Tag: 1970’s

Jan 08 2019

Episode 125 – F for Fake

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Our latest episode was a bit of a last minute audible as we lost a guest due to weather. So Tim became our guinea pig to watch F for Fake, a “documentary” about hoaxes by Orson Welles. This kind of wacky film takes a look at a few different fakers, including the filmmaker himself. It is very new wave and so very Orson Welles in every sense of the word. Probably the best way to enter the world of this film is knowing as little as possible.

Next up, we really do talk about The Princess Bride!

F for Fake (1973)
F for Fake poster Rating: 7.7/10 (19,115 votes)
Director: Orson Welles, Gary Graver, Oja Kodar
Writer: Orson Welles, Oja Kodar
Stars: Orson Welles, Oja Kodar, François Reichenbach
Runtime: 89 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Documentary
Released: 12 Mar 1975
Plot: A documentary about fraud and fakery.

Nov 01 2018

Episode 122 – Young Frankenstein

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Young FrankensteinJust in time for the day after Halloween! We finish off our trip through the films that are arguably Mel Brooks’ best with Young Frankenstein! This satirical homage to the classic Universal horror movies (but especially Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein) may be one of Brooks’ least madcap films but it is still a comedic masterpiece. Gene Wilder heads up a stellar cast that really chews scenery in black and white!

Next up, we’ll follow Madeline Kahn to Clue!

Young Frankenstein (1974)
Young Frankenstein poster Rating: 8.0/10 (176,518 votes)
Director: Mel Brooks
Writer: Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks, Mary Shelley
Stars: Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman
Runtime: 106 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Comedy
Released: 15 Dec 1974
Plot: An American grandson of the infamous scientist, struggling to prove that his grandfather was not as insane as people believe, is invited to Transylvania, where he discovers the process that reanimates a dead body.

Oct 15 2018

Episode 121 – Blazing Saddles

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Blazing SaddlesOur Mel Brooks series continues with his parody of the Western Genre – Blazing Saddles! Alison Anderson joins us for her first viewing of a film that took on racism head on in the 1970’s. When it comes to addressing racism, the film still really does a good job. When it comes to…other things, it might not have fared so well. Still, for the most part it holds up fabulously and is still wickedly funny.

From here, we are going to watch one more Mel Brooks film – Young Frankenstein.

Blazing Saddles (1974)
Blazing Saddles poster Rating: 7.7/10 (159,914 votes)
Director: Mel Brooks
Writer: Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman
Stars: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens
Runtime: 93 min
Rated: R
Genre: Comedy, Western
Released: 07 Feb 1974
Plot: In order to ruin a western town and steal their land, a corrupt politician appoints a black sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.

Jul 01 2018

Episode 115 – Westworld

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WestworldOur latest episode takes a look at Michael Crichton’s Westworld. Tim’s son Alex joins us for this movie about a futuristic theme park where nothing could possibly go wrong but, due to exceptionally bad design flaws, things do! Yul Brynner stars as a gunslinger who seems to have tired of constantly being beaten by rich tourists with no shooting skills. We enjoyed the movie but it has a few plot holes and we make sure to discuss the most glaring.

Next up, we are going to watch Ocean’s Eleven (2001)!

Westworld (1973)
Westworld poster Rating: 6.9/10 (65,696 votes)
Director: Michael Crichton
Writer: Michael Crichton
Stars: Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin
Runtime: 88 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Released: 21 Nov 1973
Plot: A robot malfunction creates havoc and terror for unsuspecting vacationers at a futuristic, adult-themed amusement park.

Jun 01 2018

Episode 113 – The Omen

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The OmenWe had a bit of an unintentional hiatus there because Melissa and Tim had a heck of a time coordinating schedules. We’re back and we are watching The Omen with guest Kyle Dekker. Tim also hasn’t seen the film so we have two newbies with a film Melissa watched on nearly constant loop when she was a kid. We take a look at this Son of the Devil horror film and spend a lot more time talking about Patrick Troughton than we probably should given the film stars Gregory freaking Peck. Hard to believe this is the first time we’ve watched a film starring Mr. Peck but at least we’ve finally fixed that problem!

Next up. we promise it’ll be The Big Lebowski.

The Omen (1976)
The Omen poster Rating: 7.5/10 (142,161 votes)
Director: Richard Donner
Writer: David Seltzer, Harvey Bernhard
Stars: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens
Runtime: 111 min
Rated: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Released: 25 Jun 1976
Plot: Mysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the Antichrist? The Devil's own son?

