Welcome to episode 104. Today, we talk about Highlander!
An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponent, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled “Prize“.
Join Scott, Randy, Brian and Ibbott as they shoot hand animated lighting all over each other.
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Special thanks to Audible.com this week for sponsoring the show. As usual, a HUGE thanks to Scott Fletcher, the official announcer of Film Sack Central. Hey! Why not leave us a nice review on iTunes if you like the show?
Up next week? Nine to Five!
The audio mix on Netflix was the worst ever, but the movie was watchable. Freddy Mercury FTW!
I was wondering why the Highlander, since he’s immortal doesn’t spend a few years and become a priest. Then he can have his own personal, portable “Holy Ground” and then there can be only two…three…four…
Nice episode. Its pronounced “Glen-more-ang-gee”! But nevertheless well done. Nice tipple btw…
It’s not Bloodsport!! It was Kickboxer! I’m screaming at my computer right now lol.
Also, he wrapped his hands in hemp and dipped it in resin, then dipped them in broken glass.
This would be a sick movie to sack BTW
Before I even listen to the episode I just wanna write how great the screen capture is with the goat’s head in the background. I wanna give credit in general over many of the screen shots you guys use for the episode posts, rarely the iconic image of the movie but usually some dumb, off-beat frame of film- I think that indicates the humor of the podcast. I loved the ones for “The One About the Swarm” and “The One About Zardoz”
What kind of name is Dabney anyways???
Fun fun fun episode, on my second go-around at work. I’ve seen this within the past year but I might have to have another go after listneing to the show.
-This was the end of Sean Connery’s banishment to the wilderness, b/c after this was “The Name of the Rose” and “The Untouchables” right on top of each other and the rest of his career was either the elder leader (“First Knight”) or the wily, uncanny, old-school rogue who’s got more than one trick up his sleeve (“The Rock”) into his virtual retirement in 2003.
-Billy Connelly did a few serious things other than “Last Samurai”: “Mrs. Brown” about Queen Victoria w/Judi Dench, and he played a heavy in “Boondock Saints”.
Brian Cox possibly, as the Highlander. Don’t forget he was the Original Hannibal Lecter in Michael Mann’s “Manhunter” in ’86 and he looked pretty lean (though still a little old for that role).
-You guys played a clip where the year 1536 was SPECIFICALLY mentioned and immediately afterward it was “I dunno when this was…12th century, 15th, 13th?” I love it.
-Scott Johnson, you get “Dirty Dancing” mixed w/”Pink Flamingoes”- the 1972 John Waters joint where Divine *literally* eats real doggie doogie at the end??? Maybe you mean “The Flamingo Kid” with young Matt Dillon about the early 60s?
-Looking fwd to “9-5″. Been awhile. Only remember the pot-smoking fantasy with Lily Tomlin poisoning Dabney w/Disney cartoons dancing around her.
Great episode, fun as always.
You guys should give the series a try, an it’s currently on streaming until Feb 22… I don’t know how much of it was retconned, or if the movie just failed to develop the plot, but the series touches on a lot of the issues you mentioned here and the whole mythos of the immortals is actually pretty interesting.
In the series there are teenaged and kid immortals, immortals that became priests to have Holy Ground at all times, really old ones that don’t want to fight, they explain how they find each other, why they fight, how they discover their immortality, etc.
Love the show though
Yes, the TV show explains a lot of the mysteries of the immortals (such as the fact that immortals “become” immortals when they are killed for the first time), but it is also VERY dated. The stink of the 90s is all over the series, so I recommend it, but with a caution that it’s very cheesy at times.
This is one of the few times when a TV show based on a movie is actually better than the movie itself. Highlander is an awesome idea for a story, but the movies are all pretty awful.
Sidenote: I thought it was funny that you guys said that there was “no swearing” in this film, yet, “There are probably around 5-10 uses of the F-word and its derivatives; other language such as sh*t, d*mn, and h*ll are also frequent.” -from IMDb. You guys have, apparently, become desensitized to language in film.
most people would agree with the dated stuff in the series. Also, it’s generally thought (among fans of the series), that the second season is when things started getting good, the first season is SOOO dated though.
You guys didn’t mention it, but I thought that “secretary”/friend of his from the antique store, older, mid fifties maybe, was beautiful. As to the unattractive love interest, you guys are right,something about the eighties and love interests were average-looking at best and very 3rd grade teacher-like: the girl in Die Hard, Margot Kidder in Superman, and I think maybe the girl from Indiana Jones…all the same type.
Anyway, waited for this episode for half a year, loved it, thanks.
From last weeks Expendables “reality show music” to this weeks “ Jivelander”, Randy has been “ON”! The Mario Van Peebles version was just this movie with him son replacing the girl. Talent wise, maybe Justin Beiber was Michael Jackson. In the series, the only wound that didn’t heal completely (other than a severed limb) was a wound to the neck. There would always be a scar. Scott play the Highland loves scenes, then play the “ Goel” Thrawn scene with his woman form WOW. Clancy Brown will always be “ Lex Luther” to me form now on.
Check out Dale and Tucker Vs. Evil.
Hey guys,
Great episode just thought i would add to the conversation about the mythos of the seires. Between the 5 films and 3 TV series there is no concrete explaination that they all follow, but as near as i have noticed most follow that you are born with “imortality” but you will age normal till you die for the first time after that you will stop aging so die as a kid or a senior citizen you will live forever like that till you lose your head and your energy is past on to the nearest imortal. Also you mentioned the quickening this is the uncontrolable urge they all feel to be drawn to you another to battle to the last the whole there can be only one thing all trying to claim the final prize. So hope that helps you guys a little.
