Full Cast And Crew

Summer's over and it's time to transition to winter and that means SKI FILMS. Avoiding pap like "Ski School" and "Hot Dog: The Movie" we are instead taking up a listener suggestion to pod about 'Aspen Extreme'...a film I quote comedically (and to generally blank stares) all the time. Turns out this movie's actually really good and a cut way above the usual dumbass soft-core porn ski comedies all too frequently littered across our slopes in the 80's and 90's. Aspen Extreme was written and directed by Patrick Hasburgh, who went on to create TV's 'Hardcastle & McCormick' and '21 Jump Street', and was originally conceived by Hasburgh as a darker and grittier look at ski-town life; the highs and especially the lows: the drugs, the empty pursuit of thrills at the expense of relationships, the death and injuries. But Hollywood Pictures insisted on cuts and on a marketing campaign geared around the phrase "Top Gun on the slopes" which bore little resemblance to the actually well-written character study/fish-out-of-water buddy dramedy he turned out. Over time, 'Aspen Extreme' has settled into a comfortable middle-age. Screenings in Aspen now have the glow of fondly reminisced times past, and the cast seems to have all thrived in the decades since release. So while I intended this episode to be tongue-firmly-in-cheek...I was actually surprised even as a fan of this movie to discover it's a totally competent, even moving film set in and around a ski resort, not just another ski comedy with lowbrow jokes and ethnic stereotypes ('Chinese Downhill'...I'm looking at you, 'Hot Dog')....

Michael Mann's 'Heat' is many things; intensely beloved Los Angeles crime saga, De Niro-and-Pacino-onscreen-together curiosity, technically brilliant filmmaking accomplishment, both genre-defining and genre-busting, a tour-de-force of casting, atour-de-force of acting, a tour-de-force of directing, writing, editing, production design, and score....it has enduring presence and continued influence. It's one of my top 3 favorite films and as such I've resisted doing it on the podcast because it contains the multitudes above. But a recent rewatch allowed me to appreciate some aspects of the film anew, and inspired this episode. I was particularly struck by the women of 'Heat', which is perhaps a surprise to those who subscribe to the "Michael Mann makes guy films women aren't interested in" take. But the work of Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, and Kim Staunton is worthy of the praise it gets in this episode. The work each actor put into making their characters fully-formed people with their own often conflicted and conflicting reasons for partnering with a criminal or a driven robbery-homicide detective rises these performances from background to foreground. Their scenes are as alive and filled with energy and emotion as the meticulously filmed and edited heist scenes. And also, the supporting casting is singled out in this episode; from Jon Voight, to Tom Noonan, Bud Cort, Mykleti Williamson, Dennis Haysbert, Tone Loc, Ted Levine, Hank Azaria, William Fichtner, Ricky Harris, Natalie Portman and beyond, Bonnie Timmerman and Michael Mann outdid themselves in searching for, in waiting for, just the right actors capable of going all the way in with characterizations deeper than usual for supporting players in films. 'Heat' is a film that is so praised, so accepted as a masterpiece of its kind that it actually takes some work to watch it free of all that positive baggage and appreciate it all over again as an actor's movie, as one person quoted in the podcast says...it's a film of deep emotional power and human connection. In this episode, I surprised myself by plugging into these aspects of 'Heat' and hopefully you will enjoy having your filmic receptors tantalized enough to inspire your own re-watch. Please let me know what you think when you do!

In this episode, we revisit Brian DePalma's 1981 thriller 'Blow Out', which reunited the director with his 'Carrie' supporting actor John Travolta, who, fives years later, was post-'Saturday Night Fever', 'Grease' and 'Urban Cowboy' and was now one of Hollywood's biggest stars. 'Blow Out' was one of DePalma's most personal films, stemming from his obsessions with the Kennedy Assassination, voyeurism, filmmaking, Hitchcock, and Garrett Brown's new filmmaking invention, the Steadicam. Shot in his hometown of Philadelphia among locations he was intimately familiar with. Topics in the episode: DePalma's flirtations with directing 'Prince of the City' and 'Flashdance'. His Hitchcock revelations. How his small conspiracy film took on larger proportions with the arrival of an unexpected star. The layers and layers of meta meaning in 'Blow Out'. A revisionist take on 'The Conversation'. Appreciating 'Blow Up'. Siskel & Ebert, Pauline Kael, and MORE!

Thrilled to revisit 1979's seminal teen-angst/school destruction fantasy 'Over The Edge'...a teen film to rule them all, a movie that more accurately captures the bonds of youthful friendship and the bounds of self-discovery than all the John Hughes films combined. Using a mix of first-time, inexperienced, and non-professional locals as actors, the Colorado-shot film has an authenticity and veracity to it that's rarely been equalled. Plus it has an absolute kick-ass soundtrack loaded with Cheap Trick, Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, The Cars, and Ramones. It launched the career of Matt Dillon, who was discovered loitering in a Long Island High School hallway during class time. "What's your Mother do?" the casting director asked. "She don't do shit" was Dillon's attitudinal reply and he has the job because of and not in spite of his rawness and rough edges. Joined by frequent FCAC guest star Richard Brown, we talk all about the origin story, making of, and critical and fan reception to this excellent and enduring film.

A random IG post sends Jason down the Joe Spinell wormhole and he emerges in 1973 to experience for the first time 'Cops and Robbers', Aram Avakian's film of a Donald E. Westlake comedy screenplay about two NYC cops who decide to try their hand on the other side of the law. Featuring pitch-perfect period performances (say that 10 times fast)...'Cops and Robbers' is a really good gem of a 70's film, and has two great lead performances by NYC acting stalwarts Cliff Gorman and Joseph Bologna. Jason shares a cherished memory of being clueless in a CBS employees bar in the early 90's and meeting Cliff Gorman. Topics covered: Joe Spinell's particular tortured genius for bit character parts. The Godfather bit where Spinell's Willie Cicci is called "Mr. Quested" by a Senator and brings the house down with "Oh yeah, the family had a lotta buffers". Also: Roscoe Lee Browne for the ages. ENJOY! Thanks for listening!

