Living for the Cinema

The FIRST Rule About Fight Club is.... Do NOT TALK About Fight Club Of course when this action satire directed by David Fincher (Seven, The Social Network) first opened twenty-five years ago to mixed reviews and mediocre box office, it still HEAVILY talked about by a certain segment of the population which just could not get enough of it.  It featured two iconic characters played by Brad Pitt and...

Thirty years ago, director Curtis Hanson (LA Confidential, 8 Mile) helped introduce us to what was seemed like a very novel concept on-screen for the first time: "MERYL STREEP, ACTION HERO."  Up until this point, Streep had already been nominated for multiple awards along with winning several - she was and still IS considered Our Greatest Living Actress who had delivered memorable perfor...

"Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself?" That's not only the tagline for this movie but for the fictional experimental drug which is offer to our main protagonist.  Demi Moore (Ghost, Indecent Proposal) plays Elizabeth Sparkle, a middle-aged actress/fitness guru who has been fired from the TV show she hosts on her 50th birthday.  She feels rejected, cast aside, and fe...

When this erotic mystery was first released in the Fall of '89, it was looked upon as a comeback vehicle for legendary actor Al Pacino who stars as beleaguered NYPD detective Frank Keller who is struggling with both alcoholism and the fallout from his recent divorce.  And then Frank unearths a new case which catches his interest.....a series of murders which are all linked to dates set up in...

Thirty years ago, this inspiring prison drama based upon a short story by Stephen King was released to thunderous acclaim and weak box office.  Over time via strong video/DVD sales and steady play on cable, it built up a very devoted following to the point where it is now ranked #1 among all films rated on IMDB.  It's a beloved story focusing on two convicts at Shawshank Prison named Andy (Ti...

SOMEBODY....STOP HIM!!!  Of course we're referring to Stanley Ipkiss played by Jim Carrey once he puts on that mask, the titular mask for this Summer '94 blockbuster smash which was based on a graphic novel of the same name.  Directed by Chuck Russell (Eraser) this was released amidst a breakout year for Carrey, smack between blockbusters Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dumb and Dumber. ...

The Ghost With The Most is BACK!  More than thirty-six years after the original cult smash Beetlejuice was released into theaters, director Tim Burton returns along with Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, and Michael Keaton in the titular role.  New additions to the cast include Jenna Ortega (Scream 6, Wednesday), Monica Bellucci (Irreversible, Matrix Reloaded), and Justin Theroux (The Leftovers...

WHO KNOWS WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE HEARTS OF MEN? Thirty years ago this past summer, director Russell Mulcahy (Highlander, Ricochet) presented the answer to that question with a heavily hyped, lavish adaption of the popular radio show and comic strip of the same name from the '30's and 40's.....and audiences didn't seem to care, neither did critics for that matter.  However over...

Seventy years ago, Alfred Hitchcock....the Master of Suspense....gave us the ultimate low-key, low-stakes paranoia thriller focusing on laid-up photographer L.B. played by the late great James Stewart.  L.B. has a broken leg and is stuck in his non-air-conditioned New York apartment where he has apparently has nothing better to do than.....watch.  Watch his neighbors that is as he lives in the mid...

Thirty years ago, this in-your-face violent satire of murder and media consumption was released to a mixture of acclaim and controversy.  Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone (Platoon, Wall Street) presented us with the story of Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis), two crazy lovers who are on a murder spree across the country.  What results is not only a national manhunt for them...

Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied France.... A beloved filmmaker (Quentin Tarantino) directed his first epic period piece just LOOSELY (very loosely) based upon true events....meaning World War II.  We follow several different characters all within France at the time including Shoshanna (Melanie Laurent) a Jewish movie theater owner, Lt. Aldo Raines (Brad Pitt), the leader of a small roving grope...

It has been more than seven years since the last entry in the long-running franchise was released....and lord knows how long has it been since we actually saw a GOOD Alien film? (Just one person's opinion) Well the xenomorph is BACK and the titular creature has brought its friends including several "face-huggers."  :o And they're ALL after a rag-tag group of young colonists who...