Of course Highlander 2 throws all this out the window as it turns out according to that movie all these imortals are criminals rebels fighting against a dictatorship from a far off planet (hmmm) so they are sent to earth to battle to the last and the prize for being the final imortal is to choose to remain on earth and grow old or return home with a clean criminal record. You guys should sack highlander two but you really need to see the directors cut has more of the above explaination.
Hope that helps.
Oh, I forgot, You guys want a shooting sword? I’ll give you a shooting sword!
Trailer for The Sword and the Sorcerer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7OekQOkeN0
If only this one would get on Netflix streaming, it’d be PERFECT for The Film Sack!
“Film Sack,” not “The Film Sack.” Sheesh. It’s been one of those days. Thanks for the entertaining podcast!
You forgot about the 4th movie Highlander Endgame where *spoiler alert* duncan from the tv show kills conner. *end spoiler alert* that movie is more watchable than this one. Maybe we will see the power of filmsack and get a watchable remake of Highlander.
Every time I see the scene in the church with conner and kurrgan, I laugh at the def lepperd beeing screamed by Clancy Brown.
Listening to the podcast now and just have to say…
@Randy, he has a Swiss accent!?
Whaaaaa?
Woops, realized you said the actor moved there.
But FYI he doesn’t sound Swiss at all
I really liked the storyline with the little french girl in WWII, I wish they spent a little more time on that, it would have been an interesting subplot. I was sad when he left and told her where the power of attorney was.
Forget a sword gun, MacLeod needs to hire Arnold as Col. Matrix to throw some circular saw blades around.
So I think we are down to one last movie with a Queen sound track.
Iron Eagle
oops, jumped the gun.
Lambert rocks!
And this movie is the best version of any Highlander story ever. The cartoon series was tolerable and the cartoon movie was pretty rockin. Sequels and TV shows – blah
Hosts want answers. This movie is not a D & D guidebook. It’s a mysterious, fantastical, hero’s journey that doesn’t get bogged down in midicholorian crap.
my friend told me that the Prize was “If you’re evil, you get to rule the world, and if you’re good, you get to live and die as a mortal”
i was like”…”
The Kurgan would have had the same prize. There is a other part of the prize which is knowing and being everything. As an evil person, the Kurgan would have plunged the world into darkness, as that is his nature. And he too would have had children and died as well.
I thought the “prize” was whatever you wanted it to be. So it could be supreme power (for the Kurgan), or to live a normal life (for Connor).
Thanks for reading my email guys I was honoured! And yes of course I meant wrestling – my bad!
If the new Highlander does not contain Liam Neeson I’m not watching it!
With regards to the “terrible old age make up” on the Secretary, she isn’t meant to be old. The American version of ‘Highlander’ is missing one pivotal scene in which we see McLeod meet her as a little girl and saves her from being machine gunned down by a Nazi. (And gives us the ‘It’s A Kind of Magic’ line which Queen used) Which gives extra poignancy that they’ve spent forty years together until he leaves.
Ignore this comment! Why do you think she was old? she was only in her forties by the eighties!
With the old age makeup comments, the guys were referring to MacLeod’s Scottish wife, who he lived with until she died at an old age… not the secretary.
I thougth they were falen angels, then I saw 2.
When the bad guy porkedthe hooker ware they seting up a sequail?
As a kid I always thougth the samuri sword was embued with ligthing & it critized the bad guys neck.
The music from this movie is just like Flash Gordon, theres alot of diloge from the movie in it.
In the DVD the love sean went on for what felt like 5 mintes, & was well ligth, all I can see is Lambert ass. I wish I drank. And could spell.
Im going to warch the Robot Chicken High Lander, just so I can pretend that tis is a better movie then it is.
There are 6 Highlander Movies; Highlander, Highlander: The Quickening aka The Abomination the Universe Rightly Forgot, Highlander: The Final Dimension aka Mario Van Peebles is Evil and he is Pissed, Highlander: Endgame aka End of Connor MacLeod’s Game, The Source or known as the movie to permanently ALSO aka THE MOVIE THAT IS WORSE THAN THE SECOND ONE (AHHHHHHRRRG!!!!), and Finally the Animated Anime style Post Apocalyptic called Highlander: The Search for Vengeance which while very cliche is actually pretty good (and yes he is called MacLeod). There were 3 TV series. Highlander The Series, Highlander: The Raven (spin off). and there was one of those French made cartoon where almost all of the lore goes out the window and is based around a young MacLeod and Ramirez.
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“The Quickening” was a pre existing term which means to stimulate or imbue with life. One example is the term has been used in reference to the animation of Frankenstein’s Monster. Once they experience the quickening immortals since each other as they get within closeness. Then when you take another immortal’s head they take their Quickening and get some of their skills and become more powerful.
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Also Highlanders aren’t born but are all foundlings.
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Everything after the second movie retconned not just the second movie but the fact that Connor won “The Gathering” (aka “there only can be one” final fight) and then said that The Kurgan wasn’t the last one.
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Remember that when The Kurgan fights Ramirez that he has killed more immortals and taken their power when they fight and that is why The Highlander could not stand up to him.
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