Ian Fagan died, so now his little brother (middle-aged family man Ted Fagan) and big brother (old gay nerd Matt Fagan) battle grief and stay connected by co-hosting a podcast about movies. Named after Ian Fagan's internet handle and favorite rhetorical idea (the Depot Devoid of Thought), the brothers share childhood memories, and celebrate the terrible movies that turned them into the dreadful men they have become.
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What are Jersey girls made of? In this 1990 comedy, she's made of 8 prostitutes from New York, but love finds a way. Matt Fagan gets his brother Ted to watch Frankenhooker for the first time since he was nine years old (which is too young to see Frankenhooker but just the right age to appreciate the humor.) Join the brothers in the Depot Devoid for a movie with lots of heart, and several other spare parts. Highly recommended: the full video version on YouTube https://youtu.be/F9lWo04tfBI has some secret delights.
The Old Testament disco musical you never realized you needed, The Apple pulls into the Depot Devoid this week... just in time for the rapture! Join the meandering Fagan brothers for a discussion of the deep religious themes, finely crafted musical compositions, and a message that will endure for the ages. Just kidding. It's delirious garbage, and the songs are ass. But The Apple is the best kind of belly-flop: a film wholly committed to a greater vision that we cannot possibly understand.
From deep in the vaults, the second recording we ever made was this conversation about Heathers, the ultimate high school movie. We were still figuring out our equipment (the first episode we recorded didn't work at all!) and only the audio is usable, but Heathers is one of our favorite movies. And maybe one of yours! We had a good talk, and I think it was worth preserving.
Recorded during some Halloween past, but inexplicably released around Valentine's day, this episode is all about The Babadook! Two adult brothers who started a podcast after their brother died, talking about a movie where the monster is a living incarnation of grief and loss? That's an obvious recipe for upbeat entertainment! But that isn't all. We're also here to dish about Halloween plans, amazing costumes, and the innate joylessness of those who don't participate! And for an episode with meaningful themes about the cost of unprocessed emotional trauma, we spend a surprising amount of time talking about the movie "Edward Penishands." And about Predator, singing with the voice of John Denver.
Maybe the world didn't want THE WIZARD OF SPEED AND TIME in 1988, but man, the world sure needed it. And still does. Your hosts, the meandering Fagan brothers, traditionally take a more cynical view of movies, but one might accurately describe this one as "magical" or "a feel-good movie" and guess what? We fucking love it. The story of a talented but unsuccessful special-effects filmmaker attempting to navigate the bureaucracy and ineptitude of Hollywood, THE WIZARD OF SPEED AND TIME is a piece of celluloid origami that is about the making of itself. And yet, that's not what it's about at all. THE WIZARD OF SPEED AND TIME celebrates the persistence of inspiration in unpleasant circumstances. It celebrates joy and sincerity and magic, in a way that works because the artist himself believes in them. Writer/director/star/actual wizard Mike Jittlov creates good old-fashioned movie magic, and in doing so, he shows all of us in the audience that we can be wizards too. THE WIZARD OF SPEED AND TIME resonates with artists of all types, reminds us of the joy of creation, and allows us to imagine a better (and more magical) world. And Matt really needed to watch it, because holy fuck, a better and more magical world would really hit the spot about now.