Monday, November 7, 2016
The Latest Episode of RRR is on GGPodcasting.com!
Gordon is out of town so we're going back in time to August 1st, 2015 when we watched Dragon Guardians during one of our "practice episodes." Listen to our roots at GG Podcasting.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Today's Episode is on GG Podcasting!
Looking for the latest episode of Random Reviews and other Ramblings? It's on our new website: GG Podcasting. If you listen to the podcast through your browser, this is where you're going to find all future episodes. If you're subscribed through a podcast subscription service such as iTunes or Google Play, there's nothing you need to do; The podcast will continue downloading automatically for you!* Here's the RSS feed.
*If the podcast no longer downloads automatically for you, please leave a comment and let us know!
Monday, October 24, 2016
We have a new website!
Dear Random Reviews and other Ramblings subscriber,
We have a new website! It will be ready for your viewing and listening pleasure in early November. What does that mean for this blog? It will no longer receive updates, the audio links will become obsolete, and its sole purpose will be to capture traffic and redirect it to the new hub containing our podcasts. If you subscribe to RRR through a service such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, etc., AND you have a setting set to download all episodes you haven't listened to, you're going to be in for a surprise unless you act soon. All of the audio files for the podcast are moving to the new domain and the RSS feed will be pointed at the new files. Your podcast-listening software will think there are over 50 new episodes to listen to and download them all and ruin your day! Update your settings now and save your precious data limitations!
Looking forward to seeing you on the new website,
Geoff
Episode 54: Miele
A woman who helps terminally ill people end their suffering faces a moral dilemma when a physically healthy man seeks assistance in ending his life.
In Episode -2: How to Die in Oregon, Gordon and Geoff watched a documentary about legalized assisted suicide in the state of Oregon. 56 episodes later, we have returned to the subject in the form of a foreign film from Italy. Miele, also known as Honey, also known as Irene, is a drug dealer of death. Her clients are terminally ill patients who are unfortunately unable to legally commit suicide so they use our protagonist's elaborate drug trafficking of canine barbiturates. Irene cares deeply about her work and it shows when she is duped into selling the drugs to a perfectly healthy individual. The plot focuses on this conflict but also takes a lot of dead-end ventures that try to make Irene's character more complex. Despite all the red herrings and a plot that goes nowhere, we actually walked away from this movie fairly content. It was well-paced, the acting was good, and the subject was interesting. Maybe it's the mountain of bad movies we trudge through that has made this bad movie appear mediocre so keep that in mind. We don't recommend it but we didn't hate it either is what I'm trying to say. After the news, Gordon brings in Shin Godzilla and then I lose our foreign movie bet as we end up rolling Chic! for next week, our fourth foreign film in a row!
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, October 17, 2016
Episode 53: Plot for Peace
Follow the true story of Jean-Yves Ollivier, an Algerian-born French businessman whose political efforts helped end apartheid in South Africa.
This is a bizarre documentary about a French philanthropist who claims to actually be the one responsible for ending apartheid in South Africa by being the catalyst resulting in Nelson Mandela's freedom. We already learned about Nelson Mandela in Episode 19: "The 16th Man," an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Being an excellent ESPN doc, the focus was on Mandela's vision and how sports played a huge role in accomplishing that. Unlike that movie, this documentary does a great job showing how bad things were in South Africa. It's graphic, violent, and doesn't try to convince you that rooting for the national rugby team is what it's going to take to save the country. Instead, they try to convince you that a solitaire-obsessed obese man, wearing suspenders with naked men on them, who sits in an armchair made from the skins of at least thee endangered species is batman. It's hard to take the guy seriously given the way he was presented and the message came off as braggadocious (we have the best words, folks) and trying to undermine Mandela's achievements. Everyone interviewed in the film speaks English except for our hero, Mr. Ollivier. That would be fine but in addition to showing clips of interviews with him, they also had him narrate the movie. Like I already stated, it was really bizarre, and just added more evidence to our theory that the reason this movie exists is because Ollivier funded the entire thing, and wanted to as well-remembered as Nelson Mandela. After the review, Gordon brings in his review of Snowden and then talks about Gears of War 4. Next week, we're watching Miele, which is another foreign movie! That's three in a row! When did we start trudging through the bowels of Euroflix?
| Gordon: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, October 10, 2016
Episode 52: Counter Investigation
When a man convicted of killing his daughter tirelessly pleads his innocence, an overworked police captain reconsiders the case.
