Living for the Cinema

Twenty-five years ago, this high-energy musical adaptation of the both the comic book and TV cartoon was released to much hype....and no one showed up. :( It was a sizeable flop at the box office but has since garned a devoted cult following as a result of its sharp satire and catchy soundtrack.  It's a seemingly simple story about three young ladies from the small town of Riverdale who are just trying to break out with their band, The Pussycats.   They include Josie (Rachael Leigh Cook), Melody (Tara Reid), and Valerie (Rosario Dawson) and one day, they are just toiling to pick up their next gig when they are suddenly discovered by a shady record producer Wyatt (Alan Cumming) who seems something special in them.  They are whisked off to New York City, signed to his label run by the ruthless Fiona (Parker Posey) and overnight, they become a pop sensation now named, "Josie and the Pussycats."  However, their success comes with some unexpected consquences and they soon find themselves embroiled in a massive conspiracy involving the delivery of subliminal messages through pop music. :o Directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont (Can't Hardly Wait), this enduring cult hit also co-stars Gabriel Mann, Missi Pyle, and Carson Daly (!)....as you've NEVER seen him before!   

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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ANYONE SEEN RITCHIE???

That's the central question driving this pulpy action thriller starring Steven Seagal (Under Siege, Hard To Kill, Marked For Death) during his breakout period in the early '90's.  Here he plays Gino Felino, a dogged NYPD cop on a mission....to capture the killer of his partner.  That would be the aforementioned Richie Madano, a cranked out mob enforcer played by William Forsythe (Raising Arizona, The Rock, Dick Tracy, Stone Cold) who seemes to be on a mission of his own....to rampage around Brooklyn causing trouble. :o And a chaotic cat-and-mouse ensues between cop and robber, leaving in its wake a lot of broken glass and broken limbs!  This often (unintentionally) funny action thriller was directed by the late, great John Flynn (Rolling Thunder, Lock Up, Brain Scan) and also co-stars Jerry Orbach, Jo Champa, Gina Gershon, Julianna Margulies, and Dominic Chianese.  

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Richard Gere (Pretty Woman, Chicago, American Gigolo) plays Martin Vale, a hot-shot Chicago attorney who just landed his latest high-profile case, the suspected brutal murder of the Archbishop by a rural teenager from Kentucky who was apparently working for the Archbishop.  The young suspect is the mild-mannered Aaron Stampler who is played by Oscar-nominee Edward Norton (Fight Club, 25th Hour, A Complete Unknown) in his on big-screen debut which he also received an Oscar nomination for.  At first, Aaron seems mild-mannered and innocent....but there's more to him than he seems. :o What results is a wild courtroom drama with lots of twists and turns, also featuring a stacked supporting cast featuring Oscar-nominee Laura Linney, Oscar-nominee Alfre Woodard, Emmy-nominee John Mahnoney, Emmy-nominee Andre Braugher, and Oscar-winner Frances McDormand.    

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Just in time for Opening Day 2026, we are revisiting this beloved baseball comedy from fifty years ago starring Oscar-winners Walter Matthau (The Fortune Cookie, The Odd Couple, The Taking of Pelham 123) and Tatum O'Neal (Paper Moon, Little Darlings) as Coach Buttermaker and aspiring star player Amanda respectively.  Of course, their team is the titular Bears which is rag-tag group of mostly inexperienced Southern California kids playing Little League baseball.  And this team has one major competitor in their league who not only dominates them but bullies them - that team is the venal Coach Turner played by the late, great Emmy-nominee Vic Morrow who co-starred in many popular TV shows around this time including Combat, Charlie's Angels, and Police Story.  The baseball team is filled with characters including Kelly Leak (Oscar-nominee Jackie Earle Haley), Ogilvie (Alfred Lutter III), Tanner (Chris Barnes) and Ahmad (Erin Blunt)....and their acumen on the field or at bat might vary but one thing they have in common is that they ALL want to have fun! :) What results from their first tumultuous season together is baseball, smoking, drinking, profanity, and maybe even....TEAMWORK? 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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“Living for the STREEP” Series: We are here to celebrate the career of Mary Louise Streep….now known to most as Meryl Streep who has become widely known by critics, film-lovers, and audiences as likely our GREATEST LIVING ACTRESS.  Ever since her earlier breakout roles in the late 1970’s in films such as The Deer Hunter, and Kramer Vs. Kramer, she has carved out a filmography filled with brilliant performances in memorable films spanning a variety of genres including biopics, thrillers, family dramas, AND comedies.  During this time, she has also earned a STAGGERING TWENTY-ONE Oscar nominations including THREE wins.  Over the next several months, I will be revisiting one notable Streep film each month – each highlighting a different type of performance – culminating with the May 1 release of the long-awaited sequel featuring one of her more ICONIC roles as Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Directed by the legendary Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Catch 22, Working Girl), this is the harrowing true story of Karen Silkwood (Oscar-winner Meryl Streep) who worked at a plutonium processing plant in Oklahome in the mid '70's.  At one point, she is exposed to radioactive materials and she eventually becomes a whistleblower on dangerous practices at this plant.  Tragically she died under mysterious circumstances just as she was set to divulge information to the media.  This film received massive acclaim upon release and was also a box office hit - it was also nominated for five Oscars including for Best Director (Nichols), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress (Streep), Best Picture, and Best Supporting Actress for Cher who plays Karen's housemate.  The stacked cast also includes Kurt Russell, Craig T. Nelson, Fred Ward, Ron Silver, Charles Hallahan, and Bruce McGilll among several other notable actors. 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Science teacher Ryland Grace (Oscar-nominated Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no memory of how he got there.  As his memory returns, he uncovers a mission to stop a mysterious substance from killing the Sun, which can save Earth.  Soon he encounters a mysterious being from another planet and together, they form a bond and embark on this mission.  This inspiring space adventure comes to us from co-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse, 21 Jump Street) and was also adapted from a best-selling novel written by Andy Weir who was also the original author of another best-selling sci-fi novel (The Martian) which was also adapted into a highly acclaimed blockbuster more than ten years ago.  Also returning from adapting The Martian is Oscar-nominated screenwriter Drew Goddard.  The supporting cast including recent Oscar-nominee Sandra Huller (Anatomy of a Fall), Emmy-nominee Lionel Boyce (The Bear) and.....a plucky rock-like creature nicknamed "Rocky" from another planet?? :P 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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There Can Be Only One. 

