Episodes
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The Griswalds Are Back! Only this time, they're staying home for Christmas in this third entry of the highly popular "National Lampoon's Vacation" which started in the early '80s. Chevy Chase once again returns as the enduringly hapless Clark Griswald while Beverly D'Angelo also returns as Ellen Griswald, his long-suffering wife. And for the third film in a row, their children Audrey (Juliette Lewis) and Rusty (Johnny Galecki) are played by ENTIRELY different actors. They also have loads of extended family visiting including in-laws played by Randy Quaid, Doris Roberts, EG Marshall, Diane Ladd, William Hickey, John Randolph, and Miriam Flynn. Of course with a full house, loads of holiday chaos ensues including rogue squirrels, dried-out turkeys, and super-charged cats! Celebrating its 35th Anniversary, let's revisit this beloved holiday comedy directed by Jeremiah Chechick and both written and produced by the late great John Hughes.
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Coming out more than sixteen years after its beloved predecessor (2001: A Space Odyssey), this might have been the very first "Legacy Sequel." Also whereas the first film was directed by the late great cinema legend Stanley Kubrick, this one was helmed by journeyman director Peter Hyams (Running Scared, Capricorn One, Timecop) who in tandem with the author (Arthur C. Clarke) of the original source material was determined to craft a more conventional story as opposed to the ground-breaking 1968 classic which was much more abstract in it structure and tone.
Picking up nine years after the events of that first film, we follow Dr. Heywood Floyd (Roy Scheider) who planned that previous mission of the USS Discovery to Jupiter where those onboard discovered the mysterious "Monolith." Dr. Floyd is determined to find out what exactly transpired so he hitches a ride with a Soviet mission there commanded by Captain Tanya Kirbuk (Helen Mirren). And what they eventually encounter and discover is...."something wonderful?" Also along for the ride are John Lithgow, Bob Balaban, and Elya Baskin in an epic sci-fi adventure which might not approach the majesty of its predecessor but actually holds up better as pure entertainment, now forty years after it was first released in theaters.
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This is the semi-autobiographical musical story of Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider), a legendary choreographer/director struggling with various addictions as he juggles developing a new stage musical and editing a film he has directed. And it was directed by legendary choreographer/director Bob Fosse (Cabaret, Lenny) who at the time was dealing with many of the struggles when he wasn't winning multiple Tony Awards and Oscars. It was a true passion project which also attracted a passionate response as it did well at the box office, received mass acclaim, and was also nominated for multiple Oscars including for Best Picture. Scheider was also nominated for Best Actor that year, leading a very talented cast including Ann Reinking, Leland Palmer, Cliff Gorman, Ben Vereen, and Jessica Lange. Jam-packed with several sequences which can be described as sad, sexy, sordid, and joyous, it was quite the original cinematic experience....IT'S SHOWTIME FOLKS!
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What happens when the acclaimed and idiosyncratic director of JFK, Natural Born Killers, and The Doors attempts to direct a conventional sports drama about his favorite sport? Multiple Oscar-winner Oliver Stone showed us back in December 1999 that the result would be clearly anything BUT conventional! And he had quite the cast for this epic tail of a few weeks in the life of the fictional Miami Sharks, a professional football team at a crossroads. They have a hot-headed new owner (Cameron Diaz) trying in to rein their beleaguered veteran coach (Al Pacino) and have also just lost their veteran quarterback (Dennis Quaid) to a severe injury so they have to replace him with a third string quarterback (Jamie Foxx) with something to prove. And what results is a wild 160 minutes of big budget football insanity jam-packed with game-related violence, debauchery, and VERY loud arguments! Also included in this stacked cast are James Woods, LL Cool J, Jim Brown, Aaron Eckhart, Matthew Modine, John C. McGinley, Lela Rochon, Lawrence Taylor, Elizabeth Berkley, AND the late great Charlton Heston. :) It's time to make a run for the Pantheon Cup....
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Fifty years ago, recent Oscar winner Francis Ford Coppola returned to write and direct what was likely one of the most highly anticipated sequels in the history of cinema.....and barely two years after the original film (The Godfather) had set the world by storm not only setting box office records but winning several Oscars including Best Picture. How could any film live up to that? Well in the opinions of most who saw it, THIS one did!
