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Talking Pondo: Grosse Point Blank and Animal Crackers
Description
In this episode, Marty gives Clif the film Animal Crackers to watch and Clif gives Marty Grosse Point Blank to watch.
Clif and Marty travel all the way back to 1930 for Animal Crackers, the second feature film starring the legendary Marx Brothers. Clif and Marty discuss the film's vaudeville roots, it's early-talkie growing pains, and the remarkable influence the Marx Brothers had on generations of comedians, from Bugs Bunny to modern filmmakers. Clif appreciates the anarchic energy and sharp dialogue, even if the production feels a little creaky in places, while Marty gives the film a rare five-star rating. And somewhere along the way, they decide Harpo would probably have some explaining to do in a modern HR department.
Then it's off to the late '90s for Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), the dark comedy starring John Cusack as Martin Blank, a professional hitman who returns to his hometown for his high school reunion. Minnie Driver, Dan Aykroyd, and Alan Arkin round out a terrific cast in a movie that mixes assassination, romantic regret, existential angst and some seriously questionable career choices. Clif enjoys the film's offbeat humor, excellent soundtrack, and Marty has a more complicated relationship with it, thanks in part to some very specific late-'90s nostalgia. The guys also dig into the film's unusual production approach, including shooting scenes three different ways and debate how it's escalating violence fits with it's otherwise laid-back comedy.
Along the way: Clif remembers Crystal's Pizza Palace, Marty connects the Marx Brothers to Mystery Science Theater 3000, the glory days of AOL, whether a hitman can have a midlife crisis and notice a familiar face seems to keep turning up in their movie selections.
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Theme Song "The Rain" by Russ Pace
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