The Grey NATO - Ep 81 - TGN Film Club 2

Published on Thu, 23 May 2019 06:00:37 -0400

Synopsis

This is a transcript of an episode of The Gray Nado podcast, a loose discussion of travel, diving, gear, and watches. Jason and James discuss their upcoming trips to Wales and Monaco, recommend movies as part of their "Film Club" segment, and share some fashion and gear tips in the final notes. They also thank their new sponsor Garmin and highlight some of Garmin's product offerings.

Transcript

Speaker
James Hello and welcome to another episode of The Gray Nado, a Hodinkee podcast. It's a loose discussion of travel, diving, driving, gear, and most certainly watches. This is episode 81, and we're very proud to announce it's brought to you by Garmin. Thank you so much for listening. Hey, James, how's it going? Hey, dude, I'm pretty good. Yourself?
Jason Heaton Good, good. Yeah, it's instant summer here. I mean, it seems like every time we talk, it's like ping pong in between seasons. Yeah, I just got in off my bike and went kayaking last night, so it's like full-on summer mode here.
James Getting into the groove, I like it. Well, I'm in New York yet again. We'll be flying home tomorrow, so I'll be... Well, I won't be home by the time this episode comes out. I'll probably be somewhere in France, but that's how it goes. Yeah, so it's nice to finally have some summer and with it all of the great activities that Yeah, we kind of kind of become little cornerstone events for the kind of the gray NATO vibe. And yeah, I'm glad I'm glad to see you got out on that that great looking bike and the photos from kayaking look like a blast as well. I'm glad to hear that winter has officially left your part of North America.
Jason Heaton Finally, yeah, for a couple of months. That's great. So you mentioned you're going to France. That's that's exciting news.
James Yeah. So when this goes live, I'll probably be on a plane or at the airport to go to France for the Monaco GP. It's, uh, it's something that I found out about probably just before the last episode and we've shored up all the details. So it's, I mean, whether you're a GP fan or not, whether you're really into formula one or not, that's, that's one of the pinnacle motorsport events in the calendar. Certainly one of the main ones for Europe. And it's something that, you know, I've, I've kind of obsessed over old footage of yeah. for many years, and I'm pretty excited to be able to go. It's with TAG Heuer. So, I mean, not only is it the GP, you know, in Monaco, it's awesome. I've been to Monaco before. I've seen the roadway, and now I'm going to get to see it all set up for the GP, which is incredible. And not only to do it like that, but also to do it with a brand like TAG Heuer. It's going to be great.
Jason Heaton Yeah, that's the perfect brand to do it with. I mean, yeah, I think so. Such an iconic race. You know, I was there with Ulysse Nardin last year for a whole different reason, but just, you know, I had never been to Monaco and it's such an exciting, such a dramatic venue. And then I was trying to picture cars on those roads, you know, race cars on those roads. And after watching the movies that have been filmed there, I mean, it's, I'm jealous. I think that'll be just so cool to see the photos you're going to get. I hope the weather's good. I mean, it always seems like it's good there.
James Yeah. Fingers crossed for the weather. I've got a I've got a tentative plan for gear, which like I think I think I'm going to go a two camera route between, you know, the the Q obviously will be, you know, around my neck the whole time. But then also I think I think we'll also do the 5D with a big lens. Maybe I'm kind of I can't decide between a 7200 or just go to the 400. Oh, wow. And but one or one or the other, it might come down to like size and weight, I never deal with large lenses, like the biggest lens I own for the 5d is 100 millimeter macro that never leaves my office. Oh, yeah. So to the 7200 is not that much bigger, but it is certainly bigger than the 400. My understanding is it's quite big, but that could be kind of fun to shoot. to shoot automotive with something like a 400. So I'm going to look into my rental options, you know, Toronto side of the equation, and then figure that out. But I'm absolutely thrilled. I'm working out a few kind of wardrobe options. You know, it's maybe a little bit more fancy than the normal way in which I dress. So yeah, just pretty jacked about that. And anyone listening who cares, kind of likes the automotive side, we'll eventually have some content tied to it, like for Hoding Key. and such and certainly watches. But if you just kind of want to follow along, I'll be posting kind of a never ending story from the week on Hodinkee's Instagram. And then, of course, there'll be plenty on mine, which is at J.E. Stacey for anyone who's not following along. Oh, it's going to be so good. Yeah. And even if like even if you're not crazy about Formula One, I promise to do my very best to make the photos at least interesting. And if they're not interesting, then, you know, read the read the caption. There'll be some sort of context for why I'm taking a picture of a random corner in Monaco. And how about you? What's new on your end? You have a trip coming up as well, right? That you spoke about.
Jason Heaton Yeah, I talked about it last episode and I've got to put out some thanks to all the folks that got in touch with me about my trip to the UK, to Wales. I got a lot of DMs on Instagram with advice from people that live there or have traveled there or used to live there. I got two really long and really helpful detailed emails from a couple of listeners, Nick and Andrew, who both kind of grew up there or lived there. And, uh, had a lot of good information about hiking routes and even, you know, where to get the best coffee and all that kind of stuff. Andrew, um, Revit is actually one half of the team behind super Alpine. So I know we've talked about them before and they, um, he and his wife produced this gorgeous magazine about the Alps, kind of a photo journal. And, uh, they just released volume two, by the way, which is about the Alps Maritime, which is actually where you're going to be down near Monaco. So, um, I've got that on order and people should check that out. But, uh, I guess he and Julia used to live. in Snowdonia, which is the part of Wales where we're going to be hiking and staying and, and, uh, he had all sorts of good information as did Nick. So I appreciate all the info. Um, I actually leave on the 1st of June. So, um, after this episode releases, so if anybody else has more kind of cool things to do in Wales, um, you know, shoot me a direct message or, you know, just get in touch on the great NATO at gmail.com and let me know.
James Well, that's great. I think I love, I love that it's, it's, we have this little kind of, uh, advice community, people can write in and ask about, uh, diving or whatever, driving from us. And then if we're going somewhere, there's still, there's still a scenario and, and, and to be connected with, uh, with more stuff from, uh, from super Alpine. I mean, I, I can't wait to see that next step issue. Uh, I've so enjoyed the Gemini one.
Jason Heaton Yeah. Yeah. And, um, I guess the one challenge I'm going to have in the UK is, uh, I've never driven on the left side of the road. So, um, You know, I've got this old Land Rover that has the steering wheel on the right, so I'm used to that aspect of it. But, uh, having never driven on the left side, other than the very back roads, sort of short jaunt in Sri Lanka many years ago, um, it'll, it'll be a new experience. So I, I've been kind of scouring the internet for, uh, for kind of resources. I maybe I'm over, over, uh, preparing for this, but, uh, there's a guy, um, we'll put a link in the show notes, but this guy who has this driving in the UK, a survival guide for Americans, and he's got like You know, like drive review videos and, you know, how to navigate the roundabouts and all this kind of stuff. And, uh, so I've been kind of studying that and, uh, but you know, I'm sure it'll go fine. I think the roundabouts will be the most challenging part. I'm used to going around one direction and I'll have to kind of rewire my brain to, uh, to go left instead of right.
James Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think you'll be, I think it'll be fine. I don't, I don't think you're going to have any issue with that. I think you're going to have a blast as well.
Unknown Yeah.
James So I can't wait to see all the photos and everything. What are you taking? Are you taking just normal kit? What sort of camera gears coming along with you? Because you're not diving.
Jason Heaton No. Yeah. I mean, we'll take, you know, Ghoshani's going to do most of the shooting and it's just kind of pure vacation. I mean, we'll shoot some kind of fun stuff for Instagram. I've got some new stuff from Alps and Meters that I was fortunate that they sent over. Really cool rucksack and some other stuff. So that'll be for the hike. And then in London, it's a black tie event at the maritime museum. So it's going to be a really interesting trip to pack for, um, but we'll take the Z seven with probably two lenses. Lovely. And, uh, you know, it's a pretty compact kit to, to carry and, uh, lots of rain gear is, is the primary advice that I've gotten for, for Wales.
