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Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkingtons On Cinema podcast

Started by RickyGerbail, November 26, 2011, 11:46:21 AM

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Big Mclargehuge

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on March 29, 2022, 12:18:48 AMI wasn't following along live, but it seems to be the most flawless Oscar Special yet from a technical standpoint. It's up in full on the site the next day, at least, which I don't think has ever happened before.

Watching it gives me anxiety knowing that they chose to do it outdoors on a hillside. That's asking for trouble - for starters, it's pissing it down with rain here, the day after!

the organisers mentioned on twitter that apparently the area they were filming in basically became a swimming pool literally 12 hours after the stream ended. so they were VERY grateful the planets all aligned.

QDRPHNC

#2761
Quote from: ImmaculateClump on March 28, 2022, 11:00:10 PMThere is, but you're probably not gonna like the hoop jumping.

Cheers for that, no problem with a one-time hoop.

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on March 29, 2022, 12:18:48 AMI wasn't following along live, but it seems to be the most flawless Oscar Special yet from a technical standpoint. It's up in full on the site the next day, at least, which I don't think has ever happened before.

You'd know a hell of a lot more than me about how these things get produced, but I thought last year's was their high watermark, with the two intersecting streams. Which I guess may not be a big deal from a technical point of view, but was weirdly thrilling to watch and (choppiness of the HEI stream aside) seemed to go off without a hitch.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: QDRPHNC on March 29, 2022, 01:07:02 PMYou'd know a hell of a lot more than me about how these things get produced, but I thought last year's was their high watermark, with the two intersecting streams. Which I guess may not be a big deal from a technical point of view, but was weirdly thrilling to watch and (choppiness of the HEI stream aside) seemed to go off without a hitch.

I might be getting my years mixed up, but I thought the stream kept going down and they had to hurriedly get it up on YouTube (which annoyed the people who'd paid for it), and I think they accidentally streamed some rehearsal footage or accidentally went live during some of the breaks. I'm almost certain this was last year's, because some of the accidental footage had Tim explaining to the actress playing Toni that the pastor(?) that was supposed to be on the show cancelled because she didn't want to take a COVID test. On top of that, it took ages for the replay to be uploaded.

This one, on the other hand, seems to have gone just fine, despite some of the production choices begging for disaster!

QDRPHNC

Oooh yeah, I remember all those problems now. That was really shitty about the rehearsal being uploaded, if I remember correctly it was done out of resentment at being asked to pay for something, despite the cast and fans asking for it to be removed.

EDIT: Although having looked at it again just now, the uploader has some unusual stuff on his channel.

ajsmith2

The highlight for me was Gregg's Wonka prequel, the idea a film about the bed ridden grandparents except slightly younger would have widespread appeal was brilliantly absurd. If Gregg was a Dr Who fan he would be writing for Big Finish.

QDRPHNC

Update from Tim:

QuoteI AM ALIVE AND HAVE NOTHING TO APOLOGIZE FOR

Thank you all for tuning in to the special Sunday. A wonderful time was had by all. Unfortunately, a group of terroristic naybors from the area decided it would be "funny" to terrorize us during the broadcast, of which I have a zero tolerance policy for.

I bravely stood up to these thugs and was injured badly in hand to hand combat. I will recover but many of my ribs had been shattered. I am now living IN EXILE away from my ranch with orders from the thugs to remain away or face more severe violence which is against the law yet I believe there is corrupt collusion between the terrist and the local authors.

LaRough who was a failure at his post in every way possible, tipped into a ditch and was taken to a hospital where he remains in serious condition doo to dehydration and being in the cold mud all night. All other members were evacuated safely in George Turkigton's dirty and exposed van, thanks to the cover I provided them.

Earlier mark Proch fell down the hell and broke his tailbone and his neck I think but will be fine. He is a fighter.

Thank you to Mr. Tomato for making this night possible!

You're Hei Points should be restored shortly.

BritishHobo


weaseldust

#2767
overall i really loved it, i thought there were so many great moments
Spoiler alert
it really tickled me when tim kept telling people they were 'on blast', such a goofy phrase
the laser pointers kept making me laugh too, especially for some reason the green one stuck to the side of gregg's head for ages

also as already mentioned gregg's wonkaland finale and tim's disappointment in it. the way tim suddenly comes out with this kind of childish 'i wanna see chocolate and oomba loombas!'
and this exchange:
gregg: well charlie isn't even born yet because it's a prequel
tim: so why are they so old?
gregg: (almost breaks) ...well they're younger...than they were

and how larue doesn't really react or seem to understand when he's messed something up, he nods his head and says 'right' but it doesn't totally get through, he's just so useless

edit: oh shit i don't want to just quote every funny line but i just remembered after the toni debacle when tim storms off and says 'the fuck are you looking at?' to scooby doo. i don't know how the other actors didn't corpse at that
[close]