Ethan Hawke's meta-documentary about the lives, love, losses, and careers of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward is a worthwhile, often confounding effort with rewards and challenges alike. In this episode Jason talks about the origin of the documentary in the discovery of some transcripts of interviews conducted by a Newman associate in pursuit of a memoir and biography that Newman wanted to work on. For unknown reasons, Newman later abandoned the project and burned the audio tapes. But the transcripts survived and form the basis for actor-interpreted versions used in Hawke's documentary to varying degrees of success. The documentary tackles weighty issues like the loss of Newman's son Scott, the struggle within a marriage to survive the orbital tilt of Newman's level of super-stardom, and Newman's battle with alcoholism...a battle it seems he never quite won. By turns infuriating and moving, the film is a worthy but effortful watch. Also discussed: Alan Cummings lip-sync performance in the documentary 'My Old School', the AI Bourdain quotes used in his posthumous doc, and Peter Jackson's use of machine learning processes to reveal (or create) conversations in 'The Beatles: Get Back'.

When James Caan died last week at 82 it was cause for a pause of appreciation for the work he left behind. I went searching for a 70's Caan film I hadn't yet seen, having done most of his ouvre at one time or another. I settled on Czech filmmaker Karel Reisz' brilliant 1974 film 'The Gambler', based on a James Toback script and I'm so glad I did. Before jumping into that film, this episode offers a brief re-appraisal of Caan's work in 'The Godfather' and in Michael Mann's 'Thief' (Caan's favorite film role), and a consideration of the relationship audiences end up having with actors with long careers onscreen and in the public eye, human flaws and imperfections all.

Tony Bill's directorial debut 'My Bodyguard' holds a special and heartwarming place for the 99% of us not fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to have been the most popular kids in school. 'My Bodyguard' is filled with respect for the difficulties of everyday teenage life in a realistic manner, and features wonderful performances from 1980's teen actors like Matt Dillon, Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin and Paul Quandt. The film, I posit in this episode, offers a more honest portrayal of teen life than any of the more-successful and better-known John Hughes films of the era, and goes to surprising depths in exploring male friendships, latchkey kids figuring out their place in the world, forgiveness and the setting of boundaries even when it seems most difficult. Most Recent Previous Episode is "If You're New To The Pod Start Here" Links to episodes about High School movies we've done on the pod: 'Heathers' 'Carrie' 'The Warriors' 'Mean Girls'

125 episodes? Who knew? If you're new to the podcast and wondering what's out there in those previous episodes, this short introductory episode will provide a bit of a roadmap to orient you to some episodes you might be interested in. Thanks for checking out the podcast!

Thrilled to be joined by 3-time FCAC guest star, actor/writer/director Lee Wilkof and to delve into the making of Brian De Palma's most enduring and affecting film, 'Carrie', starring Sissy Spacek in a role she fought for, John Travolta in his first substantial film role just after being cast in 'Welcome Back, Kotter', and the future first ex-Mrs. Brian De Palma, Nancy Allen, who was about to give up on film acting when a casting director spotter her in the unlikeliest of places. Details in the episode. Lee and I talk about how empathetic and heart-rending Sissy Spacek's performance is, about Piper Laurie's casting after a 16-year absence from acting, the three key set pieces: the shower scene, the prom scene, and the Piper Laurie/Carrie death scene and coda. Lee's first appearance on the pod discussing his long career is here. Lee's 2nd appearance, where he and I discuss the brilliant Coen Brothers film Fargo is here. If you're an actor or film/tv/entertainment person you will definitely see yourself somewhere in Lee's feature directorial debut, No Pay, Nudity. It stars Gabriel Byrne, Frances Conroy, and Nathan Lane.

John Boorman's 1972 adaptation of James Dickey's novel "Deliverance" is a unique New Hollywood film in that its origins lie more in the older studio system yet the film upon release would become of of the most notorious films of its time and an iconic classic that's still discussed and debated today. On this episode of the podcast my friend and returning FCAC guest Ted Jessup joins to talk about a film he's loved and been traumatized by since he was 13 (see Ep 86 'The Odessa File' and Ep 75 'Rosemary's Baby' for more Ted on the pod). A sort-of Western, a dissection of toxic male behavior, a hillbilly noir, a slam of Southern culture...the film has been used and abused by decades of opinionated takes but in this episode we take a fresh look at this remarkable film and appreciate its powers anew. Ted's Wikipedia page. Listen to Ted's FCAC episode on Rosemary's Baby Listen to Ted's FCAC episode on The Odessa File

Tom Cruise and Joseph Kosinki's smash hit 'Top Gun: Maverick' has been out for a couple weeks now and if you're a rational, sentient human being, you've already seen this film in the theater and enjoyed it immensely like 99% of audience members and 97% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes. For the 1% - 3% of you who were unable to set aside your limited worldviews and/or aversion to fan-servicing mass-market entertainment that's NOT Marvel-made...well, there's hope for you yet as my episode this week talks about all the myriad reasons there are to like and support this film, in the theater.

In this episode, Richard Brown and Jason Cilo tackle the making-of 'The Muppet Show', Jim Henson's seminal variety-show program of the late 70's. Topics covered: the surprising British history of 'The Muppet Show', musings about Kermit's unique spirit and personality, Miss Piggy's actual rags-to-riches life story, Frank Oz's singular talents, an appreciation of Gonzo, the curious misnomer of 'Guys' and 'Men' appearing in formative Muppet docs and period books, the 5 best 'Muppet Show' episodes of all time, AND MORE!

The original 'Battlestar Galactica', while a flawed and imperfect science-fiction TV series of the 1978 season, remains one of the most important and influential science-fiction TV series of all time. I'm joined again by Richard Brown (see our 'WKRP in Cincinnati', 'Taxi', and 'Network' episodes for more RF Brown) as we delve into the creation story of Battlestar and its creator, Glen A. Larson, known as "Glen Larceny" for his transparent adopting of movie concepts for his tv series. We run down some of Glen's Greatest Hits. Jumping into the making of the series, we drop down to discuss the insanely complicated way that the Cylon robot voices were produced back in the day. Audio geeks and vintage recording equipment nerds will particularly enjoy that section, with full credit to YouTuber Supajc for his excellent video series. As Rick and I run through the cast and crew of Battlestar, we talk pros and cons and what-might-have-beens. I of course profess a decided appreciation for the much-maligned "Battlestar Galactica 1980", an admittedly misguided too-late network attempt to get the show right once and for all. Alternative Casting, the Columbo Cinematic Universe, and MORE! Pls like and follow the pod on Twitter and Instagram.

