Don’t Push Pause

Episode 14 : Serial Mom

Horror movies don’t always have to scare you senseless or be overflowing with blood. When you’re a legendary director like John Waters, horror could certainly mean violence, but it can also be the horrid human behavior capitalizing on said violence or the suppressed psycho living under your same roof. Serial Mom (1994) is a perfect satire about a murderous mother’s influence on pop culture and how society views these unbelievable, “true” crime events.

▶️ When an ideal, all-American mom played by Kathleen Turner starts defending her family from life’s annoyances, the bodies begin to mount up. Waters’ film pokes a hole in what people think of as a “normal” family, and makes us think about our own exposure to media. With an uncommon female lead, how does Serial Mom fit in with other serial killer films? Is it possible Serial Mom is even more relavent nowadays? We deconstruct the themes behind the film, and also relive some of favorite scenes that never get old. The brilliant cast of the movie and Waters’ intended vision for the film are discussed, as well as hitting on his supremely influential career, in general.

▶️ Justin and Lindsay stick with two Waters-related movies for their Picks of the Week. The writer/director had always, and famously, teamed up with the amazingly over the top, cross-dressing actor known as Divine. The two made some of Waters’ most memorable films together. But for this Pick, Justin went with Lust in the Dust, one of very few films not written or directed by Waters, but that starred Divine. Lindsay takes the opportunity to talk about her favorite Waters film, Desperate Living— a film so trashy and filled to the brim with filth, it makes you want to shower after watching it.

▶️ If you didn’t think there was a way to connect Billy Murray to John Waters, you’re sorely mistaken. We take you behind the scenes of the Waters and Divine classic, Polyester (1981), and reveal the Murraymoment that has been hiding in plain sight.

▶️ The genre-blending Serial Mom may not frighten you to the core, but the performances and deeper understanding of the film may chill your bones on another level. Episode 14 is a truly fun film — laughing through the horror is highly advised.

Episode 13 : Pet Sematary

We’re kicking off October with another Stephen King brainchild, Pet Sematary (1989). King has always been a sought after writer, but during the 1980s, people started to get burnt out on seeing his name. Director Mary Lambert takes this incredibly dark, heartbreaking story and makes it come to life with the ability to scare on multiple levels.

▶️ When a father crosses into some sour, supernatural territory and brings the family cat back from the dead, the way he approaches death moving forward has disastrous results. The themes of death and the ability to not let go run deep in Pet Sematary — this isn’t a light film. But because of the subject matter, almost any person can relate to the story. Does this movie still hold up almost 30 years after its release? What sets this film apart from other horror films? Justin and Lindsay answer these questions, go behind-the-scenes into the making of the film and finally have a major disagreement involving the ending of the movie.

▶️ Picks of the Week this time out are just as deep as our main feature, but buckle up for major tonal changes. Both films involve the legendary Fred Gwynne of Pet Sematary. Justin opted for the undermentioned, deeply dramatic, Ironweed (1987), starring A-list actors, Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep and co-starring singer songwriter Tom Waits. Lindsay switches it up for a movie you surely haven’t seen in a very long time (if at all), the fantastical tale of autism, The Boy Who Could Fly (1986).

▶️ This week’s Murray moment answers the question: For an actor who is usually so particular about film roles, why did Billy Murray decide to be the voice of the title character in 2004’s Garfield? The answer, and aftermath, may surprise you and leave you questioning his initial attention to detail.

▶️ There’s non-stop drama in Episode 13! So much to talk about with Pet Sematary, who woulda known? This episode gets pretty emotional, but hey, it’s an October favorite of the podcast, so we better have a lot of ground to cover!

Episode 12 : Quick Change

We’re big fans of Bill Murray here at the podcast, so we’d be remiss if we didn’t have a special episode the week of his birthday. This time out, we went for some stellar deep cuts, focusing on 1990’s Quick Change. It’s been called the best Billy Murray movie you’ve never seen, so we think it’s high time to reintroduce this mainstream, yet obscure favorite.

▶️ Three New York bank robbers (Murray, Geena Davis and Randy Quaid) successfully pull off a multi-million dollar heist, but that wasn’t even the hard part. Getting out of New York proves to be the worst part of the entire nightmare. Quick Change is a bittersweet, breakup love letter to New York— it’s obvious there is love for the city, but the frustration and irritation of daily life has finally taken its toll. We’ll discuss the perfectly selected cast, how the film was received by critics and how this is Murray’s only directing credit to date.

▶️ For our Picks of the Week, we decided to go for supporting roles that could have used more Murray. Justin revisits Kingpin (1996), and how Murray is clearly the standout star of that film, even though he only has a few scenes. Lindsay digs deep for a partially uncredited supported role in Tootsie (1982) — yes, he did have a significant role in this cross-dressing classic.

▶️ And for this special birthday episode of Billy, we go into the 21-year long rift between our guy and his former close friend and comedy partner, Harold Ramis. What exactly happened between the two, and was it ever resolved before Ramis passed away?

▶️ Quick Change is another film that inspired this podcast, both because it’s a fabulous film and largely because it’s still not given enough credit. Twists and obstacles propel this movie forward, making it an engaging, off-beat comedy. It’s not typical one-liner style or predictable. It was a risky move to make this type of unusual comedy in the early 90s, and we bring it up from the archives so as to not forget this quirky and smart film.