Chollis

Spoiler alert
Thought it was a mixed bag, agree broadly with the comments about it lacking structure, and Gregg's bits not being good as previous years. Also some good bits (Toni's tape) not being followed through as much as they could've been. Hoped we might get a bit more revelation there with Tim finding out they all bitch about him. WC-Fielderman and Mark lying face down in the dirt after the most innocuous fall, which we later find out shattered his collarbone was a great bit, but I just missed seeing more of Mark. Strong start though with that, Tim ranting and swearing at "Mr. Money" Joe Estevez and then the HEI Ranch "tour". Chuckling all the way through shit-water - "bit of a smell to it too huh?" "Yeah, it smells like shit". i'm finding LaRoux's ongoing uselessness increasingly funny. Tim smashing up Gregg's tapes with the baseball bat got a big laugh too, a timeless bit.

Was expecting a twist or a bit more pay-off at the end there, didn't Tim say "oh, it's you" like he recognised the assailants? I'd assumed the laser pens and dude on the quad bike was Matt Newman and friends but sounds like it's some unknown neighbors - i guess we'll learn more next season. not sure who put the t-shirt in the generator either!
[close]

PeasOnSticks

Spoiler alert
I thought this didn't work as well as previous specials. The last three years have all followed the same pattern of building to a dark climax and shooting for pathos, but it's starting to feel a bit formulaic now, even forced. The first year they did it (the wedding) it worked best as there was more of a shock element to it. The idea of creeping terror on the ranch was a good one, but I just don't feel they nailed it. It could have been much creepier. Tim's self-lacerating outburst at the end wasn't really earned and it was a bit of a lurch from 'everyone's out to get me' to 'I've fucked everything up and it's all my fault.' Agree that the Gregg segments weren't as good as usual, either. And the Dekkar bit was overlong and basically just a re-hash of previous Dekkar bits. The documentaty was a good laugh, though - even if Tim over-egged his interview segments a bit. Overall, I had the feeling that this special wasn't as well-prepared as usual - parts of it seemed filler-y and half-baked.

The Toni therapy tape bit was uncharacteristically poorly handled, too - it wasn't clear who was doing the fast-forwarding or why, so it just came across as a pre-done video that they kind of let play itself out without properly engaging with it. And yeah, more could have been made of the revelation that everyone's been shit-talking Tim.

On the other hand, Gregg's Wonkaland thing was really good. Also enjoyed the Psycho segment with the actress and Mark, who - despite featuring so minimally - was probably the best thing in the special. Enjoyed G. Amato, too. The editing, as ususal, provided some nicely absurd moments. As for Tim - despite some great little things, I found him a bit unconvincing this time round.

In general, I'm not sure that going all in on the HEI thing has been good for On Cinema. I've really loved the show over the years - as much as any comedy in the last ten years - but might it now have run its course?

[close]

Noodle Lizard

I do think it would benefit from getting back to basics, but I've thought that for a while. So much of the humour was initially derived from the banality of Hollywood and film fandom, and I sort of miss that being the overarching focus of the show. I think the first couple of Deckers and the James Dean stuff was a great way of "escalating" the format without losing that focus.

Gregg's character remains the best thing about it to me, but his role has slowly been reduced to the point where he's just mumbling disapprovingly from the background a lot of the time. I think that's an issue with the character of Tim constantly sidelining him, with the undesirable consequence of actually sidelining one of the strongest elements of the show. His "Wonka" presentation and diorama(?!) was probably the highlight of this year's Oscar Special, but it barely had any time to breathe.

Of course I'm asking for a return to a version of the show they've clearly moved on from, which is fair enough.

McChesney Duntz


Noodle Lizard

Quote from: McChesney Duntz on March 31, 2022, 01:18:39 AMWatch carefully...


(Around 26 seconds in)

What the fuck? Is that in-character? Let's hope they bring in Mark Proksch to recreate the munchkin suicide.

EDIT: Oh shit, is this the AMC project he was talking about? Shudder's owned by them.

