Kyle is joined by podcast impresario and professional talker Pete Wright for a ten-slot love letter to one of the last movie stars who was equal parts matinee idol, quirky character actor, and chaotic neutral energy bomb: it’s Val Kilmer. No, this is not a definitive ranking of Val Kilmer performances (because, come on, that would be impossible and also wrong), but rather the moments that defined Val for them.
They cover everything from the obvious (Tombstone, The Doors) to the gloriously oddball (Top Secret, The Saint), to the just-barely-legal cinematic hallucinations (The Island of Dr. Moreau—which is to movies what “raw chicken sushi” is to food). Along the way, you’ll get tales of tuberculosis towns, awkward horse stories, and a beefy defense of “Real Genius” as the Rosetta Stone of the “Hot Smart Guy With a Joke” archetype.
Also: Val plays Elvis in True Romance—but you never get a full view of his face. That’s how cool he was. He didn’t even need a face. He could haunt your cinematic soul with a voice and some shadows. WHO ELSE CAN DO THAT?
So, pour yourself a drink, set your VHS copy of Willow to rewind, and settle in for a warm and weird walk through the career of a man whose IMDb is overflowing with range and at least one rogue documentary. And yes, they skip Top Gun. Why? Because Iceman was right. That’s why.
Links & Notes
- Support the show and get member perks: trustory.fm/join
- Watch “Val,” the heartbreakingly good documentary: Amazon Prime Video
