Living for the Cinema

Welcome to the Living for the Max series.  Over the past 45 years, there has been no other film franchise QUITE as inventive nor as consistently exciting as The Mad Max Saga….four films mostly chronicling the post-apocalyptic adventures of lone wolf Max Roxatansky played three times by Mel Gibson and most recently by Tom Hardy.  As each film has been directed by Australian cinematic genius George Miller, they have each reflected his unique vision while also being HUGELY influential on pop culture, more specifically the action genre.  So needless to say, new ones don’t come around very often and when they do….it MORE than qualifies as a cinematic EVENT.  Therefore over the next several months, I will be revisiting EACH entry of this beloved franchise every month leading up to the U.S. release of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga on May 24!  

Starring Tom Hardy as the titular Max and Charlize Theron as Furiosa, this might be the most acclaimed (and possibly beloved) action saga of the 21st Century.  It tells a simple story of a band of folks attempting to escape enslavement while picking up a couple of strays along the way. ;) One of those strays is Nux played by Nicholas Hoult and he joins a pretty strong extended cast which includes Zoe Kravitz, Riley Keogh, Rosie Huntington-Whitely, and Hugh Keays-Byrne as the frightening main villain, Immorten Joe. :o Also returning as director is the legendary George Miller who received an Oscar nomination for his work, along with nine other Oscar nominations including Best Picture. :) WHAT A LOVELY DAY INDEED!!!

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Fifty years ago saw the release of what ended up being one of the more iconic conspiracy thrillers of the 1970's even though it wasn't really a commercial hit upon initial release.  Directed by Alan J. Pakula who would go on to direct the even more iconic All The President's Men a couple of years later, it stars Oscar-winning legend Warren Beatty as a journalist working for a small publication in the Pacific Northwest who inadvertently stumbles on a mysterious organization which might have been involved with the recent murder of a U.S. Senator.  Once he finds his own life in danger as a result, he decides to attempt to infiltrate this organization and possibly even moonlight as a potential assassin himself to try to expose them and bring them down.   And what results is a series of hair-raising situations which will test him in every conceivable way. ;o 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Denzel Washington stars in this intense drama/thriller as Creasey, a sad, alcoholic ex-CIA assassin who finds a new purpose in life as he forms a special friendship with the precocious Pita played by Dakota Fanning.  Pita is the daughter of a Mexican industrialist played by Marc Antony who has hired Creasey to serve as a bodyguard since there has been a rash of kidnappings in their area.  Tragedy occurs and then Creasey sets off on a brutal mission of revenge where we see his old habits as a trained killer start to manifest themselves.   As directed by the late great Tony Scott, this was a film which saw modest success upon initial release twenty years ago but has since gone to grow a significant following.

See below for a link to an alternative ending for this movie as discussed within this review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5RQWlXoD_s&t=170s

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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The original Die Hard released in 1988 remains one of THE most influential movies of all time as it pretty much set the template for dozens and dozens of action films to follow....just over eight years after it was first released, this was the first one to transport that core story to an ice hockey arena. :)In the lead role of a John McClane-like hero, it starred the "Muscles from Brussels" at the peak of his popularity, Jean Claude Van Damme.  And in the critical role of a commanding Hans Gruber-like villain, it starred the reliably charismatic Powers Boothe.  One of them holds the lives of more than 17,000 Pittsburgh hockey fans in his hands....and ONE of them stands in his way, WHO will be victorious when the final horn goes off?  In the sure hands of journeyman genre director Peter Hyams (Running Scared, Outland), there's only one way to find out! 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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HAPPY 300TH EPISODE - Thanks to all listeners and subscribers for your continued support!!! :)

The acclaimed writer/director of Ex Machina and Annihilation has returned to deliver his largest production yet, a dystopian war drama taking place in a possible future where the USA (no longer) is now experiencing its SECOND Civil War as several states have seceded from the Union resulting in an ongoing brutal conflict among several different factions.  This story follows four journalists (Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson) as they cover the action in a variety of places around the Northeast on their way to a seminal event expected to occur in Washington, DC.  And what results is definitely the most controversial film of 2024 so far.....

