#143 The Golden Hour of Crossing The Streams (Bonus Ep24) – Great TV binge watching suggestions!

CTS Announcer 0:01

Looking for your next TV show or movie to binge? Well buckle up, grab the remote and settle into your couch for this special edition of crossing the streams. We're here to help you tune in and get the most out of those 50 monthly streaming channels you're currently paying for. So without any further ado, here's your host of crossing the streams. Jeff Dwoskin

Jeff Dwoskin 0:30

Hey, oh, it is I your host Jeff Dwoskin. welcoming you to a bonus episode of Classic conversations where we do it crossing the stream style. That's right. You're in for a trades three segments from our live show crossing. The streams are coming at you in just a few minutes. What is crossing the streams? It's our weekly live show that we do every Wednesday at 9:30pm Eastern time answering the universal question what should I be watching? What should I be binging I just finished what should I watch next? Any of those things keep you up at night crossing the streams is there to answer all your TV binge watching needs over 75 episodes of the show streaming on YouTube search the Jeff Dwoskin show check those out. It's myself zouden millio Bob Phillips Ron lipid Howard Rosner bringing you the best in TV binge watching we have over Oh, now I was in years of TV watching experience that may be exaggerated. I'm not sure but we also bring in guests every week to share their favorite shows that they've been binging keeping it fresh, keeping it real. This bonus episode, we have Brian Green from the commercial break talking about royal family. One of his favorite BBC shows Howard Rosner is talking about the golden hour the making of Days of Thunder. And Bob Phillips is going to talk to us all about the TV show what we do in the shadows. Lots of great stuff coming your way. Take it all in and then start binging. Alright, let's kick things off with Brian Greene. This comes from Episode 66, you can check out the full episode on YouTube. And in the meantime, here's that one segment where Brian told us all about royal family take it away, Brian. Pressure is for Brian Greene to foil one to make us forget about the royal treatment review that Sal did last. Royal Family from the BBC always comes to the table with

Bryan Green 2:38

the BBC with British comedy, usually with a British comedy. And so here we go. So this is one of the more critically acclaimed shows that I've watched. It's in my British comedy lineup. So from 1998 to 2002, this show ran it had three C three regular seasons, and then a number of specials from 2006 to 2008. It is a it's what they call the British call. And I wrote it down because I don't I don't want to get it wrong. Kitchen Sink drama or kitchen sink comedy which I can see you shaking your head nodding. So I'm sure you're familiar. It's a British acting style or British writing style script writing style that was presented in live theater back in the mid 1930s 40s and 50s. And basically it went away from surrealism or idealism and very much into realism about the middle class working families and they call it Kitchen Sink drama. It's kind of like the people sitting around the kitchen table talking about their everyday life, the little the minutia, we all talk about with our wives and our friends and our brothers and our sisters. And this is very much in that style. It is there's almost there's so little plot in every episode, but the season over arches with a wedding or a pregnancy, something very basic and something very real that would happen to all of us in our family lives without being overdramatic, like some of these television shows have these crazy plots or silliness, or a lot of certainty. This is none of that. It's people sitting around a television it's mainly filmed inside of one room in a home and they are the Royals which is a mother a father, a teenage boy and an older daughter who has a boyfriend who's also a big part of the show. They sit on couches and they watch TV the entire time and it's about the interactions that happen while they're sitting there watching these television shows they're smoking cigarettes they're eating there someone's running to the store someone's making you know biscuits and tea in the kitchen sometimes they filmed in the kitchen but yeah, this gets into the on love that leave this house I actually did actually in the regular three the first the only three seasons that they had in the regular series they never left the home they went upstairs a couple times she really only sit here in with this family in this living room and to me like the first couple of episodes it was almost like I want to say like culture shock like what Hey, where's the when you guys gonna leave the home when something interesting gonna happen? What are you What is the other shoe drop but it never does It just becomes a story about this very real middle class, lower middle class family in Manchester. But there is a subtle humor, there is subtle emotion, there is sadness, there is happiness, but of the kind that you would experience in your very non dramatic, but dramatic life and but in your own way, in your own perspective, and I think it got to me as a kid who grew up this is very much of the time to so they're not writing in not they're not writing a script from 1970. They're not writing a script from 2030. They're writing it when it's happening right there. So it's all the things that are going on in the world in 1998 1999 2000. They're writing about that stuff, and talking about it in those series. Quick break, and we're back. This one seven bath does, it is the it was by the I don't wanna get this right to the British Film Institute voted it the 30 number 31. In the top 100 television shows of all time, the BBC ranked at number 19 on their list of Greatest television shows of all time, the father played by Ricky Tomlinson, who is this kind of this crummy old curmudgeon, you know, guy who just sits on the couch, he doesn't work, the wife works, he was actually voted number three out of the best actors of all time for this role that he played for three fucking seasons. And this was written by the daughter who's in played as she was in her 20s. And her boyfriend who then becomes her fiance, who then becomes her husband, it was written by those two, every episode was written by those two so and they're young, you know, they're in their, they're in their 20s when they're playing at, they're playing the character and they're in their 20s in real life. And I just think it's a fascinating piece of realism. And it's funny like once you once you get attached to the characters a couple episodes in then you get to know their personalities. And it's very much a stet study in character development. And I just am was fascinated by it. And I wish there was more I wish there was a number of seasons the specials are kind of hit or miss they have like Christmas specials every year for a couple of years. And they're kind of hit or miss and they move away from the style that I think really made it attractive to me but it is suddenly very funny in that British way that only people in the UK can get its Manchester so it's working class with very thick accents to turn your subtitles on. But it is a really it's a really well crafted show. And by episode number three if you're like me by episode number three, you're totally into all of these characters. And you're sitting with them for an hour you know, on Netflix or whatever while I'm watching Amazon Prime I think you're sitting in for an hour you're in their lives, but in the lives of some very real human beings not some crazy, you know, absurdist comedy which I like also by the way so I recommend this highly if you're you know if that at all interest you that kind of character study that realism that kitchen sink drama as they call it, get into it because it's one of the best how many seasons three, three seasons and where can I see it you can see it on amazon prime b so I think that Amazon Prime if you have Amazon Prime you'll get this show that britbox You can sign up for their 30 day free trial through oh