The original 'Battlestar Galactica', while a flawed and imperfect science-fiction TV series of the 1978 season, remains one of the most important and influential science-fiction TV series of all time. I'm joined again by Richard Brown (see our 'WKRP in Cincinnati', 'Taxi', and 'Network' episodes for more RF Brown) as we delve into the creation story of Battlestar and its creator, Glen A. Larson, known as "Glen Larceny" for his transparent adopting of movie concepts for his tv series. We run down some of Glen's Greatest Hits. Jumping into the making of the series, we drop down to discuss the insanely complicated way that the Cylon robot voices were produced back in the day. Audio geeks and vintage recording equipment nerds will particularly enjoy that section, with full credit to YouTuber Supajc for his excellent video series. As Rick and I run through the cast and crew of Battlestar, we talk pros and cons and what-might-have-beens. I of course profess a decided appreciation for the much-maligned "Battlestar Galactica 1980", an admittedly misguided too-late network attempt to get the show right once and for all. Alternative Casting, the Columbo Cinematic Universe, and MORE! Pls like and follow the pod on Twitter and Instagram.

Dan Erickson's Apple+ thriller series "Severance" is, to my mind, the best sci-fi TV series we've gotten since "Black Mirror". So why isn't it getting quite as much attention as that series deservedly did? In this episode, I briefly discuss some of the aspects that I think make "Severance" so uniquely good, particularly the very strong casting, idiosyncratic production design, thoughtful world-building, wicked sense of humor, and praise-worthy pacing and creative decision-making. Then a brief discussion of some reasons why this series hasn't struck quite the same social media nerve endings as more buzzed-about (but perhaps also more disposable) series like "Euphoria" or "Yellowjackets"). This ties in nicely with the recent collective gasp over Netflix dropping a significant tranche of subscribers and our entry to What Comes Next for the Golden Age of Streamers. Waffle parties for everyone!

Last week's episode about the new Michael Cimino book spurred me to rewatch all three of these classic films and, in doing so, I surprised myself with a firm and resounding reset of what I THOUGHT I thought about these movies. So here are some great clips and making-of anecdotes as I walk through what makes each of these films unique as well as give credit to foundational Viet Nam docs and other features along the way.

In his new book, Charles Elton tackles the impossible; a biography of late director Michael Cimino, an elusive, mysterious, obfuscating, and contrary Hollywood figure in real life...and, if possible, a man even more complicated and gossiped about online, in the press and in the power lunch spots of Hollywood than any other Oscar-winning director of his or any time. From Long Island roots to Mad Men-era success in advertising to the 9 Academy Award Nominations for 'The Deer Hunter' to the debacle of 'Heaven's Gate' and to Cimino's final and often-misunderstood final decades of personal transformation, Charles Elton's book reads like an unfurling mystery, following clues and attempting to pin down elusive or outright combative Cimino friends and loyalists in pursuit of several important accomplishments that I think the book deserves credit for. The first is a resetting of the narrative that Cimino's 'Heaven's Gate" was responsible for bankrupting a major Hollywood studio in United Artists. Elton's book reveals how, excess notwithstanding, Cimino himself was less guilty than the studio executives who were unable to reign in the rising costs and delays that they themselves set in motion. The second is a sensitive handling of Cimino's dramatic altering of his physical self in his final decades. Was he, as was rumored, transitioning to live as a woman? Was he someone who simply enjoyed wearing women's clothes from time to time but otherwise lived a heterosexual lifestyle? Is it telling that as Cimino altered his appearance so drastically as to be unrecognizeable from his 20's and 30's and 40's he also became more voluble and open and "himself" when he did speak to the press, however infrequently that was. Here, too, Elton parses the record with sensitivity and curiosity not of a prurient nature; how did this man who directed a masterpiece in "The Deer Hunter" never do it again and what fueled his drive and need for total, dominating control...even as he had a 50-year partnership with his producer, protector, and friend Joann Carelli which blurred the lines between their two lives to a degree never before so closely reported as in this new book.

Thrilled to be joined again by pop culture historian and author Richard F. Brown to do the definitive 'Taxi' total rewatch and episode. We get into the mysterious beauty and melancholy of Bob James' 'Taxi' theme song 'Angela', and the temporary filmed open that became so identified with the ennui and thwarted ambitions of the beloved cabbies of the Sunshine Cab Co. We discuss all the characters and the actors who played them: Latka and Andy Kaufman, Danny DeVito and Louie, Marilu Henner and Elaine, Judd Hirsch and Alex, Christopher Lloyd and Reverend Jim Ignatowski, Tony Danza and Tony Banta, Jeff Conaway (RIP) and Bobby, Carol Kane as Simka, and more. 'Taxi' is one of the most interesting sitcoms in television history because of the originality of its approach to filming with four cameras instead of the sitcom-traditional 3 cameras. This allowed director Jim Burrows to capture what he calls the essential surprise of comedy being performed live in front of a studio audience. Any discussion of 'Taxi' offers the best opportunity we have to discuss Andy Kauffman and his unique and often challenging approach to comedy and performance art in everyday life. We cover his outstanding and long-shelved 1977 TV special, which features one of the most amazing and little-discussed Andy Kauffman bits: a heartfelt and very real and emotional conversation he has with Howdy Doody, his childhood TV hero. And we cover Andy's famous prank on the Taxi cast and brass through the casting of his alter ego Tony Clifton, and Tony Clifton's firing and subsequent massive scene on the soundstage involving security guards and several extremely pissed off producers and actors. This is an episode that will hopefully share with you some things you might not have known about 'Taxi' and afford us all the opportunity anew to appreciate the fact that this series uniquely brought us out of this world talents like Andy Kauffman, Christopher Llloyd, Danny DeVito, and Carol Kane in ONE SHOW. Any series would and could be built on having one of those dynamic talents in the cast; Taxi had all four. Unreal!

