Welcome to the existential wormhole that IS [indistinct chatter]...a new regular Friday drop covering topical and episodic ephemera. THIS WEEK: "Judgement" at Nuremberg indeed; the Hershey biopic you knew you didn't need or want; despite reviews the Michael Jackson biopic will make billions; what do we think about when we think about songs and musicians that we love; Benn Jordan & Rick Beato; Jacob Collier and the collective humanity of improvisation and connection; the Redd Kross documentary and me learning that Redd Kross wasn't a metal band; Detective Hole on Netflix is pronounced 'Detective Hoo-leh' you dumb Americans; more Phil Collins-inspired wormholes; drummer's perspective mixing versus audience perspective mixing; ABACAB, Tom Sawyer, Mean Street, Rush and Van Halen; Michael Omartian and 'Aja'; limitations are what makes a genius artist truly original; and next week on the podcast: Micheal Mann's Miami Vice film reappraised. THANK YOU!

I've long wanted to revisit some of the great episodes of the Miami Vice TV series, and to find out if it's more influential than truly "great".

So I finally did, and the result is a Roland Jazz Chorus-and-pastel-linen-suit-jacket infused trip down memory and musical lane. In this episode I take a fresh look at the two-part pilot and am reminded of the surprising context of the famous 'In The Air Tonight' nighttime driving scene.

The iconic Jan Hammer Miami Vice Theme and Show Open

John Diehl (Zito) on giving up his spot on the series to challenge himself as an actor.

Some Guys Don't Sound Like Rod Stewart.

Phil Collins on the iconic 'In The Air Tonight' Drum Fill

The Vox video explaining Gated Reverb, Then & Now

The more technically wonky recording studio explanation about gated reverb.

Two different films tackle the same subject matter with wildly divergent results. You might be surprised which one is a vibrant, shockingly modern film that ranks amongst the greatest courtroom dramas ever made.

You see this watch?

I hadn't seen Pulp Fiction probably since it came out in 1994, so when my family (including a teenager) wanted to watch it this weekend I wondered if it would hold up and if it would hold the attention of today's kids. Find out how it went in this episode! PLUS: plenty of alternative casting options and scene-setting for where the world of independant cinema was in 1994, a very strange and transitional year where the two most popular films were Pulp Fiction and...Forrest Gump.

Since I contain multitudes, have run out of ideas, and since I aspire the podcast to embody Paul Krassner's iconic satirical magazine The Realist's motto of "Irreverrance is our only sacred cow", I am debuting the first in a series of occasional episodes where I revisit those films so firmly ensconced in our collective filmgoing conscience that we can be forgiven for forgetting if they're actually, you know...any good.

So let's start with one of the odder films to achieve cinematic immortality: Frank Darabont's adaptation of a Stephen King short story (not that you'd know that from the films marketing materials) 'The Shawshank Redemption".

This film has so entrenched itself that one forgets that it was a bomb upon release, that audiences didn't know what to make of the title nor the trailer, that it was unloved by the Academy despite 7 nominations, and that six months after its release you'd be forgiven for thinking that it would disappear forever as a weird but understandable failed experiment.

Except. The film became one of the most-rented video store films of all time, in the time of video stores. And when cable TV really took off in the 90's, there again was The Shawshank Redemption, appearing nightly somewhere. Steven Speilberg called it his "Chewing gum movie" meaning that when you encounter it (step in it), you can't get rid of it and you end up watching the entire thing.

Others have posited it as the primary example of a Relationship Movie For Me. Master & Commander being the other one. Does Shawshank exist to allow men to cry? Or just to indulge their fear/fascination with prison rape? Or both? There's plenty of evidence to support all theories, so let's all get locked up with Shawshank, Andy, Red and the fellas and see whether this enduring, schmaltzy, effective weeper deserves a filmic pardon.

The hard-to-peg (no pun intended) original Trailer for Shawshank.

