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In the style of a Steven Seagal police action movie like "Above the Law," "Hard to Kill," "Out for Justice," and "Marked for Death."
In a World…where good cops may find themselves on their own…Lance Hurricane is a good cop, a good husband, and a good man. When he finds himself in the middle of a giant plot to corrupt the nation’s politicians, he must use his mastery of the martial art, “Octopus Fu,” to stop the plot, even if it drives him…Near to Exhaustion!
This episode features the improv comedy games Prologue in a Minute, Two-Word Typewriter, Ding, Gibberish Switch, and Cutting Room.
About this Episode
In this episode, we pay homage to a genre that we love, but that doesn’t really qualify as “good cinema.” But darn it, they are fun movies! And the genre is of course, classic Steven Seagal movies, specifically from his early days. His first four movies, where his movie titles all had three words. So much fun, so much fighting, so many bad one-liners, and so much terrible acting! Hopefully we did the genre justice, or else Seagal may come find us…
Links
Steven Seagal on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Seagal
Hard to Kill on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_to_Kill
Out for Justice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_for_JusticeTime Codes
Segment 1 - Discussion the Genre Tropes: 05:56
Segment 2 - Creating the Movie Outline: 16:25
Segment 3 - Picking the Improv Comedy Games: 20:15
Start of show: 24:08
Improv Game - Prologue in a Minute: 26:10
Improv Game - Two-Word Typewriter: 28:30
Improv Game - Ding: 37:17
Improv Game - Gibberish Switch: 46:40
Improv Game - Cutting Room: 55:58
End of show, into announcements: 1:08:36
More Information About the Show, Mike, and Avish
Subscribe to the podcast: http://avishandmike.com/subscribe/
Our Website: www.AvishAndMike.com
Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/143183833647812
Avish’s site: www.AvishParashar.com
Mike’s site: www.MikeWorthMusic.com/
Transcription of the “Creating the Outline” Segment (Unedited and Un-Cleaned up)
Avish Parashar: Alright, we are now going to spend a few minutes talking about the genre our experience with this kind of genre and i'm.
Avish Parashar: Also, getting into some of the clubs and commonalities and boy, there are some cliches in this sort of thing, yes, I thought I set a timer here it's gonna quack like a duck when it's done so Mike let's talk Steven seagal you and I kind of.
Avish Parashar: enjoyed and bonded over the years and our younger days were creating the martial arts regularly and watching this kind of nonsense.
Michael Worth: Oh yeah believing it actually was like functional martial arts and actually worked right.
Michael Worth: Alright, so how specific are we getting are we getting Steven seagal specific or just the general 80s like.
Avish Parashar: Probably the more Steven seagal specific at least right now I mean we don't have to jump into discussing the tropes but just kind of.
Avish Parashar: You know.
Avish Parashar: Like your thoughts on the Steven seagal genre in July.
Michael Worth: 1 of all first of all there's something gloriously nostalgic about this, because this this film, you know you gotta think when it came out in the 80s, it was done for the low budget like let's just get butts in the seats, and so the.
Michael Worth: The focus is on basically badass fight scenes and, most notably segall just like being completely invincible and he's never in any trouble like he just he goes he waits through the plebes he went to the lieutenant's any ways to the chief bad guy.
Avish Parashar: yeah it's ridiculous is that even when he fights the big bad guy he.
Avish Parashar: Barely gets touched.
Michael Worth: yeah I think the worst seattle's yet he got stabbed once by Tommy Lee Jones in under siege during the call a knife fight.
Avish Parashar: yeah.
Avish Parashar: And even though he looked so yeah this era where they it was an era before again, you know we recently recorded are taken episode, where it was like Liam neeson.
Avish Parashar: And we talked on that one about somewhere along the way they realize you get a good actor interaction movie it kind of elevates it.
Avish Parashar: This is from that era were all they were looking for someone who had action skill so yeah van damme will have like some martial arts training was like a dancer could you great body busy.
Avish Parashar: You have speak they go yeah Jeff speakman.
Avish Parashar: You got um, then you got say girl who was like a legitimate like whatever seventh degree a keto yeah no.
Avish Parashar: No real acting talent.
Avish Parashar: So i'm sure he would digress.
Avish Parashar: He definitely disagree.
