Tysto Film Commentaries

Join John Pavlich and me as we delve into the innermost psyche of Christopher Nolan and pull out dead wives, survivor guilt, selfishness, and a creaky elevator. We analyze how many acts the film really has, the cinematography of the Avengers, and whether or not Hans Zimmer is the right man for to score the film. We compare the film to other Nolan films, other Di Caprio films, Dreamscape, Ghostbusters, The Matrix, The Dirty Dozen, The Guns of Navarone, heist films, The Spanish Prisoner, Ocean's 11, Reservoir Dogs, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. We compare Christopher Nolan to Woody Allen, the Coen Brothers, Stanley Kubrick, and Michael Bay. I complain that Ellen Page doesn't have enough to do. I rewrite the film and give it to M Night Shyamalan to direct. John pitches an Ariadne-Arthur TV show and tries to cast Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the new Spider-Man.

Join me for a lovefest for Captain America: The First Avenger. I analyze the structure, give some background on my love for the comic books, and suggest a few minor changes. But mostly I praise the story, performances, and effects at every turn. It's not a perfect movie, but it's a solid one. I compare it to the other Avengers films, Spider-Man, Indiana Jones, Fantastic Four, and Top Secret. I wish we saw a bit more leadership earlier on. I wonder what would happen if Steve still had asthma after taking the Super Soldier serum. And I point out that the Red Skull's flip-flap digital timers are more anachronistic than his closed-circuit television system.

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.

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).

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 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!

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.

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.

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?).

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).

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.

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.

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.

Join John Pavlich of Sofa Dogs and me as we walk thru The Avengers (the loud American one, not the weird British one). We fail to remember what happened in Thor, discuss the structure and character motivations, and general enjoy it. John accuses me of being negative because I think the idea of an Iron Man suit that shoots out of a wall, chases down a falling Tony Stark, opens itself, and somehow puts itself on him while he's falling is a dumb idea. He also has to explain Loki's plot to me, but I remain dubious. (What is his plan for Hulk again?)

Bond is back, and Pierce Brosnan takes his final bow. Faldor and I take it to pieces. We examine the unusualness of the opening prison sequence, parallels between Madonna and Margaret Thatcher, and if Bjork would have been better than either of them, the concept of a steroid overdose, and the complexity of the villain's plan. We lament the awful CGI, double agents within MI6, Michael Madsen, and the lack of penguins in the Arctic. We speculate about Bond's car being a hybrid so it can sneak up on people when invisible. And I do some near-perfect impressions of famous people.

Join me as I again join John Pavlich of Sofa Dogs to watch the fourth episode of Community, one of the best comedy television shows ever. We discuss John Oliver, butt stuff, Jeff vs Vaughn, Eric Charles-Nielson, ultimate Frisbee, and Annie's sweaters.

Join John Pavlich of Sofa Dogs and me for the third of Christopher Nolan's Batmen! We discuss Nolan's shift in approach, the uneven writing, and why we both respond very favorably to the film anyway. We discuss the Batvoice and whether or not the Batcowl squooshes his face and makes him talk that way. We debate Bane's nature (weightlifting painkiller addict?) and why we don't see his face since we saw Dent's charred face. I contend that substantial parts of the story are unnecessary and that it doubles back on itself. John defends it. We compare it to the previous films, James Bond, Catwoman, and strong female characters. We discuss the wonky timeline, my preferred ending, and how great Joseph Gordon-Levitt is no matter what he is or isn't given to do.

Bond is back, and Pierce Brosnan is at the top of his game—or perhaps just past it. This is not one of my favorites, but I find that on revisiting it my opinion changes in what I think is a very interesting way. Our villain is kind of mushy. Our Bond girls lovely if a little hard to believe. I don't have much trouble getting thru it even tho I find it quite flat, but you may find that I repeat myself too much and talk too much about the guns and whether or not Bond is sexist, misogynistic, or just a sex addict.

Join me as well as Mike and Max of Commentary Track Stars as we watch another Hitchcock classic. Mike and I love it. Max doesn't like it much (Does Max like anything? Yes: Star Wars and Aliens.) We analyze the film in relation to other Hitchcock thrillers, James Bond, and romances. And we discuss Cary Grant's suit and Hitch's taste in blondes and ridiculous plots. We examine the villains' plans and the good guys' plans. We ruminate on cold war methods of assassination (cropduster being most common, followed by knife throwing and poisoned suits). We discuss weird hotel services and whether or not Roger Ebert is wormhole alien. We take a close, hard look at the geography of Chicago, eastern Indiana, and Mount Rushmore. And we evaluate the likelihood of getting a drink on the Chicago Metra these days.

Join me as I again join John Pavlich of Sofa Dogs to watch the third episode of Community, one of the best comedy television shows ever. We discuss Annie and Troy, casting younger, California pizza, and interwoven plots.

Bond is back, and Pierce Brosnan is on for a second go. This is one of my favorites, despite what anyone else might say. It does have its weaknesses, tho, and I explore both its strengths and failings right along. I love the action, the addition of Wai-Lin, the music, and more. I don't care for Elliott Carver's plan all that much.