"Remember, Esther: for every dream of yours you make come true, you’ll pay the price in heartbreak." The story is one that people connect with – a desire to follow your dreams, as crazy as they may be, and what happens when you make it. But with the rise of a new talent in each iteration of A Star Is Born, we also see the decline of another. Perhaps it’s that emotional balance between these two journeys that makes this such a popular story to tell and retell. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelso...
Mar 21, 2019•59 min•Season 8Ep. 34
"Remember why you’re climbing these steps." In a franchise so full of sequels, it was inevitable that the success of the spin-quel Creed would be followed up with its own sequel. And while Ryan Coogler was busy on Black Panther, Sylvester Stallone and his team found a very capable director with Steven Caple Jr. The movie was released in 2018 and was a box office hit, even if people largely found it to be ‘just another sequel’ in the Rocky franchise. But is it more than that? Join us – Pete Wrigh...
Mar 14, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 8Ep. 33
"Use the name. It’s yours." Returning to the Rocky story without Rocky helming might sound like a big misstep, but with the guiding hands of Ryan Coogler, it was a huge success and breathed new life into the nearly 40-year-old franchise. Coogler’s Creed put a spin on the story that allowed for new characters to enter the frame while letting the established lead – Rocky Balboa – to take on the mantle of trainer. It all worked exceptionally well. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we conti...
Mar 07, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Season 8Ep. 32
"What we’ll be calling on is good, old fashioned, blunt force trauma." Sixteen years after Rocky V opened, the final final installment of the story of Rocky Balboa hit screens. Sylvester Stallone admitted to making the fifth for the money and wanted to really come back strong to finish it right this time. And he certainly does, giving his final entry as the franchise’s lead a great wrap-up. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our exploration of the Rocky films with Stallone’s ...
Feb 28, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 8Ep. 31
"It ain’t all muscle, it’s all heart. Heart and fire." Sylvester Stallone returned to his beloved Rocky series in 1990, fully intending to close it out with a story as powerful as the first one. He even got John G. Avildsen back to direct it. Unfortunately, the film was a weaker film, one that didn’t find much love from critics or audiences. It made its money back and was a financial success at the box office, but nowhere near the four films that preceded it. But how does it hold up nearly 30 ye...
Feb 21, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 8Ep. 30
"I must break you." At the height of the Cold War, it seems fitting that Sylvester Stallone would find incredible success in his Rocky franchise by weaving a tale about his all-American boxer going up against a cold, almost-robotic Russian boxer. The film found tremendous success at the box office, becoming the highest grossing sports film ever, a record which it held for 24 years. But how well does it hold up today? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Rocky series with St...
Feb 14, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Season 8Ep. 29
"No, I don’t hate Balboa, but I pity the fool and I will destroy any man who tries to take what I got." Three years after the success of Rocky II, Sylvester Stallone went back to the mats with the third film in the franchise and made yet another box office smash. But was Rocky III as good as it could have been? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Rocky series with Stallone’s 1982 film Rocky III. We look at the formula that Stallone has created with this franchise so far, w...
Feb 07, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Season 8Ep. 28
"You got the heart, but you ain’t got the tools no more." Sylvester Stallone’s directorial debut, Paradise Alley, was a flop and the studio didn’t want to give him another shot when he said he wanted to direct Rocky II. Luckily, Rocky was such a success and the producers knew he was largely the man behind it, so they gave him another chance. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Rocky series with Stallone’s 1979 film Rocky II. We talk about how this film fixes some of the is...
Jan 31, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 8Ep. 27
"All I wanna do is go the distance." Sylvester Stallone pretty much embodies everything about the character Rocky Balboa that he created for the film Rocky. He’s someone who wanted to go the distance, and may not have won but proved that he had the determination and stamina to really persevere in the long haul. And what’s interesting about the first film in the Rocky franchise is that it’s more a 70s character study than it really is a boxing film. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we k...
Jan 24, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Season 8Ep. 26
"Parting is such sweet sorrow." The works of William Shakespeare have been adapted to the screen more times than any other author, and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is way up there with at least 44 direct screen versions and even more adaptations (West Side Story, anyone?). It speaks to the way that Shakespeare still speaks to the populace, or at least to the number of filmmakers who want to make their own mark cinematically with the Bard’s words. To that end, Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 version stands out la...
