POP ART

IS IT REAL OR IS IT MEMOREX-“Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!”  Look to your right. What do you see? Are you sure? Look to your left? What do you see there? Look again. Are you sure? Are you really sure? Are you really, really, really sure? Sounds like it’s time for Episode 43 of Pop Art, the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic side of cinema with a connection to it. This time round, I am happy to welcome back a previous guest, writer, director, producer and actor Michelle Ehlen, who has chosen the Peter Weir directed, Jim Carrey vehicle The Truman Show and I have chosen the cult favorite, sci-fi noir Dark City. And in this episode we answer such questions as: How does Charlie Chaplin fit in? What are the similarities between the two films in plot? What are the similarities in philosophy? What is the Truman Show Delusion? Why are some parts of Dark City reminiscent of The Matrix? How does the Rocky Horror Show fit in? Why did Siskel and Ebert apologize to Jim Carrey? What is Thursdayism? Rockwell or Hopper? Sartre, Schmartre?

Meanwhile, check out Michelle’s IMDB page at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1615954/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

And her films on Amazon and other streaming platforms: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=michelle+ehlen&i=instant-video&crid=37LYCT29WI1S0&sprefix=michelle+ehlen%2Cinstant-video%2C209&ref=nb_sb_ss_c_3_14_ts-doa-p

Check out my blog at https://howardcasner.wordpress.com/

My books, More Rantings and Ravings of a Screenplay Reader, The Starving Artists and Other Stories and The Five Corporations and One True Religion can be found at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=howard+casner&ref=nb_sb_noss

FATALE ATTRACTION “Wrapped up in tissue paper with pink ribbons on it”. Valentine’s Day is here. What better way to celebrate the holiday that with films that explore everything that makes Valentine’s great…murder, greed, corruption, adultery, and, yes, most important of all, femme fatales. Sounds like it’s time for Episode 42 of Pop Art, the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic side of cinema with a connection to it. For my listeners, please like, follow or comment. This time, I am happy to welcome two fellow podcasters, Richard and Amanda Kirkham, a father/daughter team, who have chosen the Curtis Hanson neo-noir about 1950s Los Angeles, LA Confidential and I have chosen the Billy Wilder/Raymond Chandler film noir classic about 1940s Los Angeles, Double Indemnity, films that tell us that, yes, Valentine’s Day can be the most fatale day of the year. And in this episode, we answer such questions as: What building code makes a scene in Double Indemnity unrealistic? How did James Elroy describe Curtis Hanson? Why did Stanwyk, Robinson and MacMurray not want to do Double Indemnity? What does Los Angeles Plays Itself have to say about these films? Where are the Spanish style homes located that are used in both films? Why is the character in Double Indemnity called Walter Neff instead of Walter Ness?

Check out Richard’s blog and podcast The Lamb at http://www.largeassmovieblogs.com/

And Amanda’s blog at https://hollywoodconsumer.wordpress.com/

Check out my blog at https://howardcasner.wordpress.com/

My books, More Rantings and Ravings of a Screenplay Reader, The Starving Artists and Other Stories and The Five Corporations and One True Religion can be found at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=howard+casner&ref=nb_sb_noss

GENDER BENDER. “Nobody’s perfect.” Are you sure that person sitting across from you is male? Are you sure the person sitting next to you is female? They say clothes make the man. But do they? Or do clothes make the woman? Well, whatever the answer is, it sounds like it’s time for Episode 41 of Pop Art, the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic side of cinema with a connection to it. For my listeners, please like, follow or comment. Today, I am happy to welcome writer/producer/director/novelist #DwayneAlexanderSmith, who has chosen the gender bending farce and Dustin Hoffman vehicle, Tootsie, and I have chosen the Billy Wilder/IAL Diamond classic, Jack Lemon/Tony Curtis comedy, Some Like it Hot, both about men who disguise themselves as women and try to pass. And in this episode, we answer such questions as: What is a Tootsie shot? What is the greatest last line in movie history? What held up the release of Tootsie? What does Some Like it Hot mean? Is Tootsie mansplaining? What did Cary Grant think of Tony Curtis in Some Like it Hot? Why does Bill Murray not have a credit at the beginning of the movie? What is historically inaccurate about the costumes in Some Like it Hot?

