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Episode 12: School of Rock

In this episode of Heads Down Two Thumbs Up, Bill and Carla discuss School of Rock. This iconic movie features Jack Black as a slacker musician who, in a moment of desperation, lies to get a substitute teaching gig at a pretentious elementary school. Joan Cusack plays the uptight principal who only lightens up when she hears Stevie Nicks. Does this movie stand the test of time? Does it accurately portray life in an elementary school classroom? Is Jack Black the single best or worst substitute teacher ever? Listen and find out!

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Episode 11: Almost Famous

In this episode of Heads Down Two Thumbs Up, Bill and Carla discuss Almost Famous. Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, this semi-autobiographical story is NOT set in a school, but it is about learning. When high school student William Miller gets the chance to follow his passion of music journalism and is invited to tour with a up and coming band, Stillwater, he takes it, trading classroom learning for a real-life adventure that promises a cover story for Rolling Stone Magazine. Bill and Carla explore what makes for good learning and whether or not school actually gets in the way of a good education.

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Episode 10: Soundtracks

• episode transcript (click to read)

In this special edition episode, we focus exclusively on the music of movies. The soundtrack. The score.

We love this quote from Underground Press:

 As music can tell the story and explain the plot, filmmakers use it very carefully to build the tone and mood of a film. Also, music is used to expose feelings of characters, actions, tensions, and even horror. Music can create a convincing atmosphere for the situation and can turn a good film into a great one. 

– Ronald Ross

After this episode, we hope you’ll stop saying you’re going to watch a movie, and start saying that you’re going to listen to a movie. 🙂

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Episode 8: The Karate Kid

This month, Bill and Carla talk Karate Kid, the iconic 1984 movie staring Ralph Macchio as the young Karate student of Mr. Miyagi played by Pat Morita.  We discuss the relationship between master teacher and student apprentice, the Dojo as school for life, bad fashion, and the many filming locations of the film.  If you are a fan of the fan-fiction series, Cobra Kai, we have you covered, and we talk more about William Zabka and Elizabeth Shue.  Bill also interviews his friend, Jesse Lubinsky, who is a major fan of the movie who tells us his story of meeting the cast.  Wax on, Wax off!

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Episode 7: Stand and Deliver

It’s our first episode of the 2021-22 season.  We’re talking about Stand and Deliver, the true story of high school teacher Jaime Escalante who finds himself teaching math in East LA. He finds a group of students who find his less-than conventional teaching methods to be inspiring and he takes them all the was to AP Calculus. When they all successfully pass the AP Exam, their scores are challenged because of their ethnic surnames and they are forced to retake the exam with only one day to prepare.  No spoiler here. but they did make a movie about it, so . . .  The Real Life Escalante once said that this movie was “90% truth and 10% drama.”  Both Edward James Olmos (Escalante) and Lou Diamond Phillips (Angel Guzman) received Academy Award Nominations for their performances.

In this episode we talk about systemic racism, the dubious value of AP Courses, “Cholo” Culture, inner city schools, and the questionable role of “teacher as hero.”

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Episode 06: Election

We’re back!  After our pandemic hiatus, it felt great to be back in the studio to record Episode Six.

Coming off of one of the craziest elections seasons in American history, we made the obvious choice.  Election was released in 1999 and starred Matthew Broderick as Jim McAllister, a high school civics teacher, and Reese Witherspoon as Tracy Flick, an overachieving student running unopposed for school president.  If only Mr. McAllister hadn’t despised Tracy Flick so much, things might have turned out differently. But instead we experience a high school election season like none other.

If you are already missing the election of 2020, then dive into Election and then listen as we explore high school elections, morals, ethics and so much more!

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Episode 05: Rushmore

If there is one thing Max Fischer loves, it’s his prep school Rushmore.  “I guess you’ve just gotta find something you love to do and then… do it for the rest of your life. For me, it’s going to Rushmore.”Although he is the king of extracurriculars, has the ear of the administration, and befriends a wealthy industrialist parent, Herman Blume,  Max is on Sudden Death Academic Probation.  According to his headmaster, “Too many extracurriculars, Max,  and not enough studying.” When Max falls for first grade teacher, Rosemary Cross, and becomes embroiled with a love triangle with Cross and Blume, his beloved Rushmore is threatened.  Join Carla and Bill as we talk about Wes Anderson’s film, Rushmore.

Special Guest, L+D Co-Founder, Greg Bamford, joins us this month.

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Episode 04: Mean Girls

If you ever went to school – so basically everyone –  you knew a pack of Mean Girls.  Gretchen Wieners, Karen Smith and the ultimate Queen Bee, Regina George, rule the school. They wear pink on Wednesdays and are SO Fetch.  When homeschooled Cady Heron moves from Africa to the Chicago suburbs, she becomes “mainschooled” and becomes entangled with the Plastics – both alluring and repellant all at the same time.  This 2004 film, written by Tina Fey, was an instant classic and now a Broadway Show.

Join Carla and Bill as they talk about this school movie and all the mean-ness that girls can bring.  It’s about status. One day you are on top and the next day you are a social outcast.  It’s girl world and anything can happen.

Listen on Wednesday.  Wear Pink.

You can sit with us!

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