Jan 17, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Season 8Ep. 25
"We’re all fools. You can’t be part of the human race and not be a fool to somebody." Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward had already been married for a decade before Newman decided to make his directorial debut with Woodward as his star in 1968’s Rachel, Rachel. The film was a small character piece that likely garnered box office and awards attention because of the caliber of those two people heading it up. It was nominated for Best Picture in 1968, but seems to be largely lost in time these days. ...
Jan 10, 2019•58 min•Season 8Ep. 24
"You raised an artificial spirit in the lad unbecoming to his station in life. This would never have happened if you kept him on gruel." Film adaptations of Charles Dickens’ works almost seem as common as Shakespeare’s works. It’s even quite possible that certain stories of his may have been adapted for the screen more frequently than some from the Bard. When Carol Reed brought Lionel Bart’s musical stage adaptation to the big screen in 1968, the time was ripe for it. Audiences and critics loved...
Jan 03, 2019•57 min•Season 8Ep. 23
"What family doesn’t have its ups and downs?" British royalty is full of fascinating tales of power, conspiracies, distrust, and greed. They make such great characters that actors relish the opportunities to play them, sometimes even playing the same character more than once. Peter O’Toole certainly jumped at the chance when he read the script for The Lion in Winter based on the play. Having already played Henry II in Beckett a few years earlier, he seemed eager to dig back into the king’s life ...
Dec 27, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Season 8Ep. 22
"I’m the German Ethel Merman, don’tcha know!?"Adapting a non-musical into a Broadway musical into a film musical takes a lot of work, but Mel Brooks clearly had the gumption to do it, and was successful most of the way along. His Broadway adaptation of 1968’s The Producers was a massive hit with records that still haven’t been broken. The question, then, is why the film adaptation of that hit floundered at the box office? It’s a tricky question and as is almost always the case, there really isn’...
Dec 20, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Season 8Ep. 21
"How could this happen? I was so careful! I picked the wrong play, the wrong director, the wrong cast – where did I go right?"Mel Brooks got his start doing stand-up comedy and as a TV writer, but he finally got his chance to direct a feature film when he read his script The Producers to producer Sidney Glazier, who wanted to make it right away. Once the film was made, however, the backers were nervous about the film and wanted to shelf it. It took an accidental screening by actor Peter Sellers ...
Dec 13, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Season 8Ep. 20
"You really think there’s ‘happy ever after’ for people like us?"With his successful start as James Bond, Pierce Brosnan thought he’d try his hand at producing, and after a small film for their first test outing, he and producing partner Beau St. Clair opted to remake the McQueen/Dunaway heist classic The Thomas Crown Affair. For many people, it’s the definitive version of the story. But how well does it hold up when viewed next to the original? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we cont...
Dec 06, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Season 8Ep. 19
"Do you play?"Norman Jewison had worked with Steve McQueen on the film The Cincinnati Kid, so it was natural for him to immediately think of McQueen in the title role of The Thomas Crown Affair when he got the script. Luckily for him, McQueen was interested, as the part was vastly different from other types of people he’d played in the past. He worked opposite Faye Dunaway in her second major leading role, and the two created some amazing screen chemistry. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson –...
Nov 29, 2018•1 hr•Season 8Ep. 18
"I like the stink of the streets. It makes me feel good." By the time Sergio Leone got the cameras rolling on what would turn out to be his last film, nearly thirteen years had passed since he last sat behind the camera. If anyone expected a filmmaker with rusty skills however, they certainly didn’t get that. Leone was as masterful a filmmaker as he was in decades past. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up our celebration of Leone’s Once Upon a Time trilogy with his 1984 film On...
Nov 22, 2018•1 hr 10 min•Season 8Ep. 17
"If it’s a revolution, it’s confusion. Where there’s confusion, a man who knows what he wants stands a good chance of getting it." Sergio Leone really wanted to produce his next film after his western opus Once Upon a Time in the West, but unfortunately, no one would have it. They wanted him in the director’s chair. His reticence, paired with his delay in taking the reins, perhaps reflect in the output of his film Duck, You Sucker!, aka A Fistful of Dynamite, aka Once Upon a Time… The Revolution...
Nov 15, 2018•58 min•Season 8Ep. 16
"You don’t sell the dream of a lifetime." Sergio Leone didn’t want to return to westerns after his Man With No Name trilogy – he already felt like made his western epic and wanted to move on to something else. When Paramount offered him a three picture deal with a big budget AND Henry Fonda though, he couldn’t pass it up and he found himself returning to the well once again. But would it work as well as his previous films did? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our celebratio...
