Full Cast And Crew
The Full Cast and Crew Podcast loves searching for that perfect, telling anecdote or soundbite from a writer, director, actor, or crew member as we revisit the films of our shared 70s and 80's childhoods with an appreciation for the cinematic arts and without pretension or annoying fan-boy antics. Proudly independent and advertising-free.
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184. 'Dune 2'
04/19/2024
184. 'Dune 2'
Denis Villenueve's masterpiece 2nd part of his 'Dune' trilogy.
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183. 'Get Shorty' (1995)
04/09/2024
183. 'Get Shorty' (1995)
Barry Sonnenfeld and Scott Frank's adaptation of Elmore Leonard's 1990 crime novel 'Get Shorty' was the 2nd film that John Travolta made after returning to top stardom with a bang in Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction'. This vibe-y, enjoyable, smartly-written and brilliantly-acted mid-90's example of the $20-30 million-dollar studio movie that now seems like a vestige of another time and place.
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182. 'Sunset Boulevard' (1950) with Special Guest Brad Caleb Kane
03/21/2024
182. 'Sunset Boulevard' (1950) with Special Guest Brad Caleb Kane
I'm joined again by multi-hyphenate for a discussion about Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett's iconic 1950 satirical noir Hollywood cautionary tale 'Sunset Boulevard' and various other digressions!
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181. All of Brad Pitt's Cliff Booth Scenes from 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'
03/14/2024
181. All of Brad Pitt's Cliff Booth Scenes from 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'
The second in my growing collection of episodes devoted to 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'...this time it's an episode celebrating all the brilliant Cliff Booth scenes...scenes representing some of Brad Pitt's finest acting to date and the heart and soul of Tarantino's greatest homage to the Hollywood of his youth.
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180. Oscars 2024 Recap
03/11/2024
180. Oscars 2024 Recap
It's my annual Oscar Recap. And Killers of the Flower Moon wuz robbed!
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179. All of Leonardo Dicaprio's Rick Dalton Scenes from 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'
03/05/2024
179. All of Leonardo Dicaprio's Rick Dalton Scenes from 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'
All of Leonardo DiCaprio's scenes as Rick Dalton in Quentin Tarantino's movie-making love-letter 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' If you're new to the podcast, there's an episode Previous All Their Scenes episodes:
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178. 'Klute' (1971)
02/26/2024
178. 'Klute' (1971)
Alan J. Pakula deserves more attention and respect as one of the grestest American film directors of any era. His run of films in the 70's, from 'Klute' to 'The Parallax View' to 'All The President's Men'...all brilliantly shot by Cinematographer Gordon Willis (The Godfather films)...are as impressive and of their moment as any films made in this thrilling period of American filmmaking. In this episode, I dive into Pakula's understated persona and genius for working with actors, the period details and psychological explorations that result in a layered, non-showy film that rewards repeat viewings.
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177. 'The Third Man' (1949)
02/15/2024
177. 'The Third Man' (1949)
Carol Reed and Graham Greene's iconic post-war neo noir classic 'The Third Man'. A perfect movie. Steven Soderbergh calls it the only movie you need to watch in order to learn how to make a movie. In this episode I cover the making of, the battles between David O. Selznick, Alexander Korda, Reed and Orson Welles, the happenstance score to end all film scores and MORE.
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176. 'The Long Good Friday' (1980)
02/09/2024
176. 'The Long Good Friday' (1980)
In which my evolving, complicated relationship with the crowd-pleasing John 'Frenzy' MacKenzie's exuberant, vibe-y classic 'The Long Good Friday' is flayed open and nailed to the floor for your auditory enjoyment.
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175. The King Crimson documentary
01/25/2024
175. The King Crimson documentary
Director Toby Amies and I discuss his excellent and unexpected documentary 'In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50'.