Returning are stars Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, Talia Shire, and John Cazale among several others in this next chapter of The Corleone Saga with Al's Michael now leading one of the most powerful crime families in the country. And this time around, he's expanding his empire further by working out a deal with powerful kingpin Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg) to expand operations into Cuba. Of course, several complications ensue including an attempt on Michael's life which arouses suspicions towards every one around him. From there, things don't go exactly as planned as Michael's fear and paranoia take him into unexpected directions. Along the way during this 3+ hour epic, Coppola also presents us with the origins of Michael's father Vito now played by Robert Deniro. We follow Vito's story from an orphaned kid travelling from his homeland of Italy to New York City and eventually growing into adulthood, building a criminal empire. Considered by many to be even better than its predecessor, this would go on to win six Oscars including Best Picture.
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STRENGTH AND HONOR!
The legendary Sir Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) returns to Ancient Rome to direct this long-awaited sequel to his Best Picture-winning, blockbuster smash from twenty four years ago, Gladiator. This continuation takes place around sixteen years later as the legacy of the both Maximus and the late Emperor Marcus Aurelius has seemingly waned. Rome is now even more corrupt with two childish, manic twin emperors (Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger) now running things as the Roman Empire has stretched itself even thinner under the military leadership of General Acacius (Pedro Pascal)....with bloody, increasingly elaborate gladiator games taking place in the Coliseum now as important as ever!
And into this brutal arena, A Hero Will Rise. :) His name is Lucius and he's a slave played by acclaimed up-and-coming actor Oscar-nominee Paul Mescal (Aftersun, All of Us Strangers) while the promoter who owns and controls him is Macrinus played by multiple Oscar-winner Denzel Washington. Also still in the mix and returning from the first film is Lucilla played by Connie Nielsen (One Hour Photo, Wonder Woman) who seems to recognize this strapping young fighter who's staking Rome by storm....and what results is another swords-and-sandals epic somewhat similar to the first one, only THIS time featuring....sharks? :P
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Forty years ago this December saw the release of the most popular AND influential action comedies of all time. This was star Eddie Murphy's immediate follow-up to his two breakout hits the previous years, 48 Hrs. in '82 and then Trading Places in '83, only THIS time he was the sole star above the title for the first time. And Eddie did not disappoint with this fish-out-of-water comedy about a Detroit cop named Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) who travels across the country to Beverly Hills to investigate the murder of his best friend. Even though that might not SOUND like the set-up for an comedic film, Murphy's gift for improvisation and a game supporting cast (John Ashton, Judge Reinhold playing two local cops whom he teams up with in Beverly Hills) bring a lot of humor to the proceedings regardless, along with a clever Oscar-nominated script from Daniel Petrie Jr and top-flight helming from director Martin Brest whose follow-up would be the even better Midnight Run four years later. What results are memorable characters, quotable lines, and of course a kicking soundtrack including an iconic synth score from Harold Faultemeyer. The Heat IS On!
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Closing out a decade comprising two iconic hits (Heat, The Last of the Mohicans), Oscar-nominated director Michael Mann decided to next collaborate with Oscar-winning writer Eric Roth (Forest Gump) on this docudrama about a controversial story which ran at the highly-rated news-program "60 Minutes" just a few years prior. This news segment focused on an interview with "Big Tobacco" whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand (Russel Crowe) and what damaging secrets he was able to review about the questionable business practices of his former employer, Brown & Williamson. Unfortunately this segment didn't air right away resulting from various complicating factors including political concerns at the network (CBS) airing it, ongoing litigation from Brown & Williamson, and Wigand's own personal history coming to light. The producer on this segment and the other key "insider" in this story was 60 Minutes' Lowell Bergman played by Oscar-winner Al Pacino. And what results is a stirring film which was beloved by critics though not by audiences....it would also receive seven Oscar nominations including for Best Picture. It remains one of the best films from a sterling year (1999) for cinema and also featured a stacked cast including Diane Venora, Christopher Plummer, Phillip Baker Hall, Michael Gambon, Debi Mazar, Gina Gershon, and Bruce McGill.
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The Pope has suddenly died and a new one must be elected via a titular conclave as soon as possible at Vatican City. Cardinal Law (Ralph Fiennes) has been tasked with running this conclave and must not only ensure that every viable candidate has been properly vetted but that the nominating and voting processes are fair among all other cardinals. And what results is akin to a courtroom/legal drama with several of the usual trappings including surprise revelations and witnesses. Edward Berger (All Quiet On the Western Front) directs this highly acclaimed new thriller also co-starring John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, and Isabelle Rossellini.
