Retro Grade Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

“MY FAMILY HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN MEAT.”

We hope you had a great Halloween! We know we are late, but over spooky season Jorge and Austin figured it was time to return to the horror genre, with one of the films that started it all! The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, directed by Tobe Hooper, released in 1974.

While The Texas Chainsaw Massacre wasn’t the first horror film, it certainly laid the blueprint out for modern horror cinema to copy from. From low budget to big profit, makes killers, found footage-esque grimy texture,  “based on a true story” opening crawl, the final girl.. it all came from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre! Given that so many horror films borrowed from this film, how well does it hold up if you seen all of those other films first? This will be Austin’s experience, as despite 34 years on this earth as a film fan, he’s never seen it.

Even though this film came out 50 years ago, during our watch for the episode we found a lot of things to talk about how it relates to our world today. Ideas of how divided the country is, the threat of capitalism and automation on the working class, the ethics of the meat industry, and the futile adherence to societal norms in a world that’s crumbling apart. 

We also get into some of the behind the scenes on how the movie was made. Yes, no one actually got chainsawed while making the film.. but by the end of filming some may have wanted to chainsaw Tobe Hooper. 

We hope you enjoy this episode, and that you are excited for the next film we cover: Beetlejuice!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“WHY’S EVERYTHING SO BLACK, TOOT?“

(CONTENT WARNING: Although this movie was very good, we do have to warn you that it might not be for everyone. The subject matter is difficult and might be triggering for some, as it deals with domestic violence, sexual assault and suicide.)

On this episode, we explore mid 90’s New Zealand Maori cinema in the critically acclaimed Once Were Warriors, directed by Lee Tamahori. The film stars Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, and Cliff Curtis, and it is based on the first entry of Alan Duff’s book trilogy. We went into this movie blind, only really knowing Temuera Morrison from playing Jango/Boba Fett in Star Wars, and seeing Cliff Curtis show up everywhere from Avatar 2 to Training Day. We took it up after one of Austin’s streamer friends RasNoMas, a native Hawaiian, recommended it to cover the podcast. The film was a huge hit in New Zealand when it was originally released in 1994, drawing more at the NZ box office than Jurassic Park! It was released to the states the following year, and almost 20 years later we both watched it for the first time.

The film is about a Maori family living in Auckland, New Zealand. Jake, played by Temuera Morrison is at first very charming, but has a violently abusive side to him that terrorizes his whole family. Beth, played by Rena Owen, is trying to be there for her children but is slowly losing them one by one. Throughout the course of the film, we see the family take refuge in parts of the Maori heritage and culture.

The great thing about watching films from different periods, from different parts of the world, and from different cultures, is that we get a good luck at what it’s like to live in someone else’s shoes. Once Were Warrior succeeds here, as it doesn’t portray our characters as one dimensional archetypes, but as complex people brought to life by truly phenomenal acting.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“IN SHORT THERE’S SIMPLY NOT, A MORE CONGENIAL SPOT.“

On this episode, we return to the 1960’s to catch the beginning of the end of the big budget musical era. We watch the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, Camelot, starring Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, and David Hemmings. Although this was the 10th highest grossing movie of the year, neither Austin or Jorge have ever heard about it, and had a listener not requested it for their birthday, we may have never seen this 3 hour long musical of the Arthurian legend. Why was this film not a huge success despite the musical being so popular? Why did this drive Jack Warner of Warner Brothers, out of the company he worked hard to swindle from his surviving brothers? Will this break the streak of being the first musical Jorge doesn’t like?

Sometimes describing a film as “interesting,” can be interpreted as a nice way of saying “I don’t like it.“ However, in the case of Camelot, interesting is actually a very fitting description of the film. Even though it has its flaws, it is very entertaining to watch. It has a G rating, but it is one of the most sexually charged G ratings we have ever seen. Despite this film winning some Academy Awards, it was not very well received critically, possibly due to the aforementioned flaws, but perhaps also due to its content vastly differing from the rest of the films of this era. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the film, is what part of the King Arthur story it chooses to focus on: his wife and his best friend falling in love.

