On Cinema at the Cinema

[Jesse]

When you got movies like Tom Cruise in them, you can't lose!

I know there's a few other people on the forum that watch, so out of respect we should keep this spoiler free for Season 15 until the Oscar Special is part of the monthly sub but I'm dying to have more people to talk about this with.

On Cinema at the Cinema is a podcast turned into a webshow, turned into an Adult Swim show, turned back into a webshow on its own network with a bunch of goofy spin-offs and one-shots. The wonderful https://oncinematimeline.com/ will walk you through the first eleven seasons, including what most would call it's high point - The Trial of Tim Heidecker. It started, and ostensibly remains, a show about two people reviewing movies as they come out, letting you know if you should go watch them and stars comedians Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington. I started it only knowing everything I've written up to now after someone (I think Devon) posted about it here. So if, like me, you've been meaning to get into it then stop reading and start now. But if you need a little more I can vamp.

The show is, at its heart, a character study of two deeply sad, awful people who need each other to feed off. Tim has a hugely inflated ego for his talent, and is both master manipulator and manipulated each season by a variety of characters including multiple wives, health gurus, money lenders. Gregg Turkington is a feted movie expert with nothing of substance to say about movies, obsessed with surface level connections and runtimes over anything substantial - and stuck in the time he fell in love with movies, obsessed with VHS as a format and some truly terrible 'classic' films.

The regular cast grows and changes over time, including legendary actor Joe Estevez, tormented impressionist Mark Proksch, and a host of rotating guest spots. Starting in 2013 with Season 2 they also do an annual 'Oscar Special' produced and broadcast live during the Oscars itself. Ostensibly about predicitng the winners and seeing the results, but much more about throwing their volatile characters into a live setting and seeing how far they can push each other.

If I listed my favourite moments I'd still be writing this by the time Season 16 starts, and so much of it relies on knowledge of the characters and what they've been through to properly land, and I want at least this opening post to convince you to give it a chance (especially if like Bacon, you work from home and have nothing else to do but binge-watch TV). If you're on the fence and want to dip your toe in, I'm going to link a compilation of one of the through-lines of their early characters with a brief description inside a spoiler below. Warning, it spoils what I think is a fantastic moment, so if you're thinking of diving in then really just do that and try to remain unspoiled any further.
 

Spoiler

Starting in the podcast, Gregg confuses Star Trek 2 & 4, and is adamant that he couldn't be wrong about that as a 'film buff'. This runs through multiple episodes over ten seasons, with Tim trying to get him to admit that he was wrong in a variety of ways. Gregg not backing down but Tim not being able to let it go to the point that he uses his own trial to try to needle Gregg on it again. A perfect encapsulation of their personalities and what makes it so engaging imo.
 

 

 

[gmoney]

Proud owner.

[Cannibal Man]

I was cleaning the flat last night and kept myself busy trying to piece together how ridiculous and long winded the Star Trek II/Star Trek IV joke has been going on and the insane payoff to it all during the Trial season. One of the funniest things they've ever done. probably my favourite.

[Jesse]

I'm going to see their Walthamstow live show in July and I'm so excited. This year has been the first year I'm caught up and watching along with everyone, grateful I powered through it.

[SuperBacon]

Great stuff Jesse!

I started it a couple of weeks back and I blitzed so much of it, I think I reached the Trial in around a week or so! I've had to take a break.

I absolutely love it, it's just the right type of comedy that I love and Tim and Gregg is just something you cannot look away from. A true horror film of a friendship. Tim losing his shit at James Dean the first appearance was appalling to watch. Just such a nobhead ?

I struggled a little bit during a couple of series where its mainly about Dekkar, the vapes, Dr San, as I found it a bit boring and flat but that might have been due to fatigue from the blitz.

I love Mark, and his characters arc, and I think my favourite thing I've watched in the run so far is Mark and Greggs Oscar show as it's just so shoddy (when the light is shining right in Marks eyes I absolutely lost it)

And there have been genuine moments of heartache. When (series 8 or 9 spoiler so avoid if you haven't seen up to there) 

Spoiler

The VFA burns down I was genuinely gutted

Also, I watched the first 3 series of Decker and they were really fun and I was watching everything in sequence, but I'm not sure if I'll watch the ones that aren't on YT (maybe I will).