James Yeah. I guess in that scenario, you don't both need to pack a camera and worry about different batteries and all that kind of stuff. Cause you still have a walk around camera or is it not so much these days?
Jason Heaton Um, No, I mean the Sony has now been moved on to a friend of mine. The DF is gone? I still have the DF. If anyone's interested in the DF, I'm still kind of dangling it out there. It's such a cool camera. Camera to sell, but I do love it. But, you know, I might take my film camera this time. It seems kind of a windswept, dreary place. Seems really good for like shooting some black and white film or something.
James Or just get a bunch of Portra 400. Yeah. Those colors would be great on Portra, I think.
Jason Heaton Yeah. So, um, other than that, you know, I'm looking forward to seeing all the old Land Rovers over there. Kind of, I'll be missing my own. I've been, now that the weather's warped up, I've been doing my shade tree mechanic stuff here. I bought a Dremel tool and I've been cutting off, uh, seized bolts, uh, one by one and kind of replacing them with a stainless. And, uh, it's kind of like the Tibetan monks that build those sand patterned mandalas. And then when they're done, they throw them into the wind to kind of, uh, you know, there's sort of, They're sort of emulating the transience of life and how everything is temporary. And I think that's what's going to happen with this Land Rover. By the time I'm done with the last bolt, it's going to be time to start over again.
James Isn't that the scene with the paint on the Golden Gate Bridge? Yeah, exactly. It takes them however long to paint it, and by the time they're done, where they started is worn enough, they have to start over again? Exactly.
Jason Heaton It's job security. There you go. I like it. That's that's about it for my end.
James We have one little bit of housekeeping and it's something that, you know, Jason, I have have spoken a little bit about because we wanted to make sure we were kind of on the same page about it in the past. I mean, we were at 81 episodes, give or take every other week for some time now. And we've always said that we will reply to every email. I'm at a point now where I can't and there's a certain type of email that I need to stop talking about. which is which watch should I buy. So we did an episode about this and explained why we can't tell you what watch to buy. You would know what watch to buy. You can go back and listen to that episode if you'd like. But I'm officially declaring what watch can I buy bankruptcy. If you write us in asking for Jason or I to pick from one watch or another watch or asking what watch you should buy or consider, at very most, the The best you're going to get is my new canned answer for such questions, which is, as always, buy what you like, what fits your needs and expectations, and is within your budget. That's the only thing that Jason and I can suggest. It's more than one or two of these emails a day. And when you think about that, and combined with the sort of email load that two professional freelancers also have to deal with, and then the near endless stream of DMs, that kind of are always coming in, uh, this question needs to, needs to kind of end because we literally can't tell you what watch to buy. We don't understand necessarily how you're going to be using it. We don't understand the size of your wrist. We don't even understand your preferences when you write us a hundred word email with three different watch choices. And I, I admit when I say all this, it sounds a bit harsh, but like I would rather, I would rather go from this standpoint than tell you to buy a watch that you then hate and have trouble selling or finding another owner for or whatever. So again, as always, buy what you like, what fits your needs and expectations and is within your budget.
Jason Heaton Yeah, I think it's a good point. I mean, I think, you know, we love to get, you know, thoughtful questions and interesting topic ideas and all that sort of thing. But, you know, we're in exactly the same boat as everybody else. And, you know, most watches these days are pretty high quality and a lot of it comes down to what you like to look at on your wrist. That's kind of what I tell people. And I think You know, I think if you just sort of heed that advice and what James just kind of read out, I think that's kind of going to be our stance going forward.
James Yeah. And we're not going to stop talking about watches or recommending watches that we like. We're just not going to do it at a level where we're making the choice for you. Yeah. It's not going to change the overall tone of the content. It's just if you send in that email, be prepared for some sort of silly canned response, which will include that sort of adage, which is how we're moving forward from episode 81. We appreciate all the messages and always enjoy everything that comes in. But there's certain things that I can't help with. And replying to each one, even to say, you need to buy what you like and this is why, takes up a fair amount of time in the sort of task load of my day-to-day kind of work existence. So that's where we stand on which watch you should buy. Yeah. So Jason, I mean, we're few minutes in here. Jason, do you have anything else or should we go?
Jason Heaton Well, I mean, I think, uh, you know, I, I don't have any new watches myself. Um, you know, I'm, I'm just, uh, kind of excited for today's episode because I think, you know, we, we did a volume one kind of film club episode a while back and, and it seemed to be pretty popular. And I think, um, every now and then, you know, we, we like to do non watch topic, uh, episodes. And I think today's one of them. And, um, I, you know, Judging from the feedback we've gotten, people appreciate that. And I know certainly we're featured on Hodinkee and we do talk about watches all the time. But, you know, I think films are a big part of the stuff that we like. And so we're kind of launching into volume two here about the next set of movies that James and I really like. So I say we just dive in.
James So to kick off the main topic, this is a volume two of the TGN Film Club, which we started with episode 69. So if you're wondering why we're talking about movies, it was a test we did a few episodes ago. It turns out the response was quite a bit more positive than Jason and I expected for what was more or less an episode to help us fill a blank when we didn't really know what topic to talk about for the day. So now we're doing another one. This is, like I said, Film Club Volume 2. The format is fairly simple. Jason and I each pick five films. We're going to talk about each one for just a couple of minutes. So that's 10 more films that we would recommend. We'll probably go another 10 or 15 episodes before we do this again. And yeah, I think we should probably dig right into it. And Jason, why don't you start with the first of your film selections?
Jason Heaton Yeah, sure. I mean, in episode 69, when we did this before, I focused mainly on kind of nonfiction or documentary movies. And so I thought this time I'll go with five kind of favorite more fictional or, you know, sort of docudrama or based on true story films. Uh, it's funny just looking at the list that we've compiled here. Uh, most of the movies are old. I mean, not really old. Some of them are really old. Some of yours are really old. Yeah. But, uh, but not, not really many from, you know, I would even say within the last five years. So interesting. Um, my first one, I would say these five movies that I picked are, ones that kind of have informed my kind of general vibe, my outlook on life, my sort of tastes. Um, so I'll just, I'll jump right in with, uh, with one that might surprise people, but, but it's just such a classic and that is the English patient. Um, this was the film from, boy, gosh, it must've been in the nineties with, uh, uh, Ralph Fiennes and, uh, uh, Kristen Scott Thomas and Juliette Binoche. based on a really spectacular book by Michael Ondaatje, who is actually from Sri Lanka, but he won the Booker Prize for the book. The book is a bit of a challenge. It's beautifully written, but the writing is a little bit opaque and stream of consciousness, so kind of hard to follow. So Anthony Minghella, who put the movie together, did just a masterful job of turning that book into a coherent film, and it was just brilliantly acted. I think for me, there was this sort of combination of, uh, sort of old school. It's kind of set in the 1930s in, in the African desert, um, with some, some archeologists who were kind of looking for lost civilizations there. And they kind of get wrapped up in the beginnings of world war two. And there's a bit of a love story. In fact, there's quite a love story in it and sort of, sort of bounces between that era. And then at the end of the war, when one of those characters is, is, uh, dying in a kind of a makeshift hospital in Italy. And I don't know, the music was beautiful. The acting was great. The costumes were just wonderful. It has this sort of nostalgic sort of British khaki and old cars and biplanes and desert camping sort of vibe that just really spoke to me. And I've watched this movie many times and just you know, watch it over and over again. I just, I think it's just a wonderful film. Have you ever seen that movie?