Dissecting the latest attempt at reinventing the Oscars and assessing where, if anywhere, the telecast goes from here.

Thrilled to be joined this week by Kyle Buchanan, a NY Times writer whose new book 'Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild & True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road' is out now from William Morrow. Kyle and I talk about the incredible 30-year-journey of Fury Road; two times called off just prior to shooting, casting issues with Mel Gibson flaming out (and aging out) of the role, a non-traditional storyboard screenplay, a prolonged shoot in the remote Namibian desert, War Boy training of surprising emotional depth, Eve Ensler of 'The Vagina Monologues' contributing essential feminist backstory to the Vulvalini and Brides characters, tension between Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy, life-threatening stunts every day, all day, and, at the center, the maverick, iconoclastic, grandfatherly genius George Miller. A former doctor whose directing credits veer wildly from all the Mad Max films to 'Happy Feet' and 'Babe: Pig In The City', his mercurial presence, unconventional process, and essential Australian-ness are what makes Mad Max movies so unique. Kyle's book is a must-have for any film buff. His more than 130 interviews above and below the line insure the story is told by the people who were really there. I'm very thankful for Kyle giving Full Cast and Crew podcast a bit of his time during his busy Oscar season.

Jason and FCAC returning guest Bruce Edwards, a television and film line producer and production manager as well as a filmmaker, collector, and cinema and comic geek par excellence to dive into the making of Ridley Scott's 1982 cinematic masterpiece 'Blade Runner'. Topics covered include Alternative Casting, the 7 versions of the film, the actor's strike that resulted in 9 additional months of planning for the film's VFX departments, whether Deckard is or is not a replicant, Vangelis' forever score, the fact that Blade Runner was shot on the Warner Bros backlot "NYC Street" set, Ridley's unique directorial aesthetic and style, and more. Watch Ridley's Scott's 'The Final Cut' and the incredible making-of documentary featurettes here.

Joined again by good friend of the pod and pop cultural maven and scholar Richard Brown, this week we dive into all the 70's goodness of iconic sitcom 'WKRP in Cincinnati'. We talk the theme song, Tim Reid's impressive career and contributions to the series and to 'Frank's Place', the KRP cast, some iconic KRP episodes, KRP-adjacent content like the feature 'FM' and MORE..so, baby, if you've ever wondered...wondered what ever became of me.....listen to this episode, it'll put a smile on your face!

Jason is thrilled to be joined by crime writer Joseph Schneider, author of two (and soon to be three) LAPD Detective Tully Jarsdel novels (links below), to discuss the criminally-underrated Peter Bogdanovich thriller 'Targets', Joseph's novels, 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood', and much more. 'Targets' was made in 1967 when Bogdanovich, then working for Roger Corman's B-Picture factory of filmmaking alongside other future legendary directors like Francis Ford Coppola, was given the chance to direct his first feature film provided he used aging horror icon Boris Karloff for two owed days of shooting, used some footage from another Corman/Karloff picture 'The Terror' (starring a young Jack Nicholson in one of his first roles), and kept the budget under $120,000...other than that Corman said, he could make whatever picture he wanted. What Bogdanovich did was make a still-prescient, taut, spare look at a mass shooter in the making. Interwoven with a b-story involving the Karloff character's quitting of a film industry due to changing times and mores, the two stories collide brilliantly at a drive-in-movie theater. 'Targets' is a stunning indictment of American middle-class detachment, and the debut of one of Hollywood's enduring iconoclast directors. Bogdanovich (who died this year) lamented in the 50 years subsequent to the film's release that American society's attachment to guns had not progressed at all from the time he made the film. Threads from this movie connect to other classics like Michael Mann's 'Heat' and Quentin Tarantino's 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood', another movie about a film star fearing he is past his prime as society changes around him. And in the pod Schneider connects 'Targets' and Karloff and OUATIH's Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth to different types and times of American horror, fear, and violence. 'Targets' is brilliantly directed with impressive directorial control and restraint and features incredible contributions from Hollywood legends like director Sam Fuller, Oscar winner Verna Fields, and Cinematographer Lazlo Kovacs. Watch 'Targets' at any of these streamers. Buy Joseph Schneider's debut novel 'One Day You'll Burn' and its sequel from Amazon Pre-order Joseph Schneider's forthcoming 3rd Tully Jarsdel novel here

Late to the party, as ever! Topics: My weird aversion to watching what's popular. My weird aversion to Adam McKay (con't). A certain HBO series' production staff puts LabelMaker labels on EVERYTHING in our shared office space. The Jeremy Strong New Yorker hit piece and how it enraged me to action-viewing Succession.

If you know the pod, you know I am of the opinion that Gomorrah and The Bureau are probably the best TV series ever made. And Gomorrah just concluded a Season 5 run, available in the States on HBO Ma. The final (in question marks?) season of this landmark series attempted to build upon and bring to a close a storyline begun in S1, EP1: that of Gennaro and Ciro and their twisty, entangled frenemyship. I recorded this episode minutes after finishing the final episode of the final season. In it, I put forth what has always been special to me about 'Gomorrah' and celebrate the fitting conclusion of the series' 5-season run of excellence.

(NOTE: A previous version of this episode erroneously posted and was cut off at the end. This is the revised posting with the full episode) Joined once again by FCAC special guest Richard Brown, Jason gets into Walter Hill's seminal, cult hit 'The Warriors', which despite (or perhaps because of) deficiencies in funding, production time, cast difficulties (resulting in the firing of the lead actor seven weeks into the shoot), and a violence-in-the-theaters scandal, has endured far beyond its means to become an iconic film of the 1970's. As the boys discuss the making of 'The Warriors', they also delve into another NYC gang film made during the summer of 1978; Phillip Kaufman's ('The Right Stuff') adaptation of Richard Price's autobiographical novel 'The Wanderers', also set in the Bronx. Jason finds the film surprisingly critical of its own main characters and displaying a depth of nuance often missed when the film gets portrayed (or marketed as) being a doo-wop celebration of white Italian-American male culture, or, as Richard says in the episode, an example of "OK Boomerism". But the two films seen together offer an intriguing sense of the summer of 1978 and of two totally different approaches to filmmaking. And when viewed alongside the documentary 'Flying Cut Sleeves', which features amazing footage of actual gang members from the Bronx in 1978, one begins to put together a more complete picture.

