Episode 179: The second film in our Woody Allen film pairing moves ahead two years to 1979 for the love-letter crafted specifically to and for New York City, "Manhattan!" Also directed and written by, and starring Woody Allen, it tells the story of Isaac, a 42-year-old man who is dating a 17-year-old beauty, Tracy (played by Mariel Hemingway). His best friend Yale (Michael Murphy) is married, but having an affair with Mary (Diane Keaton), and introduces Isaac and Mary. Sparks fly, and soon enough Mary's cut things off with Yale and Isaac has broken up with Tracy. The two give their relationship the old NYC try, but will it work out? You'll have to watch the movie to find out, as the trio resolutely refuse to spoil the ending, although that's close to the only thing all three agree on. Plus, find out what two musicals written specifically for film will be the subject of the next set of reviews!
Episode 178: This pairing focuses on the work of writer/ director Woody Allen, and the trio jump into the film that won Allen a Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Academy Award, along with a Best Actress in a Leading Role Oscar for leading lady Diane Keaton! Directed, written by, and starring Woody Allen, "Annie Hall" is the story of the ill-fated relationship between Alvy Singer (Allen) and Annie Hall (Keaton). Told almost as a retrospective on their relationship, the film also features Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon in a rare cinematic role, Shelly Duvall, Colleen Dewhurst, and Christopher Walken. Plus, cameos from Dick Cavett, Jeff Goldblum, Shelly Hack, Beverly D'Angelo, and (if you look REALLY closely) Sigourney Weaver! This is also the farthest apart the trio have ever been regarding a movie in the history of the podcast!
Episode 177: The second film in our pairing of modern war movies is from 1998, and may very well be the finest, most honest, most horror-filled, and most accurate war film in the history of cinema. "Saving Private Ryan" was directed by modern master Steven Spielberg, and features an amazing cast of talented actors including Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, Jeremy Davies, Matt Damon, Ted Danson, Paul Giamatti, and Dennis Farina, to name but a few! The first 30 minutes of the movie takes you to the invasion of Normandy in a way no film has ever even attempted, let alone succeeded this well! Brutal, bloody, and brilliant, this film (like "Full Metal Jacket") doesn't shy away from showing the horrors of war, but being set in World War Two, it doesn't take quite as pessimistic an approach as the previous film. And then, find out what director (enjoyed by two of the three hosts) will be the focus of the next pairing, and which host isn't looking forward to it at all!
Episode 176: We turn to modern war films for this pairing, starting with legendary director Stanley Kubrick's last good film, 1987's "Full Metal Jacket." Starring Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D'Onofrio, Arliss Howard, and the premiere of the incredible R. Lee Ermey as Gny. Sgt. Hartman, turning in a performance that actually caused Stanley to allow him to improvise, something Kubrick was famous for prohibiting in his actors! This film is a no-holds-barred look at the true horrors of war and the toll it takes on those who enlist during wartime. Set in the Vietnam War, this film is a two-part story: The first follows the squad through the hell that is basic training for the Marines, while the second part shows some of them out in the wilds of Vietnam, coping with the moral ambiguity that comes on a battlefield. And while this film is difficult to watch, it's a movie everyone should see at least once!
Episode 175: Romero waited 10 years to release a sequel to "Night of the Living Dead," but when he did, he had the support of fans across the world as well as other filmmakers! Italian horror-master Dario Argento offered up his house so Romero could write undisturbed, acted as script supervisor, and even wrote and performed the score (with his band "The Goblins"), all in exchange for the editing rights to the European release. This film solidified Romero's rules for zombie films, rules he would follow in every other "Dead" film he'd ever make. This one, in color, was going to be assigned an "X" rating by the MPAA due to violence alone, so Romero released it unrated. Were it any other filmmaker, and any other film, this would have spelled disaster, but everyone wanted to see this film, so distributors actually sent it to theatres unrated. The end result is the 2nd seminal zombie film, this time taking place in an early fully-enclosed shopping environment we would come to know as a "mall." Plus, the trio reveal which first-time (for them) genre they'll be tackling for the next pairing!
Episode 179: The second film in our Woody Allen film pairing moves ahead two years to 1979 for the love-letter crafted specifically to and for New York City, "Manhattan!" Also directed and written by, and starring Woody Allen, it tells the story of Isaac, a 42-year-old man who is dating a 17-year-old beauty, Tracy (played by Mariel Hemingway). His best friend Yale (Michael Murphy) is married, but having an affair with Mary (Diane Keaton), and introduces Isaac and Mary. Sparks fly, and soon enough Mary's cut things off with Yale and Isaac has broken up with Tracy. The two give their relationship the old NYC try, but will it work out? You'll have to watch the movie to find out, as the trio resolutely refuse to spoil the ending, although that's close to the only thing all three agree on. Plus, find out what two musicals written specifically for film will be the subject of the next set of reviews! 
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