Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers – Page 3 – Highlighting Films Old (& New) That We Grew Up With & Watched at Weekend Sleepovers

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!

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Category: Action, Celebrities, Classic, Crime, History, Police, Thriller | 2 Comments

Batman Returns, 1992

The boys are closing out the 2019 season of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers with a Christmas favorite and epic superhero sequel, the controversial Tim Burton classic, Batman Returns, from 1993!

J. Blake and Dion take a deep dive back into the Tim Burton world of Gotham City, unpacking the potential what if’s that could have been for this follow up- like a Billy Dee Williams Two-Face setup, or a Marlon Wayans Robin, and the dark tone that ultimately scared merchandisers, and caused Burton not to be asked back for the third installment. It’s a jingle bell ringing, egg nog drinking, and Christmas decorating, all new season closer of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

Extras!

Check out the boys back in 2015 covering the penultimate classic, Tim Burton‘s Batman from 1989!

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Category: Uncategorized | 4 Comments

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, 1989

It’s that time of year again! J. Blake and Dion Baia are getting ready for the holidays at Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers and bringing down the decorations from the attic! They have on deck, an iconic film that has become an absolute cult classic, and one that turns 30 this year. So, this week the boys are taking on Chevy Chase‘s National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, from 1989!

Dion and Blake jump right in, exploring the history of National Lampoon Magazine, and how it went to presenting movies, and how a short story by a young writer named John Hughes morphed into an epic and iconic franchise. So come listen to the fellas put the Christmas lights up outside on the house, in this all new exciting, informative, and hilarious edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

And thank you to this week’s sponsor, Skillshare!

(*In the cast Dion mentioned that Chevy Chase left SNL after the First Season– in fact, he did perform in a handful of episodes of Season 2 before he jumped ship.)

Extras!

Check out the original short story by John Hughes that appeared in 1980 in Nation Lampoon called Christmas ’59, that was the basis for the 1989 feature film!

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Category: Classic, Comedy, Holiday | 2 Comments

Rudy, 1993

Welcome to an all new installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! This week J. Blake and Dion Baia are back, covering a sports classic, the 1993 college football epic, Rudy!

The boys explore the life of Daniel Eugene “Rudy” Ruettiger and his epic journey to Notre Dame, and getting to play college football. They dissect the 1993 film and both Sean Astin and Charles S. Dutton‘s incredible true-life stories. It’s all going down in this brand new Fall edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

Extras!

As discussed in the episode, take a look at the 1985 Sports Illustrated Video, The NFL Crunch Course!

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Category: Classic, Sports | LEAVE A COMMENT

The Muppet Movie, 1979

Welcome back to another installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! This week Blake and Dion are covering a classic that is turning 40 this year, Jim Henson‘s masterpiece, The Muppet Movie, from 1979!

The boys also unpack the ground-breaking Sesame Street program which is also sharing a birthday, turning 50 this year, and the backstory of getting the show on the air in 1969. They track Jim Henson’s journey through public television to the hugely successful Muppet Show, and to the 1979 Movie. So come on down as Dion and Blake jump into their 1951 Studebaker Commander and hit the road, on this all new episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

Extras!

Check out the hilarious 1978 Camera Test footage of Jim Henson and Frank Oz taking their characters to the English countryside!

Have a look at the extended scene at the El Sleezo Cafe!

Take a look at the extended chase scene!

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Tales From The Darkside: The Movie, 1990

Welcome to week four of the 2019 Horror Movie Extravaganza on Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! Dion Baia and J. Blake decided to continue down the same route and do another anthology that has been related to the others they’ve profiled this past month, covering the cult classic Tales From The Darkside: The Movie, from 1990!

The boys unpack the iconic 1980’s series Tales From The Darkside, and set the stage for how the 1990 feature film came about. Blake discusses his interviews with composer and (this film’s) director John Harrison– about the backstory involving George A. Romero and Stephen King, and getting this film made, and how Creepshow and even Creepshow 2 were the catalyst. So make sure you don’t scare easily, because Dion and Blake are back to tell you some more spooky tales on this all new installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

Extras!

