Tag: hbo

The Penguin HBO Show Podcast: Episodes 1-4

On this episode of the Torg Stories Podcast, Anne and I are looking back to The Batman movie and discussing the first four episodes of HBO’s The Penguin series.

Some discussion questions:

(1) let’s touch on the main plot points and characters of each of the four episodes

(2) let’s try and say what we saw in The Batman that we’re seeing here

(3) Strengths of the show?

(4) weaknesses?

(5) Blame pie: Sofia goes to Arkham Mental Hospital. What people are to fault for this and how much?

(6) Is there anyone to root for or like in this show? Do we watch this hoping for anything / someone?

(7) How does episode 4 end? What are the possibilities for what might happen next?

The Major Plot Points of the Four Episodes

Episode 1: After Hours

  • Click here for Screen Rant summary.
  • Penguin goes to rummage in Falcone’s house. Runs into the son Alberto. Penguin shoots him.
  • Penguin gets called to Falcone’s house. They are going to move the drops operation. Sofia wants to know if Penguin has seen her brother.
  • Penguin catches Vic trying to steal rims or car.
  • Does the Penguin seem to have a heart? Or, a soft spot for this kid?
  • Penguin enjoys a sunrise.
  • Penguin goes to see his mother.
  • TV show mom is watching is about putting the blame on someone. Penguin decides to try this.
  • Sofia: I’m not safe. I’m home.
  • Penguin is going to give the drops shipment to the rival gang The Maronis.

Episode 2: Inside Man

  • Click here for Screen Rant summary.
  • Sofia and The Penguin plan to work together to overthrow the family and distribute the new Bliss drug.

Episode 3: Bliss

  • Vic is thinking of leaving with a girl. She’s going to California Anne!
  • Flashback to sea wall explosions that confuse me first time.
  • Penguin starts paying Vic 1k a week.
  • Arrange for the drug trial party with the Asian gang. Triad.
  • Trial goes great but the Maroni’s are waiting for The Penguin. Vic arrives, saves the Penguin, and they ditch Sofia at the end.

Episode 4: Cent’anni (Italian meaning may you live a 1000 years)

  • We revisit the end of the previous episode. There were some things said behind the Bliss drug trail that we weren’t privy too. Maronis tell Sofia that Penguin killed her brother.
  • Sofia calls one of her doctor’s from Arkham. He takes care of her.
  • We flashback to how Sofia ended up in Arkham and her torture there.
  • Sofia kills someone in the hospital, right?
  • Sofia is there for 10 years. Why do you think she is out?
  • Back to present: Sofia goes to the family dinner and lies and tells them she is going to Italy.
  • She saves the little girl and kills everyone but Johnny Vitti.

Other big picture discussion questions:

  • Start with the most important characters. Who is who to whom? Are they changing? What are they working on?
  • Do we need anyone to root for? Didn’t people like Tony Soprano?
  • Why doesn’t Sofia want to go to Italy?

The Penguin:

  • What does he want?
  • Does he have a heart for the kid? Also, cigar to the kid before he shoots him.
  • Wants to watch the sunrise.
  • Can be sweet, thoughtful, funny: suicide slushies. Good chemistry with Sofia. Lights cig for her. Wants stuff for her.
  • Says Vic has nurse like qualities.
  • You do something stupid, I’ll sense it.
  • If the Penguin was who he pretended to be, he would be great with Sofia. Would there be a show?
  • The world is broken. There is no right side and wrong side.

Sofia:

  • Blame pie. Who is responsible? 70% father, 12% Penguin, 15% family who writes letters, 3% Sofia for bringing it up to her father
  • Excellent speech to the Asian gang about psychological need.
  • Another good speech to the family.
  • They think I’m broken. They sick I’m sick. (Penguin says the same thing)

Thanks for checking out this episode!

The Batman Film and The National at the Hollywood Bowl Podcast

This week on the Torg Stories Podcast, Anne and I talk about the film The Batman, our favorite super hero movies, and Anne tells us about walking to the Hollywood Bowl to see the bands War on Drugs and The National.

Click on the audio player above to listen to this week’s podcast.