Whether you see the plot twists coming or not, this is a very enjoyable read. Yup, a read because if you're listening to this show, chances are you don't speak French. This is a movie about how a child-rapist-murderer-guy commits this evil crime in order to score one of the nicest looking studio apartments I have ever seen. If you go to prison in France, apparently you get your own room with television, books, in-room meals... The works! I bet if you were a wanted French criminal, you could probably work out a deal where you turn yourself in and score an internet connection so that you could listen to Random Reviews and other Ramblings and jerk off (at the same time) every day for the duration of your prison sentence. Anyway, beyond being stunned by the luxurious punishment France enforces, this is actually a pretty decent movie. There are two good twists that I enjoyed and Gordon claims to also have enjoyed even though he saw them coming from his moon yacht, which is powered by Reddit karma. After the news, I bring in two short reviews of Jupiter Ascending and The Brothers Bloom. Next week, we're watching Plot for Peace.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, October 3, 2016
Episode 51: The Mend
Returning from a vacation, a depressed New Yorker finds his brother living in his apartment uninvited, leading to some strange entanglements.
Last week, we didn't think the movies could get any worse than the two we had to watch in our 50th episode celebration. This week, it's my displeasure to bring you our second double-zero rated movie. The Mend is about a guy living in a shitty NYC apartment with his leech of a girlfriend. Maybe vampires and other things that suck blood are his fetish or something because he decides to slide a ring onto one of her tentacles while on a vacation to Quebec. Not wanting to let a vacant apartment go to waste, his homeless brother seizes the opportunity to move in with his homeless fuck-buddy and her kid. Leech boy ends up returning home leech-less and they decide to do drugs for a week. The leech comes home, the homeless people are still homeless and everything is still shitty when the credits roll. What in fuck? Next week, we are watching Counter Investigation.
| Gordon: | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, September 26, 2016
Episode 50: Double Feature: Where Children Play and If You Don't, I Will
Called home to Los Angeles by her mother's death, a woman faces the pain of her dysfunctional childhood and an abusive father now in need of her care.
Facing a marriage that has become stale, a woman leaves her husband during a hike and chooses to make a new life in the woods while he returns home.
Happy 50th episode! For the past year, Gordon and Geoff have been trudging through the bowels of Netflix searching for movies you can enjoy with your subscription that you may have missed by using one of the most inefficient search mechanisms available to us: Random. In this special episode, we change up the order of the show my rambling first and then selecting two movies to review with a twist on the rules. We each chose our least favorite movies to watch from the past 49 episodes and then randomly chose a movie that was suggested as a similar title to our selctions. Gordon's most hated movie was Four of Hearts which led us to a review of Where Children Play; The story of a gold digger. My most hated was Life of Riley, and that awful movie led us to If You Don't, I will - A movie illustrating how sometimes divorce is a pretty good option. Next week, we will return to the usual format with The Mend.
| Where Children Play | |
|---|---|
| Gordon: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| If You Don't, I Will | |
|---|---|
| Gordon: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, September 19, 2016
Episode 49: Uncle John
When a rough customer in a small Wisconsin town disappears, some begin to suspect an unfailingly friendly local farmer.
Uncle John is your typical retired blue collar guy. He gets coffees with his buddies every morning at the diner. He has a small carpentry business he keeps up with for fun and a little money on the side. And he murders people. Uncle John is an uncle in this movie because this is also a story about his nephew Virgin. Kissless Virgin. Kissless likes his new boss, Ms. Hot Stuff, and he throws as much spaghetti at her as possible until she falls for him. You probably want to know more about his murdering uncle though, don't you? Yeah, me too. Also we talk about Max Payne, and Hell or High Water. Next week, we're not revealing what we are watching until the episode is released because it's our 50th episode and we're doing something special.
| Gordon: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, September 12, 2016
Episode 48: An Affair to Remember
Although each is already engaged to another, Nickie Ferrante (Cary Grant) and Terry McKay (Deborah Kerr) meet on an ocean liner and fall in love.
This classic movie from 1957 still holds up. Almost. The love story moves along at a slow-but-tolerable pace right up until what you think is the climax of the plot and then turns into a bizarre story about teaching special children how to sing. I bet you would like this movie so go give it a good streaming until everything is about to end well and then turn it off. Tell yourself in your head "And they lived happily ever after." There; we just saved you forty minutes and found you something good to watch. Last week, Geoff was on vacation in Texas so he brings in two Texan movies - No Country for Old Men, and Miracles from Heaven. Gordon talks about some of the Steam Sale games he bought but never played until now and reviews War Dogs. Next week, we're watching Uncle John.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, September 5, 2016
Deleted Scenes: Episode -2: How to Die in Oregon
This award winning documentary takes you into the lives of terminally ill people as they consider availing themselves of physician-assisted suicide.