David Nelson is the name of the musician that played with David Johansen that Dion couldn’t remember, who is now a financial adviser (no relation to Ozzie & Harriet Nelson), who was with the singer post New York Dolls, in his solo years prior to Buster Poindexter.

Check out the original theatrical trailer!

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Category: Classic, Horror, Television, Thriller | 1 Comment

Creepshow, 1982

Welcome back to week 3 of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers’ 2019 October Horror Movie Extravaganza! J. Blake and Dion Baia are back covering a classic that set the standard, the George A. Romero masterpiece, Creepshow, from 1982.

Working off the prior week’s episodes, which kind of relates to the topic, the boys also utilize the 1982 Cinefantastique article, as well as Tom Savini’s Grande Illusions: A Learn-By-Example Guide to the Art and Technique of Special Make-Up Effects from the Films of Tom Savini, for background. They also discuss Blake’s interview with director/composer John Harrison about his work on the film, which offers insight into George A. Romeo‘s vision. Dion and Blake also relay funny stories about meeting actor William Sadler, and filmmaker and friend of the show, Jeff Lieberman. It’s all going down this week on an all new creepy installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

EXTRAS:

Check out Blake‘s interview on Scored to Death: The Podcast with John Harrison, composer of the Creepshow soundtrack!

Also discussed in the podcast, here’s our good friend Dave‘s YouTube George A. Romero interviews he taped off TV that got the attention of filmmaker Jeff Lieberman, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Have a look at Dion with William Sadler, circa 2004.

And take a listen to the Suspense Radio Show‘s legendary 1941 episode called The Hitchhiker, starring Orson Welles!

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Category: Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Tales From the Crypt 1972, & Vault of Horror, 1973 Double Feature

Welcome back to week two of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers’ 2019 Horror Movie Extravangza! Dion and Blake are back and trying to fill a tall order, doing an old double feature this Saturday Night. They’re heading back to the well, tackling the films that bred life back into the historic EC Comics property–the Amicus classics Tales From the Crypt from 1972 and Vault of Horror from 1973!

Blake and Dion jump right in, laying out the lengthy and fascinating history of EC Comics, and how a British Company named Amicus reinvigorated a forgotten franchise that’s still going strong, almost 70 years on. They also utilize both novelizations to help breakdown these incredible double-features. So gather round your streaming devices as the fellas act as pseudo “horror hosts”, to take you through this week’s spooky and ghostly installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

Extras!

Here are the boys last year visiting New York City’s Society of Illustrators exhibit of the art of EC Comics, MAD Magazine and William Gaines!

Check out William Gaines testifying in front of Congress in 1954 during the Dr. Fredric Wertham hearings.

Have a look at the lobby card from the Vault of Horror and its lost shot from the 1973 film.

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Category: Books, Classic, Comic Books, Film, History, Horror, Sci Fi, Television, Thriller | 4 Comments

Trick ‘r Treat, 2007

Welcome to SNMS’ 2019 October Horror Movie Extravaganza! Blake and Dion are kicking off the month with a modern classic, a film that has already attracted a cult following, the 2007 anthology, Trick ‘r Treat!

The boys discuss the fabulous interweaving of the stand alone stories, the stellar cast, the many homages to the horror genre and to the holiday itself, and the delay the film had in being released to the general public. So grab your halloween costumes and your candy sacks, cause Dion and Blake are going trick or treating early this month in another brand episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

Extras!

Check out the short student film, Season Greetings, that was the inspiration for the 2007 feature length film!

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Category: Classic, Horror | 1 Comment

Superman II, 1980

Welcome back to another episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! J. Blake and Dion Baia are celebrating the 5th anniversary of the podcast and after wrapping up the critically acclaimed 2019 Summer of Sequels, the boys figured they’d perform an encore to close out the season! And what better way to celebrate their anniversary then by exploring the iconic and legendary superhero sequel Superman II, from 1980!

Dion and Blake unpack the lengthy history of the Superman character, and do their best to lay out the timeline of lawsuits by creators Siegel and Shuster in their attempt to regain the rights to the character they created. The fellas then segue to Superman II and discuss the tension while filming the incredible sequel, and compare and contrast the different cuts of this film, juxtaposing the theatrical cut, to the television cut and the notorious Donner Cut. And Dion relays his fun Dean Cain story as well. So it’s a fun, fact-filled and lengthy, high-flying anniversary-installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

Please go check out this week’s sponsor, KEEPS!