Michael Worth: Oh yes, let's take all could do no wrong and to god's world seagal is the most cigar you can never say go.
Avish Parashar: Oh yeah and even read stories like he's like one of the most.
Avish Parashar: hated guests outside of that live like when you talk about the cat stories like they talk like their worst guests he's like because he's like an attitude was like almost violent and just like arrogant.
Michael Worth: He also, I believe, had a big REP in Hollywood for like injuring a stuntman all the time because because you know he basically like.
Michael Worth: Like did the stunts like he was actually trying to do it, you know and like you do, like some of the dogs in the webinar because it's almost like most things.
Michael Worth: I don't think they're very practical, but if you're letting the dude get to your neck with that, like forearm strike and then he frickin does it.
Avish Parashar: like this yeah they're not I mean you know they're not like street fighting practical they'll work if you can lot you know it's not a matter of.
Avish Parashar: Like they're legitimate techniques that are very difficult to land in combat but the techniques themselves are like legitimate and that they'll work like to bend someone's risk that way they're going to flip over in a circle yeah.
Michael Worth: funny enough i'm going to go a little diatribe here a red because i've been training Brazilian Jiu jitsu and what all the upper belts are starting to train now.
Michael Worth: Our wrist locks but they're coming out of grappling so you're already kind of tangled up in the clothes, but these guys have been landing.
Michael Worth: Whatever the kota guys share they've been landing enough people but it's in a grappling contest and they all say the same thing, but the only reason I can get away with this is that you and I already touching each other and there's no punching.
Avish Parashar: bag yeah yeah it's not yeah exactly it's not like grabbing some of this out of the air.
Avish Parashar: But you know we also you know we watch movies about killer robots and space aliens and giant lizard so like I.
Avish Parashar: I love a like this, I love to see what I got fight scenes because they're so cool looking in there, so fluid and.
Michael Worth: Well, that that's the thing about.
Michael Worth: describing these fight scenes and Erica of the game we're going to do, because the the the cigar stuff since this new striking it's not like the bourne identity was like jerky camera back it's like this really cool stuff we're.
Michael Worth: Throwing a baseball BAT and to go like step to the side and throw the guy through a plate glass window, so the fight scenes of segall are super exciting and dramatic and everyone's getting thrown into objects and thrown into like you know storeroom, as you know, items in the store way.
Avish Parashar: That is also why they're so short, though, because, like.
Avish Parashar: there's no punching and kicking right so like in a normal a fight scene, you know Bruce Lee van damme Jackie Chan.
Avish Parashar: they're punching each other and they get hit like Oh, they come back and they fight they hit the other guy that Oh, they come back and they get hurt a little like, if you want really watch the same movie, especially with the henchmen it's like one move for enjoyment.
Avish Parashar: enjoyment attacks him.
Avish Parashar: He does the you know i'm gonna knock the elbow down and do the rich hand strike across your throat.
Avish Parashar: yeah that guy's done next I punches of all i'm going to sidestep grab your risk autograph reverse it up you're done.
Michael Worth: yeah.
Avish Parashar: It just one hit it's like that's me he just like.
Michael Worth: Yes, what i'm gonna do a sacrifice, if not he, like hip.
Michael Worth: throw like boom he's done right so so it's fun it's beautiful to watch but it's a really fast, which also brings up the whole like seagal just can kind of wade through people.
Michael Worth: um The second thing that I love about the signal is he's unabashedly like wants to be like the every man every in every movie he's like a family man he's an Italian he's like Roman Catholic like he's just like he's got his niche he's just.
Avish Parashar: Basically, got to be himself, because he can't act so.
Michael Worth: Basically he's himself he's he's his own perfect version of himself right like you know.
Michael Worth: yeah good father, a good husband like, although the cost of the force love him, it is like yeah that's that's art not imitating life.
Avish Parashar: yeah he stands up to power, he does what's right like regardless yeah.
Michael Worth: Speaking of power it's it's so the plots of these are also so gloriously paper thin that's so much fun to check out because that's part of the charm of this stuff it's like you just want a bunch of bad guys and you want a lone wolf to just take them down so they're just like.
Avish Parashar: Oh yeah I mean we're talking about like the cliche is and stuff you know you've got.
