Living for the Cinema

Multimillionaire newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane (Oscar-winner Orson Welles) dies alone in his extravagant mansion named Xanadu, speaking a single word: "Rosebud."  In an attempt to figure out the meaning of this word, a reporter tracks down the people who worked and lived with Kane.  They tell their stories in a series of flashbacks which reveal much about Kane's life but not enough to unlock the riddle of his dying breath.  This was the film directorial debut of Orson Welles who was also an actor and playwright at the time of release, bringing over much of the cast from his renowned Mercury Theatre troupe to play key roles including Joseph Cotton, Dorothy Comingore, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins, George Coulouris, and Agnes Moorehead.  As the story was loosely based on the life of then media magnate William Randolph Hearst, it never achieved the necessary level of release in theaters to eneable it become commercially successful though the film was nominated for nine Academy Awards including Best Picture, along with both Best Actor and Best Director for Welles.  The only Oscar it would win would be Best Original Screenplay for Welles and co-writer Herman J. Mackiewicz.  Over time, its reputation has only grown and it is now considered by many critics and cinephiles to be one of the greatest if not THE best American film of all time. 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Rest In Peace to the legendary Dolly Parton. (1946 to 1986)

In honor of he recent tragic passing, what better way to remember her than to review this '80's comedy classic, which was also her big screen debut.  Directed by Collin Higgins (Foul Play, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas), this is a frenetic tale of sexism, office politics, suspected murder, and REVENGE.  It focuses on three beleaguered co-workers at a fictional conglomerate named Judy (Oscar-winner Jane Fonda), Violet (Emmy-winner Lily Tomlin), and Doralee (Grammy-winner Dolly Parton)....and their despicable boss Frank played by late, great Emmy-winner Dabney Coleman (Tootsie, Wargames).  Frank has taken things way too far with his behavior as he has mistreated them all terribly, then an accident occurs, and then hilarity ensues!  

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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In honor of its recent 50h Anniversary, here is our newly remastered (with additional content) review of one of The Most Influential Films of the 1970's.....

What can be said about one of THE most iconic movies of the past 50 years which hasn't been said already?   Well you probably know that it was directed by Martin Scorsese, one of our greatest living American filmmakers.  And you probably also know it stars the legendary Robert DeNiro in one of his most iconic roles playing Travis Bickle, the titular taxi driver.  You might also know that it was also written by the renowned writer/director Paul Shrader who would go on to craft other iconic films including American Gigolo and Affliction, along with several other collaborations with Scorsese.  You probably already have an idea that it tells the story of an Vietnam veteran, disgruntled cab driver who eventually finds himself on a mission to "clean up the streets" of mid '70's New York City in his own unique way of course.

Whatever you might know regardless,  it's never a bad time to revisit this classic film which has inspired millions of imitators since its release......all pretending to be tough staring in a mirrow, uttering, "You talkin' to me??"

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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In honor of its recent 35th Anniversary, here is our newly remastered (with additional content) review of one of The Most Beloved Action Films of the '90's!

This is the tale of an undercover FBI agent and a surfing bank robber thrust together through fate – Keanu Reeves (John Wick, Speed) plays the FBI agent and the late great Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing, Ghost) plays the bank robber.  Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker) directs them alongside Gary Busey, John C. McGinley, and Lori Petty in one of the more quotable action films in cinema history.  100% Pure Adrenaline!  

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Just a year after he received his first two Oscar nominations for both starring in and directing Henry V, Oscar-winner writer/director Kenneth Branagh (Belfast, Thor, Murder on the Orient Express) directed and starred in this dazzling modern reinvention of the sort of suspense thrillers which Alfred Hitchcock had specialized in several decades prior.  The story focuses on a mysterious woman (Oscar-winner Emma Thompson) who has lost her memory, the private detective (Branagh) who has been tasked with helping her find out her memory, and.....how this mystery connects to the tragic passings in the 1940's of Roman and Margaret Strauss (Branagh, Thompson), a composer and musician who fell in love.  What results is passion and danger for all involved!  Also co-starring Andy Garcia, Derek Jacobi, Wayne Knight, and Robin Williams, this twisty and time-bending tale of love and loss remains an almost forgotten gem from thirty-five years ago.

