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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 Mar 25, 2019
Monday Mar 25, 2019
Teen rebellion never looked as fierce as it does in 1985’s THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN. This Joan of Arc-inspired, yet highly original movie manages to still leave audiences ready to fight every injustice. If you’ve seen this cult movie, you most likely love it. But if this legend has escaped your memory, prepare yourself for the totally rad, empowering feminist hero that is Billie Jean Davy.
▶️ A Texas teen seeks justice for her beaten up brother whose scooter been destroyed by a town bully. After being sexually assaulted and her plan going awry, Billie Jean, her brother and two friends go on the run, refusing to give up until the score has been settled. Thick with themes, THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN touches on sexism, classism, media sensationalism, feminism, personal ethics and all the while remaining a fun and inspired ‘80s road movie. We’ll touch on the careers of the main players (Helen Slater, Christian Slater, Yeardley Smith and Peter Coyote), the film’s influence, Pat Benatar’s “Invincible” and why it’s a crime this film is so overlooked.
▶️ Picks of the Week:
Teenage rebellion rages on with two films that dare to break society’s rules. In Justin’s Pick, 1990’s PUMP UP THE VOLUME, Christian Slater plays an introverted high-schooler with a pirate-radio station alter ego encouraging his classmates to question authority. Lindsay’s Pick confronts sexism, gender stereotypes and bullying in a wildly ridiculous teen comedy about gender-swapping to prove a point in 1985’s JUST ONE OF THE GUYS.
▶️ After the success of Ghostbusters, Billy felt his career may have hit its peak. So in 1985, he needed to escape the country to save his sanity. Your MurrayMoment finds our Billy living and re-centering himself in France.
She may not look like a typical superhero, but Billie Jean is a warrior and a groundbreaking character for ladies in the ‘80s. Although this film went largely unnoticed in its day, we wanna set the record straight and we’re not giving up until you watch this legendary movie. FAIR IS FAIR!
Monday Mar 11, 2019
Monday Mar 11, 2019
Dear Diary,
Heather told us we needed to discuss this biting black comedy about a bunch of swatch-dogs, Diet Cokeheads and... an intelligently-crafted film which subsequently influenced countless other teen movies. Heathers (1988) is chocked full of subversive, quick-witted commentary, savage humor and one memorable quote after another. The upchuck factor is low, but the harshness of high school life in Heathers is still epic.
▶️ (00:45) Looking to escape her elitist high school clique, a bright and troubled teen gets roped in by her psychopathic boyfriend to murder their popular classmates, framing each to look like a suicide. So, why does Heathers still matter from a cultural and storytelling standpoint? We’ll touch on the movie’s first-time director, Michael Lehmann, writer Daniel Waters, the cast, the overall themes of the film and why the subject matter is even more controversial today.
▶️ (34:46) Picks of the Week:
Both Picks deal with the disruption of normalcy in American life. Lehmann’s ridiculous, yet worthwhile second film, Meet the Applegates (1991), follows a family of insects disguised as an all-American family looking for nuclear power access to destroy humans. As if things couldn’t get weirder than that, Lindsay went the body-horror route with Brian Yuzna’s uniquely unforgettable film about the wealthy literally sucking life from the lower class in 1989’s Society.
▶️ (51:04) Although Heathers is a dark comedy, the movie deals with very serious subject matters. For this MurrayMoment, we share an NBC News op-ed piece written by Billy shortly after the Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Parkland, FL.
▶️ (56:24) Quick final thoughts on Heathers.
Thirty years after the release of Heathers, the film still cuts deeply to the teenage core. It’s relevance is undeniable, as it remains a true, original piece of iconic 80s movie history. If you wanna mess with the eagles, you gotta learn how to fly, so try not to be a total pillow case.
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!