Film Fury

Alan and Jonathan discuss the loss of Gene Hackman and why he was such a great actor.  *Since the time of the recording an official cause of death has been released. They discuss Hackman, who was known for playing Lex Luther in "Superman" a stubborn submarine commander in "Crimson Tide" opposite Denzel Washington, as well as a tough as nails FBI official in "Mississippi Burning" looking to find ou...

Can "Anora" upset "The Brutalist?" Can Demi Moore take home the Oscar for Best Picture? Alan goes through the major nominations and goes through his predictions, and wonders if there will be any upsets. Timothy Chalamet is in two Oscar nominated films-"A Complete Unknown" and "Dune II." How much value will voters place on his great singing impersonating Bob Dylan. He also goes over some odd choice...

We take a look at a dark film that asks if we are wrong to place so much value on physical beauty as Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, who injects herself with a substance so that a youynger, more beautiful version of herself will emerge. Part Black Mirror , part The Twilight Zone , The Substance is one of the best films of the year. We also take a look at Anora in which Mikey Madison stars as a sex...

"Emilia Perez" has 13 Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. It is a musical, in a manner of speaking and stars Zoe Saldana as a lawyer and a male drug lord Manitas who becomes a woman-Emilia Perez. Alan gives his thoughts on the widely divisive film that also stars Selena Gomez and Karla Sofia Gascon. Alan doesn't mince words. 

Alan talks about the new film "A Real Pain" starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin as Jewish cousins who reconnect on a trip to Poland where they will visit a death camp as well as the house in which a grandmother lived. Alan explains why the movie worked so well and is joined by Nike Silberstein, who talks about her own "March of the Living" trip when she was in high school. They discuss whet...

The Oakland A's faced having to compete with the likes of the New York Yankees with the lowest payroll in the majors. Based on the book by Michael Lewis 'Moneyball" features Brad Pitt as General Manager Billy Bean, who failed as a player but had a success if going against old school scouts and focusing on on base percentage.   Beane meets someone he likes in analytics (Jonah Hll) and hires him awa...

Alan speaks with Music Editor Micha Liberman who was nominated for two Emmy's for his work on the Hulu hit "Only Murderers In The Building" and Netflix's "Avatar: The Last Airbender." Liberman, who won an Emmy for his work on the pilot of HBO's Deadwood explains what it's like to have his work involve such stars at Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. He explains how he plays numerous ins...

Based on a Stephen King novella, "The Shawshank Redemption" starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman is on most people's top 25 list of best movies. It tells the story of a man falsely convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. Alan and Sruli Brooker discuss a number of intriguing questions. Is hope always a good thing? What does the film say about justice and the nature of the parole system? S...

"Titanic" starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, is one of the highest grossing films of all-time. It won the Oscar for Best Picture with James Cameron winning Best Director. Alan, a fan of the blockbuster, talks about the famous film with Irina Tsukerman, a human rights and national security attorney, who has become known for astute political analysis. Irina critiques the love story of Jack...

Alan discusses the famous film with comic Talia Reese. Why was this film such a hit? Carell is handsome enough so why was his character so unsuccessful with women? Are guys who work at TV stores not appealing? they discuss the humor of the film, what it says about attraction and human nature!

Alan discusses "Deadpool vs. Wolverine" starring Ryan Reynolds and Hug Jackman. David Merel, a technology and superhero expert answers whether or not Jackman is too old, whether or not superhero films will save movie theaters, and whether he'd rather be Deadpool or Wolverine. Was the opening scene too gory? Was the villain badass enough? Did anyone notice that Matthew Macfadyen, who plays a corpor...

Host Alan Zeitlin welcomes special guest Aaron Herman, a marketing consultant and video journalist, to dive into the comedic brilliance of Mel Brooks' 'Spaceballs.' In this episode, they explore why 'Spaceballs' remains a beloved classic, breaking down its clever parody of the Star Wars franchise and its unique brand of humor that has stood the test of time. Alan and Aaron discuss the film's journ...

Robert Redford and Leonardo DiCaprio starred as Jay Gatsby in different film version of based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic. Alan speaks with Gatsby expert and New York City high school instructor David Giunta. Alan and David discuss the good and the bad elements of the films, what the story says about justice and obsession, and why Dasie picks Tom over Gatsby. David shares some insights from...

