The Essential Films Podcast

The Essential Films Podcast

By Adolfo AcostaTV & FilmFilm Reviews
Download on the App Store

The Essential Films Podcast episodes

  • Episode #035: FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
    It's Alive! On today’s adventure, Adolfo and Mark know what it feels like to be God as they discuss James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN (1931)

    On this week’s show:

    How we first discovered the classic monster film
    Featuring ? as the Monster
    Feeling sympathy for the Creature
    Book Fairs and Famous Movie Monsters
    Mr. Willie’s Represent
    How Universal came to be known as the monster studio
    Bela Lugosi as the Monster??
    The Bela Lugosi/Boris Karloff “feud”
    The legend of how James Whale discovered Karloff
    How the film was censored, despite being pre-code
    Fritz VS Karl VS Igor
    How the film defined the monster for decades
    The cold open carny trick
    The influence of German Expressionism
    Henry NOT Victor
    Victor’s Friendzoned
    “Abby Normal”
    The greatness of the “It’s Alive!” scene
    Karloff’s physical performance
    The infamous Maria sequence
    How the hell did Henry survive?
    Universal Cinematic Universe
    The cancelled Guillermo del Toro remake
    The fate of the Dark Universe
    Universal Monsters stage show

    FILMS REFERENCED:

    NOSFERATU (1922)
    THE GOLEM (1922)
    DRACULA (1931)
    THE MUMMY (1932)
    THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933)
    THE BLACK CAT (1934)
    BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
    SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939)
    THE WOLF MAN (1941)
    THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942)
    FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943)
    HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944)
    HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945)
    ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948)
    THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)
    THE MUNSTERS (TV Series, 1964)
    SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN (1970)
    YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974)
    ED WOOD (1994)
    MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN (1994)
    GODS AND MONSTERS (1998)
    HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (2012)
    THE MUMMY (2017)

    SOCIAL MEDIA
    TWITTER: @EssentialFilms, @FPMoviePodcast, @Adolfo_Acosta, @Sportsguy515
    FACEBOOK: The Essential Films


    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adolfoacosta.substack.com
    1 hr 8 min
  • Episode #034: SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
    Magic Mirror, on the wall, what is the greatest movie podcast of them all?... On today’s adventure, Adolfo and Mark sit down to discuss SNOW WHITE AND THE DWARFS (137)

    On this week’s show:

    The voice casting process
    The differences between the film and the Brothers Grimm story
    Deafy, Jumpy, Baldy, Tubby, Hickey, Dizzy and Burpy?
    Rotoscoping
    The multiplane camera
    The storybook opening trope
    Misquoted movie lines
    Prince Charming is not woke
    The Queen's awesome transformation
    Snow White is a dummy
    The Prince has a weird fetish for dead ladies
    The live action remake in the works
    Alternate theories on the ending
    Disney World adventures

    FILMS REFERENCED:

    NOSFERATU (1922)
    DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE (1931)
    THE OLD MILL (1932)
    ROMEO & JULIET (1936)
    THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
    FANTASIA (1940)
    PINOCCHIO (1940)
    DUMBO (1941)
    IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
    SONG OF THE SOUTH (1946)
    CINDERELLA (1950)
    THE HOBBIT (1977)
    THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989)
    BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991)
    ALADDIN (1992)
    THE LION KING (1994)
    ANASTASIA (1997)
    RATATOUILLE (2007)
    500 DAYS OF SUMMER (2009)
    AVATAR (2009)
    THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2012)
    SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN (2012)
    THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (2014)
    RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET (2018)

    LINKS:
    Walt Disney's MultiPlane Camera:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdHTlUGN1zw
    SOCIAL MEDIA
    TWITTER: @EssentialFilms, @FPMoviePodcast, @Adolfo_Acosta, @Sportsguy515
    FACEBOOK: The Essential Films


    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adolfoacosta.substack.com
    1 hr 58 min
  • Episode #033: Bonus Features - The Goonies Are Good Enough
    Join Adolfo and Mark on this bonus episode as they discuss Mark’s Alamo Adventures, CREEPSHOW (1982), MIDSOMMAR (2019), VERTIGO (1958), READY OR NOT (2019), THE GOONIES (1985), Cyndi Lauper, APOCALYPSE NOW: THE FINAL CUT, HOT SHOTS PART DEUX (1993), THE GODFATHER: THE COMPLETE EPIC, THE GODFATHER PART III (1990) and The GODZILLA Criterion Collection Set

