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!  

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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What happens when a top-flight director (Walter Hill - 48 Hours, The Driver) decides to to spearhead a new original story blending various genres including gritty crime drama, rock musical, and star-crossed love story....also setting it within an unrecognizable urban setting and time period?  Well the result is one of the more bizarre financial flops of the 1980's which no one at the time truly knew what to make of....not critics, not audiences, not even much of the cast! :) 

This "Rock and Roll Fable" tells the story of the mysterious drifter Tom Cody (Michael Pare) and the young lady he loves Ellen Aim played by a very young (at the time) Diane Lane.  Ellen leads a fierce rock band known as The Attackers and she herself has been targeted by the villainous Raven played by an also very young (and menacing) Willem Dafoe.  This now cult classic is about to turn 40....let's revisit  it and hopefully we can get Nowhere Fast! ;)   

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Of all of the dozens of post-Pulp Fiction imitators to be released throughout the 1990's, this might be one of the more memorable ones even though it opened roughly 25 years ago to middling box office.  It director Doug Liman's follow-up to his seminal indie gem of just three years - Swingers - and while he once again kept the cast young and the locations limited to LA (and Las Vegas), he went a different route with the overall setting and vibe.  Whereas Swingers brushed upon swing/cocktail culture (which was a thing back in the mid '90's), this time he shifted the general setting to...Rave Culture. :o The music, the drugs, the dancing....but even moreso any number of crazy situations occurring around it or adjacent to it.  Beyond that, there's not much to the plot other than this being one CRAZY night/day for several key characters played by Sarah Polley, Desmond Askew, Taye Diggs, Scott Wolf, Jay Mohr, Katie Holmes, and Timothy Olyphant.  Add to that cast notable players including William Fichtner, JE Freeman, Breckin Meyer, AND.....the on-screen debut of a Melissa McCarthy, time to GO!!!

See below for a link to a special video featuring the cast "performing" one of the best needle-drops from the movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z4eQ5Jq4_E

 Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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In the lead-up to St. Patrick's Day, what better time to celebrate than to revisit what is considered by some to be a modern crime drama classic focusing on the Irish mafia?  Directed by Phil Joanou (Three O'Clock High), this story focuses on Terry (Sean Penn) who has recently moved back to the old neighborhood - Hell's Kitchen in New York City - and decides to join a "Westie" gang which includes his childhood best friend Jackie (Gary Oldman) and is also lead by Jackie's older brother Frankie played by Ed Harris.  Terry also rekindles a romance with his first love Kathleen (Robin Wright) who also happens to be sister to both Jackie and Frankie.  Further complicating matters, this Irish gang is currently negotiating a deal with the much larger local Italian mafia with which tensions are very high. :o And everything culminates just in time for St. Patrick's Day!  The stacked cast also includes John Turturro, John C. Reilly, Joe Viterelli, and Burgess Meredith. 

 Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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What better way to celebrate March Madness than to revisit a basketball movie which actually isn't a basketball movie but does still feature lots of basketball.....sorta? :) Benny and Josh Safdie followed up their breakout success of a couple of years prior - the extremely tense urban thriller Good Time starring Robert Pattinson - with an even TENSER crime thriller starring Adam Sandler as a fast-talking New York jeweler who also happens to be a gambling addict.  His habit of betting on NBA basketball games just escalates further and further after he also encounters NBA superstar Kevin Garnett (played by himself) at his store at the same time he receives an extremely valuable stone imported from Ethiopia.  And from there, things just get more intense as he makes larger high stakes bets while also using increasingly valuable gems from his store as collateral.  This highly acclaimed drama also stars LaKeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Eric Bogosian, and Idina Menzel.

 Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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This is the story of a bored suburban housewife Roberta (Rosanna Arquette) who finds herself drawn to reading personal ads and becomes especially interested in those featuring a mysterious woman named Susan (Madonna) who she ends up sorta stalking. And through a series of unfortunate events, Roberta inadvertently becomes mistaken for Susan while also getting amnesia. :o Along the way she ends up striking up a romance with a charming film projectionist Dez (Aidan Quinn) who happens to be friends with Susan's boyfriend who asked to look after her...also thinking that she is in fact Susan. (Even though she's really Roberta) Toss into the mix a quiet white-haired mob killer (Will Patton) who is on Susan/Roberta's trail seeking stolen a pair of valuable diamond earrings....and chaos ensues. :) Directed by Susan Seidelman (Making Mr Right, She-Devil), it's all very quirky and hopefully charming....

 Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Kicking off Women's History Month, here is a truly unique take on one of the most famous (or infamous) monarchs in the history of French royalty.  Kirsten Dunst stars as the eponymous Queen married to King Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman) - their reign lasted from 1774 through 1793 and happened to be during one of the most tumultuous periods in French history.  Though you would be forgiven for not noticing this for most of their story as we watch Marie live a legendarily decadent lifestyle filled with colorful clothes, food, and company.  

This was director Sofia Coppola's follow-up to her Oscar-winning smash from three years prior, Lost in Translation, and it was generally looked upon during initial release as a disappointment.  Over the past 18 years though, its reputation has grown somewhat thanks to Coppola's inventive direction and her memorable decision to fill the soundtrack with anachronistic New Wave pop music.  If nothing else, it's a true original and the stacked cast also includes Judy Davis, Rose Byrne, Jamie Dornan, Asia Argento, and then very baby-faced Tom Hardy.   Let Them Eat Cake indeed!!!

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Since we are apparently still several years away from the next Star Wars or Star Trek movie on the big screen, director Denis Villeneuve has given us the next best thing....or maybe something even better? :) 

This long-awaited sequel to the Oscar nominated sci-fi blockbuster Part 1 picks up EXACTLY where the previous film left off.....Paul (Timothee Chalomet) and Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) now venturing on the desert planet of Arrakis (otherwise known as Dune) with the Fremen tribe lead by Javier Bardem's Stilgar while also becoming getting more acquainted with Chani played by Zendaya.  And of course a burgeoning war begins to escalate with the Harkonnens who have violently taken over the desert planet lead by the Baron played by Stellan Skarsgard.  Also including in this stacked cast are Florence Pugh, Josh Brolin, Christopher Walken, Dave Bautista, and Austin Butler.  LONG LIVE THE FIGHTERS!

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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The Coen Brothers are back!  Well actually just one of them (Ethan Coen) but he's here to direct while also co-writing and co-producing with his wife and long-term Coen's collaborator Tricia Cooke.  And what they have collaborated to deliver is an ambling, quirky, violent crime drama/comedy in the GREAT tradition of previous Coen Brothers' films like Burn After Reading, Fargo, or Raising Arizona.....but is it quite as good as those films?  

Well the cast certainly helps as it stars Margaret Qualley (Once Upon A Time in America) and Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers) as two young ladies who embark on a road trip from Philly to Tallahassee, only to discover that they have a hidden package in their rented car with some VERY sketchy items. :o And of course, there are now various folks chasing after them played by a very stacked cast including Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Bill Camp, Pedro Pascal, and Matt Damon.  So let's find out if this '90's throwback lives up to its pedigree....  

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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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 everyone 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!  

And now the SECOND film in this franchise which is considered by many to be the best overall.....well at least was considered to be the best until Mad Max Fury Road came out in 2015.  But it's still damn impressive bringing us back to Max who is now a drifter with his own heavily souped up Interceptor wandering around the post-apocalyptic Australian Outback.  His character is always on the search for gasoline....as are most others at this point in time which leads to some potential trouble. He finds a massive oil refinery occupied by well-meaning survivors who just want to live in peace.  Of course there are more dangerous elements out there who want to take over this oil refinery and they are lead by the evil Lord Humungus played by Kjell Nilsson...and they're not taking any prisoners. :o So here comes Max to try to help them transport their oil to a safer place while avoiding this violent gang which means to overtake them....and what results is a rip-roaring series of action sequences mostly taking place on the open road!  Also co-starring are Bruce Spence, Michael Preston, Emil Minty, and Vernon Wells.

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

Send us Fan Mail

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