Stoner Odysseys (feat. Marshall Shaffer)
Episode 94
A couple 4/20’s ago, we spent a day on the couch with the genre of Cult Weed Movies (How High, Bongwater, etc.), but today our chosen stoner movies are on a mission, maybe to nowhere. In this week’s episode, we unpack the wild and circuitous journeys of some unlikely high heroes. Inherent Vice is groovy and insane (5:00), Dude, Where’s My Car? is the featherweight sci-fi prequel to “The Hangover” (37:50), and Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle is actually more about race than weed (51:30).
With the help of Slash Film writer Marshall Shaffer (19:00) and his strong feelings about where “Inherent Vice” belongs in the PTA canon, Chance and Noah head off on their own little mission. As always, they’re searching for the proverbial lost car of their often-conflicting film taste. Light up and listen in.
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Some notes:
- Please do read Marshall’s full pitch for why Inherent Vice is topflight Paul Thomas Anderson.
- If you’re curious about the work we discuss in the old Ethos Corner, you can check out and buy Nick White’s Sweet and Low and Cinelle Barnes’ Monsoon Mansion at the links. Then, Chance’s new essay on Silence of the Lambs is here.
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Be Reel was a movie reviewing & reappraising podcast hosted by Chance Solem-Pfeifer and Noah Ballard.
We cherished our 8-year run, talking to filmmakers like Gus Van Sant, insulting each other’s taste, and laughing to high heaven.
Chance’s new movie podcast, The Kick, continues to explore curated sub-genres and movie geekery. Noah is a frequent and beloved guest.