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174. 'Aliens' and 'Alien 3'
01/17/2024
174. 'Aliens' and 'Alien 3'
Ridley Scott's brilliant 1979 sci-fi/horror classic 'Alien' burnished his deserved reputation as bold re-interpreter of techno-dystopian futurism and exploder of genres. But it made a lot of money and dollar signs in the eyes of 'Alien' producers Brandywine Productions led them to turn for a sequel to James Cameron, who had already done a similar turn on the Rambo franchise, penning a "rewritten" script for the sequel 'Rambo: First Blood Part II' that paved the way for the ridiculously over-the-top guns 'n poses Rambo films that followed. Discarding with the quality actors and brilliantly lived-in future of the Nostromo and the original 'Alien', 'Aliens' is a box-office-pleasing symbiotic mutual masturbation effort where both audience and filmmaker are complicit in a liason that leaves both dirty and discredited. It should be noted that I am fairly alone in this opinion, and many 80's blockbuster-loving film fans revere 'Aliens' as even a superior 'Alien' film to the original! One such fan is my frequent guest Bruce Edwards. Previously we've digested our love for 'Bladerunner' and 'Alien' on episodes of the podcast. Here we get into 'Aliens' from our differing perspectives and find more common ground in a discussion about David Fincher's very first feature film, 'Alien 3', which he directed at the ripe old age of 27 and which was and is a legandary troubled production resulting in several competing alien babies; various cuts of the film exist and Fincher himself disavows the film.
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173. 'Withnail & I' (1987)
12/14/2023
173. 'Withnail & I' (1987)
One of the most quotable and iconic of British films, born out of writer/director Bruce Robinson's personal experiences and shepherded to the big screen by George Harrison and his Handmade Films company. 'Withnail & I' is a beloved comedy but in this episode I talk as much about its forlorn, end-of-an-era wistful heart as I do the incredibly quotable lines. Particularly I was interested to learn of Bruce's formative me-too experience on the set of Zeffirelli's 'Romeo & Juliet' and how that informed the character of Monty. But Monty is more than a monster or a would-be abuser; his portrayal on the page and in the flesh by the brilliant Richard Griffiths is layered and sympathetic and very much informed by the realities for gay people in Britain in the 1960's. In Monty we have a great analogy for the film; at first glance laughable, uproarious, a characture and character...but just beneath that is writing and performing of great complexity and nuance. This is what we'll celebrate in this episode all about the brilliant, the ever-fresh and continuingly fascinating 'Withnail & I'. LINKS: A 1999 documentary about Bruce Robinson. Bruce's excellent 2020 'Withnail & I' Watchalong Commentary for Esquire. The incredible live version of 'Whiter Shade of Pale' played by King Curtis and his band at the Fillmore West in 1971. Here's a bizarro artifact from the 60's: Bruce Robinson starring in a coffee ad aimed at tripping hippies looking to come down/go up/not sure really how coffee and acid is a great combo but there you have the 60's! Bruce Robinson in Zeffirelli's 'Romeo & Juliet' as Benvolio 'Smoking In Bed: Conversations with Bruce Robinson' on Amazon Toby Benjamin's excellent book about the making of 'Withnail and I' is essential for any fan of the film. The inspiration for Withnail, Vivian MacKerrell.
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172. 'The French Connection' (1971)
11/30/2023
172. 'The French Connection' (1971)
Billy Friedkin's iconic 1971 game-changing NYC police procedural/car chase classic 'The French Connection' has a fascinating backstory and making-of history, and, hey: that's what I'm here for! To bring you all the best stories behind the scenes on the streets of New York and all the context and color that helps place this movie in the pantheon of the films that came before and after it. The NY Times article about this summer's censorship of the film is linked Mark Kermode's very well made BBC documentary about the making of The French Connection can be seen on Owen Roizman, the film's brilliant and prolific cinematographer's IMDB page is Do yourself a favor and Listen to on YouTube. from The French Connection.
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171. 'The Friends of Eddie Coyle' (1973)
11/09/2023
171. 'The Friends of Eddie Coyle' (1973)
Peter Yates was quietly one of the most interesting film directors of his time. His seminal 1967 British train-robbery film 'Robbery' got him noticed for the job directing Steve McQueen in 1968's 'Bullitt'. In that film, Yates turned in a car chase frequently mentioned as second only to the iconic one filmed by Billy Friedkin in 'The French Connection'. By 1973, Yates was in Hollywood, working under a three-picture deal with Peter Bart and Robert Evans at Paramount. Two of those didn't work out. The third turned out to be 'The Friends of Eddie Coyle', which is one of the very best 70's crime films, one of the very best Boston-set films ever made, and features Robert Mitchum's very best performance amid a wonderfully constructed neo-noir shot entirely on location in a series of blue-collar and working class Boston spots. In this episode, I talk about 'Robbery', 'Bullitt' and 'The French Connection' and how they compare and contrast to 'The Friends of Eddie Coyle', an underappreciated little masterpiece of the sort Peter Yates specialized in throughout his career.
