It's off to the chilly Lake Michigan shore community of Chicago for this episode as the trio review one of their favorite buddy cop films of all times, 1986's "Running Scared!" Directed by Peter Hyams, and starring Gregory Hines, Billy Crystal, Jimmy Smits, Darlanne Fluegel, Joe Pantoliano, Dan Heydaya, Jon Gries and Tracy Reed, this is a mostly-forgotten gem in the "buddy cop" genre! While a bit more light-hearted than a lot of others of this type, the movie does an excellent job of following most of the rules of the genre without succumbing to tripping over the tropes and showing a lot of over-used elements. Although it's clearly an 80s film (watch for the "carphone"), otherwise, it's still representative of the best this type of story can become!
For the second film in our homage to the car chase, we turn to 1971's "Vanishing Point," which answers the question "Does speed kill?" in more ways than one. Directed by Richard C. Sarafian, written by Cuban screenwriter Guillermo Cabrera Infante, and starring Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, Dean Jagger, and Victoria Medlin, the film represents a significant entry in the counter-culture movie genre especially popular in the early 1970s, when disillusionment with the government, the police, the war in Vietnam, and organized religion was starting to really simmer. It also has a rather deep philosophical message (although whether existential or nihilistic, we'll let you be the judge) that doesn't exactly endear the film to one of our reviewers once he understand it, but it's interesting nonetheless! Plus, Buddy, Chad, and Jeff reveal what two non-traditional buddy cop films they'll be talking about for the next two episodes!
We're celebrating the car chase in films in this episode of the podcast, with the movie that defined what a film car chase should be, and is still influencing moviemakers today, 1968's "Bullitt!" Directed by Peter Yates, and starring Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Duvall, Simon Oakland, Norman Fell, and George Stanford Brown, it's a trip back to the end of the 60s in San Francisco! Plus minor supporting roles by Vic Tayback, stuntman Bill Hickman, a cameo appearances by Julie Christy, and a first-ever cinematic appearance from Joanna Cassidy! And accompanied by a Lalo Schifrin score, this movie is an ode to police work at the turn of the decade, even if one of our geeks feels the romantic storyline was shoehorned in. :)
It's the second of our looks at the comedy work of the one, the only, Bill Murray, in 1993's "Groundhog Day!" Directed and co-written by long-time friend Harold Ramis, Murray plays weatherman Phil Connors who gets stuck in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, reliving the same day, and having to cover the groundhog, over and over and over and over and over... but ultimately for good reason. Co-written by Danny Rubin, and co-starring Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brian Doyle-Murray, Rick Ducommun, and Rick Overton, this film has such an ultimately funny AND profound message that some major world religions think it represents tenets of their individual philosophies! Plus, it has some of the most quotable lines ever to come from a Bill Murray movie! And finally, the trio disclose the first full pairing of their second hundred episodes, coming up next!!
Happy 100th episode! To celebrate, we're focusing on the genius work from actor and comedian Bill Murray, starting with his 1981 blockbuster hit "Stripes!" When a disaffected slacker decides to join the army, and drags his best friend with him, it could be a train-wreck, but with Ivan Reitman at the helm, and Bill Murray and Harold Ramis as the stars, it becomes one of the best comedies in American cinema! Co-starring John Candy, John Larroquette, P.J. Soles, Sean Young, John Diehl, Judge Reinhold, and the amazing Warren Oates, this was an anthem for the beginning of the Reagan era by poking holes in the idea that the military was the solution for everything, for everyone! And with Elmer Bernstein providing the orchestral musical score, this movie provides an fantastic viewing experience even now!
It's off to the chilly Lake Michigan shore community of Chicago for this episode as the trio review one of their favorite buddy cop films of all times, 1986's "Running Scared!" Directed by Peter Hyams, and starring Gregory Hines, Billy Crystal, Jimmy Smits, Darlanne Fluegel, Joe Pantoliano, Dan Heydaya, Jon Gries and Tracy Reed, this is a mostly-forgotten gem in the "buddy cop" genre! While a bit more light-hearted than a lot of others of this type, the movie does an excellent job of following most of the rules of the genre without succumbing to tripping over the tropes and showing a lot of over-used elements. Although it's clearly an 80s film (watch for the "carphone"), otherwise, it's still representative of the best this type of story can become!
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