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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MANN WEEK continues....(Michael Mann that is) 

Forty years ago, Oscar-nominated legend Michael Mann (Heat, The Last of the Mohicans, Collateral) wrote and directed this adaptation of the best-selling novel "Red Dragon" from acclaimed author Thomas Harris.  This was the FIRST big screen adaptation of Harris' series of stories featuring the iconic character of Hannibal Lector, five years before the Oscar-winning box office phenomenon of The Silence of the Lambs which won Sir Anthony Hopkins his Oscar for potraying Lector.  However unlike 'Silence, this film was NOT a success upon release as the subject matter of a criminal profiler tracking down a brutal serial killer had not yet been embraced by mainstream audiences.  For this particular story, that FBI profiler is Will Graham played by William Petersen (To Live & Die In LA, CSI) and he is on the hunt for an elusive killer who refers to himself as the "Red Dragon" - that would be Francis Dollarhyde played by the late, great Tom Noonan (Heat, Last Action Hero) who is also struggling with his identity as he pursues new victims.  And in THIS version of the story, Hannibal Lector is played by Emmy-winner Brian Cox (Succession, Adaptation, X2) though in a smaller role as he is periodically visited by Graham for advice.....the same FBI agent who also initially arrested him, at great personal cost.  This eventual cult classic also co-stars Dennis Farina, Kim Greist, Joan Allen, and Stephen Lang. 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Welcome to MANN WEEK!!!

Based upon the hit '80's TV show of the same name co-created by Oscar-nominated writer/director Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans), Mann brought this adaptation to the big screen twenty years ago this summer.  The story once again focuses on two partnering Miami police detectives named Sonny Crockett (Oscar-nominated Colin Farrell) and Ricardo Tubbs (Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx) - they are going undercover to take down a Latin American drug cartel and the similarities to the original show pretty much end there.  Among their targets are Jose Yero (John Ortiz), Montoya (Luis Tosar), and Isabella (Gong Li) as they partner with the FBI to stop a major shipment of drugs.  However Sonny then starts a romance with Isabella....and complications ensue!  Considered a disappointment by both audiences and critics upon initial release, this has since gone on to develop a cult following....especially resulting from a better reception to the eventual "Director's Cut" which was released on DVD.  THAT version will be reviewed in this episode.....

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Ned Racine (Oscar-winner William Hurt) is a handsome, sleazy lawyer and Matty Walker (Oscar-nominee Kathleen Turner in her big screen debut) is the alluring wife of a wealthy businessman (Richard Crenna) and one steamy Florida night, they meet and begin a torrid affair.  They then conspire to murder Matty's husband as part of an insurance scam.....and a lot of a sweaty, twisty chaos ensues!  This Neo-Noir thriller was the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated writer/director Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill, Silverado, Grand Canyon) and even though it was only a minor hit when it was first released in the Summer of 1981, it has gone on to be one of the more influential thrillers of the modern era.  It also made both William Hurt and Kathleen Turner into instant movie stars.  

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Forty years ago this summer, genre master David Cronenberg (Videodrome, Eastern Promises, The Dead Zone, Dead Ringers) directed this remake of the 1958 cult classic of the same name starring Vincent Price.  This is the updated story of Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), a quirky scientist who has been developing an exciting new invention geared towards teleportation.  He meets an enterprising science reporter named Ronnie (Geena Davis) and together, they not only work to further this technoloy....but they also fall in love.  But then one fateful night alone, Seth makes the mistake of "teleporting while drunk" and the pod which he's using happens to have a house fly inside of it. :o And what results is a gradual, gruesome transformation for Seth into.....something else!  This film not only became a suprise box office hit but would also go on to win a VERY deserved Oscar for Best Makeup.  Be afraid, be very afraid. 

Also see below for a hysterical stand-up bit from Martin Lawrence about this movie which is cited in this review! :p 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ITAthB4ai0

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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NOLAN WEEK continues....

Adapted from the legendary tale written by Homer, this is the epic tale of one man's treacherous journey home after leading a war effort which has left both him and his men broken and continuously in danger. That war was the Trojan War and the man is Odysseus (Oscar-winner Matt Damon) who yearns to get to his home country of Ithaca where he is king, so that he can reunite with this wife Penelope (Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway) and his son Telemachus (Tom Holland).....or DOES he??  And along the way of this journey, Odysseus and his men will encounter several otherwordly threats Calypso (Oscar-winner Charlize Theron), Circe (Oscar-nominee Samantha Morton) and the Cyclops (Bill Irwin).  This is the latest big budget production from Oscar-winning writer/director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Memento, Inception) as a follow-up to his beloved Best Picture winner Oppenheimer from three years ago.  Also included among the stellar, extended cast are Robert Pattinson, Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Corey Hawkins, Himesh Patel, Mia Goth, and Emmy-winner Zendaya.  Let's find out if it's time to.....DEFY THE GODS.  

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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