PeasOnSticks

It's a pity they've let some of the more potentially-interesting plot lines slide (Gregg's alleged abuse of Mark/healthcare fraud, for example), whereas the ones they've ended up running with (Tim/Toni, the whole HEI organisation thing) have been a bit meh. I think Gregg is being under-used - much of the time he's doing reacting to Tim's rage/'can we just talk about movies?' stuff and little else. Was it just me or was some of Gregg's material this year recycled from earlier specials? The thing about an entire film being screened at the Oscar ceremony, for instance. In any case, they seem to prioritise developing Tim's character over Gregg's. I get it that part of the joke is that Gregg's character doesn't really develop and maybe even couldn't, but it would be nice to see/hear about a little more of what he's up to, or to get a little more backstory.

Don't want to sound too curmudgeonly - I think what they've achieved overall with On Cinema over the years is massively admirable and they maintained a really high level of quality over a long period. It's been a genuine source of pleasure for me. But the things that didn't sit right with me about this year's special - over-reaching for a dramatic/pathetic element in a now quite formulaic way, some of the interactions falling a bit flat (Tim/LaRue), flogging a dead horse with Dekkar, under-utilising Turkington/Proksch, laying the HEI stuff on a bit thick - are things that have been problematic for a while. As Noodle Lizard said, it's probably a case of yearning for the type of show they've now left behind, which (as he also said) is fair enough.





 

QDRPHNC

#2774
Quote from: Noodle Lizard on March 31, 2022, 02:09:48 AM(Around 26 seconds in)

What the fuck? Is that in-character? Let's hope they bring in Mark Proksch to recreate the munchkin suicide.

EDIT: Oh shit, is this the AMC project he was talking about? Shudder's owned by them.

It's like the OC universe is a virus and it's beginning to infect reality.

Quote from: PeasOnSticks on March 31, 2022, 12:35:55 PMIt's a pity they've let some of the more potentially-interesting plot lines slide (Gregg's alleged abuse of Mark/healthcare fraud, for example), whereas the ones they've ended up running with (Tim/Toni, the whole HEI organisation thing) have been a bit meh. I think Gregg is being under-used - much of the time he's doing reacting to Tim's rage/'can we just talk about movies?' stuff and little else. Was it just me or was some of Gregg's material this year recycled from earlier specials? The thing about an entire film being screened at the Oscar ceremony, for instance. In any case, they seem to prioritise developing Tim's character over Gregg's. I get it that part of the joke is that Gregg's character doesn't really develop and maybe even couldn't, but it would be nice to see/hear about a little more of what he's up to, or to get a little more backstory.

I know what you mean - and what makes it more frustrating is that Gregg doesn't really need much to work with to be brilliant. His tribute to Bond made me laugh until I hurt. And the whole confusion of him dressed like the joker while giving a preview of next year's Arthur 2 anniversary by showcasing a rare piece of merchandise from 10... these things don't seem complicated or expensive to do, the focus just seems to have shifted too much onto HEI and Dekkar. For a while the focus on this terrible band was a good joke, but now I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that Tim thinks people are actually watching to find out what happens next with the band drama.

I think Noodle Lizard said it further up, but it's become too detached from the Oscars. The first few specials sort of fed off the live event TV buzz and harnessed it for its own purposes - and it's not that I care about the oscars at all, but it would be nice if they at least maintained the facade that this was somewhat related. It's been like that for a few years now, but this was the first special where there was so little going on, I really started to notice the disconnect from its ostensible purpose.

PeasOnSticks

Quote from: QDRPHNC on March 31, 2022, 12:50:52 PMI know what you mean - and what makes it more frustrating is that Gregg doesn't really need much to work with to be brilliant. His tribute to Bond made me laugh until I hurt. And the whole confusion of him dressed like the joker while giving a preview of next year's Arthur 2 anniversary by showcasing a rare piece of merchandise from 10... these things don't seem complicated or expensive to do, the focus just seems to have shifted too much onto HEI and Dekkar

Yes, so much of their budget (and their subscribers' money) must go on all the HEI paraphernalia, which adds relatively little in terms of comedic value. And as you say re: the Bond segment, Gregg just needs a green screen and an idea, and you'll likely get gold.

And re: the focus on Dekkar - that's a joke that's more than played itself out now. This year's Oscar medley was really scraping the barrel and took up way too much screen time. I guess what all this comes down to is that the Tim/Gregg balance in terms of input and performance is a bit skewed, and it's not to the show's benefit.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: PeasOnSticks on March 31, 2022, 12:35:55 PMIt's a pity they've let some of the more potentially-interesting plot lines slide (Gregg's alleged abuse of Mark/healthcare fraud, for example), whereas the ones they've ended up running with (Tim/Toni, the whole HEI organisation thing) have been a bit meh. I think Gregg is being under-used - much of the time he's doing reacting to Tim's rage/'can we just talk about movies?' stuff and little else. Was it just me or was some of Gregg's material this year recycled from earlier specials? The thing about an entire film being screened at the Oscar ceremony, for instance. In any case, they seem to prioritise developing Tim's character over Gregg's. I get it that part of the joke is that Gregg's character doesn't really develop and maybe even couldn't, but it would be nice to see/hear about a little more of what he's up to, or to get a little more backstory.