James I've actually, I was just about to say, you know, I've never seen this film. It's one that I've read about before. And I understand the kind of the overarching plot line, but it's not one that I've seen. So I'm thrilled to kind of have it to add to, uh, you know, to me,
Jason Heaton To me, it's, you know, I do recommend it. I think sometimes at first glance, it might come across as more of sort of a love story, kind of along the lines of a Titanic or something like that, but it's nothing like that. It's a very. I would call it a very literate film. It feels like you finish it and you feel it, you feel enriched. It feels like literature. It feels like you're watching literature on the screen. And, you know, my background is English lit in school and I read the book and I don't know, it just, just really spoke to me. And, uh, so yeah, that's, that's number one for me.
James That's great. A fantastic choice. And like I said, now I get, I have something that I should watch just to catch up on our own film club. This is perfect. So I'm not sure which to pick of these ones. Some of these, I've probably talked about all of these on the show at one point. I'm going to start with a Hitchcock from 1954. It's called Rear Window. And it's, it's just, I mean, Hitchcock has an ability to hit, to basically make perfect movies. It's so it's so good. It's James Stewart and Grace Kelly. James Stewart plays Jeff Jeffries, who was, you know, this isn't actually part of the narrative of the film, they give it to you right in the intro. But he there they explained through some imagery that he's a professional automotive, like motorsports photographer.
Jason Heaton Oh, I didn't know that. I guess I didn't realize.
James Yeah. And he was involved in a car crash, broke both legs. And so the story picks up with with Stewart essentially living obviously stuck in his in his New York apartment. And as a as a photographer, he's surrounded by like, photography gear. So he's just kind of boredly watching his neighbors voyeuristically through his back window, his rear window, which faces a big sort of wraparound courtyard in some sort of New York tenement. And, and it's about things it's You know, it's Hitchcock, so he very slowly kind of builds intrigue based on what Stewart is seeing and then bouncing that against visits from Grace Kelly. And then maybe he sees something that seems really off, but then the cascading events from there, it's such, it's such a good movie.
Jason Heaton Oh, it is really good. That storyline. And, um, you know, I think when I first saw that movie, I'd never been to New York. And I think, you know, now you're spending a lot more time in New York as well. And I, It really has a very New York feel to it. Absolutely. Stuart is awesome. The story is great. I fell in love with Grace Kelly. I mean, I watched this movie, I think, as a teenager, maybe even in high school. And it was like, oh, wow, just so it's such a beautiful woman. And just like their their interaction was so good. The chemistry was really good between them.
James Yeah. And like, obviously, Hitchcock had a type with her. But then I don't like even for a movie made in a movie that came out in 1954. She's not a throwaway character. Right. Like she has a presence and a point in the storyline. And I mean, I wouldn't go as far as to call Rear Window like a bottle movie. Like, I would say it's closer to something like if you ever saw the movie with Colin Farrell called Phone Booth. No, I never did. OK, so I think Phone Booth is a great movie that people never talk about. But, you know, these movies that exist in one fixed set piece and never really leave. This is a little bit wider than that. In Phone Booth, he's tied to a phone booth. And if he leaves, a sniper will kill him. Oh. And that's also in New York. It's heavily, you know, it's a New York street scene. Yeah. You get a lot of that sort of thing. And that's with Kiefer Sutherland. That's a pretty good movie. I don't know if it's film club movie. I don't know. It's fun. But, you know, Rear Window is it has this claustrophobia of knowing that he can't leave. Yeah. His apartment. Yeah. But it has this sort of wider scene that that is this very personal width of someone's view from their balcony.
Unknown Yeah.
James So it's New York, but you only really see a bus. You don't really see, you don't see, you're not watching a street scene. You're not seeing taxi cabs and people shouting and honking and all that kind of thing. It's a little bit more like padded through the physical environment of this apartment building. I love this movie. Please watch Rear Window.
Jason Heaton I would imagine this movie has been made into a play at some point because it seems perfect for the stage because it's one, like you said, it's one set.
James So the basic overall sort of sensibility of this film was repurposed in a movie from, let's see, 2007 called Disturbia, which is with, which is with Shia LaBeouf and a handful of other, or sorry, 2007, 2007, Disturbia, where he's on house arrest and can't really leave his house and believes he witnesses a crime, but you're not sure like the audience isn't in on either side of the, it's, it's, it's fine. It's very fine. The rear windows is like, like Hitchcock really can nail a perfect movie. Yeah. he does it so many times. And I would say Rear Window for me is in his top five. I think I think it's just absolutely incredible. And I think anyone listening, it shouldn't be that hard to find. It's very old. It's going to cost you two bucks on iTunes or it might be on American Netflix. I don't know. Check it out. I think I think this one's absolutely like it doesn't like a North by Northwest, which was on my last selections for the Film Club One. It doesn't age. Yeah, sure. It doesn't like it. Maybe they're dressed a little bit differently. The way they talk is... Stewart's, the way he talks, feels kind of strange sometimes. But like after about 20 minutes, all of that melts away and you're just watching a really, really, really great thriller.
Jason Heaton Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's a good one. Good, good, good pick.
James Yeah, I like it. I think it's a winner.
Jason Heaton So my next one is another kind of throwback film. This is from, I think, 1983. Um, one that I think we've, we and I have talked about quite a bit. I've referenced a lot. That is the right stuff. Oh yeah. Um, you know, just, uh, uh, Philip Kaufman was the director. I think he might've written it as well, but it's based on the spectacular book by Tom Wolf called of the same name, the right stuff. And it's just this epic story of the beginnings of the test pilot program at Edwards air force base. up through the Mercury space program, the selection of the astronauts, the selection process, kind of the swagger and personalities of these, uh, the Mercury seven. And you know, there's, there's a bit of humor in there. Harry Shearer is in there and Jeff Goldblum play a couple of, uh, kind of, you know, but sort of hapless, uh, government employees. Um, Chuck Yeager, who obviously is a, uh, huge sort of character in the film also has a bit of a cameo appearance as, uh, One of the guys that works in the, in the, um, in the kind of ramshackle bar, uh, the happy bottom riding club that features prominently in the film. So you can look for him, Sam Shepard, one of my favorite actors and playwrights. Uh, he plays Yeager and does just a great job. Barbara Hershey, um, you know, Ed Harris, just a wonderful cast. Um, and, and just, it really captures that 1950s, um, sort of optimism of, of America at the time and, and the sets. And then of course, it kind of has something for everybody. I mean, there's, there's kind of the, the aspect of the wives that are, they're worried about their husbands and these dangerous jobs. There's the kind of behind the scenes of the kind of hectic paranoid development of the, the rockets to keep up with the Russians. And, um, I don't know, I, I can't say enough about this movie. I absolutely love it. And, you know, I've seen it many times. I've read the book, I read at least segments of the book every year. So, you know, certainly this is, this is kind of, you know, when I talk about, you know, this, this makes it into our film club, but it also makes it down to my, I've got a bit of a running list of sort of desert Island movies, ones that I would take with me to, uh, uh, you know, watch if I were kind of stranded somewhere. So definitely the right stuff might be, might be my top movie. I mean, if I had to kind of put it in my top, top movies, I would say it's in my top one or two.
James That's fantastic. You know, this is we've now hit a second one that I've not seen. I've read the book. Oh, wow. At your behest. I've not seen seen the movie. The book is excellent. So I can see the movie being fantastic. Yeah. But the funny thing is, I actually have the right stuff like on a hard drive that I travel with as something that I had always intended to get to on a flight. Yeah. And I just haven't. So, you know, I guess, you know, heading to Europe by the time this comes out. So maybe that's the right time to watch the right stuff. Sounds. I mean, the book is so good. Yeah. Yeah.
Jason Heaton Really fantastic. And they kind of exist as separate entities. It's kind of like the English patient. I always feel like the best movies are based on, on some of the best books. And these two that I've mentioned are definitely two in that of, of that case, um, sort of case in point, but, uh, just, just really, really good. So yeah, you might want to watch a, what is it? Grand Prix or one of those driving movies. If you're headed to Monaco, maybe save this one, but, uh, definitely you got to watch it soon.
