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Post by stansnig on Aug 17, 2010 13:31:12 GMT -5
Hi Half way through the I am legend podcast. I would love to hear a podcast on Soylent Green, a film little known in good old Blighty. Loving the podcasts gents!
Neil Morgan
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Post by grubl on Aug 17, 2010 14:01:49 GMT -5
I actually believe that the guys did touch on SOYLENT GREEN briefly in the I AM LEGEND podcast. But, a whole show contributed to Heston would be cool.
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Post by morbiousfod on Aug 18, 2010 22:01:06 GMT -5
Speaking of Chucky Heston, I don't think the guys have ever done anything with the Planet of the Apes franchise. Being a fan of the franchise I would love to hear their views of the five original films, the Burton remake, and maybe even the tv series.
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Post by Derrick on Aug 19, 2010 9:49:58 GMT -5
Speaking of Chucky Heston, I don't think the guys have ever done anything with the Planet of the Apes franchise. Being a fan of the franchise I would love to hear their views of the five original films, the Burton remake, and maybe even the tv series. I'd be down to do an episode on the trifecta of science fiction movies Heston did in the 70's: PLANET OF THE APES, THE OMEGA MAN & SOYLENT GREEN. I don't know if Tom has seen the PLANET OF THE APES movies or what he thinks about them so we'll all have to wait with baited breath for his opinion. I can tell you I've seen all five films. In fact, way back in the Dark Ages before we even had VCRs and VHS, occasionally neighborhood theaters would have all-day marathons of all five POTA movies. For some reason I don't remember much about the TV show except that Roddy McDowell was in it, not playing Cornelius but another character who essentially was Cornelius with another name. I do remember watching the cartoon and being disappointingly bored. I even bought some of the B&W magazines Marvel published briefly.
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Post by grubl on Aug 19, 2010 12:09:01 GMT -5
I was a big PLANET OF THE APES fan. Chronologically, the television show fits in nicely after BATTLE and before the original, making a nice circle. We see humans go from dominant to equals of the apes to slaves to feral animals.
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Post by Eddie Love on Aug 19, 2010 18:04:27 GMT -5
I was a big PLANET OF THE APES fan. Chronologically, the television show fits in nicely after BATTLE and before the original, making a nice circle. We see humans go from dominant to equals of the apes to slaves to feral animals. I thought the end of the BATTLE saw peace between the humans and apes and would have negated the history that lead to the first film, no?
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Post by grubl on Aug 19, 2010 19:21:32 GMT -5
Not if you take into account the huge span of time between BATTLE and PLANET. I'm seeing it like this, and this is my own rationalization, but it works. BATTLE takes place in the 1980's or 90's or somewhere soon after. There is peaceful coexistance, but cultures change, life changes, society changes. Somewhere between that film and the television series the apes become oppressors. I do not think that is an unreasonable jump. The humans are still intelligent, but enslaved. PLANET takes place several thousand years in the future. At this point humans have degenerated to the wild beasts that we are introduced to in the first film. They have not necessarily devolved or lost their intelligence in this span of time (see Nova), but they have been driven back into the wild and adapted as such.
Maybe I'm off, but it seems to fit nicely. I've always thought as much, anyway.
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Post by morbiousfod on Aug 19, 2010 21:06:45 GMT -5
Yeah the one that doesn't fit is the cartoon; however, it is the closest to what the original author envisioned. Just odd hearing the Gorilla general speaking with Fred Flintstones' voice, and the animation makes Speed Racer look great. Must have been the thing during the 1970's to produce animation that isn't all that animated, or incorporated the Masters of the Universe school of reusing the same exact run sequence again and again.
The sad thing is I own them all on DVD now, even the cartoon. LOL! I've picked up a couple of those magazines from the time period as well. The first film is a masterpiece and they drop off from there, but I'm a fan and can't get enough of intelligent human hating apes.
A trifecta of Chuck, yeah that would be great. I remember that you touched upon Omega Man during the I am Legend show, but really that strange bird needs a more in depth look.
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Post by Eddie Love on Aug 19, 2010 21:08:40 GMT -5
Not if you take into account the huge span of time between BATTLE and PLANET. I'm seeing it like this, and this is my own rationalization, but it works. BATTLE takes place in the 1980's or 90's or somewhere soon after. There is peaceful coexistance, but cultures change, life changes, society changes. Somewhere between that film and the television series the apes become oppressors. I do not think that is an unreasonable jump. The humans are still intelligent, but enslaved. PLANET takes place several thousand years in the future. At this point humans have degenerated to the wild beasts that we are introduced to in the first film. They have not necessarily devolved or lost their intelligence in this span of time (see Nova), but they have been driven back into the wild and adapted as such. Maybe I'm off, but it seems to fit nicely. I've always thought as much, anyway. So when does mankind exterminate themselves? Isn't that the central premise of the first film and then ape civilization grew out of the wreckage? I always thought in CONQUEST when the intelligent apes take over mankind an alternate history has started, based on the arrival of the two apes in ESCAPE. Nooooooo! Make it stop! Time travel makes my head hurt!
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Post by grubl on Aug 19, 2010 21:54:41 GMT -5
I forgot about the extermination. Somewhere in between. Shit!
I read that magazine as well!
When they do the Heston tribute I will write the bizarre story of two insane confrontations that I personally had with the man.
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Post by Eddie Love on Aug 19, 2010 22:09:21 GMT -5
When they do the Heston tribute I will write the bizarre story of two insane confrontations that I personally had with the man. Oh, Hell no -- I can't wait for that -- you gotta give. I didn't confront him, but years ago attended an "Evening with Charlton Heston" sponsored by something like one of those Open University things in NYC. When we showed up, it was nothing but a glorified book signing for some book he'd written about The Bible, that I wasn't about to then purchase. He spoke for maybe half an hour. I was so pissed, not sure what my "tuition" was -- something like $20.
