Living for the Cinema

Remember when Hollywood used to release actual THRILLERS focused on real Earth-based things which involved real regular people who didn't wear capes??  Well you don't have to go all the way back to 1979 to find a strong one (as there were many during the '90's) to find one but this might be one of the more memorable ones as it focuses on subject matter which was a hot-button topic at the time of release: the proliferation of nuclear power.  Jane Fonda stars as a TV reporter who might have uncovered some unexpected dangers emerging from a local power plant in southern California, Michael Douglas (who also produced) plays her camera man, and Jack Lemmon plays an operator at said local power plant.  This film received several Oscar nominations including for Best Actor (Lemmon), Best Actress (Fonda), and Best Original Screenplay which was co-written by James Bridges who also directed this film.

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Could this be one of the most influential genre movies of the '70's?  Well if you consider this to be one of the earliest movies to take place over ONE tense night traversing through big city, then the answer is likely yes.  Walter Hill (48 Hours) directed this urban adventure of one young gang (the eponymous Warriors) trying to find their way back home to Coney Island from a violent event in The Bronx......all via 50 miles of subway train when they're not fending off rival gangs wearing facepaint, brandishing baseball bats, and/or gliding on old-school roller skates.  The cast includes Michael Beck, James Remar, David Patrick Kelley, Dorsey Wright, Brian Tyler, and Roger Hill among several others.....CAN YOU DIG IT??  

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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As a writer/director, HOW do you follow up one of the most highly acclaimed and influential films of the past several decades?  Well back in 1997, Quentin Tarantino initially disappointed many (myself included) by NOT just giving us a redux of Pulp Fiction which had come out three years prior.  Though as it turns out, he actually gave us one hell of a movie which decades later holds up very well as a more mature character piece - this one stars Pam Grier as the titular Jackie Brown alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Robert DeNiro, and Michael Keaton.  The story focuses on the pursuit of more than $500k of gun-running money and how so many different folks want to get their hands on it....but it's actually much more than that.  Let's revisit one of Tarantino's best!

WARNING: Racial epithets are heard during several clips for this movie. 

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Five years ago, this sprawling heist movie/crime drama came out to mixed reviews and solid box office.  At the time of release, many dismissed it as a knock-off the 1995 classic Heat.....which it is somewhat is.  But since then, it has garnered quite a cult following on cable and streaming for that VERY reason: it's a fun, engaging knock-off of Heat. :) And it features a nutso leading performance from Gerald Butler playing Big Nick, the dirty cop to end all dirty cops - he's on the trail of a proficient gang of bank robbers lead by ex-military, ex-con Merriman played by Pablo Schreiber.  Also included among the cast are Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and O'Shea Jackson in this twisty action thriller directed by Christian Gudegast.

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Remember Cannon Films?  They were an independent production company started in the '70s run by two Israeli cousins (Yoram Globus, Menahem Globus) who wanted to bring their cinematic ambitions to the United States....and they released a LOT of movies, most of which were considered schlock in retrospect.  But every once in a while, they would release a GENUINE quality film and this was one of them. :) Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, this is a tense action adventure focusing on two escaped convicts of an Alaskan prison who jump on to a nearby train before eventually realizing that its conductor has died and its breaks are not working.  Hence it's a.....RUNAWAY TRAIN. ;) Jon Voight and Eric Roberts star as the two convicts along with Rebecca De Mornay as a rail worker who they encounter on their adventure. 

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Thirty years ago, director Spike Lee released what at the time was his magnus opus...this highly ambitious biopic of the eponymous iconic civil rights leader played by Denzel Washington.  We are taken through the entire life of Malcolm and his journey from street gangster to prominent spokesman for the Nation of Islam.  His words and actions as an activist inspired millions while dividing many others.  This 190 minute epic received much acclaim and a couple of Oscar nominations, including Best Actor or Denzel who gave one of - if not THE best - performance of his career.  It also stars Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, and Al Freeman Jr. 

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Three years ago, most audiences were delighted by the breezy ensemble mystery comedy Knives Out directed by Rian Johnson and starring an impressive cast lead by Daniel Craig playing the brilliant detective Benoit Blanc.  The film was a surprise box office hit when it came out so to no one's surprise, a sequel was planned and that sequel has also been directed by Johnson bringing back Craig's Blanc as our central protagonist.  But this time, he has been invited to a pre-planned murder mystery set on the island of an eccentric billionaire played by Edward Norton....or WAS it pre-planned?  What results is a dizzying comic mystery featuring a whole new cast of quirky characters including Kate Hudson, Janelle Monae, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr, and Jessica Henwick. 

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Big Jim is back!  I'm referring to James Cameron of course, the Oscar-winning director of Titanic who also gave us such modern classics as Aliens, The Terminator, Terminator 2, and most recently Avatar which came out in 2009.  Despite a lengthy production process and going massively overbudget, that film shocked every one to become a worldwide phenomenon - it starred Sam Worthington as Jake and Zoe Saldana as Netyri, two star-crossed lovers fighting to protect the Navi people on the moon of Pandora.

And now both Jake and Netyri are back as well, this time with several kids who are becoming warriors in their own right.  Once again, they have to keep them safe while fighting the "Sky People" once again lead by Colonel Miles Quarych played by Stephen Lang as the human villain of the first film - well THIS time, he now has own Avatar and is on the hunt for Jake and family.  Coming out thirteen years after the first film, Cameron has worked exhaustively to craft an even more stirring epic with more impressive visual effects plus state-of-the-art 3D - let's see how his storytelling has developed alongside the technology. 

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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This year's series of holiday-themed movies concludes with a body-switch comedy from 1988 starring Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage as a father and son who - you guessed it - switch bodies as a result of a mishap with an ancient artifact.  What results are hijinks involving middle school bullies, board meetings, heavy metal concerts, motorcycle chases, department stores, etc.....and this all takes place around Chicago during Christmastime.  Of course while father and son adapt to their circumstances, they get to know each other better and hilarity ensues. ;) Brian Gilbert directed and this film also co-stars Swoosie Kurtz, Jane Kaczmarek, and David Proval.  This came out amidst a slew of other body-switching comedies released within a few months including Like Father Like Son, 18 Again, and Big....and it's actually one of the better ones!

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Ten years ago, we saw the release of Kathryn Bigelow's follow-up to The Hurt Locker, a film which not only won Best Picture at the Oscars but for which she became the first woman to be Best Director as well.  She and writer Mark Boal decided to tackle the comprehensive subject of the US' ongoing ten year search for Osama Bin Laden....and history occurred just before they started filming, leading to a dramatic overhaul of the story they were trying to tell.  What resulted was an in-depth dramatization of how the US intelligence community eventually found Bin Laden with the focus mostly being on one CIA agent at the center of this investigation named Maya (a composite of several real individuals) played by Oscar-winner Jessica Chastain.  This film also stars Jason Clark, Mark Strong, Jennifer Ehle, and James Gandolfini among several others involved in this massive war-time prodecural which attracted a ton of controversy.

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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