After a brief two-year hiatus, Simon, Mat, and Jon are back to meander in chat about three films linked in the ever-evolving grandbag chain. In this episode, we’re dissecting:
Last Embrace (1979): A Jonathan Demme "Hitchcock homage" that feels more like a student film with a "leathery" Roy Scheider running around after buses in some truly questionable pants. We dig into the production's secret filming at Niagara Falls and why Scheider had enough clout to swap out the leading lady at the last minute.
Ishtar (1987): The legendary flop that might actually be funny for the first ten minutes. We explore Elaine May's perfectionism (including moving sand dunes with bulldozers), Dustin Hoffman’s ego, and why Charles Grodin is effectively the "De Niro of Chevy Chase".
All the President's Men (1976): A "synchronised masterpiece" that makes 1970s journalism feel more gripping than a high-speed chase. We praise the "textured silence" of the sound design, the neurotic accuracy of Woodward and Bernstein, and why Robert Redford is the ultimate "calculated dude".
Plus, Mat provides his internal monologue of notes—featuring "Bernie Winters" as a lawyer and "Airwolf" cameos—and we ponder why Chevy Chase is universally acknowledged as a "a dick" and who are the DeNiro and Keitel of Chevy Chase's.