Mayhem - Desperado (1995)

Welcome to another episode of Death Don’t Do Fiction, the AIPT Movies podcast! The podcast about the enduring legacy of our favorite movies! It’s May, which means it’s time for the AIPT Movies podcast’s “Mayhem” series! Where we cover movies that kick ass in the literal sense! In this week’s episode, Alex, Tim, and guest Tony Sedani discuss Robert Rodriguez’s shockingly accurate depiction of life as a traveling musician, 1995’s Desperado! One of the best "walking away from an explosion" shots in movie history! An incredible opening scene! Action yoga! A 90s cell phone! A sudden ponytail! Family drama! An unfortunate case of mistaken identity! Mismatched shoes! Lots of slow motion! Tons of squibs and environmental destruction! Surprisingly loyal bandmates! Guitar case Miniguns! The biggest hand cannon you've ever seen! Shadow-based mystical powers and guns that appear from nowhere! Music from Los Lobos! A shocking explanation for disgusting public toilets! A cast that includes Quentin Tarantino playing a creep, Cheech Marin, Steve Buscemi, Danny Trejo dialing a phone with a knife, the original El Mariachi Carlos Gallardo, Salma Hayek causing car accidents, and Antonio Banderas being effortlessly cool! All this and more in a classic action movie with kinetic direction and visual storytelling from Robert Rodriguez that tells the story of an artist who must learn to work his magic in a completely different medium: death! In addition, Tony shares his spoiler-free thoughts on Spider-Man: Homecoming, Brian De Palma’s Phantom of the Paradise, 2021’s Mortal Kombat, and Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi, while Alex does the same for the documentary Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, the Netflix survival thriller Apex, Bob Odenkirk’s Normal, and Over Your Dead Body! You can find Death Don’t Do Fiction on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. As always, if you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave us a positive rating, subscribe to the show, and tell your friends! The Death Don’t Do Fiction podcast brings you the latest in movie news, reviews, and more! Hosted by supposed “industry vets,” Alex Harris and Tim Gardiner, the show gives you a peek behind the scenes from two filmmakers with oddly nonexistent filmographies. You can find Alex on Twitter, Bluesky, or Letterboxd @actionharris. This episode’s guest, Tony Sedani, can be found on Instagram @tsedani and information on Tony and Alex’s upcoming comic book can be found on Instagram @overforce_x_hellrazors. Tim can’t be found on social media because he doesn’t exist. If you have any questions or suggestions for the Death Don’t Do Fiction crew, they can be reached at [email protected], or you can find them on Twitter or Instagram @aiptmoviespod. Theme song is “We Got it Goin On” by Cobra Man.