Avish Parashar: yeah he's almost always rogue in some way you know.
Avish Parashar: People in charge are corrupt or they're not corrupt, but whatever he's been told to like lay off.
Michael Worth: Your time because the bad guys have too much political power.
Avish Parashar: yeah kind of thing yeah.
Avish Parashar: And that's also why he doesn't have backup so he's got to go in solo.
Avish Parashar: You can't trust anyone don't get help them.
Michael Worth: To, of course, because you say go right, you know so.
Avish Parashar: yeah and.
Michael Worth: um yeah and I think that the bad guys are just like good old fashioned bad guys that you love to hate they're always dealing drugs or like you know i'm in hard to kill a they're doing.
Avish Parashar: Articles drugs I think right, it was drug dealers know marked for death was drug dealers hard to kill with the politician.
Avish Parashar: yeah yeah corrupt politician oh.
Michael Worth: Right, but he was killing politicians, he get his opium deal to remember the first met in the CIA in in Vietnam.
Avish Parashar: That was above the law.
Avish Parashar: Yes.
Michael Worth: wow so much diversity in this stuff.
Avish Parashar: yeah there's always a rich powerful person who's corrupting the system.
Avish Parashar: You know, for drugs or political power money or all of that.
Avish Parashar: It gets personal somehow you know either his family's killed like in hard to kill or attacked.
Avish Parashar: You know, once the bad guys realized he's trouble they kind of go after him and or is COP friends are killed so it gets personal.
Michael Worth: So and, by the way, that's The other thing is like right before we get started into the X three x four right before the final assault usually.
Michael Worth: He gets a couple of his buddies killed like they get they get targeted either they are they buy him time to get away and they die or they just get targeted by the bad guy and that's kind of the what pushes them over the edge, you know because I don't.
Michael Worth: yeah I don't only in hard to kill is the wife killed and that's because, in the very beginning kind of sets up the plot Sharon stone above the law, can you believe that is not killed.
Michael Worth: The Italian girl in out for justice is not killed and I kept my room marked for death through the wife is but no.
Avish Parashar: yeah yeah so it's easy but yeah i've had some was targeted more often right the COP buddies are.
Avish Parashar: are taken out.
Michael Worth: yeah yeah righteous, and I mean honestly what makes the film great and let's talk about dialogue.
Avish Parashar: I was about to say there's some.
Avish Parashar: horrible dialogue and some terrible like one liner.
Michael Worth: But the dialogues usually like the bad dialogue it's usually say call you know it's, like the other actors actually have legit dialogue, I don't know what it is.
Avish Parashar: equal quality it's just the other actors are actual actors, so they can make it sound semi decent.
Avish Parashar: Plus they're trying to give him, like the shorts neck or one liners.
Avish Parashar: yeah yeah.
Michael Worth: Which failed utterly I mean my God let's let's let's let's put up some of these gems where it's like yeah i'll take you to the bank body bank with.
Avish Parashar: bank.
Michael Worth: Of the blood banks over the place.
Michael Worth: Although it has my favorite like I just killed lieutenant line where he takes the pool cuny staff that throw that is that's killing my wife Fuck you and die.
Avish Parashar: yeah I do like that live.
Michael Worth: that's the one good one, but I can't think of a single other mind that he said that's remotely interesting, so what is about these movies that make it so far, because he's a wouldn't actor, the plots.
Avish Parashar: I thought you know they get to the point right the plot it's like.
Avish Parashar: it's like cake right.
Avish Parashar: it's like cake is nice but cake is really just a conveyance for frosting it's just the frosting delivery.
Avish Parashar: that's that's kind of the same movie right like the plot the movie the acting.
it's fine.
Avish Parashar: You know, but it's really just conveyance device for sega fight scenes like that's all.
Michael Worth: that's a good point yeah it is it delicious it's literally it's like why, why are they Why are these are crackers out because I want that pepperoni and that Brie.
Avish Parashar: Cheese exactly I mean that's why like that's why I received was like a legitimate mainstream movie because.
Avish Parashar: You got the single fight scenes but they actually managed to wrap it in a movie with a decently interesting plot, and you got you know Gary busey and Tommy Lee Jones I like real actors.
