July 7

Dead Heat, 1988

This week on Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers, J. Blake and Dion Baia are back and reminiscing about the 1988 classic, Dead Heat. They dissect this insane horror/comedic mash-up and get into some of the deepest unpacking anyone every has dared to go about the events in the story and motives for the characters. So come have some fun on this summer 2023 edition of SNMS!

June 12

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, 1989

Dion Baia and J. Blake are tackling the third film in the iconic Spielberg/Lucas series which charted the exploits of adventurer and archeologist Indiana Jones, in what was thought to be the final in a trilogy, 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In typical SNMS fashion, Blake and Dion utilize the original novelization, comparing and contrasting what made it into the final cut, and what scenes and subplots were ultimately discarded and left on the cutting room floor. They also discuss the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series and Harrison Ford’s reprisal of Indy in the 1993 TV movie, Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues. Better grab a drink and put your feet up because it’s a gonna be long one, on this all new episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

May 5

The Fugitive, 1993

The boys are back for a Spring 2023 edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! J. Blake and Dion Baia bring the band back together and cover a film near and dear to their childhood, The Fugitive from 1993. They discuss the movie’s origins and the epic original 1963 television series, and try to put into context how big of a deal this film was for their generation. So, grab your bucket of pizza and some Mega-jolt cola, because Dion and Blake are running from the law in this brand-new episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

September 16

Leon- The Professional, 1994

The boys are back, covering one of the most iconic films of their early friendship, and a 90’s classic, Leon- The Professional. In their classic format, J. Blake and Dion Baia talk about the US cut verse the International Cut, the provocative storyline, and the auteur-styling. So sit back, crack open a cold one as the fellas take you back in an all new episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

October 23

Poltergeist, 1982

Welcome to the 2020 Halloween Edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! J. Blake and Dion Baia are going way back to 1982, and unpacking this groundbreaking but sometimes forgotten horror movie classic, the Tobe Hooper/Steven Spielberg extravaganza, Poltergeist ! The boys analyze the many conspiracy theories and controversaries surrounding the film, while talking about the novelization which is jammed packed with supplemental information and binary storylines that did not make the final movie cut. It’s all going down on this all new, exciting and fun installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

September 25

The Maltese Falcon, 1941

The boys are back for their monumental anniversary podcast, and boy is it a whopper! J. Blake and Dion Baia are going way down the alley and discussing a classic near and dear to their hearts, The Maltese Falcon, from 1941.

As usual, they go all-out unpacking this massive topic, first going over Dashiell Hammett‘s groundbreaking and game-changing career. They hit the rise of the ‘gentlemen detective‘ of the 1930s, and how this 1941 film influenced and begot us film noir and the hard-boiled detective. It’s a jammed pack, lengthy podcast- their longest to date… (and boy does Dion talk a lot!). But this topic is right in their wheelhouse, and it’s their anniversary. Blake and Dion also talk about their new upcoming books. So kick back your heels, get comfortable and grab your favorite drink, cause the fellas are analyzing one of the their favorite topics, on an all new anniversary edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers, which is now is also on Patreon!!

August 28

Short Circuit, 1986

Welcome back to Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! J. Blake and Dion Baia this week head way down the alley, back to 1986 and highlight the forgotten gem, Short Circuit ! They unpack the novelization and the subtle differences that add a large amount of character depth, which also may explain the need for a now controversial stereotype in the comic relief. They also chat about the practical technology used to make Johnny Five, and the themes expressed in this warm, light-hearted story. It’s all going down in this dog-days-of-summer 2020 edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!   

August 14

The Terminator – A SIDE-CAST UPDATE, 1984

Dion Baia and J. Blake continue in their impromptu summer Side-Casts series, this time around returning to a classic and doing a supplement edition for The Terminator, from 1984. They dive into the original novelization, (which they had not read for their original podcast episode that covered this iconic film). The boys also expand their discussion of the Brad Fiedel soundtrack, utilizing interviews Blake has done with the legendary composer. Blake and Dion highlight tidbits from the novel that add a lot of dimensions to the characters, and unpack the elements of the fabulous Fiedel score- even chatting about the three pop songs supplied by the pop rock group, Tahnee Cain & Tryanglz. It’s all going down on this special, surprise edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

EXTRAS!

