The Warped Ones
“The Warped Ones (1960)”
In this episode we started to do a series on Japanese New Wave movies, as Basil was writing a long paper on them for film school. But then we abandoned it immediately, as this is the only one in the series.
These early episodes are not available on Apple Podcasts anymore, so I’ve taken the liberty for anyone who wants to listen of making sure the archive.org links still work. You can listen right here on the website or download the MP3 below.
Original Release Date: April 11th, 2014
Episode Timeline:
00:00-00:50 We are Podcasting Sisyphus
00:50-01:25 Reuben can’t pronounce the director’s name
01:25-03:00 Meet our (varyingly nasal) voices!
03:00-09:00 Liked It (Patrick, Basil), Disliked It (Reuben, Ilya)
09:00-09:40 Reuben wants to murder Akira
09:40-12:30 Patrick is wrapped up in Akira’s awfulness
12:30-14:00 This movie does have one (magical) black character
14:00-14:45 Fights are for people who can’t appreciate jazz
14:45-17:00 Warped Ones & PT Anderson
17:00-18:10 Warped Ones & Japanese Cinema History
18:10-19:40 Reuben’s Sun-Crazed Kryptonians Theory
19:40-23:20 Reckoning with historic trauma through accusatory, fucked-up characters
23:20-24:50 Nobody has written anything about this movie (jk)
24:50-25:45 Donald Richie – The One Man Wrecking Crew of Japanese Film Criticism
25:45-29:15 Basil – our Donald Richie
29:15-31:45 Every country on earth has a New Wave ‘cept the U! S! A!
31:45-34:05 This movie has really dumb opinions on modern art
34:05-37:40 Akira is crazy vs. Akira is boring
37:40-40:20 Doing whatever you want without consequence? Not that wild!
40:20-42:50 “Rebuilding is pointless and everything is the worst” – Japan
42:50-43:50 Akira did just get out of prison, for what it’s worth
43:50-44:30 Patrick feels bad for the happy couple
44:30-46:20 Wait, what happy couple?
46:20-48:00 The Kryptonians may just want the same things everyone else wants
48:00-50:00 That really doesn’t work out well for them, though
50:00-52:30 “We really need to talk about the past but we just won’t” - Japan
52:30-54:10 Erasing the past in A Town of Love and Hope
54:10-55:10 Most (movies about) young people are boring
55:10-58:30 Assuming audience awareness and the movie’s setting vacuum
58:30-01:00:30 Patrick was with the movie all the way
01:00:30-01:03:00 Ilya liked the phrenology scene and what it says about acting
01:03:00-01:06:00 Making fun of character psychology
01:06:00-01:07:15 Mona Lisa needs a mustache
01:07:15-01:09:45 Reuben thinks Kids had better things to say on similar subjects
01:09:45-01:10:50 Basil wasn’t bored cause the movie moves quickly
01:10:50-01:11:20 Nobody’s really a good person in this movie
01:11:30-01:12:15 Except for Gill, the magical black guy
01:12:15-01:13:50 Akira’s (and everyone’s) dream: swim off into the sunset with a black person
01:13:50-01:15:00 RIP Pimp C
01:15:00-01:17:40 This podcast is as long as the movie!
01:17:40-01:18:57 Thanks for listening, everyone (Michael)!
