Four-color Film Podcast

Lacey Day joins us for the second week in a row, for a movie she actually likes this time, as we delve in to 1995's cult classic, Tank Girl. Lori Petty stars in the titular role, with support from Naomi Watts as Jet Girl and Ice-T as the leader of the Rippers. Malcolm McDowell once again fulfills his life's purpose and plays the villain. The movie is largely enjoyed, even though Allen hates both post-apocalyptic movies, and movies that think Earth is ever going to run out of water. Because of this viewing, Steven finally feels like he better understands girls we went to high school with. Ten years too late.Also on this episode: Allen hates Todd McFarlane, Steven has a terrible impersonation of Malcolm McDowell and won't stop doing it, Lacey Day doesn't have a favorite Nightmare On Elm Street movie, the current lack of respect for Gwen Stefani is dissected, and to Lacey Day's chagrin, Allen and Steven won't stop singing Bush songs.Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: facebook.com/four

Joined once again by Lacey Day, we take on the 1994's Jim Carrey vehicle, The Mask. Based off the Dark Horse Comics property and developed by Dark Horse Entertainment, The Mask deviates strongly from its violent source material and becomes a kid-friendly, living cartoon. Bolstering the rising career of Jim Carrey and launching the career of Cameron Diaz, the film was both wildly successful (being the second highest-grossing comic book film of all time, behind only Batman) and critically well received.In this episode, we establish that 2016 Stanley Ipkiss would be a Men's Rights Activist, we all love 90's tropes except for pollution jokes, Allen hates sports radio, but loves when dogs wear things on their heads, Steven hates Ben Stein, and Lacey Day thinks Cameron Diaz is a babe.Ipkiss our asses.Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: facebook.com/fourcolorfilmWebsite: fourcolorfilm.com 

July 1, 1994Imagine, if you will, a time when the world was demanding that Alec Baldwin wear terrible prosthetics under a bandana. When children clamored for a pulp hero that barely made it out of the 40's. And imagine if you will, an entire film based around a hero with no discernible good qualities. (Though we're still really into that last one if the box office returns for the latest Zack Snyder picture is any indicator.) This was the age of The Shadow. And by age, I mean probably a week.This movie is boring. It might be racist. That dagger is stupid. Boom. The end. This episode is okay.Also in the episode: Allen apologizes for having seen 3 Doors Down live. Tim Curry's musical career is praised. And of course Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice is discussed in the parts where NO ONE IN THIS MOVIE IS FUCKING DOING ANYTHING.Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: facebook.com/fourcolorfilmWebsite: fourcolorfilm.com 

This week, we deep dive into the murky world of Alex Proyas' 1994 adaptation of The Crow, starring Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson, and Jon Polito. Hosts Allen Christian and Steven Granger are joined by the returning Gerald James and brand new guest Alan Hardy Jr., as they share their expertise on the film with our comparatively ignorant hosts. This episode might present our deepest dissection of an film to date, yet we still manage to talk about a hundred other things. Marvel as Steven asks our guests questions, wonder as Allen's only offered opinion is a dislike for the shape of Brandon Lee's face, and stand in awe of the lament of aging goths.Also in this episode: The unavoidable conversation on WCW mainstay, Sting. Gerald doesn't know what timeless means. Paul W.S. Anderson is given shit. 90's soundtracks are discussed at disgusting length.Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: facebook.com/fourcolorfilmWebsite: fourcolorfilm.com

1993's Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm is the first animated film we tackle on this odyssey. From the creators of Batman: The Animated Series, the film stars Kevin Conroy as Batman, Mark Hamill as The Joker, Abe Vigoda as crime boss Salvatore Valestra, and Dana Delany as Andrea Beaumont. Phantasm is arguably the best Batman film of the 90's, and certainly one we hold a lot of affection for. Hosts Allen Christian and Steven Granger are once again joined by Bat-friend Gerald James as they tackle this quick trip through the world of Bruce Timm's Gotham City.Also in this episode, ill-fated trips to Atlanta, and terrible dates to Christian-themed haunted houses.Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: facebook.com/fourcolorfilmWebsite: fourcolorfilm.com

