Our second film in our pairing honoring the late Ned Beatty couldn't be more different from the first. From backwoods horror, we turn to the father of all modern superhero films, the first theatrical outing for a comic book character to present its story seriously for adult audiences! Richard Donner, who also recently passed away on July 5th, 2021, led an all-star cast including Margo Kidder, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Valerie Perrine, and Marlon Brando to create the film that made audiences believe a man could fly. But it was newcomer, Juilliard-trained actor, Christopher Reeve, who brought both Clark Kent and Superman to the screen in a way no actor will ever surpass, in 1978's "Superman: The Movie!" From Hackman's suave and insidious Lex Luthor, to Kidder's gumption-filled Lois Lane, to Reeve's dual identity, this film is replete with performances that were Oscar-worthy, regardless of whether the Academy recognized them as such or not (hint: they didn't). And when you add in special effect never seen before, and John William's amazing, soul-inspiring score, you have the quintessential superhero film for the ages! Plus, the trio reveal which two documentaries made the list for their 2nd trip through that genre!

Find us on Facebook!

Follow us on Twitter!

Support us on Patreon!

For this pairing, we are honoring actor Ned Beatty, who passed away on June 13th, 2021. To do so, however, we're pairing what are arguably his two most noteworthy films, but two films that absolutely do not go together well, so this becomes our most unusual pairing yet! The first film in the pairing is also Ned Beatty's first theatrical film, and one that got him noticed by Hollywood. Alongside Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, and fellow first-timer Ronny Cox, and directed by John Boorman, this film follows four friends from Atlanta who choose to go out into the wilds and travel down the Cahulawassee River in Georgia, before a nearby dam is finished that will destroy the river and the surrounding land, burying it under a man-made lake. Unfortunately, the world the four enter is one where unforgiving nature will have its way, and the Mountain folk they encounter act as its footservants. Between the locals, and the perils of the river itself, the adventure turns quickly into a horror that only some of them will survive!

Find us on Facebook!

Follow us on Twitter!

Support us on Patreon!

The second film in the pairing Jeff calls "The Myth of the Post-Apocalyptic Recovery" is "Logan's Run," a film that moves ahead in real time six years to 1976. Based on a 1967 novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johns, and directed by Michael Anderson, this film introduces viewers to a seeming utopia within a domed city. Run by computer, each person born has a crystal embedded in the palm of their left hand, which changes color as they age. When the crystal quickly blinks red and black, they are expected to report to the arena-like "Carousel" where they will attempt to gain renewal and be born again. Those who run from this responsibility are known, fittingly enough, as runners, and it is the job of the Sandmen to hunt them down and kill them. The story follows Logan 5 (Michael York) and Francis 7 (Richard Jordan), two Sandmen who revel in their work. But when a chance encounter with an ankh ensnares Logan in the master computer's quest to find a place called "Sanctuary," his lifeclock is sped up and he becomes a runner himself. Helped by Jessica (Jenny Agutter), a woman who has connections in the underground, Logan must outwit Francis and escape the dome. But when he does, what he finds is not at all what he expects! The proto-typical science fiction film about the truth of utopias and the necessity of freedom, this is a seminal work in the genre, even if the special effects haven't aged particularly well. And the trio explain why they've bumped back their list in order to pay tribute to a famous character actor who recently passed away!

Find us on Facebook!

Follow us on Twitter!

Support us on Patreon!

This pairing is what Jeff calls "The Myth of the Post-Apocalyptic Recovery," in that both films take place after an armageddon of sorts, when life has supposedly gotten back to an idyllic status quo. The first film in the pairing is a rarity on this podcast: A sequel! Only the third sequel reviewed thus far. It's 1970's budget-crippled "Beneath the Planet of the Apes." The film picks up at the final moments of the original, and follows Taylor (Charlton Heston) and Nova (Linda Harrison) as they head out into the wilds of the Forbidden Zone. After trying to confront something that could not possibly be, Taylor vanishes, and Nova stumbles upon Brent (James Franciscus), another astronaut who was part of the mission to find out what happened to Taylor and his comrades. Nova leads Brent to Cornelius (this time played by David Watson) and Zira (Kim Hunter), after which they escape capture and flee into the Forbidden Zone, only to find out there are other humans left alive as well, but not quite fully human any longer. An able attempt by director Ted Post, which would likely have been better had the studio not cut their production budget in half!

Find us on Facebook!

Follow us on Twitter!

Support us on Patreon!