Role Credits is back with Joel Schumacher’s lavish adaptation of the legendary musical! It’s the movie Erin has seen most times in theaters! We cover musical differences, the scenes Joel took from the book, the movie’s smash success in Japan (including potentially never-before-revealed-in-the-Anglosphere details about the Japanese 4K UHD physical release), and the Joel-isms that make this movie his own. Do you like romance novels, grand statues, and sweeping Parisian vistas? If so, take a journey here, inside our minds.
Intro & Outro Music – “Wardrobe MalfunKtion” produced by Danya Vodovoz – https://danyavodovoz.bandcamp.com/track/wardrobe-malfunktion – Royalty-Free Music
Joel Schumacher’s arc continues as his take on Batman proves to be campy, energetic, cartoonish, and controversial. We discuss the word “toyetic”, Tim Burton, Coolio, homoeroticism, and what critics thought at the time compared to what they think now. It’s a fascinating story as we break down the history of fast food tie-ins that lead to Joel helming the project, his love of Batman: Year One, and what could have been vs. what we got. How did Joel’s love of comic books lead to the most colorful depiction of Gotham to date? We also go see what’s At The Movies At The Time, looking at Gene Siskel’s surprising fondness for the film and his interest in Batman’s “fetishistic” side, and we Get Physical with a glowing review of a 4K UHD that almost literally knocked our blocks off. It’s a passionate episode that discusses binaries, dichotomies, our own frustration with Joel Schumacher and this movie’s reputation, and is almost as big as Alfred’s Large Hamburger.
Intro & Outro Music – “Wardrobe MalfunKtion” produced by Danya Vodovoz – https://danyavodovoz.bandcamp.com/track/wardrobe-malfunktion – Royalty-Free Music
What do Governor Tim Walz, Sir Mix-A-Lot, and Electric Six have in common? The answer may surprise you! Our Joel Schumacher arc continues as we dissect his oft-misunderstood thriller classic Falling Down, a story of two disillusioned men and one hot day. We break down the rumors surrounding the picture’s production and the two cultural events that perfectly date the movie, have a chat about how critics incorrectly saw William Foster as the hero or as someone to root for, and affirm that this movie truly understood the 90s in ways many other movies didn’t by virtue of daring to be brown, brown, brown. It’s a shockingly-salient social commentary that risks its message being lost by people who don’t want to hear it.
Intro & Outro Music – “Wardrobe MalfunKtion” produced by Danya Vodovoz – https://danyavodovoz.bandcamp.com/track/wardrobe-malfunktion – Royalty-Free Music.
You’re dead meat! We dive into the history of one of our favorite movies, Joel Schumacher’s cool and stylish story about teenage vampires. If someone asked you to jump off a bridge, would you? First, we correct some misinformation about the song 1985 in a long digression, and then we get to the meat. The Dead Meat. From the Murder Capital Of The World and a real life murder outside of Joel’s hotel, to the DNA of exploitation and biker movies that formed the coolest 80s movie ever, to the homoerotic symbolism of drinking bodily fluids, this episode has it all!
Intro & Outro Music – “Wardrobe MalfunKtion” produced by Danya Vodovoz – https://danyavodovoz.bandcamp.com/track/wardrobe-malfunktion – Royalty-Free Music.
Our new arc begins! Controversial queer director Joel Schumacher bursts onto the scene, writing and directing a movie namedropped in a Bowling For Soup song. Critics hated it! The actors loved it! What did we think? Well, we start with the history of how Joel went from fashion designer to Hollywood director, and then we talk about what Siskel & Ebert felt about the movie at the time. After that, it’s time to Get Physical and discuss the Blu-Ray release before launching into our in-depth breakdown and thoughts, talking about what the movie got right, where the movie let us down, and why the best character is Judith. Plus: what if there was a John Hughes vs. Joel Schumacher fighting game? Joel vs. John: Fate of Two Worlds, coming soon!
Intro & Outro Music – “Wardrobe MalfunKtion” produced by Danya Vodovoz – https://danyavodovoz.bandcamp.com/track/wardrobe-malfunktion – Royalty-Free Music.
In the conclusion to our Chris Farley arc, we look at Christopher Guest’s pioneering adventure Almost Heroes, released after Farley’s death. It’s a notable box office bomb, so let’s break down what did or didn’t work about it and talk about some fake bears! We also go through the last days of Chris’s life, his impact, and the wild history of Almost Heroes and the movie it could have been if they had just cut it differently. We also discuss the lost Chris Farley roles, a mysterious movie called The Gelfin, and what all of Chris’s films had in common. #FindSorbus
Intro & Outro Music – “Wardrobe MalfunKtion” produced by Danya Vodovoz – https://danyavodovoz.bandcamp.com/track/wardrobe-malfunktion – Royalty-Free Music.
The story of Chris Farley continues. After the disappointing-to-all-involved Black Sheep, his at-the-time-reviled kung fu kid’s movie is next on the docket. We talk about the 90s’ love of ninjas & our love of Robin Shou, Chris Rock’s opinion on the movie, and what really makes Chris Farley work – and our surprisingly-positive opinion of this film. We also address the hardest-hitting questions, such as why people think ninjas aren’t cool anymore, and whether the Beverly Hills Ninja could defeat the New York Ninja. Is this really Christian Bale’s favorite film? Kind of! We discuss that too!
Intro & Outro Music – “Wardrobe MalfunKtion” produced by Danya Vodovoz – https://danyavodovoz.bandcamp.com/track/wardrobe-malfunktion – Royalty-Free Music.
Continuing the story of Chris Farley, we move from Midwest classic Tommy Boy to Penelope Spheeris’s Black Sheep. We dive into its troubled production and dissect how Farley was used in this film, as well as go on tangents about how much – or little – this movie had to say about the political process, as well as the one thing that could have saved this movie from the get-go. Can this comedy, which was written in a week, win our vote? Also featuring the debut of two new segments – At The Movies At The Time, and Let’s Get Physical.
Intro & Outro Music – “Wardrobe MalfunKtion” produced by Danya Vodovoz – https://danyavodovoz.bandcamp.com/track/wardrobe-malfunktion – Royalty-Free Music.
In our first official episode of Role Credits, we start our arc with a deep dive into the history of Chris Farley, his time on SNL, and his first film, Peter Segal’s Tommy Boy. Mandy uses multiple sources to piece together his career trajectory going into the making of this movie, talks about growing up in Wisconsin where Tommy Boy was an institution, and breaks down the themes of family and melancholy present in the film. Then we talk about how funny it is. We dedicate this podcast to the Midwesterners, because that’s what we are, and that’s who we care about.
Intro & Outro Music – “Wardrobe MalfunKtion” produced by Danya Vodovoz – https://danyavodovoz.bandcamp.com/track/wardrobe-malfunktion – Royalty-Free Music.
In this pilot episode of Role Credits, Erin & Mandy break down WWE Studios’ See No Evil, starring the pro wrestling character Kane playing the slasher movie character Jacob Goodnight. We discuss the in-character history of Kane and the context behind the movie, because they’re a lot more interlinked than one would expect. Where were you on May 19th? Contains full spoilers for See No Evil.
Intro & Outro Music – “Wardrobe MalfunKtion” produced by Danya Vodovoz – https://danyavodovoz.bandcamp.com/track/wardrobe-malfunktion – Royalty-Free Music.