132. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino & Michael Mann's 'Heat' (1995) and 'Heat 2' (2022)
Michael Mann's 'Heat' is many things; intensely beloved Los Angeles crime saga, De Niro-and-Pacino-onscreen-together curiosity, technically brilliant filmmaking accomplishment, both genre-defining and genre-busting, a tour-de-force of casting, atour-de-force of acting, a tour-de-force of directing, writing, editing, production design, and score....it has enduring presence and continued influence. It's one of my top 3 favorite films and as such I've resisted doing it on the podcast because it contains the multitudes above. But a recent rewatch allowed me to appreciate some aspects of the film anew, and inspired this episode. I was particularly struck by the women of 'Heat', which is perhaps a surprise to those who subscribe to the "Michael Mann makes guy films women aren't interested in" take. But the work of Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, and Kim Staunton is worthy of the praise it gets in this episode. The work each actor put into making their characters fully-formed people with their own often conflicted and conflicting reasons for partnering with a criminal or a driven robbery-homicide detective rises these performances from background to foreground. Their scenes are as alive and filled with energy and emotion as the meticulously filmed and edited heist scenes. And also, the supporting casting is singled out in this episode; from Jon Voight, to Tom Noonan, Bud Cort, Mykleti Williamson, Dennis Haysbert, Tone Loc, Ted Levine, Hank Azaria, William Fichtner, Ricky Harris, Natalie Portman and beyond, Bonnie Timmerman and Michael Mann outdid themselves in searching for, in waiting for, just the right actors capable of going all the way in with characterizations deeper than usual for supporting players in films. 'Heat' is a film that is so praised, so accepted as a masterpiece of its kind that it actually takes some work to watch it free of all that positive baggage and appreciate it all over again as an actor's movie, as one person quoted in the podcast says...it's a film of deep emotional power and human connection. In this episode, I surprised myself by plugging into these aspects of 'Heat' and hopefully you will enjoy having your filmic receptors tantalized enough to inspire your own re-watch. Please let me know what you think when you do!
30 Aug 20221h 12min
131. Brian DePalma's 'Blow Out' (1981)
In this episode, we revisit Brian DePalma's 1981 thriller 'Blow Out', which reunited the director with his 'Carrie' supporting actor John Travolta, who, fives years later, was post-'Saturday Night Fever', 'Grease' and 'Urban Cowboy' and was now one of Hollywood's biggest stars. 'Blow Out' was one of DePalma's most personal films, stemming from his obsessions with the Kennedy Assassination, voyeurism, filmmaking, Hitchcock, and Garrett Brown's new filmmaking invention, the Steadicam. Shot in his hometown of Philadelphia among locations he was intimately familiar with. Topics in the episode: DePalma's flirtations with directing 'Prince of the City' and 'Flashdance'. His Hitchcock revelations. How his small conspiracy film took on larger proportions with the arrival of an unexpected star. The layers and layers of meta meaning in 'Blow Out'. A revisionist take on 'The Conversation'. Appreciating 'Blow Up'. Siskel & Ebert, Pauline Kael, and MORE!
23 Aug 20221h 1min
130. Matt Dillon's Film Debut 'Over The Edge' (1979)
Thrilled to revisit 1979's seminal teen-angst/school destruction fantasy 'Over The Edge'...a teen film to rule them all, a movie that more accurately captures the bonds of youthful friendship and the bounds of self-discovery than all the John Hughes films combined. Using a mix of first-time, inexperienced, and non-professional locals as actors, the Colorado-shot film has an authenticity and veracity to it that's rarely been equalled. Plus it has an absolute kick-ass soundtrack loaded with Cheap Trick, Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, The Cars, and Ramones. It launched the career of Matt Dillon, who was discovered loitering in a Long Island High School hallway during class time. "What's your Mother do?" the casting director asked. "She don't do shit" was Dillon's attitudinal reply and he has the job because of and not in spite of his rawness and rough edges. Joined by frequent FCAC guest star Richard Brown, we talk all about the origin story, making of, and critical and fan reception to this excellent and enduring film.