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David Ayers (Suicide Squad, The Beekeeper) directs this brutal war drama which takes place during the last days of World War II along the German front. We follow a crew riding within a tank known as the titular "Fury" which is lead by Brad Pitt's grizzled veteran nick-named "Wardaddy." Pitt leads a stellar cast including Michael Pena, Shia LeBouf, Jon Bernthal and Logan Lerman, the latter of whom plays Norman who becomes the audience avatar as he has just joined this crew and has never experienced combat before. What results is a grisly adventure featuring several intense combat sequences ALL depicted from the vantage point of this Sherman tank.
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In the grand tradition of such intimate war epics as Dunkirk and Black Hawk Down, Oscar-winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall) directed this ground-level journey of two young British army privates (Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay) who are sent on an urgent mission during World War I to deliver a message that will hopefully stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap set by the enemy. And everything which transpires on-screen is conducted within ONE continuous shot. :o One of the more acclaimed and successful war epics of recent years, this film nonetheless was dismissed by several as relying more on its central conceit than telling a compelling story....it was also nominated for ten Oscars including Best Picture, and ended up winning three. Let's embark on this harrowing mission with Lance Corporals Blake and Schofield to see how this holds up five years after it was released.....
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DIVORCE WEEK continues (and concludes) with this game-changing domestic drama directed by Robert Benton (Places in the Heart, Nobody's Fool) which not only nominated for nine Oscars but would also win five Oscars including Best Picture for 1979. Starring as the titular Kramer's are Dustin Hoffman as Ted and Meryl Streep as Joanna - they are a young married couple living in New York City with their young son Billy (Justin Henry) and suddenly one day, Joanna decides to leave. What results is a tense situation involving not only Ted attempting to connect with Billy as a single father but their eventual divorce, including a custody battle over their son. All three stars were also nominated for Oscars along with Jane Alexander who co-stars as Margaret, a family friend who gets caught in the middle of this conflict. This film was also a cultural phenomenon at the time of its release, also becoming the highest grossing box office hit of 1979.
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What happens when you take one of Hollywood's most popular on-screen couples at the time and pin them against each other in a movie about divorce? Thirty-five years ago, newly minted director (and co-star) Danny DeVito was apparently the first to attempt to answer that question....and he did so with the big-time movie star pairing which he had co-starred recently in two popular romantic action comedies (Romancing the Stone, Jewel of the Nile). That would be Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner who play Oliver and Barbara Rose....they were once madly in love but apparently one of them no longer feels that way. :o And what results is a dark, nasty, violent, AND quite funny cautionary tale of what happens when two former lovebirds stop getting polite....and start going to war....all within the house they share no less! ;)
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If a very handsome and friendly young veteran named David visited your home one afternoon with a warm smile and some very kind words about your son whom he served with overseas....wouldn't YOU invite him over to stay? That's the main question which kicks off this lean, mean horror thriller directed by aspiring genre master Adam Wingard (You're Next, Godzilla Vs Kong) and starring Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, Cuckoo) AS David, the titular guest. It was released ten years ago to much acclaim and minimal box office but has become something of a cult phenomenon via cable, streaming, and physical media since then. Also co-starring is modern Scream Queen herself, Maika Monroe (It Follows, Longlegs) as Anna the older teenage daughter of the Peterson family which David stays with. The rest of the family are played by Leland Orser, Sheila Kelly, and Brendan Meyer....and they all start to really like having David around including Anna. But eventually she starts to suspect that all is NOT as it seems with regards to David....he might be hiding some secrets, some potentially VIOLENT secrets. :o And what results is an unforgettable ride sprinkled with throwback vibes to genre classics from the '70's and '80's including a catchy synth soundtrack!
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There's a serial killer around New York city going around murdering people in increasingly bizarre ways while also leaving increasingly minute details behind as clues. Denzel Washington plays the brilliant criminologist Lincoln Rhymes who has been paralyzed from the neck down but can still solve clues while bedridden and Angelina Jolie plays Amelia, a plucky young beat cop-former model with a natural eye for forensics and...yada yada yada...they team up to catch the killer. Directed by Phillip Noyce (Dead Calm, Clear and Present Danger, Sliver), this would end up be the last of SEVERAL thrillers released throughout the 1990's focusing on the hunt for a serial killer. And while it might not hold up to the best (The Silence of the Lambs, Se7en) within this subgenre, it IS somewhat elevated by a stacked cast lead by Denzel and Angelina, also including Ed O'Neil, Queen Latifah, Michael Rooker, Luis Guzman, and Leland Orser.
