Special Guest: David H. Franzoni Guest Co-Hosts: Kevin Lehane, Ian Brownell
Whoopbruary is here! We're dedicating a whole month to the incomparable Whoopi Goldberg, spotlighting a trio of films she made after her powerhouse performance in The Color Purple -- plus one extra for good measure.
Kicking things off is Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), the high-energy spy comedy directed by Penny Marshall. Whoopi stars as Terry Doolittle, a quick-witted computer technician who unwittingly stumbles into international espionage when she makes contact with a British spy. With a script originally penned by David H. Franzoni, Whoopi's signature charm is on full display.
Ian Brownell joins Mike and this month's co-host, Razzie-nominated writer Kevin Lehane, for a fun discussion of where and how this fits into Whoopi's filmography.
We to kick off Noirvember 2024 with a delve into Pitfall (1948), a classic film noir André De Toth, based on the book by Jay A. Dratler, starring Dick Powell as an insurance man caught in a web of deception and danger. When Powell's character falls for Lizabeth Scott’s femme fatale, his seemingly mundane life spirals into chaos, bringing betrayal, blackmail, and murder
Ian Brownell and Philip Marinello join Mike to explore the film’s themes of moral ambiguity, post-war disillusionment, and the pitfalls of desire in this rich discussion of this noir gem.
Special Guest: Stuart Klawans Guest Co-Hosts: Ian Brownell, Otto Bruno
Ian Brownell and Otto Bruno join Mike for a discussion of Preston Sturges and his 1944 film The Miracle of Morgan's Creek which stars Betty Hutton as Trudy Kockenlocker, a woman who really helps support the troops going off to World War Two. When she finds herself married to an unknown soldier and pregnant in her small town, she eyes 4F local Norval Jones (Eddie Bracken).
Special Guest: Carl Rollyson Guest Co-Hosts: Angela Mac, Ian Brownell
We’re wrapping up Western Month with a look at William A. Wellman's The Ox-Bow Incident. Released in 1943 the film is based on the 1940 novel from Walter Van Tilburg Clark and stars Henry Fonda and Henry Morgan as Gil and Art, two cowboys who ride into the town of Bridger’s Wells where a messenger brings news of the senseless murder of a local rancher Larry Kincaid and the rustling of his cattle.
Angela Mac and Ian Brownell join Mike to discuss this harrowing tale of vigilante justice while author Carl Rollyson discusses his book Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews.
We wrap up a month of requests... and the year 2023... with a look at Fred Zinnemann's The Day of the Jackal (1973). Based on the book by Frederick Forsyth, the film stars Edward Fox as the titular Jackal, an assassin hired by members of the OAS, a holdout group of paramilitary terrorist organization who were holdouts who tried to keep Algeria a French colony. They hire The Jackal to assassinate president Charles de Gaulle in August, 1962.
Ian Brownell and Rich Edwards join Mike to discuss Zinnemann's film and the 1997 remake with Bruce Willis and Richard Gere, The Jackal.
Ian Brownell and Tim Luz join Mike to kick off spooktacular coverage with Erie C. Kenton’s 1932 adaptation of H. G. Wells’s 1896 book, The Island of Doctor Moreau. Here it’s called Island of Lost Souls and stars Charles Laughton as Moreau, a mad scientist who works to bend the will of nature to suit his needs. He works to create a race of human/animal hybrids on his mysterious island which is disturbed by Edward Parker (Richard Arlen) and Ruth Thomas (Leila Hyams).
We also discuss the 1977 and notorious 1996 versions of the film along with some other films inspired by Wells's work.
Special Guest: David H. Franzoni
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