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Talking Pondo: Almost Famous and Sullivan's Travels
Description
In this episode, Marty gives Clif the film Almost Famous to watch and Clif gives Marty the film Sullivan's Travels to watch.
First up is Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels (1941). Hollywood director John L. Sullivan wants to make a serious film about poverty, so he sets out to experience life as a homeless man himself. Naturally, things go sideways. With rapid-fire dialogue, sharp Hollywood satire, and a story that takes some wonderfully unexpected turns, the film keeps Marty and Clif guessing right up to it's prison-camp detour. They discuss the movie's unusual structure, it's surprisingly heartfelt message about the value of laughter and the ways this classic may have influenced generations of filmmakers.
Then it's on the road with Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (2000), revisiting the sprawling Untitled Director's Cut. A teenage music journalist gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he joins the rising rock band Stillwater on tour in the early 1970s. He encounters complicated musicians, self-proclaimed “Band-Aids” and a world where everyone seems to be using everyone else for something. Marty loves the extended cut’s atmosphere and backstage authenticity, while Clif appreciates the film but wonders whether all that extra footage earns it's nearly two-and-a-half-hour runtime. They dig into the performances, the music, Penny Lane and Russell's complicated relationship, plus the fine line between capturing the magic of rock ’n’ roll and romanticizing its darker side.
Along the way: the influence of classic Hollywood comedies on later filmmakers, blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos, the merits of extended cuts and obnoxious movie-theater audiences.
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