Stuff We’ve Seen

2021 Oscar Nominations - Jim and Teal Break it All Down

Jim and Teal do their 3rd Annual Oscar Nomination review. They have all the nominees for you, so let the fun begin! Did your favorite film get nominated this year? Were there even favorite films in this pandemic-condensed movie season? 

Stuff We've Seen Pays Homage to Siskel and Ebert

Siskel and Ebert were huge influences on Jim and Teal, both who watched their show since their PBS Sneak Previews days. So, for this week's episode they've got four films to review, and they decided to review them in a similar fashion to the format Siskel and Ebert did on their show. 

The four movies this week are: The United States Vs Billie Holiday, I Care a Lot, Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar, and Minari. Some vastly different genres this week. Are the boys thumbs up or down? You'll have to listen to the episode to find out.

Nomadland and Possessor Uncut

This week Jim and Teal have a few recommendations and a couple of warnings. The good stuff: Nomadland, Possessor Uncut, and Judas and The Black Messiah. The warnings: The Little Things and Music.

What else? Jim and Teal take a walk down controversy avenue as they weigh in on the saga of Gina Carino. Lots to unpack in this episode so get those earbuds on and start listening.

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World Vs Jim and Teal

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is a film that is divided into two camps: Those who get it and love it, and those who think it is a crappy, angry, misguided look at the male obsession with manic pixie dream girls. Jim and Teal found themselves stuck in the second camp. Were they simply too old for the movie's target audience back in 2010? Or was this a case of a movie that is better upon re-evaluation? 

These days many regard Scott Pilgrim as Edgar Wright's 2010 cult classic, so Jim and Teal decided they needed to give this movie a second look. So, for their second Netflix watch party experience (which is now called teleparty) they opted for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.

 

So get your streamers ready, and when Jim and Teal tell you to, hit play and follow along with their commentary. 

Please Note: Unlike the majority of Stuff We've Seen podcasts, this episode is designed to be played in synch with Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. You may notice some gaps with silence when Jim and Teal are watching and not saying anything poignant or smug. Also, at the start of the first fight scene Jim and Teal had an internet drop out. They paused the movie and got things back on track. That stuff is edited out, but if you notice things go slightly out of synch, you may need to pause and adjust to get it right. We apologize for this. 

Shadow in The Cloud and Wolf of Snow Hollow

It's a week of genre excitement as Jim and Teal break down the horror comedy film, Wolf of Snow Hollow by Jim Cummings, and then take a dive into the 'jump the shark' waters of c-grade movie entertainment with the action/horror WW2 bomber-themed Shadow in the Cloud. What starts out as an intriguing bottle movie quickly dissolves into an over-the-top action film that defies all levels of believability. Chloe Grace Moretz tries her best to salvage the wreckage, but there is no pulling this plane out of the nose dive.

And if things weren't bad enough, Jim and Teal discover the film's screenwriter is Max Landis, bad boy son of director John Landis. You don't want to miss what Jim and Teal have to say about that.

But here is one vessel that wasn't sinking, Captain Phillips. Teal caught up with the 2013 Paul Greengrass action thriller, and Jim did a rewatch.

All this, plus Jim continues with his exploration of Japanese Noir films with the crazy insanity of Branded to Kill. 

Promising Young Woman and News of the World

This week James and Teal have two big 2020 year-end films for you, Promising Young Woman and News of the World. We promise to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but be warned: there are some spoilers mentioned for both movies. News of the World it probably doesn't matter as much, but if you want to be 100% surprised by Promising Young Woman, you may want to skip Podcast town at about the 45min mark.

What else? James takes Russell Crowe's side in the recent Master and Commander dust up, plus he discovers some interesting Japanese Noir on Criterion. There is a lot to like in this episode so what are you waiting for? Listen now!!

Nightmare on Elm Street 3, Ghost Story, and Other Tales From the Original Dream Warrior, Craig Wasson.

Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. Ghost Story. Body Double. These are a few of the iconic genre films from the 1980s people remember, and on part 2 of SWS's interview with Craig Wasson he tells us stories from all of three of them.  And tune in to find out which host, James or Teal, had a crush on Heather Langenkamp.

Craig Wasson: Thank God for My Guitar

Craig Wasson is a name many will recognize from some key films in the 1980s, from Body Double to Ghost Story and Nightmare on Elm Street. Wasson was certainly a favorite of Both James and Teal, and through a bit of luck, and an introduction made by their friend Al, Wasson was kind enough to come on Stuff We've Seen.

This is the first of two episodes featuring guest, Craig Wasson. In this episode Wasson talks about how he got started with acting, and you'll hear how some coincidences, luck, and talent with the guitar got him started on his acting journey.

We'll cover Wasson's early work in Boys in Company C and Go Tell the Spartans, to his breakthrough role in a real hidden gem of a film, 1981's Four Friends, directed by Arthur Penn. Along the way, you'll hear some spot-on  Wasson impersonations of some legendary actors, and some great stories from an actor whose 70s-80s filmography is worth further exploration.

 

WW84, Midnight Sky, and Losey, Losey, Losey!

This first episode of 2021 starts off with a couple of streaming stinkers, WW84, and Midnight Sky. WW84 is HBOMax's much anticipated sequel to Wonder Woman, and it hits so far off the mark the movie left Jim wondering who green lit this thing?

While Jim hated the Wonder Woman sequel, Teal found plenty to gripe about with George Clooney's Midnight Sky.

All is not lost, dear listener. Bill from Queens stopped by the show to help Jim and Teal out with a discussion on film director, Joseph Losey. Flying way under the appreciated film director radar, Losey directed some classic films, and for the first time Jim and Teal caught up with them. A special shout out to listener, Andrew Parry, who wrote Jim and Teal and asked if they would discuss Losey's The Servant (1963) and Mr. Klein (1976.) And boy, oh boy, were they glad for the suggestion. While the new offerings from hollywood might let them down, discovering Losey is a film-lover's dream. 

It's a jam-packed episode with lots of movies. Several of Joseph Losey's offerings can be found currently on the Criterion Channel, and some on Amazon Prime as well.

Mank: David Fincher's Technically Detailed Look at Hollywood's Past

Mank is one of the eagerly awaited year-end films from Netflix. Directed by David Fincher, Mank is about the writing of one of the most famous films of all time, Citizen Kane. How does one go about writing a fictionalized film loosely based on William Randolph Hearst? How does one tell a fictionalized story about the washed up Hollywood writer who would create a genuine script masterpiece? 

So far, the critical response to Mank is mixed. What were people expecting? Is Mank too much of an art film for the regular film goer? Did people just want a detailed look at the making of Citizen Kane? For that, they could rewatch the HBO film, RKO 281, which pretty much covers that.

This week Jim and Teal dive into all these aspects of Mank, and give their insights on what they felt the movie gave them as filmgoers.

 

In addition to Mank, Jim and Teal start of the program with some tales of holiday films they've watched during the past month, including a couple of lumps of coal, Noel and Last Christmas. 

Happy Holidays everyone!!

-J&T