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Talking Pondo: Bottle Shock and Dragonslayer
Description
In this episode, Marty gives Clif the film Dragonslayer to watch and Clif gives Marty Bottle Shock to watch.
First up is Bottle Shock, the dramatization of the 1976 Judgment of Paris wine competition that put California wines on the map. Alan Rickman leads a terrific cast as a British wine expert who underestimates the Napa Valley crowd, while Chris Pine sports a wig that may deserve a credit of it's own. Clif and Marty enjoy the film’s gorgeous scenery, charming performances and underdog true-story foundation. But they have questions about the meandering subplots, some oddly placed romance and the film's occasional detours away from it's most interesting story.
Then it’s back to 1981 for Dragonslayer, a dark, strange fantasy adventure that feels like a Dungeons & Dragons campaign brought to life. Marty revisits a movie tied to childhood memories, while Clif appreciates it's distinctive storytelling and impressive practical effects. They discuss the apprentice who may be less wizard-in-training and more clever opportunist, the film’s unusually grim moments for a PG adventure and a dragon whose eventual reveal is worth the wait.
Along the way: the cinematic crimes of bad wigs, Miguel Sandoval’s unexpected connection to Repo Man, the golden age of practical effects, why fantasy films from the early ’80s felt so different and whether a dragon qualifies as a kaiju.
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Season One
Theme Song "The Rain" by Russ Pace
Photos by Geoffrey Notkin