Check out this article by Adam Grove at the Bedlam Files of the differences between the two different Terminator novelizations.

Have a listen to the original podcast the boys did on The Terminator.

June 26

F/X (1986) and FX2 (1991) Double Feature!

Welcome back to another exciting edition of the Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! Dion Baia and J. Blake are doing a double feature this week, covering a forgotten but classic franchise, F/X from 1986 and FX2 from 1991, both starring Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy. The boys discuss the many legendary character actors who fill out both movies, and amazing premise that has become a common theme on the podcast, the fascination movie audiences had/have with practical SFXs—specifically makeup FXs; and the terrific rollercoaster rides these films take us on. So come reminisce about 2 forgotten gems on another enthralling installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

May 13

The Black Hole – The SIDE-CAST UPDATE, 1979

The boys are back, for a quick *new* special, revisiting a cult classic, Disney’s The Black Hole, from 1979!

The Black Hole, 1979

Dion Baia and J. Blake are dropping a brand new add-on to their 2015 podcast on this iconic film. They’ve now read the Alan Dean Foster novelization, the Jack Kirby comic newspaper strip translation, and the Whitman comic book adaptation– which also goes Beyond the Black Hole. The fellas learned a crap load more that answer a lot of questions they posed in their 2015 episode, and even see what supposedly happened once crew of the Palomino passed through the black hole! They also go deeper into the John Barry’s soundtrack and the journey to get it reissued and remastered. Come on down for this special companion piece ‘update‘ on an all new edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

*Dion at one point referred to Robert Forester as William Forester… his apologies.

Extras!

Check out the Jack Kirby Comic Strip Adaptation!

Here’s the full 4 issue Whitman comic book translate, which continues once they go Beyond the Black Hole!

April 24

The Changeling, 1980

Welcome back to another exciting, social-distancing episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! After a short delay, J. Blake and Dion Baia are going way down the alley to discuss a personal favorite, the haunted house classic The Changeling, from 1980 starring George C. Scott. The boys discuss the real life history on which the film is based, and gush over their love for the amazing, George the C. Scott. So sit on back and listen as Dion and Blake throw some much-deserved love to this trail-blazing epic, on a brand new, exciting edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

*Dion mistakenly referring to the 1971 film The Last Run starring George C. Scott and Trish Van Devere as The Rundown– sorry about that.

EXTRAS!

Here’s the crazy place Dion was referring to in the podcast, The Overbrook Asylum, that could be the setting for an amazing horror film that the boys are already writing!

March 13

Darby O’Gill and the Little People, 1959

Welcome back to another exciting edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers ! J. Blake and Dion Baia are throwing up an episode a week early to coincide with the Saint Patrick Day holiday, and to surprise and celebrate a film that’s been on the boy’s short-list since the inception of the SNMS podcast– the 1959 Walt Disney classic, Darby O’Gill and the Little People!

After some present giving, Dion and Blake jump right in, unpacking this epic masterpiece. They discuss the 1959 Magical World of Disney Television episode, I Captured the King of the Leprechauns, where Walt Disney and Irish actor Pat O’Brien venture to Ireland as a setup to convince King Brian Connor of the Leprechauns to star in Mr. Disney‘s big budget Hollywood film. This incredible marketing ploy, along with the astounding Special Effects which used a combination of matte painting and forced perceptive, came together to create one of the best fantasy movies of all time with effects that still hold up some 60+ years later. So settle in and listen to the lads take a journey to County Kerry, Ireland and visit their old mate, Darby O’Gill, on this much requested Saint Patrick’s Day installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

EXTRAS!

Recently found, check out an article about what was thought to be a lost performance of the 1957 BBC television version of Requiem of a Heavyweight, starring Sean Connery.

Here is the trailer for the 1959 Magical World of Disney television episode of I Captured the King of the Leprechauns, starring Walt Disney, which was a behind the scenes journey of going to Ireland and meeting Darby O’Gill, and King Brian, to get his leprechaun film made.

February 21

Marked For Death, 1990

Welcome back to a proper martial arts edition of Kung Fu February on Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! Dion & Blake are back and taking on a cult classic, featuring the man, the myth, the legend, Steven Seagal, in his 1990 iconic film, Marked For Death!

