Nov 27, 2018
Hi everyone!
Welcome back to the podcast. Only one for the day, because it’s another Takeover Tuesday. I’ll be continuing my story from the wildfire evacuation and aftermath in a minute, but if you haven’t heard the earlier segments, hit pause, then go back to my review for “Outlaw King” (Episode #314) for the first segment, then listen every episode after that for another installment. Let me know you’re listening by sharing this episode with #WelcomeBackOMP.
Last segment we ended with finally getting back home, after what seemed like a drive that took forever to make. You could actually feel everyone unclench once the garage door went back down, and even though unpacking was a pain in the ass, we managed to take care of it. My daughter went up to her room to engage with her friends, some of which were still evacuated, or on their way home. My spouse did the same, and I just took a moment to let the stress of the last two days go. It was great to be home, and better yet, we had an Internet connection, so I posted the update to everyone that we were finally back, but would need a few more days to get things started. Or so we thought...
One of the folks who replied? Shane Hyde, today’s Takeover Tuesday guest, back with a review that I regrettably had to postpone with the wildfire evacuation. It was, of course, the least of his concerns when he reached out, and I appreciated his well wishes. Thanks for your patience, Shane, as we got things back up and running.
We’re welcoming him back this week, hopefully with a film he actually enjoys this time, and not another exercise in ruining his memories. His eyes have healed just in time, and you can still catch him on Twitter @lordkhadow, although he went back into lurking almost immediately after last time. Or did he? Only one way to find out!
And now, Shane’s secret Takeover Tuesday audition reel. Action!
Okay, can you give me a reason we should include you?
“I’m Shane Hyde and One Movie Punch is my favorite podcast on the Internet!”
All right. Flattery will get you everywhere. So, here’s a cue ca...
“Dang! We’re in a tight spot! One Movie Punch! Takeover Tuesday!”
Yes, well, that’s clever, but we have a cue card. Try this one.
“Takeover Tuesday. One Movie Punch. I thought you was a toad.”
All right, now try…
“One Movie Punch. Takeover Tuesday. I’m a Dapper Dan man!”
Yes, also clever, but not the cue card. Now, try this variation, reversing the first two bits, and let’s pluralize the last bit.
“One Movie Punch. Takeover Tuesday. We thought you was a toad!”
Perfect! Our new motto! Thank you!
One Movie Punch. Takeover Tuesday. We thought you was a toad!
Kia Ora
I’m Shane Hyde and I’m back for round two of Takeover Tuesday here on One Movie Punch. You can find One Movie Punch on all major platforms at onemoviepunch.com. Follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for One Movie Punch. I’m super excited for today’s film what with it being somewhat formative and informative of my own modern-day tastes and proclivities.
And so now...
“O Brother, Where Art Thou?” (2000) was one of them films that shoulda gone a lot further than it did, and it ended up going a lot further than it was, if you pardon that there figure of speech.
It ain’t no secret that it’s inspired from the epic historically based story of Homer’s ‘Odyssey’, interpreted loosely, and I must say loosely, for the screen by Ethan and Joel Coen.
“O Brother, Where Art Thou?” tells the heroic story of Everett (George Clooney) on a journey to escape the devil, fight a cyclops, outwit the Klan, and all pursuant to a tin of Dapper Dan.
Spoilers ahead.
I really want to try to summarize this film to make it easy to understand without spoiling it too much at all, because it does contain a few little twists and turns and things that are quite exciting to the viewer as they watch it. And... I really can’t. Everett (George Clooney) is a bit of a cad all the way through. He’s not an honest fellow. He leads Pete (John Turturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) to escape a chain gang and set out to recover this buried money from his previous life before he got struck off being a lawyer. And he knows that it’s going to be gone forever under a man-made lake. But he’s not really telling the truth here, is he? He’s leading them down the path, so to speak. So, when they do escape the chain gang, it begins with a quick prophecy on a handcart from an old blind man. It’s one of those parallels back to Homer’s “Odyssey”, and it ends up the prophecy being true enough, with Everett getting to his wife Penny (Holly Hunter) before she remarries another man who is most definitely bona fide.
This is a movie that you could recommend to everyone. Comedy... it has it. Men turning to frogs after being seduced by sirens wanting to turn them in for the bounty... it has that too. It has betrayal... check. It has John Goodman, which makes every movie awesome, and you can watch this movie with the whole dang family and they’ll all be tapping their feet to “Man of Constant Sorrow”, because who doesn’t love that song? And where I mentioned up front that it was loosely connected to The Odyssey, there are clear parallels, like the cows of Helios being machine-gunned from the car. There’s the battle with the Cyclops. This is John Goodman again stealing the scene again as Big Dan Teague. The sirens’ song seduces our boys, and much like after the Trojan War, everything has changed for our heroes by the end. And the world undergoes its own tumultuous change.
This is a rollicking good tale. It’s a road trip, it’s a comedy, and it’s even a musical. It’s fantastically fantastical and definitely quotable, and you can slip into it at any point, time and time again. You can put the soundtrack on repeat and sing along with definitely-not-George-Clooney in the car. And this review is timely, for the Coen Brothers have worked their magic again. “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” has made it to Netflix just recently. But I’m gonna leave Joe to review that one for you.
“O Brother, Where Art Thou?” (2000) is a fun film, an exciting road trip that’ll keep you glued and watching right up until the weirdly surreal final few scenes. Fans of musicals might enjoy this film, fans of comedy will get a laugh, and fans of period pieces will get a genuine kick. Movie buffs will find enough plot-holes to drive a bus through, so don’t think too much about the movie.
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% (CERTIFIED FRESH)
Metacritic: 69
One Movie Punch: 8.8/10
“O Brother, Where Art Thou?” (2000) is rated PG-13 and is available for rent or purchase wherever you enjoy movies.
Thanks for listening. This has been my second guest review. If you like what you heard, you can reach out to me on social media. I’m @lordkhadow on Twitter and on Facebook as Shane Hyde. You can subscribe to this daily podcast. I don’t have one myself, but I’m slowly turning it off. Check out onemoviepunch.com for more details. Peace out. Take care. Stay safe.