Parking Lot Critiques

In the second installment of "A Year of Animation," Jeffrey and Andy discuss Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski's vision as expressed in their 1993 film, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. A last minute studio decision made Mask of the Phantasm, originally intended as a direct-to-video release, the first animated Batman feature to hit the big screen. Timm and Radomski did their best to take advantage of this, delivering a noir-tinged love story with a fair amount of movie magic aided by perhaps the greatest score of any Batman film, composed by the late Shirley Walker. Jeffrey and Andy had so much to say about this magnificent motion picture, themselves delivering the longest Parking Lot Critique to date. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Six Pack and a Song's Parking Lot Critiques returns, kicking off 2021 with a new season themed entirely around animation. For the first entry in "A Year of Animation," Jeffrey and Andy discuss Chris Palmer's 2020 film Superman: Man of Tomorrow. The hosts situate this latest Superman film in the character's long history of "origin stories," comparing and contrasting it with previous incarnations of the characters. They also discuss many other aspects of the film, including its unique character dynamics and its bold and poignant anti-xenophobic sentiments, as well as the question of whether or not it is overly presumptuous for Clark Kent to put cinnamon in everybody's coffee (because, he says, it "really wakes it up") while working as an intern at the Daily Planet. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week on Parking Lot Critiques, Jeffrey and Andy discuss Josh and Benny Safdie's Uncut Gems, starring Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, and Kevin Garnett. The hosts provide a thorough commentary on the film's innumerable ups and downs, discussing its honest subversion and offering diverging perspectives on a central question: is its protagonist at all likable or sympathetic? Either way, Uncut Gems is an immersive, thrilling, and challenging experience, hallmarked by what is arguably the greatest performance of Adam Sandler's career. A special thanks to Jordan Mandela-Lyons for remixing and mastering the Parking Lot Critiques theme song; his mix is heard for the first time in this episode! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week on Six Pack and a Song's Parking Lot Critiques, Jeffrey and Andy tackle "The Final Cut" of Ridley Scott's 1982 film, Blade Runner. The theatrical release Blade Runner was notoriously fraught with heavy studio interference, and thus the film exists in several different versions. In 2007, an extensive restoration/revision project was completed, resulting in "The Final Cut," which Ridley Scott and many fans consider the definitive version. For this episode, the two hosts discuss the various themes and competing readings of this film, including the central question of whether or not its protagonist, Rick Deckard, is a "replicant" (in other words, a "synthetic human"). Andy digs a little deeper into the history of this film's numerous cuts, and Jeffrey offers insightful context gathered from its sequel, the 2017 film Blade Runner 2049. NOTE: This episode features the piece "Night on the Docks" by Kevin MacLeod, edited very lightly to fit the podcast, free to use under the license CC BY 3.0. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Having wrapped up their marathon of the Mission: Impossible franchise, Jeffrey and Andy now turn their critical attention to another old story resurrected as a nineties action flick in Martin Campbell's 1998 film, The Mask of Zorro. Lamenting its failure to materialize into a franchise of its own, the hosts found much to love about Campbell's swashbuckler—mainly Antonio Banderas and the film's rich set designs, beautiful music, and fanciful swordplay. The Mask of Zorro is an underrated entry to the canon of nineties action films, a taste of the superhero boom that would soon come, and a well-crafted origin story that deserved a better sequel than the one it got. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

At long last, Jeffrey and Andy finish their marathon of of the Mission: Impossible franchise! This episode of Parking Lot Critiques is the final selection of footage believed to be lost until later recovered. It was recorded in late 2018 after a viewing of Mission: Impossible - Fallout at Showplace Cinemas East in Evansville, Indiana—recorded in the parking lot. Fallout is another strong entry to a franchise that has reached its full potential under the influence of writer/director Christopher McQuarrie. Layered with mysteries and revelations, the film makes excellent use of its characters and the wealth of lore accumulated from past Mission: Impossible films. This review is also the first episode of Parking Lot Critiques to be mostly spoiler free ("spoiler light"). --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