Geoff is on vacation this week so we're once again revisiting the past and listening to another practice episode from August 1st, 2015. Gordon and Geoff watch an extremely depressing documentary on physician-assisted suicide. We watched people die. Welcome to SadCast. Also, we talk about the Berenst#in Bears Problem.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
Monday, August 29, 2016
Random Requests 2: Singham with Paul
A police inspector kills himself after a powerful gangster frames him for corruption - but soon the thug faces the full force of cop Bajirao Singham.
Our second guest, Paul, brings in an awesome Bollywood movie. Everything in this film is over the top. Singham is a god among men who fights corruption by being the most corrupt police officer in India. Smart. I'm not going to write anything else. Go watch this movie.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
| Paul: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, August 22, 2016
Episode 47: The Awakening
Twists abound in this dark thriller as a young man consults an ambitious journalist in his quest to learn the truth behind his prophetic dreams.
The Awakening is a Nigerian movie that is arguably worse than my ninth grade video project for science class. Apparently Nigerian movies are classified as Nollywood productions like how Indian movies are called Bollywood. This would suggest that some inspiration was taken from the movies of Hollywood but I don't think anyone involved with this movie has ever watched American cinema. Everything was bad. Acting, sound, editing, scenery, costumes, and story were managed by the same children who make Nike shoes at the factory every morning. We could almost chalk this one up as one of those so-bad-its-good movies but the entire 2 hours of dialogue is drowned out by a pesky farmer driving his tractor around in the background of every scene. After the news, Gordon brings in his review of Sausage Party and I continue my streak of watching last year's movies with Straight Outta Compton. Next week, we're watching An Affair to Remember.
| Gordon: | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, August 15, 2016
Episode 46: Commitment
After taking on a spying mission to free his sister from a labor camp, a 19-year-old North Korean becomes a target of his own government.
This is the story detailing why North Korea is so far behind the rest of the world. All of their resources are tied up in smuggling their agents into South Korea to kill agents they no longer need. Once those agents complete their mission, they too are no longer needed. It's a never-ending cycle that has the male equivalent of Wendy Wu torn between completing his mission or making his school a "No Bully Zone." Tough choices. The movie is chock full of action for the first part of the film and then throws in this weird generic B-plot about trading hostages for diamonds and yada yada yada Gordon and I talk about what it takes to be a good waiter/waitress. After the news, we talk about Suicide Squad. Next week, we're watching The Awakening which doesn't seem to have an IMDB page associated with it.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, August 8, 2016
Episode 45: Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me
This documentary explores the history of Memphis rock band Big Star, which experienced commercial failure but influenced major artists such as REM.
We all have dreams of being the most famous podcast but even when you have the best content, the best talent, the best concept, and the best reviews, if the stars don't align just right, the majority of people are just going to continue listening to Adam Carolla. So check out our documentary, "Random Reviews and other Ramblings: Another Netflix Streaming Option" in fifty years. RRaoR:ANSO and BS:NCHM are both the story of an unsuccessful entertainment group's attempt to jump into an oversaturated genre and how they got lost in the noise. The only difference between the two flicks is that in fifty years, Gordon and Geoff will probably still be here so you won't have to interview our loose acquaintances to guess at what happened. After the news, we talk about some sequels; The new Star Trek and the new Jason Bourne. Next week, we're watching Commitment.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, August 1, 2016
Episode 44: Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior
A teen girl focuses on becoming homecoming queen - until she learns she has the soul of an ancient female warrior destined to battle an evil spirit.
What's more important than saving the world? If you grew up on Disney Channel, then you know that the answer is going to the homecoming dance after your boyfriend Vaughn beats rival high school The "Offensive-To-Native-Americans." Wendy Wu is a typical Californian who crashes her car into people's trucks and doesn't leave a note. Also she's the reincarnation of a famous ninja. She takes a break from her quest to get chlamydia to help her cousin defeat the Putty Patrollers from Power Rangers but accidentally falls in love with him. But like, it's like 2016, and like it's okay to date your cousin LOL. We're looking forward to seeing how they break up in Wendy Wu 2: The Search for More Polos. After the news, Gordon walks us through the new BoJack Horseman season and I talk about alternative rock costumes. Next week we're watching Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me.
| Gordon: | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, July 25, 2016
Episode 43: Assassination
A resistance group in Japanese-occupied Korea breaks a sniper out of prison to carry out an assassination, unaware that a traitor lurks among them.