We have different opinions on the quality of the music in this film, but the one thing we do agree on is how it deals with the love triangle trope. Sometimes we like to have sides to root for in the triangle, we want to see our character(s) make the correct choice and celebrate with them. Sometimes you need one or two sides of the triangle to hate, or at least sit back and watch them hate each other. Camelot takes the path less traveled, and presents the love triangle where there is no villain. Only three sides getting hurt, and feeling bad for hurting each other.

We talk about the shortcomings and personal gripes with the film. This is a three hour film with a pacing problem, some of the songs don’t hit as hard as songs from previous musicals we’ve covered, and there is a question of what the film meant to say in the first place. Musicals can afford to be very direct and throw subtlety out the window, but something about the riddles the mysterious Merlin leaves Arthur leave us thinking about what we just saw, and what we were supposed to make of it. It’s not a bad thing to think about a film’s message was, but this is also the same genre of film where we get direct insight on a characters internal thought process, so why be coy about the take away?

Regardless, this was an incredibly fun film to watch and talk about, and a piece of cinema history. They literally don’t make them like this anymore.

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“IT WON’T LET US LEAVE!“

On this week’s episode, we go back to another horror classic from the 1980s independent scene: The Evil Dead! Directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManicor, Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly. Already having spoken about Sam Raimi in our Spider-Man episode, we were excited to re-watch the film that made him famous on the 40th anniversary of the film’s wide theatrical release. Originally being released in 1981, with a different title, the film has since grown to be an iconic horror franchise with multiple sequels, reboots, and a tv series on Starz. With both of us having already seen the film and being big fans of it and of Raimi, we were eager to re-visit the film and see how well the film has held up since it’s original release.

In the episode, we talk about the our thoughts on the story, and how while the film doesn’t do much too innovate or subvert the horror genre, it manages to not only be considered the definitive “cabin in the woods” film, but also influence future generations if filmmakers, from Eli Roth to Edgar Wright, to even some big time Hollywood directors like Francis Ford Coppola. We break down how some elements that were present in previous horror films, like the point of view shots from the killer’s perspective, to the blood and gore, to characterization of the villains, and how The Evil Dead managed to add it’s own spin on them. In that process, it created something that feels completely unique and recognizable.

We talk about the production of the film, and what a nightmare it was for the cast and crew. Dealing with one of the coldest Tennessee winters on record (at the time,) to uncomfortable makeup and prosthetics including glass contacts, and to the multiple injuries incurred on set, we look into all of the setbacks the production went through to finish the film. And lastly, we go into the reception of the film once released, from the cast and crew, horror fans, but also governments officials reactions to the film. The film got a lot of pushback from governments across the globe, including the United Kingdom, which classified the film as a “video nasty.” We go into that specific term  and what it meant for many films that were considered too much for the general public.

So sit back and enjoy this new episode of Retro Grade Podcast!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU, KID.”

On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we talk about one of the “greatest films of all time,” 1942’s Casablanca, directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains. What makes this film so good? Is it still that good 80 years later? Is this movie just for movie nerds, or does this film still resonate with audiences today?

Since we both have a background of studying film in college, we are both familiar with Casablanca, both having sought it out after hearing it was one of the “best movies ever made.” Although it was in black and white, 4:3 aspect ratio, and filled to the brim with cheesy 1940’s dialogue, of all the films typically regarded as the best, Casablanca remains incredibly relatable and accessible to this day!

We talk about the legendary performances of Bogart and Bergman. Bogart, adding an emotional layer to an otherwise tough guy, no-nonsense actor and Bergman making us feel for a character that may have not had the most depth on the script. However, the script itself wasn’t too shabby either. There is something very charming about hearing characters speak in Classic Hollywood, where even (mostly) antagonistic characters like Claude Rains’ Captain Renault, add a delightful presence that makes you forget he’s playing a terrible person.

We take you back to the era of self-censored Hollywood, governed by the Production Code. How films were only allowed to portray marriage positively, crime always had to pay, and people of other nations were to be portrayed “fairly.’ The latter may not sound like a bad thing, but it doesn’t look so good when it also applies to Nazi’s. We talk about why a film with a love triangle with Nazi villains was so significant, and how the code was used to determine not only the content of films, but also the films that were even allowed to be made.