James I will definitely get to get to that. And I think before we get to my next pick, that's as good a time as any to take our quick ad break. So Jason and I are legitimately thrilled. This is actually kind of a long time coming, but we're legitimately thrilled to announce that the sponsor for this episode and a further episode is Garmin. Garmin at large. I mean, we're talking boats, cars, your wrist, running, adventure, all of it. Like if it's location based and like forward thinking technology, I think, I think Garmin is kind of the name in it. And certainly, Jason, I have spoken at length, literally at length about Garmin products in the past, I've had huge success with their wrist based GPS watches between running and certainly I've even had a Phoenix kind of get me out of a pretty good jam in the in the sort of pseudo backcountry in BC. And yeah, we were thrilled that they they you know, they wanted to support the show directly and for that we definitely thank them. You know they're celebrating 30 years this year in developing these sorts of equipment and it's funny because I think that a lot of people probably have a touch point, Jason, with Garmin that they may not realize whether it was the GPS that was in their car or maybe it was a boat scenario or Jason you've even used some of their like backcountry equipment.
Jason Heaton Yeah and you know it's interesting I recently learned that Garmin's first customer was actually the U.S. Army in the 1990s so they were They were kind of in the early days of GPS. And like you said, in cars, they do airplane instrumentation. So the navigational equipment that goes into a lot of airplanes is provided by Garmin. I've used their Descent diving watch. I've used their Phoenix. And you and I have both tried out the Instinct. So I've also used, as you mentioned, their InReach Mini, which is a very small sort of GPS device that allows you to connect with your phone via an app and Bluetooth. And allows you to message from anywhere on the planet. So even if you don't have any wifi or any cell signal, you can create a, like a text message on, in the app, on the phone, and then it will actually transmit. Kind of tethered to this inReach mini device that, that, you know, if you're in the back country and you just want to tell somebody that you're okay, or if you need help, or, you know, you forgot to check the stove before you left. It's, it's just a really handy gadget, really well thought out sort of comprehensive line of products kind of from end to end.
James When you look at their offering, that's probably right, right down the barrel for TGN. It's their kind of adventure sport watches. So not only do they have everything from, you know, audio visual gear for adventuring, and then they also have like watches that are designed specifically for running or just for activity, kind of management and activity sensors. But when you get right into the ones that we're used to, I mean, two of them we have quite a lot of experience with. That would be the Instinct, which kind of sits at the entry level to their kind of full suite adventure watches. And then the Phoenix, which now kind of makes up their upper mid range. And then the Mark, which is their new premium watches, which offer these sort of five expressions of aviator, athlete, expedition, captain and driver. And these have some really, really, really fantastic software built into them specifically for those uses. So if you want their most premium running watch, then you're on the athlete, their most premium sort of hiking platform. Expedition, if you want to have their most premium, you know, software suite for driving on racetracks, then you're at the driver. And these five pillars reflect their core business segments in aviation, fitness, outdoor, marine, and automotive applications for their software. And not only are they thoughtful from the get-go, I mean, the mark is pretty full featured platform. It, it builds on what's available in the instinct and the Phoenix, but then you also have, you know, like specific applications that are, that are pulled from their now 30 years of experience in, you know, location based technology and, and making it possible to apply that technology into kind of different endeavors.
Jason Heaton Yeah. And the Mark watches also kind of overlap into a sort of a luxury watch space. They appeal to, to those of us that, that, you know, are used to kind of the better built and finer materials and more refined build quality of a luxury watch. So the Captain has this water repelling jacquard fabric strap that was woven in France. The driver has a titanium band that has a soft inner silicone lining. The cases are made out of titanium. They have sapphire crystals and ceramic bezels. So, you know, they're really well built watches as well as having all this incredible functionality.
James if you're used to a watch in the same sort of price point, you'll feel the pushers, the buttons, the interface, the case, the straps, all are representative of that higher price point.
Unknown Yeah.
James And with all of them, I mean, we've said this many times in the past, these all feel like tool watches for kind of not only just day-to-day life, but like a true modern tool watch for a given application. So they've picked five applications here. I would argue they have something of a sixth in the descent.
Unknown Yeah.
James which gives you a dive computer that's built into the format of the Phoenix, which I think is very clever for someone who likes to dive a fair bit.
Unknown Yeah.
James Um, because you're cutting one hole, you know, sort of watch and charging and care scenario out of the, out of the realm. But from the instinct, which you've talked about on previous episodes, and we can talk about more on, you know, future episodes to the Phoenix, to the Mark, you're really looking at a, at, at a range of kind of industry leading tech focused, and really kind of nicely implemented and executed sport watches for a modern sort of adventure or athlete or, you know, whatever you decide to do, whether you're out on the boat every weekend or you're on the trail every weekend, or maybe even the racetrack. These are all kind of pretty solid offerings that I think are a compelling sort of lineup.
Jason Heaton Yeah. And I think, you know, Garmin is just such a great fit for TGN and for our listeners who kind of follow and participate in a lot of the same Sort of adventurous activities that, that we talk about and do, um, between the two of us. Um, it's just a really great fit as a sponsor.
James And while we certainly are fans of kind of the entire range and both Jason and I are currently rocking instincts and really enjoying that. It is really good to note that until mid June, uh, the 15th of June, the Phoenix is $150 off. So if you were on the fence and wanted to give the Phoenix a run, I ran one for several years, a lot of kilometers around Vancouver. Highly recommend it. And now $150 off even better. So we really appreciate Garmin supporting the show and keeping the doors open for the Grenado. And yeah, let's get back to some movie picks.
Jason Heaton Yeah, cool. Let's let's jump back into the movies. I guess you're up for your second pick.
James Yeah. So I'm looking at my list here and I think I'm just going to go with one of my all time favorite movies. It's it's too long. It's kind of overly dramatic at times. It's but but it's something really special for me. And that's the movie Heat. which is a Michael Mann film from 1995. I love a good heist movie, and I'm sure at some point Ronan will make a future edition of the film club. But for me, there's something very specifically special and endearing about Heat. Heat is a heist. It actually involves more than one heist. It opens in the act. It's Michael Mann. So, I mean, people would know Michael Mann for various things, but most notably Miami Vice and several movies of which I believe Heat to be the absolute best. It's Pacino as a kind of grizzled, you know, cop that should probably be in anger management versus Robert De Niro as this kind of calm, collected, highly methodical thief. And of course on a heist movie, it needs a cast of bad guys. So with that, you're looking at Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore. And if you're a 24 fan, Dennis Haysbert is in there. I mean, there's some people that pop up in this film. It's pretty great. I think it has one of the pinnacle action series of the pre-matrix genre. So like, you kind of look at, I like to think of action movies in kind of these stages of which Keanu Reeves has been involved in now multiple stages by my read. But Heat has this incredible shootout scene in downtown LA that kind of made the movie famous. And that's following one of the main heists. But I think the whole story is pretty interesting. It's shot really beautifully. And it's basically a Western told in, you know, modern, we'll call it modern 1995, but modern times. So some of the cars now are a little bit laughable. You know, they're American cars from the mid 90s, not exactly a shining era. for American cars, but the movie is very moody. It's very dark, strong use of black, not unlike Collateral, which is also a Michael Mann film, another favorite. It's a lot of it's shot at night and it has some just absolutely incredible lines. There's some good Pacino yelling, which is good in any movie. I really love Heat. It is probably an hour too long. But a lot of my favorite movies could be said to be an hour too long. I mean, North by Northwest is a pretty long movie as well. So, yeah, my second pick for Film Club Volume 2 is Michael Mann's L.A. Noire Heat.
