we had our were you guys guessing with your heart or with your brain on these? I was trying to do a little bit of both. I do think ET is the movie of his that is the most magical me, but also like I was like, there's a lot of eighties kids probably voting on IMDV. I would think ET would be that it's not the top five is astounding to me Yeah. I mean ET is certainly There's I would not argue with someone who put that at the top. Like I like jaws and Raiders the most But uh but ET like, has such magic to it. And I feel like ET is, if you were going to say to me, what is that show me a movie that Steven Spielberg made that nobody else would make that well or that way. And ET is the movie that I maybe ET or close encounters or the ones that would show where I wouldd be like, it's hard for me to imagine somebody else making these movies the same way he does and as well as he does. those specific movies, just because he has such a connection to the material, you know. And I feel like people have tried to recreate the magic of ET. Yeah. I just watched Mac and me again recently And I'm pretty cl? Well's that's you've just undercut my point here. I was going to say nobody's come close to matching it, but Clearly, Mac and me. I showed another Stuart Raffle movie for my bad movie night pick recently because when we had Alonso on the show, he just like offhandedly mentioned like a couple of things Um He was like, oh, you know, like we I went and saw after last season because sometimes you hear through the grape vine like something's really special and he like tossed off the title Standing Ovation, and I looked it up, I'm like, Oh, from the director of Mac and me. It sold in the room. Itight unseen. I'll program this and it was a big hit You're looking for a bad movie. We're going to move on to our next director and that is Director It's a Coppola Sophia Coppola. Nine features here. That's a, you know I feel like enough to have a that's a solid career there. have a middle. What would you say is the number one Soophia Copola movie, what's the time Lost in translation. I Yeah, I'm still gonna to guess lost in translation. Got in one, banged it out. by by a decent margin. I say IMTV viewers, IMTV voters, they like Bill Murray, they like seeencart Johansson's but, you know, what else is they going to choose? Yeah U followed a close closely by the Virgin suuicides little bit of a gap, and we got Marie Antoinette What do you think the bottom is? I'm guessing the bling ring. You are a hundred percent. I was going to say the Beuiles, but the bling ring is even short slower hu Uh yeah, Bling Ring is at a five point six. I feel like people I've never, I actually haven't seen it. I've never seen it either I feel like I guess that one because it's the one that people like, I think forget was even her Yeah, which isn't a good sign for like the support behind it Oh yeah, I feel like I feel like I still haven't seen the Sophia Copola beguiled, but I do love the original Yeah. Dan, have you seen it I feel like that's I mean, I'm shocked at if all three of us have not. yeah, I've only seen the original and I'm shocked I haven'ten it because I love S Sofia Coppola. I think I've seen all of her other movies except for the Bling Ring And the Beild and the Beild. Yeahah. Yeah, I should see it. I think u I think I just never got around. It was just one of those ones where like I just didn't want to see it so badly that I made a point of seeing it, you know I forgot about it until But I love thatriittal so much yeah. I mean, it also speaks to her earlier work seems to have to be like rated a little bit higher. Do you think that's common with an indie filmmaker? Because I feel likebe maybe that's unfair for me to call her an indie filmmaker. but I feel like her movies at least have the feel of an indieaker? I mean I think that's common with many filmmakers. I think with indndie filmmakers also Often the first movies they make are the ones that they're excited about, like the ones that they have to get made, you know, and so that's what they do. But often with a lot of f have to fight to get it made in a way that they might not later on. And also they're new, they're bursting with ideas. offten they're younger and they don't they can really apply their whole self to the movie because they don't have other responsibilities. and It I feel like every director's career for the most part has ups and downs that is often more dependent on their life outside of their work then We on the on the outside outside really have a sense of, you know, but I think with a lot of filmmakers, when they're young and new, It's like the excitement of what they're doing comes through. and then they kind of settle into it and But then you got filmakers where they start out not knowing what they're doing, and then and then they become masters. Yeah. you know. I think it's also true that like even even if someone puts out work of pretty consistent quality There's a tendency among audiences to be like, oh I'm excited by like a thing when it's new and then if someone has a style, they're like, well, I'm tired of that style, even if it's still good if it still good work Well, you can see that, you see what like the actcting Academy Awards, there's often like U people at the beginnings of their career and it's exciting that they're being discovered or people at the very ends of their career where it's like you've rediscovered how important this person is after years of taking them for granted. and I think it's the same way with art in general, when people are mass art That way, you know, It's why It's why it's exciting when like someone in the middle of like a pretty consistent career just sus does something very different that pays off, you know, because you're like, whoa, I didn't know they had to item. Oh, okay. What's this all about Our next director, the top will actually surprise you based on some of what we've already said, but this in honor of the Kicks victory last night theew York Spikely. We're doing Spikely. Y. The unofficial mask out for the Newk N next Um I saw like an Instagram video after one of the wins recently where it was just like a crowd of people standing around a car with spiikely like out of the sun rooms. everyveryone's just cheering. What would you say next king Now, what would you say the top movie on Spike Lee'sf? I'm guessing that do the right thing might be too political for some of the voters on IMDB Thus inside man might ip in. I'm gonna say maybe Malcolm X. U while both of those are ranked fairly high, do the right thing is very high is the third on the list, but the the I would probably second actually.. The number one