Mike White's 'The White Lotus' is a product of the pandemic; a quick-turnaround series that went from inception to air in 9 months as HBO scrambled in 2020 to line up produceable content from trusted creators. Shot in one location, the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, under strict quarantine protocols, the series is a testament to the power of what can happen when limited options meet fairly unlimited resources (HBO's edict to White was that it had to be shot in one location and cost less than 3 million dollars an episode). Being me, I resisted watching it when every one else got on board last summer when it was released. Approaching it on my own terms and timeline is just how I gotta roll. But I'm so glad to inform you all, nine months after you all figured out how great it was, that I LOVED 'The White Lotus' in so many ways I was inspired to share this episode with you all. So if you've seen the series, you'll enjoy some of the background information on the production, casting, and that fantastic and unforgettable music. If you haven't seen it yet, this episode contains no spoilers.

I admit to having a few deep-seated biases when it comes to writer-directors whose work doesn't speak to me. Two of them have names that rhyme with Karen Zhorkin and Badham McWay. This is neither here nor there with regard to anything but it makes for an interesting viewing experience when I need to TRY and put those biases on the shelf in order to watch something like 'Don't Look Up', which has become enough of a streaming success on Netflix (if we trust their metrics) to merit inclusion on any list of the most successful films of 2021 and 2022. In this episode I unpack my bias against the "serious" films of Adam McKay ('Vice' and 'The Big Short') and see if 'Don't Look Up', a star-laden vehicle, can elevate beyond my petty concerns, reach into my cranial and cardiac areas and MOVE ME or if my biases are like a comet hurtling towards the objectivity required to absorb it all.

Back from holiday break and bursting into 2022 with a special quick listen all about the best Film & TV books I read in 2021 AND a quick review of the Harry Potter reunion special on HBO Max, in which I totally forgot to mention how great Helena Bonham Carter was in cackling her way through the entire thing and being her naughty, bawdy self. Links to the Books mentioned in this episode: Midnight Cowboy: Art, Sex, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic The Fifty-Year-Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of the Making of Start Trek, the First 25 Years Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: A Novel We're Ready For You, Mr. Grodin Robert Altman: The Oral Biography The Fade Out This Was Hollywood: Forgotten Stars and Stories Rockers: The Making of Reggae's Most Iconic Film The Mudd Club The Score The Laidlaw Trilogy One Day You'll Burn Penny: A Graphic Memoir The Godfather Gang: In Hollywood, Everything is Personal The Pine Barrens Strategem: From The Case Files of Steve Rockfish Links to Instagram accounts mentioned in this episode, all great follows: Joseph Schneider Ernest Lupinacci Karl Stevens Ken Harris Richard Boch Carla Valderrama Elizabeth Breitweiser

Longtime journalist and author Mark Seal has a fantastic new book out that's positively overstuffed with brilliant and hilarious and mind-blowing anecdotes about the story of 'The Godfather', from Mario Puzo's unlikely beginnings to the movie's famously tortuous path to and through production. Mark and I chat about some of the great revelations in his book and about all the wonderful and colorful period characters, from mobsters to studio executives to Marlon Brando, Pacino, Luca Brasi, and more. From Amazon's description of Mark's book: The behind-the-scenes story of the making of The Godfather, fifty years after the classic film's original release. The story of how The Godfather was made is as dramatic, operatic, and entertaining as the film itself. Over the years, many versions of various aspects of the movie's fiery creation have been told—sometimes conflicting, but always compelling. Mark Seal sifts through the evidence, has extensive new conversations with director Francis Ford Coppola and several heretofore silent sources, and complements them with colorful interviews with key players including actors Al Pacino, James Caan, Talia Shire, and others for irresistible insights into how the movie whose success some initially doubted roared to glory. On top of the usual complications of filmmaking, the creators of The Godfather had to contend with the real-life members of its subject matter: the Mob. During production of the movie, location permits were inexplicably revoked, author Mario Puzo got into a public brawl with an irate Frank Sinatra, producer Al Ruddy's car was found riddled with bullets, men with "connections" vied to be in the cast, and some were given film roles. As Seal notes, this is the tale of "a classic movie that revolutionized filmmaking, saved Paramount Pictures, minted a new generation of movie stars, made its struggling author Mario Puzo rich and famous, and sparked a war between two of the mightiest powers in America: the sharks of Hollywood and the highest echelons of the Mob." ​ Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli is the lively and complete story of how a masterpiece was made, perfect for anyone who loves the movies. Mark Seal's Website Buy the Book

I'm joined this week by Frazer Rice, a James Bond freak whose familiarity with the films, the books, the comic strips, and the business of Bond makes him the idea guest to chat and speculate with on The Future Of Bond. With 'No Time To Die' closing out the Daniel Craig era, Bond now enters what likely is a 2-4 year window between films and a search for the Next Bond. The search this time is perhaps culturally poised to branch Bond out, or, at least, the times we live in would seem ripe for a reimagining of the Bond character, perhaps away from the white male origins of the character. But post-taping, Bond gatekeeper and producer Barbara Broccoli gave an interview in which she said it was her belief that Bond should be British and male, so...perhaps we'll get a different Bond, but not, alas, a female Bond (my personal #1 choice to replace Craig is a British woman, you'll hear who that is in the episode). Frazer and I cover the recent sale of Bond studio MGM to Amazon and what that means for the future of the franchise, we traipse through the historical record of Bond changes from the Connery-to-Lazenby era to the Connery-to-Roger Moore era, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. We talk some surprising actors who were offered the role over the years, but who turned it down. We rank All Time Bonds, with a surprising list for both of us, and we offer up our top choices for the Next Bond, all while enjoying some great Bond clips and music. Frazer on Twitter Frazer's Graphic Novel A Reasonably OK Book About Bond History My Favorite Bond & Bond Film