More from the vault this week on Parking Lot Critiques—Jeffrey and Andy's discussion of Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, recorded in late 2018 as part of their Mission: Impossible marathon. If Ghost Protocol is the point at which the Mission: Impossible franchise hits full speed, Rogue Nation is a worthy film to take the baton. With the franchise under his control as writer and director, Christopher McQuarrie crafts an intelligent and intricate film with layers of commentary on and criticism of real life espionage and its depiction in cinema—especially its portrayal in the Mission: Impossible franchise. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Recorded in late 2018 and thought to be lost until recently recovered, this week's episode of Parking Lot Critiques centers on the fourth entry to the Mission: Impossible franchise, Brad Bird's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. The pitch to Ghost Protocol might have been, "Let's do one of these spy movies in which they do all this crazy and cool spy stuff with all these super advanced spy gadgets... and literally everything will go wrong right up until the end of the movie." Jeffrey and Andy discuss Bird's film with enthusiasm and admiration, examining the film's daring action sequences, its narrative playfulness, and the question of whether or not its villain is sympathetic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week on Parking Lot Critiques, Jeffrey and Andy discuss Steven Spielberg's timeless adventure movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark. The hosts had so much to say about this iconic film and left the discussion feeling they had more still to say. Their conversation went in several different directions, ranging from praise for the film's beautiful music and engaging action scenes to a piercing examination of Belloq's villainy and Indiana's flawed heroism. A seamless blend of grand movie magic and B flick fun, Spielberg's film is a classic neo-swashbuckler with an oft-ignored spiritual core. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week on Parking Lot Critiques, Jeffrey, Andy, and special guest Susan Midkiff discuss Damien Chazelle's Neil Armstrong biopic, First Man. This episode utilizes footage recorded in late 2018 and thought to be lost until recently recovered. Bonus points: this episode is the first episode to actually be recorded in a parking lot, immediately following a viewing of First Man at Evansville's AMC Stadium 16. Jeffrey and Andy benefit greatly from Susan's insightful commentary in a lively discussion full of commentary on Neil Armstrong's interpersonal relationships and trauma, praise for Chazelle's compellingly intimate approach to the film, and the gang's best attempts at making space-themed puns. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

After a long stint of inactivity, Six Pack and a Song's Jeffrey and Andy return to Parking Lot Critiques to kick off the show's first proper season with their particular brand of commentary and critique—often thoughtful and always off-the-cuff—the kind of conversations you might have with a good friend in the parking lot of a local theater after an intriguing film. For this episode, Jeffrey and Andy take on George Lucas' directorial debut, THX 1138, with a discussion of the film's history and present place in society. A young director's exploration of the future as present and the present as future, THX 1138 is a dystopian tale of mandatory drug use, forbidden sexuality, animated holographs, and commerce as religion. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

(Originally published November 9th, 2018)For this episode of Parking Lot Critiques, Jeffrey and I continue through #ayearofspies with J. J. Abrams' film, Mission: Impossible 3. Abrams' film is a huge stylistic shift from previous films in the franchise, having a more serious, grounded, contemporary tone. It felt to us, in many respects, kind of like the first "new" Mission: Impossible film, sharing much more in common with the latest entries in the franchise than with Brian De Palma's Mission: Impossible or John Woo's sequel to that film. Listen to Jeffrey and I discuss the film's complex narrative structure (perhaps the most complex in the series due to its nonlinear aspects), the remarkable performances of the cast, and the best Luther/Ethan bonding moments. Overall, we found this to be an excellent entry in the franchise and a significant step in a wonderful direction. Check back next week for our review of Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, which is, in my view, the first masterpiece of the Mission: Impossible franchise. Thanks for listening! -Andy --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

