Living for the Cinema

Remember when independent cinema was actually FUN? :p Well this cult classic was released during the height of the indie boom in the mid '90's and was pretty much the launching pad for rising star Parker Posey (Best In Show, Superman Returns, The White Lotus, The House of Yes) who plays the titular character, Mary.  Mary is an aimless young lady in her '20's living in Manhattan who's good at organizing, planning parties, and not much else until one day working for her godmother (Sasha von Scherler) at the New York Public Library, she suddenly discovers what might be her calling....to become a librarian. :o This wacky sorta-coming-of-age comedy features a bouncy soundtrack and stellar cast of up-and-comers including Liev Schreiber, Guillermo Diaz, Omar Townsend, and Anthony DeSando.  It was also directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer (Woo, Matilda) who would eventually going on to be a prolific director of prestige TV.  Heh-heh-HELLO!!!

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Glenn Powell (Top Gun Maverick, Twisters, Anyone But You) plays Beckett Redfellow, the apparent eventual heir of a multi-billion dollar fortune from the Long Island-based Redfellow clan.....only he's the eighth in line after his late mother was pushed out of the family right before he was born.  So inspired by the sudden reappearance of Julia (Margaret Qualley) a seductive socialist he has had a crush on since childhood, he decides to embark on a unique mission to move up closer to that inheritance by murdering everyone else in the Redfellow clan one-by-one.  The Redfellow family members who are his targets are played by Ed Harris, Zach Woods, Bill Camp, and Topher Grace among others.  Directed by John Patton Ford (Emily the Criminal), let's find out exactly HOW Beckett lives up to the title of this film. 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Back in the '90's, the enduring success of Die Hard helped inspire a slew of action thrillers often focusing on one protagonist taking on a group of terrorists within a confined space....and SEVERAL of them took place on airplanes including Air Force One, Passenger 57, and Con Air.  Amidst that crop came this well-liked and successful incarnation taking place on a commercial airplane headed from overseas to Washington, DC.....and hijacked by terrorists who are not only threatening to kill the hundreds of hostages on board but also bringing a dangerous bio-weapon to the launch on the East Coast. :o Fortunately potentially standing in their way are more than just ONE lone man....a savvy CIA analyst (Kurt Russell), several Navy Seals (John Leguizamo, BD Wong, Joe Morton, Whip Hubley), and one brainy bomb expert (Oliver Platt).  They have ALL stowed away in the luggage cabin of said plane.....not to mention there's one brave stewardess (Halle Berry) on board who might help them.  AND Steven Seagal plays a role too! :) Directed by Stuart Baird (U.S. Marshalls, Star Trek Nemisis), let's get on board and fasten our seatbelts....

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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A tough-as-nails cop (Chow Yun-Fat) teams up with an undercover agent (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) to shut down a sinister gun-runner (Anthony Wong) and the rest of his gang in Hong Kong.

That's the standard IMDB description for the plot of this film but as directed by master action autuer John Woo (The Killer, A Better Tomorrow, Face/Off, Mission Impossible II), it's SO much more!  Infact this is now remembered as one of the more influential action films of the 1990's featuring Woo's unique blend of balletic action, melodramatic flourishes, and doves. (Well in this case, origami doves) Beloved action star Chow Yun Fat (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Killer) leads the charge as "Tequila," a Hong Kong super-cop who has it all: he's good with babies, he plays a mean clarinet, and he can dispatch with any number of bad guys with a nickel-plated Norinco pistol in each hand. ;) Decades before John Wick would reinvent the action genre with "gun fu," this international sensation did it first....and better? 

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella 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.

How you remake a stone cold classic like The Manchurian Candidate?  John Frankenheimer's seminal cold war paranoia thriller was released in 1962 and became one of the more celebrated thrillers of that decade?  Well if you're Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Something Wild), you assemble a very top-flight A-list cast lead by Oscar-winner Denzel Washington, Oscar-winner Meryl Streep, and Liev Schreiber alongside a slew of up-and-coming talent at the time who would eventually become celebrated actors including Jeffrey Wright, Vera Farmiga, Kimberly Elise, and Anthony Mackie.  The crazy story (which loosely adapts that of the original) centers on a Desert Storm verteran officer (Washington) who keeps having strange dreams and/or flashbacks to the war....and he's not the only one as he also served with a up-and-coming senator (Schreiber) who is about to run for Vice President, who MIGHT be having the same types of visions.  Beyond that, the senator has a very controlling mother (Meryl Streep) who is also a senator and she has some VERY unique plans for her son to rise to power.  And the shadowy organization behind all of this is named Manchurian Global who happens to have a lot of military contracts.  Things gets just increasingly intense and dangerous for all involved....

