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Don’t Push Pause is a monthly podcast bringing you discussions on movies from the 70s, 80s and 90s. DPP consists of a main discussion on a featured film, followed up by our Picks of the Week, and closing with our signature (Bill) Murray Moment.
Episodes
Monday Sep 21, 2020
Monday Sep 21, 2020
ALMOST FAMOUS has not aged a day since its release in 2000. Writer/director/producer Cameron Crowe is known for films which speak to romantic or nostalgic sensibilities. ALMOST FAMOUS gave him the opportunity to tell an unconventional & endearing story from his youth. This cinematically poetic love letter to music shepherds a coming of age story on the road with a touring band & a teenager clinging to his morals while carving his path into journalism. Timeless & inspiring, this story is alllllmost completely true.
▶️Synopsis: In 1973, a 15-year-old music journalist went on tour with an up-and-coming rock band. While uncovering intimate truths about the music world, interpersonal & romantic relationships, he tries not to involve himself in the story, which is headed for the cover of Rolling Stone.
⏩⏩Discussions include: A brief history on Crowe’s career pre-ALMOST FAMOUS; origin of the script, influences, blurring together fact & fiction; musical guidance on songwriting & authenticity; journalism, realism, fandom & heart of the film; the vibrant cast & character breakdowns, plus casting stories & Crowe’s style of emotional manipulation, creating a mood & mixing tones; the “Bootleg Cut,” critical & box office reception, along with the film’s extreme rewatchability.
**Starring Patrick Fugit, Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand. Directed by Cameron Crowe.**
▶️**PICKS OF THE WEEK**
—Lindsay’s Pick, DESERT BLUE (1998): Driven by a need to posthumously complete his father’s desert waterpark, a young man falls for a stranded out-of-towner and lets her into his unfamiliar, small town world.
**Starring Brendan Sexton III, Kate Hudson, Christina Ricci, Casey Affleck. Directed by Morgan J. Freeman.**
—Justin’s Pick, SINGLES (1992): Set during Seattle’s grunge-era, this story follows people living in one apartment complex, all in a state of change, experiencing effects of past relationships on current ones and searching for companionship.
**Starring Bridget Fonda, Campbell Scott, Kyra Sedgwick, Matt Dillon. Directed by Cameron Crowe.**
▶️MURRAYMOMENT: Firsthand details on musician Laena Geronimo’s weekend hanging out with Billy at 2010’s South By Southwest.
▶️FINAL THOUGHTS: A serendipitous moment Hudson shared with her mom, Goldie Hawn, and the awesome “Stairway to Heaven” deleted scene in ALMOST FAMOUS.
▶️EXTENDED CUT: A peek into the Laena Geronimo’s band FEELS’ second album, Post Earth, with the incendiary track, “Find a Way.”
▶️ Next Up: THE EXORCIST III!
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Imagine paying your dues in an unforgiving entertainment world for over 10 years, then becoming an international sensation almost overnight. That was Jim Carrey’s life in 1994. ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE garnered much attention for everyone involved, but this bizarre detective comedy was an extreme gamble with great deal of thought beneath the surface.
▶️Synopsis: When the mascot for the Miami Dolphins is kidnapped, a pet detective named Ace Ventura is hired to solve the crime. After immersing himself in the case & subsequent kidnapping of the team’s all-star quarterback, Ventura finds himself in a twisted tale of the revenge.
⏩⏩Discussions include: Origin & revisions of the ACE script; Carrey and director Tom Shadyac’s backstories, creative contributions & how the film affected their careers; use of framing & editing to meld together multiple styles of humor with a detective story; lowdown on the cast, reception of the film, cultural impact, deconstructing ACE’s controversial third act & a ton of behind-the-scenes moments.
**Starring Jim Carrey, Sean Young, Courteney Cox, Tone Loc. Directed by Tom Shadyac.**
▶️**PICKS OF THE WEEK**
—Lindsay’s Pick, THE MASK (1994): A sweet, all-around “nice guy” comes upon a mysterious mask which awakens the extreme version of himself. A live-action, vibrant comic book come to life!
**Starring Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Greene. Directed by Chuck Russell.**
—Justin’s Pick, DUMB AND DUMBER (1994): Idiotic best friends come across a suitcase of money, leading the duo on a cross-country adventure to find the beautiful woman who left the briefcase behind.
**Starring Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Holly. Directed by Peter Farrelly.**
▶️MURRAYMOMENT: A trip back to Billy being part of a guerrilla investigative journalism team called TVTV who went behind-the-scenes of 1976 Super Bowl X.
▶️FINAL THOUGHTS: ACE cinemaphotographer Julio Macat’s usage of a bonus camera on set & the impact of ACE’s vernacular.
▶️Next Up: ALMOST FAMOUS (2000)!
Monday Aug 24, 2020
Monday Aug 24, 2020
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s name is synonymous with celebrated action movies. Before Paul Verhoeven’s TOTAL RECALL (1990) became a massive blockbuster, Schwarzenegger had to fight for it to become a reality. A film with a deeper-than-average plot, dedicated cast/crew and impressively imaginative special effects, TOTAL RECALL is still an extraordinary sci-fi spectacular.
▶️Synopsis: Set in 2084, an everyday man seeks out an adventure of a lifetime. But a botched virtual vacation to Mars makes him the key figure of a non-stop chase concerning a conflict between a rebellion and a corrupt government holding the planet hostage. You decide whether it’s a dream or reality.
⏩⏩Discussions include: TOTAL RECALL’s 10+ year development, initial procurement of the 1966 story, rewrites, influences & early pre-production; the search for the proper director & careful casting choices; placement in Schwarzenegger & Verhoeven’s careers, their personal influences on the production; prophetic, political and violent elements; the film’s visual aesthetic, including practical special effects, miniatures, models, use of light/colors, detailed sets/locations; marketing, critical/audience reception, awards & legacy of; behind the scenes tidbits, favorite scenes & what makes the film so darn enjoyable.
**Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Ronny Cox. Directed by Paul Verhoeven.**
▶️**PICKS OF THE WEEK**
—Lindsay’s Pick, SCANNERS (1981): A security company looking weaponize telekinetic powers dispatches their most powerful human experiment in order to stop a renegade and a rebellion. **Starring Stephen Lack, Jennifer O’Neill, Patrick McGoohan, Michael Ironside. Directed by David Cronenberg.**
—Justin’s Pick, KINDERGARTEN COP (1990): A brawny cop goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to catch a dangerous criminal seeking out his ex-wife and estranged son. **Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed, Linda Hunt. Directed by Ivan Reitman.**
▶️MURRAYMOMENT: Remembering the time when (and why) Billy popped up in the otherworldly family comedy, nothin-but-net mega hit, SPACE JAM.
▶️FINAL THOUGHTS: TOTAL RECALL’s initial MPAA rating, inventive fight sequences, renaming Schwarzenegger’s character because of a political connection and Jerry Goldsmith’s score of the film.
▶️Coming Up: ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE (1994)!