is I guess even though it's I it to Mcept David Burns America American top I was like right before you said, I'm like, I wonder if that slipped in just because like people are like, what a great concert movie? I haven't seen it. How was? Oh, it's wonderful. It's like I was lucky enough to see the show when it was on Broadway Like as soon as it was annouced I'm like, well S sure this is going to be expensive, but this is the thing that I need to see. David Byrne doing a and it was it was wonderful. And yeah, the documentary version of it is is excellent. But it is just a great concert movie It is less a spike lead movie But I mean, Sikely joint is the technical term. We've I mean, we've talked about Spikely specifically talking about inside manan before and There are moments in his career where he's just like I can do the craft. I can just do the basic craft as good as anyone else. He's like There are moments when he's like, let me just show you that like we talked about this before that. let me show you The movies I make, I make them because that's the way I want to make a movie and that's the movie I want to make. I could easily make a movie that's a more mainstream movie and be as good as anyone who has ever made a movie. he's an amazing filmmaker. He's just got such a natural like craft knowledge, L he's a brilliant artist. Like he's so good at what he does and he puts so much thought and intention into everything he does, whichich is funny when when he makes a movie that's kind of a mess, it's because he's like, Yeahah, this is the movie I'm making. I'm making a mess. And but like insside Man showows, he's like can can do I can do control If that's what you want, but that's not what I want, you know So what would we say IMBV voters like the least from his filmoger? This is tough because I feel like I guess he is a brilliant Crooklyland that's like I feel like that was really reclinged' then I'm gonna then I'm going gonna guess Red Hook S summer Yeah, maybe something like that. Brooklyn is much higher. Yeah's's the I'm just I'm trying to get ones that are like six, maybe like I'm trying to get pretty low. I'm trying to guess ones that are like smaller movies because I feel like IMWB does not do a great job of recognizing the worth in smaller movies. What was the one? He also has thirty six credits. Yeah got so many His remake of Gon and Hess was like the bllood of Jesus or whatever it was. You are correct. That low. All right. Almost nobody saw. Y. Some of his lowest movies are his effectively his remakes, whether it's highest to lowest or the old boy and the old boy remake. forgot he did that Try Rack is kind of low, schoolchool days is pretty low. Girl sixix is Red hook summer Um But then like in the middle, you have things like M Bet Blues Summer Sam, bamboozled U Part of Part of looking through this is also being reminded of like, oh, yeah, he's got this huge film for you. I still have never seen twenty fifth hour a movie that I have. It's very hard to find mentioned as like the like the quintessential like post September eleventh movie. Yeah, I've never I didn't see it when it came out because it look the commercials made it look very boring And that I've heard nothing good things about it, but it's one that Each time I try to find it online somewhere, I should just watch it illegally, I guess. But when I try to find it streaming somewere or like it's not available. It' not as readily available. Noators in the movies. Elliott, we here at the flopoutouse believe firmly in streaming services getting their piece of. Streaming service property rights. The middlem manan must get their dollar, you know I saw that movie at the time and I loved it. I think it's one it is like a great movie I personally find this idea of it being like the quintessential, you know, post nine eleven movie like a little overstated. I mean, it was not It was not built as that. and then they added some stuff that like gave it more of that flavor, you know, after the tragedies of heaven. but like, I don't know. Maybe if I saw it today, I would I would feel differently. Do you think the quintessential Post nineleven movie is Spider M This is. You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. Yeah That spirit went away for a while. But it's back the next. It's back next maybe Yeah Yeah, I mean and also I guess tops are a lot of the things that I feel like are going to be more of his is like why you know, larger audience the ones where he seems to be making something for like a larger audience, thingsings like Malcolm X, Black Klansmen that features friend of the podcast Ashley Akins. Yeah. goodood movie like am. O so we're going to go now from Sikely Angley I thosel say speake jance We went. you gotta change it real quick So who do we think is going to be what do we think is going to be Angles Dk move. Iing Top move. Crashing Tiger, hidden dragon I guess'. I would guess that a bg backack mountain. man broke back m so fucking good. Wh where's the wedding b personal favorite? Because the wedding ban, I think is my favorite, his His there's a tie for number one and one of those is Cratching Tiger Hidden dress And the other one is the hulp Please, it's just h. Do you make Eric Bana is the h? Is it Life of Pie? Is that the other? It's L life of Pie. I still haven't seen it I still I haven't seen it either. How There's a tiger in it, right? Is it a tiger? It's one of those movies whereere is there? That's a good point. Yeah. it's one of those movies where I like cannot bring myself. I'm like, I' just gonna to see this kid and this tiger in a boat for like forever I don't know, I don't know guys. Yeah, and it I mean, I understand like I hearard it's reallyautiful. I heard it's beautiful. onenebestor, right? I feel like it looked really fake to me in a way that was like, I mean, like artificial is fine as far as I'm concerned But there's aticial you draw the line at. There's a digital fakiness. I have a harder time with. I'm sorry, Toddiri. I think we I think we all feel that we I grew up with a certain That's a thing. We're all a as kids. so we would rather see a fake puppet than a fake computer Yeah. What was just what we end up with U What was Angley's breakthrough movie? Eat Drink Man womoman probably. right Yeah, I think so. He had I mean, he was that was the one I think that got him like a bigger mainstream audience. Yeahah Can I guess theott The bottom is a tie? Is it Billy Lyn's long halftime walk? Is it that is close, but it's not Is it Ride with the devil No, it's smoke or white blue in the face. Wait that did you do that? No, that's not him. That's Wne Wang, I think. That's Wayne Wang. sorry, I