It's 1993. It's a dark and desolate time. Everyone is sitting at home. No one wants to do anything. Alice In Chains is still a relevant band. Then, like a flash of light reflected off the bottom of a Pepsi can, we were gifted with time-traveling turtles. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (now retroactively subtitled "Turtles In Time") is a horrible waste of everyone's time. Even still, we manage to stay on topic somehow. Hosts Allen Christian and Steven Granger are joined by the oft-mentioned Lacey Day, who didn't actually watch the movie before the commentary, yet still managed to grasp the plot better than the boys.Also in this episode, Casey Jones fronts Creed, Steven has to reminds Allen that this movie isn't a historical document, Allen really likes ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary Bad Boys, documenting the rise and fall of the Detroit Pistons, no one understands when anyone is making a joke, and Lacey Day has her heart touched. Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: facebook.com/fourc

The boys go back to the Batcave with returning guest Gerald James for Tim Burton's true take on the Dark Knight in 1992's Batman Returns. Host Steven Granger loves this movie, host Allen Christian has conflicting feelings, and guest Gerald James really just doesn't like it at all. A roller coaster ride of emotion occurs throughout the runtime of the film. Every moment is dissected as we actually stay completely on topic for the entire episode. Elfman's score is praised and we discover Gerald's goth roots in Siouxsie & The Banshees' "Face To Face".Also in this episode, Steven defends his right to enjoy Grease 2, Allen and Gerald argue about whether or not Joss Whedon sucks, and Gerald is absolutely baffled by Allen and Steven's love for "Kiss From A Rose".Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: facebook.com/fourcolorfilmWebsite: fourcolorfilm.com

This week we dive into the world of Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer in the 1991 film directed by Joe Johnston. Starring Bill Campbell as the spitting image of Cliff Secord, a young stunt pilot in the late 1930's, taking on the villainous Nazi spy, Neville Sinclair, charmingly portrayed by Allen's second favorite James Bond, Mr. Timothy Dalton. The film is as family-friendly as it could be, but without once talking down to its audience and never once slipping into being stupid or silly. Also in this episode, we hate the radio and love Jennifer Connelly.Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: facebook.com/fourcolorfilmWebsite: fourcolorfilm.com

This week, hosts Allen Christian and Steven Granger spend most of the runtime of the film talking about entertainment in the 90's while realizing they're too old for this movie. Production-wise, Secret of the Ooze is leaps-and-bounds ahead of its predecessor, but at the same time fully succumbs to the cartooniness of the popular animated series. Divorced from the nostalgia, everything here is bad, but everything here is still a lot of fun.Also on this episode, this movie and Vanilla Ice are accused of killing an entire cultural movement, Kevin Nash won't put anyone over, Big Daddy's gonna take Cool of you, and we remember when NBC were winners.Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: facebook.com/fourcolorfilmWebsite: fourcolorfilm.com

Hosts Allen Christian and Steven Granger truly suffer for this endeavor when they dredge the depths of the superhero genre and crack open a fresh Blu-ray of 21st Century Film's Captain America movie. Our second crossing with the infamous Menahem Golan, and thankfully our last, Captain America drives home everything that was wrong with his idea of hasty, cheap filmmaking. Starring Matt Salinger, this movie is a tidal wave of boring, and we emphatically discourage you from wasting your time.Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: facebook.com/fourcolorfilmWebsite: fourcolorfilm.com 

It's 1990, and Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy, starring Beatty, Al Pacino, and Madonna, is the order of the week. Set inside a comic strip Chicago in 1938, the film is full of your typical gangster film tropes, but never slips into the despair of cliche. Beautifully designed, well shot, well acted, and passably written, Warren Beatty's pet project manages to be one of the few films to actually capture the look and feel of a comic strip. Also in this episode, James Caan gets shade, the Spider-Man newspaper strip gets all the hate it deserves and the Peanuts get praised as we realize our city's paper just wasn't cool enough to get a Dick Tracy syndicated strip, and a rabbit hole is tripped down in an attempt to research a Dick Tracy porn parody.Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: facebook.com/fourcolorfilmWebsite: fourcolorfilm.com 

New York's most severe crime wave in decades consists of petty theft, and the boosting of electronics on a level that Vin Diesel might refer to as "excessive." Hosts Allen Christian and Steven Granger take you through the grainy and poorly lit world of 1990's independently produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Details of the production are largely ignored as the guys get sort of nostalgic for the movie, but mostly try to puzzle out why many adults claim they still like this beyond just nostalgia.Also in this episode, Allen struggles to stay awake, Sam Rockwell is compared to every white trash guy that smoked cigarettes behind the art building at our high school, v-necks with three necklaces are revealed to be the height of fashion, and Casey Jones needs a shower.Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: facebook.com/fourcolorfilmWebsite: fourcolorfilm.com

