Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Tuesday, May 4, 2021
The Essential Films Podcast #48: THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (1970)
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Never you mind honey. On today’s Podcast adventure, Adolfo and Mark head to Anarene, Texas to look into the lives and loves of its local citizens in Peter Bogdonavich’s coming of age classic, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. Plus: Adolfo and Mark discuss the recent AMC stock bonanza.
Films Referenced:
RED RIVER (1948)
THE SANDS OF IWO JIMA (1949)
FATHER OF THE BRIDE (1950)
WINCHESTER ‘73 (1950)
KISS ME DEADLY (1955)
HEAD (1968)
TARGETS (1968)
PLANET OF THE PREHISTORIC WOMEN (1968)
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
EASY RIDER (1969)
THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW (Series, 1970-77)
DRIVE, HE SAID (1970)
FIVE EASY PIECES (1970)
THE KING OF MARVIN GARDENS (1972)
THE GODFATHER (1972)
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974)
WONDER WOMAN (Series, 1975-79)
THE MUPPET MOVIE (1979)
HISTORY OF THE WORLD, PART I (1981)
TRADING PLACES (1983)
THE SIMPSONS (Series, 1989-)
TEXASVILLE (1990)
THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (1993)
BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD DO AMERICA (1996)
FAMILY GUY (Series, 1999 -)
BAD SANTA (2003)
TWO AND A HALF MEN (Series, 2003-2015)
THE OFFICE, Episode “Stress Relief” (2009)
RAISING HOPE (Series, 2010-14)
BOB’S BURGERS (Series, 2011- )
THE CROODS (2013)
WONDER WOMAN 1984 (2020)
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 (2020)
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM (2020)
Friday, January 1, 2021
The Essential Films Podcast #46: BONUS FEAT - HBO Max Changes the Game & Deucember Exploitation Films
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
On this Bonus Features episode, we discuss how HBO MAX and Warner Media are radically changing the industry by releasing the entire 2021 slate on HBO MAX as well as theaters. Is this the future of movies? Plus Mark discusses his adventures into exploitation films in the month of December. And some Criterion and blu-ray talk to top it off.
NOTE: Bonus Features episodes are raw and unedited, with little production.
Films Referenced:
AND GOD CREATED WOMAN (1956)
DR. NO (1962)
THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963)
GOLDFINGER (1964)
SHELAKO (1968)
THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE (1970)
THE WIZARD OF GORE (1970)
DEEP RED (1975)
SALÓ, OR THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM (1975)
DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978)
ZOMBI 2 (1979)
FRIDAY THE 13th (1980)
DON’T GO IN THE WOODS (1981)
COME AND SEE (1985)
NO WAY BACK (1992)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2012)
THE DEUCE (Series, 2017-2019)
ROMA (2018)
THE IRISHMAN (2019)
MARRIAGE STORY (2019)
WONDER WOMAN 1984 (2020)
TENET (2020)
MANK (2020)
THE MANDALORIAN (Series, 2019-2020)
MATRIX 4 (2021)
THE SUICIDE SQUAD (2021)
MORTAL KOMBAT (2021)
THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK (2021)
GODZILLA VS KONG (2021)
LINKS:
SOCIAL MEDIA
TWITTER: @EssentialFilms, @FPMoviePodcast, @Sportsguy515
Thursday, December 24, 2020
The Essential Films Podcast #45 - THE BISHOP'S WIFE (1947)
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
MERRY CHRISTMAS! On today’s adventure, we celebrate Christmas with Dudley, Henry and Julia as we discuss the 1947 holiday classic, THE BISHOP’S WIFE! We go into the original cast of the film, who was originally supposed to play the angel, the initial box office failure (and how the studios sought to fix that), guaranteed Christmas royalties, Hallmark Christmas movies, Christmas classics, the wacky trailer, and much more!
Films Referenced:
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
THE EXORCIST (1973)
SCARFACE (1983)
MRS. DOUBTFIRE (1993)
MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (1994)
JINGLE ALL THE WAY (1996)
DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL (2009)
SOCIAL MEDIA
TWITTER: @EssentialFilms, @FPMoviePodcast, @Sportsguy515
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/TheEssentialFilms
Monday, December 21, 2020
The Essential Films Podcast #44 - CHINATOWN (1974)
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
On today's adventure, Adolfo & Mark discuss the 1974 noir thriller, CHINATOWN.
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
The Essential Films Podcast #43 - REMEMBERING SEAN CONNERY
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
On today’s adventure, we celebrate the life and career of Sir Sean Connery.
