Dec 19

Episode 38: Cape Fear (1991)

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Cape FearIn this week’s episode, we follow up our screening of the original Cape Fear with Martin Scorsese’s 1991 remake!

We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because DeNiro’s appetite for scenery chewing must be witnessed. This film can currently be seen streaming on Netflix, Vudu, Amazon, iTunes, YouTube, Google Play… just about anywhere.

Please join us again on December 21st for a far more cheerful film, the ever-delightful Thin Man!

Cape Fear (1991)
Cape Fear poster Rating: 7.3/10 (221,102 votes)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: John D. MacDonald, James R. Webb, Wesley Strick
Stars: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange
Runtime: 128 min
Rated: R
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Released: 15 Nov 1991
Plot: A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a fourteen-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him.

Nov 21

Episode 37: Cape Fear (1962)

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Cape FearIn this week’s episode, we go back to our Robert Mitchum well with a screening of the original Cape Fear!

We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because Robert Mitchum demands it. This film can currently be rented from Amazon, YouTube, and iTunes.

Please join us again on December 7th when we follow up with Martin Scorsese’s 1991 remake of Cape Fear!

Cape Fear (1962)
Cape Fear poster Rating: 7.7/10 (32,458 votes)
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Writer: John D. MacDonald, James R. Webb
Stars: Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen
Runtime: 106 min
Rated: Approved
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Released: 15 Jun 1962
Plot: A lawyer's family is stalked by a man he once helped put in jail.

Nov 07

Episode 36: The Long Good Friday

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The Long Good FridayIn this week’s episode, we watch a film that made a star out of Bob Hoskins: The Long Good Friday!

We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because it’s amazing and it has Helen Mirren in it. This film can be a challenge to find right now, since the Criterion Collection DVD has long been out of print (spine #25!), but DVDs and Blu-Rays from various other publishers can be found on Amazon for a reasonable price. (Stray illicit streaming copies can also be found around the internet, but we didn’t see any right now that were of good quality.)

Please join us on November 21st when we visit the original Cape Fear!

The Long Good Friday (1980)
The Long Good Friday poster Rating: 7.6/10 (26,461 votes)
Director: John Mackenzie
Writer: Barrie Keeffe
Stars: Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Paul Freeman
Runtime: 114 min
Rated: R
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Released: 02 Apr 1982
Plot: An up-and-coming gangster is tested by the insurgence of an unknown, very powerful threat.

Oct 23

Episode 35: Odd Man Out

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Odd Man OutIn this week’s episode, we get our James Mason on with a viewing of Odd Man Out!

We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because this film is fascinating. This film can be rented on Amazon Prime, and is available on DVD.

Please join us on November 7th when we continue forward in British film history with a film that made a star out of Bob Hoskins: The Long Good Friday!

Odd Man Out (1947)
Odd Man Out poster Rating: 7.6/10 (11,577 votes)
Director: Carol Reed
Writer: F.L. Green, R.C. Sherriff
Stars: James Mason, Robert Newton, Cyril Cusack
Runtime: 116 min
Rated: Approved
Genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Released: 23 Apr 1947
Plot: A wounded Irish nationalist leader attempts to evade police following a failed robbery in Belfast.

Oct 07

Episode 34: Sorcerer

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SorcererIn this week’s episode, we look at William Friedkin’s 1970s remake of Wages of Fear, Sorcerer!

We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because this is a film to be experienced. This film can be rented in HD on Amazon Prime, and is available on DVD and Blu-Ray in all its restored glory.

Please join us on October 21st when we go back into the world of British film noir with Odd Man Out!

Sorcerer (1977)
Sorcerer poster Rating: 7.7/10 (29,079 votes)
Director: William Friedkin
Writer: Walon Green, Georges Arnaud, William Friedkin
Stars: Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal
Runtime: 121 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Released: 24 Jun 1977
Plot: Four unfortunate men from different parts of the globe agree to risk their lives transporting gallons of nitroglycerin across dangerous Latin American jungle.

Sep 21

Episode 33: The Wages of Fear

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Wages of FearIn this week’s episode, we take a look at Henri-Georges Clouzot’s masterpiece of tension, Le salaire de la peur, aka The Wages of Fear!

We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because this is a film you have to witness. This film is part of The Criterion Collection, so it can be found streaming on Hulu Plus, iTunes, and Amazon Prime, as well as on an excellent two-DVD/Blu-Ray set.

If you are interested in how nitroglycerin actually explodes (or just what a nitroglycerin explosion looks like in slow motion), here’s a nice little YouTube video.

