Download MP3 In today's episode Nate and Austin compare Mel Gibson's best and worst rated films, Hacksaw Ridge (2016) and The Man Without a Face (1993), respectively. Nate was afraid he was going to have another North on his hands, Austin really enjoyed the child acting, and they both thought Hacksaw Ridge was a great comeback movie. Check back next Sunday at 7pm PST where we will compare Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) and Ichiban utsukushiku (1944), his best and worst rated films.
Also check out this interview where Mel Gibson's beard talks about Hacksaw Ridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkYUaYVTMUU
The Man Without a Face Notes
Worst Rated
PLOT: Chuck wants to leave home but can't make the grade for boarding school. Then he finds out the disfigured recluse living nearby is an ex-teacher.- Ratings: IMDb 6.7 | RT 67% C / 64% A
- Released: 1993
- Director: Mel Gibson (The Passion of the Christ, Braveheart, Apocalypto)
- Writer(s): Isabelle Holland (novel), Malcolm MacRury (screenplay)
- Cinematographer: Donald McAlpine (The Chronicles of Narnia, Moulin Rouge!, Predator)
- Notable actors: Mel Gibson, Nick Stahl, Margaret Whitton, Fay Masterson, Gaby Hoffman, Geoffrey Lewis, Richard Masur, Michael DeLuise, Ethan Phillips, Jack De Mave, Viva, Zach Grenier
- Budget: $25 million
- Box office: $24.7 million
- Fun Facts:
- Mel Gibson cast himself in the role of McLeod only after he was unable to find any other satisfactory actor willing to take the part.
- Mel Gibson's directorial debut.
- Jeff Bridges was considered for the role of Justin McLeod.
- Nick Stahl's feature-film acting debut.
- While the film suggests the character Justin McLeod is wholly innocent of others' suspicions of pedophilia, the novel on which the film was based contains a scene strongly implying that the tutor does molest his student, Chuck. Gibson chose to remove this element from the story in order "to say something more positive."
Hacksaw Ridge Notes
Best Rated
PLOT: WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people, and becomes the first man in American history to win the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.- Ratings: IMDb 8.7 | RT 86% C / 95% A
- Released: 2016
- Director: Mel Gibson (The Passion of the Christ, Braveheart, Apocalypto)
- Writer(s): Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight (screenplay)
- Cinematographer: Simon Duggan (The Great Gatsby, I, Robot, Live Free or Die Hard, Warcraft)
- Notable actors: Andrew Garfield, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, Teresa Palmer, Nathaniel Buzolic, Dennis Kreusler, Firass Dirani, Michael Sheasby, Luke Pegler, Ben Mingay, Luke Bracey, Nico Cortez, Goran D. Kleut, Harry Greenwood, Damien Thomlinson, Ben O'Toole, Vince Vaughn, Jim Robison, Sam Worthington, Robert Morgan, Bill Young, Benedict Hardie
- Budget: $40 million
- Box office: $52.1 million
- Fun Facts:
- When asked how many lives he saved, he says approximated 50. However, individuals that witnessed the heroic event said it was closer to 100. The mutual agreement was reached at approximately 75.
- The film received a 10-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival in September 2016
- Though most of the film's characters are Americans, only one American actor was cast: Vince Vaughn. Excepting him and star Andrew Garfield, a British native, the entire cast is comprised of Australian actors speaking with American accents.
- The film had a 14-year path from idea to production, according to an article by Variety.
- The trailer note states that Desmond Doss was the only soldier to serve in a front line capacity without carrying a weapon. In WWII, Korea, and Vietnam the military drafted several Seventh-day Adventist with the status of 1A-O. This meant that they were willing to serve just not carry a weapon in combat. There were also Society of Friends (Quaker) volunteers in WWI.
Intro music: Calm The Fuck Down - Broke For Free / CC BY 3.0