Margaret Heidenry's excellent history of Shawshank for Vanity Fair

Somehow, I've never seen this film before for reasons to do with "the 90's" as described in the episode. What a great experience to watch a ruthlessly efficient screenplay in the hands of such an excellent and fun cast. Plus, it turns out there's plenty of funny off-screen content surrounding this production, including casting drama, studio interference, and some deft machinations from both screenwriter Dale Launer and director Jonathan Lynn.

The Rolling Stone Oral History of My Cousin Vinny

The 1985 "controversial" profile of MCV screenwriter Dale Launer.

In this urgent plea for understanding in these troubled times, I veer off the normal charted waters of the podcast and into the knotty, twisted reality of a dawning awareness that all has not been as it seemed in the world of my most beloved snack food, Bachman Twist Pretzels.

In this episode I will for the first time reveal the fruits of my investigative efforts uncovering the truth about Bachman Twist Pretzels no longer having a Twist.

In all seriousness, my love for Bachman Twist Pretzels spans much of my entire life, and is connected to rare childhood memories of my Father, who loved Bachman Twist Pretzels, too.

In this Very Special Episode, I will reveal the truth behind the Death of the Bachman Twist Pretzel and the apparently inferior product that Utz Snack Foods is replacing this iconic, locally-originated piece of Pennslyvannian and American history with.

One of the greatest, most thought-provoking yet totally accessible films is this masterpiece of cinema from Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami.

It's the true story of a Tehran man who impersonates a famous filmmaker and convinces a family that he's going to cast them in a movie. Kiarostami then reconstructs the events that occurred using the real people involved, including the imposter.

Part documentary, part fiction, and entirely about what we think about what we see on-screen, truth, lies, and cinema.

I recommend the Criterion Channel's streaming page about this film as it contains several important subsequent films that will greatly enhance your experience of a film that Martin Scorcese called "life-changing".

Watch the film here.

Watch the documentary follow-up "'Close-up' Long Shot" here.

Watch the 2009 video interview with 'Close-up' director Abbas Kiarostami here.

Read this excellent Godfrey Cheshire essay about the film.

From Senator Geary to Frankie Five Angels, Duvall's Tom Hagen navigated a twisty and often dirty road in the second Godfather film.

Watching the movie through the lens of Tom Hagen, it's clear tha the film in its own way really focusses on Tom and Michael and how the changing times and Michael's increasing paranoia have removed the family so far from "The Good Old Days".

The last two brothers left standing at the end of II are Tom and Michael. One of the great mysteries of Godfather III is if the presence of Tom Hagen would have salvaged that film from being the blight upon the memory of the first two that it unfortunately remains.

But let's celebrate Tom Hagen, one of the most enduring characters in Duvall's long life as an actor, and a character present at and maybe the catalyst behind so many iconic scenes in these great films.

'Night of the Juggler' is either one of the best 70's film titles or one of the worst. Honestly I enjoy it, for it's uniqueness and complete (well...near complete) relevence to the film's plot. It's certainly memorable, if not directly speaking to the film's setting...which is mostly in the daytime of a VERY 1978 NYC.

'Night of the Juggler' had long been sort of like that Jerry Lewis Holocaust film; never-seen, long-rumored to be secretly great...elusive.

But KinoLorber has finally rescued the film from obscurity with a new 4K transfer, available now on YouTube and other streaming platforms for purchase. It's well worth the trip. And it IS a trip, of the best, cinematic kind.

NY Times Article on the Film's Re-Release & Backstory

Link to buy the new DVD release with special bonus features.

Robert Duvall passed away at the age of 95 after more than 60 years as a working actor at the highest levels.

One quick way to pay tribute to him is to revisit perhaps his most iconic and substantive role, that of Tom Hagen in The Godfather.

Quietly the most important character linking the people and events in the film, Duvall's portrayal navigated complex internal issues like: when is a son not a son, and what is the reward for completing a lifetime of thankless tasks. All of these complicated things rest on Duvall's ability to read to us onscreen a whole host of emotions and thoughts.

So in this episode, we'll take a look back at all of Duvall's scenes in 'The Godfather'.