This is easily the best movie we've watched this year so before you listen, go check out Assassination on Netflix. Actually, do listen first because even though we try to spoil the plot twists, we convolute the story even more to the point that this episode is almost spoiler free. Assassination has it all: Complex characters with ulterior motives, multiple plot twists, intense action, comedy, and engaging dialogue. Watch it twice because you won't catch it all the first time through. Then, Geoff talks about his trip to the drive-in where he saw The Secret Life of Pets and The Legend of Tarzan. And because you can't get enough movie reviews this week, we also talk about Ip Man 3 which is another great movie from Asia available on Netflix that you should watch after Assassination. You're going to read so many movies this week that you'll forget your Netflix and chill buddy is even there. Next week, we're watching Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior... Sigh.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, July 18, 2016
Episode 42: Blood
After committing the ultimate crime while interrogating a suspect, two police detective brothers are plagued by guilt and the fear of being caught.
It's time for another uplifting story from our favourite island nation. Blood is the story about how two drunk cops, who are also brothers, decide to beat a confession out of their suspect and then to death. Top notch police work. The day after they solved the murder, a real investigator arrests the actual criminal and then the two brothers act completely guilty for the next hour until they're practically shouting their confession at the top of their lungs, begging for justice. And even then, they don't get arrested. They just go for a walk on the beach. Have you ever heard of an anti-joke? Here's one: A horse walks into a bar. Several people get up and leave as they spotted the potential danger of having a horse in a bar. Blood is an anti-thriller. You know exactly where the train is going and you only wished that horses could talk so that the joke would be at least somewhat interesting. After the news, Geoff brings in an "old" movie, 2016 Best Motion Picture Oscar winner, Spotlight and then Gordon reviews Central Intelligence. Next week, we're watching Assassination.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, July 11, 2016
Episode 41: Watchers of the Sky
Paying homage to four pioneers of the global campaign to end genocide, this feature-length documentary details their efforts to protect the powerless.
Watchers of the Sky is a thorough documentary highlighting some of the players in the United Nations that are doing their best to fight against modern genocide. Keyword: "Thorough." This movie presents all of the evidence when they really could have proved their point with half of the content stuffed in to this long two hour movie. I learned a lot but this film will just leave you feeling frustrated. When it comes to the enormous amount of problems in the world, sometimes you have to accept that there is nothing anyone can do. That said, through out discussion, Gordon and I discover the solution to all of the world's problems: Sentient robot race. After the news, we talk about Swiss Army Man and The Shallows. Next week, we'll be watching Blood.
| Gordon: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Episode 40: Dark Skies
A couple has trouble convincing friends and neighbors that an alien is entering their house each night to terrorize their children.
One of the best alien horror movies out there is Signs. Dark Skies is essentially Signs but this time the aliens have a hidden camera show and they pull elaborate pranks on the humans to see how they react. Also like Signs, we recommend you check this one out. Dark Skies is a fun movie that offers some suspenseful moments and also J. K. Simmons is an alien. We briefly discuss a new Netflix original, The Ranch, and then launch in to our fourth edition of Random Ramblings. Next week, we're watching Watchers of the Sky.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, June 27, 2016
Episode 39: Killer Mermaid
Two young women go on an exotic Mediterranean vacation and uncover the watery lair of a killer mermaid hidden beneath an abandoned military fortress.
Killer Mermaid is a typical monster movie that successfully includes more horror tropes than you can count on your fingers. It makes for an awful movie. A group of pretty people go to a beautiful location for a vacation. They decide to go to Spooky Island despite being told not to by Creepy Old Guy #2. The monster and it's Nazi pet slowly kill everyone off except for the one girl that is somehow miraculously able to kill the monster. After the review, we talk about The Lobster; A documentary about how modern English people find love, and the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album. Keeping up the horror movie trudge, next week, we're watching Dark Skies.
| Gordon: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Episode 38: Frost Fight!
In this Christmas-themed special, Captain America and the Avengers battle Loki and Ymir, who plot to steal Santa Claus' powers and conquer the world.
