Living for the Cinema Geoff Gershon

Based on the beloved 1980's TV show starring Lee Majors, this romantic action comedy tells the story of a veteran stuntman Colt (Ryan Gosling), his director Jody (Emily Blunt), and ALL of the craziness which is occurring on and off the set of a major Hollywood production named where the main Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor Johnson) is apparently missing.  Directed by former stuntman David Leitch (Atomic Blonde, Bullet Train), this movie is very much a love letter to stunt performers....with lots of other stuff thrown in....including inspired karaoke! :)  

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 
https://livingforthecinema.com/

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If you're director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas, and you have been tasked with developing a sequel to one of the most beloved and highest grossing action adventures (Raiders of the Lost Ark) of all time, what do you do for a follow-up?  Well in this case, you go broader, sillier, and DEFINITELY creepier! :o And apparently, you piss off millions of parents who were ok taking their children to see faces melting off on-screen for the previous one but draw the line at seeing some one rip the beating heart out of a man's chest! :o 

What resulted was the PG-13 rating and one of the highest grossing blockbusters of the '80's.....which was also savagely criticized for its high levels of violence and (somewhat justifiably) the cultural insensitivity of several of its characters and its overall setting.  And one HELL of a ride featuring several memorable action set pieces and at least ONE beloved side character (Short Round played by future Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan).  So on the verge of its 40th anniversary, how does this movie hold up?  Let's find out as Harrison Ford is back as the titular hero along with several new cast-members including Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, and Kate Capshaw.  

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 


https://livingforthecinema.com/

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From Oscar-nominated Italian director Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name) comes a erotically charged drama about....tennis.  At its core is a love triangle among three aspiring professional tennis players played by Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist.  We follow all three characters over a thirteen year period as they struggle through both their athletic careers and their relationships to each other.   And playing throughout all of this is high-energy electronic music from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross....what else could you need?? :) 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 


https://livingforthecinema.com/

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Welcome to the Living for the Max series.  Over the past 45 years, there has been no other film franchise QUITE as inventive nor as consistently exciting as The Mad Max Saga….four films mostly chronicling the post-apocalyptic adventures of lone wolf Max Roxatansky played three times by Mel Gibson and most recently by Tom Hardy.  As each film has been directed by Australian cinematic genius George Miller, they have each reflected his unique vision while also being HUGELY influential on pop culture, more specifically the action genre.  So needless to say, new ones don’t come around very often and when they do….it MORE than qualifies as a cinematic EVENT.  Therefore over the next several months, I will be revisiting EACH entry of this beloved franchise every month leading up to the U.S. release of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga on May 24!  

Starring Tom Hardy as the titular Max and Charlize Theron as Furiosa, this might be the most acclaimed (and possibly beloved) action saga of the 21st Century.  It tells a simple story of a band of folks attempting to escape enslavement while picking up a couple of strays along the way. ;) One of those strays is Nux played by Nicholas Hoult and he joins a pretty strong extended cast which includes Zoe Kravitz, Riley Keogh, Rosie Huntington-Whitely, and Hugh Keays-Byrne as the frightening main villain, Immorten Joe. :o Also returning as director is the legendary George Miller who received an Oscar nomination for his work, along with nine other Oscar nominations including Best Picture. :) WHAT A LOVELY DAY INDEED!!!

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 


https://livingforthecinema.com/

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Fifty years ago saw the release of what ended up being one of the more iconic conspiracy thrillers of the 1970's even though it wasn't really a commercial hit upon initial release.  Directed by Alan J. Pakula who would go on to direct the even more iconic All The President's Men a couple of years later, it stars Oscar-winning legend Warren Beatty as a journalist working for a small publication in the Pacific Northwest who inadvertently stumbles on a mysterious organization which might have been involved with the recent murder of a U.S. Senator.  Once he finds his own life in danger as a result, he decides to attempt to infiltrate this organization and possibly even moonlight as a potential assassin himself to try to expose them and bring them down.   And what results is a series of hair-raising situations which will test him in every conceivable way. ;o 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 



https://livingforthecinema.com/

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Denzel Washington stars in this intense drama/thriller as Creasey, a sad, alcoholic ex-CIA assassin who finds a new purpose in life as he forms a special friendship with the precocious Pita played by Dakota Fanning.  Pita is the daughter of a Mexican industrialist played by Marc Antony who has hired Creasey to serve as a bodyguard since there has been a rash of kidnappings in their area.  Tragedy occurs and then Creasey sets off on a brutal mission of revenge where we see his old habits as a trained killer start to manifest themselves.   As directed by the late great Tony Scott, this was a film which saw modest success upon initial release twenty years ago but has since gone to grow a significant following.

See below for a link to an alternative ending for this movie as discussed within this review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5RQWlXoD_s&t=170s

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 




https://livingforthecinema.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Living-for-the-Cinema-Podcast-101167838847578

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https://www.instagram.com/livingforthecinema/

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