Dingus
3. Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man
2. Dances with Wolves
No Country for Old Men
What is your favorite footwear in movies? Listen to the show to hear us describe ours, and to hear Dingus read some really good listener picks. Also, you’ll get to hear Tom talk about how you can choose a movie we watch and review in February, at the beginning of the show.
Whether jellies or other cheap flip flops, the Dude doesn’t worry about putting on socks. He’s too busy with, uh, with…well, he doesn’t need to impress anybody.
The Dude will wear bowling shoes at the lanes, though. He’s not an animal.
Clive Owen’s trainers in the ghetto death camp in Children of Men
It’s tough to run around barefoot in a combat zone, especially when you’re responsible for the first human baby born in years and years. Theo has lost his shoes while breaking into one of the worst places in the world, and you feel the broken glass and rocks and jagged metal that he’s daintily but determinedly walking on. A friendly Georgian or Chechen—Theo isn’t sure and since they don’t have a common language it probably doesn’t matter—provides him with a new pair of tennis shoes. They are the third most precious thing on the planet, after this newborn child and the spark of human dignity that still exists on that benighted planet. It’s enough to make one last push to save the first two most precious things.
Stephen Chow’s tennis shoes in Shaolin Soccer
Mighty Steel Leg is a bum, an absolute bum. He’s got nothing except an indomitable spirit and a lifetime’s worth of training in the sort of martial arts that is indistinguishable from superpowers; he is a bum. Even his shoes are rotting off his body, exposing toes through a thin covering of filth. He hands them to a hot yet hideous assistant baker in some mockery of a barter for lunch. She patches them up. It is so adorable that even after the stray underdog has become the soccer top dog, losing his humility and becoming a bit of a jackass at the expense of possibly losing the Big Game vs. Evil, she is able to restore his humanity. He realizes that she is awfully nice, and together they save the day.
Also: My wife mentioned some of the boots in Kinky Boots and the special platform shoes in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure when Pee Wee dances to Tequila.
Nice. I wanted to pick all boots because I spent the whole weekend shoveling in the snow. Tried to think about something from Iron Man but I forgot about that part.
Snowpiercer - After his son is taken from him to the front of the train, a father throws his shoe at the haughty bitch that took his son. Later, as they enact punishment on the dad, the train Administrator Mason (Tilda Swinton) makes a speech to the other members of the back of the train using the shoe. If you haven’t seen it, watch it first, because there so much I want to mention about it. Or just watch the whole thing on Netflix.
“This is not a shoe. This is disorder. This is… size 10 chaos.” Is this good writing, or bad writing? I think it kicks ass and Tilda delivers it perfectly. I love the time limit she’s given. I love the way she shoves off the translators at the beginning and her little glance back when they drop the platter. The way she says, “Order.”, you guys!
At one point, one of the thugs puts his head on another and looks up at him, like a kid at storytime. So great. And the hand motions, you guys. THE HAND MOTIONS. We find out why she does it in the end and it’s such a good set up. The religious overtones and metaphors as she continues on about “the sacred engine” give me chills.
Oh man, some really awesoe picks in this thread. You guys should write in with this stuff! I love that DJ South Carolina Man mentioned the Children of Men shoes. Which makes me think of the shoes that open Boy A.
“Take a look at what they’re called.”
That’s a great pick. IF YOU’RE 80 YEARS OLD.
Kidding! Actually, I can’t believe we didn’t think of that one. Probably the most famous shoes in movie history, wouldn’t you say?
