Don’t Push Pause

Sometimes movie sequels are lackluster or go off the rails, but rarely do they attempt a franchise reinvention. With original Exorcist writer in full control, William Peter Blatty created a new crop tension-building scares with the unconventional, THE EXORCIST III. An often overlooked film, this unsettling story cranks out the creeps and ties in the original blockbuster without being a knockoff, but it wasn’t an easy task to accomplish.

▶️Synopsis: A string of killings lead a police lieutenant to a psychiatric ward where he finds his faith tested, along with uncanny similarities between a dead serial killer & a familiar priest who supposedly died during an infamous exorcism.

⏩⏩Discussions include: How Blatty began his writing career, leading up to The Exorcist, then to the novel which inspired EXORCIST III; backstory, development & methodical emotional escalation of the story, plus drastic reshoots/rewriting of the film’s ending; intentionally extreme tonal shifts & usage of humor; uniquely abstract & ambient synth-heavy score; cast performances & bit parts; reception over the years, resurrected original ending, on-set stories & our favorite scenes.

**Starring George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, Brad Dourif, Jason Miller. Directed by William Peter Blatty.**

▶️**PICKS OF THE WEEK**

—Lindsay’s Pick, CHILD’S PLAY II (1990): The serial killer living inside a doll named Chucky is reanimated, out for revenge & determined to possess the body of his previous victim.

**Starring Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif, Christine Elise. Directed by John Lafia.**

—Justin’s Pick, THE FIRST POWER (1990): A detective must track a serial killer put to death, then resurrected by Satan & given supernatural powers.

**Starring Lou Diamond Phillips, Tracy Griffith, Jeff Kober. Directed by Robert Resnikoff.**

▶️MURRAYMOMENT: On Sister Nancy Murray, Billy’s older sibling, becoming a nun, the reaction of her family, her acting career and shared family traits.

▶️FINAL THOUGHTS: Reshooting EXORCIST III’s climax, plus THE X-FILES and SEVEN connections to the film.

⏩Next Up: GINGER SNAPS (2000)!

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!

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)!