The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
After the battle that Terry Gilliam had to endure to release ‘Brazil,’ it’s a shame that his next movie ended up being another debacle. From producer problems to studio exec switcheroos to plain old bad luck, ‘The Adventures of Baron Munchausen’ has a tough film to get made. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our Terry Gilliam series with this beautiful but troubled film.
Brazil
Terry Gilliam has always been an ambitious director with wild visions for his films. Sometimes that’s worked out, sometimes it hasn’t. In the case of the follow-up to his successful film Time Bandits, Brazil didn’t work out, at least at the time. Gilliam had a very public battle with Sid Sheinberg, the president and CEO of MCA-Universal at the time, who didn’t want to release Gilliam’s film as it was presented to him. It wasn’t until 1996 when Gilliam’s director’s cut was finally released, but people could tell long before that there was a great film here. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Terry Gilliam series with Andy’s favorite movie, Brazil.
Time Bandits
Getting out from under the shadow of Monty Python proved difficult for Terry Gilliam early in his solo career — no one in America would finance any films for him — so while he waited to get his big movie, “Brazil,” off the ground, he wrote a script for an idea he’d been kicking around that would appeal to the whole family. “Time Bandits” proved to be a box office success and still is one of Gilliam’s most profitable movies, allowing him to make “Brazil” immediately afterward and continue in the business. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we dig into his 1981 film.
Knowing
Considering how much critics and audiences seem to hate Alex Proyas’ 2009 film Knowing, it’s surprising that it actually did fairly well at the box office. We don’t know if that’s proof that people actually like it, but it was hated enough that Andy felt it was appropriate to call it a guilty pleasure of his. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we finish up our short and fun Guilty Pleasure Series with Proyas’ Knowing.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
As someone once said, cult films aren’t born, they’re chosen. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension failed at the box office, but the film was just quirky enough to find that fan base and get propelled into cult status. While the film didn’t do well enough to warrant a sequel, it did find a big fan in Pete. Join us — Andy Nelson and Pete Wright — as we begin our short (but hopefully fun) Guilty Pleasure Series with Buckaroo Banzai.
Atlantic City
It’s time to draw the curtains on our 1981 series with another Louis Malle film, Atlantic City. While technically made in 1979 and released in Canada and France in 1980, this film wasn’t released in the US until April 1981. Because of that, however, it does feel like a film from the 70s to us, like many films in our series ended up doing. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we discuss Malle’s second film to be released in 1981 in the US.
Gallipoli
The late 70s and early 80s were a great time for Australian cinema. The filmmakers churned out lots of great (and cheap) movies and these movies helped create a resurgence of Australian films on the world cinematic stage. Peter Weir was one of these filmmakers, and his 1981 film Gallipoli really helped this resurgence with its story of friendship and the loss of innocence in times of war. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our 1981 series with Weir’s Gallipoli.
An American Werewolf in London
John Landis made a big shift in his filmmaking when we went from comedies like The Kentucky Fried Movie and Animal House to An American Werewolf in London. At the time, people weren’t used to horror films that blended with comedy and it took him over a decade to actually get it made. The film was, however, a success when it was released and still has a big fan base. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our 1981 series with Landis’ horror/comedy film.
Thief
Michael Mann has spent most of his film career exploring the world of crime and the criminals that inhabit it. Not to mention neon lighting. His feature film debut, Thief, certainly started him on the right track. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our 1981 series with Mann’s Thief.
Blow Out
Anyone who listens to the show knows that we have a love/hate relationship with Brian De Palma. With his 1981 film Blow Out, he makes one of his strongest films and lands squarely on the side of ‘love’ for us (thank the heavens since neither of us had seen it recently and we couldn’t remember it well enough). Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our 1981 series with De Palma’s Blow Out.