sound very racist now. You're incredibly racist. Okay, so the bottom two is And the other is a movie we covered here on the Fop house. Oh, did Gemini man Gemini man. I totally forgget. I forgot that was him. Just like my Gemini Dan here at Born inon And then a little bit a little bit of a gap before Billy Lynn's halftime walk. long halftime walk. Then we have a ride with the Devil taking woodstock, pushing hands. And then we get to the ice storm, which I think deserves better than that here. And also can he's a great director, when you've got so many good movies, can't all be at the. He does have a lot of good movies Most of his filmography is above seven, which is pretty pretty good. Yeah. And I just say say it too, Dan You may be a racist but Win Wang also has a lot of great movies. Mm. Lust cautions on there. I'm a big fan of lust caions. I never saw less caution. It took me a while because I had to I'm like Wait, there's an NC seventeen version out there. I need to track that thing down. The only ones on streaming is the R rated and that's not for me Um, because I'm a maniac that feels like I need to see like I'm like, I won't be experiencing the full thing and it's also like a two and a half hour movie and I'm like Well, I'm not gonna watch it twice I also have never seen his sense and sensibility. It's very. It's very very good. I think is you could say that that is up there with the Pride and Prejudice minis series and Clueless as like the best adap adaptations of Jane Austen's work into film and television, you A really have a specific talent of doing stories about people who aren't do not have the tools to accurately convey their their like roiling turmoil inside of their like U, they're like stayed facade. That's a good way to talk that's a way to describe it. Yeah So of course, we're going from Sikely Angley to Mike M Mike Mikeee, but yeah, it's spelled differently, but okay. so he's classic goofster here. real. Classic funny man. I have to say I mean, there's some very funny movies that he did. There's a lot of Mikey that I haven't seen. He's a blind spot for me. I've se the few I've seen I like so much, but I'm also like I gott to be emotionally re there Yeah. I mean, like if it's naked, sure, but if it's like I mean like topury I start I started watchinged there's like, I don't know what mindset, I got to be in to watch this, but it is not what I'm in right now, you know, ye Yeah that I feel like naked reminds me too much of like I am stuck at the bar talking to this nightmare of a person. Okay, so fifteen movies his filmography What do we think number one is? What's the tops? I'm gonna guess just because it's I think it's the biggest name. Secrets and lies. That's what I would guess also. Yeah. You got you slam dunk it there, dude. Secrets and lies with a bit of a gap. before Vera Drake. Oh I neverop here and drain I have no idea what her deal is. But that's that's kind of notable just because ever will know, Dan. I won't tell you I must know about Virard Drink. Well, andly must. Vard Drink is definitely like in the musical. Is what Sar say, It Sts what W you to say That's a kind of a mid career movie for him coming out two thousand four Do we have a guess what the low one would be? I'm going guess it's something you did for televis, like a TV movie that feel like the things that are going to be Laure onn his filmography, I may not even be familiar with. I mean, I yeah do feel like I know a lot of them, but U Sounds like's that guy with the who has sex with a pig. U Yeah we're like here Yeah that actor. Yeahah. from from men U So his bottoms are twoo mes donon't make a write, but that is a he just does a segment there. And then he also directed a movie called Peter Loo. never heard of that. mister Turner. mister Turner's at the bottom. Yeah. That movie's But great. That one I never saw. That's one That low is still a decent score. That's a six point eight. It's still fairly low I haven't seen it what's the deal with mister Turner? It's about Turner, the Turner the painter. The English painter who he did a lot of atphic effect lands in his landscapes and um When I was I mean, I guess the character of mister Turner is kind of unpleasant to spend time with, but they tried to soften him with mister Hooch, but it didn't work, ye. Yeah. When I was thirteen, my grandmotherase Turner and Hooch would be way sadder. It would be much sadder. So it would all take place after Tooch dies. When I was thirteen, my grandmother took me and my sister and my cousin to England because we're all twenty thirteen and we went to the National Gallery because my grandm was like, you have to see the Turners. You have to see the clouds and the skies in the Turner paintings. And I remember it making no impact on me whatsoever. And so maybe I gott to watch the movie I can see that making no impact on you at that age. Yeah. We just went to Chicago fairly recently for a live show I mean, and by that, I mean within the last few months. And I went to the art museum there in Chicago and they had a bunch of Turner paintings and I was You know, I thought that were gorgeous. And I, you know, as someone who has like amateurist amateurists I can't abain the way an amateur painter myself. I was astounded at the like effects that he could get and I couldn't even imagine I got to watch I gott to watch that movie now so I can find out How I gott to see the it's clouds is what I'm looking for Yeah, cllouds. kind de dust in the air, you know, all this stuff. Yeah Okay, so we're going from the u what kind of the how would we describe the works of Mikey like u like Realism realm realistic improvisational You know, character based U I feel I guess not necessarily harsh, but I feel like there's a There's a roughness to them. Yeah, yeah. So we're moving from that to something a little more punchy and fun. We're gonna talk about director Katherine Bigelow. U Katherine Bigelow. So let's we got let me just pull this up. I guess the number one the top ones there going to be what her loocker or a point break That's what I'm looking Yeah, there we go. Okay. So number one, what do you think Hurt locker. Hurt locker point break. Yeah U yeah, I think that that's Probably true, one of those. It's a pretty tight grouping here actually for dark gonna be pretty high at. Well, for most of them, it's a pretty tight grouping. Number one is the Hurt locker just barely edging out zero dark thirty. Oh thirty I would say I would say a much lower movie than Yeah locker or point break. But point break is edged is is actually tied with for third place tied with Detroit, a movie I've never know. I surprised Detroit, forgot about Detroit Yeah