In the second part of our tribute to actor and writer Gene Wilder, who passed away on August 26th, 2016, at the age of 83, Buddy, Jeff, and Chad look at his first big success as both a comedic actor and a writer with 1974's Young Frankenstein! Starring Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, Terry Garr, and Peter Boyle, with a cameo from Gene Hackman, this deliberately black-and white film pays tribute to the original three Frankenstein movies of the 1930s while also adeptly parodying the genre in a way not seen since! It's a masterpiece of imagining the Frankenstein scenario in the modern age, but replete with elements from the original films, including on-set equipment that was used in 1931 when the original Universal film was made! And finally, the filmic trio reveal the theme of episodes 16 and 17!
We recently lost a true genius as both a comic and serious actor, as well as an amazing writer. Gene Wilder passed away on August 26th, 2016, at the age of 83. Fortunately for us all, he left behind an absolutely amazing body of work, including the western parody film that all other western parody films since have been compared to (and found lacking against), 1974's Blazing Saddles, starring Cleavon Little, Harvey Korman, Mel Brooks, Slim Pickens, Madeline Kahn, Alex Karras, David Huddleston, and John Hillerman. Although not the first choice for the role, it became a defining one for him and for audiences everywhere! Jeff, Buddy, and Chad explore his career, his life, and the role that introduced his comic talents to the world!
Our first international film, we head to Japan for the world-wide phenomenon, 1998's Ringu (Ring). This film is an example of what modern horror can (and should) be, with a gripping story, amazing performances, and a twist ending the Shyamalan only wishes he could still pull off! Directed by Hideo Nakata, based on a novel by Koji Suzuki, and starring Nanako Matsushima, Niki Nakatani, Yuko Takeuchi, Hitomi Sato, and Yoichi Numata, this is a different kind of ghost story, one that casts a new light on why ghosts do what they do, and what outcomes the ghost most desires. Sometimes, it isn't what you think. Make sure you watch the subtitled version, so you don't miss the actors' vocal performances! This film is currently available on Amazon Prime. And don't miss the preview of episodes 14 and 15, a tribute to a great actor lost too soon!
Film geeks Jeff and Buddy force geek-in-training Chad to watch horror films, picked by horror afficianado Jeff, and he's going back 35 years for this one: 1981's Ghost Story. Directed by John Irvin, based on a novel by Peter Straub, and starring Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., John Houseman, Craig Wasson, Patricia Neal, and Alice Krige, this is, as Buddy describes, partially a "dark old house" film, but at the same time it's also a supernatural revenge story. No gore, just suspense and a few truly noteworthy make-up effects, this is a great film to watch on a dark winter's eve, but be sure you're watching it with someone else! This film is currently evailable online at Amazon Prime.
Get busy living or get busy dying. Great words from this week's film, 1994's The Shawshank Redemption! Jeff, Buddy, and Chad discuss the origin of the film (spoiler alert: another Stephen King novella) and why this film ranks among Hollywood's best in terms of direction, cinematography, writing, and acting! With Frank Darabont at the helm, lead talent like Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, and phenomenal supporting actors like Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown, and James Whitmore, it would be really difficult to screw this one up... and they didn't! This film is available for streaming on Amazon Prime. Finally, they head into the realms of horror and let Jeff (the horror film expert) pick the two films to be viewed next in episodes 12 and 13!
In the second part of our tribute to actor and writer Gene Wilder, who passed away on August 26th, 2016, at the age of 83, Buddy, Jeff, and Chad look at his first big success as both a comedic actor and a writer with 1974's Young Frankenstein! Starring Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, Terry Garr, and Peter Boyle, with a cameo from Gene Hackman, this deliberately black-and white film pays tribute to the original three Frankenstein movies of the 1930s while also adeptly parodying the genre in a way not seen since! It's a masterpiece of imagining the Frankenstein scenario in the modern age, but replete with elements from the original films, including on-set equipment that was used in 1931 when the original Universal film was made! And finally, the filmic trio reveal the theme of episodes 16 and 17!
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