Bob Phillips 8:09

that's what that that's what I was going to ask you I wanted to know because I had I watched some of the things the other day on Amazon Prime and I thought okay, I've paid for Amazon Prime Now I've got Bucha yeah cuckoo had streaming you know Juji B's or whatever

Jeff Dwoskin 8:30

binder right I get it but like what you have to do is you

Bryan Green 8:33

you can actually I'm sorry it's on Prime right now. You do not have to get the BBC you can watch the okay receives the three got to be careful on

Jeff Dwoskin 8:40

Hulu for that too. Yes. showery thing. It's like an obvious on your watch that you're paying for HBO twice.

Mike White 8:48

But if you're an anglophile britbox is worth it. We're going back and forth between britbox and acorn which is the other service I got to lock seems to be went out and saying,

Bob Phillips 8:58

Yeah, I think the worst is peacock. It's like, oh, look, here's the same shit you saw on NBC last week, but now you're paying for it.

Jeff Dwoskin 9:08

They do have some original material. They rebooted, Saved by the Bell, punky Bruce. And they have a group or show. The first one I love MacGruber I love MacGruber two that was funny, but there's a whole series now. I think I only watched the first episode because that was free and then but um, I would consider it I think they're supposed to have this horrible. Joe Versus Carol for the good Joe exotic

Mike White 9:35

coming up. Yeah, it was. It was supposed to be Nick Cage as Joe exotic and then they went with John Cameron Mitchell. Who works but I mean,

Jeff Dwoskin 9:47

I don't need any more Tiger King.

Bob Phillips 9:50

I don't either. Whatever that second season was I didn't even watch two episodes.

Jeff Dwoskin 9:55

He only watched the first one because we're trapped in a pandemic. All right, that was Brian Green with royal family. Check out his podcast, the commercial break, good friend of the show. And how much did you learn about other British add ons you can get with Amazon had no idea. But there you go, boom, you'll have British shows. I guess there's a whole world that awaits you. All right. Well, without further ado, let's move on to what we do in the shadows. This is from Episode 47. Bob Phillips, take it away, Bob. What We Do In The Shadows. I'm excited to hear Bob talk about this. This looks amazing. But my

