Practice Mix 1.23.23

This week we're back in Cruise control as we follow Tom to a mystical faraway land of blood and honour. It's 2003's The Last Samurai, directed by Edward Zwick, and starring Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Tony Goldwyn, Hiroyuki Sanada, Timothy Spall, Billy Connolly, Koyuki, William Atherton, Scott Wilson and Masato Harada. The movie's conception of the dawn of the Meiji Restoration is bafflingly nonsensical, but what it gets wrong about Japan in 1876 can be forgiven for what it gets right about America in 2003. It's a sweeping war epic from the director of Glory, starring Tom Cruise at the height of his leading man swagger, backed by a supporting cast that notably launched the North American careers of several Japanese treasures of the silver screen. Meanwhile at the theatre, Hayley hit up the re-release of Ex Machina while J Mo caught up with Love Lies Bleeding.

Other works discussed in this episode include Blow Out, Civil War, Godzilla vs Kong, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Godzilla Minus One, Children of Men, The Good Shepherd, Pooh's Heffalump Movie, Batman Begins, Inception, Gladiator, Troy, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Gossip, White Noise, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, The Mummy, Hot Rod, The Walking Dead, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Tropic Thunder, Days of Thunder, Valkyrie, Vanilla Sky, Eyes Wide Shut, and Minority Report among others.

We will be back next week to celebrate the release of Alex Garland's Civil War by tracing it all the way back to the last American civil war, as we check in with returning favourite Heath Ledger and returning gremlin Mel Gibson in 2000's The Patriot -- a movie that sadly just like The Last Samurai is not currently available to stream in Canada. Oh well. Until then, we'll see you at the movies!!

ADHD-DVD - 56 - The Last Samurai

This week, SepTIMEber continues as we head back to 14th century France to launch real fireballs out of real trebuchets alongside real Montreal LARPers in a rare misstep from a true master of the popcorn flick. It's 2003's Timeline, directed by Richard Donner, based on the book by Michael Crichton, and starring Paul Walker, Frances O'Connor, Gerard Butler, Billy Connolly, David Thewlis, Anna Friel, Neal McDonough, Ethan Embry, Matt Craven, Michael Sheen, Lambert Wilson, Marton Csokas and Rossif Sutherland. Two movies into this theme month and we already be down bad with Stockholm Syndrome, as the dire straits of The Time Machine made this film look like an oasis in the desert comparatively. Alas, it is a deeply flawed flick to be sure, and for the very first time one of our hosts could not make it over the finish line. Plus: a bit of listener mail makes Hayley finally explain her longstanding beef with Ted Lasso.

If you'd like to watch the movie before listening to our conversation, good luck! Despite being a Paramount movie, Timeline is not available on Paramount+ but is rentable on YouTube and the Cineplex app at the time of publication.

Other works discussed on this episode include Rebel Ridge, Green Room, Blue Ruin, Kinds of Kindness, Poor Things, The Favourite, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Emperor's New Groove, Child's Play, M3GAN, English Teacher, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, Almost Live!, Ready Player One, Backspot, I Like Movies, Sabrina Carpenter's album Short & Sweet, The Dana Carvey Show, Too Funny To Fail, 300, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Midnight in Paris, Pushing Daisies, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Olympus Has Fallen, Greenland, Geostorm, Superman II, The Goonies, Lethal Weapon, Maverick, Radio Flyer, The 13th Warrior, Sky Captain & The World of Tomorrow, Paycheck and The Perfect Score.

We'll be back next week with a little ADHD-TPB, as SepTIMEber rolls on with a movie J Mo torrented off the internet roughly 15 years ago and never got around to actually watching: 1979's Time After Time, starring Malcolm McDowell and David Warner as H.G. Wells and Jack The Ripper respectively. Sounds like fun, right? Here's hoping! It is also not available on streaming, but once again is rentable on YouTube. Until then, we'll see you at the movies!!

ADHD-DVD - 79 - Timeline

Billy Connolly in Shiveria

Co-Host / Producer / Engineer of the Real Good Show and Top Marks podcasts. Sports Announcer. Board Op / Producer @ Sportsnet 650. Formerly a play-by-play voice for the BCHL, NWJHL, and BasketballBC. Former Music Director and afternoon host on Peace FM in Chetwynd and Dawson Creek.

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