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Post by grubl on Aug 19, 2010 23:38:09 GMT -5
Okay, Eduardo, but it's long.
In 1996 I was one of the first to see Kenneth Branagh's HAMLET. It was only showing in NYC, LA and Toronto. I was living in Southern California and after waiting in line for many hours got in. It was the original cut (over four hours long) and in 70 mm. It was beautiful to look at (Naked Kate Winslet!), but rather flat. Charlton Heston had a brief but memorable role.
About a month later I was driving up the 101 just north of LA. I was listening to The Larry Elder's Show, a conservative radio broadcaster out of LA, he may be syndicated. I am nowhere close to a conservative, but I used to find his discussions interesting, if also sometimes infuriating. His guest that day was Heston, who was, at the time, alive and the President of the NRA. He was on the show to discuss gun control laws and his blanket opposition to almost any restriction on gun ownership, no matter how reasonable. As I listened I became more and more infuriated at how he kept switching the points and evading practical argument, with the host's support. I am not rabidly anti-gun. I believe in private gun ownership, but I am also a big proponent of extensive background checks, registrations and regional limits. I called the show on my cell, explained my views to the phone moderator and was told to wait. Eventually I was put on. I was friendly and told him (Chuck) that I had enjoyed his performance in HAMLET. He got excited and started to go on about how they were trying to push the film into markets that don't normally show Shakespeare films and so on. Larry Elders interupted him and reminded him that mine was an oppositional call and that we should get to it. I got out one sentence about reasonable restrictions and he cut me off and began to, once again, argue a point that I did not raise. I was all set to respond when I hit the bend of the road that seperates Ventura County from Santa Barbara County (between mountain and ocean) and, as was the norm in those days, my phone call was dropped. I hurriedly turned the radio back on and Heston said, "Where'd he go? I must have scared him off." Elder's said, laughing, "You were making too much sense." I screamed to noone and vowed that this was not the end of the discussion.
We now have to move ahead two months. The beautiful Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. (originally opened in the 1920's) had recently been refurbished. It was regularly showing restored silent films (I saw the original THE TEN COMMANDMENTS there, which was also the inaugral film of it's first opening) as well as very cool festivals (one dedicated to 70 mm prints, one dedicated to noir and so on), usually with a few of the surviving stars and filmmakers on hand to be interviewed before the film. A fellow film lover and I used to attend regularly.
So, they happen to be running a technicolor retrospective. One of the films being shown was BEN-HUR, with a special Q and A with Charlton Heston. This was my chance.
We got to the theatre and I was happy to see that Chuck was out in the lobby, sitting at a long table signing autographs, but only IF, this echoes your story, Edward, you purchased his autobiography. I was in such a frenzy to continue our discussion that I bought the book and got in line. When I finally got to him I just started ranting like a crazy person. I said, "Do you remember when you were on Larry Elder's show and someone called to argue about gun control and they were cut off and you said, "I must have scared him off"? Well, you didn't scare me off. My phone reception went out and I never got to finish my argument!" He stared at me like I was crazy and I really don't think that he caught a word that I said. Just enough to reply, "I've been on his show a couple of times." He seemed very out of it and hazy. He asked me my name, I told him and he wrote "To Jay, Charlton Heston" on the first page of the book and continued to give me a glassy look. I walked away. He gave a great, insightful interview on stage before the film (he even did the, "Get your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape!" upoin request) and then sat with the audience through the entire picture.
Now, some interesting follow up notes: 1. Exactly one week later he was admitted to rehab for a drinking problem. Which explains his odd demeanor and behavior (although my odd behavior would have probably been enough cause).
2. The end sheets of the book are filled with gesture drawings (30 to 60 second life drawings) done by Heston on the sets of films. I am a veteran art teacher and I must say that they are the best gesture drawings (in a sense of catching life, movement and quality of line) that I have seen. I still use them as an example every single year when I introduce the technique to my Art 1 students.
3. Before the film, outside the theatre I ran into one of my ex-students who was attending USC film school. She was going to the event as an assignment for class. I chatted with her a while and I remembered that her older brother (also an ex-student of mine, who was an excellent artist and one of the top young wrestlers in the nation) had gotten a full ride to Columbia University a few years earlier. I had heard that he had gotten into some drug scene and may have dropped out. I said, "How's your brother Tommy doing in NY?" She said, "Oh, he's fine". the next day Tommy slit his girlfriend's throat, left an open copy of Jack Kerouac's ON THE ROAD on her face (she was naked) and then jumped in front of a train in the subway station in front of Columbia Univ., killing himself. If you were living in NYC then you'll probably remember because it filled the cover of all three papers. Thomas Nelford. The funeral was a whole other weird story.
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Post by Eddie Love on Aug 19, 2010 23:56:56 GMT -5
Daaaaamn, that last bit is just terrible! The rest of that anecdote: Totally. Freakin'. Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to share that.
Yeah, that would have been around when I saw him, because he was really high on his work in HAMLET at the time.
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Post by Eddie Love on Aug 20, 2010 10:16:32 GMT -5
...also interestingly, last night I watched another of Heston's last pictures, his cameo in TOMBSTONE, which, like GUNFIGHT AT O.K. CORAL before it, tells the story of the Earps' attempts to enact and enforce gun control efforts.
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Post by stansnig on Aug 24, 2010 12:13:12 GMT -5
Hell yes, Planet of the Apes too! What a cast to look forward to.
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