Again, these are specifically Detroit and also Zero Dark thirty are kind of later atast more current in her career. Those are shlcker. Yeah. Pretty solid guess, I think for Lois. I think so. I'm say Lveless. I was to say Lveless. Yeah. Very close, but not the bottom. Oh really. bottom by point two points. Not strange days, is it Blue steel that Blue steel. That makes sense. crazy. That makes sense, I guess. It's I mean, it makes sense, but it is like maybe it's because you have to like get into the wackiness of it Yeah. Yeah, that is not a movie you get like Clancy Brown's ass in it. Who doesn't want that? That should get a couple of points just for that. You I don't think that movie exists in reality as we know it. and I think people expect it to. yeah. I'm surprised it's notoveless becausecause Loveless is such is like is such a is also like such a like stark movie Like it's such a like it's not a movie that invites you in in any way, you know I've never seen it. What's the deal there? Williem Dafo Willem Dafe. Yeah, he's a biker and he rides into a small town in the what fifties or sixties and it's like a lot of hanging out this town and stuff of that. you know A bad secret comes out in town and you know I only know it by reputation, but it's my impression that it's like closer to an art film from her than the other. Definitely feels much more like like a student film or an indpeent film. especially compared to her later work It feels much more like someomeone who's trying to make an almost like a tryrying to make like a David Lynch type movie without the weirdness. Yeah But it plays some of the same kind of like, fifties, you know, iconography and stuff like that. So the upper half, we have movies like Point Break, obviously Gay. We also have Strange Days, which is it's nice to see that I was that was going to be down at the bottom. Yeah. Yeah Yeah. And it' it's from what I can tell, that's still really hard to get a hold of, right? H it not Is it like not streaming anywhere or something? I feel like for a while it was hard to see. I do know that it was hard to see I onm streaming for a long time. I have like a disk of it somewhere. so it actually according to the internet, it might be on a u, which means it would be on Disney pllus Oh, wow. it must be much easier to get. Real turnaround for strange days. Yeah When I'm done watching I don't know, the Mandalorn and Grogu I'll pop on strange thingsays too. I's like I' my seion. What's this Tom Sismore. Tom Sismore acting totally normal. It's a normal wayig. Yeah. normal U I mean, I feel like the through line for Disney pllus is Angela Bassett having an amazing set of shoulders. between that movie and the Most people talk about our arms, but people talk about our shoulders too. Yeah. I feel like, you love you got to do with it is on Hulu Yeah, see, Which means it's probably on a Disney plus. got What's love got to do with it? It's like one of the only musician biopics I like I still haven't seen it. I haven'tilif for me. Everything because it's like it's what've got to do with it and walk hard. Th thoseose are the only two I mean, Walk the line is I think is a pretty good movie. It's pretty solid movie. I like Wonkard more I mean, they're not doinging the same. It'sio. What are you talking about? like Stewart hass been a big fan of Dewey Cox for years. Yeah. Loves. Isn't gonna put out another album in keeps ass? I do have to point out in the bottom half here we have Near Dark is like straight in the middle That should b entire rep. Bottom half is K nineteen the Widow Maker. What's the deal there? U It it's kind of boring, I remember. Yeah That's. Is Is it like a Tomas Clancy? It's a submarine movie. It's not a It's based on an actual incident in Russia I don't know much about it. I tried to watch it because I'm like What? Catherine Biglow did a Harrison Ford submarine movie. I love this and it was very boring as far as I recall. I mean, ye, I feel like the pro I guess with a title like K nineteen the Widow Maker, you think that's either going to be like it's either going to be a really awesome like wrestler or something or it's too complicated of a title, I would say. So Katherine Biglow, any through line here. How would we describe Katherine Biglow'sf? real time. I mean, I feel like she with movies like Blue Steel and especially Point Break kind of set a like a look and a feel for action movies that was then like adopted by guys like Michael Bay. Yeah, yeah, for sure. A more heightened intense sort of vbe but like maybe isn't one hundred percent based in reality. But but I mean that's a lot of kinetic energy But I feel like there's something I like the way that her stuff isn't connected to reality as opposed to like I feel like a Jerry Bruuckheim or something or a Michael Bay type thing. She's always, I think when she's working in that heightened reality, it's great. but she's done a couple of like true life movies or movies trying to present true life. And I think there it's a It's a it's a mismatch for me. like Zero Dark thirty is a mismatch because it's like We don't live in the world that that movie says we live in. you know, it's like as it's the action movie thing of like, well, you need torture people, of course. And but it's like, I don't this is a weird. This is not the subject matter that I think is right for that, you know. Yes. and we're There's something about like a movie like Point Break where we are to believe that these, you know, like surfing bank robbers that this that we are like thrust into this world and we're like we buy that we are in this heightened strange universe. As soon as they're surfing bank robbers, you're like, well, this is going to be a this is not the real world that we exist in. But when it's something like the Hurt locker I think you get people walking away from it being like, well, that's what bomb disposal units are like in Afghanistan or Iraq is they just it's three guys who just kind of cowboy around having adventures when that's not reality, you know, it's a it's a I think when she's when it's not when she's blurring the line between reality and reality, I don't like it as much. but when it's patently unreal, when it's about a bunch of vampires tooling around the country, that's I love that. Or Ron Silver, who becomes addicted to guns. Exactly.. Okay, This is what I've been missing. So gonna we're gonna move over from Catherine Bigelo to I think one of Catherine Salo We're moving over to I would say one of one of the patron saints, not patron saints, but one of the Mount Rushmore of flop house directors that I think we all love and can get behind Mr. John Carpenter We all love this irrassable