48. Being There (1979)

If you know the pod, you know I am of the opinion that Gomorrah and The Bureau are probably the best TV series ever made.  And Gomorrah just concluded a Season 5 run, available in the States on HBO Ma. The final (in question marks?) season of this landmark series attempted to build upon and bring to a close a storyline begun in S1, EP1: that of Gennaro and Ciro and their twisty, entangled frenemyship. I recorded this episode minutes after finishing the final episode of the final season.  In it, I put forth what has always been special to me about 'Gomorrah' and celebrate the fitting conclusion of the series' 5-season run of excellence.

8 Feb 202228min

(NOTE: A previous version of this episode erroneously posted and was cut off at the end. This is the revised posting with the full episode) Joined once again by FCAC special guest Richard Brown, Jason gets into Walter Hill's seminal, cult hit 'The Warriors', which despite (or perhaps because of) deficiencies in funding, production time, cast difficulties (resulting in the firing of the lead actor seven weeks into the shoot), and a violence-in-the-theaters scandal, has endured far beyond its means to become an iconic film of the 1970's. As the boys discuss the making of 'The Warriors', they also delve into another NYC gang film made during the summer of 1978; Phillip Kaufman's ('The Right Stuff') adaptation of Richard Price's autobiographical novel 'The Wanderers', also set in the Bronx. Jason finds the film surprisingly critical of its own main characters and displaying a depth of nuance often missed when the film gets portrayed (or marketed as) being a doo-wop celebration of white Italian-American male culture, or, as Richard says in the episode, an example of "OK Boomerism".   But the two films seen together offer an intriguing sense of the summer of 1978 and of two totally different approaches to filmmaking. And when viewed alongside the documentary 'Flying Cut Sleeves', which features amazing footage of actual gang members from the Bronx in 1978, one begins to put together a more complete picture.

1 Feb 20221h 51min

Mike White's 'The White Lotus' is a product of the pandemic; a quick-turnaround series that went from inception to air in 9 months as HBO scrambled in 2020 to line up produceable content from trusted creators. Shot in one location, the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, under strict quarantine protocols, the series is a testament to the power of what can happen when limited options meet fairly unlimited resources (HBO's edict to White was that it had to be shot in one location and cost less than 3 million dollars an episode). Being me, I resisted watching it when every one else got on board last summer when it was released. Approaching it on my own terms and timeline is just how I gotta roll.  But I'm so glad to inform you all, nine months after you all figured out how great it was, that I LOVED 'The White Lotus' in so many ways I was inspired to share this episode with you all.  So if you've seen the series, you'll enjoy some of the background information on the production, casting, and that fantastic and unforgettable music. If you haven't seen it yet, this episode contains no spoilers.

18 Jan 202240min

I admit to having a few deep-seated biases when it comes to writer-directors whose work doesn't speak to me.  Two of them have names that rhyme with Karen Zhorkin and Badham McWay.  This is neither here nor there with regard to anything but it makes for an interesting viewing experience when I need to TRY and put those biases on the shelf in order to watch something like 'Don't Look Up', which has become enough of a streaming success on Netflix (if we trust their metrics) to merit inclusion on any list of the most successful films of 2021 and 2022. In this episode I unpack my bias against the "serious" films of Adam McKay ('Vice' and 'The Big Short') and see if 'Don't Look Up', a star-laden vehicle, can elevate beyond my petty concerns, reach into my cranial and cardiac areas and MOVE ME or if my biases are like a comet hurtling towards the objectivity required to absorb it all.

11 Jan 202239min

Back from holiday break and bursting into 2022 with a special quick listen all about the best Film & TV books I read in 2021 AND a quick review of the Harry Potter reunion special on HBO Max, in which I totally forgot to mention how great Helena Bonham Carter was in cackling her way through the entire thing and being her naughty, bawdy self.   Links to the Books mentioned in this episode: Midnight Cowboy: Art, Sex, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic The Fifty-Year-Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of the Making of Start Trek, the First 25 Years Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: A Novel We're Ready For You, Mr. Grodin Robert Altman: The Oral Biography The Fade Out This Was Hollywood: Forgotten Stars and Stories Rockers: The Making of Reggae's Most Iconic Film The Mudd Club The Score The Laidlaw Trilogy One Day You'll Burn Penny: A Graphic Memoir The Godfather Gang: In Hollywood, Everything is Personal The Pine Barrens Strategem: From The Case Files of Steve Rockfish Links to Instagram accounts mentioned in this episode, all great follows: Joseph Schneider Ernest Lupinacci Karl Stevens Ken Harris Richard Boch Carla Valderrama Elizabeth Breitweiser