Boys and girls, it's time for another children's movie. Our favorite Marvel characters and Thor team up to stop Loki and Ymir from stealing Jolnir's powers. Unfortunately, Loki is a little rusty on his Norse mythology. His supposed teammate, Ymir, was killed by his father Odin who fashioned the Earth from his body so whoever this ice guy is is some sort of imposter. A forgiveable mistake but then Loki seems to have forgotten that Jolnir is actually the Old Norse name of Odin so this whole plot to steal his dad's Santa powers is of course going to fall flat on its face with or without the avengers! Also, we talk about Warcraft, the new video game turned movie about how a bunch of bad-ass orcs almost kill thousands of weakly casted humans. Next week, we'll be watching Killer Mermaid, a Serbian movie that appears to have an alternate title, Nymph, so I'm sure it's going to be really good.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, June 13, 2016
Episode 37: You Don't Know Bo: The Legend of Bo Jackson
Two-sport athlete Bo Jackson will forever be known as a cultural icon - and one of the most famous professional sportsmen of all time.
After hitting rock bottom last week, it's nice to watch a movie that is done well and these 30 for 30 documentaries are some of the best movies available on Netflix. This is our second ESPN documentary that we have watched for the podcast and it is once again, a home run. Bo Jackson is a legendary athlete that played professional baseball and then played professional football as a hobby in the off season. He was one of the best players in both leagues but a career-ending injury stopped him short of entering the halls of fame for each sport. Retired Bo bow hunts big game so he is arguably more manly now then he was when he was performing feats on the field. This movie is fantastic and it'll make you happy knowing that Jackson will always be remembered thanks to being part of an awesome series. After the movie discussion, we bring back one of our favorite segments: Random Ramblings. Next week, we're trudging back up the bowels to watch Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Frost Fight!
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, June 6, 2016
Episode 36: Life of Riley
Romantic chaos abounds in this satire of love and manners inspired by a character named George Riley, who's constantly spoken of but never seen.
Once again, Netflix removed a title we were supposed to watch before we recorded so instead of watching Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, we watched the worst film we have suffered through to date. Life of Riley is based on a play of the same title but is itself a play. France pulled 6 residents out of their local retirement home and made them read some lines and recorded it. The play is about 3 couples who are going to perform in a play but suddenly their friend George gets cancer and has 6 months to live. They keep his spirits up by putting him in the play because Great Britain (It's a French play that takes place in Yorkingtonshireitton, GB) doesn't have hospitals. Also the three men are cuckolds and decide they have no choice but to let their wives fuck George. The big twist at the end, and I'm revealing it here because you should never watch this movie, is that George also fucks one of cuck's sixteen year old daughter and then dies scuba diving. This play gave us cancer and we can't wait to die scuba diving as well. Also, Gordon walks us through the new X-Men movie which turns out to be awful. Next week, we'll be watching 30 for 30: You Don't Know Bo: The Legend of Bo Jackson.
| Gordon: | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Episode 35: Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton
This documentary spotlights James Broughton, the filmmaker and poet whose passion for life galvanized pre-Beat era San Francisco.
James Broughton is a bisexual man who expresses himself with bad poetry. But then he discovers the joys of recording soft cocks on video cameras and becomes a pornographer. That description is really overselling this documentary so instead of watching it and possibly netting whoever made this thing money, just donate a dollar to Random Reviews and Other Ramblings on our Patreon. Also we talk about The Nice Guys! Next week, we'll be watching Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh.
| Gordon: | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, May 23, 2016
Episode 34: Thale
While cleaning up a bloody crime scene, two buddies encounter a captive creature of Norwegian myth: a beautiful mute female with a tail.
We know you were looking forward to our review of Te presento a Laura but we were too late. Netflix changes what titles are available for streaming each month and we missed our opportunity. Before recording, we spun the wheel again and landed on Thale. So, we replaced one foreign film for another; What luck! Thale is the story about how two murder-scene clean-up dudes stumble on a mythological creature and then accidentally get a bunch of people killed and set the monster free. But nevermind all that; our heroes have bigger personal issues to worry about like illegitimate children to admit to and lung cancer. After the news, we don't have any still-in-theaters movies to talk about so instead we design Gordon's Dungeons and Dragons character. If you've been keeping up with the show, the character he creates shouldn't be a surprise at all. Next week, we'll be watching Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton.
| Gordon: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, May 16, 2016
Episode 33: The Conspiracy
When two filmmakers begin a documentary about conspiracy theorists, their lead subject disappears, leading them on an obsessive search for the truth.
Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory. They're over-the-top crazy, answer a question you're dying to know, are most definitely completely false, and yet, you can't prove them wrong. This mockumentary chronicles the journey two friends as they fall down the rabbit hole seeking answers to life's biggest question: Who keeps taking my socks? The answer will shock you and also kill you. The film isn't the best but we found it moderately enjoyable to go check it out and let us know if you like it at any of links above. Also we talk about another super movie where the good guys fight but not as poorly as Batman. Next week we'll be watching Te presento a Laura.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, May 9, 2016
Episode 32: Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Evil Outerworld emperor Shao-Khan discovers a portal into Earth and plots to control the planet by resurrecting the treacherous Queen Sindel.
Excitement is high as Gordon and Geoff watch the second Mortal Kombat; the movie with 1 kick-ass theme song, 1 unique sound effect, and takes place in 1 remote canyon. This gymnastics movie is pretty cheesy but if you're a fan of the video game series, you might be excited to see what your favorite characters look like in real life or as some sort of weird claymation. We also talk about Keanu, and Amon Amarth. Next week, we'll be watching The Conspiracy.
| Gordon: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, May 2, 2016
Episode 31: The Scapegoat
After meeting his doppelganger, schoolteacher John Standing is duped into taking the man's place at the head of an aristocratic but troubled family.
Gordon and Geoff watch an exciting and suspenseful movie. But then, like a EDM DJ on too much ecstasy, forgets to drop the bass resulting is disappointment and blue balls. The Scapegoat is a movie about the most carefree man in the world who never asks questions and stumble-fucks his way through a life he barely understands. It will keep your attention but then fails to capitalize on what could have been a variety of awesome twists. Also, we talk about The Jungle Book, which looks to be the fourth or fifth reboot of this mediocre story, and Moonwalkers. Next week, we'll be watching Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, April 25, 2016
Episode 30: Crackerjack
Southern-fried scoundrel Bill "Crackerjack" Bailey skates through life with little effort - until his girlfriend informs him that she's pregnant.
Gordon and Geoff watch a honkey donkey billy hilly story straight from the one-track mind of Jeff Foxworthy. Crackerjack is a man-child who accidentally impregnates his girlfriend of 20 years and decides to induce a miscarriage by putting her through an extreme amount of stress and social pressure for a few weeks. Luckily, before he's able to complete his dastardly plan, he finds Jesus at a softball game and sorts his life out. But he does end up building his unborn child a crib worthy of DIWhy levels of standards so Crackerjack will probably have the last laugh after all. Also we talk about latest in the Barbershop series. This time Calvin is once again going to sell the barbershop but realizes he shouldn't because he can almost stop gang violence in like short 12 hour bursts of peace thanks to free fresh cuts. Next week, we'll be watching The Scapegoat.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, April 18, 2016
Episode 29: His Girl Friday
Hildy is about to get hitched to a dull insurance agent - if her ex-husband, a ruthless newspaper publisher, doesn't succeed in winning her back.
Gordon and Geoff watch a classic and we are surprised to report that this movie holds up! The dialogue is fast, witty, and that's a good thing because that's the entire ride from start to finish; Just talking. Picture a play in which the actors don't need to breathe and are able to deliver 3 hours of lines in 90 minutes. No intermission. No scenery changes. You're in and you're out. Also, we talk about Hardcore Henry and The Big Short. Next week, we'll be watching Crackerjack.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, April 11, 2016
Episode 28: Phantom Halo
A pair of brothers turn to crime to support their father, an out-of-work alcoholic actor. But trying to pay his gambling debts gets them in hot water.
Gordon and Geoff watch a terrible tragedy. And by tragedy, I mean the Shakespearean definition of the word. This movie fails to establish any sense of sympathy you're supposed to have for the characters so when they all die at the end, you just shrug your shoulders and say, "Good." Also, Gordon brings us his review of Batman v Superman. You've probably heard a dozen of them by now but this one is the best review available. Gordon knows words. He has the biggest, bestest words. Next week, glorious Netflix has blessed us with another classic from 1940, His Girl Friday. I'm sure it will hold up...
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, April 4, 2016
Episode 27: Downloaded
Discover the history of Napster, which began as an unassuming bit of computer code in 1998 and would eventually change the nature of music sales.
Gordon and Geoff nerd out over the history of Napster and the impact it had on technology as well as EVERY SINGLE PERSON'S LIFE!!! We liked the movie, which is rare for us these days, so go check it out. Then we talk about Zootopia - a piece of anti-racism propaganda that will make you wish you were an ignorant child again so that you could actually enjoy the movie instead of being slammed in face repeatedly with why Jim Crow laws were bad. It's a message everyone can get behind but it ruined our fun cartoon time! Finally, we recommend a couple video games we have been playing. Next week we'll be watching Phantom Halo.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, March 28, 2016
Episode 26: The Legend of Sarila
In this lyrical animated film, when a shaman curses an Inuit village with starvation, three brave young souls undertake a quest to save their people.