old man who wants to play video games and smoke weed and cash checks based on cash checks from remakes of his work What do we think is IMDB users John Cpenter movie of his eighteen is it movies? It's I imagine it's either a thing or big trouble in little China be my guess. Or possibly Halloween, but I'm betting N I't think it's Halloween. The thing You guys are both right. It's the thing is number one followed by Halloween I'm surprised Halleens that high? And in the bottom, I don't think these are gonna be shockers. How many And what planet are they from? I personally like the w a little bit more than I like with the children of the dam. Is that of the dam? Vill of the dam. But u I'm going to say I'm going to guess that the ward made to the bottom. Yeah, the bottom is Ghost of Mars. That a sizeable margin and then above Ghost of Mars is a below five, which is pretty rough. Yeah. The ward is the second to the bottom Village of the Dam is third from the bottom And then right above that Escape from L.A. a movie that I think is gotten a little bit of a like ination. I think it's I think people who didn't real I think there are a lot of people who saw Escape from New York did not realize it is partly a joke movie And then sawscape from LA. and thought it was a huge, I mean, also saw sape from L years later when it came and thought it was a huge like they thought it was a Gremlins Gremlins two type thing. But when you watch those movies together, you're like, these movies fit together pretty well. Like, they don't, they're not that different from each other Yeah civil is a little sillier. The fact that he has to A avoid death by shooting ten baskets in a row is kind of silly, but I find it kind of nutty that silly. What? He's shooting baskets in. That's true You not see how the Ks just brought the city together? Thank you. Not LA. they brought a different city together, ye. Yeah. This is really dating. This is gonna come out like a month after we. No, I'm really surprised that Ghost of Mars is the absolute bottom one because I will say that I actually haven't watched it. That mov is not great, but it has more John Carpenter vibes like I do what you want than I think of the oth. It is the most famously bad of his movies. So I think it might be a matter of more people seeing it and doging for that re Exactly. exactly. whereereas the word can slip by because people just don't know it that well. Village of the damned. P probably forget that he made that, you know Yeah. I assume in mouth of Madness is in the middle when it should be towards the top U it is yeah, it's like it's like top middle Where's memoirs of an invisible man? That's right what is slightly above Escape from LA. is memoirs of an invvisible manan. a movie that I have a soft spot for. I do too. and I think if it was not Chevy Chase, that movie would would be better of yeah And right above that is vampires and Dark Star with a tie. Vampires has some okay stuff in it. Dark Star is much better than Vampires. I Dark Star way higher. Yeah, well, but it been right above But also Dark Star kind of gets kind of boring in the middle And right I mean, there's right above that is Prince of Darkness, which is one of my top five. That's one of my good. It's so it's so cool and weird. and like specifically John Carpenter. So Starman must be pretty high up, right? Nope, it's fairly low, like low the middle. It's below in the mouth of Madness along with escape from New York. I mean, a lot of like I feel like there's a big mix of them in there. I mean alsoter topops are the thing Halloween Uh assault on precinct thirteen and they live and then big jroub on. The thing is also like When you've got a really good philmography. movies just there's only so many slots. So a movie has to get It can't be like there's a ten way tie for fourth place. Yes. I do think it's kind of funny that the tide for fourth place is they live and big trouble in Little China. two movies that feel very spiritually. Yeah very operating in the same register. Yeah, ye yeah. Oh man. what bangers. And both featuring both featuring gentlemen with very cool haircuts. I was at one of my bars for Pride yesterday and I had a guy tell me my hair looked very curt Russell and I was like, that is by designsute. But yeah, I think we can all say. feel like I've always loved Captain Ron Yeah. So So Captain my Ctain Stewart says. How would we describe the works of John Carpenter in a few sentences Um, Well, he has like elegant wides screen like framings of things. He u I don't know, like a lot of it is vibes. like he's a very he provides those vibes with his sim. Yeah. Like he like defined a certain eighties feel. I would say U, not elevated genre. by U pererfected is too far, but like clarified genre Like his movies take genre types of stories and clarifies what's best about them and tosses away the stuff you don't need as much. So it's not when you say elevateated, it makes it sound like you like The person feels ashamed to be working in this genre. so they're trying to make it seem like a more artier movie, Whereas what he does is he's like What's the best version of this story that I'm telling that is a genre story? How do I get those genre thrills across in a way that becomes elegant and beautiful because I'm doing it so well, basically. L that's the thing to me. is the thing is like, I'm going to do a science fiction thriller and it is not a I'm not doing it by trying to like movie instead of trying to do what's the best version of this movie, you know? Yeah he also was like so specifically like a Western fan that you see that like a lot of his movies are like Westerns in under other. He never been in Wesn though, right I mean no. I mean like vampires vampires is a clar It's kind of like a western, but again, it's a vampire movie It's not a it's not yeah It's less on Western than Billy the Kid meetss Dacula, you know, I think. But I feel like there's I think there's also something about the idea of like not making a Western means that he can like lean into the U the almost exploative thrills of a Western movie without risking any like Cowboys versus Indians or something. bulls Yeah Okay was sorry, guys, it's Billy the Kid versus Dracula. I should have known that they would fight each other. They would not they wouldn' just not. Yeah ye. Jes J Michel over here.. Now what did fellow Ghosti do with a broken gorilla? It wasn't good. It was not good. Okay. It was like that Black Mareor episode Story was talking about Hey, Max fun listeners. It's me, Jackie Kacishation. I have a podcast with Laurie Kil Martin. sayay Hi, Laurie. Hi, Jacqueline. Hi Max fun listeners. But not very formal. We