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LIVE FROM NEW YORK....
For any one born after 1975 (or before), "Saturday Night Live" has been an American entertainment institution...an irreverent weekly platform for up-to-the-minute comedy featuring promising performers, many of whom would go on to be massive stars in various media. But it wasn't always that way....and director Jason Reitman (Juno, Up In the Air) has decided to take to that night in October 1975 when it all started. Specifically, this (loosely) presents us with all of the craziness which preceded the first live taping of the show....taking us through the chaotic 90 minutes leading up to when it was first broadcast. We get to spend time with various notable players involved including Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle), Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott), Dan Ackroyd (Dylan O'Brien), Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), Garett Morris (Lamorne Morris), Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman), and John Belushi (Matt Wood), along with so many others. It's all very frantic and chaotic....and funny? Let's find out if this group of players are ready for prime time.....
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ONE TWO, Freddy's coming for you...
THREE FOUR, Better lock your door...
Forty years ago this November saw the release of one of the most influential horror films of all time directed by the late, great Wes Craven who would gradually be acknowledged as one of the true masters of the horror genre having directed iconic genre classics before this (The Hills Have Eyes, The Last House on the Left) and after, most notably Scream which would come out twelve years later. And what he created as both writer and director was a truly terrifying concept: An otherworldly monster who could invade your dreams to murder you while you were asleep. :o
That monster was of course Freddy Krueger played by Robert England, sporting a crinkled fedora and most memorably a leather glove with sharpened razor blades protruding from each finger. Freddy was the stuff of nightmares and quickly caught fire as a hugely popular film icon. Fortunately, there were folks on the side of good to fight and hopefully defeat this new evil force....for this first film, they were lead by mild-mannered teenager Nancy played by Heather Langenkamp. And she had help including her father played by John Saxon (Enter the Dragon) and her boyfriend by a young, baby-faced Johnny Depp in his film debut. Let's head on over to Elm Street....
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Michael Douglas, Mullets, and Motorcycles....what else do you need? 🤔
Well you also have the legendary Japanese movie star Ken Takakura, vibrant young Andy Garcia, gorgeous visuals from cinematographer Jan de Bont, sadly the last performance from Yusaka Matsuda, plus THE first great action score from Hans Zimmer. Oh and it's directed by Sir Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Thelma & Louise) though you could forgiven for thinking it might have been directed by his late brother Tony at the time...
Because what we have here is a very slick '80's cop thriller loaded with all of the tropes you would expect from this time period: a renegade New York cop (Douglas) and his partner (Garcia) get immersed in a murder investigation which starts in Manhattan and takes them all the way to Osaka where they start bumping up against not only the local law enforcement (Takakura plays the police officer they team up with) but also a Yakuza on the rise lead by a brutal gangster (Matsuda). It's all quite silly, violent, and EXTREMELY entertaining!
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Forty years ago this Fall, we saw the release of one of the most influential genre films of the Modern Era, this low-budget sci-fi horror thriller directed by a young upstart named James Cameron....this being his first full-on feature film. It was a simple tale about a mild-mannered young waitress named Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) who unknowingly holds a very unique position to fight a future war against the machines, the imposing cybernetic assassin (Arnold Schwarzenegger) sent back from the future to kill her, and a spirited freedom fighter ALSO sent back from the future to protect her. That freedom fighter's name is Kyle Reese and he's played by Michael Biehn (Aliens, Tombstone) amidst a pretty strong cast including Paul Winfield, Lance Henrickson, and Rick Rossovich. What results is a tight 100 minute LA-based cat-and-mouse set mostly at night featuring lots of intense action set to a VERY iconic score from Brad Fiedel. Dun Dun Dun DUN DUN...indeed!
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Oscar-winning director Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Bram Stoker's Dracula) has finally done it....he has completed his long-in-the-works passion project, an original story which he began developing as far back as the late '70's. It's about the fictional futuristic city of New Rome where a brilliant architect (Adam Driver) has been tasked with redesigning the city to become more like a utopia. The only people standing in his way are the mayor (Giancarlo Esposito), the power-hungry son (Shia LeBouf) of a local industrialist, an attention-starved reporter/socialite (Aubrey Plaza), and......the wrath of critics and festival audiences from around the world who have been savaging this film for the past several months since it first screened at the Cannes Film Festival. :o
Is it really THAT bad, is this another example of a misunderstood masterpiece, or....is the truth somewhere in between? Only one way to find out....let's head to MEGALOPOLIS!
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