Check out Dwayne’s IMDB credits and his films via https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808051/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

And his books at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=dwayne+alexander+smith&i=stripbooks&crid=2CXZXXA8I6TM4&sprefix=dwayne+alexan%2Caps%2C210&ref=nb_sb_ss_c_3_13_ts-doa-p especially Forty Acres about to be a major motion picture

Check out my blog at https://howardcasner.wordpress.com/

My books, More Rantings and Ravings of a Screenplay Reader, The Starving Artists and Other Stories and The Five Corporations and One True Religion can be found at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=howard+casner&ref=nb_sb_noss

STRANGER DANGER. “I left the cucumbers behind” Our mothers always warned us. Always wear clean underwear. Always finish the food on your plate, there are children starving in other countries. Never pick up strangers. But do we listen to her? Of course, not. And because of that, we have to pay the penalty. Sounds like the perfect time for Episode 40 of Pop Art, the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic side of cinema with a connection to it. For my listeners, please like, follow or comment. For this episode, I welcome writer/producer/director Robert Brody, who has chosen the Nicole Kidman, San Neill, Billy Zane three-handed thriller Dead Calm, and I have chosen Roman Polanski’s freshman feature, the Polish arthouse classic Knife in the Water, both about a couple who pick up a stranger and find themselves in sexual and physical conflict while on a boat at sea. And in this episode, we answer such questions as: Why do you never ask Billy Zane to go boating? Who dubbed the voice of the hitchhiker in Knife in the Water and why? What are the technical accuracies and inaccuracies of both movies? How and why did they change the ending to Dead Calm? What is significant about Knife in the Water and the Oscars? Why didn’t Polanski remake Knife in the Water in Hollywood?

And be sure and stay tuned to the end where Robert very generously gives me a wonderful recommendation for my coverage service. Thank you, Robert.

SCHOOL DAZE: “Where were you in ‘62” We’ve all been there. And it was a nightmare of monumental proportions. A time of nihilistic and existential dread. A period of fear and trembling and sickness unto death. Or as it is better known: finishing high school and leaving for college. Sounds like the perfect time for Episode 40 of Pop Art, the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture, and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic side of cinema with a connection to it. For my listeners, please like, follow or comment. Today, I am happy to welcome actor/voice over artist Charley Rossman, who has chosen the farcical coming of age Michael Cera/Jonah Hill movie, Superbad, (Charley plays the Security Guard at Good Shopper), and I have chosen George Lucas’s instant classic, American Graffiti, both about characters having to make some life changing decisions in their last year before college. Ah, good times, good times. And in this episode we answer such questions as: How are women treated in films like this? What had to happen in order for Christopher Mintz-Plasse to do his sex scene? Why was American Graffiti almost released to television? Is the ending to Superbad believable? Why didn’t Elvis Presley have any of his songs used in American Graffiti? What line from Superbad became a popular ringtone?

In the meantime, check out Charley Rossman’s IMDB page at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0744451/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

And two of his recent films:

This Way Up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbxD31BawNg&feature=youtu.be

Ex-Mas exmasfilm.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbxD31BawNg&feature=youtu.be

FANCY MEETING YOU HERE: “Wait. You want us to sell Amway?” How much does chance play in our lives and what happens to us? How much does it play when it comes to our interaction with strangers? Or when we or others are the victims of seemingly sudden and random acts of violence? Sounds like the perfect time for Episode 38 of Pop Art, the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture, and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic side of cinema with a connection to it. For my listeners, please like, follow or comment. Today, I am happy to welcome back film enthusiast and podcaster of Cinemarecall, The Vern, who has chosen the dark comic riff on Pulp Fiction, the cult classic Go, where I have chosen Michael Haneke’s Austrian art house classic 71 Fragments of a Chronicle of Chance, two films about three disparate groups of people whose paths cross due to shocking acts of violence during the holidays. So, Merry Xmas, I guess. And in this episode we answer such questions as: What was Melissa McCarthy and Sebastian Stan’s first film? What did the grocery store where Go was filmed do to cause the filmmakers consternation? What does Killer Condom have to do with it? How is Family Guy like a Haneke film? In what show did Scott Wolf and Jay Mohr reunite?

Meanwhile look up The Vern’s podcast CinemaRecall at Cinemarecall.net.