    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adolfoacosta.substack.com
    40 min
  • Episode #032: THE GRADUATE (1967)
    Hello Darkness, my old friend... On today’s adventure, Adolfo and Mark sit down to discuss THE GRADUATE (1967)

    On this week’s show:

    Adolfo goes into detail as to why he doesn’t like the film, but thinks everyone should watch it
    Netflix Disc Rentals
    Criterion Flash Sales
    Trying to impress girls with your wokeness
    Interesting names considered for Mrs Robinson and Benjamin Braddock roles
    Mrs Potts as Mrs Robinson?
    Redford as Benjamin Braddock
    The (lack of) significant age difference between Ben and Mrs Robinson
    Plastics
    The wonderful awkwardness of Dustin Hoffman
    Scotch and Bourbon
    Is this Ben’s first time?
    Popularizing montages to pop music
    Benjamin’s depression
    Mrs. Robinson is the most interesting character
    Mrs. Robinson symbolizes what 60s youth was trying to avoid
    The exact point where Adolfo starts to hate the movie
    Ben is an insufferable creep
    THIS IS NOT A LOVE STORY
    Benjamin Braddock: Incel
    The sense of entitlement of Benjamin Braddock

    FILMS REFERENCED:

    THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
    GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
    GILDA (1946)
    A STAR IS BORN (1954)
    THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955)
    JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961)
    CAPE FEAR (1961)
    THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
    GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
    IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)
    BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
    BARBARELLA (1968)
    WAYNE’S WORLD 2 (1993)
    JACKIE BROWN (1997)
    500 DAYS OF SUMMER (2009)

    LINKS:

    SOCIAL MEDIA
    TWITTER: @EssentialFilms, @FPMoviePodcast, @Adolfo_Acosta, @Sportsguy515
    FACEBOOK: The Essential Films


    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adolfoacosta.substack.com
    2 hr 54 min
  • Episode #031: 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
    On today's podcast odyssey, Adolfo and Mark journey into the unknown across time and space as they take a deep dive into Stanley Kubrick's enigmatic 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968). Listen as they discuss the origins of the film, how it was co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, the ahead-of-their time visual effects, the meaning of that head-scratching ending and the "soul" of HAL 9000. Plus: God, the creation of the universe and everything in between.

    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adolfoacosta.substack.com
    1 hr 41 min
  • Episode #030: Bonus Features - Goldblum Mania
    In this Bonus Features episode, recorded before our Silence of the Lambs episode, Adolfo and Mark discuss the glory that is Jeff Goldblum. From EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY to THE FLY to THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK to... VIBES?

    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adolfoacosta.substack.com
    34 min
  • Episode #029: THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)


    On today’s adventure, Adolfo and Mark sit down with some fava beans and a nice chianti as they discuss Jonathan Demme’s horror classic THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)


     


    On this week’s show:


     






    • The Polar Vortex








    • Mark’s mother subjects him to the horrors of Hannibal Lecter








    • Brian Cox: always a bad guy








    • Gene Hackman… director?








    • RIP Jonathan Demme








    • Original casting choices including Michelle Pfeiffer and Sean Connery








    • The “real life” Jack Crawford: John Douglas








    • Buffalo Bill is Captain Stottlemeyer???








    • Demme puts us in Clarice’s shoes with characters directly addressing camera








    • How Lecter’s plexiglass cage was conceived








    • Lecter never says “HELLO CLARICE”








    • Lecter has super powers








    • The Courtship of Clarice and Hannibal








    • The hidden joke of the “fava beans” quote








    • Why does Bill even need night vision goggles?








    • The 3 serial killers that inspired Buffalo Bill








    • The unsung real life actress, Chris McGinn, who was the autopsy victim








    • BOB THE GOON!








    • Addressing the controversy over LGBT representation (or misrepresentation) in the film








    • “Where will it tickle you?” “Get this THING out of here”








    • The beauty of the cinematography and direction of the final meeting between Clarice and Lecter.