Hosts Allen Christian and Steven Granger put on their skull shirts, because somebody here has to, and dive into the gritty world of 1989's The Punisher, starring Dolph Lundgren. With a baffling distribution model, this movie never saw the dark of a theater in the US, but has still managed to be noteworthy enough as to be unavoidable in our run. Heralded as boring and cliche, this odd Dolph Lundgren vehicle is surprisingly entertaining. Cliche and true to many genre tropes of 80's exploitation cinema, it still manages to make good use of its violence. And somewhere under everyone except Louis Gossett, Jr.'s bad acting, Boaz Yakin seems to have written a solid script. Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: facebook.com/fourcolorfilmWebsite: fourcolorfilm.com

Another long one, deservedly so, as the boys welcome special guest Gerald James to discuss the cultural phenomenon that was Tim Burton's Batman (colloquially known as Batman '89), the film that really started Batmania, and the guys try their best to figure out why. One of the absolute cornerstones of superhero cinema, Batman '89 may not fully withstand the test of time, but it's place in our cultural lexicon is undeniable, and we're certainly not short on opinion on the subject.Also on this episode, Prince is outed as the real reason for the film's success, Kim Basinger is outed as a tiny-face and not a star of this film, and the subject at hand is actually discussed the entire duration of the episode.Suggested Reading: The Boy Who Loved Batman: A Memoir by Michael Uslan Download Link (Right Click and Save File)Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: facebook.com/fourcolorfilmWebsite: fourcolorfilm.com

1989's much maligned The Return Of Swamp Thing was an unknown element, but quickly became a favorite. With no irony, this odd sequel is one of the best things to come out of this run. The boys felt like kids in a candy shop. Or like the kids in this movie, without nearly as much sass or wit.Email: fourcolorfilm@gmail.comTwitter: @fourcolorfilmFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/fourcolorfilm 

The boys breathe a sigh of relief as the era of the Christopher Reeve Superman franchise comes to a close. Cannon Group's Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (as it would be unfair to assign the blame to director Sidney J. Furie) sees a massive decline in quality, but has far more redeeming features than most remember. To say that this film falls short would be an understatement, and to cut it slack would be a sin, but the nail in the franchise's coffin may not be quite as bad as the world remembers.Also on this episode: Allen barely remember's the John Candy film Delirious, but tries to explain it anyway; Steven doesn't mention wrestling once.Email: FourColorFilm@gmail.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/fourcolorfilmTwitter: @fourcolorfilm 

Going backwards, Allen Christian and Steven Granger hit on 1982's Conan The Barbarian, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Earl Jones, and directed by John Milius. With this episode, the boys celebrate Christmas, ramble about cable programming in the 90's, talk about why the winter is the best time to enjoy sci-fi and fantasy, delve into their experience with Star Wars: The Force Awakens (complete with spoilers), try to quote the muted movie, and discuss their personal Christmas traditions, like watching this film.

Our heroes tackle 1986's Howard The Duck. It isn't good. Interspecies relationships make everyone uncomfortable, everyone tries to avoid thinking about Mr. Rooney's real life indiscretions, and lament the context in which Lea Thompson's panties are placed.

This week's episode finds the guys dealing with 1984's much-maligned Supergirl. While this spin-off certainly does not deserve to be the lowest rated entry into the Super series, it doesn't quite work either. Brace yourselves for a conversation as meandering as this film, as hosts Allen Christian and Steven Granger question the moral fortitude of a Jimmy Olsen who dates high schoolers, compare the late-great Peter O'Toole to the late-great pro-wrestling legend, The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes, and lament the lack of Dio in this film's soundtrack.

Two men have never been so defeated by a film about a flying man in tights. Allen Christian and Steven Granger do their best to slog through the runtime of 1983's Superman III, directed by Richard Lester and Starring Richard Pryor. Christopher Reeve's third outing as the Man of Steel sees a significant decline in quality in both production and writing. The boys try their best to be positive and do what they can to stay awake, but mortal men can only take so much.