Living for the Cinema

Have you heard of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?  Yup the Billionaire Playboy (Robert Downey Jr.), the Big Green Guy (Mark Ruffalo), that frozen dude with the shield (Chris Evans)….oh right The Avengers!  Well ten years ago, we saw the release of their first team-up movie into theaters and in case you didn’t hear, it was a HUGE success.  Now seems as good a time as any to revisit this superhero epic directed by Joss Whedon.  It also stars Scarlett Johannsen, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeremy Renner - together they must all ASSEMBLE to defeat the dastardly Loki played by Tom Hiddleston. 


Host: Geoff Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Tom Gormican directs and Nicholas Cage stars as….Nicholas Cage, the famous Oscar-winning actor/former movie star who has spent much of the past decade acting prolifically in many smaller movies but still remains a household name.  He’s struggling to find exciting new work as an actor and decides to take up on the offer of wealthy olive oil tycoon from Spain who pays him $1 million to attend his birthday party on the coast of Spain as a special guest.  

The olive oil tycoon is Javi played by Pedro Pascal – he is literally THE biggest Nic Cage super-fan you are ever likely to meet and needless to say, the two of them become instant friends.  Unfortunately, all might not be as it seems with regards to Javi and his business – the CIA suspects him of foul play and lead by Tiffany Haddish’s operative, they need to recruit some one to infiltrate Javi’s world to get to the bottom of things…..and yup, guess WHO they recruit to do so? 😊 And HILARITY ensues….. 

Host: Geoff Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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In honor of Alien Day (4/26…named after the planet where the alien is first discovered by humans, known as LV-426), let’s revisit the sci-fi horror classic which started it all.  This was only the second feature to be directed by Sir Ridley Scott near the beginning of what would eventually become an illustrious career including Gladiator, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, and The Martian.  

The story follows the crew of the Nostromo, a mining ship in outer space in the future which is called to answer a distress call on a nearby planet (LV-426) and once on that planet, they of course get more than they bargained for….eventually meeting the eponymous Alien. :o It stars Tom Skerritt as the Captain of this crew along with Sigourney Weaver in her first major role and the one which made her a star…..as Lieutenant Ellen Ripley.  

WARNING: INCLUDING FILM CLIPS PORTRAYING EXTREME VIOLENCE

Host: Geoff Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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It's our 100th Episode!!!!  This Brazilian crime epic came out just under twenty years ago and has earned its place in the discussion for THE greatest films so far this century.  And for good reason because it is expertly co-directed by Oscar-nominee Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund, along with featuring a plethora of local Brazilian talent in front of and behind the camera.  The story mainly focuses on Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), an up-and-coming young photographer growing up in the eponymous favela area just outside of Rio de Janeiro known as the “City of God.” 

But it is SO much more than that as we meet literally dozens of interesting characters, each trying to maneuver their way through a period in the ‘70’s when gangs ruled, the beaches were beautiful, drugs were in high demand, the fashions worn were stylish, and violence was a way of life.     

Host: Geoff Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Brian DePalma directed this Prohibition Era crime epic about the eponymous Untouchables and their mission to take down Al Capone, who is ruling the city of Chicago through extreme violence.  The Untouchables are lead by Elliott Ness played by Kevin Costner and Capone is played by DeNiro.  However the most memorable player is Ness’ right-hand and mentor, Malone played by the late great Sean Connery in the role which won him an Oscar.  Andy Garcia, Billy Drago, and Charles Martin Smith fill out the very well-dressed cast.  Is everything portrayed true to what really happened at this time in American history?  Not in the slightest, but it’s still damn entertaining!  

WARNING: MOVIE CLIPS PORTRAYING VIOLENCE

Host: Geoff Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Lawrence Fishburne stars in this urban crime thriller as an undercover cover working his way up the drug trade around Los Angeles before he eventually goes TOO deep….hence the title.  Jeff Goldblum also co-stars as a local drug lawyer who he becomes partnered with – both actors give among the best performances of their respective careers in a film which just turned 30 but still holds up as of the best mob/gangster movies of the 1990’s.  It was directed by Bill Duke and also features one of the most popular hip hop soundtracks of its era….including the title track which showcases the studio debut of Snoop Dogg.   😊 

WARNING: FILM CLIPS CONTAINING ADULT LANGUAGE INCLUDING  RACIAL EPITHETS

Host: Geoff Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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When this movie came out almost twenty years ago, the expectations just were NOT very high as Matt Damon wasn’t considered an action hero, the director (Doug Liman) wasn’t considered an action director, the series of novels it was based upon had waned in popularity, and most big budget Hollywood action movies at the time were much louder and more bombastic….along the lines of recent hits produced by Jerry Bruckheimer including The Rock, Gone in 60 Seconds, and Armageddon.  

But this was a DIFFERENT kind of action movie with a more thoughtful tone, more grounded plot, more subtly paranoia about key institutions like the CIA (this was released less than a year after the 9/11 attacks, and most notably action sequences which felt both more fluid and ground-level.  To the surprise of most, it received almost universal acclaim AND blockbuster success launching a very lucrative franchise of Bourne films for years to come – it’s time to revisit the movie that started it all….

Host: Geoff Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

https://livingforthecinema.com/

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45 years ago when this first came out, you would have through it might be considered a pretty big event as a big budget follow-up from the recent director (William Friedkin) of The Exorcist and The French Connection….and playing its lead, the star (Roy Scheider) of Jaws. :o As it turns out, it was a VERY troubled production being released by a studio which had no idea how to market it so they didn’t even try.  

It was considered a flop upon release but in the decades since then, there has been a growing appreciation for this high tension adventure thriller focusing on four strangers who are tasked with driving six cases of highly unstable nitroglycerin more than 200 miles through very treacherous conditions – it’s a harrowing story expertly told and no, there are NO sorcerers nor any magic involved. 😉 

Host: Geoff Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

https://livingforthecinema.com/

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Together, co-directors/co-writers Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinart have graced us with what is likely the most original and uniquely entertaining film of 2022 so far.  It stars Michelle Yeoh as the beleaguered owner of a laundromat who along with her husband (played by Ke Huy Quan) finds herself sucked into an elaborate adventure through the “multi-verse” where we watch several different incarnations of her try to navigate through a conflict which threatens to undo everything!  As she traverses though these various universes, we see her as a martial artist and movie star, among much MORE unique incarnations….to attempt to describe it any further just doesn’t do it justice. 

Host: Geoff Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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March Madness continues with this sports drama starring Nick Nolte as Pete Bell, the coach for a fictional college basketball program at Western University.  Under his leadership, this program has been winning for years but what do you do when the winning stops?  Well if you’re Coach Pete, you have some tough decisions to make as to just how far you will go to recruiter the best talent out there for your team, including hot young players portrayed by some of the NBA’s best at the time including Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway.  Directed by the legendary William Friedkin who also gave us The Exorcist, this engaging morality tale also stars Mary McDonnell and the late, great JT Walsh.  

Host: Geoff Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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