Blade Runner – Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers

Total Recall ,1990

Welcome back to another installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers ! Dion Baia and J. Blake are taking on a popular fan request, a real favorite from their childhoods that was a blockbuster when it was released. The boys are getting their asses to Mars this week as they cover the Arnold Schwarzenegger epic, Total Recall, from 1990!

Total Recall Poster

Blake and Dion jump right into it, revisiting this classic and discuss how happy they are that this movie still holds up. They compare the finished version to the original Philip K. Dick short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale as well as the differences within the novelization, and explain the long process of getting this from the page to the screen. They unpack the massive Practical Effects in all their splendor, something that probably will never be seen in a Hollywood film like this again- along with a whole lot more. So come on down and check out another really late night meditation in an all new episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers !

*During the podcast, actor Michael Champion was mentioned as perhaps the villain in the 1991 film The Hard Way, when it was in fact the great Stephen Lang.

Extras!

Check out the original theatrical teaser trailer to Total Recall!

Watch the making of titled, Imagining Total Recall!

Take look at these rare, behind the scenes!

Here’s a great little featurette about the miniature work from Total Recall!

Last but not least, have a look at this Special Effects Featurette that explains the Skeleton Scene, among others!

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Category: Action, Adventure, Books, Classic, Drama, Fantasy, Sci Fi, Thriller | 1 Comment

September 29

Blade Runner, 1982

Hello and welcome to another episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! The boys are back and taking on one of the most iconic Sci-Fi movies of all time, one that is still lauded and debated 35 years after it was first released. J. Blake and Dion Baia are chatting about the Future Noir classic, Ridley Scott‘s Blade Runner, from 1982.

Blade Runner

The fellas are probably tackling their biggest topic to date, meaning with arguably 5-8 versions of the film, entire books written about the movie, and even a 3 and a half-hour documentary on the subject- there seemed to be a lot to unpack and get into. Applying the SNMS method, Dion and Blake decided to watch the original 1982 International Cut of the film (which was the version subsequently released on home video and laserdisc), as well as read the original source novel, Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep? by Science Fiction legend Philip K. Dick. Also for reference, they screened the little seen 1982 Workprint version which was released in the massive 2007 boxset. The boys compare the film(s) to the book and discuss the differences that were dropped or added, and lay out a sizable portion of novel’s subplots like the Empathy Boxes and the religion Mercerism that were eliminated to condense the story to fit into a two-hour feature film. They get into a very in-depth, semi-intellectual conversation about the moral questions posed within the book and film, as well as how the movie’s title came to be. Delving probably into their most ‘meta’ discussion on the podcast to date, they highlight the ethical and fundamental issues raised within the story, as well as their own personal feelings regarding these huge topics. So, how different is the original 1968 book to the 1982 version that was released in theaters? What about the various versions that have come out in the years since and the subtle differences in each? And what about the notorious and highly polarizing “voiceover” track by Harrison Ford that was dropped in the later cuts of the film, and the reasons why it was included and then excluded in subsequent releases? And the biggest question for Blade Runner and Do Android Dream of Electric Sheeps? fans: is Rick Deckard an ‘Andy‘ or Replicant? Well, you better grab all your Poopsheets, your Voigt-Kampff Empathy Test kits and dial your mood organs to the correct settings, because the lads are taking you for a ride in their Spinners, in this all new edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

Extras!

Check out the original 1982 trailer for the film!

Have a look at all the deleted, alternate and extended scenes from Blade Runner!

Discussed in the podcast, here is the 2015 BBC Radio adaptation of Do Androids of Electric Sheep?!

Here is all things Blade Runner, on the fansite BRmovie.com!

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May 6

The NeverEnding Story , 1984

Welcome back to another exciting episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! This week J. Blake and Dion Baia are celebrating their 50th podcast (well, sort of) and what better way than to tackle a movie that has become an absolute classic in the annals of 80’s fantasy films. In the crosshairs this week is the sleepover classic, The NeverEnding Story, from 1984.

Dion and Blake jump head-on into this very nuanced, multi-layered adventure, trying to psycho-analyze this “children’s movie”, which has themes and metaphors textured within that one wouldn’t really think would be included in what was again purported to be a “children’s film” ; but heck, this was the 80s! Regardless the boys delve right in, discussing the original novel and the differences from page to screen, that eventually made author Michael Ende take his name off the feature film. They also speak about German Cinema in general, and as this was the product of West Germany, NeverEnding Story became the biggest film outside of the United States and the U.S.S.R. upon release. The fellas also chat about the blossoming technology of ‘green-screening’, and the major differences between practical effects (which were utilized in this production), versus the upcoming CGI revolution which was literally around the corner. So to the big question: how does the film hold up today? AND, is it as messed up as we all remember? What was the German’s plan to make sure this was a hit with International audiences? What role did Steven Spielberg have in the film’s production? And what surprising element was NOT in the original German cut, which actually became one of the most enduring aspects of the English-speaking version? Well grab your popcorn and soda, sit back and put your feet up and come celebrate with Blake and Dion as they answer all your questions, and unveil the 50 edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

EXTRAS:

Here’s the original International theatrical trailer for the film!