Still in a music kind of mind after last week's episode all about the fantastic Beatles Get Back doc series. I'm still in a Legends kind of mood so I'm recounting Bob Dylan's fantastic run of recent concerts at the Beacon Theater in New York City, which I was fortunate enough to catch a couple of. Some of the funny incidents in line and inside the show with fans basically having a hard time adjusting back to a world where we all have to, you know...do stuff together and sort of collectively cooperate for our greater good instead of Zoom-focussed Me Time lead me to recount a particularly notable concert-going moment of mine from the 1988 Pink Floyd 'Momentary Lapse of Reason' tour....come to think of it that's a good way to describe most of my time from 1983 - 2004 but that's another show, another time. Bob Dylan's new album, 'Rough and Rowdy Ways' Dylan goes electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival Pink Floyd 'Pigs (three different ones)' Bob Dylan "I've Made Up My Mind (To Give Myself To You)"

Some thoughts and musings after watching the Peter Jackson-directed 6-hour recut of the Beatles legendary/infamous 'Let It Be' sessions and Apple rooftop concert performance. Topics covered: Behind-the-scenes of the documentary series. Why The Beatles continue to fascinate and resonate. Yoko: A Revisionist History The Clothes. The Instruments. John Lennon's 'Don't Let Me Down': A Howl. Billy Preston's good vibes and dark times. An odd parallel between 'Moneyball' and the Beatles. AND MORE! Books referenced in this episode: The Beatles: The Biography, by Bob Spitz You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After The Breakup, by Peter Doggett Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America

For your Thanksgiving commuting or family-avoidance pleasure, friend of the pod and frequent guest Richard Brown and I dive deep into the making of Star Trek; the who, the what, the why. We also make stops at iconic 1970's Star Wars toys and books and assorted tie-ins. We wander through the movies and come up with some surprisingly counter-intuitive faves. We talk great episodes and not-so-great episodes. Contractual oddity between Shatner and Nimoy. We get into the little seen but vital 1974 animated Star Trek series, which mystified and befuddled a generation of little kids tuning in on Saturday mornings only to get fully formed, albeit animated, Star Trek episodes...minus Kirk's womanizing. And Rick shares his 12-year-old self's carefully itemized ratings system by which he judged The Original Series on a scale of 1 to 4. 4 being the best. We'll see how Adult(ish) Rick feels about some of his rankings in this special early-release Thanksgiving edition of the Full Cast and Crew podcast. Vital Research Read for this Episode Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams: The Complete, Uncensored, and Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek Inside Star Trek: The Real Story Star Trek Technical Manual (1975) Ballantine Books Star Trek Fotonovels (1975) Star Trek Enterprise Blueprints (1975)

News broke yesterday that Jonah Hill would play Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia in some form of scripted series on Apple, to be directed and/or produced by Martin Scorcese. While Marty's rock credentials speak for themselves...his rock credentials also speak for themselves, namely: his bizarre choice to add people like Sharon Stone to the refurbished footage from Dylan's legendary Thunder Road Review tour pretending as if they were there...bad choice that ruined an otherwise worthwhile venture. Nothing against judicious use of Jonah Hill in anything....just not this role! So I briefly provide some essential background to Garcia and the band, and then run through some OTHER choices to play Jerry that would work; some insane and weird (Keanu??) and some pretty compelling, if still weird (Adam Driver?) before settling on my own personal and informed choice as the best possible actor to portray Jerry Garcia...and you'll have to listen to find out who that surprising choice is!

Follow Jason as he walks-and-talks (he can do both! Mostly at the same time!) en route to his first trip to an actual movie theater in almost 18 months to see Denis Villenueve's epic adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic science-fiction classic 'Dune'. And then we pause recording and pick it up again right after Jason is back from the screening. This movie is one I (i switched tenses!) have been looking forward to ever since it was announced as Villenueve's follow-up to 'Blade Runner 2049', which is one of my very favorite films. And 'Dune' as a movie is fraught for fans of the novel because although the David Lynch adaptation of the 1980's has some fans and got some things right...it bit off the whole novel and that proved just far too much content to try and stuff into a feature film. Denis' film tackles the first half of the novel, and we'll discuss in this episode whether that was a good or bad idea, get into the casting, the music of both Blade Runner 2049 and Dune, the epic sound design of Villenueve films and much more.

Were you in High School in the 80's like FCAC host Jason Cilo was? Probably you're not that old, but trust him; it was a time! 1989's 'Teen Witch' is many things: a fairly low-budget sort-of rip-off teen-comedy witch movie treading water in the wake of John Hughes movies and 'Heathers' and other 80's teenage films, most notably, but it has a charm and staying power all its own that has to be respected...or at least dissected in a full-on FCAC episodic treatment. For this episode, Jason is joined once again by frequent guests, the comedians Marianne Sierk (FCAC episodes 'Dirty Dancing' and 'Practical Magic') and Heather Thomson, America's Favorite Shut-In, Vista Bitch, and Airbnb Diamond Club Member. In this episode we also cover the safe harbor of middle-school theater programs, Jack Plotnick's brilliant send-up of that Robin Williams movie test that went around the interwebs a couple weeks back, and an obscure Tim Curry Halloween movie that Marianne loved to watch from her perch in her childhood Rochester, NY kitchen. Jason's pre-HS pastimes are also covered, including starting and stopping the 12" single LP version of Whodini's 'Freaks Come Out At Night' (which as I type this I can't believe I didn't cut into the episode) in order to transcribe the words as kids did in the barren wasteland that was American popular culture prior to the internet. Marianne demonstrates the distinctive patois of Rochester natives. Heather discusses her life-long typecasting as matronly adults. More on Teen Witch: Teen Witch is a 1989 American teen fantasy comedy film directed by Dorian Walker, written by Robin Menken and Vernon Zimmerman, and starring Robyn Lively and Zelda Rubinstein. Originally pitched as a female version of Teen Wolf (1985) and later reworked into a film of its own, the film features numerous impromptu rap musical numbers and has since become a cult classic aided by midnight theater showings and regular cable television airings (including through annual showings as part of ABC Family/Freeform's 13 Nights of Halloween). The film is also popular for its music and 1980s fashion nostalgia.