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170. 'Killers of the Flower Moon' (2023)
10/26/2023
170. 'Killers of the Flower Moon' (2023)
Martin Scorcese's new film 'Killers of the Flower Moon' is in many ways his magnum opus; it's a film carefully wrought with all of his and his production team's highest possible creative efforts, and it also marshals all those resources in the furtherance of a greater collective understanding and reckoning with yet another dark chapter in America's history. Links Music from the film: THE PIPE: OIL: They Don't Live Long: Tulsa Massacre: Heartbeat Theme:
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169. Phone Call Scenes In Movies
10/12/2023
169. Phone Call Scenes In Movies
A particular interest of mine is phone calls in movies. I'm interested in them as plot devices, as examples of good or indifferent screenwriting, as opportunities for actors to show different sides of themselves in scenes where they're not opposite other actors, and on and on. In this episode we'll take a look at a few different genres of Movie Phone Call scenes: scenes where actors are onscreen portraying both sides of the calls, scenes where we only hear the audio of the other side of the call, and then, finally...the Holy Grail of Movie Phone Calls: The One-Sided Phone Call. Clips The YouTube channel BurgerTime's Bob Newhart is the master of the The entire Bob Newhart . Some truly one-sided phone call scenes: Swingers: Planes, Trains: Black Sheep: The Killing of A Chinese Bookie: Poltergeist: Taken: American Psycho: Fargo: Taxi Driver: Dr. Strangelove:
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168. All of Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Scenes in 'Charlie Wilson's War'
10/05/2023
168. All of Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Scenes in 'Charlie Wilson's War'
An appreciation of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and his brilliant portrayal of real-life CIA Most Interesting Man Gust Avrokotos in Mike Nichols' final film 'Charlie Wilson's War'.
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167. Albert Brooks & Julie Hagerty in 'Lost In America' (1985)
09/26/2023
167. Albert Brooks & Julie Hagerty in 'Lost In America' (1985)
'Lost In America' was Albert Brooks' 3rd film as a writer/director/star and remains probably the most broadly-appealing of his films. It's one of two of his films to have been given the Criterion stamp of cineaste approval, the other being the often-underrated 'Defending Your Life', and now, and perhaps even more important, it's the first of his films to be given the Full Cast and Crew treatment. Links: Albert Brooks: Hilarious clips from Criterion on Lost In America
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166. 'Across 110th Street' (1972), the Film and Song
09/13/2023
166. 'Across 110th Street' (1972), the Film and Song
'Across 110th Street' is a 1972 Harlem crime film that contains many of the tropes of the exploitation films of the era...but it also contains incredible performances from black actors whose skills rise far above the material at hand, people like Paul Benjamin, Yaphet Kotto, Richard Ward, and Marlene Warfield. And Bobby Womack's title song was used to great effect in 'Jackie Brown', as discussed in my last two episodes. In this week's episode I use the verses and choruses to explore Bobby Womack's amazing, tragic, and incredible life story, his relationship with Sam Cooke, his struggles and his surprisingly central role in the American popular musical landscape for almost 60 years.
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165. The Michael Keaton Ray Nicolette Cinematic Universe
08/29/2023
165. The Michael Keaton Ray Nicolette Cinematic Universe
Elmore Leonard's cocky, energetic ATF Agent Ray Nicolet is a key protagonist in his book 'Rum Punch'. For Quentin Tarantino's film adaptation of 'Rum Punch', 'Jackie Brown', the character, now named "Ray Nicolette" was embodied by the brilliant Michael Keaton with a perfectly cocky, energetic physicality. While cinematic universes are commonplace nowadays, in 1997 it was a surprise to see the character appear, uncredited, in Steven Soderbergh's adaptation of Leonard's novel of the same name, and even more rewarding to get a couple of additional character dynamics revealed by Keaton's similarly smart and self-aware performance. In this episode, much as I did in with Paul Newman's scenes from 'The Verdict' and in Episode 152 with Sean Penn's Jeff Spicoli scenes from 'Fast Times'...I go through all of Keaton's scenes from 'Jackie Brown' and 'Out of Sight' and offer up full appreciation. Also: a quick look back at Keaton's first real starring performance in 'Night Shift' with Henry Winkler and Shelly Long.