(*At one point Dion accidentally referred to Sarah Douglas as Susannah Douglas– his apologies.)

Extras!

For those who didn’t know the reference, here is the 1980s toy, MUSCLE Men.

Here’s Blake having some fun with them, HERE, and HERE.

Check out the footage from the 1984 television cut, that didn’t make the theatrical or Donner Cuts of the film.

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Category: Action, Adventure, Animation, Books, Childrens, Classic, Comic Books, DC Comics, Fantasy, Sci Fi, Serial, Television | 4 Comments

For A Few Dollars More, 1965

As the summer comes to a close, the boys want to welcome you back the Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers‘ 2019 Summer of Sequels! Dion Baia and J. Blake are wrapping up the season with a bang, as they pull out all the stops and cover the underrated (and their favorite in the series) spaghetti western masterpiece, Sergio Leone’s For a Few Dollars More from 1965, starring Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef.

The fellas bring separate suitcases as they unpack and discuss the impact that this film, For a Few Dollars More, and the Italian western sub genre, had on the greater western genre on a whole. Blake explains the evolution of the Italian Spaghetti western and Sergio Leone‘s influence, while Dion lays out the incredible era of the American television westerns of the 1950’s, and Clint Eastwood’s journey to television and then to the groundbreaking, career-defining and trend-setting Fistful of Dollars, in 1964. It comes together for the lads as they argue why (in their humble opinion ) For a Few Dollars More is the best of the Eastwood/Leone western trilogy. And they hit on the influence of Morricone’s amazing score and its impact. So kick the dust out of your boots, put your feet up and settle in around the campfire, as Dion and Blake hit the trail one more time in the roundup of the 2019 Summer of Sequels in an all new edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

(*The David Janssen TV mountain film mention within the episode is called High Ice, and not Avalanche. Sorry for that. )

Extras!
As mentioned in the podcast, here are some shots from the original theatrical program for the play Mister Roberts, with Dion‘s mother‘s family goat, Bertha, making her Broadway debut. Check them out HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE HERE, and HERE.

The boys forget to mention the fabulous Primus song from their 2012 album Green Naugahyde, entitled Lee Van Cleef and this -it’s amazing official animated music video– which is a great homage to the Spaghetti Westerns, the legendary actor Lee Van Cleef and his foil, Clint Eastwood.

So amazing as not to go unmentioned, please check out the Midas TV commercial used at the top of the cast, starring the legendary George Kennedy and Lee Van Cleef.

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Category: Action, Adventure, Classic, History, Television, Western | LEAVE A COMMENT

Predator 2, 1990

Welcome back to an all new episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers’ 2019 Summer of Sequels. This week Dion Baia & J. Blake are covering a film that has been polarizing ever since it first was released, with supporters and naysayers on both sides of the cinematic aisle. The boys are taking on Predator 2, from 1990!

Blake and Dion jump right in, tying in elements of the novelization, as well as the limited Dark Horse run of Predator: The Concrete Jungle, which premiered the year prior. They discuss the violence and setting of the dystopian inner city as a backdrop, and the awesomeness of the Predator character. So sit back and make sure you come unarmed and bring all your lucky voodoo charms, because the fellas are going to gritty and sweaty LA on the hunt, in the all new edition of the Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers Podcast!
(*Dion mistaking referred to the 2012 Morton Downey Jr. Documentary as Provocateur, when it is actually entitled, Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie. His sincere apologies.)

Extras!

For more on the backstory found within the novelization, check out this fan wiki link.
To see more on the legendary Dark Horse 1989 miniseries, Predator: Concrete Jungle, click here.
Take a look at the trailer to the 2013 documentary Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie, about the fascinating life and times of Morton Downey Jr.