Gave us a cracker of a song though 

Brilliant show, can't believe it took me so long to get round to it.

? I've got the Oscar fever, hope you got it too ?

[Jesse]

4 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

Tim losing his shit at James Dean the first appearance was appalling to watch. Just such a nobhead ?

His bursts of anger are so good, it's impressive how fast he can go from 0 - 100. It's from a 'behind the scenes' of Decker Vs. Dracula but the way he's so calm and his voice is level through this argument, losing his composure for the final words. It breaks me every time.

 

[Devon Malcolm]

It was our Butch who recommended it to me. First time I tried it I couldn't get into it but then I started again in 2021 and it's honestly one of the best things I've ever watched. Saw it described on Letterboxd as the "funniest thing I've ever watched that I can't recommend to anyone".

When the month long post-Oscers period has expired on the Hei Network I'll be blitzing through the last year's stuff.

[SuperBacon]

1 minute ago, Devon Malcolm said:

Saw it described on Letterboxd as the "funniest thing I've ever watched that I can't recommend to anyone".

That's hilariously accurate. I have friends of mine who have really similar sense of humour as me, but I don't reckon they would get it and I probably won't tell them to watch it.

[Jesse]

9 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

When the month long post-Oscers period has expired on the Hei Network I'll be blitzing through the last year's stuff.

Gonna be honest, this was half the reason I made this thread. I recently finished the Oscar Special after shelling out because I knew I was going to be spoiled if I didn't, and I didn't want to have forgotten by the time you watched it because I'm dying to know what you think of S15

[SuperBacon]

I reckon a future popcorn classic.

I'm thinking 5 bags of popcorn and maybe a stove top espresso.

[Devon Malcolm]

God I haven't even watched the new series or Oscer special yet and I'm the daft twat who's recommended it to everyone (after Butch).

[SuperBacon]

Hey guys.

Just thought you'd like to know Gregg is hosting an AMA on Reddit on Friday. You can already submit your questions.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OnCinemaAtTheCinema/s/dr4gWwjveJ

[SuperBacon]

2 hours ago, Lorne Malvo said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn41yddj4m1o

Denis Villeneuve is directing the next James Bond film.

I'm in two minds, really. I like him as a director for the most part but I'm not as high on the Dune films as most (they're good, just not great in my eyes) and, as much as I liked the Daniel Craig films, I did want this Bond to be a more traditional old-school back-to-basics offering and I don't think Villeneuve will provide that.

I know just the man to cast.

[Jesse]

Braved the Oasis dickheads in the centre of Manchester to get the train to Walthamstow for their live show yesterday.

Despite the various travel woes (having to go via Crewe because people coming in for Oasis has made all the train tickets expensive and hard to get, London Euston is a shite station, it was hot and muggy as fuck) I'm so glad I went. Won't go into detail assuming they recorded it at some point for the HEI Network, but it had absolutely everything I wanted from an on Cinema show - Tim's business ventures, Gregg being an asinine charisma vacuum, movie reviews, and a performance from Dekkar!

Had me out of breath and crying from laughing so hard at points, really do hope it's going up somewhere as a video eventually. I'll drop a couple of high points in spoiler tags.
 

Spoiler

- Tim's 'HEI Global Summit' presentation setting up where things are going next season
- London-based On Cinema On Location
- "Bad Guys 2 is like The Secret Life of Pets crossed with The Godfather"
- Woody Allen's death update via Grok
- Tim firing his bandmates from Dekkar over Zoom because of "the current state of America" making him think he shouldn't shoulder "the burden of their visa situation"
- Gregg attempting to screen Chariots of Fire as the grand finale

 

[SuperBacon]

Tim's doing/done a live Reddit AMA.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OnCinemaAtTheCinema/s/5fgbARynBr

It's not in character.