(There are some audio issues in this episode. We apologize)
Films Discussed:
The JAMES BOND Films (1962-1971)
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989)
THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987)
THE ROCK (1996)
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990)
HIGHLANDER (1986)
MARNIE (1964)
DRAGONHEART (1996)
THE LONGEST DAY (1962)
OUTLAND (1981)
FIRST KNIGHT (1995)
DARBY O’GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE (1959)
And Many Others
LINKS:
SOCIAL MEDIA
TWITTER: @EssentialFilms, @FPMoviePodcast, @Sportsguy515
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/TheEssentialFilms
Saturday, October 31, 2020
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! The Essential Films Podcast #42 - THE SHINING (1980)
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
HEEEEERE'S ADOLFO AND MARK! Join Adolfo and Mark on today’s spooky adventure: Stanley Kubrick's THE SHINING (1980)
On this week’s show:
Trick or Treating in times COVID
Misguided contemporary reviews
How Kubrick decided to do a horror movie
Other actors considered for Jack Torrance
The constant script changes
Shelly Duval’s torture
The impossible window
Don’t build things on burial grounds
Charles Grady or Delbert Grady?
“The Shinning”
All the best people.
Minotaurs?
The importance of the stock room
When does Jack start going crazy
Which scene took 12 hours to film?
Naked ladies with afros
Creepy red bathrooms
You’ve always been the caretaker
Is the hotel haunted? Or is Jack crazy? Or both?
Mini reviews of ROOM 237 and DOCTOR SLEEP
Conspiracy theories
How much does Stephen King hate The Shining?
Fubo??
FILMS REFERENCED:
THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE (1921)
FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
KING KONG (1933)
PSYCHO (1960)
SPARTACUS (1960)
LOLITA (1962)
THE BIRDS (1963)
THE TWILIGHT ZONE: “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (Season 5, Episode 3, 1963)
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
THE EXORCIST (1973)
BARRY LYNDON (1975)
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
ROCKY (1976)
HALLOWEEN (1978)
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)
POLTERGEIST (1982)
THE THING (1982)
STEPHEN KING’S IT (1990)
THE SIMPSONS: “Treehouse of Horror V” (Season 6, Episode 6, 1994)
TWISTER (1996)
THE SHINING (Mini-Series, 1997)
EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
ROOM 237 (2012)
READY PLAYER ONE (2018)
DOCTOR SLEEP (2019)
LINKS:
SOCIAL MEDIA
TWITTER: @EssentialFilms, @FPMoviePodcast, @Adolfo_Acosta, @Sportsguy515
Friday, October 30, 2020
The Essential Films Podcast #41 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Join Adolfo and Mark on today’s adventure: Steven Spielberg’s SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
On this week’s show:
Orange Fanta
Criterion Collection discussions
Organizing physical media
TCM Wine Club
Colorized newsreels
The true story that inspired Saving Private Ryan
The actors boot camp
Late 90s young Hollywood
The epic Omaha Beach sequence
Helmets are useless
Nazis are bad!
Bryan Cranston!
FUBAR
The Statue of Liberty is kaput
Are there “good” war movies?
The biggest movie of 1998
The Academy Awards snub
Spielberg’s populist movies
How it should have ended?
FILMS REFERENCED:
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1943)
THE GUNFIGHTER (1950)
DJANGO (1966)
THE GREEN BERETS (1968)
JAWS (1975)
SHIVERS (1975)
FRIDAY THE 13th (1980)
THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980)
PLATOON (1986)
OPERA (1987)
FULL METAL JACKET (1987)
SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)
BRAVEHEART (1995)
CRASH (1996)
GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997)
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (1998)
ARMAGEDDON (1998)
DEEP IMPACT (1998)
GODZILLA (1998)
SMALL SOLDIERS (1998)
THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998)
A BUG’S LIFE (1998)
DOCTOR DOLITTLE (1998)
THE WATERBOY (1998)
RUSH HOUR (1998)
PATCH ADAMS (1998)
MULAN (1998)
LETHAL WEAPON 4 (1998)
GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI (1999)
BAND OF BROTHERS (Mini-Series, 2001)
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (2002)
CRASH (2005)
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005)
GREEN BOOK (2018)
PARASITE (2019)
MULAN (2020)
LINKS:
SOCIAL MEDIA
TWITTER: @EssentialFilms, @FPMoviePodcast, @Adolfo_Acosta, @Sportsguy515
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
The Essential Films Podcast - Episode #040: SUNSET BLVD. (1950)
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
We ARE big! It's the podcasts that got small. Today we delve into the Hollywood nightmare of Billy Wilder's SUNSET BLVD. (1950)
On this week’s show:
Our weird movie year
COVID adventures
RIP Chadwick Boseman
Joe the Gigolo
Skirting the production code
How Gloria Stuart built Paramount
Why Montgomery Clift turned down the film
RIP Olivia De Haviland
Is Holden too old for Olsen?
How Wilder filmed the pool shot
The original opening of the film
What is a “reader”
“This year I’m trying to make money.”
