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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 Feb 25, 2019
Monday Feb 25, 2019
To say Martin Scorsese is a living legend with a jaw-dropping body of work is an understatement. And while well-known for his gangster pictures, Casino (1995) sometimes gets overshadowed by the rest of his films. But not for this episode. With an impressively strong cast and striking visuals, Scorsese weaves this three-hour long epic true story into one of the best crime dramas of the 90’s.
▶️ (07:24) A casino executive (Robert De Niro) and his mobster longtime friend (Joe Pesci) end up pitted against each other involving a gaming empire and a hustler (Sharon Stone) who is playing them both. Casino is a grand saga about greed, power and who’s about to gain or lose control. Among hashing out the themes of the film, discussions will also focus on the violent imagery mixed with quick-witted humor in the film, use of narration, the impeccable cast and where Casino fits into Scorsese’s career, as well as the noticeably inspired soundtrack.
▶️ (36:31) Picks of the Week: Because we love the dude, De Niro dominates our Picks this time out. Riding the crime drama genre, Lindsay goes for the semi-true depiction of legendary mobster Al Capone vs. federal agent Eliot Ness and his crew of crimefighters in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987). Justin hones in on De Niro’s scarier side in Tony Scott’s The Fan (1996), wherein a man’s baseball obsession and fanatical love for his favorite player goes too far.
▶️ (51:00) Filmmaker Justin Hayward drops by to discuss Robert Richardson’s cinematography in Casino, and how his lighting contribution to the film made for an entirely fresh and different looking Scorsese film.
▶️ (58:56) This Casino-inspired MurrayMoment makes multiple connections to Billy and the film. But is it always possible to figure out the gritty details behind minor stories? All tangental roads lead to one movie-stealing cameo mostly every Murray-loving person fondly remembers: Zombieland (2009).
▶️ (1:07:54) Quick final thoughts on the costuming of Casino and how it plays a major role in the film.
▶️ If you haven’t seen our main feature or need to revisit, Casino is a wild ride into a world of excess and corruption. It’s a fun watch, but be glad you weren’t involved in the true story behind the film. Thanks for listening!
Monday Feb 11, 2019
Monday Feb 11, 2019
In 1996, Joel and Ethan Coen brought us the highly celebrated independent film, Fargo. Together, the Coen Brothers wrote, directed, produced and edited this little-film-that-could, while making Minnesotan niceties a familiar staple in American households. Receiving critical and commercial success, this picturesque journey from Minnesota to North Dakota remains haunting over 20 years later, forever covering the great white North with blood-spotted snow.
▶️(05:00) After a man hires two thugs to kidnap his wife in order to extort money, it’s up to a small Minnesotan town police chief to connect a triple homicide to the kidnapping. Among discussing how Fargo fits into the Coen Brothers catalogue, we’ll dissect the unflappable ensemble cast, the solid character development within, the usage of the film’s realistic tone and noir style, as well as how the violence and black humor of the film intertwine.
▶️(37:14) Picks of the Week:
Keeping with the isolated feeling of winter in Fargo, Justin goes for Sam Raimi’s neo-noir, “what would you do if...” crime thriller, A Simple Plan (1998). Conversely, Lindsay takes us out of blustery cold to Southern California, finding Fargo’s Frances McDormand playing a record producer reconnecting with her uptight son and fiancé in Laurel Canyon (2002).
▶️(53:20) Justin Hayward drops by to highlight Fargo’s cinematographer, Roger Deakins. For this Fargo segment, Hayward deconstructs why and how Deakins chose to light a disturbing night scene involving Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare being pulled over by a police officer.
▶️(1:03:00) Wouldn’t ya know it? Billy dropped in on McDormand in the HBO mini-series, Olive Kitteridge (2014). We dive into their scenes together, and how the final moment of the series ends in an eerily similar way as Fargo.
Fargo is chocked full of unforgettable, beautifully staged scenes and nuanced performances showing the interconnectedness of characters. Certainly a crime drama and thriller with black humor weaved throughout, Fargo remains a brilliantly constructed atmospheric film, evocative of a special time in independent film history. Yassir, you betcha, eh.
Monday Jan 28, 2019
Monday Jan 28, 2019
No matter what incarnation you prefer, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Batman, the masked crime fighter of Gotham City. In this episode, we take it back to 1989 for Tim Burton’s beautifully-crafted world of Batman.
▶️ (09:00) With a standard good vs. evil plot, Batman is an incredibly dark action/adventure film with a healthy dose of sadistic humor to back it. A masked millionaire looks to strike fear into the hearts of criminals in his downtrodden city. First, we go into how this version of Batman stacks up against the original comic, ‘60s TV series and subsequent films.
▶️ (17:50) Special guest and comic book savant, Wade Durbin, weighs in on Burton’s Batman being brought to the big screen, and the feelings churned up within true comic book fans.
▶️ (21:50) How did Burton’s Batman set the tone for the massive superhero genre of today? How does this movie work without a super deep plot? We’ll also go behind the scenes of film, discussing Michael Keaton’s portrayal of Batman, Jack Nicholson’s Joker and Kim Basinger’s involvement and how this film wasn’t easily greenlit.
▶️ (39:50) Picks of the Week: Lindsay continues with Jack Nicholson by way of Mike Nichols’ horror-lite, romantic werewolf thriller, aptly titled, Wolf (1994). Justin ropes us back into the comics universe with the live-action, unforgettable fan-favorite superhero movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)!
▶️ (54:06) MurrayMoment: We all know Billy is a massive Chicago Cubs fan, but ever hear about the summer he joined the Grays Harbor Loggers minor league baseball team?
Whether it was your love of superhero comics, Prince’s music, action-packed adventure movies or being suckered into brilliant mass marketing, Batman got almost everyone engaged in 1989. Episode 22 reminds you why it’s one of the best action films not to be forgotten!