Dumbing Down the Future - Mike Judge's Idiocracy

This is an especially fun one! This week Mr. Chavez & I take a trip into a very funny, very frightening, and very likely future. In 2006 20th Century Fox released Mike Judge's Idiocracy in a manner that almost guaranteed that no one would ever see it. 

. . . but the film would survive. Judge's bleak and pessiimistic vision of the future - the year 2505 - would find a cult audience that would embrace its hilarious prediction of a Professional Wrestler President, warehouse stores as a kind of Mecca, Fast-Food Restaurants as cheap, disgusting food and sex providers, and a population of such minimal intelligence that an "Average Joe" cryogenically frozen and awoken in the future would find himself the "Smartest Man on Earth". Judge spares no targets and we are grateful for the ride Idiocracy takes its viewers on. There's a whole lot to unpack here. Great Satire is usually ahead of its time and that is surely the case with this film. Judge would later joke, "I'm no prophet, I was off by 490 years." Sadly, he was right. Take a listen and let us know if you agree. As always, we can be reached at [email protected]. Many Thanks. 

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Dreams with Gilliam, The Rolling Stones Through the Years,  The Silent Voice, The Magic of Tarkovsky, Zappa, A Trio of Very Different Noir

On this week's episode Mr. Chavez & I return to reminiscing on 500 shows. We begin with the beauty and magic of Terry Gilliam with The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, through a look at Rock 'N Roll and The Rolling Stones, A beginning series of movies that defined their decades, the beauty of Soviet Cinema with Andrei Tarkovsky, and The Dark Brilliance of Film Noir. It's a fun look back; We hope you'll take the ride with us. Many Thanks. We can always be reached at [email protected]. 

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Cinematic Karma - Stanley Kubrick's                     A Clockwork Orange 

WatchThis fan and BuyMeACoffee contributor, Alan Lamberg, suggests this week's title, Stanley Kubrick's 1971 controversial (masterpiece - ?), A Clockwork Orange. In the late 60s and early 70s the cinematic landscape was changing and evolving into a very different creature. Arthur Penn's Bonnie & Clyde and Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch would usher in a new era of cinematic violence. Stanley Kubrick would soon pick up the baton and create one of the most polarizing and controversial films ever made. From the novella by Anthony Burgess, Kubrick would create a dystopian England that would change the attitudes and expectations of film audiences. With a powerful and compelling performance by Malcolm McDowell, A Clockwork Orange has riveted audiences since its premiere in 1971. Fifty plus years later we have to ask ourselves if the film continues to offend and frighten as it did those many years ago. Mr. Chavez & I definitely have our opinions and are thrilled to lay it out for you the listener. Sit down, download, and enjoy a spirited discussion on the film, its role in cinematic history, and Kubrick's continuing power as a filmmaker. It's a fun time. As always, we can be reached at [email protected] - Many Thanks. 

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Whitey Saves the Day, Jake Won't Go Down, The Beatles Break Up, & More

This week Mr. Chavez & I return to a project that began in the middle of last year, releasing an episode recorded many months ago, and exploring the first 500 shows of WatchThis W/RickRamos. It's taken some time to get back to this, but we find ourselves returning to Memory Lane and plan on spending the next few months peppering the podcast with our reflections on what has come before; what it meant then, what it means now, and what it may mean in the future. A whole lot to unwrap, but we're having a great time doing it. This week reflections on: Denis Villeneuve's Dune, Scorsese's Raging Bull, Hitchcock's Rear Window, and Peter Jackson's The Beatles: Get Back. The opinions are as strong as ever. We thank you for taking the trip with us. As always, we can be reached at [email protected]  - Many Thanks. 

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

David Lynch: The Art of Dark Dreams 

This week Mr. Chavez & I remember and say farewell to one of the greats of Cinema - David Lynch (01/20/46 - 01/15/25). Goodbye, Mr. Lynch; we were fortunate to have you. 

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

When Evil Men Remember: Joshua Oppenheimer, Christina Cynn, & an Anonymous Indonesian Director's The Act of Killing

This week Mr. Chavez & I go up river for one of the most powerful, depressing, and meaningful documentaries ever made, The Act of Killing. This 2012 documentary explores the Indonesian mass killings, rapes, and tortures that occurred between 1965 and 1966 of alleged Communist Chinese and others opposed to the Indonesian New Order Regime. What sets this documentary apart from other films of similar subject matter is the straight-forward and excited re-tellings of these war crimes by the very torturers and murderers originally involved and still living unpunished in the country. The filmmakers approach the subject matter in a novel way, allowing the perpetrators to speak freely and - horrifically - to re-enact their crimes through a series of "cinematic re-creations" stylized as War Films, Westerns, and Film Noir. A film that demands to be seen and is an incredible example of what the art of cinema and documentaries are capable of. Take a listen as we explore this powerful and disturbing motion picture. As always, we can be reached at [email protected]. Many Thanks. 