Only one Immortal that this - the Immortals are special swordsmen who can live forever, except when they are facing off against other swordsmen who can kill them but ONLY by decapitating them.  The Immortal this particular story focuses on is Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) who is from the Highlands of Scotland in the 1500's when he discovers that he has this unique designation.  We follow his adventures through several centuries all the way up the "present day" in 1985 New York City where he is now being hunted by a bloodthirsty immortal barbarian named the Kurgan (Clancy Brown). Along the way, he has also been mentored by another Immortal named Ramirez (Sean Connery) in the ways of swordsmanship, along with other special gifts.  Featuring songs by Queen and directed by Russel Mulcahy (The Shadow, Resident Evil: Extinction), this action fantasy was a commercial disappointment upon first release forty years ago but has since become a beloved cult classic.  

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Oscar-nominated actress Maggie Gyllenhaal follows up her Oscar-nominated directorial debut (The Lost Daughter) from a few years ago with this VERY loose reimagining/adaptation of a portion of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.  This portion of course focuses on the desire of Frankeinstein's monster (played by Oscar-winner Christian Bale) create a companion which he gets helps doing from another mad scientist Dr. Euphronius (Oscar-nominated Annette Bening) in 1930's Chicago.  The undead woman brought to life is Ida (Oscar-nominated Jessie Buckley) and she relishes her newfound freedom.  Together they embark on a Bonnie & Clyde-like adventure, raising hell wherever they go - hot on their trail are two detectives played by Emmy-nominee Peter Sarsgaard and Oscar-winner Penelope Cruz.  And chaos ensues.....Here Comes the Motherf&%king Bride!!!

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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An undercover Boston cop (Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio) and a mole (Oscar-winner Matt Damon) in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating the Irish Mob in South Boston.  The head of that Irish gang is Frank Costello played by three-time Oscar-winner Jack Nicholson and the main handlers for the undercover cop are played by Oscar-nominee (for this film) Mark Wahlberg and Emmy-winner Martin Sheen.  Things just get increasingly complicated as investigations on both ends of the law get deeper....and the cast just gets deeper too including several notable players including Alec Baldwin, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, and Raymond Winstone.  The legendary Martin Scorsese directed this and earned his first (and still only) Oscar for Best Director  This film also earned three additional Oscars including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Picture.  It was also a word-of-mouth box office smash and remains one of the more quotable crime dramas of the past twenty years.

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Released just over thirty years ago to acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival, this was writer/director Tom DiCillo's (The Real Blonde, Johnny Suede) love letter to the trials and tribulations of independent cinema.  It takes place most only a chaotic film set where Nick (Steve Buscemi) is the beleaguered director only looking to get ONE good extended take of the next scene for this film which he developed.  Of course he's not the only one struggling as there is also a put-upon actress (Catherine Keener) feeling pressure from all sides, an egotistical movie star (James LeGros) who's acting as if HE controls the set, an insecure cameraman (Dermot Mulroney) who's also feeling sick, another actor (Peter Dinklage in his on-screen debut) who is just not vibing with his role, and any other number of players behind the scenes who each have their own issues to deal with.  And what results is one of the funniest backstage comedies of the '90's!

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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