TMR 038 – Babe: Pig in the City

Total Movie Recall

This week on Total Movie Recall, we watched the Sophie’s Choice of talking pig movies — Babe: Pig in the City. You might remember it as a sweet children’s fantasy movie about cute talking animals, but that’s just your brain trying to protect you from the harrowing nightmare that is this film. Dogs are hung from chains and drowned in front of us. Crippled Jack Russell Terriers are killed and teased with the sweet release from their worldly limitations, only to be cruelly pulled back into their wheelchair prison. Ryan and Steve started this movie as boys, but left it as men. Depressed, traumatized men. Babe: Pig in the City (1998) d. George Miller Starring: Magda Szubanski Elizabeth Daily Mickey Rooney James Cromwell Mary Stein

When Babe accidentally puts farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell) in traction, the debtors come looking for their payments. In order to pay their debt, Mrs. Hoggett (Magda Szubanski) sends Babe off across the ocean to the city to demonstrate his talents as a sheep herder. Along with his friends, Babe meets a lot of new friends and gets into new adventures.

Things discussed in the show:

Mad Max Fury Road (George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult) Lorenzo's Oil (George Miller, Nick Enright, Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon, Peter Ustinov) True History of the Kelly Gang (Justin Kurzel, Shaun Grant, George MacKay, Essie Davis, Nicholas Hoult) Chopper (Andrew Dominik, Eric Bana, Simon Lyndon, Vince Colosimo) MacBeth (Justin Kurzel, Todd Louiso, Jacob Koskoff, Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jack Madigan) Assassins Creed (Justin Kurzel, Michael Lesslie, Adam Cooper, Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons) Tomb Raider (Roar Uthaug, Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins) Super Mario Brothers (Annabel Jankel, Rocky Morton, Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper) Dark Waters (Todd Haynes, Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins) Erin Brockavich (Steven Soderbergh, Susannah Grant, Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, David Brisbin) Waiting for Guffman (Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Fred Willard, Parker Posey, David Cross) A Mighty Wind (Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Michael McKean, Catherine O'Hara, Jane Lynch, Fred Willard, Ed Begley Jr.) Best in Show (Christopher Guest, Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock, Michael McKean, John Michael Higgins) This is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Tony Hendra) Party Girl (Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Harry Birckmayer, Parker Posey, Omar Townsend, Anthony DeSando) The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Ted Raimi, Ivan Raimi) All of Me (Carl Reiner, Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, Victoria Tennant) The Jerk (Carl Reiner, Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb, Bernadette Peters, Catlin Adams) Palm Springs (Max Barbakow, Andy Siara, Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons) The Lonely Island Popstar Never Stop Never Stopping (Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, Andy Samberg, Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, Joan Cusack) Hot Rod (Akiva Schaffer, Pam Brady, Andy Samberg, Isla Fisher, Ian McShane) Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, Danny Rubin, Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott) Happy Death Day (Christopher Landon, Scott Lobdell, Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine) Happy Death Day 2U (Christopher Landon, Scott Lobdell, Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Phi Vu) Edge of Tomorrow (Doug Liman, Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton) Tenacious D Avatar the Last Airbender (Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Zach Tyler, Jack De Sena, Dee Bradley Baker, Dave Filoni, Lauren MacMullan, Mae Whitman, Dante Basco, Michaela Jill Murphy) David Filoni (Star Wars Rebels & Star Wars Clone Wars) Dragonball Z (Piccolo, Goku, Krillin, Vegeta, Gohan, Hercule, Bulma) Regular Show (J.G. Quintel, William Salyers, Sam Marin) Mad Max (1979) Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (George Miller, George Ogilvie, Terry Hayes, Mel Gibson, Tina Turner, Bruce Spence) Babe (Chris Noonan, Dick King-Smith (novel), George Miller (screenplay), James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski, Christine Cavanaugh) Contact (Robert Zemeckis, Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt) Mommie Dearest (Frank Perry, Christina Crawford (book), Frank Yablans (screenplay), Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Steve Forrest) There Will be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciarán Hinds) Garth Ennis - The Punisher Frank Miller - Sin City German Expressionism Metropolis (Fritz Lang, Thea von Harbou, Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich) John Wayne Gacy Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan) Schindler's List (Steven Spielberg, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley) Sophie's Choice (Alan J. Pakula, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol) James Cromwell & PETA W. (Oliver Stone, Stanley Weiser, Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Ioan Gruffudd) Next Week: Scarface