Jason Heaton Nice. Yeah, I haven't seen that probably since the 90s, so I'm definitely going to cue that one up. That's great.
James It's just so good.
Jason Heaton Cool.
James All right. Give me number three.
Jason Heaton All right. Number three is Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Great choice. from 2011, iconic name based on the Le Carre novel from maybe about the 70s. It was made into a BBC miniseries with Alec Guinness playing the lead role, which was also really good. But this film with Gary Oldman in the lead role is just, I can't tell you how many times I've watched this movie and it's not a quick watch. I mean, this is a long movie. It's very involved. It's a very complicated plot. But the cinematography is just moody. It's 1970s, London, it's kind of gray and grim. It was it was shot by Hoyte van Hoytema. I think I'm pronouncing it correctly. He's one of the cinematographers that shot one of the recent Bond films. Just, you know, the vintage cars, the clothing, the soundtrack. I actually downloaded the soundtrack because it's just such a moody, evocative music from that movie. Le Carré, you know, he's done so many great movies from, you know, The Constant Gardener to Um, the night manager, some of these miniseries and films that he not only wrote the source material, but he also contributed to the screenplay. So, you know, you know, you're getting that really rich, dense sort of plot, which can be challenging to follow sometimes. And I think that that's what makes Tinker Taylor, one of those movies that beckons you to kind of watch again. And every time I watch it, and I've probably watched this movie eight times, um, you know, you pick up something new every single time. So just spectacular, just a wonderful film.
James It's so dense. Yeah, very dense. And a lot of it, they don't even give you both sides of a conversation, so you're tied to piecing some intelligence together. It makes you feel a little bit like a spy. Yeah, yeah. But I mean, the other thing to consider is like, look at this cast. Mark Strong, John Hurt, Gary Oldman, Toby Jones, this guy whose name, it's Syrian maybe, Syrian Hines.
Unknown Oh, yeah, yeah.
James You recognize his face from everything. Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch. Yeah. And this is like, this is some years ago. I also, for some reason I had this really weird, um, uh, that Tom, uh, Tom Hardy was in this, but I don't, I don't believe he is. He is. He is. Yeah. He is. Okay. So he's not on the list. I was remembering correctly. I love his character. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, I, I think this is a, a, like a, a, a really high end spy movie. Very high end.
Jason Heaton It's not, it's not James Bond. This is real. Yeah. It's, you know, Le Carre was part of MI6 and he kind of knew these sort of very subtle sort of games that went on there and kind of the nefarious sort of subplots that were, you know, very nuanced. And that really comes through. There's no violence, there's no car chases, there's no shoot-em-up action sequences. It's just very cerebral and dark, but also has this sort of ominous, there's sort of this ominous cloud that hangs over the whole movie, and it's just so good.
James Yeah, if you consider a spectrum of spy stories, you definitely have James Bond on one side, it's a comic book almost. And then I would put Mission Impossible 1 to the right of that. And then if you keep going, you'd get to something like Night Manager, which is very stylish and appealing and great. And then if you go take us a step further, almost probably closer to reality or some form of reality. You'd land with Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy. It's just simply a fantastic film.
Unknown Yeah.
Jason Heaton Yeah. Yeah. So again, not only on my film club list, but also on my desert island list as well. So good.
James Jump in. What's your next? All right. My next I'm going to go with one of my favorite movies of my teens and into my twenties, which is a 1979 Ridley Scott, Alien. Do not talk to me about aliens. Don't talk to me about any of the other ones. In my opinion, those are all unauthorized. Yeah. Alien is the movie. The first one, you know, the rumor or the conjecture around this was that when they were asked to do a one-sentence pitch for Alien, they just said, Jaws in space. Oh, yeah. So 1975 was Jaws. Four years later, I can't even imagine To go from Jaws in 1975, or like let's say they filmed Jaws in like 1973 or something like that, to filming Alien at the end of the 70s, it does not feel like these movies existed in the same decade or the same era. Alien is so forward thinking and so progressive in its temperament of horror and thriller and sci-fi all kind of wrapped up into one. I don't really like horror movies. This is on the edge. I would say it is a horror film to some extent.
Unknown Yeah.
James But like you've got H.R.G. Gare's entire sort of aesthetic wrapped up into this film. I read and I don't know some of these things. I was at one time very obsessed with this movie and with Ridley Scott. You know, I read that they shot a big portion of the film with the camera sort of at eye level because it helped them obscure where they didn't build a ceiling on the spaceship. So in the kind of living environment of this mining spaceship. Yeah. And then Ridley Scott hated it. They had to build an entire roof, essentially an actual living space, hallways and ladders and doors and all that kind of stuff so that they could shoot from this low angle. Yeah. Which makes it so much more claustrophobic. And when you go from, like they show you a lot, like a lot of the film is establishing what it feels like to be in this ship when they're not supposed to be awake. Oh, yeah. And then when you add in what is a, they quickly teach you is a known threat, this alien. And the way it looks is incredible. It's aged beautifully. The music is wild. Yeah. And there's a performance by someone who ends up not being human.
Unknown Oh, right.
James That is just so next level. Yeah. And I love this movie. I love Alien. And if you've seen Aliens or you've seen Resurrection or you've seen Prometheus or any of these ones that they tacked on to the legacy of this film, this is Genesis. The other stuff is, you know, the other stuff is just other albums. I'm not a huge James Cameron fan so I don't really like the direction they went with Aliens. I love Ridley Scott and I love how serious they take this movie. I love this movie for almost the exact same reasons I love Blade Runner 2049. The tonality, the way that they meter out intrigue and thriller elements so that you're interested, but you're always kind of scared and you feel kind of off balance through a lot of the film. And they give the audience things that everyone else on the ship knows kind of slowly. Reality, certainly realities of their scenario. Yeah, this is a great movie. Please, please again, with everything on this list, but definitely like Alien. Alien's rad.
Jason Heaton Yeah. And what's also was really progressive about that film as well was the use of a really strong female main character. Absolutely. You know, which I would say for that era, um, was really ahead of its time.
James And Sigourney Weaver's incredible.
Jason Heaton I mean, nowadays we're, we're, we're seeing a resurgence of, you know, Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman. Of course, these are superhero movies, but like, you know, people are celebrating strong female leads that are actually heroes and kind of, you know, top, top notch characters. And Sigourney Weaver in this film was, you know, she was the boss. I mean, she was great. as strong as any of the male characters, if not stronger.
James Yeah, Ripley, right? I mean, it's so good. I had the action figure when I was a kid. I don't even know... Oh, you need that Seiko watch. Oh, this is so true. I definitely do. But yeah, a really, really, really great movie. And I would say, you know, 15 plus years ahead of its genre.
Jason Heaton Yeah, definitely. Well, I'm going to follow that up with another movie from 1979 that I know is on both of our lists. And it's probably just on mine because I got to it first. It is, yeah. Apocalypse Now. Definitely.
James Apocalypse Now. Definitely was on my list for this episode.
Jason Heaton Talk about a movie that I mean, I've seen it so many times, the quotes just run through my head whenever I encounter any sort of a scenario that even remotely lends itself to it. Absolutely. You know, it's what can you say about it? I mean, I think we could do an entire episode on Apocalypse Now. Maybe maybe Film Club volume three should just be that movie and we'll just we'll go through it line by line.
James I mean, that movie in the supporting documentary. Heart of Darkness, I think you can go, you can have yourself a really, really impressive weekend.
Unknown Yeah.
James Watching, maybe pick one of the versions of Apocalypse Now, then watch the documentary, then watch the, you know, the theatrical cut.
Unknown Yeah.
James Uh, yeah. Apocalypse Now is, uh, it is just, uh, it is, yeah.
