July 13, 2017
EP. 1 — Raiders of the Lost Ark
It’s Steven Spielberg month on Cracked Movie Club! Back in the 1980s, everything George Lucas touched turned to gold (and action figures). As the newly crowned Prince of Hollywood, he had the power to make any movie he wanted. And the movie he wanted to make was… Indiana Smith, a treasure-hunting adventurer created as an homage to early Hollywood film serials like Zorro and Flash Gordon. Rather than direct the movie himself, Lucas went to his friend and fellow filmmaker Steven Spielberg and talked him into making it, leaving Lucas free to kick back and share creative input from safely behind his beard while Spielberg put it all together to form something that could sell tickets (and action figures). 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark introduced the world to the strategically renamed hero Indiana Jones, kicking off a franchise that managed to last 27 years before completely embarrassing itself, which is almost certainly some kind of record.
On this inaugural episode of Cracked Movie Club, hosts Tom Reimann and Abe Epperson are joined by comedian Daniel Van Kirk as they discuss how poisonous snakes, punishing desert sands, an outbreak of what can only be considered a modern plague, and a grown man pooping his pants all came together to create Raiders of the Lost Ark. Along the way, they question whether Jones was ultimately a better name than Smith, the logistics of maintaining a puzzle tomb in the middle of a jungle, and whether a certain Disney prince made a depressing cameo appearance.
This episode is brought to you by Phil (www.phil.us/CLUB).
Recent Episodes
November 30, 2017
EP. 22 — Uncle Buck
Guest David Bell Jamie Loftus
John Hughes month concludes on Cracked Movie Club! By 1989, John Hughes was closing out a decade of wild success with teen comedies and had been steadily branching out into more adult-oriented fare, most of which starred John Candy. Hughes kept that train rolling with Uncle Buck, starring Candy as the titular uncle who has to care for his brother’s kids after a family tragedy. Out of the surprisingly few films of which Candy was the star, Uncle Buck was the most successful, and its production inspired John Hughes to create Home Alone, which isn’t bad for a movie most of you probably haven’t seen.
On this week’s episode, Tom is joined by Cracked’s David Bell and The Bechdel Cast’s Jamie Loftus as they discuss how the movie was almost not filmed in Hughes’ home state of Illinois, whether or not Uncle Buck is in the mob, and why every teen in Winnetka is goth.
November 23, 2017
EP. 21 — Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Guest Matt Braunger Michael Swaim
John Hughes month continues on Cracked Movie Club! There’s no better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than by watching John Hughes’ 1987 film Planes, Train and Automobiles, his first adult-centered feature after a string of teen angst hits. Although not a big hit when it was released, the movie has gone on to be arguably Hughes’ best liked film, as well as one of the best liked films of its two stars, Steve Martin and John Candy (Candy’s terrible mustache notwithstanding).
On this week’s episode, Tom is joined by Cracked’s Michael Swaim and comedian Matt Braunger as they discuss how John Hughes’ classic road trip movie became an unspoken classic, how the film’s stars managed to perform a near 200 page screenplay without committing any major felonies, and whether or not John Candy’s character is actually a vampire.
November 16, 2017
EP. 20 — Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Guest Alex Schmidt
John Hughes month continues on Cracked Movie Club! In 1986, John Hughes was on a roll that had suddenly transformed him from a screenwriter of adult-oriented comedies to the king of teen angst movies. He kept that train rolling with Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, a movie he pitched and wrote in a week about a high school senior who skips school for the day and takes his girlfriend and his wet blanket best friend on a series of hijinks through Chicago. Meanwhile, they are pursued by the villainous Principal Rooney, who is played by a real-life child predator, which ups the stakes somewhat.
On this week’s episode, Tom is joined by Cracked’s Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin as they discuss Hughes’ incredible ability to churn out quality films in such a short period of time, the unexpectedly brilliant casting of a 29 year old man to play Ferris’ put-upon best friend Cameron, and whether or not Ferris is a figment of Cameron’s imagination or is perhaps God Himself.