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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 03, 2018
Monday Sep 03, 2018
It’s not a horror movie. It’s not a kids movie. The Monster Squad (1987) is in a class all by itself. It’s a film you either have loved from a long time or have somehow escaped. And for its hardcore fans, it’s a movie that will never die.
▶️ Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Mummy and Gillman all descend upon an unsuspecting town and it’s up to a group of kids to stop them from wreaking total havoc. Hey, it’s the 1980s, the time when kids totally battled evil, other worldly forces all the time, and Episode 11 susses out what makes this hybrid genre film so special. The careers of writer/director Fred Dekker and writer Shane Black are discussed, as well as the adorably perfect cast who brought this hair-raising journey to life. The practical special effects aren’t anything to sneeze at either, and neither is the rabid fan base which inspired the documentary about the film’s lasting longevity and cult status, Wolfman’s Got Nards.
▶️ Picks of the Week this time out hang tough with two films from the mind of Dekker. First, Justin explores House (1985), a film that combines horror and comedy. The camp and goofball factors may be high on this one, but the special effects and well-known tv actors of the time hold it together. Lindsay’s Pick is Dekker’s next film, Night of the Creeps (1986). For his directorial debut, Dekker combined sci-if, comedy, horror and 1950s nostalgia to piece together this film that never ceases to be entertaining and is still a mega crowd-pleaser today.
▶️ Episode 11’s MurrayMoment is a dive into where Billy developed his love for golf. Hint: It goes deeper than Caddyshack. We go into Billy’s childhood and learn about life lessons taught to him while caddying, and how he’s carried this into adulthood.
▶️ Episode 11 is a Two-Parter for The Monster Squad. Next week, we’ll release Part Two — an interview with the duo behind the documentary, Wolfman’s Got Nards! André Gower, the Squad’s main star and writer/director/producer of the documentary, and writer/producer/cinematographer/editor/jack-of-all-trades, Henry McComas, talk with Justin and Lindsay about the ins and outs of the doc, their journey into making the film possible, the fans and legendary status of The Monster Squad.
We couldn’t be more excited to present The Monster Squad, Parts One and Two! If you haven’t seen this film yet, we really hope you seek it out before or after the podcast. If you know this classic close to our hearts, Episode 11 is going to be a real treat for you!
Monday Aug 20, 2018
Monday Aug 20, 2018
We’re switching gears and going for a hardcore action film, groundbreaking for its time. And 30 years after its release, Robocop (1987) feels more contemporary than ever. Futuristic law enforcement may be a wave of the future we’ve yet to achieve, but the themes of this Paul Verhoeven film still hold true today.
▶️ Revisiting Robocop, themes of corruption, privatizing government, capitalism and ultra-violence run rampant all throughout. We’ll touch on the strength of the cast, heroes and villains, as well as on where Verhoeven was coming from when he made the film. You can’t have a human reanimated into a half-robot without a lot of subtext! Starring Peter Weller, Nancy Allen and Kirkwood Smith.
▶️ For our Picks of the Week, Justin sticks with Nancy Allen for Strange Invaders, an undermentioned, yet memorable science-fiction movie about, you guessed it, body-snatching creatures from another planet. On a more earthy plain, Lindsay sticks with futuristic robot and cop life with 1984’s, Runaway, starring Tom Selleck, Gene Simmons, Cynthia Rhodes and Kirstie Alley.
▶️ Episode 10’s MurrayMoment takes us into the land of Billy‘s favorite songs to perform live. He may have a thing for Brandy and thinking she’s a fine girl, but how could this ever be linked to Robocop? We’re here to solve the mystery for you!
▶️ Somewhat prophetic and smartly done, Robocop contains a lot more than you may remember. While this is a standout, solid action film, the social commentary may be even stronger than the intense action sequence visuals. Time to revisit the totally frightening, 80s vision of future law enforcement, Robocop!
Monday Aug 06, 2018
Monday Aug 06, 2018
If you’ve seen Stand By Me (1986), you remember it vividly. If you’ve somehow escaped this one, the time has come to experience this Stephen King coming-of-age tale that will surely tug at your core.
▶️ Half a heartfelt, bittersweet remembrance of childhood and half road trip without the car movie, Stand By Me follows four friends as they go in search of a missing boy from their school. Directed by Rob Reiner and starring River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell, this film takes a look back at creating a bond that can never be touched. We’ll get to the heart of why this movie works so well, and how King and Reiner made this supremely endearing film come to life.
▶️ Chicago Filmmaker Justin Hayward comes back on the podcast for a special Scene Breakdown segment: How exactly did the Stand By Me boys outrun that train? Hayward lets us in on the secrets behind that scene!
▶️ For our Picks of the Week, Justin goes for a shining moment in Phoenix’s career with 1985’s fantastical sci-fi film, Explorers. Lindsay drudges up a forgotten werewolf movie, Silver Bullet (1985), written by King and also starring the other half of The Two Coreys, Corey Haim.
▶️ With this week’s Murray Moment, Billy babysteps his way into Richard Dreyfus’ head causing him to have a deep distain for our guy who played Bob. What exactly was it About Bob that made Dreyfus see red?
▶️ Bring back some childhood memories of bikes in the woods and best friends you’ll never forget. Join us for this podcast for one of our favorite discussions so far, Stand By Me... sincerely.