Gordon and Geoff learn about the hardships native Canadians faced back when their fish God hid all the animals in a secret ice paradise because Dumbledore decided to worship the Balrog. Also how Simba broke ancient law by cock-blocking Pumba in order to pop Nala's cherry. Pretty much every story you've ever loved was stolen from the rich history of the Eskimos. Then, we bring back our second edition of Random Ramblings and the discussions we deal with are tough ones! SJWs beware or you might get triggered by our civil discussion. Next week we'll be watching Downloaded.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, March 21, 2016
Episode 25: Mercenaries
When a female terrorist kidnaps the president's daughter, the CIA recruits four tough-as-nails inmates from a women's prison to bring her home safely.
While much better than Jack the Giant Killer, this Asylum movie is definitely still terrible. Though, you can't help but be impressed with the studio's mission; To pump out cheap, awful movies and make money with quantity over quality. Maybe it's time we put the microphone down and pick up a camera to show Hollywood how its done. The world needs to see Gordonman v. Geoffman: Dawn of Podcast. Also we talk about Room and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Next week, we'll be watching The Legend of Sarila.
| Gordon: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Friday, March 18, 2016
Random Requests 1: Rites of Spring with Jack
After abducting a young girl for ransom, a band of kidnappers find the tables are turned as their hideout winds up being a house of horrors.
Welcome to Random Reviews and other Ramblings: Random Requests! this monthly spin-off show invites guests on to the show to talk about whatever Netflix-available movie they want to as long as it hasn't already been covered by the show before. Our first guest, Jack, chose this movie by spinning the Allflix Randomizer a few times before he saw the movie poster: A woman tied up; Which he was in to. If you would like to be a guest on the show, use the Twitter link to send in your application.
| Gordon: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Jack: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
Monday, March 14, 2016
Episode 24: Jack the Giant Killer
A beanstalk brings Jack to a land in the clouds filled with evil beasts. When the creatures come to Earth, Jack must follow suit to save his hometown.
Oh man; This week on the podcast, Gordon is nearly driven to insanity. Jack the Giant Killer is a terrible abomination rushed straight to DVD/Netflix with the sole purpose to tricking the consumer in to watching it instead of Jack the Giant Slayer. The studio that produced this pile of crap is called Asylum and their projects are infecting Netflix in a big, bad way. Oh and guess who made what we'll be watching next week, Mercenaries? Also we talk about Trumbo and Gordon's double Coheed weekend.
| Gordon: | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Special Episode 4: Oscars 2016
Welcome to our fourth special! This week we watched the 88th Academy Awards and we took a stab at predicting the winners of each category. Since no one sent us any suggestions for what the loser would have to suffer, I was spared from doing something humiliating. Thanks goodness. If you missed the Oscars this year or couldn't bring yourself to sit through hours of star-gazing, this episode is the best synopsis available for you. We'll be back next week with our review of Jack the Giant Killer.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Episode 23: Empire State
When a wannabe cop working for an armored car company tells a friend about the firm's lax security, he gets drawn into a scheme to pull an inside job.
We watch a straight-to-DVD/Netflix Action movie starring Liam Hemsworth who plays a character named Chris which is hilarious. The story is based on a true story but in the loosest sense of the word 'based.' There's no way criminals are this stupid. Also we talk about The Intern and Hail, Caesar! Next week, we'll be watching Jack the Giant Killer which I am now realizing is not Jack the Giant Slayer. Both came out in 2013 but one of them is an awful movie and guess which one we get to watch...
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, February 22, 2016
Episode 22: The Rainbow Tribe
Amid a personal crisis, a man returns to his childhood summer camp, where both he and the kids he counsels end up learning some valuable life lessons.
This week, we bring you the show through a terrible microphone. We're sorry; The computer defaulted to the on-board mic instead of our super awesome cool one. Whelp, if you can get through it, you'll hear about the story of how the Aurora Borealis helped cure cancer, and correct behavior problems in delinquent boys. This movie is for children. Maybe. There are tons of sexual references and some swear words so it's really confusing when figuring out who this movie was made for. Probably no one because it's awful no matter who you are. Also, we talk about games that are all related to LucasArts, and Deadpool. Next week, we'll be watching Empire State.
| Gordon: | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, February 15, 2016
Episode 21: Lady Vengeance
The final installment of director Chan Wook Park's revenge trilogy chronicles the efforts of Lee Geum-ja to track down the man who betrayed her.
