173.🐦‍⬛The Crow (1994) w/ Matt Landis

Dan, Manny, & Billy welcome back Matt Landis to put the 90s classic The Crow & its soundtrack to the ultimate test—THE NOSTALGIA TEST!

“I mean, that might be the most tragic thing about the legacy of this film, not Brandon [Lee] dying, but the inception of Jared Leto.” -Matt Landis

Matt Landis returns after his unbelievable appearance on episode 135.🏫 Nostalgia 101: 90s Swing Revival & Punk Ideology to do a dep dive into the 1994 action/horror film The Crow starring the late Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, & the incomparable Bai Ling. There’s a huge takedown of Jared Leto, a lovefest for Ernie Hudson, and the guys go through some of their favorite scenes and one-liners. Also, what’s up with Ernie Hudson’s apartment décor?! There’s also some amazing tangents about the emotional depth of Grunge music, the ridiculous money grabbing objectification of nostalgia by Hollywood, and let’s get into Blade Runner for no reason at all.

The guys also take time to discuss the soundtrack to The Crow and its impact and legacy. In the end they put the movie and the music to the ultimate test and have some fun dunking on the unsuccessful sequels and the horribly insulting reboot. And we can’t forget the Jean-Claude Van Damme tangent!

So, grab your corpse paint, pull out your favorite trashcan for a classic 80s/90s trashcan fire, and get ready to have a dark and fun time with your longtime friends Dan, Manny, & Billy.   

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Matthew Landis is an adjunct at Stockton University (General/Interdisciplinary Studies) & Rowan University (Music Industry). He was a long-time member of the Brooklyn-based cabaret-punk collective The World/Inferno Friendship Society. He toured (US, Canada, and Europe) with them extensively and recorded/co-wrote/arranged a few singles/7"'s and a full-length record with them as keyboardist. He's a published music critic and poet and has worked as a session musician and sideman for many, many Philadelphia-based artists. He currently fronts the heavy psych/garage/doom/hardcore-adjacent band Vice Trip, is finishing up a book about his time in the World/Inferno Friendship Society, as well as a book of poems. He also has his own Substack (of course he does) called Hopeful Monsters. He lives in Southern New Jersey, for reasons passing understanding. 

Approximate Rundown

00:00 Introduction and Welcoming Matt Landis

00:42 Nostalgia Test: The Crow (1994)

01:27 Initial Impressions and Nostalgia

03:15 Brandon Lee's Performance and Legacy

04:37 The Crow's Influence on Cinema

08:59 Character Analysis and Performances

19:26 Soundtrack and Cultural Impact

28:25 Comparisons and Final Thoughts

36:53 Cinematic Nostalgia and Blade Runner's Influence

37:14 The Legacy of Blade Runner and Its Sequel

38:10 Amazon Series and Hollywood's Nostalgia Exploitation

39:11 The Crow: A Cultural Touchstone and Its Sequels

42:49 The Crow's Legacy and Brandon Lee's Impact

43:34 The Crow's Reboot and Hollywood's Missteps

49:15 The Importance of Self-Awareness in Filmmaking

01:01:27 The Crow's Emotional Depth and Cinematic Techniques

01:06:51 Final Verdict: The Crow and Its Soundtrack

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The intro and outro music ('Neon Attack 80s') is by Emanmusic.

The Lithology Brewing ad music ("Red, White, Black, & Blue") is by PEG and the Rejected