Release Decade Archive

1990s

For all you proper film enthusiasts who would like to peruse the films of  TruStory FM’s entertainment podcasts by release decade. Get ready for a firehose of film history in these here stacks.

The Next Reel Film Podcast

The Long Kiss Goodnight

When New Line Cinema bought Shane Black’s spec script “The Long Kiss Goodnight” in 1994 for $4 million, it created a new record for the selling price of spec scripts for more than 10 years until 2005 when Terry Rossio’s and Bill Marsilii’s script “Déjà Vu” sold for $5 million. While Black walked away with a hefty paycheck, he had no idea that this sale and the subsequent underwhelming performance of the resulting movie would have a hand in the end of the halcyon days of spec script sales. The way that studios saw screenwriters changed. The way they approached projects changed. Some say the industry has changed for the better, some say for the worse. Whichever side you fall on the issue, Black found himself struggling to get work afterward. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Shane Black series with Renny Harlin’s 1996 film “The Long Kiss Goodnight.”

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The Last Boy Scout

When Shane Black was paid $1.75 million for his spec script “The Last Boy Scout,” it was the most any screenwriter had been paid for their script up to that point. It wouldn’t take long before that record was broken, but the bar had been set – and more importantly, the expectations – for what Shane Black the screenwriter could deliver. Unfortunately, the production was riddled with problems and the film struggled to make its money back. It didn’t kill Black’s career, but it may have signaled the beginning of the end for the spec script boom happening in the early 90s. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Shane Black series with Tony Scott’s 1991 action extravaganza “The Last Boy Scout.”

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The Edge

Lee Tamahori’s first foray in Hollywood, ‘Mulholland Falls,’ didn’t fare all that well. Luckily, his follow-up with 1997’s ‘The Edge’ made money and allowed him to keep working in the business. (Though if you look at his foray in the Bond franchise, ‘Die Another Day,’ maybe it’s not so lucky after all.) But does the movie feel like something from a David Mamet script? Or does it fall into formulaic Hollywood junk? Join us—Pete Wright and Andy Nelson—as we wrap up our ‘David Mamet as a screenwriter’ series with ‘The Edge.’

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Glengarry Glen Ross

David Mamet won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 with his play “Glengarry Glen Ross.” The play really exemplified Mamet-speak and its transition to film retained that, despite the fact that it took eight years to make it to the silver screen. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our David Mamet as Screenwriter series with James Foley’s 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross.

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Boogie Nights

Happy New Year! Goodbye 2015, hello 2016. And what better way to kick off the new year of shows than with Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 epic glimpse into the golden age of porn. With an epic New Year’s party that transitions the story from the halcyon days of porn in the 70s to its characters’ declines in the 80s, “Boogie Nights” is a great way to celebrate the previous year and welcome the new one. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we discuss Paul Thomas Anderson’s second film, “Boogie Nights.”

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L.A. Confidential

1997 was a big year for movies, and perhaps that’s because one of the biggest box office sensations — James Cameron’s Titanic — was released that year. And while it went on to make a gajillion dollars (okay, just $2.2 billion worldwide), many argue that it’s not actually the best movie of the year, but instead give that title to Curtis Hanson’s crime thriller L.A. Confidential. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our Guess the Connection series with this fantastic film.

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Delicatessen

We love doing our Listener’s Choice episodes — it’s a great way for our listeners to get us to finally talk about movies about which conversations are long overdue. Cameron Ryan, our 2014 Pony Prize winner, got to pick the movie this time, and ended up picking the fantastic black comedy “Delicatessen,” a movie that we both love but for whatever reason just hadn’t gotten around to discussing yet. So now finally, join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we enjoy another Listener’s Choice episode with one of our faves, the Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro 1991 film “Delicatessen.”

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The Big Lebowski

It seems appropriate to the character of the Dude that “The Big Lebowski” took its time finding its audience. Coming fresh on the heels of their first Oscar-winning hit, “Fargo,” the Coen Brothers’ 7th film had a strange sense of humor, felt disjointed, was full of swearing, and didn’t connect with audiences or critics, who were all largely left scratching their heads. But time was on the side of the movie as people continued to discover it, turning it into a much-loved cult classic — with its own annual festival even. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our Coen Comedy series with 1998’s “The Big Lebowski.”

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Defending Your Life

It’s time for another Listener’s Choice episode! For this round, listener Jeremy Wickett was chosen and gave us Albert Brooks’ 1991 film Defending Your Life to discuss. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we talk about Brooks’ movie.

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Apt Pupil

Bryan Singer’s film “Apt Pupil” was actually the second time the film was under production; the first attempt had several casting issues and when it finally started shooting, ended up running out of funds, killing the project. Perhaps that was a sign that Stephen King’s novella was a bit too tricky to make correctly. It’s a very dark story that doesn’t really have any likable characters in it. Singer’s 1998 adaptation toned much of the violence from the book down, but also took a different angle with the ending that many people, including us, felt didn’t work. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we finish our epic Stephen King adaptation series with Singer’s “Apt Pupil.”

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