The recent death of actor George Segal sent me to finally watch Altman's 1974 gambling opus, 'California Split', starring Segal and Elliot Gould. It's a fantastic film and a great representation of the prime Altman ouvre. But behind the scenes and extending into the present day...there are cast-member murders, deaths, prison stints, and tragedies that offer a hypothetical parallell to the varied paths taken or not taken by many American children of the 60's navigating the decades beyond. In this episode, I talk about Altman's history in Hollywood, his three main periods of filmmaking, including his late-career renaissance in the 90's, and explore the tragic deaths of 4 female cast members as well as the bizarre cult that provided all the extras used in the film. A masterwork of American ennui and a timeless time capsule of 1970's American neuroses, 'California Split' is a lot of fun with some surprisingly moving conclusions when all is said and done.

Charles Grodin died at 86 on May 18th, 2021. His career spanned from 1954 to 2017, but what's notable about Grodin is how he always prioritized happiness over success and power within the entertainment industry. This is something he wrote about over his several books, and is contained within the evidence his career leaves behind. Offered club gigs, he turned them down because the thought of doing two sets of the same material each night felt like fakery that would cheat the audience. When reminded that the audiences wouldn't overlap and that they'd never know, Grodin replied, "Yeah, but the waiters would know". I think that anecdote contains everything you need to know about how Grodin viewed comedy and his role in performing. Aside from his movies and theatrical and television work, Grodin was also a groundbreaking and vital guest on Johnny Carson and the David Letterman shows. He viewed promotional talk show appearances as awkward and phony, so he always viewed every appearance as a performance he committed to regardless of the percentage of the audience that might not be in on the joke. His humor, warmth, and decency is what burbles underneath the prickliness with which most of his film appearances lead. In this episode, I'll talk about Grodin's career beginning with 'Rosemary's Baby' (also an FCAC episode with special guest Ted Jessup), his many legendary TV appearances, with particular emphasis on Johnny Carson and Letterman, with a clip from the time he brought his attorney onto the Letterman show to complain about his previous treatment at Letterman's hands. Then, diving into a recent re-watch of 'Midnight Run', we celebrate the genius of this movie, it's perfect script and construction, it's (for some) difficult production, and the many many wonderful moments between Grodin and DeNiro and their castmates captured within. I've also been a particular fan of the touching family reunion scene within 'Midnight Run', which, even tho Grodin doesn't DO much within the scene itself, has an emotional resonance because the Duke character motivates Jack Walsh to go home and visit his family for the first time in 9 years, and so much of the truth of this brilliantly handled scene stems from that place of warmth and emotional certainty that Grodin brought to the role of Johnathan Mardukas.

Gone in 60 Seconds is a 1974 American action film written, directed, produced by, and starring H.B. "Toby" Halicki.[2] The film centers on a group of car thieves and the 48 cars they must steal in a matter of days. It is known for having wrecked and destroyed 93 cars in a 40-minute car chase scene, one of the longest in film history. A total of 127 cars were either destroyed or damaged throughout the entirety of the film.[2] Gone in 60 Seconds proved to be extremely successful at the box office, grossing $40,000,000 on a budget of $150,000. A loose remake with new characters and a different plot was released in 2000, starring Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie. Fear Is the Key is a 1972 British action thriller film directed by Michael Tuchner and based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Alistair MacLean. It stars Barry Newman and Suzy Kendall, with supporting roles by John Vernon, Dolph Sweet, and Ben Kingsley in his feature film debut. The film features a soundtrack by Roy Budd. POD NOTES & LINKS OF NOTE Fear Is The Key Wiki Fear Is The Key on Amazon Gone In 60 Wiki Gone In 60 Seconds on Amazon Roy Budd 'Get Carter' Theme Roy Budd 'Fear Is The Key' Theme 'Gone In 60 Seconds' original songs replaced in current streaming version due to rights issues can be heard here. Dolph Sweet on 'Gimme A Break'.

The Grateful Dead Movie, released in 1977 and directed by Jerry Garcia, is a film that captures live performances from rock band the Grateful Dead during an October 1974 five-night run at Winterland in San Francisco. These concerts marked the beginning of a hiatus, with the October 20, 1974, show billed as "The Last One". The band would return to touring in 1976. The film features the "Wall of Sound" concert sound system that the Dead used for all of 1974. The movie also portrays the burgeoning Deadhead scene. Two albums have been released in conjunction with the film and the concert run: Steal Your Face and The Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack. In this episode, Jason is joined by...well...another Jason, his long time friend Jason Blumklotz, for a discussion about the Dead and the various eras of their music and performances. We detour into offshoots like Dead & Company, the Veneta, Oregon Dead documentary 'Sunshine Daydream', the Wall of Sound, Phil's giant 50-lb bass, and much more. Not just a clubby discussion of the band, this episode presents the Grateful Dead Movie as an amazing time capsule of 1970's fandom.

A quick recap and assessment of last night's Oscar telecast, which, to me, was a much-needed reboot and refresh of a format that had become stale, out of touch with itself and increasingly at odds with the stated mission of awarding creative efforts. In this episode I talk a bit about some of the conventional wisdom (or lack thereof) that's hampered the evolution of the Oscar telecast over the years, and highlight some of the innovations that the production team, which included Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher, Jesse Collins, Richard LaGravenese, Jennae Rouzan Clay, Dionne Harmon succeeded in implementing.

The Rockford Files is one of the most beloved tv titles and James Garner's Jim Rockford would become the character this veteran actor was and will forever be best known for. There's a reason Garner, whose career began in the 1950's, titled his excellent, charming, and self-deprecating autobiography 'The Garner Files'. In this episode, I take a look back at my own introduction to the series during a specific and off-kilter part of my life, and talk about what makes the series so special to so many. Then, in a bit of TV Nerd indulgence, I delve into how the show came to be and we hear from some of the key people involved: co-creator Roy Huggins, Executive Producer Meta Rosenberg, Rockford Files theme composer Mike Post, and Rockford Files Producer Chas. Floyd Johnson. Plus: plenty of great Rockford clips and answering machine messages and a special guest appearance by the Ben Folds Five.

