Godzilla, King of the Monsters (Episode 62) - Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
Release Date: 01/19/2018
State Fair (Episode 235) - Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
1962's State Fair marked the third screen adapatation of the novel by Phil Stong. As in 1945, this one was a musical but a big, colorful, expansive musical that Hollywood was so good at in the 1960's. Starring heartthrobs Pat Boone, Bobby Darin and Ann-Margret, it's the story of the Frake family and their ambitions to win big at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote new music for the film, one of the few musicals written expressly for the big screen, and several plot elements were added or changed to make this version more contemporary. Tom...
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Hokum (Episode 234) - Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
Irish film director Damian McCarthy had only made two features before 2026's Hokum but has already proven to have a distinctive style and tone. McCarthy also wrote the screenplay which tells the story of an American writer (Adam Scott) visiting an isolated Irish Inn with a spooky past. Shot on location in County Cork, Ireland, the film's supporting mostly Irish cast includes Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, Will O'Connell, Brendan Conroy, and Austin Aumelio. Dan and Vicky discuss the film, out in theatres now, and lots of recently seen films...
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In God We Trust (Episode 233) - Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
1980's In God We Trust was the second film of a three film agreement between actor/director Marty Feldman and Universal Pictures. Following the success of Feldman's The Last Remake of Beau Geste, In God We Trust was his attempt to call out the excesses and hypocrisy of commercialized religion. But the film didn't connect with audiences and Universal cancelled Feldman's deal. His co-stars in the film include a cavalcade of 70's comic geniuses - Peter Boyle, Louise Lasser, Andy Kaufman and Richard Pryor. Dan and Vicky discuss the little seen film and lots of recently seen like...
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The Wicked Lady (Episode 232) - Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
1945's The Wicked Lady directed by Leslie Arliss was an enormous hit for Gainsborough Studios and is still considered one of the most popular and successful British films of all time. The story of an unrepentant social climber, played by Margaret Lockwood, who turns to a life of crime pushed the boundaries or propriety with plentiful veiled references to sex and enough heaving bosoms to make American censors uncomfortable. In fact, the production had to go back and reshoot scenes deemed too revealing to play for American audiences. The film co-stars James Mason,...
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Project Hail Mary (Episode 231) - Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
Dan and Vicky head back to the movies! This time it's the recent hit sci-fi comedy drama Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling and Sandra Huller directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller and based on the book by Andy Weir. Lord and Miller insisted that the special effects be all created practically - the most impressive of which is the character of Rocky. The rock creature was puppeted by James Ortiz and his team with Ortiz providing it's voice. Initially Ortiz's voice was meant as a marker until the directors cast another voice actor but they liked Ortiz's take so much,...
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Top Ten Favorite Indie Hits Costing Under A Million (Episode 230) - Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
Dan and Vicky are back with a Top Ten episode! This time your Hot Daters discuss their favorite films made for under a million dollars that went on to make a killing at the box office. Horror, drama, and romance all get the low budget treatment and in many cases change the landscape of film. Dan and Vicky also discuss some recently seen including the films Scream 7 and Stop Motion and lots of TV like Young Sherlock, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Shudder's 1000 Women of Horror, and Peaky Blinders. Our socials: hotdatepod.com FB: Hot Date Podcast X:...
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The Driver (Episode 229) - Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
The Driver from 1978 was written and directed by Walter Hill (Hard Times, 48 Hours, The Warriors) as a response to what he saw as coventional genre fare. Hill was after making a film pure in intent and story without the typical Hollywood trappings. Audiences in 1978 were not impressed but the film has since been championed by contemporary filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Edgar Wright as an example of adrenaline fueled style over needless substance. The film stars Ryan O'Neal, Isabelle Adjani, Bruce Dern and Ronee Blakley. Along with this car chase classic, Dan and Vicky...
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Kind Hearts and Coronets (Episode 228) - Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
The novel on which 1950's film Kind Hearts and Coronets is based treated the story of an entitled royal reject who goes to murdeous lengths to secure his place in the lineage deadly serious. The film, however, written and directed by Robert Hamer, turns it into a pitch black comedy, perhaps the first of it's kind made in England. The Ealing Studios release stars Dennis Price, Valerie Hobson, Joan Greenwood, and in a tour-de-force, Alec Guinness playing eight characters. Dan and Vicky discuss the film, ranked as one of the best British films ever made, along with lots of recently...
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The Tomb of Ligeia (Episode 227) - Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
The final film in director Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe cycle, The Tomb of Ligeia marked the second collaboration for Corman and screenwriter Robert Towne. Towne would go on to be one of the hardest working and respected writers and script doctors in Hollywood (The Last Detail, Shampoo, Mission: Impossible, The Firm, Personal Best and Tequila Sunrise) and collect an Academy Award for writing Chinatown. Towne is quoted, however, as saying that his adaptation for The Tomb of Ligeia was the hardest he'd ever worked on. Dan and Vicky discuss the horror film along with...
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Goodbye Christopher Robin (Episode 226) - Hot Date with Dan & Vicky
Hot Date with Dan and Vicky
The late 2000's were chock-a-block with Winnie-the-Pooh projects. In addition to this week's Hot Date 2017 film Goodbye Christopher Robin starring Domhnall Gleason, Margot Robbie and Kelly Macdonald, there was another biopic with Ewan McGregor, several animated features and numerous documentaries. Dan and Vicky discuss the Simon Curtis directed biopic on writer A. A Milne's creation of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories and the toll it took on his family along with some recently seen items like Primate, The Plague, The Secret Agent, and Harlan Coben's Run Away on Netflix. Our...
info_outlineIn 1954, Japanese film production company Toho was looking to cash in on the monster movie mania inspired by the American film Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. They conceived of Godzilla, named Gojira locally, as a way to announce the power and independence of the Japanese film industry post World War II but also as a metaphor for the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by American weapons of war. The film was a huge hit and American producers were eagerly looking for a way to translate Godzilla to a stateside audience. Their answer was to cut 16 minutes from the Japanese version, shoot new scenes with actor Raymond Burr and add the King of the Monsters subtitle for a 1956 release. It was a "monster" hit!
Dan and Vicky gush over the monster movie masterpiece and the nostalgia it inspires in both it's 1954 and 1956 versions. In addition to the film your hosts tell us what they did over the holidays and what they were watching during their time off. Vicky checks in with Stranger Things season 2, She's Gotta Have It season 1 and the movies Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Bright and Mayhem. Dan has thoughts on Call Me By Your Name, The Post, Personal Shopper, Downsizing, Colossal, and Hammer classic Island of Terror.
Hot Date 62: Godzilla is stomping into 2018! Take a listen and leave us some feedback.