S3E14: Modesty Blaise

KJB's philosophy of Neo-Hegelian trialectics: thesis, antithesis, and Devon. EDIT: BTW, Dirk Bogarde as Gabriel spits Shaun Micallef. EDIT 2: At the LGBTT screening of Modesty Blaise (the extra T is for Tarantino.)

I am watching this right now and am I crazy or is it heavily implied in the opening that Abi's grandpa sucked off that beardy sailor type that left that house before him for information?? The look that twink gives him and the way he wipes his mouth, I mean......

Why does the audio cut Devon's credits read mid word lol "our produce-" and end Edit: nvm it was patreon crashing

Right, so what we need is a legally distinct heroine. ABI THORN IS Harlot Ash, “American” spy extraordinaire. Featuring hats the likes of which haven’t been seen since the SyFy channel Dune miniseries.

I like that November called HERSELF Alice (Calling something "Alice Lore") and then "got mad" (as a joke) when Devon called her Alice like a minute later.

If you're still in the mood for Spy Comedies, I'm offering two suggestions: The Man With One Red Shoe (1985) in which the CIA ruins a shockingly young Tom Hanks' life for no reason at all. The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997) in which Bill Murray (idiot) and Joanne Whaley (sex worker) defeat British military intelligence.

Have y'all done the Harry Palmer films yet? I've missed a load catching up on the entirety of WTYP.

My experience was a lot like November's: I found this movie tough going at first (you have to kind of...get the hang of it) but by the end was enthralled. The villain Gabriel is just utterly delightful and I loved baby Terence Stamp doing his best Dick van Dyke as the sidekick Willie. This podcast has forced me to check out some goofball shit and I love it. If, like me, you spent the entire film sunk into despair trying to work out why the theme music is so intensely familiar despite clearly being written for the movie, the hook is lifted wholesale for Rock the House by Gorillaz. The RELIEF when I realised where I'd heard it before. Damon Albarn have you ever actually written any music

Wanna shout out my mate katie cobalt here who also covered Modesty Blaise in her and her mate Alex’s podcast electric enthusiasm.

Thank you for introducing me to this movie! I was able to find it on youtube and it's great; new fave. Willy's hair actually changes to blond at least once (when they're drunkenly calling for Gabriel in the rain). Gabriel is amazing with all his little parasols, as is Fothergill. I half thought he had an intersex pride symbol on one of his walls for a hot second.

The Leslie Nielsen movie "Spy Hard" has Andy Griffith's villain having a mime executed. Now that I think about it, Robin Hood: Men in Tights almost had a mime executed but they spared him

Another nomination for the show, thanks to Tubi reccing me something on the basis of another rewatch of The Prisoner. THE FANTASTIC ARGOMAN, a 1967 eurospy-superhero movie made by Italians about the british crown being stolen and only our hero who has vaguely defined superpowers which include teleinetics which he looses for six hours if he nuts because i guess he stores his power in his balls

Abi, you need to divest from whiteness and western culture by converting to Islam, November has been over this!

We purposely made the movie wrong, as a joke

I do love Modesty Blaise and Dirk Bogarde. If you do a subversively queer season then can I suggest Bell, Book and Candle? Most lgbtq nightclub award.

Great to hear the acknowledgement of NOLF towards the end. So desperate for a modern game in the Modesty/Cate vein to be written.

also my Husband hated this movie (despite having a huge crush on Dick Bograde cause he was one of the few actors to be more less Out in the 60s) cause his primary source for Modesty content was the actual novels growing up which are, fairly serious and not campy (She's a Bosnian war refugee! she kind of hates Britain! They're better written and more cosmopolitan then Ian Flemming). Friend of a friend of the pod Charlie Stross has a numbers filed off/homage Modesty character in his series except being good at spying is replaced with being good at witchcraft

I am simply referring November to the Toast article I did with the Comics Curmudgeon HIMSELF about the the insane saudi price produced Brenda Starr movie which is also SUPER comics and SUPER GENDER https://the-toast.net/2015/01/06/looks-like-sunday-comics-watched-brenda-starr-1989/ it;s on youtube one of the things Brooke Sheilds had to endure

>November Kelly. November ll. November 11. KJB is a UK SIS Government psyop confirmed xD

Lord I'm with November on most of this. Abby might be too straight.

Is Danger: Diabolik a eurospy? It feels like the natural follow up to Modesty Blaise.

I read most of the books as a child, and they actually stand up pretty well for the era when reread. The last book, dealing with the death of Modesty, is just a stunning send off for the character as she's aged, loved her life, and brings it to a close with grace and elan. I haven't seen the movie, which from the sounds of it mirrors the first book pretty closely

You individuals should finish this season by doing Danger 5

In the early 1980s there was a failed attempt to make a TV series of Modesty Blaise. The main influence this had on me was musical. I started college in Southern California in 1982, and local radio station KROQ (“rock of the ’80s”) had the theme song on HEAVY rotation in 1982/83. There’s a video on YouTube of the original version of the song, and it pretty much completely captures the experience of consuming media as a 17 year old in that era. Future archaeologists will learn much from this: https://youtu.be/yJcV58Ilv-U?si=Opy7eMYey5VkWdGZ

...You'd really have to have your head in the sand to not have that "Actually I'm giving it away!" joke not make sense within this context. I mean, that IS straight people in general, but even the more savvy ones should get it. :P

NGL, this movie sounds amazing.

I saw My Name is Modesty on DVD decades ago. It is largely forgettable but for a low budget one location (a casino) spy thriller clearly made for legal reasons it was pretty solid. Nothing in it marked it out as a Modesty Blaise film aside from the character’s name.

You’d think Gal Gadot as an IDF Veteran would be used to saying “De Nile”.

Also, at the exact moment Alice said "the Renault Clio of champagnes" I was stuck in a traffic jam behind a Renault Clio (aka the Renault Clio of cars) 😵‍💫

I got to your discussion of Gay Blofeld’s psychedelic castle and I feel honor bound to stop listening to the episode until I have found this movie

I am once again asking for you all to review the game No One Lives Forever ( but this was a great episode )

As another former reader of The Comics Curmudgeon may I say: When will Abby produce a feature length adaptation of Apartment 3G?

Loved the books as a teenager, which in retrospect were almost cool but every single villain was written as ~sex weird~.

Been waiting for this one!