have a podcast and it's about standup comedy and how much we love it and how much we dislike some of it. So listen to that podcast. It's called the Jackie Laurie Show new episodes every Wednesday that gives us plenty of time to decompress from our comedy weekends and discuss things with sane level heads. No, it doesn't. If you are a woman our age or a man our age, or you know what? any person of any age, I think you'll enjoy your. Jackie and Lauriehow on maximumfun dot org d Hey. Are you a celebrity Are you searching for meaning, connection and a little levity these days? I'm Camela Nanciiani, actor, writer, and yes celebrity too And I've got four words for you Bullseye with Jesse Thorne Are you tired of junkets? carpets, sick of the endless spicy snacks you have to eat Do you want to connect with someone who gets your work laugh with you a little. Join me, Andre three thousand, Tom Hicks, Tina Feay, and many more and become a guest on Bullseye with Jesse Thorne from NPR and maximum funal. Hey folks. The flop house is brought to you today by Squarespace. Squarespace is the number one service platform for getting you online You are on the internet. We are all on the internet but are you on it in a meaningful way Do you perhaps need to be able to represent your small business personal work, etcetera, in a way where you can have services that Chge money, set up invoicing, all of those professional things. Do you want to seem like a professional person, but you don't have the coding experience be one. You can even be one. You can be a professional person without needing all of the various coding experience or design experience because they Squarespace offers beautiful selection of design award winning website templates and the ability to set calendars, schedule billing, etcetera. All those things that you might need as a small business owner or a person who wants to have their own website So Head over to squarespace d. com slash flop for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch Use offer code flop to save ten percent off your first purchase of a website or domain But Before we move on, I wanted to take a moment to tell people that joke farming How to write comedy and other nonsense. My joke writing book from the University of Chicago Press is now available in audiobook form. Let's say you don't want to read it with your eyes. Let's say you want to listen to my Mllifluous tones as they read the book to you while you do other things Now you can do just that. Joke farming, the audiobook, as read by me, the author. But I didn't read it that way. is available wherever you can buy and download audio books. Please do buy it, listen to it share it It is all of my joke writing wisdom in one place. for you and I hope you enjoy We have three left in my list here. We're going to the realms of comedy with director Star. I mean, I think we all know him best as one of the actors in beloved movie Ski Patrol. that is director Paul Feue who has a number of movies under his under his belt Culfing Um You put bridesmaids up at the top. I'm guessing I'm guessing that's about the top And because twenty movies directed twenty. Really? I think I can name know there' four of them Yeah And just because of the people who vote on IMB, I'm going to put ghostbusters at the bottom, even though I don't think it deserves. Oh I'm gonna guess unaccompanied miners, But were we right about bridesmaids at the time? You guys are wrong about bridesmaids. But not by much. It's a fairly close grouping.. I was gonna spy also. Spy is number two Wh favor. Sy and simple favor is actually yeah, it's kind of in the middle there Is Costbusters number one Ghostbusters is number three. W tied with brridesmaids, which I'm kind of surprised by. Not just because surrised by?. Number one is a movie called I am David. Oh wow. A twelve year old boy escapes from a Bulgarian communist concentration camp and sets out on a journey to reach Denmark. No, thank you. Not necessarily than you, Mr Feak. I don't need it. This is his directorial debut. apparently, I don't know this movie at all U But then Sy Spy's movie that u I mean, it taught the world that Jason Satham can be pretty fuckking funny. O than his other his barely serious action movies that he was But I mean, like I feel like at this I mean There was a stone facedness with Narry a wink at the camera and a lot of his other stuff Um The housemaid, pretty good, pretty Housemaid in simple favor, which is like I do kind of like his like pivot to like kind of sexy thrillers. Yeah, light light trash. I enjoy. Light trash. We also of course get unaccompany minors is low but not the bottom. The bottom is another simple favor. Oh yeah. well Not that good U Not that good at all U And he briefly talks about doing it for the Fop house and then the time passed. And then but we do have we do have a little movie that was featured on the Fop house Last Christmas, L Christmas D, whichich is one of the ones we liked the most Yeah. I forgot he did that one. Paulf is someone who he's made so many movies and yet I've seen not lot of them and I feel like I forget most of them and twenty movies. He only has thirteen movies, but seven seven in upcoming. But like thirteen movies is like is you're a filmaker. You're a director Like you're a professional director, you know. I mean, he he is a I mean, when it comes to modern comedy directors, there aren't that many who have a name like Paul Fed. That's true Like you have like Adam McKay and Pul Feague and like Jud Aata. Yeah Jud Apata it's about Yeah All favorites of mine as as we well, as we know But I mean, one thing about Paulfague is again, like we've talked about like the light trash, but I like his light trash has like an element of edge like Both those movie like both simple favor and the housemaid have like an edge to them that I was surprised by from a director who's known mainly for comedies. Yeah. Almost. so that it's hard to kind of, I mean there's a there's a you could say that he's like a workman like director and that he's he puts out a lot of different types of things, but can you see any like Rude line with his work Strong female characters. ye. I mean, there's u I mean, there's a sense of humor even to that like the thriller stuff, like I mean, simple Favor is much more overtly comic. Housemade is more in the realm of like knowing camp, but like There is a certain Amanda Sefred, Oh, what a performance from that one. Yeah No, but there's like a there's an knowningness, there's like a tongue in cheek, even like the serious stuff, I would say But yeah, I know it's harder to point to directors trademarks as they used to call them. I think