(Originally published October 28th, 2018) Okay, so, for this week's episode of Parking Lot Critiques, Jeffrey and I tackled John Woo's 2000 film, Mission: Impossible 2, or, in the terms of certain super bad ass just-past-the-nineties movie posters advertising the film, M:i-2. In this review, Jeffrey and I were perhaps a little too kind to this film, and it should be noted that it is fairly cartoonish and dated and easily the worst of the franchise. If you are skeptical of the spy and action movie genres, this is not a film that will give you any faith. But all of that said, Jeffrey and I had a good time revisiting this early entry to the New Millennium. It features a lot of hallmarks of John Woo's filmmaking, including plenty of explosions, lots of masks, and miscellaneous inexplicable birds, if you're into that sort of thing. (I mean, it gave us this gloriously goofy poster of Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle through fake fire amidst silhouettes of doves, so it can't be all bad, right?) It is also good fun if you're looking for a dose of the Y2k era, especially if you remember watching this movie growing up and are looking to relive your childhood. All and all, it’s a fine film to eat a pizza with some friends to in a casual setting, especially if you are already interested in spy films, action flicks, or the Mission: Impossible franchise as a whole. That’s our take, anyway. Stay tuned for next week as we delve into J. J. Abrams' film, Mission: Impossible 3, a huge step up as well as a significant move into new territory for the Mission: Impossible franchise! -Andy

(Originally published October 20th, 2018) In our review of 007's second cinematic outing, From Russia with Love, Jeffrey and I discussed the film's comparably grounded and believable espionage atmosphere, the raw power of its action sequences, its portrayal of race and women, and its understated, underrated cinematography. Check out our discussion of this very iconic motion picture and stay tuned for next week, when we continue through "A Year of Spies" with our discussion of John Woo's lovably (we thought) ridiculous sequel, Mission: Impossible 2. -Andy --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

(Originally published October 13th, 2018) For this week, join Jeffrey and I, along with our awesome guest, Cahtlyn, for an off-the-cuff exploration of the first entry to the contemporary iteration of its series—Brian De Palma's 1996 film, Mission: Impossible. This was actually the very first "Parking Lot Critique" that was ever recorded, released after Dr. No so that we could celebrate that film's anniversary. In this first "proper" episode, Cahtlyn, Jeffrey, and I discuss the complex plot to Brian De Palma's Mission: Impossible, the various tropes of the spy genre it invokes (or creates), its trappings as a very "1990s" film, and what to do if you have a phobia of rats. Cahtlyn brings a wit and humor that complements the sometimes over-serious posturings of Jeffrey and I. The three of us gave this film a unanimous recommendation, and it would be particularly enjoyable for fans of spy films, folks nostalgic for the 1990s, or people who have liked the more recent Mission: Impossible films and are curious about how the series has developed throughout the years. This review contains spoilers for the film it reviews (and they do matter somewhat with this one) and, because Jeffrey gets spoiler-happy when he drinks, it unnecessarily contains spoilers for the film Skyfall. This episode was a lot of fun to record, and we hope Cahtlyn will join us in the future! Next week, depending on what our schedules, etc. permit, we either will be exploring the second James Bond film (the 1963 film From Russia With Love) or continuing our coverage of Ethan Hunt's world with John Woo's gloriously explosive, sexy, and kind of ridiculous sequel—the year 2000's Mission: Impossible II, which really should have been called Mission: Impossible 2000 (missed opportunity!). Either way, join us for our further journey through "A Year of Spies." Thanks for listening! -Andy

(Originally published October 8th, 2018) Today we are happy to roll this out with a “parking lot critique” of the very first James Bond film, Dr. No, on its 56th anniversary! In this first episode, Jeffrey and I discuss the various genre tropes (i.e. “spy stuff”) at work in Dr. No, the casual confidence with which it establishes many of its franchise’s hallmarks, and various avenues for reading/interpreting the first entry to the spy movie franchise of all spy movie franchises—beloved by some, ridiculed by others, and an incredibly iconic and lasting presence in film history. Despite some criticisms, we rather enjoyed this film, found it a worthy introduction to its franchise, and unanimously recommend it to anyone interested in spy stuff, the sixties, and/or James Bond—if anyone interested in those things has somehow not already seen this film.