A Humanistic Pairing: Harrison Ford & Peter Weir (Witness and The Mosquito Coast) 

Join me as we close out our Harrison Ford Tribute (tribute?) with a look at two exceptional Ford performances (one of which is his only Oscar nomination), 1985s Witness and 1986s The Mosquito Coast.  In the first film a seemingly typical Ford character, Philadelphia Detective John Book finds himself protecting a young Amish boy (Lukas Haas) and his mother (Kelly McGillis) in an Amish community completely unfamiliar to him. What could easily be a routine and obvious storyline is allowed to find itself and evolve into more than your standard police procedural. Director Peter Weir (in his first American production after great success in Australia - Picnic at Hanging Rock and Gallipoli) delivers a gripping and emotionally powerful narrative. The following year would find Weir and Ford continuing their collaboration with The Mosquito Coast (from the novel by Paul Theroux with a screenplay from Paul Schrader). In a performance unlike anything else in his filmography, Ford portrays Allie Fox an inventor, father of four, and deeply dissapointed member of American society. Disgusted with the hypocrisy, laziness, and greed of America, Fox moves his family to the jungles of Panama in an egotistical effort to control his (and his family's) present and future. Take a listen to this solo episode. It's a fun time. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com

If you've listened to us over the years, or if you're new to the podcast, and you'd like to support us you can click on the link below and donate to this long-running labor of love. Simply click on the link below and go to the Buy Me a Coffee website. Anything and Everything is Appreciated.

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Indiana Jones: The Making of a Hero 

This week Ibrahim & I continue to look at the world of Indiana Jones, first profiled in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and continued with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), and Indiana Jones and Dial of Destiny (2023). On this episode Mr. Chavez & I focus on the middle three films. There has been a great deal written and discussed about all of the films in this series. Why should Ibrahim and I be any different? From the thrills and ridiculousness of so much of these films thru the politics, controversies, and tropes of the adventure genre (including racism, colonialism, and the White Saviour) we approach all of this with an awareness that acknowledges these facts while simulataneously loving and embracing the excitement of the action and the nobility of the Jones character. It's a fun conversation; we hope you enjoy it. Thanks for your continued love and support. 

Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com 

If you've listened to us over the years, or if you're new to the podcast, and you'd like to support us you can click on the link below and donate to this long-running labor of love. Simply click on the link below and go to the Buy Me a Coffee website. Anything and Everything is Appreciated.

https://bmc.link/watchrickramos

Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark

This week Mr. Chavez & I continue our look at one of the great cinematic heroes, The George Lucas/Steven Spielberg imagined, Harrison Ford realized Indiana Jones. For over forty years, five films (as well as novelizations, comic books, and a television show - which we will not be getting into) and countless adventures searching for historical, religious, and cultural artifacts, Jones has amazed and thrilled countless audiences. This week Ibrahim & I go back to the beginning . . . 1981s Raiders of the Lost Ark. There's a whole lot to unpack. Take a listen as we head down memory lane with an old friend. 

Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Our Continued Thanks.

If you've listened to us over the years, or if you're new to the podcast, and you'd like to support us you can click on the link below and donate to this long-running labor of love. Simply click on the link below and go to the Buy Me a Coffee website. Anything and Everything is Appreciated.

https://bmc.link/watchrickramos

Yesterday Belongs to Us:

Indiana Jones & The Dial of Destiny 

This week Mr. Chavez & I welcome the return of Henry Walton Jones, Jr. better known as "Indiana" Jones. Fifteen years since Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and 34 years since The Last Crusade, Jones (the 80 years old Harrison Ford) is back in - possibly - his greatest role. James Mangold (Walk the Line and Logan) takes over directing duties from Steven Spielberg and delivers a rousing, exciting, and emotionally satisfying conclusion to one of the greatest heroes in all of cinema. Ibrahim & I discuss the film (all aspects and spoilers noted) as well as internet controversies (box-office and "wokeness") that are plaguing the film in it's first weekend in theaters. There's a great deal here to unwrap as we begin a three episode series that covers the entirety of the "Indiana" Jones story (minus the television show). 

Questions Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. We appreciate your continued support. 

If you've listened to us over the years, or if you're new to the podcast, and you'd like to support us you can click on the link below and donate to this long-running labor of love. Simply click on the link below and go to the Buy Me a Coffee website. Anything and Everything is Appreciated.

https://bmc.link/watchrickramos

Hidden in the Mind: Ken Russell's Altered States 

This week Mr. Chavez and I continue our exploration of mind-altering narratives with a look at Ken Russell's 1980 Hollywood debut, Altered States. While not a completely successful film, there are elements here that force the audience to look deeper into the subject of sensory deprivation, isolation tanks, hallucinogenic drugs and the controversial work of counterculture  scientist, John C. Lilly. Perhaps a victim of 1980s cinematic limitations, Russell's film (from a screenplay by noted playwright and screenwriter, Paddy Chayefksy) touches on a number of interesting factors without being able to successfully depict them on screen. As always, it's an interesting conversation between the two of us, and one that we believe you will enjoy. There's quite a bit to unpack in this episode. We hope you'll join us. Questions, Comments, Complaints, and Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks. 

