Episodes
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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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The FIRST Rule About Fight Club is....
Do NOT TALK About Fight Club
Of course when this action satire directed by David Fincher (Seven, The Social Network) first opened twenty-five years ago to mixed reviews and mediocre box office, it still HEAVILY talked about by a certain segment of the population which just could not get enough of it. It featured two iconic characters played by Brad Pitt and Edward Norton at the peak of the powers plus a surprising turn by Helena Bonham Carter....along with a game supporting cast including Jared Leto, Holt McCallany, and....Meat Loaf. (Yup the singer, you read that right) And the plot? Well to describe it would be violating the first two rules but let's just say that it all kicks off with the wittily narrated tale of one mild-mannered insurance adjustor (Norton) who is simply having trouble getting to sleep at night....he then meets a mysterious figure named Tyler Durden (Pitt), they decide to begin fighting each other for fun.....and mayhem ensues! And lots of soap of course.....
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Thirty years ago, director Curtis Hanson (LA Confidential, 8 Mile) helped introduce us to what was seemed like a very novel concept on-screen for the first time: "MERYL STREEP, ACTION HERO." Up until this point, Streep had already been nominated for multiple awards along with winning several - she was and still IS considered Our Greatest Living Actress who had delivered memorable performances in mostly serious dramas though in more recently years (in the early '90's) had often branched off into comedy including recent gems like Death Becomes Her and Postcards From the Edge. This adventure thriller set alongside the rapids of a river in Montana was the actress' first real stab at action on-screen....and she did not disappoint playing Gail, an expert rower and rafter who was taking her family (David Strathairn, Joseph Mazzello) for a trip on very dangerous river. Of course, things do not go as planned as they soon encounter a couple of armed killers lead by Kevin Bacon who are fleeing a recent robbery. And what results could somewhat be described as "Die Hard on the Rapids" even featuring Streep and crew performing most of their own stunts.
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"Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself?"
That's not only the tagline for this movie but for the fictional experimental drug which is offer to our main protagonist. Demi Moore (Ghost, Indecent Proposal) plays Elizabeth Sparkle, a middle-aged actress/fitness guru who has been fired from the TV show she hosts on her 50th birthday. She feels rejected, cast aside, and fearful of losing more of what made her a star. And then comes a mysterious invitation to try a black market drug called "The Substance" which offers her a seemingly enticing opportunity to reverse the aging process.....or does it? :o Of course she decides to partake in this experiment and what results is in fact a younger version of herself played by Margaret Qualley (Drive Away Dolls, Poor Things) who names herself Sue. However based on several specific rules laid out for the titular substance , BOTH versions are not scientifically able to walk and breathe at the same time. And needless to say as those rules are NOT followed to the T, several complications ensue.....several NASTY complications.
Winner of the Best Screenplay Award at this year's Cannes Film Festival, this film has received a lot of buzz and acclaim since then. Directed by Coralie Fargeat as a follow up to her cult hit from 2018 named Revenge, this nutso satirical thriller might be best described as Death Becomes Her meets The Fly meets Requiem for a Dream....NOT for the squeamish. ;)
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When this erotic mystery was first released in the Fall of '89, it was looked upon as a comeback vehicle for legendary actor Al Pacino who stars as beleaguered NYPD detective Frank Keller who is struggling with both alcoholism and the fallout from his recent divorce. And then Frank unearths a new case which catches his interest.....a series of murders which are all linked to dates set up in personal ads AND the classic '50's song, "Sea of Love." He teams up with a fellow detective played by John Goodman to set up a sting to catch this killer....but setting up a series of dates answering similar ads. And wouldn't you know it, Frank meets some one who catches his fancy.....the mysterious Helen played by Ellen Barkin. Only she might be a suspect too. :o And further intrigue results within this generally well-liked throwback thriller directed by Harold Becker (Malice) and written by Richard Price (The Color of Money).
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Thirty years ago, this inspiring prison drama based upon a short story by Stephen King was released to thunderous acclaim and weak box office. Over time via strong video/DVD sales and steady play on cable, it built up a very devoted following to the point where it is now ranked #1 among all films rated on IMDB. It's a beloved story focusing on two convicts at Shawshank Prison named Andy (Tim Robbins) and Red (Morgan Freeman) who become very close friends over several decades. Directed by Frank Darabont (The Walking Dead, The Mist), it was also nominated for seven Oscars including Best Picture. You either get busy living for get busy dying....
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SOMEBODY....STOP HIM!!! Of course we're referring to Stanley Ipkiss played by Jim Carrey once he puts on that mask, the titular mask for this Summer '94 blockbuster smash which was based on a graphic novel of the same name. Directed by Chuck Russell (Eraser) this was released amidst a breakout year for Carrey, smack between blockbusters Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dumb and Dumber. But THIS was the one where he got to stretch a bit....LITERALLY. :) Carrey plays a mild-mannered banker who one night finds a mysterious mask in the dock of the fictious Edge City where he lives. He soon finds out that once he puts on that mask at night, it transform him into a cartoonishly green party animal who can sing, dance, and do impressions with the best of them! Also starring in this comic book adapted comedy is Peter Greene, Peter Riegert, and in her big screen debut Cameron Diaz. It's time to P-A-R-T-Y.....WHY? Because he's GOTTA!!! ;)
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The Ghost With The Most is BACK! More than thirty-six years after the original cult smash Beetlejuice was released into theaters, director Tim Burton returns along with Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, and Michael Keaton in the titular role. New additions to the cast include Jenna Ortega (Scream 6, Wednesday), Monica Bellucci (Irreversible, Matrix Reloaded), and Justin Theroux (The Leftovers, Mulholland Drive). The plot? Well....let's just say that there are lots of thrills, chills, laughs, and....disco music? :)
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