 

Dec 18 2017

Episode 105 – Dog Day Afternoon

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Dog Day AfternoonWe continue our focus on crime films with a look at Dog Day Afternoon. John Cazale and Al Pacino star in this look at a bank robbery that goes both comically and tragically wrong. Based on a true story but filled with impressive improvised scenes, the movie represents Pacino at the height of his movie star powers. Jason Kruger joins us to watch the film and he knows, basically, nothing about it at all. If you are like Jason, it is time for you to give this movie a look!

Next up, we will finally watch Pulp Fiction!

The Sting (1973)
The Sting poster Rating: 8.2/10 (295,064 votes)
Director: George Roy Hill
Writer: David S. Ward
Stars: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw
Runtime: 129 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Released: 25 Dec 1973
Plot: Two grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.

Nov 01 2017

Episode 103 – The Godfather

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Our next series of films is going to be the crime series and we start with one of the most classic movies about American gangsters you can find, The Godfather!  Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Talia Shire, James Caan, Robert Duvall and…you get the idea. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this film is genuinely iconic. Even if you haven’t seen this movie, you’ve probably seen several dozen parodies of the film. Our newbie and sometime regular Barb Lind had somehow never seen the movie so we treat her to a first time with the Corleones.

Next up, we continue with he crime theme as we watch The Sting.

The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather poster Rating: 9.2/10 (2,169,748 votes)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Writer: Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola
Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
Runtime: 175 min
Rated: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Released: 24 Mar 1972
Plot: The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

Jun 15 2017

Episode 95 – Live and Let Die

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Live and Let DieThis week, we return to our James Bond series with the first installment of the Roger Moore era, Live and Let Die!  Moore was the longest tenured actor to play Bond (this is the first of seven films featuring him as the British super spy).  Chrys VanDerKamp joins us once again to unpack a film featuring some really fun action and some really problematic racism and sexism.  We also take a look at some less than spectacular science and explore the strange rules of psychic sexual contact exhibited in the film.  Eventually, we even talk about the late Sir Roger Moore a little bit!

Next up, we follow Sir Roger Moore to The Cannonball Run!

Live and Let Die (1973)
Live and Let Die poster Rating: 6.7/10 (121,464 votes)
Director: Guy Hamilton
Writer: Tom Mankiewicz, Ian Fleming
Stars: Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Seymour
Runtime: 121 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Released: 27 Jun 1973
Plot: James Bond is sent to stop a diabolically brilliant heroin magnate armed with a complex organisation and a reliable psychic tarot card reader.

Feb 02 2017

Episode 86 – The Man Who Would Be King

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The Man Who Would Be KingOur latest episode features the guest stylings of Bob Alberti!  Bob joins us to talk about The Man Who Would be King.  The film features a post Bond Sean Connery and a pre Jaws 4 Michael Caine as two ex soldiers looking to make a fortune by making themselves kings.  We don’t want to spoil the movie so we won’t tell you how it works out for them.  If you watch the first ten minutes of the movie, however, you’ll probably be able to guess.  As if the two big name actors weren’t enough, this film was directed by the legendary John Houston and the costume designs were by Edith Head!

Join us next time when we’ll be watching The Adventures of Prince Achmed!

The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
The Man Who Would Be King poster Rating: 7.8/10 (54,487 votes)
Director: John Huston
Writer: John Huston, Gladys Hill, Rudyard Kipling
Stars: Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer
Runtime: 129 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Adventure, Drama, War
Released: 19 Dec 1975
Plot: In 1880s India, two former British soldiers decide to set themselves up as Kings in Kafiristan, a land where no white man has set foot since Alexander the Great.

Oct 01 2016

Episode 78 – Halloween

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HalloweenThis week, Susanne Becker joins us to watch the horror classic Halloween!  Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence star in a movie that pretty much served as the source for every masked killer horror trope from the 1980’s.  Make no mistake, though, this film did them all first and, in many ways, it is still the best.  While the film may not have aged as well as some of the other classic titles we’ve watched, it is still some very impressive work by Horror virtuoso John Carpenter.

Next up, we will be watching The Shining!

Note: You may be wondering where our episode of Bringing up Baby has gone.  Sadly, we had severe technical difficulties with the recording and we were unable to salvage anything.  Sorry.

Halloween (1978)
Halloween poster Rating: 7.7/10 (328,213 votes)
Director: John Carpenter
Writer: John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Stars: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran
Runtime: 91 min
Rated: R
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Released: 27 Oct 1978
Plot: Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, to kill again.