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Dev Patel, the Oscar-nominated star of acclaimed films such as Slumdog Millionaire and Lion, has become the latest Hollywood actor to take his career in a new direction.....by directing this propulsive revenge action thriller taking place in a fictional city within India modeled on Mumbai.  Patel also stars as "Kid" who is a young drifter on a mission to avenge the death of his mother at the hands of corrupt local politicians, gangsters, police, and even religious leaders. And while he's attempting to infiltrate their organization working low-level service jobs, he moonlights as a bare-knuckles fighter on the side ALWAYS wearing a monkey mask....in an attempt to emulate a legend he has known of since he was a kid of Hanuman the Monkey God. Hence the title. ;) And as the story progresses, so does his plan to exact revenge....and the violence predictably escalates as well.  Also co-starring in this production are Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sobhita Dhulipala, and Sharlto Copley. 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Back in the early days of the comic book movies, it was rare to see one released to theaters which was not only financially successful but also generally beloved by fans.  There were the Batman films....and then everything else including The Rocketeer, The Shadow, and Dick Tracy.  But just under thirty years, one came out which not only proved to be both financially successful and hugely influential for so many other subgenre films which were to follow up but also was being released under unusually tragic circumstances.  This was the final on-screen appearance of Brandon Lee who unfortunately died during production as the result of an on-set accident involving the use of a prop gun.  It was a shocking turn of events for some one who seemed to have enormous promise as a potential movie star and who also happened to be the son of a legendary movie star (Bruce Lee) who also died under mysterious circumstances almost three decades prior. :( 

Under the sure hand of director Alex Proyas, this supernatural revenge thriller turned out better than any one could have expected.  It tells the story of Eric Draven, the front man for a local goth rock band in Detroit who is brutally murdered alongside his fiance....but then is brought back temporarily to bring justice to those who wronged him and his lost love.  Also co-starring Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, and Bai Ling, it's time to revisit one of the more beloved comic book adaptations of the '90's...or any decade for that matter. 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Thirty-five years ago this May, we first saw the release of a relatively small action drama starring then movie star Patrick Swayze as THE Greatest Bouncer/Cooler around who has been hired to clean up a troubled roadside bar in Missouri named the Double Deuce.  The character's name was Dalton and he DID clean up that bar along with the surrounding town of Jasper, defeating the evil Brad Wesley played by Ben Gazzara.    Directed by Rowdy Herrington, the movie opened to mediocre reviews and middling box office....but then over time thanks to strong play on cable and even stronger video sales, it became a beloved cult hit.  

Now decades later, that original film has garnered such a devoted following that director Doug Liman (Swingers, The Bourne Identity) has decided to remake it in a modern context, this time with acclaimed actor Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler, Ambulance, Love and Other Drugs) now playing Dalton as a former MMA fighter who has been hired to be a bouncer. The story is now set in the Florida Keys and the main villains are now played by Billy Magnussen and former MMA fight Connor McGregor.  Let's review BOTH films and see just how nicely they compare.....until it's time to NOT be Nice. ;)   

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Every major filmmaker has to start somewhere....and this Neo-Noir thriller was the feature filmmaking debut for Joel and Ethan Coen forty years ago.  Yes the same brothers who have delivered many memorable films since then including Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou, Inside Llewelyn Davis, and No Country For Old Men for which they won Best Picture at the Oscars.  This is the simple story of four people in the heart of Texas: a bar owner (Dan Hedaya), his wife (Frances McDormand), her secret lover (John Getz), and the mysterious stranger (M. Emmet Walsh) hired by the bar owner to spy on them....and possibly more? :o Of course, things get increasingly dicey and violent from there....it's time to revisit one of the more influential thrillers of the 1980's.

 Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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As we approach Baseball Opening Day 2024, what better way to celebrate than to revisit one of the more beloved baseball films of the 1980's, a comedy with heart focusing on a true underdog franchise, the Cleveland Indians?  Directed by David S. Ward, the story focuses on one Cinderella season for the ballclub which is now under the control of a new owner (Margaret Whitton) who is determined to have them lose enough games to kill attendance so that she can move the franchise to Miami.  Lead by a new manager (James Gammon) and mostly populated with untested rookies, this rag-tag bunch ends up surprising a lot of folks by competing for the American League Pennant.  The roster includes Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, Corbin Bernsen, and Rene Russo among several others.....PLAY BALL!

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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