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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One master thief (Chris Hemsworth) is planning one final score to steal some expensive jewels, one burned out, veteran cop (Oscar-nominee Mark Ruffalo) is on the trail to catch him after a rash of recent robberies, and one disillusioned insurance broker (Oscar-winner Halle Berry) gets involved to claim her own piece of the action....and ALL of this takes place along Highway 101 which runs through Los Angelese.  From director Bart Layton (American Animals), this sprawling LA crime saga also co-stars several other Oscar-nominees including Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Nick Nolte, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. 

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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It's the late 1980's, the crack cocaine epidemic has hit New York City, and one rising drug kingpin is taking over the market - his hame is Nine Brown and he's played Wesley Snipes in what would be his breakout performance.  On his trail and trying to stop him is NYPD Detective Scotty Appleton played by Ice-T in what would be his first major on-screen perfomance.  And what results is a violent war to win the city in this heightened crime drama directed by Mario Van Peebles (Posse, Panther) who also co-stars among a stacked cast including Allen Payne, Judd Nelson, Bill Nunn, Vanessa Williams, Bill Cobb, and Chris Rock in an unforgettable performance as Pookie, a recovering crack addict who Scotty takes under his wing.  This film was a suprise box office hit upon release also featuring a very popular soundtrack with songs by Color Me Badd, Queen Latifah, Levert, and Keith Sweat among several others.  

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Action visionairy John Woo (The Killer, Hard Boiled, Face/Off) directs this high-octane action thriller focused on a couple of "missing" nuclear missiles in the Rocky West and the brewing fight between two Air Force pilots who have different plans for them.  Deacon (John Travolta) hopes to use them to threaten to blow up an American city in exchange for a massive amount of money....while his former co-pilot Riley (Christian Slate) tries to stop him and secure the bombs.  Also among the cast are Samantha Mathis, Delroy Lindo, Frank Whaley, Bob Gunton, and Howie Long.  It also features an iconic score from Hans Zimmer....Ain't It Cool?!? 

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Once Upon a Time in the world of professional boxing....Apollo Creed was the champion of the world.  He eventually lost his title to Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone who would receive an Oscar nomination for his performance in this film) who would also lose the title before winning it back with Apollo as his trainer.  They remained very good friends right up until the day that Apollo tragically lost his life during an exhibition match against the feared Russian boxer, Ivan Drago.  But did you know that Apollo actually had a son right before he died??

That son is Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) and he has now become a boxer himself to the consternation of his mother (Phylicia Rashad), only he has been struggling to find some one who can train him.  So one day he travels across the country to Philadelphia to seek out the former champion whom his father trained when he needed him the most.....and after some hesitation, Rocky decides to train him as he works his way up the professional boxing circuit.  Along the way, Adonis also finds a companion in Philly with the lovely singer Bianca (Tessa Thompson) when suddenly, he has the opportunity to fight for the SAME boxing title which his father previously had.  What results is one of the most beloved sports dramas of recent years directed by future Oscar-nominee Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Sinners) as his first major studio film.  

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon  

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What if your boss was a REALLY ungrateful, unpleasant person and you ended up trapped on a deserted island alone with JUST him?? 

Well that's the tantalizing premise laid for out for this raucous new comedy thriller from the legendary Sam Raimi who directed both the Spider-Man trilogy in the early '00's along with his now iconic Evil Dead trilogy.  Dylan O'Brien (The Maze Runner, Saturday Night) plays the boss and the beleaguered employee who has suprising survival skills is played by Oscar-nominee Rachel McAdams (Spotlight, Mean Girls, The Notebook).  And needless to say....things get pretty bloody!

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon  

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