I'm the Avy cllub. I think he is not a he is not a ri he doesn't prioritize the visual in the way that many directors do, which I think makes it. harder to find those trademarks, you know, For our next director, we're going to move on to nominated often for best director Um Mister Germoldl Toro Germloro, what do we think his number? Lillam of the Ball? Tops. M. I'm gonna say pants Labrinth U let's probably shape of water. Yeah, just for variety I'm gonna say shape of water. It is Pann's Labyrinth.ape Old water is it's up there, but not Pan's Labyrinth is pretty well in a way I think that's I think it's the best movie. I would agree with that Number two is a bit of a surprise, but I appreciate it is his Pinocchio, which I really love Um it ye it's a very fional movie That is a movie where like Charlene and I watched it and then immediately started watching it again. That and Devil's Bbone are my two personal favoritite of Dil's Devil's Backb bone, thatad and Pan's Labrth are my two favorites. L look. If it's movie that is the title is P vowel N as the start of it, it's gonna be good. It's gonna be good what do we think is his bottoms?? Yes Crimson pea Yeah, that's, but it's not the b it nightmare Alley Nope, that that's that's right in the middle there Hellboy two Probably not, right? Hellbooy two somehow Point one point higher than Hellboy, which is I mean weird. No, I don't know. I buy that. I buy that. I don't. I guess it leans into the most Isly Cantina feel of Yes it was less silly than the first Hellboy movie Could be a function of obscurity, like maybe it's Chronos, Is it Chronos? Chronos is third from the bottom. Chic Ran. It's mimic.imicimic You know, I saw that's a serviceable movie. Mimic is fine. Yeah. I mean Yeah, I feel like he I wouldn't say he is like a true stinker in his. I saw the director's cut of Mimic in a rep screening at Night Hawk. and I'm like, hey, this is pretty good. Like Yeah like I don't know what was changed, but I enjoyed it much more than I rememberonder if it I wonder if it does more So before that movie came out, I was familiar with the short story it's based on Mimic because it was the book one hundred Creepy Creature stories that I got in Barnowble when Barn. It sounds like a young Elliot like Instaby. I still have it. It's a great book. It's got a lot of great stories in it that I think of all the time. But mimic like the whole purpose of that story is, oh, this guy has died and when they find his body, they realize he's actually a giant insect who is made to look like person that he's evolved to look like a person they dri by. And at the end of it, they open up like a trunk and all these tiny little these insects that look like tiny people fly away. and then someone thinks they see a chimney opens its eyes and follows after them and starts eating them. And you're left with this idea of like, How many of these naturally occurring creatures that we just don't see because they're camflaged as artificial things or people. And I like I feel like the movie throws away that idea pretty early and it just beces big, big roaches, you know. it's not a major even in the version I saw it wasn't a major point. but the version I saw was a little meaner, Id say like there was an attack on children that I'm like, oh my God. I didn't think I mean that is something about especially his early stuff is there's this feeling of like, Well, the kids aren't safe. Yeah It's a hard world. It's a very hard world when you're in a Dltoro Uh yeah, Kronos is kind of low on there, which is kind of a bummer. I' like's That's a g. Yeah. I Blade two is right near the bottom. and I think that is it is a silly movie, but I feel like it is It like captured the like visceral thrills of a superhero movie in a way that I don't think we'd really gotten point And so I think that's a little bit of an unfair nod No that mean And also the mouse look like crazy vagina andentavas. Yeah. come on who vampire Yeah Was that where those guy Davis designs? they must have been, right They must have been. Yeah. Yeah. Del Toro, I feel like He makes Guy Davis artwork come to life. Yeah. He is a He's a fantastical storyteller. is he is a storyteller who likes to deal in like Uh, like dark kind of fairy tales. he there's obviously a lot of passion Uh both like like strong emotion in his work at me're looking for be kind of stuff. Yeah U yeah, no it was sort of u intricate design. I mean, clearly his love of the genre, love of horror Like just sort of manifest and let me sort of a melange of like these this imagery on screen So guys, we are to our final filmmaker of the Dight We are going to be talking about mr. David Lynch David Lynch. Davy Lee. Lynch Davy Lee Roth Give me two seconds while I U Give me two seconds. Give me two seconds. Iister while I look up IMDB. What am'm gonna to guess his lowest movie is? Oh I have a pretty inland Empire. Yeah, I would say inland Empire I of guess number one is the most difficult one. Yeah. And number one I would guess is Blue velvet maybe Mulahoand Drive? I think these days Mulholland Drive will be the consensus, but I could see blue velvet I feel like sometimes there's a movie, mayaybe it's not the way it used to be. There used to be a time when I feel like the movie that people would say was the best of a director was just the best known movie. It was like, well, that's their signature movie. So, of course, that's the best one And that has changed a little bit, maybe I think you'll be surprised by the top. Eland Empire. Elephant manan Eleph. interesteresting. I could see that. That the most mainstream movie, I guess other than the straight story, although actually, in some ways the alpha Man is more mainstream than the straight story, to be honest, yeah U And then we number two would be Malan Drive Yeah. I think it's a great movie foollowed closely by blue velvet U the bottoms are Dude . I forgot about Dune, I gott to admit, but at the same time, like I am surprised because I feel like it It's u It's cult, you know, in a way that like inland empire is just like long and difficult. A lot of people like I guess Dan acted like he had something to say, but when he opened his mouth all that came out was a bunch of gibberish, I guess forgot about Dune Anyway, so I didn't forget about Dune, but I also I also thought that it's had this kind of like reappraisal by fans. I still I still think his Dune is not very good. There's stuff I like in it, but it is. I rewatched it recently and I was like, this is still not very good. But I think there's a certain reappraisal with the new the newer Dune films that there's like this appreciation for this like weir or like in some ways