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164. 'Jackie Brown' (1997)
08/25/2023
164. 'Jackie Brown' (1997)
Quentin Tarantino surprised fans with the release of his third film, 'Jackie Brown' coming as it did on the heels of the global phenomenon that was 'Pulp Fiction' in all its unprecedented Tarantino-ness. Devoid of gory violence, 'Jackie Brown' is a thoughtful, hilarious, insightful and moving crime story that manages to be incredibly faithful to the ethos of the Elmore Leonard novel 'Rum Punch' (on which the film is based) while also mining Tarantino's own deeply personal connection to the blaxploitation films that made Pam Grier a genre star in the 70's and to the more working-class parts of Los Angeles, towns featured in the film like Carson and Hawthorne, CA and iconic now-gone locations like the Cockatoo Inn. "I treat movie stars like actors and actors like movie stars" said Tarantino, and that approach is well-represented here, with Michael Keaton and Robert DeNiro turning in perfectly-pitch supporting turns and industry vets like Forster and Grier getting plenty of runway to inhabit roles they weren't usually given during their heyday. This episode covers those locations, the incredible soul and r&b tracks that populate the soundtrack, and the brilliant acting from everyone in the cast, as well as the sure-handed filmmaking from Tarantino's growing collection of go-to crew and production staffers. One of my very favorite films, it's a pleasure to share my 'Jackie Brown' episode with you all!
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163. 'To Live and Die in LA' (1985)
08/17/2023
163. 'To Live and Die in LA' (1985)
Billy Friedkin, maybe the weirdest (in a good way) major American director of his generation, almost doesn't make sense on paper; wait...the same guy directed 'The French Connection' and 'The Excorcist'? But the ups and downs of Friedkin's storied and somewhat haphazard career are what makes him one of the most interesting directors to consider. And 'To Live and Die in LA' is some kind of crazy masterpiece, punching WELL above its weight as a non-studio, non-union middling-budget (6 million dollars) independent LA neo-noir. Filled with superlative near-first-timers like John Turturro, William Petersen, John Pankow, Willem Dafoe and stellar supporting work from the likes of Steve James, Robert Downey, Sr, Darlanne Fluegel, Dean Stockwell, Jack Hoar, and Debra Feuer, TLADILA is easily consumed as genre fare...or more diligently dissected as the incredible example of top-tier filmmaking and production design and location and stunt work that it also is. Needless to say that's where I'm taking my cues! Available now on a newly restored 4K UHD and blu-ray disc, TLADILA has frustratingly not been available to stream but my plea here is that you avail yourself of the physical media and set aside an evening to appreciate this great work of FUN and ART. Buy the new release Listen to Wang Chung's excellent TLADILA soundtrack
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162. 'Barbie' (2023)
08/08/2023
162. 'Barbie' (2023)
A deep-dive into the semiotics of 'Barbie' and its post-feminist critique of corporate capitalism and American mores. Just kidding, I went and saw 'Barbie' with five 12-year-olds. Six, if you count me. But seriously, this episode unpacks some of the things I found interesting about the film, its very existence, its brilliant marketing and repositioning. Also: supporting cast wins and losses, why the filmmakers missed a perfect opportunity to put the idiotic 'Barbie Girl' song to great use, and a plea for an Allan spinoff.