WATCH THE SKIES. “It's not destroying. It's making something new.” When we’re visited from another world, how will it happen? Will it be with a bang or a whimper? Will it be a war of the worlds, a day the earth stood still, a close encounter? Or will it be a subtler arrival with a philosophical bent? Sounds like the perfect time for Episode 37 of Pop Art, the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture, and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic side of cinema with a connection to it. Today, I am happy to welcome director, writer, producer, Gustavo A. Garzon, who has chosen the female driven sci-fi epic Annihilation, whereupon I have chosen the Andrei Tarkovsky philosophical sci-fi art house classic Stalker, both about alien arrivals that resulted in the creation of a mysterious location the government has cut off from the general public. And in this episode we answer such questions as: What do these movies mean, or do they mean anything? Why did Annihilation flop? Why was Stalker filmed three different times? How does Annihilation support post-modernism and how does it address the ideas of female leads in film and the new era of genre meets diversity? How did Stalker contribute to the death of the director, the director’s wife and the lead actor?

Be sure to check out Garzon’s IMDB page and his many films and videos at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3126261/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

BFFs: “On your left.” Does this sound familiar? You have a best friend growing up. You’re inseparable. You’d give your life for them. But as you get older, you find yourselves going your separate ways. While you go the straight and narrow and fight for law and order, your former friend joins the forces of evil to take down all that is worthwhile. It’s happened to all of us. Sounds like the perfect time for Episode 36 of Pop Art, the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic side of cinema with a connection to it. Today, I am happy to welcome film enthusiast and podcaster, Kevin Myth, who has chosen the Marvel blockbuster Captain America: The Winter Soldier and I have chosen the favorite film of John Dillinger, the pre-code Manhattan Melodrama, both films about best friends who grew up to find themselves fighting each other on opposite sides of the law. And in this episode we answer such questions as: Who is the modern day Clark Gable? What is the difference between the Marvel and DC universes? Who played Clark Gable as a child? How relevant is Captain America: Winter Soldier to today’s world? What does John Dillinger have to do with it? Why did Robert Redford do the movie? What is significant about Nick Fury’s gravestone in Captain America?

And check out Kevin’s podcast: The Real Short Box, http://www.rumblespoon.com/wp/index/

THE HOLIDAYS CAN BE MURDER. “Don't quit your gay job.” Don’t you hate when this happens? You gather for the holidays. Christmas carols are in the air. Trees are lit with fairy lights. You’re ready to exchange gifts. And then, wouldn’t you know it? Someone gets murdered and you have to figure out who did it. Yes, sounds like the perfect time for Episode 35 of Pop Art, the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic side of cinema with a connection to it. For my listeners, please like, follow or comment. Today, I am happy to welcome back a previous guest, film enthusiast and podcaster, and lover of Christmas movies, Jay Cluitt, who has agreed to join me to talk about a couple of holiday films. Jay has chosen Shane Black’s directorial debut, the dark comedy Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, while I have chosen the classic detective film based on the Dashiell Hammett novel, The Thin Man, both about murder at Christmas time. And in this episode we ask such questions as: Why was Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang not a box office hit? What was so difficult about filming the climactic scene in The Thin Man and how do oysters come into it? What is the source material for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang? Who is Skippy? Who played the bear in the commercial in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang? How does Mia Farrow fit in? What is it about Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and women?

Meanwhile, check out Jay’s podcast Deep Blue Sea (about Renny Harlin’s film) on Apple, Spotify, Podomatic and many other streaming services.

And his blog Life v. Film at https://lifevsfilm.com/

NOW YOU SEE ‘EM, NOW YOU DON’T-“This is Jack Burton in the Pork Chop Express.” What would you do if someone was kidnapped, abducted right in front of you? What if you loved this person? What if this person was your fiancé? What if it was your truck? That’s right. It sounds like the perfect time for Episode 34 of Pop Art, the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic side of cinema with a connection to it. For this episode, I am happy to welcome movie hyphenate, actor, director, writer, producer, stuntman and podcaster, Darin Munnell, who has chosen John Carpenter’s martial arts cult comedy classic, Big Trouble in Little China, and I have chosen French director, Philippe de Broca’s whimsical thriller/comedy spoof That Man From Rio, both about characters who see their fiancés, and a truck, abducted right before their eyes and go on an adventure to get them back. And in this episode we answer such questions as: Why did John Carpenter say he’ll never work for the studios again? How did That Man in Rio possibly influence Raiders of the Lost Arc? Who else auditioned for Sulu in Star Trek? How does James Bond fit in? Is there a structural problem with Big Trouble in Little China? And does it work anyway?

And check out Darin’s other projects:

Lone Wolf McCray, a TV series https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt5IfMB9GUBk74eIR5I-MgA

Pineapple Insurance,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FrRJpLoVBI

The Real Short Box, http://www.rumblespoon.com/wp/index/