more colorful science fiction take on it that also is it you know, it doesn't all work, but like It's kind of fun, it's fun to see the different the like the other thing, you know what I mean? Yeah Andertainly more than the the like sci fi channel original minieries that is crazy looking and has like the weirdest CD RM special effects. I never saw those. I know there's some Dune fans that really love them. Yeah. my parents my parents were big fans of it because they liked that it was I guess close to a book for them. And the little is very low. Yep. so Dune is the lowest one. on is the low most. Then I feel like it's a matter of like That's either That feels to me like doe of fans of the new or fans of the new movie being like, this other one sucks. giveive it low ones. Like there's such there's always a battle going on Fans were against it from a pretty early point, right? Yes. I mean, it's a It just is not a satisfying telling of that story. and it makes some big changes that I also say the book was an epic and disarray, whatever it's called the book about the making of that dune. There were things in I'm like, o, okay, this aspect of it makes more sense to me now. Like the weirding modules that allow them to use their voices to build. But when you read the book, you're like There's nothing. There's nothing like that in the book. Like it's just not a It's taking It's really kind of dumbing down concepts in the book quite a bit. The new movies do that too to a certain extent, but just in M it looks cooler. like it looks more sophisticated, you know And those movies also have a little more space and time to breathe and develop concept. Yes. That second half of that Davidn studune is real hard where it's just like, and then this happened, and they went over here. this character died. Oh no. It really feels like a guy saw the movie and's just filling you in on what happened great. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you, Ellot. You reminded me to go to my Libby app and see if a masterpiece in disarray was available for me Check out immediately on ebook and it is.ome. I mean, I'd le you my copy if we lived on the same coast. but Above that we have inland Empire and racer headad and Wild at Heart tied near the bottom of. Really That surprises me Okay, do we agree with these? Do you have a personal favorite that might be that isn't represented? Do you feel like the elephant Man is his best film or your difference between a favorite or the best. I don't feel man. is best. I think it's very good. I think it's a very good movie, but it's like a It's just it's hard because it's so straightforward. Like it's so straightforward. And when you when you want David Lynch, you want something a little different No, I like Mulhoand dririve. I like a racer headad. I actually like Lost Highway quite a bit. Lost Highway is fairly high up here, which is kind of impressive because it is like I feel like when it came out, it was both like, oh, this is pretty weird, but also like it isn't, but it isn't like as good as Bue Velvelvet I think it's another one where it like, I think there's a rediscovery when you start to understand what the person is trying to do in the movie, I guess. It's just amazing to me that Lost Highway was like That was a major feature release that ye. And it's such a weird movie. And it's like that was advertised on the back of comic books. Like it was everywhere. you just think about like there was a time when Lost Highway was like, ye, well of course we're going wide with this. This is, of course a nationwide release. it's amazing. The same way that I was talking to like every kids love eyebrowlist Robert Blake. I was talking just the fact that like, yeah, well half on a saxophone. sure. But like of course halfway the movie, one character turns into a different character and we're not really going to bother explaining it that much. But the I was talking to to my friend Joanah Ray recently about how There's something about David Lynch, like, there's something about like Easer Head is such a strange movie. And yet if you walked into a video store in America, it was very likely there would be a copy of that movie there. And just the reach David Lynch had for someone who's making such strange work. And it's almost like he shot the moon and his work was so strange that Normies were interested into it. Ited in it. It's a he really really I have to tell you, it really lucked out when Mil Brooks hired him to direct the alpha Man and then it was like, yep, he's in. Okay everybody. You guy' mainstream somehow. And part of it is also like he brought a He brought sex he brought sex into it and he also brought violence. And I think that those things kind of helped sell it because's true. It made people be like, oh, there's naked people in this. That also that has been for decades, that has been the key to getting people to watch artsier movies is to put nudity in it. Yeah. But I mean, we've talked about this before, I think at one of our live shows, but the idea that like for us nerd. L for us like kindind of weird nerd kids who weren't entirely satisfied with what pop culture was offering us, being able to walk into like I don't know, a fucking hasting superstore and be like, oh, I can buy like the Tin Peaks box set. Yeah, like I can like I have access to this filmmakers like mostost of the movies from this guy in any store in like the Midwest is crazy. Yeah. And like I feel like that's that's that in a pre internet time, that was such an essential lifeline for people to feel seen and be able to like I feele that there's a bigger, artier world out there and be excited about movies Okay, so that was a fun little trip. I hope you guys had fun talking about moving Fire walk with and flops. Yeah. Fire Walk with me your is your top. No no top no Tops I'm Popps. Thankk you Stewart for making us think a little bit differently about these directors, you know in the direction where going in this mini. So I' Wellington. This is a mini episode of a Flop House podcast. It is we are on the Maximum Fund network. There's plenty of great showhs that are both fun and informative. Check them out. If you like this show, there's probably another show for you. This show is produced by Alexander Smith. He goes by How old Daughty on the interternet. You can find him on Twitch various other social media platforms. you can buy his music on Bandcamp. He is the best and he makes us sound Great. Put some filters on that. putut some filters on it. Yeah U For the flop house, I've been Stuart Wellingon. I've been Dan McCoy. I've been Ellie Kalin and remain so to this day See, u M them fun a work around network.