Jason Heaton It's, it's, um, I mean, I, you know, we don't need to summarize the film. It's obviously, I think almost everybody knows what this movie is about, even if you haven't seen it, you know, Vietnam era, well, Vietnam war. Um, Captain Willard, Martin Sheen. To me, the characters in the movie are just so iconic. You've got Kilgore, played by Robert Duvall, who, you know, not only has great lines, but the swagger. I mean, he's so good in that role.
James I mean, one of the most quoted lines in movie history, probably.
Jason Heaton Yeah. Yeah. Marlon Brando as Kurtz. Incredible. Harrison Ford has a small role in the beginning. I love that scene where he's handed his assignment and they're sitting around the dinner table, passing the food around. You know, you've got, I think Sheen is just, I love his character in this movie, deeply flawed. Um, but, uh, with a kind of a quiet confidence, um, that kind of grows through the movie, he starts out a little bit of a wreck and, uh, I don't know, just, just wonderful.
James Originally was going to be played by Harvey Keitel. Yes. Yeah. And, uh, that didn't work out. There was a lot of things on this, on the production of this film that didn't work out. It took like six times longer than it was supposed to. Yeah. Um, but the other thing that always stands out for me is it was written by one of my absolute favorites, John Milius.
Jason Heaton Oh, right. Which I think you talked about him on a very early episode. There was a movie called Milius, right?
James A fantastic documentary about his life. He wears an awesome, uh, two-tone Pepsi, two-tone GMT. Oh yeah. And, uh, just, yeah, he's a, he's a wild man and like not, not, not a character I think that you would aspire to be, uh, necessarily. but just insanely talented and when you learn about like Milius kind of had his fingers in fixing Apocalypse Now and fixing the screenplays for some seriously famous movies like Star Wars and when you find out that like a bunch of these guys all came out of one class together and you start to see like okay so like maybe Milius isn't as well known as a George Lucas or as a Francis Ford Coppola but he was their peer right behind them and in many ways like helped bolster their work. And certainly when it comes to Apocalypse Now, he has the writing credit for it. And I think it is one of the most fantastically written movies in existence. Yeah. I think that it's it's long for every great reason. It has some of the best characters, like you said, and they keep kind of giving you more characters. And when they can't, like when they're on the boat for a while, they give you more depth to these characters by putting them in scenarios that are unbelievable like yeah yeah these high tens these these like it at a certain point once they're on the boat it doesn't feel like they're on planet earth anymore yeah um and i mean that that's you know directly pulled from the concepts of the novel yeah and uh i just uh what i like your suggestion i mean i think to to do it on a weekend where you watch this and then you watch uh hearts of darkness about um the making of it really gives you the back the context of
Jason Heaton how difficult it was to make this movie. All the things, you know, Martin Sheen having a heart attack. There was a, I think a civil war broke out in the Philippines. They were using their aircraft. Yeah, they just left mid-shoot. Yeah, and it's like, I mean, the soundtrack, you know, Rolling Stones and just, just epic stuff. And some, you know, we'll sneak in a little watch content here. Two great watch cameos in the movie. Obviously Martin Sheen's character, Captain Willard, wears the now well-known Seiko 6105 on his wrist, which is shown prominently in many scenes. And Marlon Brando's character, Colonel Kurtz, wears a Rolex GMT Master with the bezel missing, which you don't spot it much in the film because he's always kind of hidden in the dark for various reasons. But spot those and then some good camera stuff too. I was just reading that Dennis Hopper's character, he's in it, he plays a photojournalist, kind of a crazed photojournalist who has about six cameras draped around his neck and a couple of old Nikon F2s and then a Leica M4, which I just read the Nikons were used by an actual photojournalist in Vietnam that were then given to the guys to use for the film. Just, um, great. I mean, I'm not going to go on about it. We've, we've talked enough about it and I'm sure we will again at some point, but absolutely. That's, uh, that's another one in 1979. It was a good year. What a great year to go to the cinema.
James Right. And I would say of all the 10 on this list, that's the one that it's like, you've never seen apocalypse now that should be priority number one. Yeah. Um, I think it's just an, and, and, and to it, it really only uses Vietnam war and, and all of the aspects of that as background noise. Yeah. It's a hyper personal story about warriors, but I don't think it has, like it doesn't, they're not, there's no like peace angle. There's no, it's this weird sort of diorama of traveling up this river and just trying to get to an objective. Yeah. And it's not specifically tied to US or this or that. Like it's, it's a story about Willard and about Kurtz. Yeah. And, uh, and, and a few tangential characters and a lot of, a lot of really strange, seemingly not lifelike scenarios. Yeah. That speak to the kind of lunacy of what it was on site, but not directly as it being a war in many ways. Right. It's an interesting treatment for sure. And I would follow it up with my fourth pick from also a Coppola. Oh, yeah. So Francis Ford Coppola directed Apocalypse Now and his daughter, Sophia Coppola, directed one of my absolute favorite modern films, Bar None, which is Lost in Translation. 2003. I'm not sure if you, you know, it's classed differently depending on kind of where you find it. It's typically classed as a comedy. I don't think that's a fair run. It's also not like a rom-com. It's this uniquely sort of personal story of two people who meet in a hotel in Japan at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo. And I think it's Scarlett Johansson's finest work. I think it's probably my favorite Bill Murray performance. That's a pretty tough statement, as I love Bill Murray, but I feel like I love him for Bob in this film. And it's a hard film to talk about at length because in many ways not a lot happens in it. These two people meet, they share a few fun experiences, and they share some realizations about the reality of their lives outside of Tokyo, outside of the hotel. and uh and you know it is directly tied to you you can go online if you want and read about the backstory that informed the film i actually found it to be very interesting last in translation 2003 sofia coppola uh yeah scarlett johansson and bill murray uh not maybe your most likely uh pairing for a romantic movie um but i i just think it's um It's an almost indescribably special thing. If your taste in movies is similar to mine, I think that this one will hit you pretty hard. I don't typically sit down and watch a rom-com or something like that. It's not really my vibe. This movie treads the line of having so much humanity tied up into a few things that are funny. Yeah. But they're funny with this kind of poignancy. It's a very, very special movie. I'm assuming most people have seen it, but it had to make my list at some point. It's one of my absolute top five films, and I love it very much.
Jason Heaton Yeah, 2003, I was working for a company, and I did travel to Japan a couple of times because I was responsible for doing some work in that market. And somebody gave me that DVD, probably in 2004 or something, and I remember watching it. not that it related at all to my experiences in Japan, but that sense of, I think what that movie captures is this sense of loneliness and, and how you find these relationships in very odd places with people that really have, you have nothing in common with. And, and that, that for those of us that travel a fair amount and travel that involves jet lag and long distances and you know, lots of hotel rooms, It really captures that sense of it. And I always thought that when I rewatched this movie recently, and you know, when I saw it again, I was ready to be kind of creeped out because Bill Murray's characters, obviously a lot older, older than Scarlett Johansson's. And there's, it teeters on the edge of romance, but doesn't cross a line. And I appreciated that. And I love that about the movie. It treads it so thinly that it's just, it's perfect. It's just a perfect balance.
James It's a really delicate film for sure. Aesthetically, it's gorgeous. I mean, the set pieces are amazing. I think that the performances are really great. And yeah, not only is it about these two people, but it's also about their personal experiences feeling very disconnected in this space. And yeah, I could talk a long time about Lost in Translation, but I think if for some reason it's slipped your grasp since 2003, it's definitely worth a watch.