We watched/read another foreign film this week. Lady Vengeance is about a young woman who is wrongfully accused of murder. Upon getting out of prison, she decides to seek her revenge by murdering the man that put her in prison. The movie is sometimes brilliant, sometimes confusing, and sometimes disturbing. It's probably worth checking out despite the ratings we gave it. We also geek out about The Hateful Eight. Next week, we'll be watching The Rainbow Tribe.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, February 8, 2016
Episode 20: Four of Hearts
When their romance hits a dry spell, Derrick and April try to spice things up with another couple, but their solution brings its own problems.
This week on the show, Gordon loses all hope. This movie successfully killed what little spirit Extinction had left him. Lets hope the random all flicks dash randomizer dot netflix dot com slash movie gods throw us something good soon to restore Gordon to his usual angry self. Also, we talk about Ride Along 2, Kung Fu Panda 3, New Politics, Daredevil, Super Bowl 50, The Witness and I force a postponement of Hateful Eight discussion. Next week, we'll be watching Lady Vengeance.
| Gordon: | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, February 1, 2016
Special Episode 3: The 2015 Randy Awards
Welcome to the First Annual Random Reviews and other Ramblings Randys Awards Show! We are re-reviewing the best of the best and the best of worst of what we watched in 2015 and awarding those worthy enough with the coveted Randy Award! The Randy Award will soon be one of the most prestigious awards in entertainment. No other award randomly stumbles on decades-old movies and bestows honor on them in the form of a fictional golden statuette that may possibly either look like Randy Marsh from South Park or perhaps somehow depicts a state of sexual arousal in physical form. No other award represents the best AND the worst of film. And most most importantly, no other award banishes acceptance speeches!
Monday, January 25, 2016
Episode 19: The 16th Man
Morgan Freeman, star of the film Invictus, narrates this documentary chronicling the South African rugby team's historic win of the 1995 World Cup.
Gordon and Geoff watch an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The documentary tells the story of one of the most important sporting events in history and how the outcome of the event helped shape a nation. I found it to be really inspirational and we both recommend checking it out. Also we talk about Speed Racer, The Revenant, and Daddy's Home. Next week we'll be watching Four of Hearts.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Deleted Scenes: Episode -1: A Year in Champagne
Follow grape growers, famed vintners, aficionados and experts through the complex wine-making process unique to France's famous Champagne region.
This is Gordon's last week in Hawaii so we will finally be back to our regularly scheduled program next episode. Not wanting to miss out on delivering content, we are once again revisiting the past and listening to another one of our practice episodes. We are learning how to walk in these shows so please keep that in mind as you listen to our origin story. Originally recorded around August 8th 2015, this episode covers a documentary about sparkling grape juice. Also we talk about Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, January 11, 2016
Deleted Scenes: Episode 0: Je Suis Femen
A radical feminist group, founded in Ukraine and known for protesting topless, fights corruption and male-driven governments across Russia and Europe.
Gordon is still on vacation so we don't have a new episode for you this week. Instead, we're returning to the past to revisit one of our early, unreleased episodes. Before Gordon and I started the podcast, we recorded five practice shows to help us form the comic genius that is Random Reviews you listen to every week. These oldies are pretty bad but we didn't want to leave a gap in our schedule so we're putting up the newest of the oldest; Episode 0 (We will release episodes -4 through -1 in the future). This show was recorded around August 15th 2015 and it birthed one of my favorite segments: Private Investigator. The documentary is full of nudity in addition to great content so it's one of the few movies we actually recommend you check out. You can view the list of Netflix movies you should watch on the sidebar.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
Monday, January 4, 2016
Episode 18: Fortress
When the captain of the B-17 Flying Fortress is killed in action in Sicily, his replacement, a novice pilot, fights to be accepted.
Gordon and Geoff watch our first war film and it's a boring one. Fortress covers the tired subject of World War Two but at least in a region not often visited in video games and movies: Africa. Turns out our air force ran on liquor back then. Who knew? Also we talk about Krampus and try out a new segment: Random Ramblings. It went pretty well so expect to see it again in the future if a show ends up going too short. Next week, we'll be watching The 16th Man.
| Gordon: | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Geoff: | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
This episode may contain spoilers for the following:
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