4 Jan 202230min

Longtime journalist and author Mark Seal has a fantastic new book out that's positively overstuffed with brilliant and hilarious and mind-blowing anecdotes about the story of 'The Godfather', from Mario Puzo's unlikely beginnings to the movie's famously tortuous path to and through production. Mark and I chat about some of the great revelations in his book and about all the wonderful and colorful period characters, from mobsters to studio executives to Marlon Brando, Pacino, Luca Brasi, and more.   From Amazon's description of Mark's book: The behind-the-scenes story of the making of The Godfather, fifty years after the classic film’s original release. The story of how The Godfather was made is as dramatic, operatic, and entertaining as the film itself. Over the years, many versions of various aspects of the movie’s fiery creation have been told—sometimes conflicting, but always compelling. Mark Seal sifts through the evidence, has extensive new conversations with director Francis Ford Coppola and several heretofore silent sources, and complements them with colorful interviews with key players including actors Al Pacino, James Caan, Talia Shire, and others for irresistible insights into how the movie whose success some initially doubted roared to glory. On top of the usual complications of filmmaking, the creators of The Godfather had to contend with the real-life members of its subject matter: the Mob. During production of the movie, location permits were inexplicably revoked, author Mario Puzo got into a public brawl with an irate Frank Sinatra, producer Al Ruddy’s car was found riddled with bullets, men with “connections” vied to be in the cast, and some were given film roles. As Seal notes, this is the tale of “a classic movie that revolutionized filmmaking, saved Paramount Pictures, minted a new generation of movie stars, made its struggling author Mario Puzo rich and famous, and sparked a war between two of the mightiest powers in America: the sharks of Hollywood and the highest echelons of the Mob.” ​ Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli is the lively and complete story of how a masterpiece was made, perfect for anyone who loves the movies. Mark Seal's Website Buy the Book

23 Dec 202151min

I'm joined this week by Frazer Rice, a James Bond freak whose familiarity with the films, the books, the comic strips, and the business of Bond makes him the idea guest to chat and speculate with on The Future Of Bond. With 'No Time To Die' closing out the Daniel Craig era, Bond now enters what likely is a 2-4 year window between films and a search for the Next Bond.  The search this time is perhaps culturally poised to branch Bond out, or, at least, the times we live in would seem ripe for a reimagining of the Bond character, perhaps away from the white male origins of the character.  But post-taping, Bond gatekeeper and producer Barbara Broccoli gave an interview in which she said it was her belief that Bond should be British and male, so...perhaps we'll get a different Bond, but not, alas, a female Bond (my personal #1 choice to replace Craig is a British woman, you'll hear who that is in the episode). Frazer and I cover the recent sale of Bond studio MGM to Amazon and what that means for the future of the franchise, we traipse through the historical record of Bond changes from the Connery-to-Lazenby era to the Connery-to-Roger Moore era, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. We talk some surprising actors who were offered the role over the years, but who turned it down. We rank All Time Bonds, with a surprising list for both of us, and we offer up our top choices for the Next Bond, all while enjoying some great Bond clips and music.   Frazer on Twitter Frazer's Graphic Novel A Reasonably OK Book About Bond History My Favorite Bond & Bond Film

16 Dec 20211h 25min

Still in a music kind of mind after last week's episode all about the fantastic Beatles Get Back doc series. I'm still in a Legends kind of mood so I'm recounting Bob Dylan's fantastic run of recent concerts at the Beacon Theater in New York City, which I was fortunate enough to catch a couple of. Some of the funny incidents in line and inside the show with fans basically having a hard time adjusting back to a world where we all have to, you know...do stuff together and sort of collectively cooperate for our greater good instead of Zoom-focussed Me Time lead me to recount a particularly notable concert-going moment of mine from the 1988 Pink Floyd 'Momentary Lapse of Reason' tour....come to think of it that's a good way to describe most of my time from 1983 - 2004 but that's another show, another time. Bob Dylan's new album, 'Rough and Rowdy Ways' Dylan goes electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival Pink Floyd 'Pigs (three different ones)' Bob Dylan "I've Made Up My Mind (To Give Myself To You)"

9 Dec 202153min