Bob Phillips 10:36

mic works. And we, we good. Yeah, it's working. Okay. So I just say that I'm not a big fan of episodic TV. And so to get into this, it took some doing for me because I don't want to have to be anchored to something for weeks and weeks at a time except the Dexter Rebo. What We Do In The Shadows is the funniest show I've seen in years, Nadja, mandore. And Laszlo and Colin Robinson are for vampires that live in this ridiculous house on Staten Island. And it is the the wacky exploits of these four idiots, three of which are traditional vampires in that they turn into baths when they need to they fry in the sun. Good choice share. They all the traditional blood sucking stuff. But Colin Robinson is different. He lives in this house, but he's what they call a daywalker because he's he doesn't have the superpowers he doesn't drink blood. He is an energy vampire. His power is actually boring people to death, or enraging them. And he feeds off the anxiety and their anger when he's when he's just driving them crazy with his banality, right. And so you can imagine that it sets up a lot of fish out of water stuff. The four actors that do this show are all comedians and I don't know that they all stand it out. Or excuse me, I don't know if they all started out as stand ups and became comedic actress but they all have stand up backgrounds. They all have improv backgrounds, which really kind of sets the show apart.

Howard Rosner 12:32

It's a seamless campaign was Jermaine Clement, one of them is Tremaine. Clement Wantable

Bob Phillips 12:38

he shows up later on. He's a producer.

Howard Rosner 12:40

Okay. Yeah, I think it was I think he did the original show that it was based on. I think there was a two documentary movie.

Howard Rosner 12:49

Yeah. What TD? Yeah, right. Right. Right. That was your main claim. Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 12:58

That was shadows. The movie.

Bob Phillips 13:00

Yeah. Right. And they were going to have a sequel what we do in the daylight, but it didn't come out. Anyway. This is a single camera shoot. It's just absurd. It's about half scripted, half improv. And I one of these days, they're gonna put out outtakes for the show. And it's just gonna be ridiculously funny. Nicole is a regular nemesis. He shows up, Nick. Yeah. And one of the earlier episodes, he and Laszlo are fighting over this hat that's made out of witches skin, and that it's a curse it had and they both want it. And even though every time they put it on something horrible happens to them within seconds. They both are fighting. It's just absurd. The storylines are crazy. Doug Jones plays the leader of the Vampires this. I don't know what you'd call him, King of the Vamps. Right. And he comes to live with them in their house and they want to kill him. But they're so inept, they can't pull it off. And he wants to go on a night on the town in Manhattan, and they wind up going to a rave and biting these people who are all drugged out so they become drugged out and they can't come home in time. It's just and the fact that Colin Robinson, the energy vampire, he's He in fact, they always call him Colin Robinson. It's never Colin. It's Colin Robinson. And he's just a bore and he drags everybody. But he does have some usefulness when people need to be bored to death. And they employ him in that manner. So there's a lot of stuff going on in this show. What I love about it, is that in one show in one show, they had Tilda Swinton, Paul Rubens, Dave Batista Vanessa Bayer from Saturday Night Live Haley Joel Azman. Evan Rachel Wood Any trail all in one show they played the group the empirical council that we're trying these four morons for trying to kill the king of the vampire so I'm only on Season One I'm done with that hysterical can't wait for number two.

Jeff Dwoskin 15:17

So how many seasons are there because I think they just I just looked it up it's four seasons they just knew I think yeah, and I just recognized can

Ron Lippitt 15:25

Yeah, Bob the the actor, Mark is his last name proach Prakash, who plays who plays the vampire sucks the energy, but that that is the same accurate place price and Better Call Saul, which is one Oh, that's right. And best characters. I Better Call Saul. That's a talented dude. I'm gonna have to check the show out.

Bob Phillips 15:47

Yeah, Colin Robinson. He gets in a fight with the former SNL girl came up Vanessa Bayer she comes into his office and challenges him for supremacy because she's an emotional vampire. bumming everybody out and he's seeing that he can't suck the life out of them by boring them to death. And they it's I don't want to tell you what happens but it's a really funny episode. Funny show man. Really?

