Living for the Cinema

Indiana Jones is BACK....for the FIFTH time!  But did he need to be?  Well it has been fifteen years since the successful though disappointing (for fans) 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and for the first time, we have a new Indiana Jones sequel NOT directed by Steven Spielberg.  But the director this time is no slouch....James Mangold has taken the directorial reins after delivering several strong movies over the past 25 years including Logan, 3:10 to Yuma, Ford Vs. Ferrari, and Copland.  

For this entry, we cut to 1969 as Dr. Jones (Harrison Ford returning of course) is about to retire as a professor of archeology when suddenly.....he's encountered by his god-daughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) who involves him in the chase for a different type of artifact, in fact one he had previously unearthed more than two decades prior.  And we're off on a new adventure, also once again involving Nazi's lead by Mads Mikkelsen's Dr. Voller.   So once again, it's time to bust out the old whip and fedora.... 

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Playwright Celine Song has made her directorial debut with this highly acclaimed romantic drama which she also wrote the screenplay for.  It's the story of Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) who grew up as very close friends in South Korea until Nora's parents moved her to the West at the age of 12.   Now as grown adults, they are about to reunite in person for the first time in 24 years in New York City, which is where Nora lives....and is also married.  And what results is a touching meditation on memories, life choices, and the how people can be drawn to others at different points in their lives.

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Four years ago, the release of this film marked the directorial debut of Olivia Wilde who up until this time had mostly been well-known as an actress.  And she really does make quite a memorable debut with this raunchy "One Crazy Night" comedy about two soon-to-be-high-school graduates (Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein) who are the smartest students in their class and the best of friends.  As one of them just found out that they are not the only graduates in their class who are going on to bigger and better things, they decide to spend this one last night before graduation to show that they can also have "fun" with the best of them.  And what results is a night of parties, drugs, homicidal cabbies, fancy yachts, and various other hijinks!  Also along for the ride are co-stars Jessica Williams, Mason Gooding, Diana Silvers, Molly Gordon, and Billie Lourd.

Host: Geoff Gershon 
Special Guest Co-Host: Isabelle Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Thirty-five years ago, this raunchy comedy directed by Charles Crichton took the world by storm featuring a melding of British and American comedic talent at the peak of their powers - it even got some Oscar love including Kevin Kline winning the rare Best Supporting Actor for a full-on comedic role.  Kline co-stars as former CIA assassin Otto who has been brought aboard the crew of a diamond heist in London recruited by his "sister" Wanda played by Jamie Lee Curtis who is also in on the heist.  The heist apparently goes off without a hitch....until one key assailant George (Tom Georgeson) gets arrested and ONLY he knows where the diamonds have been hidden?  Or DOES he?

Throw in Monty Python vets John Cleese playing his attorney and Michael Palin playing his animal-loving co-conspirator and what you have is one nutty British/American farce featuring loads of inappropriate gags involving stuttering, animal murder, and other nasty subjects!  And of course, at the center of this story is.....A Fish Called Wanda. (A goldfish actually.) 

 

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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This seminal World War II classic is about to turn 60 years old and for many Americans, it's a perennial rewatch usually around this time of year.   It was directed by John Sturges and features a legendary cast including Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasance, and James Coburn.  Based upon true events, it tells the story of a large band of military officer POW's from the Allied Forces who all been moved to a new German-run prisoner camp.  What all of these POW's have in common is they have each attempted multiple times to escape from other Nazi POW camps - apparently THIS camp will be the place where they can no longer escape as the Axis forces can now keep a close eye on ALL of them in one place.  So guess what this band of POW's FIRST course of action is?  Well you know the title of the movie right? :) 

 

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
 Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Our ongoing series of reviews of Tom Cruise vehicles leading up to Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 is almost over with the release of that long-awaited sequel next month.  So what better time to revisit what many consider to be THE seminal entry of the franchise?  By the time this movie was released in late 2011, Cruise's star had faded somewhat as had the demand for another Mission Impossible sequel after the disappointing box office of Mission Impossible III in 2006.

But something was different this time....for one thing, this was the live action feature directorial debut of Brad Bird who over the previous 15 years had directed some of our most beloved animated films including The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and The Iron Giant.  Also there was less focus on the personal life of Cruise's protagonist Ethan Hunt and more focus placed on the rest of the TEAM - the cast for this one included Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Paula Patton.  We get to know them a bit more than previous entries.  And.....the movie was released initially in IMAX highlighting some seemingly jaw-dropping stunts featuring The Cruise Missile seemingly risking his life this time around.  So our mission - should we choose to accept it - will be to determine just what made THIS sequel so special almost 14 years ago.....