This is a good one, and we learned a lot of cool stuff about film history. If that sounds boring to you, we promise you, after 72 episodes we made this FUN!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

Continuing from out last episode, we go in the Behind the Scenes and making of for the 1996 classic, Scream, directed by Wes Craven. In the first part, we discussed our history with the film, how we familiar with the franchise and upon rewatching the film, how we felt about it now. We went over the writing, characters, structure, and reception of the film.

Now, we go over the actual process of making of the film, beginning with the writing process and inspirations for the films. We cover why Wes was initially reluctant to come back and direct another horror film, and what made him change his mind. We breakdown the decision and process in making the film’s first scene, with Drew Barrymore facing off against Ghostface and how the conclusion came about. We go into the casting of the main characters, from Neve Campbell to Rose McGowan, to supporting players like Jamie Kennedy and Matthew Lillard, and why they are each were an incredible addition to the cast.

We talk about various aspects of production leading into the editing of the film, and how for a while the film was at risk of receiving the notorious NC-17 rating, and how one of the executives stopped that from happening. Lastly, we talk about some of the controversies the film faced, from local school boards shutting down the productions request to film at their campus, to copycat killers that went on to cause serious harm to people after the film’s release. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the conclusion of our retrospect of Scream. 

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“DO YOU LIKE SCARY MOVIES?“

On this week’s episode, we talk about the 1996 horror classic, Scream. Directed by the legendary Wes Craven, starring Neve Campbell,  Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Drew Barrymore, Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy, and last but definitely not least, Matthew Lillard. In this first part, we get into our history with the film, and how even though Jorge hasn’t seen the film, he’s familiar with it enough simply because of how popular the franchise is.

Once we come back from watching the film, we get into our initial thoughts about, and break down some of the biggest story beats, starting with the amazing introduction with Drew Barrymore and the film’s amazing climax. We go into the cast, how they were all perfectly assembled and how each actor dons their respective character archetypes very well, from Neve Campbell being the virgin/final girl, Jamie Kennedy being the obsessive movie buff, to Matthew Lillard being the wild-card joker. We get into the film’s subversion of the horror genre, and how in a time when mainstream Hollywood films was not embracing meta storylines, letting audiences know that the film was one step ahead of them and that their best guesses wouldn’t cut it for this film.

We also talk about the use of music which Austin argues is very underrated, we talk about the overall structure of the film, the references to other horror films, and we hint at what the production of this film was like, getting more in detail in the second part. But for now, sit back, relax and enjoy part one of out deep dive into the horror classic, Scream! 

(P.S. Can’t believe I called Monica Geller, Monica Beller. My bad)

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“YOU THERE, OGRE!“

On this episode, we cover the first film to ever take home the Best Animated Picture at the Oscars. We talk about the first film in the Dreamworks tent-pole franchise, Shrek, directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow. What was it about Shrek that permeated throughout pop culture for over twenty years since its original release? Was it the fact that it was book-ended by two catchy Smash Mouth tracks? Because it lampooned all of the Disney films we grew up with and came out during the years where we wanted more edgy comedy? Or maybe because it provided the perfect meme template rivaled only by SpongeBob? Perhaps it’s a combination of everything above.

We talk about how the comedy in this film still works to this day. So much of the comedy comes from making fun of fairy tales made popular by Disney, and potentially making fun of people working at Disney, but some of the comedy is on a layer aimed for the adults in the audience. Watching the film 20 years later gives us a whole new level of jokes to notice that we might have missed as kids.

We talk about how the comedy of the film doesn’t completely bury the story. While often times our entertainment media might indulge in meta humor, it might come at the expense of the sincerity of the story. Shrek is a little different. While a huge part of the movie is all the jokes made about the fairy tale genre, the film doesn’t forget about what it’s trying to say about it’s underdog characters.

We talk about the legacy of Shrek. While it was great box office success in 2001, spawned two movie franchises, it also meant a lot of different things to a lot of different people. The song All-Star became a hit (again) and inspired some creative people to create mashups and remixes. We talk about how the love story in the film has since become a source of inspiration for real life weddings. We also take a look at some fan fiction that ranges from bizarrely sincere and sweet, to criminally obscene. If you have never heard the phrase “Shrek is love, Shrek is life,” don’t look it up unless you want to revisit peak “no holds barred“ message board ‘humor.’ Seriously.. its gross.