Alicia Silverstone is best known for depicting Cher Horowitz in the classic "Clueless" co-starring Paul Rudd as her step-brother, Josh. Alan discusses why the film is simple, yet grand. Writer and communications expert Shira Weiss explains what's so good about the film and the two debate some issues and Weiss answers if she ever had a grade changed in high school, as Cher had a teacher change a C+...

Alan explains why "The Shining" is so scary and so mesmerizing with great performances by Jack Nicholson and Shelly Duval. From the creepy opening to the famous "redrum" scene, there's a lot to give you nightmares. Professor Nathan Abrams, author of "Kubrick: An Odyssey" discusses some theories of what the film is about from the Holocaust to the attacks against Native Americans. They speak about t...

Alan discusses Ari Aster's "Midsommar" about a young woman named Dani(Florence Pugh) who in the wake of a family tragedy clings to a boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor) who doesn't appreciate her. When they go on vacation with some friends to Sweeden, all Hell breaks loose and things that make no sense take place. Christian's friend is creepily flirting with her. Is he trying to make a move? Alan t...

Alan discusses the greatest films of Leonardo DiCaprio. Wheer does "Titanic" rank? How about his scenes with Daniel Day Lewis in "Gangs of New York?" Where does "The Wolf of Wall Street" stack up against "Catch Me If You Can?" Which of his films directed by Martin Scorsese make the list and what's the one time he plays a calculating villain? Take a listen and find out! 

"The Karate Kid" is an iconic film about a teen who falls in love, gets bullied and wants to show he isn't someone to be messed with. Alan discusses why the film is of of his favorites and discusses whether or not the crane kick was illegal and whether Johnny would beat Daniel in a real life fight with Jason Schulman.

Alan analyzes the hit Netflix show "Reindeer Baby" featuring Richard Gadd's series that is said to be based on his real experiences of being stalked by a woman who showed up to the bar he worked at. He goes over some of the symbolism and some of the reasons the show is impactful. Tour guide and journalist Robby Berman joins the show to discuss how he thought the acting was powerful, but he didn't...

Alan breaks down the new film "The First Omen" and how it perfectly sets up "The Omen" that ran in the 70's. Alan discusses how the new film is well done and how the original was iconic despite one hokey moment and how the new film perhaps pays homage to it. He also discusses why child actors who are good can be so scary.  

Alan breaks down the good and the very bad in the new film "Civil War" and how some elements are completely implausible. He looks at why people's reactions to the film are highly political, why the president's character did not get enough screen time and how one scene in the film was excellent. Alan praises some of the acting but bemoans the major flaw of the film, which involves lazy writing. He...

"The Iron Claw" was the second best movie of 2023 but didn't earn a single Oscar nomination. Why not? Was it because there were dark themes like suicide? Was there something against the WWE? Was there a fear of promoting toxic masculinity even though it was actually a cautionary tale? Were Zac Effron's abs CGI? Alan discusses these questions with wrestling afficionado Jeff Wirtheim, as they theori...

Alan marvels at how Austin Butler could go from playing Elvis to the main baddie in "Dune Part 2" as well as Dave Bautista of WWE fame and how Florence Pugh is great here and always needs more screen time. He goes over why Timothee Chalamet is great in the lead as Paul, Zendeya is on point and why the gladiator arena scene is awesome. He also explains why many may look at the film and point to a c...

Not a lot happens in "Past Lives." And yet it is a small and beautiful film. How was tension created by Celine Song with only one kiss in which the camera pans away and it is dark. Alan speaks with actress, writer and director Leah Gottfried, who crated and starred in the series "Soon By You" about Orthodox Jews on Manhattan's Upper West Side. They discuss similarities between the show and the fil...

Alan again speaks with Saul Sudin and while they agree that "The Zone of Interest" was a failure Alan believes Jonathan Glazer was out to try to use a gimmick to win awards and questions why he focused on building a replica of a Nazi house rather than showing Jews-as the book by Martin Amis does. Saul questions whether or not this is correct, and things get heated at one point.