TOP GUN (1986)

This week, we're flying into the danger zone, and The Unenthusiastic Critic is setting her sights on 1986's Top Gun.

As Nakea endures her first viewing of Tony Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer's cinematic ode to American testosterone, she and Michael end up talking about action movies, Kenny Loggins' music, homoerotic volleyball games, and the insidious propaganda efforts of the Secret Military-Entertainment Complex.

0:00–0:20: Prologue: Quentin Tarantino in Sleep With Me (1994)
0:20–1:44: Overture (Arne Huseby's "Warm Duck Shuffle")
1:44–16:50: Discussion of Action Movies
16:50–17:50: Musical Interlude: "Tom Cruise Crazy" by Jonathan Coulton
17:51–25:52: Cultural Osmosis: Pre-Viewing Discussion of Top Gun
25:52–27:03: Trailer for Top Gun
27:03–1:11:49: The Verdict (Post-Viewing Discussion of Top Gun)
1:11:49–1:12:54: Outro and Next Week's Movie
1:12:54–1:13:14: Outtake

Notes and Links

—Film discussed: Top Gun, directed by Tony Scott, Paramount, 1986.
— Reviews of Top Gun discussed: Roger Ebert, rogerebert.com; David Denby, New York Magazine (quoted here); Pauline Kael, HookedPaul Attanasio, Washington Post.
—Articles mentioned: "The Day the Movies Died," Mark Harris, GQ; "Top Gun and the End of the Homoerotic Action Movie," Nico Lang, Consequence of Sound; "The 100 Best Action Movies Ever Made," Time Out; "How the 80s Programmed Us For War," David Sirota, Salon; "Why the Homoeroticism in Top Gun Matters," Noah Gittell, Reel Change.
—Listen to additional episodes and read The Unenthusiastic Critic in prose form at unaffiliatedcritic.com.
Email us, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. (Suggestions of movies to watch for future episodes are welcome!)
—"Warm Duck Shuffle" by Arne Huseby is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
—"Tom Cruise Crazy" by Jonathan Coulton is licensed under CC BY NC 3.0.

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