Please join us on October 7th when we visit John Frankenheimer’s 1970s remake of The Wages of Fear: Sorcerer!

The Wages of Fear (1953)
The Wages of Fear poster Rating: 8.1/10 (67,686 votes)
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Writer: Georges Arnaud, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jérôme Géronimi
Stars: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter van Eyck
Runtime: 131 min
Rated: Not Rated
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Released: 16 Feb 1955
Plot: In a decrepit South American village, four men are hired to transport an urgent nitroglycerine shipment without the equipment that would make it safe.

Sep 17

Episode 32: Rancho Notorious

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Rancho NotoriousIn this week’s episode, we welcome playwright/actor Kelvin Hatle to our table as we discuss what happens when Fritz Lang directs a western: Rancho Notorious!

We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because you really must witness at least the drinking game scene. This film is available on DVD from Amazon and can probably be found a few other select places. (Beware of the streaming copy on DailyMotion, which is missing scenes.)

Please join us on September 21st for an episode about the French masterpiece of tension: The Wages of Fear!

Rancho Notorious (1952)
Rancho Notorious poster Rating: 6.8/10 (5,652 votes)
Director: Fritz Lang
Writer: Daniel Taradash, Silvia Richards
Stars: Marlene Dietrich, Arthur Kennedy, Mel Ferrer
Runtime: 89 min
Rated: Approved
Genre: Western
Released: 12 May 1952
Plot: After the murder of his fiancée, a Wyoming ranch hand sets out to find her killer.

Aug 21

Episode 31: Ministry of Fear

, with special guest:

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Ministry of FearIn this week’s episode, we have a grand time talking about all that cake in Fritz Lang’s Ministry of Fear!

We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because it’s loads of fun and we don’t want to spoil it for you. This film is available on DVD from Amazon and elsewhere, and if you’re lucky, there might still be an illicit copy of the whole film hanging out on YouTube.

Please join us on September 7th for the third and final movie in our Fritz Lang triple feature: Rancho Notorious!

Ministry of Fear (1944)
Ministry of Fear poster Rating: 7.1/10 (9,059 votes)
Director: Fritz Lang
Writer: Seton I. Miller, Graham Greene
Stars: Ray Milland, Marjorie Reynolds, Carl Esmond
Runtime: 86 min
Rated: Approved
Genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Released: 04 Jan 1945
Plot: Stephen Neale has just been released from an asylum during World War II in England when he accidentally stumbles onto a deadly Nazi spy plot and tries to stop it.

Aug 07

Episode 30: The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

, with special guest:

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The Testament of Dr. MabuseIn this week’s episode, we thoroughly enjoy a movie banned personally by Joseph Goebbels: The Testament of Dr. Mabuse!

We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because the second part of the episode will probably make no sense whatsoever if you don’t. This film is easily available via a great 2-disc set released by Criterion, and is also currently available streaming on Hulu Plus.

Please join us on August 21st for second movie in our Fritz Lang triple feature: Ministry of Fear!

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse poster Rating: 7.9/10 (13,758 votes)
Director: Fritz Lang
Writer: Norbert Jacques, Fritz Lang, René Sti
Stars: Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Otto Wernicke, Thomy Bourdelle
Runtime: 122 min
Rated: Not Rated
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Released: 19 Mar 1943
Plot: A criminal mastermind uses hypnosis to rule the rackets after death.

Jul 25

Episode 29: Night of the Hunter

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Night of the HunterIn this week’s episode, we take a long look at the only film ever directed by Charles Laughton: Night of the Hunter!

We highly recommend you watch the film before listening to the episode, because we not only discuss spoilers, but we talk about them at length. This film is easily available on DVD, and is also available on many rental streaming channels (Vudu, Amazon, Google Play, etc.)

We apologize for the late delivery of this episode, once again. When you hear our audio on this episode, you’ll understand why. We wound up recording outside the Trylon Theater, so we were plagued by road noise and questionable acoustics unique to the interior of a Honda Civic. We did a lot of cleanup on the audio, but the results are less than perfect. But we had a really great discussion about the film, so we hope the quality of our discussion makes up for the quality of the audio. It will be better next time!

Please join us on August 7th for one of the amazing pre-Noir films of Fritz Lang: The Testament of Dr. Mabuse!

The Night of the Hunter (1955)
The Night of the Hunter poster Rating: 8.0/10 (100,134 votes)
Director: Charles Laughton
Writer: Davis Grubb, James Agee, Charles Laughton
Stars: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish
Runtime: 92 min
Rated: Approved
Genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Released: 27 Jul 1955
Plot: A self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.