Faldor returns to take the place of the Doctor from Speakeasy on a final(?) Star Trek commentary. We examine the film as a treatise on Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes (and international politics and racism, whatever) and speculate on Kim Catrall’s allure.

We discuss some background on how the budget constrained Nick Meyer’s production values and how he nevertheless prevailed mightily. We like this adventure a lot, roast turkey, purple blood, and all.

I’m watching the Blu-ray theatrical cut. Faldor is watching the PAL DVD director’s cut. We try to keep clear on where we are. Start the movie after the Paramount logo, on the countdown.

Star Trek 6 commentary [ 1:57:47 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (124)

Faldor joins me for a full look at the first Jason Bourne movie, the heartwarming tale of an amnesiac assassin learning love (and kill) again. We like the film a lot, but we do feel it has its flaws. We compare it to the Bond films, the later Bourne films, Ronin, Hannah, The Italian Job (1969), and Frankenstein. We wonder if Brian Cox has a thing for amnesiac killing machines. We question Matt Damon’s commitment to the assassin trade and what Julia Stiles is doing in this movie. I briefly accuse Dolph Lundgren of being German. Faldor briefly accuses Julia Stiles of not being a good actor. I claim that Clive Owen could play any role, including James Bond and Doctor Who (possibly at the same time).

I’m watching the Blu-ray; Faldor is watching the PAL DVD, so we resync a few times. Start the commentary after the Universal logo, on the countdown.

Bourne Identity commentary [ 2:02:14 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (102)

Join me for the second of the Mad Max films: Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. It’s the heartwarming tale of a group of car enthusiasts looking for love and juice* in the post-apocalypse.

* I think they’re saying “juice”; they have pretty thick accents. It might be “Jews” or possibly “deuce”.

I lament the ’80s fashions, but I call the film “best of its kind” and “nearly perfect”. I compare it to Mad Max, westerns, samurai pictures, Star Wars, war movies, Jesus, Moses, The Matrix, Die Hard, and—eventually—Citizen Kane. And I gush about the cinematography like I never have any other film.

Feed fixed!

Start the commentary after the Warner Brothers logo, on the countdown.

Road Warrior commentary [ 1:40:08 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (362)

Join Faldor and me for Ed Wood’s 1959′s Plan 9 From Outer Space, the heartbreaking tale of aliens who come to Earth to warn us of the dangers of science but who get their eyes blackened by ruffians just because they raised some corpses from the dead for some reason. What do you want? The other 8 plans failed even worse.

Faldor and I analyze the mise en scène, the cinéma vérité, and the pâté de foie gras. We explore Ed Wood’s career, Bela Lugosi’s career, and the career of some people I mix up with others and/or make up. We credit the film with inspiring countless other films and TV that ripped it off, such as Close Encounters, Star Trek, Babylon 5, and Independence Day. I accuse of the film of being accurate and well-acted; Faldor accuses it of being innocent. I call Ed Wood a war hero.

Start the commentary after the Warner Brothers logo, on the countdown.

Plan 9 commentary [ 1:25:59 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (108)

Join me for the first of the Mad Max films: Mad Max. It’s the heartwarming story of a gang of motorcycle roustabouts who run afoul of the law in a vast and desolate near future where fuel is scarce and no one questions your sexuality.

I compare the film to Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior as well as to other fast car pictures, westerns, horror movies, and Mel Gibson’s life. I heap praise on nearly every aspect of it to the point that you would think I would call it “nearly perfect” but I don’t. I’m not sure why, because the last of the V8s is banging on all cylinders at all times.

Start the commentary after the MGM logo, before the AI title card, on the countdown.

Mad Max commentary [ 1:40:08 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (127)

Bond is back again already in his final turn for a while, with Daniel Craig renewing his contract (perhaps somewhat reluctantly) and seeming a bit weather-beaten. Faldor joins me again and we watch with enthusiasm as many of the tropes are trodden even while the series makes a careful return to form.

We delight in the reversals (Bond blows up his OWN LAIR this time! M is a Bond girl! [actually, that's kind of happened before]) and point out the soft spots (Silva is YET ANOTHER insider coming back to haunt M? Severine carries a gun and has bodyguards but they mainly just keep her from running away?).

We’re watching the region Blu-ray. Start the commentary after the MGM lion and Columbia logo with the car arriving, on the countdown.

Skyfall commentary [ 2:07:24 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (167)

Bond is back and with Daniel Craig returns for revenge (more or less… eventually). Faldor joins me again, and we watch a decent story driven drunkenly into desert and left for dead by Mark Forster. We don’t hate the film, but it’s so lifeless, humorless, and Bourne-like that there’s just almost nothing to love.

I love the theme song; Faldor doesn’t. We both love the action but wish it had more tying it together. I feel like the villain is basically Roman Polanski and suggest he needs a henchman like Oskar “Blade Runner” Pistoria (the footless Olympic runner and alleged murderer).

Slight correction: Tim Pigott-Smith played a regular army captain in “The Claws of Axos” who arrests members of UNIT; he was not a member of UNIT himself. He also played a character named Marco in “The Masque of Mandragora”.

I’m watching the region Blu-ray. Start the commentary after the MGM lion and Columbia logo with the car arriving, on the countdown.

Quantum of Solace commentary [ 2:07:24 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (102)

Join me for a sight unseen commentary for the prequel to my favorite horror movie, The Thing (1982). Since this is not that movie (I already did that with the Doctor from Speakeasy), you might imagine that I would be somewhat sour on this one. But you would be wrong! I give this movie every chance and only later sour on it and regret ever turning it on!

Seriously, tho, I wonder about the director, the writer, the story, the leads, key decisions about the art direction, why there weren’t any corndogs at Craft Services… everything. But mostly I blame the director.

Start the commentary after the logos, before the Universal title card, on the countdown.

The Thing 2011 commentary [ 1:44:08 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (123)

Bond is back, and Daniel Craig climbs into the saddle! Faldor from the Down in Front forum joins me again for this, one of the better films of the series. I complain that it doesn’t feel very much like Bond, which is one of the things he likes about it. We examine the concept of “soft” reboot and whether M has changed or if it’s just Bond.

I reflexively identify the cars, but it’s not like there are any big chases. The action is mostly on foot and felt, as Bond leaps and bets his way thru what amounts to two films: an action film and a gambling thriller. We compare it to the book and a little bit to other Bond films more. We speculate on Bond’s ability to reproduce and copyright an idea for an all-Bond-Junior movie starring several copies of Shia LaBeouf.

I’m watching the region Blu-ray. Start the commentary after the MGM lion and Columbia logo with the car arriving, on the countdown.

Casino Royale commentary [ 2:26:42 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (187)

Join me as I again join John Pavlich of Sofa Dogs to watch the fifth episode of Community, one of the best comedy television shows ever.

We discuss Luis Guzman, Mark Hamill, going off campus, the theme of cheating, and Annie stuffing her bra.

Start the commentary at the very beginning of the episode, on the countdown.

Community 'Adv Crim Law' commentary [ 23:18 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (93)