Jason Heaton Yeah. Yeah. All right. My last pick for today is, uh, Thunderball. Um, so, you know, we talked about Tinker Taylor. This is opposite end of the spectrum, but who doesn't love Bond? Um, I could actually include the entire Bond film canon with maybe two or three exceptions from the Roger Moore era. Um, but if I had to pick one and everybody, it's the endless debate, what's, what's the best Bond film. It really comes down to what your favorite is. And for me, it's Thunderball. 1965, I think it was, just a just a rollicking film that was really groundbreaking. It had some incredible sets and production sort of complexities that made it very groundbreaking for the time. This was, you know, we're talking early days of scuba diving and, you know, a huge amount of the movie. I can't remember what the percentage is, but it's a fair percentage of the movie was actually done underwater with actual divers and sharks and sunken planes and underwater scooters. I mean, this is, this is right in the middle of when Cousteau was doing all sorts of funky stuff on his show and with, with under underwater garages and submarines and scooters. I think, I think it captured that vibe of that time. And I think it's something that we still, I don't know, for me as a kind of a nostalgic sort of person who likes sort of the old days of diving and the gear and the watches and the clothing and and uh and that sort of thing this movie really just does it for me and I can watch it you know Bond films are the kind of thing they come on TV you flip through the channels and it's on on a lazy Sunday afternoon or something and you can watch 20 minutes of it and doze off and you haven't really missed anything you know you just pick them up wherever you leave off and um but but this one's great it's it's Connery truly kind of at its prime I think after this you get into you only live twice and then you move into uh Diamonds are Forever and the Lazenby film but uh You know, this was kind of the height of his power as Bond. You know, you could argue that Goldfinger from Russia with Love are better movies. I think it just comes down to taste. And of course, it's probably no surprise that the film that features a lot of scuba diving is the one that is my favorite. And this will tie in fairly well with one of my final notes. So I left this one for my last pick just because of that. So yeah, I mean, what more can you say about a Bond film? It's just Thunderball is the one for me.
James It's true. Yeah, I think it's a it's certainly one of my favorites. It's one that I think I've probably only seen once, but I can still remember a few really wild sequences from it. Yeah, them approaching a yacht and that sort of thing. And it's, it is really fun and a great choice for summer as well. Yeah, you know, you maybe kick back and catch that on a Saturday afternoon where you Yeah, aren't quite ready for a nap, but also don't want to do much else. I think that's a great choice. And, uh, you know, my, my fifth is, uh, is, is a movie that we did. We've talked about even not even that long ago, cause I really got back into it in December. And that is, uh, the third man from 1949. Uh, so a lot of my goal with, uh, TGN film club, if I, if I'm honest is like, I feel like I, you know, I have a group of friends that I grew up with and, and, and with a, with a, with a, distinction of maybe one of them, they would never watch a movie that existed before Star Wars. Oh, yeah. So it's just like 1977, something like that. Yeah, they would never touch it. And I think that like with with a movie like, with a movie like Alien or, or Rear Window or North by Northwest. These are all great movies that are also old now. And then then when you get into Third Man, we're talking 90. It's like 1950. I mean, North by Northwest is like 51, I think. And this is 1949. It's black and white. I've definitely talked about it on a past episode, but if this is one you haven't seen, it is just quite possibly the best movie ever made. Yeah. It's so good. It's a story of a man that travels to Vienna to take a job with a friend of his. When he actually gets to Vienna, keep in mind this is the late 40s. We're not talking cell phones. We're not talking email. It would take forever to send a letter back and forth. So this man shows up in Vienna with a letter from his friend saying he had some work for him. He gets there and his friend is dead. And the concept is that there's an unknown person who was present at this man's death. And that's about all they know after a little bit of talking. It has some unbelievable performances from a number of really fantastic actors. The music is incredible. It's a proper noir. It lives in the shadows. This is one I could absolutely rave about, but I actually think just sit down and watch it. And I would say more than any other one that I've recommended, this is one that you do need to give 15 minutes. If you're not used to movies that are this old, if you're not used to black and white films, if you're not used to the way the audio is, you'd have to adjust to it. That's true. Yeah. It's a bit like seeing it's a bit like the difference between seeing a band live and listening to a band on their album. It's just not as polished as we've come to expect. It's not as polished as an early Hitchcock either. Yeah. Uh, so like if we're talking, there's a big difference between 1949 and 1954, but I promise you there's no difference in quality or, or actual charm or storytelling. It just, it just requires a few minutes for you to recalibrate it. You know, if you, if you've ever downloaded a podcast, you really wanted to listen to, and it didn't sound that good. You know, that after about five or 10 minutes, you kind of stopped paying attention to the weirdness of the audio. And that's all I would recommend with the third man is give it 15 minutes. Yeah. And I think you'll get wrapped up in the two or three characters they give you in the first 15 minutes in this kind of strange storyline. And then also just trying to imagine what it is to travel in 1949 to Europe. Yeah. Not only the the overall theater of Europe in the late 40s, but also like like no tech and trying to imagine getting there and your friend's dead.
Unknown Yeah.
James It's a it's just a great movie.
Jason Heaton It's incredible. I didn't realize this was 1949, but this is only four years after the war ended and the movie was released in 49, which means they filmed it either early in that year or the year before. So, um, that, that's, I mean, that would have been very raw at the time. Absolutely. The war.
James Yeah. Yeah. And, and part parts of Vienna are, are, you know, are in rubble. Yeah. It's a, it's a, it's a fantastic thing.
Jason Heaton It feels like with the kind of the theme of today's film club was, you know, a lot, when I look back at the films we mentioned, Starting with the third man in 49 moving up through Tinker Taylor, you know this this evocative Sort of over overarching sort of mood or Sort of the vibe that they give the aesthetic that is presented. I think obviously is something very important to us Absolutely, you talked about the way alien was filmed and the kind of the sense that you get from lost in translation I mean the best movies do that and Thunderball doesn't do that Thunderballs are just a like you said a comic book but the English patient. I mean, that movie sticks with me, you know, it's, you remember the quotes, you remember the, you can almost imagine the dust in your hair from the desert. And, you know, um, the rear window is definitely, or sorry, the third man is definitely the progenitor of a lot of that type of filming.
James Absolutely. I couldn't agree more. I do think we've gone over time a little bit on these 10. So, uh, I will do a quick list for those of you who asked for these sorts of things. We have Jason's Five or Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Apocalypse Now, The Right Stuff, The English Patient, and finally, Thunderball, a fantastic Bond film. My five is Michael Mann's Heat, Lost in Translation, Alien of 1979, The Third Man, and Rear Window. And that's it for volume two of the TGN Film Club. We now have recommended 20 amazing films, which is probably about a summer's worth of movies if you really went at it. So if you don't remember the first one, that's episode 69, you can go back and hit that one again. And if you have any suggestions, things you'd like to see maybe considered for a future film club, or maybe we'll even start doing five that come in from the audience that we wouldn't pick. Maybe we could do something like that, or expand the film club universe a little bit. Just write us, thegraynado at gmail.com. Otherwise, Jason, what do you think we dig in as some final notes?
Jason Heaton Yeah, let's do it. I, I've got, um, my first one is a guilty pleasure, you know, final notes. We typically err on the side of, uh, inexpensive or free and easily accessible. This is none of those. Um, there's a clothing company, a British clothing company called Orla Bar Brown. Um, that I've become a fan over the past few years. They, they started out their kind of claim to fame where these sort of retro style shorts come, uh, swim trunks. Really nice stuff, and I think they got their big break when I think in Quantum of Solace or something, Daniel Craig wore a pair in one of the scenes. But they kind of harken back to this 1950s, 60s, south of France, sort of beachy style. They expanded into clothing, and I think they even do some shoes now. Well, they've recently launched, in fact, as of today, when we're recording in mid-May here, they just launched a 007 collection. So they've actually taken inspiration directly from some of the old Bond films and taken specific pieces of clothing and kind of recreated them for, you know, and modernize them a little bit. So they've got, um, I mentioned Thunderball as part of the film club today, and they actually recreated a shirt that Sean Connery wears in the movie and a pair of, uh, two pairs of shorts, one pair of swim trunks and another pair of shorts. Um, these are not cheap. These are very expensive pieces of clothing. You know, their t-shirts are $125. The swim trunks are, you know, two, $300 for a pair of trunks. Um, I do have two pairs of their trunks already, and I will say that even though they weren't as expensive as this double O seven collection, they were expensive. But on the other hand, I've, I've worn them for years and I love them. Um, there is a store in New York. So if you happen to be wandering around the city, I think it might even be down near in Soho, near the Hodinkee offices there. But, um, you know, stop in, take a look. Uh, it's just really kind of neat stuff and they do a good job of marketing and sort of presenting this on their website. I think, you know, we're big fans of Alps and meters who kind of riffs off of that sort of vintage Alpine style. Um, I think Orlebar Brown is kind of the summer equivalent of that with a polo shirts and trunks and kind of that, uh, that vibe from, from a lost era. So yeah, check it out.