For much of August, we will be taking a break to get our proverbial batteries recharged - we'll be back to releasing new episodes before the end of the month. In the meantime, enjoy this special episode going back through our catalog of more than 330 episodes to rank THE  TOP TEN VILLIAN PERFORMANCES OF THE 1990'S! Host: Geoff Gershon Edited By Ella Gershon Producer: Marlene Gershon Send...

For much of August, we will be taking a break to get our proverbial batteries recharged - we'll be back to releasing new episodes before the end of the month. Forty-five years ago, one of The Greatest and Most Influential Science Fiction and Horror films was first released.   And now to celebrate the release of the latest entry in the long-running Alien saga - Alien: Romulus - here is a newly...

For the next couple of weeks, we will be taking a break to get our proverbial batteries recharged - we'll be back to releasing new episodes before the end of the month.  In the meantime, enjoy this special episode going back through our catalog of more than 330 episodes to rank THE  TOP TEN VILLIAN PERFORMANCES OF THE 1980'S!  Other decade lists to come..... Host: Geoff Gershon Edited By...

Forty-five years ago in the wake of the record-breaking success of the original Star Wars, the folks at EON Productions lead by the late, great Albert Broccoli decided to take their long-running James Bond franchise in a somewhat different direction.....IN SPACE!!! :) Yes THIS is the one where Agent 007 (Roger Moore) goes to space, though to be fair not until the third act.   Directed by Lewis Gil...

Sixty years, this might have very well been released as THE first franchise blockbuster.  It was the third entry in the James Bond franchise (adapted from a series of best-selling spy novels authored by Ian Fleming) which had been rapidly growing in popularity around the world.  Helmed by then up-and-coming British director Guy Hamilton, it featured the return of James Bond, Agent 007 of the Briti...

It only took 28 years but we have FINALLY got a sequel to the beloved mid '90's disaster blockbuster Twister....only is it really?  There are no returning characters, only a returning device named Dorothy....and of course several big tornadoes. ;) So yes once again we are following storm-chasers around Tornado Alley not only attempting to figure out new ways to monitor these increasingly...

Throughout the illustrious career of Oscar-winning director James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar), this remains his ONLY film which can be considered a financial failure.  It was his very much his first "blank check" project following the mega one-two punch of The Terminator and Aliens which were his previous two films.  Like those two beloved hits, he was once again crafting a sci-fi thriller...

Right smack in the middle of his run of playing James Bond in four consecutive movies, Pierce Brosnan took a SLIGHT detour in this remake of a sorta-classic from 1968, the romantic thriller of the same name starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway.  This is a somewhat modernized remake as we follow the exploits of a billionaire playboy named Thomas Crown (Brosnan) who also moonlights as an art thie...

Will Ferrell starts as the titular Ron Burgundy, a popular San Diego news anchor in the mid '70's who sees his world turned upside down when his station eventually hires a woman(!) to be a potential co-anchor on his news program.  Her name is Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), she's excellent at her job, they start dating, they fall in love.....and complications result.  T...

Frank Oz (What About Bob?, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) directed this satirical showbiz comedy with a truly unique premise: a now desperate movie producer named Bowfinger is positively set on filming a new movie on the fly with a popular movie star named Kit Ramsey....who doesn't know that he's being filmed. :o Bowfinger is played by Steve Martin who also wrote the screenplay and Kit Ramsey...

Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is BACK.....for the first time in 30 years no less. :o We return to the ongoing adventures of the fast-talking, unflappable Detroit police detective who keeps finding excuses to visit Beverly Hills....this time to attempt to help out his now-grown daughter (Taylor Paige) who is now a defense attorney and his old friend Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) who is now a private...

For the third entry in this successful sci-fi/horror franchise, the story kicks off at the very beginning of this worldwide alien invasion....in New York City, the city that never sleeps.  So now these terrifying creatures who are mainly attracted to sound waves....are landing in the ONE place with the most NOISE. :o Our main character this time around is Samira played by Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong...

Twenty-five years ago, this high-energy German-language action thriller started to take the world by storm as it was also released in the U.S. becoming an instant cult phenomenon.  The story it quite simple: Manny (Moritz Bliebtreu) is a young drug courier living in Berlin who has just bungled an important money delivery.....he's scared and desperate, so who does his call?? Why his Flaming Re...