Have a look at the original German Trailer!

Check out the Music video by Limahl for NeverEnding Story.

Mentioned in the cast, take a look at this rare 1984 German Documentary on the film!

Here’s a very interesting featurette discussing some people’s interpretations of all the esoteric allegorical spiritual symbolism within the film, courtesy of ODDTV.

Finally, have a listen of the entire audio book of Michael Ende‘s The NeverEnding Story.

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Category: Action, Adventure, Childrens, Classic, Drama, Fantasy, Uncategorized | LEAVE A COMMENT

November 13

Harry and the Hendersons, 1987

The boys are back for an all new, exhilarating and enthralling episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! J. Blake and Dion Baia are both digging back into their childhoods and taking on the legend of the Sasquatch. Instead of looking at him as a terrible monster, they pick a film that makes everyone wish they could have a big, cuddly bigfoot of their very own… 1987’s Harry and the Hendersons.

Dion and Blake discuss the mythology of the creature, particularly as it relates to cinema and the small screen of the 1970’s-80’s. They get into the mixed reviews that this feel-good film received upon its initial release, and frankly don’t hold back their opinions regarding the matter. They chat about the overall themes, and how it related then (and now) to the social and ecological movements of the era. They also segue to the other elephant in the room, the genius that is SFX pioneer Rick Baker and his body of work, and their mutual disgust that he announced earlier this year that he is retiring because…wait for it… there is not enough work out there because of the use of CGI today in moviemaking. And again, the lads don’t hold back on their thoughts on the subject. So get your tent, outdoor gear, and a pair of binoculars because we’re off looking for Sasquatch and Yeti’s in this weeks all new episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

Extras:

Listen to the complete novelization here, courtesy of Audiobooks for the Damned!

Take a look at the Harry and the Hendersons 25th Anniversary Panel, featuring SFX Artist Rick Baker and director William Dear!

Here’s Rick Baker in 1987 sculpting Harry!

Check out the Up Close look at Harry and the Hendersons Prop Animatronics Head With Rick Baker, from 1987!

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Category: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy | LEAVE A COMMENT

February 27

John Carpenter’s The Thing, 1982

The lads have their hands full in this brand-spanking new installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepover, and desperately try to fit it all into the confines of a humble podcast. This week, Dion Baia and J. Blake take on the 1982 horror classic, John Carpenter’s The Thing.

the-thing-poster

The boy’s knowledge and expertise are put to task, disseminating all the elements that were brought together in remaking an already established cult classic. How the heck did this movie flop upon its intital release and be completely panned by critics and the film community alike? How do the SFX hold up to the CGI we are so familiar with today? How did the 2011 prequel/remake and 2002 PS2 video game hold up verse Carpenter’s 1982 vision? Have the boys actually solved the ending? And… what the heck were the guys thinking trying to do their own 3D experience in these cold winter months with their latest screening?

Well strap yourselves onto your couch (quite literally) for this thrilling and exciting installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

(Go have a gander at this neat wikia page so you can completely go in-depth and geek out on John Carpenter’s The Thing!)

(Have a look at this great topical claymation mash-up that was done, mixing The Thing and Disney’s Frozen.)

(Here are some deleted scenes from the film, and click here for stills for some of the lost scenes.)

(Take a peek at this vintage behind-the-scenes featurette.)

(Last but certainly far from least, as a great, EXCLUSIVE treat for our fans, check out some original concept art drawn by comic artist Mike Ploog of the kennel scene, from J. Blake‘s personal collection: here, here, here and here.)

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Category: Action, Fantasy, Horror, Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers Exclusive, Sci Fi | 2 Comments

November 14

“Mindwarp,” 1992

The boys really searched through the proverbial video store racks for this week’s pick, the little known and probably even less-seldom seen sci-fi treat, Mindwrap from 1992, starring Bruce Campbell and Phantasm‘s Angus Scrimm.

This underrated, low-budget post-apocalyptic/technological/CHUD-style tale explores themes probed 7 years later in the highly popular 1999 film The Matrix (though the viewpoints of the filmmakers couldn’t be more carbon opposite), and Mindwrap seems to be an amalgam of some of the best sci-fi films out there, e.g. The Time Machine, Total Recall, Blade Runner and THX 1138. So please have a listen and enjoy us waxing over a true forgotten sci-fi and Bruce Campbell classic!

(There in fact is an out of print, region free remastered Blu Ray edition put out by Twilight Time Studios, which can be found on Amazon.)

(Dion misspoke in the cast when he referred to Philip K. Dick‘s iconic short story We Can Remember it For You Wholesale being linked to Blade Runner, when he actually meant Total Recall. He does tend to get a tad over-zealous at times.)

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Category: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci Fi | 4 Comments