Joining us on this episode is Brittnie who chose to talk about Shrek. We love talking to people about their favorite movies, and we were very curious as to what she had to say!

We hope you enjoy this episode, and keep a lookout for our upcoming PATREON launch!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“LET THE DREAM BEGIN, LET YOUR DARKER SIDE GIVE IN“

On this Valentine’s Day, we decided to cover a romantic film for Retro Grade Podcast. Upon a listener’s birthday request, we are going back to 2004’s critically panned, audience adored, movie adaptation of the longest running show in Broadway history.. The Phantom of the Opera, starring Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, and Patrick Wilson, directed by the late Joel Schumacher.

We talk about Joel Schumacher’s reputation as a film director, and how he’s made some nostalgic, cult classics, but also a lot of movies people LOVE to hate. Perhaps one of the first directors to feel the unenviable vitriol of comic book fans after 1997’s Batman and Robin. We talk about how from the right perspective, we can find immense entertainment value in his gaudy, camp style. What does he bring to the table in adapting Webber’s widely successful show?

Listeners of the pod know about Jorge’s confession of not being into musicals. However, listeners also know this is probably one of the biggest lies in our show’s now 69 episode run. Like we said, this was by no means a critic’s darling film, but will the faults of the film be too much for Jorge to find Schumacher’s Phantom entertaining?

The casting of the film was also controversial. The vocals for Phantom’s music typically demands exceptional Broadway voices, particularly for the part of the titular Phantom.. and they cast a young, then-unknown Gerard Butler, with no singing background at all. We talk about how his singing (and age) differ from typical stage portrayals of the Phantom. Can Butler hit all those notes? Maybe not like a Broadway singer could, but we can’t help but appreciate the raw, unrefined emotive performance and exceptional cape twirls.

We also get into a bit of things that don’t hold up as well. Somethings that don’t really matter, like leaps in logic that require industrial grade suspension of disbelief. And then there’s somethings we can’t overlook, particularly one scene that unfortunately perpetuates a very harmful stereotype of Romani people. In revisiting older films, these kinds of things are very common, but part of the show is acknowledging those uncomfortable moments rather than glossing over them.

We do a bit of research on how this movie’s budget compared to other musical films of the era, why there was such a huge gap in time between the 1986 show and the 2004 film, some of the various adaptations of Gaston Leroux’s novel, and how one of our favorite scenes in the film was created.

We hope you enjoy this episode, and stay tuned for our upcoming PATREON!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“TREES AND PEOPLE USED TO BE GOOD FRIENDS.“

On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we cover our first 2D animated film, Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki from 1988. Although we both know Totoro from seeing that fluffy, grey creature, neither of us have seen the movie he comes from. We only know him as the mascot for Studio Ghibli. However, we are going to be joined by someone who LOVES this movie. Someone who calls My Neighbor Totoro, her favorite movie. Today, we are joined by Austin’s girlfriend, Leanna!

My Neighbor Totoro is a critically acclaimed film, but it is very different from what one might expect from an animated film made for children. We talk about the film’s story, and general lack of a plot, and how that is one of the film’s strengths. We also talk about the timeless, utopian setting, and the film relates to each of us, coming from three different backgrounds. How does a film strike that nostalgia chord that is all so popular now, in a way that doesn’t reference any popular IP?

We talk about how Studio Ghibli released the film as a double feature along with Grave of the Fireflies, and how looking at the two as companion pieces may add an extra layer to our Totoro viewing. Although the film is G rated and targeted for kids, the film is a lot deeper when considering the context of its theatrical run. The context may also opens up a sweet, cathartic scene to something much more meaningful, and can be interpreted as a hopeful response to national trauma.

We also talk about some of the things that get lost in translation between the English and Japanese versions of the film, Hayao Miyazaki’s relationship with his films being adapted for a Western audience, and figure out how you are ‘supposed’ to pronounce “Ghibli.”

This is the first episode we have ever done that isn’t marked “explicit” and we tried really hard to keep the entire episode “safe for work” and profanity free, because Totoro is for everyone! We hope you enjoy!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o