If you've listened to us over the years, or if you're new to the podcast, and you'd like to support us you can click on the link below and donate to this long-running labor of love. Simply click on the link below and go to the Buy Me a Coffee website. Anything and Everything is Appreciated.

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos

The Suffering in Between:

Adrian Lyne's Jacob's Ladder

This week Ibrahim & I continue looking into the world of challenging and painful cinema. In 1990 Adrian Lyne directed Bruce Joel Rubin's  screenplay (considered one of the great unfilmed screenplays for the ten years before the production) of Jacob's Ladder (Rubin would also write that year's Ghost). Filled with troubling imagery and an arguably confusing narrative that rewards its viewers with a dark, pained, and powerful story, Lyne's film is one that failed at the box office, found a new life on home video and (it can be argued) led towards a darker cinema of the 1990s led by directors such as David Fincher, Paul Thomas Anderson, Darren Aaronofsky, and Christopher Nolan. Not an entirely successful film, but a film that was an early trumpeting of things to come. Take a listen and let us know what you think. Questions, Comments, Complaints, and Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks. 

If you've listened to us over the years, or if you're new to the podcast, and you'd like to support us you can click on the link below and donate to this long-running labor of love. Simply click on the link below and go to the Buy Me a Coffee website. Anything and Everything is Appreciated. 

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos

Tokyo Book of the Dead: Gaspar Noé's Enter the Void 

This week Mr. Chavez and I examine the work of a controversial and polarizing director, Gaspar Noé. Noé made headlines in the early 2000s with Irreversible, a film that continues to upset audiences and challenges filmmaking conventions. With Enter the Void (2009), Noé doubled down and created a film that divided critics calling it both "captivating and innovative" and "tedious and puerile." The argument continues on this week's episode. Watch the film, listen, and agree or disagree. We'd love to hear from you at gondoramos@yahoo.com 

If you've listened to us over the years, or if you're new to the podcast, and you'd like to support us you can click on the link below and donate to this long-running labor of love. Simply click on the link below and go to the Buy Me a Coffee website. Anything and Everything is Appreciated. 

https://bmc.link/watchrickramos

A Little Girl's Dream:  Terry Gilliam's Tideland

Troubled throughout his career for circumstances - oftentimes - beyond his control (inadequate budgets - Munchausen, studio interference - Brazil and The Brothers Grimm, flash floods - Quixote, and death - Parnassus), Terry Gilliam has somehow been able to create some of the most incredible images ever committed to the big screen. From the great adventures of Baron Munchausen through an abandoned Philadelphia future overrun by wild animals, into an acid trip vision of 1970s Las Vegas, Gilliam is responsible for creating magic on screen that can only be described by his own adjective - Gilliamesque. With his 2005 look into the life of a nine-year old girl, Jelizah-Rose (Jodelle Ferland), orphaned and left to survive in an abandoned home on the Texas plains, Gilliam began a strange and interesting late career struggle for understanding. The films definitely changed. Pulling strongly from Lewis Carrol's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, at 64 Gilliam created one of the most difficult and polarizing films of his career. (According to Gilliam, fellow Python, Michael Palin, called the film - either the greatest thing he has ever done, or the worst.) The fact is that polarizing and difficult films are the films that need to be looked at, examined, and talked about. That's all we're really trying to do with this (and every one of our) episode(s). Take a listen and let us know what you think. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com

Special Note: We're trying something new in this episode. If you've listened to us over the years, or if you're new to the podcast, and you'd like to support us you can click on the link below and donate to this long-running labor of love. Simply click on the link below and go to the Buy Me a Coffee website. Anything and Everything is Appreciated. 

https://bmc.link/watchrickramos

Anti-Sci-Fi: Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris 

This week Ibrahim & I sit down to discuss a film widely-heralded as a masterpiece of Science Fiction Cinema, Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris. In previous episodes, Ibrahim and I have discussed the brilliance of Tarkovsky's Mirror and Stalker. Here we struggle to understand and critique a film (widely recognized as brilliant) that simply doesn't come together for the two of us.

What is Sci-Fi? Aside of basic story elements, can Tarkovsky's film be considered a true Sci-Fi? This week we discuss this point as well as the role of an entire filmography in terms of understanding and evaluating a filmmaker's career. 

Take a listen and let us know what you think. It's definitely an interesting conversation. Questions, Comments, Complaints, and Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks for Your Continued Love and Support. 

Way of Nature, Way of Grace: Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life 

One of the greatest films ever commited to celluloid . . . Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life. This is simply the greatest film about childhood; beautifully photographed, honestly acted, and briliantly realized, Malick is a true visionary whose five films up to this point (2011) are all considered spiritual, poetic, and beautiful. The Tree of Life  is (arguably) a masterpiece that has polarized audiences - some enchanted by the poetic beauty of its images, others put-off by what is considered pretentiousness and a lack of narrative focus. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but simply putting aside a certain expectation of "typical" narrative films, provides a rewarding and life-changing (at least the cinematic equivalent) experience. Take a listen as Mr. Chavez and I dig deeply into this wondrous film-watching experience. 

Questions, Comments, Complaints, and Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks for the Continued Love & Support.