The boys unpack the 3rd film in Steven Seagal‘s catalog, discussing his backstory and more importantly, they discuss the martial art he practices, Aikido and it’s history, and Dion‘s connection to it. They then take the way-back machine way down the alley to 1990, and analyse the movie/marital arts scene at the time, and how bad-ass Seagal was. They lay out the argument of why we need a director’s cut of this film, on this all new proper Aikido installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

EXTRAS!

Here, here and here is Dion back in 2010 when he met Seagal.

Check out the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba aka O-Sensei, doing unbelievable looking things, using his martial art.

Have a look at some early footage of Seagal before he was famous and in his prime, using some insane Aikido.

And here’s some more footage of him in Japan, in the late 80s.

February 5

Randy Jurgensen Discusses the Passing of His Friend, Sonny Grosso– SNMS Presents: The Side-Cast

“They say Eddie Egan (aka Popeye Doyle) stepped on the gas and that Sonny Grosso would step on the brake- no… Back then, Eddie was the Doberman Pinscher and Sonny held the chain.” -Randy Jurgensen

Randy Jurgensen
Randy in the 1977 TV film, Contract on Cherry Street

Randy Jurgensen has lived an amazing life. The former NYPD Homicide Detective, Korean War veteran turned film consultant, producer, writer and actor worked on some of the biggest cases in New York City’s history and also some of the biggest and most important films of the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s.

With the passing of his lifelong friend and former NYPD partner Sonny Grosso, Randy sat down exclusively with Dion Baia to discuss the loss of someone who was also able to seamlessly transition into the film industry, becoming a producer, actor and writer, and most memorably was played by Roy Scheider in the 1971 classic, The French Connection. Randy unpacks his friendship with the legendary detective and film icon, and discusses their intertwining careers that involved some of the most notorious cases in NYC‘s history. He talks about the memories he’s never disclosed publicly, and his recollections of some of the biggest films they worked on together. He chats about how Sonny got his nickname “Cloudy“, and how Eddie Egan got the nickname “Bullets” and “Popeye“. He also explains their singular contributions to the original Godfather film. Along with the amazing stories, Randy also relays the biggest regret Sonny had about The French Connection movie. It’s an incredibly insightful, fascinating and exclusive interview that you’ll only find here, on Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

EXTRAS!

Check out our exclusive interviews with retired NYPD Homicide Detective turned produceractor and film consultant Randy Jurgensen about his days as a cop, and his incredible history with some of the most classic films of all time!

Go pick up a copy of Randy‘s amazing book, Circle of Six: The True Story of New York’s Most Notorious Cop Killer and the Cop Who Risked Everything to Catch Him.

The very iconic photo of the finale of The French Connection– Randy can be seen over Gene Hackman‘s right shoulder.

Click here to see Randy on April 20, 1972, moments after being hit in the back of the head by a brick thrown off a roof, during the Harlem riot that occurred after the shooting of Officer Phil Cardillo in Nation of Islam Mosque No. 7.

Check out this short Documentary starring Retired Detective Jurgensen.

Hereherehere and here are behind the scenes shots of Randy on set on The Godfather, during the scene where Sonny is assassinated.

Check out Randy in The Godfather poster, up in the top right corner.

Here’s Randy at the end of Maniac, with real life partner Jimmy Aurichio!

Have a look at another picture from Cruising, with Randy center, interrogating Al Pacino, with Paul Sorvino standing against the wall.

January 17

Nighthawks, 1981

Welcome to the 2020 season of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers. J. Blake and Dion Baia decided to go way down the alley and kick off the year with a personal favorite for the duo, a film that became a gritty, New York cult classic. The boys are tackling the Sylvester Stallone classic Nighthawks, from 1981.

Dion and Blake unpack the many stories revolving around the making of this movie, from an original two and a half hour cut that was severely chopped down to scale back the gore and remove the lead character background subplots, to the stories of the tension onset told to them by SNMS‘ old friend, retired NYPD Detective turned actor, producer and film consultant, Randy Jurgensen. The fellas are taking the Christmas tree down and putting the decorations away for this season opener in and all new 2020 edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! And thank you Moose!

And please check out Skillshare!

EXTRAS!

Check out our exclusive interviews with retired NYPD Homicide Detective turned producer, actor and film consultant Randy Jurgensen about his days as a cop, and his incredible history with some of the most classic films of all time!