This episode was so much fun to record.
I reached out to a new guest. A person I have actually met, but didn't get to talk much with, at 2 or 3 screenings in the last couple of years. I decided to reach out to Edwin Gomez of Secret Movie Club Podcast. We chatted over text briefly before recording our first real conversation for all of you to hear, forever etched into the internet.
Edwin begins the episode with telling us a little about himself and sharing when he fell in love with movies. This question was always supposed to be a part of the show when guests came on the show for the first time. I loved hearing it from Edwin. I think from here on end I will ask new guests that question, as well as retroactively asking this question to seasoned guests some time in the future. (I'm thinking of doing a "films that changed me" series after the whopping WW2 summer series).
When we get into Targets we get into the genius of Peter Bogdanovich's film and some of his filmography. I'll admit, outside of this I've only seen Paper Moon and The Last Picture Show. However, Edwin, has some works he recommends that I will be checking out soon.
Targets is a masterwork of independent cinema. The genius lies in what was created among restrictions that had to be part of the film. For example, the casting of Boris Karloff was a must as he owed Roger Corman a few hours of shooting; Bogdanovich also had to include unused footage from The Terror a cheap gothic castle period horror from 1963, starring Karloff and a young Jack Nicholson. Imagine Corman's surprise when the young director arrives, not with a castle horror flick, but with a contemporary postmodern work that foreshadows Quentin Tarantino's cinephile reflexivity and homage. Bogdanovich brings a biting social commentary on the state of America during the escalation of the Vietnam War. Vets are returning from the war and not getting the help they need and integrating back into society after the trauma of war. In this film, a troubled, boy-next-door begins to live out his fantasies of violence and starts sniping people on the 405 freeway from a water tower. This part of the film is perhaps the most relevant and features some of the most terrifying moments in American film history.
The other half is about cinema. It's about the horror genre. It wouldn't appear that these two things have anything to do with each other, but they synthesize in such beautiful ways. For one, Bogdanovich seems to be exploring the horror genre that is now changing from your "monster in the castle" and in your screens to "people are monsters" and they're out there in your neighborhoods, hiding in plain sight (and overseas bombing innocent civilians in order to stop the spread of an idea). The paranoia of 70s films, especially American independent film, is quietly prototyped here in Bogdanovich's American classic. There's so much to unpack in this film and it definitely demands repeated viewings.
Lastly, there is another first on the show. During the episode, we watch the Targets trailer. It was a great little moment, stick around for it. And while your listening hop on over onto Instagram (@dialfpodcast). and gives us a follow.
Dial F for Film is a podcast about the love of movies and host's -- J. Carlos Menjivar -- attempt to watch 1001 movies before he dies. A lover of lists and film, Carlos is a firm believer that all film lists should be tackled with one goal in mind: completion. Steven Jay Schneider's "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" is the subject of this podcast. Each episode features one guest and five movies from the massive list, compiled into themed lists by the host. Guests each week will select one category without any prior knowledge as to what films are included. Once a category is chosen, Carlos reveals the five films and the viewing begins. The guests then come on Dial F for Film via Zoom and the discussion begins.