Torg’s notes for the podcast:

In the spirit of The Riddler being a main character in The Batman movie, we opened with two riddles: 

Riddle 1: 

The less of them you have, the more one is worth: a friend. 

Riddle 2: 

What animal can jump higher than a building? Any animal. Buildings don’t jump. 

The Batman Discussion questions: 

What brought us to watching this The Batman film? 

Do you have favorite super hero movies?

  1. Deadpool 
  2. Ironman I 
  3. V for Vendetta 
  4. The Dark Knight with the Joker, Maggie Glynehal, Joker goes in with the mobsters and proposes he kill Batman. (realize I didn’t see the dark knight rises) 
  5. The Joker
  6. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 

Rotten Tomatoes summary click here. Lots to discuss even in this…

What’s this Batman movie like? Describe it for someone who has never seen it.

  1. Action crime drama 
  2. Snuff film element that is a lot for me
  3. Darkness, lots of different kinds of media on screen (contact lenses that film, security cameras, through the bat suit, watching screens) 

What’s the premise of the plot? 

  1. The leaders of the city work for the mob, and The Riddler is exposing them and taking them out. Why must he be stopped by batman? Sure, the waitress gets caught up in it, he’s torturing people, and flooding the city is one where he does need to be stopped. 

What are some themes? 

  1. Batman has inspired vengeance. Revenge as a them. Does it eat you up? 
  2. Renewal, is it possible? 

What worked great in this film? Strengths? 

  1. Batman calling the Riddler a freak. Purposeful tension right? How are they so different? Thought provoking to me. Not 100% that was the idea. 
  2. Stylized violence in the spirit of The Matrix and Kill Bill. 
  3. Riddler. His riddles. His costume. His motivation. The cards he leaves. 
  4. Pretty good mystery. Who’s killing the mayor? Can we get the Riddler? 
  5. The mash up of architecture. Gotham Garden. Cobblestone Streets. 
  6. The music. Operatic sometimes and Nirvana sometimes. 
  7. Chase scene in the bat car with Penguin
  8. Drops and drop heads invented for this movie? 
  9. Falcone. The “very sneaky” guy from Mr. Deeds. 
  10. Catwoman as a foil almost love interest. 
  11. The bat car. The flying in the squirrel suit. 

What didn’t work so great in this film? 

  1. Always kind of hard to see what is going on because it’s dark. Dark and rain gets old after 3 hours. 
  2. Pretty hard to hear what is being said.
  3. Batman doesn’t have much personality. Quiet depressed recluse as the star.  
  4. This wasn’t a 3 hour movie that couldn’t afford to lose anything. 

What kind of guy is Batman? 

  1. Inspired by Cobain. Trying to make a difference and not sure he is. Motivated by avenging his parents death by fighting crime. 
  2. Code breaker / crime scene investigator. Smart guy. 

What’s on screen that creates the tone? 

  1. Darkness. Gothic, old English architecture 
  2. Operatic sounding music. 
  3. Video surveillance footage. Camera in the eyes. Flashing lights in a club. Explosions. 

Who directed this? What else have they directed? 

  1. Matt Reeves. Age 58. Cloverfield. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. 

Who is acting in this? What else have they done? 

  1. John Turturro. Mr. Deeds. 
  2. Colin Ferrell: I only know him from The Phone Booth. And now the penguin. 
  3. Paul Dano – Little Miss Sunshine. Did you see the Fablemens? 
  4. Jeffery Wright as James Gordon. The one good detective we know about. 

Who gets the MVP acting performance? 

  1. Paul Dano as The Riddler  John Turturo runner up? 

What are your favorite long movies? (this might be the longest I’ve ever watched) Vulture list click here. 

  1. The Green Mile. 3 hrs 9 mins. MY FAV OF THE LONG ONES
  2. Magnolia. 3 hrs 8 mins. 
  3. Oppenheimer 3 hrs. 
  4. Gone with the Wind. 3 hrs 58 mins. 
  5. Lord of the Rings. Return of the king. 3 hrs 21 min 
  6. Godfather Part II. 3 hrs 22 min. 
  7. Titanic 3 hrs 14 min. 
  8. The Right Stuff 3 hrs 15 (I did watch that)

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Torg Stories Podcast!