Howard Rosner 16:19

Yeah. I think if I'm not mistaken, I was gonna say I think take the YTD and Jermaine Clement remains from Flight of the Conchords. You know if you if you don't know plus, you know, he said some fantastic movie roles dinner Dinner for Schmucks. He was fantastic in that most other movies but I think they created it and that's why it's got that total sarcastic edge to it, which is very it's a lot of the Australian and New Zealand comedies that have have been out over the past. What was it? God I've done was a Jonah something I can't remember on HP outdate they all have that super sarcastic edge to it, which is, which is great. One of

Bob Phillips 16:59

the things I like about it, I'll wrap up my review is that they are respectful. And you can tell they love vampire lore though they have just enough special effects to pull off. You know, the flying and the creepy stuff going on. But they don't dwell on it.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:18

Quick break and we're back.

Unknown Speaker 17:21

The funny stuff always happens in the dialogue. It's not

Ron Lippitt 17:25

like charmed. Just know.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:28

I went to watch it. I went to watch this years ago, Bob and I convinced myself I had to watch the movie first. And I couldn't find the movie anywhere for free. So I just I'd never did it. Or watched it so I've met cheap bastard. Now. I don't know

Bob Phillips 17:45

what the movie is like, but the series stands up all on its own.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:49

I'm gonna I'm gonna jump in. I'm gonna jump in you convinced Casey Ryan plot? That was fantastic. And it's John. He's a gentleman.

Howard Rosner 17:57

Very light of the night ghost kind of Fred to do Carol by the way that his quick 111 liner they're boxing vampires.

Jeff Dwoskin 18:09

All right, Bob Phillips What We Do In The Shadows from Episode 47 Then check that out. It's hilarious. And now our final show for this episode all the way back from Episode 19 A golden hour the making of Days of Thunder with Howard Rosner take it away Ross the golden hour

Howard Rosner 18:34

Yeah, obviously we've mentioned before I'm a huge fan of sports documentaries. It isn't Rozner rant No no no not Yeah, it's common give me one sec I mean a huge fan of sports documentaries I also like look it's is it a great life changing movie no but data thunder a so quotable in everyday life that you know people utilize lines like Robin is raised constantly and I think it is part of it's it's become part of pop culture beyond just the movie and and I love making of movies that have that kind of charm and memorability I love I don't think there's enough making of especially when it's an interesting story. This is the rosters rant, though. As much as I love Days of Thunder, it was dawned on me as I was white rewatching this what Tom Cruise foisted on the American public in the late 80s, early mid 80s 80s to early 90s, which is he did the same exact movie four or five times all he did was change the occupation cocktail all the right moves Top Gun days at Thunder. Simple, young hotshot sparks a big leap in his career, has a great moment meets a girl has a great relationship and has horrible moment friend gets in trouble or dies has low point Redemption at end of movie. Now granted, that's a lot of American movies, I realize but Tom Cruise did it exactly the same. Yeah.

Ron Lippitt 20:11

formulas. formulas work.

Howard Rosner 20:13

Yeah. Anyways, so this is the making of Days of Thunder and it's, it's on fox sports. You can also find it on YouTube. It's really quick. This is a documentary that's not overly long. It hits everything you need to know. It's amazing for a bunch of reasons. First of all, where the idea that Tom Cruise it was all time cruises idea to do Days of Thunder and where it came from was cocktail. When he was shooting, when he was shooting color of money with Paul Newman. For those that don't know, Paul Newman was a big racecar driver, really good driver and a racing team owner. So he and Paul Newman would drive sports cars together and they went during that at one point in time they were invited to go to Daytona and see NASCAR's run. They actually let him get out and drive Rick Hendrick whose team owner still to this day, Rick was Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson's team owner, they let Tom Cruise drive a car and he was hooked. And he went to Jerry Bruckheimer and said we have to make a NASCAR movie. They said, You know what, let's find a writer. And they found a writer who did a great screenplay. And then they had to convince the folks from NASCAR to do it because there had been NASCAR movies done before but they were stroker ace and movies like that. I know it's funny, but it's not a good movie. Anyways, they they eventually sold it in what I found really cool about it again, having worked in NASCAR now for quite a while was the level of detail that they had to go to make this movie the way they wanted to. They actually had created actual race cars got actual racecar drivers mounted cameras in the car, but made the cars legal to where they could actually qualify them for a race and run camera cars as part of the actual entered field and race not just cars that were out there running slow filming stuff. They had those two during payslips, but they actually had race cars. They were if you look back at the history of the race, those weren't entered cars in the race in the running order, which is amazing. I think it's just great. It get into a lot the movie was done or was directed by Tony Scott who directed Topcon his wife is also interviewed throughout this and talks a lot about his creative process. He was an artist by trade as well. It's really a quick watch. If you'd like days a thunder find it all memorable. I think it's a really fun little making of and I enjoyed it immensely. I give it three jars of matzah ball soup.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:00

Isn't that where he met Nicole Kidman?