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Category: Action, Comic Books, Horror, Sci Fi | 6 Comments

Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn, 1987

Welcome back to another edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! J. Blake and Dion Baia are in the midst of their epic, and legendary, 2019 Summer of Sequels Series, and this week the boys are taking on a cult-classic horror movie sequel, that is considered one of the best films of the genre from its time period; none other than Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn, from 1987, starring the man himself, Bruce Campbell.

The fellas get right into the nuts and bolts of this flick, laying out the back story and collaboration between Raimi and Campbell, and all the little Easter eggs and inside jokes layered within. They tap into Blake‘s expertise on the subject, as he is a huge fan of all things Bruce Campbell and particularly this series. They explain what the “Fake Shemp” is, and lament about how influential this film was at the time, and wonder how it is viewed by younger audiences today who are basically able to shoot a movie like this on their phone. So, just make sure you’re not accidentally reciting satanic rites or incantations that release any forces from Hell this week, in another enthralling and hilarious episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

A big thank you this week to our sponsor, Take Care Of!

Extras!

As discussed in the podcast, check out Blake’s 2013 exclusive interview with the man, the myth, the legend himself, Bruce Campbell!

Have a listen of the boys 2015 Side-Cast Episode on Bruce Campbell, entitled the Fake Shemp!

And go take a listen to their 3rd episode of the SNMS on the Bruce Campbell 1992 classic, Mindwarp!

And please follow us on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook…@satsleepovers!

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Category: Horror | 6 Comments

The Wizard of Oz, 1939 & The Return to Oz, 1985 Double Feature

Welcome back to another all new edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers’ Summer of Sequels! This week J. Blake and Dion Baia are getting crazy with the cheese whiz, and doing an epic double-feature! They’re taking on a film that has been called the most watched movie of all time, the MGM 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz, AND its unofficial Disney sequel which has now become a cult classic, The Return to Oz, from 1985!

In their longest running podcast to date, Dion and Blake attempt to do this massive topic some justice. On the 100th anniversary of author L. Frank Baum’s death, they discuss the original book published in 1900; the fellas unpack the 1939 MGM movie that turned 80 this year; and analyze the 1985 film which people deemed too dark and scary for a Disney film, even though it was the closest rendition of the Baum material to date. They chart what is faithful to Baum‘s original work and the incredible impact his book series has had on the world. So you better hit the bathroom now and do some stretching, because this is gonna be a long one as the boys ‘ease on down that yellowbrick road with Dorothy, in an all new exciting, hilarious and informative edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

*(Okay, with a podcast this long, the boys are bound to misspeak: They accidentally referred to the 1900 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as The Wonderful World of Oz. They regret the error. Also, Dion misspoke when bringing up Shelley Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatre, calling it Shelley Winters’ Faerie Tale Theatre–-which would be a completely different thing; Dion also accidentally referred to Jack Haley as the Cowardly Lion when discussing the make-up scars on Bert Lahr‘s face; and, when mentioning Deanna Durbin‘s 1945 film Lady on the Train, Dion called it The Stranger on the Train– his apologies.)

Extras!

Check the 1980 Thanksgiving animated Special, called Dorothy In The Land of Oz.

Have a listen to the LUX Radio Show presentation of The Wizard of Oz, from 12/25/50, with Judy Garland reprising her role as Dorothy Gale.

Take a look at the official trailer to the documentary Remembering Return to Oz, which seems to be still a work in progress.

And follow the show on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram…@satsleepovers!

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Category: Adventure, Animation, Books, Childrens, Classic, Comedy, Disney, Fantasy, Holiday, musical, Television | 2 Comments

Dion & Blake Need a Favor, This is Not an Ad

This week the boys need a quick favor, and humbly ask for your help.

SNMS is in the running for the Podcast Awards and Dion & Blake need you to please VOTE NOW! They got a late start & listener voting ends on July 31st!

1) Go to the attached link
2) sign up
3) Vote for us in the TV & Film category
4) Vote for us in the Adam Curry People’s Choice category
5) Vote for whatever other categories you want
6) Hit Save Nominations at the bottom of the screen

There is a ton of competition in the TV & Film category, but Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers can win, because you are the best listeners around. So PLEASE vote and spread the word.

https://www.podcastawards.com/app/signup

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Category: Uncategorized | 1 Comment