Nov 08, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Season 8Ep. 15
"Choke on ‘em! Choke on ‘em!" When George Romero set out to make his final film in his original zombie trilogy, he had to cut his script back quite a bit to fit the budget he was given. While he said he still told the story he set out to tell, it leaves you wondering what elements of his story might have fallen by the wayside. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up our the 50th anniversary celebration series on Romero’s Dead trilogy with his 1985 film Day of the Dead. We talk abou...
Nov 01, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Season 8Ep. 14
"They’re after the place. They don’t know why, they just remember – remember that they want to be in here." It took George A. Romero 10 years to get back to the world of zombies that he’d created in 1968, and largely that was because he wasn’t that interested to return initially. It took a tour of a new local shopping mall and a call from Dario Argento to push him in the right direction. With his interest renewed, Romero and team went on to make one of the seminal zombie films – one that dealt w...
Oct 25, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Season 8Ep. 13
"Kill the brain and you kill the ghoul." Zombies are commonplace nowadays, but in the mid 60s, they were more connected to voodoo stories. It wasn’t until George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead in 1968 when zombies as we know them today became firmly established. But how well does the film hold up when watching through today’s zombie-filled goggles? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue celebrating 50th anniversaries of films and franchises by kicking off a series looking a...
Oct 18, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Season 8Ep. 12
"Don’t come near, honey. Molten gold wouldn’t suit your skin."Creating a movie from a comic book has obviously become a huge way to make money at the box office these days, but back in the late 60s, it seemed a bit riskier. Dino de Laurentiis wanted to make a film out of the incredibly popular Italian comic “Diabolik”, but the first try was bad and not worth finishing. It took a bit for people to really connect with the vision. So he dumped it and started again. Luckily, his second go-around – t...
Oct 11, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Season 8Ep. 11
"I believe in live and let live."Frank Sinatra and his rat pack are found in specific types of films, so seeing him in this dark, realistic detective story seems like a bit of surprise. When you think back to his performances in films like From Here to Eternity and The Manchurian Candidate, however, it’s easier to see how Sinatra might fit in a film like Gordon Douglas’ 1968 The Detective. But how well does it hold up today? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson - as we continue celebrating 50th...
Oct 04, 2018•55 min•Season 8Ep. 10
"Well, well, well, what have we got here? Buffalo Bill with the fancy hat!"Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood worked with each other on five films, but before they first started, neither of them had heard of the other. Luckily, with a little homework, they both realized they enjoyed each other’s work and agreed to sign on to do Coogan’s Bluff together. Unfortunately for us, the film doesn’t hold up very well since it was first released 50 years ago. But are there still elements worth looking at? Join...
Sep 27, 2018•55 min•Season 8Ep. 9
"My kind of horror isn’t horror anymore."One of Roger Corman’s claims to fame is that he’s never lost money on a movie, and one of the reasons that holds true is because he never spends much money on any of them. For beginning filmmakers looking to learn their craft and hopefully make it big, this is something they work with. Like many great filmmakers who got their start with Corman (another of his claims to fame), Peter Bogdanovich worked as a writer before being given a chance to write and di...
Sep 20, 2018•59 min•Season 8Ep. 8
"Ape never kills ape." Twentieth Century Fox had found great success with their Planet of the Apes franchise, but they also were learning that a continuous run of sequels would bring less and less money back in. So by the time they got to the fifth entry in the series, the budget was a pittance compared to that of the first film. This time, however, it really feels like the cheap end of a franchise. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up our Apes series with J. Lee Thompson’s 1973...
Sep 13, 2018•1 hr•Season 8Ep. 7
"The savage must be shackled in chains. You are that beast, Caesar." J. Lee Thompson was meant to direct the original Planet of the Apes film but wasn’t able to due to project conflicts. By the time the franchise got to the fourth film, Thompson was invited back to finally make his mark. The budget was lower than it had been previously, but he still did his best with what he had, and he made the darkest of the franchise. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our series on the or...
Sep 06, 2018•55 min•Season 8Ep. 6
"I did it because I like chimpanzees best of all apes, and you the best of all chimpanzees." Twentieth Century Fox had found that cheap sequels could turn healthy profits so immediately booked Paul Dehn, the writer of Beneath the Planet of the Apes, to write a third in the series. Unfortunately, the second film ended with the planet being blown up. For Dehn, that was just a thrilling challenge to overcome, and overcome it he did. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Planet ...
Aug 30, 2018•55 min•Season 8Ep. 5