James 007 collection. Very cool. I can definitely, definitely get behind that sort of idea. That's a lot of fun. My first is also clothing. In this way, it's actually what might be a less expensive alternative to something I've talked about in the past. So I've expressed some very deep appreciation and love for Outlier's Slim Dungarees, which are $200 chinos that are made out of really fantastic Swiss fabric. And they're, you know, stain resistant. And I have two pairs and I absolutely love them. I wear them every week. They're one of my main three, four pairs of pants. What I found recently is a brand that I found in New York here called Everlane, which has a very specific methodology to being clear about how they source their fabrics and how they pay the people who make the clothes and, you know, all these sorts of different aspects. But they launched something called the Everlane Performance Chino. It's 70 U.S. dollars versus 200 for the Outliers. I would say in many ways it feels just as good on me. I don't know how well they will wash. I'm wearing a pair right now. The sizing is really nice. It's definitely a nice stretchy fabric that is designed to be very breathable. It's not said to be stain resistant. It doesn't have any sort of a DWR coating or anything like that. But for $70, it's a nice professional looking sort of pant that is vastly less expensive than something like the Outlier and still offers the sort of stretch comfort. So I like that for flying where you sometimes have to sit in a weird position for some time. And I also like it for, you know, in my scenario, I play with my kids. So you're picking kids up all the time. And if you have a really stiff pair of jeans on, it just isn't comfortable. So I've really started to wear things like the Slim Dungarees from Outlier or the Live Free Adventure Pants from Dewar. And I think these will slot in very well next to those sorts of options. Certainly much more professional looking than the Dewars, which are more of a cargo pant And in many ways, very similar to the slim dungarees, which have a jean style sort of cut, but are made out of a different fabric.
Jason Heaton Oh, nice. Yeah. I love this trend. I love this trend of performance clothing that still looks good. I mean, this is probably in the last five years that we've just seen this sort of explosion of these brands and it's always good to find new stuff.
James Yeah. I mean, I have a very specific and I have a very strong dislike for athleisure. I don't want to wear clothes that look like I'm supposed to be going to the gym, but I don't mind that there's a handful of brands that are kind of in the overlap between like a J.Crew and a Lululemon, which offer the J.Crew look or the Banana Public look or the Outlier look or whatever look, like a simple pair of pants, but with a different fabric. So something that's not your normal cotton, something that stretches a little bit, something that breathes. So if I change, you know, if I go from New York to Monaco and it's 10 or 15 degrees warmer, in the sun of Monaco, I don't have to worry about having to pack shorts or something. I can just have a pair of pants that I'm comfortable at a business sort of engagement with. Yeah.
Jason Heaton Yeah. Nice.
James Cool.
Jason Heaton What do you got up second? Yeah. My second one. So a listener sent this to me. His name is Austin and he goes by at time in the field on Instagram. And he sent this to me on a, in a DM on Instagram. It's a website called, um, just called advertising archives and it's out of the UK and it's just a searchable database of almost kind of any sort of advertising that you could possibly want. He specifically sent me a link to a search result that he, he got when he plugged in Rolex. So, you know, if you like a site like ad patina and you like kind of those old Rolex ads, or you want to try some other brands, I think Omega has a few in there, or just, let's say it's an old car from the sixties or something, you know, you can just type in the name and it'll give you kind of a listing and kind of a grid of images of, of some of their old advertising. So, you know, I'm a big fan of, kind of retro vintage ads for magazines. And it's just sort of a fun sort of thing to poke around and look for. And so thanks, Austin, for sending that in. And I'm sure some of our listeners will appreciate it as much as you did and as much as I do.
James That's very cool. I clicked on the link briefly. And yeah, there's lots of fun stuff in there to kill some time. And yeah, maybe even print something out and get it on your wall. So my second and final pick is a wagon. It's called the Mac Sports Collapsible Utility Wagon. And not to belabor a longer story made short, people who have been listening to the show for a while know that I moved from Vancouver to Toronto. And in that move, I did not retain a vehicle. So I don't have a car. I'm not in Toronto enough, really, I feel these days to have a car. But there are scenarios where I want to go get enough groceries, like more groceries than I can carry with two hands. And then I have two young kids, which sometimes you want to move them around without having one on my shoulder and one in my arms. So I searched around for a while for different options. And I'm sure I will buy a vehicle at some point for these tasks, but for the summer, for the nice weather, that sort of thing. I bought one of these collapsible utility wagons and both kids fit in it. A ton of groceries will fit in it. And it kind of really easily, there's no mechanism. It's just held open by weight. Um, so if there's, once there's nothing in it, you can just kind of slam it shut. And it's, uh, it's not that much bigger than like a normal folding chair. Uh, like, like what you would have taken to a soccer game or something as a, as a kid. And, um, it's not that expensive. I think I paid 150 Canadian for the one that I got. They make them with like roof covers for sun. They make ones where the side folds down and it becomes like a little bench. So if you do go to like a soccer game or something, a kid could sit in there. This one has a little tray for a phone and a drink. So if you go to the park or something, you can have some water bottles and that sort of thing in it. It's not fancy or special in any way, but in an attempt to delay my eventual automotive purchase and maybe make a few more pseudo green choices to walk a little bit more when I do something like groceries or go pick something up that I wouldn't just carry in my arms. I think this is kind of a nice thing and it folds up small enough to just go right in the closet with the jackets when I get home.
Jason Heaton Wow. I love this thing. I didn't click on it till just now, and that is really cool. I can see that being useful for... Diving. Yeah, right, there you go.
James That's a great idea. I'm really surprised that in all my time shore diving in Vancouver, I never saw someone pull one of these out of their trunk and put a bunch of their gear in it. That's a great idea. I wouldn't want it on a steep hill. There's no braking system. It's plastic wheels. They make more hardcore ones, but to move around the city or even Yeah, if you wanted to move to dive, you know, maybe two sets of gear, like with the tank and the BC already on it, and you just wanted to go from your car to the picnic table, that's 200 feet away. This is a good option. And it doesn't, they fold right up and they make 20 different versions. Sure. So it's, it's, it's from a company called Mac Sports and they come in different colors. They come in different sizes. This one, Uh, you know, they don't specifically say like, yeah, put your kids in them. But like, there's a lot of people in the comments on Amazon that were like, I put my kids in it. I was like, all right, cool. I'll give it a try. And my girls like it. So I'm thrilled with it. Good purchase.
Jason Heaton Very cool. As always, thanks so much for listening and a big thanks to Hodinkee for supporting the show and to our new sponsor Garmin. We're thrilled to have you on board and we thank you for making this episode possible and future episodes. Hit www.garmin.com for more details about their products. And remember the Phoenix is on sale until June 15th for $150 off. You can follow us on Instagram at Jason Heaton and at J.E. Stacey and follow the show at TheGreyNado. If you have any questions for us, please write to TheGreyNado at gmail.com and please subscribe and review wherever you find your podcasts. Music throughout is Siesta by Jazzar via the free music archive.
James And we leave you with this quote from Apocalypse Now in which Captain Willard says, everyone gets everything he wants. I wanted a mission, and for my sins they gave me one.