Ron Lippitt 23:02

Nicole Kidman I was just gonna say it is that is Nicole Kidman and her absolute hottest.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:08

Okay guys, I don't want this to slide by. Hang on one second.

Howard Rosner 23:18

That was my that was my what you brought from?

Jeff Dwoskin 23:24

That was Halloween. That was a long time ago. Yeah. That was funny. Well,

Howard Rosner 23:28

I was by Walter subject costume from Big Lebowski. But yeah, it's it's a really good movie. Yeah, I mean, you forget tarryall was was in it. And as was Michael Rooker. Michael Rooker gets asked about it, and he says, I have no idea how I got this movie. I suck at auditions and I had to audition for it. And somehow, they love me and to love Him for the character rowdy burns. Dealers, there's another story they tell that's pretty amazing. Which is when Cruz drove for the drove the car he drove Jeff Bo dines car who's you know racer for a long time and Rick Hendrick owned that car and then after he ran, it went across the street to the Olive Garden, which is across the street from Daytona it's still there, they sat down and got drunk and shot the shit and Jeff codeine and Rick Hendrick started telling stories real shit that happened and the stories it it was the stories that are in the movie Days of Thunder the rental car scene was based on a true story. The wheelchair thing was you know, based on something that happened the dressing the stripper up as a police woman to surprise him after a win like that. Those were all stories that they told drunk at the Olive Garden, and they all became part of the script, which is which is awesome. I love that they were all based in reality. So yeah, if you liked the movie, I recommend it immensely.

Ron Lippitt 24:47

But Tom Cruise and you think he's a putz? Is the documentary still hold up? Yeah, I

Howard Rosner 24:51

mean, I don't like I'm not a big fan of Tom Cruise. I do think he's supposed to but he He's, uh, I love his movies. I have to admit,

Jeff Dwoskin 24:58

Casey Ryan fly is convinced congratulations. Jerry says great show guy. So I agree. Great show everybody. I like Tom Cruise. I can't turn the channel fast enough if he comes on. It depends, you know, movies I think are really a good one where it's the Spielberg one where the war the World War, the War that one was in love war the world's actually mine wasn't realistic was a Minority Report. Yes, Minority Report a more realistic one wasn't realistic to me about the War of the Worlds was at the end where like all of his family was fine. It just didn't you know, I mean, maybe where the Martians came in that was the realistic part. I mean, you're supposed to suspend your disbelief right. So I could I could accept that. I couldn't accept the fact that your family ended up okay. Does

Ron Lippitt 25:54

anybody see him jump out of an airplane with James Corden last year?

Jeff Dwoskin 25:58

Him and Tropic Thunder Yeah, this is what Jerry just when Tropic Thunder that character is the greatest character was good man.

Howard Rosner 26:07

He's amazing if you're good, man. He's amazing in Rain Man. You he's amazing in color and money. I mean, he's, you know,

Jeff Dwoskin 26:18

he's good. He's great. Mission Impossible. Movies are fun. Yeah, that's what he did with Mission Impossible I always thought was brilliant. Like bringing in different directors every time and stylistic and really making each one of those movies different. I thought it was a brilliant move. Lost in Translation. All right, Howard in the golden hour. You may have heard us laughing at one point you're gonna have to go to the live show on YouTube episode 19. See the visual the photo we were showing, see what all the laughs were all about. Always a good time. I don't know if I've mentioned this, but there's a drinking game that goes along with watching crossing the streams. If you watched live it's a lot of fun. Good time. So check that out. But I hope you enjoyed the segments from Episode 1947 and 66. Today royal family a golden hour and What We Do In The Shadows. Great stuff. So your homework, grab a remote, find your favorite place on the couch, cross your own streams, and we'll see you next time.

CTS Announcer 27:21

Thanks for listening to this special edition of crossing the streams. Visit us on YouTube for full episodes and catch us live every Wednesday at 9:30pm Eastern time. Now turn this off and go watch some TV. And don't forget to tell your family. I'll be busy for a while.

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