Episode 109 - Noir Where Else to Go

We both love the classic noir films of the 40s and many filmmakers have tried to revisit that style and tone since those originals were released. We turn to two remakes of classic crime stories, starting with 1978's The Big Sleep, with an amazing cast led by Robert Mitchum and directed by the infamous Michael Winner.  It succeeds on almost every level especially with Mitchum's portrayal of Phillip Marlowe.  We follow that up with 1982's I, The Jury, starring Armand Assante...but it's just...not good. With a script by Larry Cohen, who is one of our favorite filmmakers, we had high expectations but at the end of the film our hopes were just as broken as the english language after Armand Assante struggled through his lines. Only the copious nudity in the film is left to recommend it.
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Episode 108 - The A is for Awesome

The cave is flickering at half-mast as we mourn the passing of one of our heroes. We lost the legendary George A. Romero recently and we felt it was important to feature his work on the next show. It also gave us an excuse to talk about the effect he and his films had on our lives. We are sure that we aren't the only ones out there who felt his loss deeply.  We start our tribute with a film that Romero considered his best, 1978's Martin. A tiny production, the film is a gritty reworking of the vampire mythos, set in a bleak inner city world where the old ways and the new ways are locked in an ongoing struggle. It stars John Amplas in a  remarkable performance but also features Romero himself in a small but important role as the local priest.  This is a challenging, impressive piece of cinema and still packs both a visceral and emotional punch. We follow that up with a real passion-project for Romero, 1981's Knightriders, which stars Ed Harris as "King Billy". He leads a motley group of people that have banded together around Billy's personal philosophy as they travel the countryside to put on shows for the locals.  The shows are a combination of a Renaissance Fair and a stuntshow, with motorcycles taking the place of the horses that knights would ride as they jousted and fought in the medieval era.  It is a real mishmash but, in large part, it works, and gives you a very interesting glimpse into the ways that Romero sees  the world. By all accounts, Romero was a great man, and one thing is for sure...he produced some great films which will stand the test of time.  We will miss you George, but we will never forget you.