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Angry White Male: Joel Schumacher's Falling Down

Looking at the world - past, present, and future - this week Mr. Chavez & I sit down to watch and discuss Joel Schumacher's 1993 look at American male angst, disgust, and disspointment, Falling Down. As we "welcome" a return of the Republicans to political power, Schumacher's film is a brutal look at the disspointment of the American Dream. Michael Douglas leads with a powerful performance of a late-30s/mid 40s everyman, laid-off, divorced, and confused by his no longer being "Economicallay Viable". Sharing the screen is a strong, later-career performance by the great Robert Duvall as the Detective who connects the dots. A better film than it deserves to be, Falling Down is a powerful examination of what happens when the Dream falls apart. Take a listen and let us know what you think - [email protected]

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Detective or Pervert: David Lynch's Blue Velvet 

This week Mr. Chavez & I dive into The World of David Lynch. Amazingly, Lynch has been able to survive and thrive in the Hollywood System for over four decades. From his beginnings with a labor of love called Eraserhead (1977) thru critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination for 1980s The Elephant Man, and a colossal failure attempting an adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune (1984), which could have easily ended his filmmaking career, Lynch bounced back with a truly strange, mesmerizing, and captivating work. Polarizing for critics when first released in 1986, Lynch's Blue Velvet - from his own original script - would confuse, anger, and enthrall audiences. Blue Velvet announced the emergence of a singular voice in filmmaking. It's a thrill for us to sit down and re-watch this masterpiece featuring early performances from Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rosellini, Laura Dern, and the re-emergence in a career-defining role as the homicidal and psychotic Frank Booth, Dennis Hopper. Lynch's film examines small town America while painting a dark and pessimistic look at the underbelly of Americana. Take a lesson as we return to this Dark World. Thanks for your continued love and support. As always, we can be reached at [email protected]. Many Thanks. 

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Dracula Done to Death - Robert Egger's Nosferatu

This week Mr. Chavez & I run to our local movie theaters to watch, contemplate, and bring to you Robert Egger's end of the year re-imagining of the F.W. Murnau Classic, Nosferatu. Re-makes are notoriously difficult to pull of and Egger's has his hands full with one of the greatest films in the History of Cinema. There is a great deal to admire in this new rendering of the Horror Classic. Where does it succeed? Where does it fail? There is so much to dig into on this week's episode. Take a listen and let us know your impression of this new "Dracula" Story. As always, we can be reached at [email protected]. Many Thanks. 

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Time Destroys Everything - Gaspar Noé's Irreversible

We're closing in on our two final films in our  "Dark Cinema" showcase. This week we look at Gaspar Noé's 2002 controversial and troubling film, Irreversible. Arguably one of the most difficult viewing experiences ever unleashed on movie-watching audiences, Noé's exploration on storytelling (a backwards playing narrative) could have easily been a gimmick with little to say in the way of exploring themes, however Noé deftly handles the obvious showboating of such a technique to add a true, honest, and enlightening understanding of his story of a brutal rape and  beating, revenge, mistaken identity, and murder. This is not a film for the easily offended, but it's also not for those looking for the extreme violence and blood-lust of a Death Wish 2 or I Spit on Your Grave. With Irreversible, Noé has crafted a truly powerful and beautifully realized look at violence, sexual violence, and the unfolding of time and it's commentary on the aforementioned. Take a listen and let us know what you think. It's a deep and thoughtful conversation. We continue to be reached at [email protected]. 

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Perv with a Pen - Terry Zwigoff's Crumb

This week we race back to 1994 with one of the great documentaries of the modern era, Terry Zwigoff's portrait of underground comic artist, Robert Crumb. A simple profile of the artist and the polarizing reaction to his work alone would have made for an interesting and enjoyable film; Zwigoff's decision to focus on Crumb's extended family (two brothers and mother) forms a more powerful and disturbing work. With an abusive childhood to expand on and two examples of talent overpowered by mental difficulties, Zwigoff highlights how powerful art is in giving voice to the pain and desperation that exists within all of us, but is tempered by an artist who can find the levels of supportive expression that can save him from the insanity of an imbalanced brain. Crumb is truly a powerful and englightening film. However disturbing it may be is worth the rewards the film has to offer. Take a listen as we discuss this beautifully realized and deeply troubling film. As always, we can be reached at [email protected]. Many Thanks. 

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.