This week on Alcohollywood, we get a bit more obscure with Theo from Twin Cinema as we discuss William Friedkin’s lost 1977 thriller Sorcerer! An unfortunate casualty of the end of New Hollywood and the beginning of the Star Wars era of special-effects blockbusters, this remake of the classic French film The Wages of Fear sees a group of disparate expatriates (including Roy Scheider) in a small South American hellhole, tasked with a dangerous mission to transport unstable nitroglycerin 200 miles to put out an oil rig fire. What follows is a moody, tense, existential and deeply stylized journey through the bowels of hell and human frailty, resulting in one of the most personal and fascinating works of Friedkin’s career. Check out our episode, along with our custom cocktail and drinking game!
Related Links:
Scout Tafoya's Sorcerer video essay on The Unloved
Fan edit from Louisa (@infamoussphere) - Our 80s truck-building montage dream come true!
Louisa Fan edit 2 - Thanks Infamous Sphere for your amazing gift!
CAN YOU DIG IT, listeners? This week, returning guest Julia of Mercy Street Theatre Company bops with us as we watch Walter Hill’s 1979 cult gang thriller The Warriors! A pulpy, disco-tinged Greek epic about a beleaguered street gang from Coney Island lost on the wrong side of town after being framed for killing a prominent gang leader, the movie’s long on style and short on complexity.
We found quite a bit to talk about, from apocalypse theories to the unfortunate Director’s Cut. Throw on your tight blue jeans and brown leather vest, ‘cause we’re ready to play-ee-ay with our custom cocktail and drinking game!
Related Links:
Tickets for Edge Productions' revival of MacSith, beginning April 3rd at the Pendulum Space in Chicago!
This Week in Academia: "Film Chronicle: Trash and Poetry" by Vernon Young
The (Terrible) Intro to the Director's Cut ("Over Two Millenniums Ago...")
This week on Alcohollywood, playwright Dusty Wilson joins us to talk 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas, starring Academy Award-winning Nicolas Cage (in a role that gives his craziness some context and pathos) and Oscar-nominated Elizabeth Shue in one of her finest, most sensitive roles, as a drunkard and a prostitute who spend several weeks together in Vegas while the former drinks himself to death. It’s not the lightest material a drinking games/alcohol-based podcast can cover, but the complex psychology of its characters and dreamlike narrative give us plenty to chew on (much like our Lost Weekend episode, linked below!). Be sure to sit back and enjoy this deviously melancholy drama with our custom cocktail and drinking game!
Related Links:
LAMBCast #265 – Clint’s Guest Spot on the Furious 7 Episode
Alcohollywood’s Live from NMX Vegas Episode on Diamonds Are Forever, with special guest John Campea
Our Episode on The Lost Weekend (another serious film about alcoholism)
I AM HERCULES! Just in time for Dwayne Johnson’s latest turn in Furious 7, this week returning guest Craig joins us to talk last year’s Rock-tastic adventure Hercules! Directed by Brett “I don’t have a style” Ratner, this sword-and-sandal epic remodels Herc as a flawed strongman with a coterie of badasses (including Ian McShane and Rufus Sewell) who help him build up the legend of Hercules so they can get money. However, when Lord Cotys (John Hurt) tasks them to take down an army of centaurs, Herc and crew get more than they bargained for. The film’s an enjoyable trifle, and we have a great deal of fun discussing The Rock’s stretch marks, the merits of “shield wall” class, and much more. Enjoy, along with our custom cocktail and drinking game!
Related Links:
Clint’s Fresh Pour review of Hercules
(NOTE: We switched to a new laptop this week, so some driver issues made the sound quality a bit less sweet this episode. We promise it’ll be repaired next week.)
This week on Alcohollywood, we’re getting shibby with returning guest Nick Ostrem to talk the 2000 stoner comedy Dude, Where’s My Car? When perpetually-stoned Jesse and Chester (Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott, who never actually smoke anything in the film) try to track down their car, they stumble upon a mad chase between “hot chicks,” dudebro jocks, space nerds and Hugo Boss models in order to track down a magical Space MacGuffin and get their twin girlfriends back. Some of us went into this expecting to hate it, but our responses might surprise you. Along the way, we also chat about the gender politics of space hot chicks, Fabio’s run-ins with fowl, and the unfortunate history of the TV show Sliders. Check out the episode, along with our drinking rules and custom cocktail!