I'm completely with you there. Even in some of the more recent seasons it was nice to occasionally get an understated glimpse into the bleakness of Gregg's world - for instance, the Popcorn Classics segment from the Victorville Film Archives which basically revealed that he's living there, in a storage unit surrounded by countless VHS tapes of terrible movies.

Then again, if there was more of that stuff, it might wear out its welcome. I'm sure they're careful about that, and Gregg seems pretty cautious about overexposure in other parts of his career. They clearly have no such misgivings about Tim's character, though.

DJ Bob Hoskins

Quote from: PeasOnSticks on March 31, 2022, 03:16:41 PMAnd re: the focus on Dekkar - that's a joke that's more than played itself out now. This year's Oscar medley was really scraping the barrel and took up way too much screen time.

I wasn't very excited at the prospect of the Dekkar stuff as I also felt they'd maybe reached the end of the line with that whole thing, but Axiom's 'singing the US national anthem at the Superbowl' rendition of Oscar Fever during the opening quickly won me over.

The medley had me in absolute fits of laughter. I nearly splurted my beer all over the TV at this bit:

QuoteI ain't gonna heel for you,
I ain't gonna roll over...

THAT'S THE POWER OF THE DOG

Two Headed Sex Beast

I'm still getting caught up, just finished season X. The screenshots of the latest Oscar special made me think about a general observation about Tim in all his different forms - the smallest changes in facial hair and how he parts his hair really transform him. It's so effective in telling you *which* Tim you're watching.

Petey Pate

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on March 31, 2022, 02:09:48 AM(Around 26 seconds in)

What the fuck? Is that in-character? Let's hope they bring in Mark Proksch to recreate the munchkin suicide.

EDIT: Oh shit, is this the AMC project he was talking about? Shudder's owned by them.

The munchkin suicide on the set of Wizard of Oz is an urban legend that didn't actually happen. If it is in-character then it's quite fitting that Gregg is spreading misinformation as a talking head on a TV documentary.

Petey Pate

Quote from: Petey Pate on April 02, 2022, 02:50:22 PMThe munchkin suicide on the set of Wizard of Oz is an urban legend that didn't actually happen. If it is in-character then it's quite fitting that Gregg is spreading misinformation as a talking head on a TV documentary.

Looks like I was right. I can't believe that this actually happened, surely the people behind the documentary are in on the joke.

https://twitter.com/justingaynor/status/1512264396269047852?s=21

Sonny_Jim

Ah ok.  Apparently it's cut in such a way that whenever Gregg says something outraegous, it's immediately followed up by someone contradicting him.  It's a way for the documentary makers to pick apart some of the more 'fringe' beliefs about WoZ without having to interview a 'true believer'.

BritishHobo

That's quite clever. Gregg is so well-observed, I can't believe how easily the character makes me laugh with the most mundane things. I'm gradually rewatching the special at the moment (catching all the details now that the actual Oscars aren't also playing and distracting me), and it absolutely kills me whenever he says the Wonka prequel is being made by Tim Burton. It's just his strange passionless enthusiasm. I could watch it forever.

Petey Pate



Love how this person is exactly the type that Gregg's character is lampooning, and they're unaware of it.

Retinend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IeiyrUhe0A
Former President Donald Trump speaks at NRA Convention in Houston
421,519 viewsMay 28, 2022


On Cinema IRL


BritishHobo

Yes please! I've not cancelled my Hei subscription after the Oscar special, so I might just keep it for now. It's about time Gregg Turkington and his compelling characters got their due.

MrVentham

Quote from: RickyGerbail on November 26, 2011, 11:46:21 AMI'm a huge fan of this. Anyone else a big fan?

I am an avid fan of On Cinema, as well as most everything Heidecker and Turkington have ever done.

QDRPHNC



QuoteThe HEI Network is thrilled to present an exclusive Behind the Cards look at Deck of Cards with Writer and Director Gregg Turkington before its upcoming premiere!

Get up close and intimate with characters like the King of Hearts, the Two of Diamonds, and of course the Joker (not from the Batman movies but the original playing card) before they make their way to the silver screen and find some Deck of Cards-head only information about this Summer's box office smash!

Short intro by Gregg on Twitter.

QDRPHNC

Hei Network is actually selling a Deck of Cards deck of cards.