Ep 65: Real Genius

This week CFX takes on one of Jeff’s favorite movies, the 1985 comedy Real Genius. Featuring a very young Val Kilmer, Real Genius does some of the same classic tropes as other teen comedies of the day, and it may break the record for the “most montages in a single film”, but it really is a cut above other similar movies of its time. Not only does it stand out for the way it depicts college life at a very exclusive scientific institution, but also excels in its satirization of the 1980s military industrial complex and its exploitation of science for nefarious ends. The movie is also is full of quotable dialog and memorable scenes and has a twist ending that has to be seen to be believed. We both have a bit of history with the film, which we discuss, and we talk about the whole zeitgeist of 1980s films that deal with science and technology (such as War Games - which we discussed at length in episode 41 - check it out!). We also do a complete walk-through of the film and we might have even got a little too detailed since this is our longest episode ever! And, as usual, along the way we learn… Who is the real-life Laszlo Hollyfield What scene has haunted Slip for all these years What does it mean for a screenplay to get BABALOOED How does a little known, crackpot philosophy called aesthetic realism lead to one of the most insane moments in CFX history Why Michelle Meyrink is probably happy she left Hollywood before digital cameras became mainstream Why it sucked to be a guy at CalTech in the 1980’s How getting the technical details right really matters Why math on tape is hard to follow Why number 2 is one thing we’re not taking And, finally, we continue the “who else dated Cher” game Check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/culturalfutures/) for links and additional content related to this and other episodes as well as clues to upcoming shows or write to us at [email protected] All audio clips are used under the "Fair Use" Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. All rights and credit go directly to its rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.