Monkey undertakers
Greta Garbo & Steve Gutenberg
The sad story of Yvette Vickers
Norma’s great Chaplin impression
The difference between Gloria and Betty
The often misquoted line
“You’ve befowled you’re own nest”
Who WAS the better actresses? Bette Davis or Gloria Stuart
Sunset Blvd the Musical
FILMS REFERENCED:
QUEEN KELLY (1932)
CAPTAIN BLOOD (1935)
THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938)
GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
THE SNAKE PIT (1948)
THE HEIRESS (1949)
SAMSON AND DELILAH (1949)
ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
BORN YESTERDAY (1950)
DRAGNET (1951 TV series)
ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN (1958)
THE APARTMENT (1960)
THE GODFATHER (1972)
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
42 (2013)
BLACK PANTHER (2018)
UNCUT GEMS (2019)
DA 5 BLOODS (2020)
TENET (2020)
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
The Essential Films Podcast - Episode #039: ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Fasten your seatbelts as Adolfo and Mark take you on a bumpy podcast! On today’s adventure: ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
• Quarantine movie woes
• Mark’s sleazy movie tastes
• How we first experienced the film
• Unmatched dialogue
• Adolfo owns the film in multiple formats
• Barbara Stanwyck, Claudette Colbert and Joan Crawford were all considered for Margot Channing.
• Bette Davis’ “difficult” reputation.
• Ronald Reagan was a ham
• The on-set conflict with Davis and a young Marilyn Monroe
• The entire opening sequence tells you everything you need to know by the character body language
• Smoking looks so cool in black and white
• Thelma Ritter should have been in more of the film
• Adolfo’s terrible frame of reference at the time he saw the film for the first time
• Margot’s drunken speeches
• “A milkshake?”
• A roller coaster of tension
• People aged differently in the 50s
• Bill is a good boyfriend
• Classy restrooms
• How Addison DeWitt is interpreted in 2020
• Only film in Oscar history to have 4 female acting nominees
FILMS REFERENCED:
• SUNSET BLVD. (1950)
• BEN-HUR (1959)
• APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
• ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST (1980)
• HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980)
• CANNIBAL FERROX (1981)
• THE BEYOND (1981)
• THE NEW YORK RIPPER (1982)
• PLATOON (1986)
• BORN ON THE 4TH OF JULY (1989)
• HAMBURGER HILL (1987)
• SINGLE WHITE FEMALE (1991)
• FORREST GUMP (1994)
• PULP FICTION (1994)
• THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994)
• TITANIC (1997)
• TROPIC THUNDER (2008)
• ZOMBIES VS STRIPPERS (2012)
• LA LA LAND (2016)
• MOONLIGHT (2016)
• THE VIETNAM WAR (Mini-Series, 2017)
• JOKER (2019)
• BIRDS OF PREY: THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF HARLEY QUINN (2020)
• THE INVISIBLE MAN (2020)
• SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (2020)
• CORONA ZOMBIES (2020)
• TIGER KING (mini-series, 2020)
Thursday, April 30, 2020
The Essential Films Podcast - Episode #038: ROCKY (1976
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Yo, Adrian! Take your mind off what’s going on in the world and join Adolfo and Mark on today’s adventure: John G Avildsen’s ROCKY (1976)
On this week’s show:
- How the current pandemic has affected the movie industry.
- How people’s first impression of Rocky is often wrong
- Thunderlips: The Ultimate Male
- Stallone is a carny
- Stallone’s story of the making of Rocky is a little too Hollywood
- The unlikely names suggested for the role of Rocky before Stallone insisted on playing the role himself
- The bluff that paid off for Stallone
- The real story is better than the myth
- Is ROCKY a better Oscar movie than TAXI DRIVER?
- Casting choices for Adrian and why did Talia Shire have to audition?
- The Rocky steps
- The paradox of the opening theme and the first shot
- The difference between the first and last fight in the film
- Lloyd Kauffman’s cameo
- Willie Cici
- “That pet shop dame”
- The differences of Stallone and Burgess Meredith at 69.
- How the production used its limitations to its benefit
- Rocky would have gotten #MeToo’d
- DO NOT DRINK RAW EGGS!
- Running in Converse All-Stars seems unwise
- The emergence of the steadicam
- Chicken bones
- Going the distance
- “Cut me, Mick”
- The alternate ending for the film
- Favorite sequels.
FILMS REFERENCED:
- THE PARTY AT KITTY AND STUD’S (1970)
- BANANAS (1971)
- THE GODFATHER (1972)
- THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
- THE LORDS OF FLATBUSH (1974)
- JAWS (1975)
- CAPONE (1975)
- DEATH RACE 2000 (1975)
- NETWORK (1976)
- TAXI DRIVER (1976)
- ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (1976)
- STAR WARS (1977)
- ROCKY II (1979)
- RAGING BULL (1980)
- ROCKY III (1982)
- THE KARATE KID (1984)
- ROCKY IV (1985)
- ROCKY V (1990)
- THE GODFATHER PART III (1990)
- STOP OR MY MOM WILL SHOOT (1992)
- INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996)
- ROCKY BALBOA (2006)
- CREED (2015)
- CREED II (2018)
- THE MANDALORIAN (TV Series, 2019)
SOCIAL MEDIA
TWITTER: @EssentialFilms, @FPMoviePodcast, @Adolfo_Acosta, @Sportsguy515
FACEBOOK: The Essential Films
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)