Is there a moment, a single day, a couple of hours even, in your teenage years that you could point to and say "that was one of the most important and formative times in my life"? In this episode, Jason is joined by two of his oldest friends, Chris and Roy, and they revisit a specific afternoon in 1985 when, as 15-year-olds, they began a friendship that opened up so much into all their lives. The movie they watched was Pink Floyd's 1972 concert documentary "Live At Pompeii" and it's mind-blowing contents represented the ways in which lives can be opened up and expanded through friednship, music, and a shared POV of the world around us

Heather Thomson and Marianne Sierk are two of my favorite people and social media follows guaranteed to brighten your day with laughs. They're talented and funny comedians and Marianne is also a Sorceress who somehow put a spell on my cinephile dude self and made me watch Practical Magic and talk about it for an hour and a half with two die-hard "Prac Mag" obsessives! Much fun was had and our conversation veered into all sorts of unrelated areas, like Heather's quarantine singledom, Marianne's thrifting, Dolly Parton, why the myth of the broken comic persona is just that...mostly..and more! Practical Magic is a 1998 American romantic comedy fantasy film based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman. The film was directed by Griffin Dunne and stars Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Aidan Quinn, and Goran Višnjić. Bullock and Kidman play sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, who have always known they were different from other people - they are witches. Raised by their aunts after their parents' death, the sisters grew up in a household that was anything but normal — their aunts fed them brownies for breakfast and taught them the uses of practical magic. But being a member of the Owens family carries a curse: The men they fall in love with are doomed to an untimely death. Now adult women with very different personalities, the quiet Sally and the fiery Gillian must use all of their powers to fight the family curse and a swarm of supernatural forces that could take away all the Owenses' lives. The film is considered a cult classic

Starman is a 1984 American science fiction romance film directed by John Carpenter that tells the story of an alien who has come to Earth and cloned a humanoid body (portrayed by Jeff Bridges) in response to the invitation found on the gold phonograph record installed on the Voyager 2 space probe. The original screenplay was written by Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon, with Dean Riesner making uncredited re-writes. Bridges was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role. The film inspired a short-lived television series of the same name in 1986.

A listener question prompted this episode about Peter Weir's excellent 2003 period naval-warfare epic 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World', and why it's one of my favorite films and a comforting re-watch at any time I encounter or am in the mood for it. The movie is an interesting demarcation line between a Hollywood that would make a movie like this for 150 million dollars...and a Hollywood that, post TLOTR-trilogy, would increasingly focus its efforts on movies costing two and three times that much designed and engineered to recoup in the billions-with-a-b and not millions. In almost any other era, 'Master and Commander', coming as it does out of a deep well of pre-existing IP (the 20 novels in the Aubrey/Maturin series by famed novelist Patrick O'Brian), would have easily been a repeatable franchise. The film itself is top-notch, so it's not a question of a bad film failing to light the spark. So: what happened? In this episode we take a look at what makes the film so special, praise the cast and crew for their efforts, talk a lot about the incredible music used throughout the film, and speculate a bit on exactly why this film, so beloved by those who love it, and returning a fully respectable return on the studio's investment...did not turn into the franchise everyone involved hoped it might. On thing I forgot to mention in the pod: after this experience, Peter Weir made exactly one more film. He's certainly been at it quite a while, starting his feature career in 1973...and as Tarantino says, directing films is really a young person's game...but one wonders if after putting in ALL the effort, including a necessarily-grueling water shoot, and turning in an excellent film nominated for 10 Oscars....and having that all met with the popular audience version of a damp squib...he just decided that it wasn't worth it anymore, that if Hollywood wasn't going to allow a filmmaker like him to tell the stories he wanted to tell, at his price point...then it might have been time to step off the apple box. A shame, if that's what happened, because Peter Weir is one of the greatest film directors, with a lot to say and offer the medium.

In our first post-Trump episode, Jason is joined by Friend Of The Pod Richard Brown to discuss the 1979 Nick Nolte film North Dallas Forty. Before that, Rick and Jason catch up on withdrawing from political mainlining, growing up as children of single Mom's in the 1970's, and then get to the good stuff; a robust, detailed discussion of the genius of Ted Kotcheff and the singular pleasures of North Dallas Forty. North Dallas Forty is billed as a "sports comedy-drama" which just shows how hard to categorize this brilliant and subversive counter-culture take on battling corrupt institutions actually is. And yes, it IS about professional football, and the NFL, and the Dallas Cowboys and what at the time was a rare behind-the-scenes look inside an NFL locker room. But it's also, like many of director Ted Kotcheff's other films (First Blood, Wake in Fright, Fun With Dick and Jane) about the individual fighting against or being co-opted by unfeeling authority. When Nick Nolte developed the movie, he hand-picked Kotcheff as a director precisely because Kotcheff admittedly knew next to nothing about football. All the more impressive then that what few football scenes there are tend to be so impressively and bone-crunchingly filmed in North Dallas Forty. Featuring a fantastic supporting cast of character actors like Charles Durning, G.D. Spradlin and Dabney Coleman, all of whom plumb familiar territory with sometimes surprising depths. And it was the film debut of country superstar Mac Davis, who turns in a remarkably nuanced and complicated performance as the QB who has made his peace, sort of, with the professional and moral compromises he has embraced thus far. North Dallas Forty is a great football movie, it's a great 70's movie, it's a great New Hollywood movie, and on and on.

Two-time FCAC Very Special Guest Ted Jessup and I revisit 1974's Panavision international espionage and Nazi-hunting thriller 'The Odessa File' and make plenty of stops along the way to discuss 'The Rainmaker', 'Deliverance' 'The Seven-Ups', 'Anaconda', 'Coming Home', 'Heat', 'The Assassin', and much more!