219. 'Slap Shot' (1977)
Here's the third of my episodic trilogy about George Roy Hill's films 'Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid', 'The Sting', and, now: 1977's 'Slap Shot'.
25 Feb 1h 34min
218. 'Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid' (1969)
My deep dive into the films of Director George Roy Hill continues with the most iconic Western ever made: "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid".
17 Feb 1h 38min
217. 'The Sting' (1973)
George Roy Hill's 1973 masterpiece 'The Sting' (released December 1974) grossed in 1974 what would be over 900 million dollars today. It's a deceptively simple, stealthily subversive and counter-cultural film wrapped in the meticulous trappings of a 1930's Warner Bros gangster picture, and re-teaming Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid with that film's director. In this episode: How Peter Boyle, Jack Nicholson, Richard Boone, and Warren Beatty almost got cast in 'The Sting', the brilliant Marvin Hamlisch Scott Joplin songs used on the soundtrack, the fantastic supporting cast of instantaneous-read character actors like Jack Kehoe, Dana Elcar, and MORE!
10 Feb 1h 41min
216. 'An American Werewolf In London' (1981)
In Hollywood, the story beats of werewolf movies were codified in 1941 by a German-Jewish emigrant to Hollywood via London named Curt Siodmak, who wrote the seminal film 'The Wolf Man', starring Lon Chaney, Jr. 40 years later, John Landis made the most important and enduring and influential werewolf film ever made in 'An American Werewolf in London'. It was his follow-up to the one-two punch of 'Animal House' and 'The Blues Brothers'. He could make any film he wanted, with anyone he wanted. So he made a script he'd begun when he was 18 years old. A script he'd first discussed with an aspiring special effects and creature-design guy named Rick Baker in 1971. 10 years later, he'd found two unknown leads, hired basically the entire cast of an acclaimed touring production of 'Nicholas Nickleby', and called Baker on the set of another werewolf movie ('The Howling') and convinced him to decamp to England to work on 'An American Werewolf in London'. For his groundbreaking innovations on the film, Baker won the ver first Academy Award ever given for makeup special effects. Featuring a snappy, smart script, Landis' virtuosic comedy/horror chops, and an unexpected soundtrack of moon songs, 'An American Werewolf in London' is in a class by itself and is one of the most important films ever made. Other werewolf films of note and worthy of your time: 'Ginger Snaps' 'Wolfen' 'Wolf' 'Dog Soldiers' 'The Howling' 'The Wolf Man' (1941) 'Werewolf of London' (1935) "Werewolf of London' inspired Zevon's song 'Werewolves of London'. Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers had watched the film and told Zevon jokingly that he should write a song with that title and start a dance craze. And as far as listicles go, this one is well-reasoned by someone who knows their werewolf films: The 25 Best Werewolf Movies
27 Jan 1h 42min
215. 'No Country For Old Men' (2007)
Sparse. Laconic. Expansive. Languid. Wry. The Coen Brother's 2007 Neo-Noir Western 'No Country For Old Men' moves to the fatefully ticking beat of it's own Grandfather Clock. It's a film that rewards close viewing and is astoundingly faithful to Cormac McCarthy's novel while also being so completely a "Coen Brothers film" even as it's their (only?) adaptation of an existing book. Featuring an iconic performance by Javier Bardem as the philosophical killer Anton Chigur, brilliant cinematography from frequent Coen collaborator Roger Deakins, and perfectly wrought twangily-Texas turns by Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones. A number of signature Coens scenes of the lead characters interacting with a variety of shop clerks, receptionists, store owners, and authority figures abound.
15 Jan 1h 47min
214. 'Liquid Sky' (1983)
'Liquid Sky' was a $500,000 largely experimental film by the Russian expat director Slava Tsukerman that sprung from a group of friends and colleagues surrounding School of Visual Arts acting teacher Bob Brady. What's it about? Heroin, Cocaine, Aliens, Art, Fashion, Dancing, Nightclubs, Science, Sex, Lesbian Knife Fights, Androgyny, Shrimp, Berlin...and that's just the first 45 minutes. Much more than just a so-bad-it's-good b-movie, 'Liquid Sky' has endured and is best appreciated for its fantastic design, cinemotography, and score and the period specificity of it's troupe of amateur actors. It has to be seen to be believed, and it's worth checking out! Join me! Get the very cool 4K restoration DVD of Liquid Sky here. Listen to the groundbreaking Fairlight CMI synthesizer soundtrack.
9 Jan 58min
213. 'Raising Arizona' (1987)
'Raising Arizona' was the 2nd film written and directed by The Coen Brothers, and it's one of my most foundational movies; a movie that spoke to who I was at 18, when I first saw it in 1987 and continues to be one of my favorites today. In this episode I revisit the film, tell some anecdotes about the making-of, and revel in the wonderful, nuanced performances, Carter Burwell's brilliantly distinctive and pitch-perfect score, and more! I must not tarry. Some of My Foundational Movies: My Blade Runner 2049 Episode My Once Upon a Time In Hollywood Episode My Blade Runner Episode Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii All The President's Men Close Encounters Being There Brazil Chameleon Street
19 Dec 20241h 17min
212. 'Casino' (1995)
Our episodic roll of the Scorceseverse dice comes up a winner here with a look at 'Casino', Marty's unofficial "sequel" to 'Goodfellas' and a treatise on the inevitable end of mob controlled Vegas casinos. If you're interested in how we got here, check out my episodes about Goodfellas and 'Mean Streets': Goodfellas Part 1 Goodfellas Part 2 Goodfellas Part 3 Goodfellas Part 4 Mean Streets
11 Dec 20241h 29min