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
 Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Thirty-two years ago, one of the Greatest Coming-of-Age stories and also one of THE great father-and-son stories was released.   And now to celebrate Father's Day and Juneteenth Day, here is a newly remastered review with a few extra features.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY &
HAPPY JUNETEENTH DAY!

This coming-of-age drama took theaters by storm with some of the most up-and-coming actors of its time....Cuba Gooding Jr., Larry Fishburne, Ice Cube, Angela Bassett & Regina King to name a few.  It's all set where a neighborhood's values cannot often compete with the booming drug and gang culture in this gripping story set in South Central Los Angeles.  It was directed by the late, great John Singleton who became the youngest director ever nominated for the Oscar for Best Director as a result and it remains one of the most acclaimed and iconic movies of the 1990's.

WARNING: There are some racial epithets spoken by characters in this movie contained within clips from the movie included in this podcast.

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Apparently this movie was first slated to come out more than four years ago?  Yup after several years of pre-productions stops and starts, COVID-related delays, a revolving door of talented directors joining the project, and....a lot of dicey criminal activity from its start not long after production completed, DC's stand-alone movie focused on one of its most beloved superheroes is FINALLY coming to the big screen!  Ezra Miller stars in the titular role of the Scarlett Speedster,  otherwise known as The Flash - his actual character's name is Barry Allen and he's embarking on a unique journey of attempting to change one tragic part of his past through the power of his speed......officially known as the "Speed Force." 

Of course he ends causing more damage than expected within a different time line...and chaos ensues.  Fortunately, Barry is able to enlist in getting help from an old friend, Bruce Wayne - although this is a different Bruce Wayne than he has known before, this time played by Michael Keaton!  Yes the same Michael Keaton who played Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman from '89 and Batman Returns from '92.  Only this time, he's NOT being directed by Tim Burton - the director who finally took on the role of completing this epic saga is Andy Muschietti who recently gave us It: Chapter One and It: Chapter Two.  So after all the craziness which lead up to its release, did we actually get a GOOD movie in the end?  Only one way to find out.... 

 

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
 Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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COULD this be the greatest sequel EVER?  Well considering that it was the long-awaited follow-up to one of the most influential smashes (Saturday Night Fever) of the 1970's and has very little in common with that disco drama outside of bringing back its star (John Travolta) along with some new songs from The Bee-Gee's, then the most likely answer would be NO.  Upon release forty years ago, this film was universally panned as a shameless cash grab on the part of both Travolta and its director, Sylvester Stallone....yup that's right, Stallone is a director TOO and this remains the only film he has ever directed which does not feature a prominent role for him.  The story brings our hero Tony Manero to slick early '80's Manhattan across the river from his home town of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn - he's now a struggling actor/dancer looking for a breakout opportunity.....and he might have now found it landing a role in the hot new Broadway musical, "Satan's Alley."  And we'll leave it that.....the film also co-stars Cynthia Rhodes and Finola Hughes and ALSO features several new songs from Frank Stallone. :o (Yes they are related....he's Sylvester's brother)

See below for a link to the Cinema Snob review of this same movie which is referenced in this review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFT_0JxQ93E&t=1s

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
 Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Spider-Man is BACK!  No not the squeaky-voiced Tony Stark-fanboy played by Tom Holland....nope this animated epic features the vaunted return of another Spider-Man from another universe.  THIS one is Miles Morales voiced by Shameik Moore who was also the star of this film's Oscar-winning predecessor from five years ago, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.  And he's back with his friends and family too, among them Gwen Stacey voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, Peter Parker voiced by Jake Johnson, and Miles' parents voiced by Brian Tyree Henry and Luna Lauren Velez.  He also has LEGIONS of new Spider-friends from various different universes voiced by a stacked cast including Issa Rae, Oscar Isaac, and Daniel Kaluuya who plays the ULTIMATE as "Spider-Punk."  Every one is involved at various levels with a daunting new mission to keep the various universes from collapsing in on each other and what results is an eye-popping ambitious superhero sequel which many critics are referring to as not only one of the greatest superhero movies ever made but possibly THE greatest animated film EVER. :o Directed by Joachim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, let's see if this one lives up to the hype!

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
 Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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