    • The terrifying sequence of Hannibal Lecter’s “face off” escape








    • The masterful suspense of the climax








    • Hopkins wins a Best Actor Oscar for only being on camera for 16 minutes








     


    FILMS REFERENCED:


     






    • PSYCHO (1960)








    • THE EXORCIST (1973)








    • THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)








    • JAWS (1975)








    • THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980)








    • STOP MAKING SENSE (1984)








    • CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984)








    • MANHUNTER (1986)








    • SOMETHING WILD (1986)








    • MARRIED TO THE MOB (1988)








    • THE ACCUSED (1988)








    • BATMAN (1989)








    • TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991)








    • PHILADELPHIA (1993)








    • MATILDA (1996)








    • INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996)








    • THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)








    • HANNIBAL (2001)








    • RED DRAGON (2002)








    • MONK (TV Series, 2002-2009)








    • HANNIBAL RISING (2007)








    • BLACK SWAN (2010)








    • HANNIBAL (TV Series, 2013-2015)








    • GET OUT (2017)








    • CONVERSATIONS WITH A KILLER: THE TED BUNDY TAPES (TV Series, 2019)








     


    SOCIAL MEDIA






    • TWITTER: @EssentialFilms, @FPMoviePodcast, @Adolfo_Acosta, @Sportsguy515








    • FACEBOOK: The Essential Films








     



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adolfoacosta.substack.com
    1 hr 37 min
  • Episode #028: WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954)

    MERRY CHRISTMAS! On today’s holiday podcast adventure, Adolfo and Mark discuss:




    • 45 minutes all to myself


    • Holiday shopping


    • Holiday favorites


    • Rosemary Clooney’s phenomenal performance of “Love You Didn’t Do Right By Me”


    • Fred Astaire was the original choice to play Phil Davis.


    • VistaVision and the beautiful colors that pop off the screen.


    • George Chakiris cameo


    • Vera-Ellen’s tiny waist


    • What happened to this business?


    • Modern Musicals VS Classic Musicals


    • Weirdsmobile!




    FILMS REFERENCED:




    • HOLIDAY INN (1942)


    • CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT (1945)


    • IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)


    • MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (1947)


    • AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)


    • WE’RE NO ANGELS (1955)


    • SOUTH PACIFIC (1958)


    • WEST SIDE STORY (1961)


    • SCROOGED (1988)


    • HOME ALONE (1990)


    • THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992)


    • HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK (1992)


    • THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (2017)


    • MARY POPPINS RETURNS (2018)


    • BLOCKERS (2018)


    • BUMBLEBEE (2018)





    SOCIAL MEDIA


    TWITTER: @EssentialFilms, @FPMoviePodcast, @Adolfo_Acosta, @Sportsguy515


    FACEBOOK: facebook.com/TheEssentialFilms/



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adolfoacosta.substack.com
    1 hr 12 min
  • Episode #027: BEN-HUR (1959)
    On today’s adventure, Adolfo and Mark unsheath their swords and grab some sandals as they discuss William Wyler’s 1959 cinematic epic, BEN-HUR! On this week’s show:

    •Sauce or gravy?
    •Thanksgiving Movie Traditions
    •William Wyler’s work on the original BEN-HUR
    •“It took a Jew to make a good movie about Jesus.”
    •The genre of Christian Epics
    •Not showing Jesus’ face
    •No CGI, just a lot of money put into practical effects, props and sets
    •Charlton as a Jew or as a Mexican?
    •Homoerotic subtext?
    •Christian fan service
    •Jesus cameos
    •Heston is JACKED
    •BROWN FACE!!
    •Leprechaun Colonies
    •Ben-Her and Ben-His

    FILMS REFERENCED:

    •THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
    •BEN-HUR: A TALE OF THE CHRIST (1925)
    •ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
    •GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
    •MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (1947)
    •QUO VADIS (1951)
    •THE ROBE (1953)
    •THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)
    •TOUCH OF EVIL (1958)
    •SPARTACUS (1960)
    •BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S (1961)
    •THE KING OF KINGS (1961)
    •LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
    •THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (1964)
    •THE GREATEST STORY OF EVER TOLD (1965)
    •THE BIBLE… IN THE BEGINNING (1966)
    •CALIGULA (1979)
    •REDS (1981)
    •PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES (1987)
    •THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (1988)
    •FORREST GUMP (1994)
    •TITANIC (1997)
    •SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
    •STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999)
    •THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
    •THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (2004)
    •THE HATEFUL EIGHT (2015)

    SOCIAL MEDIA
    TWITTER: @EssentialFilms, @FPMoviePodcast, @Adolfo_Acosta, @Sportsguy515


    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adolfoacosta.substack.com
    1 hr 29 min

About The Essential Films Podcast

From the publisher's feed

A podcast devoted to the discussion of the greatest movies ever made, or The Essential Films. From the beginning of cinema history to present day, these films are crucial to the education of anyone…