Michael Worth: And I bought a call was not nearly as involved that with with the script I think the script was actually written by a couple of Hollywood guys would actually had a legit three act.
Avish Parashar: structure so he.
Michael Worth: keeps it all the hell out of the way you know, and the same thing with executive decision couple that with the fact that they figured out let's get rid of steak on the first five.
Avish Parashar: that's true yeah they did they they asked him right in the beginning, so.
Avish Parashar: All right, so that is just about our time is about to go off here.
Avish Parashar: So that.
Avish Parashar: I think we talked about the genre enough here.
Transcription of the “Creating the Outline” Segment (Unedited and Un-Cleaned up)
Avish Parashar: Creating the outline, we are going to spend five minutes coming up with a high level outline for this movie we're going to use a four act structure.
Avish Parashar: And there's our starting point, we may veer from it, we may stick to it, who knows it's improvisation so we'll see alright, so there goes a timer alright, so what has to happen is this is really thin right it's like I said it's all the excuse of oh yeah act one we.
Michael Worth: will establish the COP and he gets in his first small time fight scene.
Avish Parashar: You know, like there's always like an opening little just to show that he's a badass.
Michael Worth: yeah I can't wait for us to invent his martial arts could be absurd.
Avish Parashar: Animal.
Michael Worth: Animal and then act one um.
Michael Worth: Well i'll say this, and tell me whether it's one or two he runs into his first encounter with So yes, he has a little scuffle, this is nothing new that's a couple people mugging an old lady pizza.
Michael Worth: But then he runs it was first encounter with the larger crime Arc like again with drugs he he see some kids selling drugs he gets shot and he finds out that there's a new drug on the scene and that starts to tie into there's something big going on.
Avish Parashar: So I don't know yeah I think I think act one usually ends with him stumbling onto the bigger thing like just like I said.
Avish Parashar: Maybe on a small lower level like yeah the kids selling drugs or you know stopping some crime, but he gets involved in whatever and you know, for the purpose of our show that might be combined with the opening fight, you know the opening little fight maybe the one that kind of.
Michael Worth: yeah yeah.
Avish Parashar: Perfect next into the bigger world.
Michael Worth: Sure sure.
Avish Parashar: But he's asked yeah kind of where he he stumbles upon the bad guys bad guys kind of syndicate or plan.
Michael Worth: Act two is him a teaming up with probably a couple of his buddy COPs to figure out who's doing what are learning about who the bad guy is a.
Avish Parashar: So this they almost always so yeah This is where this is the they're trying to figure things out and there's almost always a scene, where they go to some like.
Avish Parashar: gang hide out or dive bar some alleyway though the one biker gang always hangs out and he just wants to get some information, but of course there's a fight.
Michael Worth: So if I see right.
Michael Worth: So we've seen that right that gets the attention of the head bad guy that this that that are RSA golf guys is on to them, and that leads to act three, which is they've tried to kill segall is.
Michael Worth: This the show is going to be today they try to kill cigar that these two buddies are killed his force pulls them off the thing, and he goes rogue and that leads into act for me this is literally how easy, this is going to be right.
Avish Parashar: yeah I would say yeah then he goes rogue.
Avish Parashar: And then, and then usually there's some oftentimes there's some additional danger.
Avish Parashar: that's introduced right the end of act three like his family's in jeopardy, or you find out what the big plan is like Oh, you know this guy is gonna blow up this building on this day or you know the big deal going down.
Michael Worth: yeah yeah exactly so.
Avish Parashar: plan or personal issue I know.
Michael Worth: I had a couple something really funny and silly and then act for us literally him just going to the head villains um.
Michael Worth: You know, he does one or one or both things he had to go ahead villains layer and kills him and also tenants he goes and destroys the crime scene like it destroys the drunk supply quite as both.
Avish Parashar: yeah stop the crime and fights a bad guy and beats.
Michael Worth: and kills everybody and and barely takes a wound.
Avish Parashar: Barely takes it kills everyone.
Michael Worth: Your meters can't see this but i'm literally showing my sketch pad.
Avish Parashar: Right.
Avish Parashar: There you go that's about it so.
Avish Parashar: All right.
Avish Parashar: So that we finished we'd like.
Avish Parashar: got their outlining phase ever.
Michael Worth: Good what else isn't right let's get to it right oh.