9 Aug 20221h 3min
129. Brilliant 1970's Crime Comedy 'Cops and Robbers' (1973)
A random IG post sends Jason down the Joe Spinell wormhole and he emerges in 1973 to experience for the first time 'Cops and Robbers', Aram Avakian's film of a Donald E. Westlake comedy screenplay about two NYC cops who decide to try their hand on the other side of the law. Featuring pitch-perfect period performances (say that 10 times fast)...'Cops and Robbers' is a really good gem of a 70's film, and has two great lead performances by NYC acting stalwarts Cliff Gorman and Joseph Bologna. Jason shares a cherished memory of being clueless in a CBS employees bar in the early 90's and meeting Cliff Gorman. Topics covered: Joe Spinell's particular tortured genius for bit character parts. The Godfather bit where Spinell's Willie Cicci is called "Mr. Quested" by a Senator and brings the house down with "Oh yeah, the family had a lotta buffers". Also: Roscoe Lee Browne for the ages. ENJOY! Thanks for listening!
3 Aug 202244min
128. Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Ethan Hawke & HBO's 'The Last Movie Stars' (2022)
Ethan Hawke's meta-documentary about the lives, love, losses, and careers of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward is a worthwhile, often confounding effort with rewards and challenges alike. In this episode Jason talks about the origin of the documentary in the discovery of some transcripts of interviews conducted by a Newman associate in pursuit of a memoir and biography that Newman wanted to work on. For unknown reasons, Newman later abandoned the project and burned the audio tapes. But the transcripts survived and form the basis for actor-interpreted versions used in Hawke's documentary to varying degrees of success. The documentary tackles weighty issues like the loss of Newman's son Scott, the struggle within a marriage to survive the orbital tilt of Newman's level of super-stardom, and Newman's battle with alcoholism...a battle it seems he never quite won. By turns infuriating and moving, the film is a worthy but effortful watch. Also discussed: Alan Cummings lip-sync performance in the documentary 'My Old School', the AI Bourdain quotes used in his posthumous doc, and Peter Jackson's use of machine learning processes to reveal (or create) conversations in 'The Beatles: Get Back'.
26 Juli 20221h 18min
127. An Appreciation of James Caan & 'The Gambler' (1974)
When James Caan died last week at 82 it was cause for a pause of appreciation for the work he left behind. I went searching for a 70's Caan film I hadn't yet seen, having done most of his ouvre at one time or another. I settled on Czech filmmaker Karel Reisz' brilliant 1974 film 'The Gambler', based on a James Toback script and I'm so glad I did. Before jumping into that film, this episode offers a brief re-appraisal of Caan's work in 'The Godfather' and in Michael Mann's 'Thief' (Caan's favorite film role), and a consideration of the relationship audiences end up having with actors with long careers onscreen and in the public eye, human flaws and imperfections all.
12 Juli 202239min
126. 'My Bodyguard' (1980)
Tony Bill's directorial debut 'My Bodyguard' holds a special and heartwarming place for the 99% of us not fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to have been the most popular kids in school. 'My Bodyguard' is filled with respect for the difficulties of everyday teenage life in a realistic manner, and features wonderful performances from 1980's teen actors like Matt Dillon, Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin and Paul Quandt. The film, I posit in this episode, offers a more honest portrayal of teen life than any of the more-successful and better-known John Hughes films of the era, and goes to surprising depths in exploring male friendships, latchkey kids figuring out their place in the world, forgiveness and the setting of boundaries even when it seems most difficult. Most Recent Previous Episode is "If You're New To The Pod Start Here" Links to episodes about High School movies we've done on the pod: 'Heathers' 'Carrie' 'The Warriors' 'Mean Girls'
6 Juli 202241min
125. If You're New to the Podcast, Start Here
125 episodes? Who knew? If you're new to the podcast and wondering what's out there in those previous episodes, this short introductory episode will provide a bit of a roadmap to orient you to some episodes you might be interested in. Thanks for checking out the podcast!
28 Juni 202243min