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161. The 'Godfather' Films W/ 'The Godfather Gang' author and 'The Offer' producer Ernest Lupinacci
08/01/2023
161. The 'Godfather' Films W/ 'The Godfather Gang' author and 'The Offer' producer Ernest Lupinacci
I'm joined by legendary ad-man-turned brand-identity guru, author, screenwriter, and producer Ernest Lupinacci to talk all things 'The Godfather' and 'The Godfather, Part II' (with a sideways glance at 'The Godfather, Part III'), including our preferences, what II gained and lost in terms of casting and production, returning Mario Puzo to center stage credit for creating this universe of indelible characters. Follow my guest Ernest Lupinacci on Check out Ernest and illustrator Alex Ogle's excellent graphic novel about the making of 'The Godfather', 'The Godfather Gang' Watch the Paramount+ scripted series that about the making of 'The Godfather'
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160. How to Listen to Dead & Company
07/11/2023
160. How to Listen to Dead & Company
An episode about 40 years of fandom and learning to actively listen to music while being of an age that can appreciate the collective experience of Dead & Company's Final Tour for the singular happening it represents.
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159. 'Indiana Jones & The Dial of Destiny'
07/07/2023
159. 'Indiana Jones & The Dial of Destiny'
I went and saw the new Indiana Jones movie at the Drive-In.
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158. Film Scores I Have Loved Before
06/27/2023
158. Film Scores I Have Loved Before
An email from a listener got me thinking about film scores that I actually listen to and love, so this episode shares a handful of classic and contemporary scores I think are worthy of special consideration. Scores referenced in this episode:
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157. 40 Glimpses of Paul Newman in 'The Verdict'
06/13/2023
157. 40 Glimpses of Paul Newman in 'The Verdict'
This week's companion episode to my previous episode about Sidney Lumet's 'The Verdict' is for the craft purists, the Newman obsessives, and the acting completists out there. Much like I did with the amazing Sean Penn Spicoli scenes in my follow-up to the 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' episode, here I'm going deep on Paul Newman's brilliant, career-best performance as Frank Galvin and discussing ALL of his key scenes in the film.
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156. Paul Newman in Sidney Lumet & David Mamet's 'The Verdict' (1982)
06/06/2023
156. Paul Newman in Sidney Lumet & David Mamet's 'The Verdict' (1982)
One of my very favorite films and featuring one of Paul Newman's favorite performances, Sidney Lumet's 'The Verdict' has grown in stature and appreciation since its premiere in 1982. With a brilliantly adapted screenplay by multi-hyphenate David Mamet, a tortured development process encompassing stars like Redford and other directors named Sidney (Pollack), and a first-rate cast, 'The Verdict' is one of the greatest courtroom dramas of all time. I'm thrilled to be joined once again by author and editor Keir Graff, who once again turns in an excellent appearance as a well-prepared guest on the pod. We dive deep into the making of this film, play some iconic scenes, and discuss the nuances and joys of the performances, the writing, the directing and the production elements that make this wonderful film such a standard of the form. Keir Graff's Keir's previous appearance on the Full Cast and Crew Podcast discussing Watch Playlist of Official "The Verdict" Watch the , directed by Ethan Hawke. Buy Sidney Lumet's indispensable guide to making movies, called, magically enough Listen to Sidney Lumet's indispensable
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155. Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in 'Moneyball' (2011)
05/23/2023
155. Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in 'Moneyball' (2011)
Bennett Miller was the 3rd director attached to the adaptation of Michael Lewis' classic baseball non-fiction book 'Moneyball', after Steven Soderbergh was replaced by Sony, who got nervous over his plan for interspersing interviews with real-life characters from the book like Lenny Dykstra and Darryl Strawberry throughout the film. His rewrite of Steve Zaillian's script made the studio nervous when paired with the $50 million dollar budget. Some of that technique remains in Miller's use of real baseball scouts and former players in the film, but it's blended seamlessly with the fantastic performances by Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill (who replaced Dmitri Martin in the role of Paul Brand/Paul DePodesta), Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Chris Pratt. Pitt and Sony exec Amy Pascal and producer Mike DeLuca stuck with the project, reduced the budget, and luckily, the film got made. On the face of it, it's an audacious undertaking: no less than an art-house take on baseball. Or is it a crowd-pleasing writer's film with a decidedly 70's bent? Or is it a treatise on the limitations of collective conventional wisdom? It's all these things and more. Some Articles About 'Moneyball': Roundtable with Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Bennett Miller:
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