October 18

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!

March 31

Slap Shot , 1977

The boys are back and this week J. Blake and Dion Baia are celebrating the 40th anniversary of a film that is lauded as one of the best, if not THE best sports movie of all time- Full stop. That’s a very high standard. But the guys are going the distance in this installment as they take on the Paul Newman/George Roy Hill classic Slap Shot, from 1977.

Slap Shot

The fellas dive right into the deep-end this go around, with the resident hockey expert at SNMS, J. Blake. They start with Blake‘s background with the sport, having played growing up, also being on the High School team, and taught kids ‘hockey skills‘ classes afterward while in school and college. Now the paradox within is that the boys aren’t really into sports anymore- now they may attend a sporting event or two and enjoy a good thrilling game, but really don’t actively seek it out now in their adult lives. But they love themselves a good sports film, and Dion and Blake are head over heels for this all-American classic! First they discuss the true events that were the inspiration for the script. They chat about the world this film creates and the real-life people this story spoke to. Set in the Northeast, the boys get into the ‘regional’ sporting events and circuits of the era and the enjoyment this form of entertainment gave to the local town and city audiences who, by day worked in the factories, the mines, or the mills that kept these local bergs afloat in the 1970s. So how was the original concept of Slap Shot conceived and in what other format was the original idea considered, other than comedy? How many real actors were actually in this movie? Through all the controversial foul and surly language, what truths does this film actually present in a brilliant and completely realistic manner? And what’s Blake‘s connection to director George Roy Hill and how does the story involve cult Horror director Jeff Lieberman?! Well you better lace up those skates (and make sure those laces are tight!) because we’re going on the ice in this all new, exciting episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

Extras!

Check out Part 1 & Part 2 of this very informative 25th Anniversary special about Slap Shot!

Slap Shot presented Ogie Ogilthorpe as a fictional character, but he was real. Bill “Goldie” Goldthorpe was known as one the most outrageous goons of all time and here is a neat little documentary on his exploits, called I Am Ogie.

Take a look at some behind the scenes footage shot while Slap Shot was being filmed.

Here’s the Hanson Brothers on Hockey Night In Canada: February 25th, 2017, talking about the game today versus the old days, courtesy of YouTube!

February 17

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors, 1987

Welcome back to another edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! This week Dion Baia and J. Blake are dipping into a horror classic, one of the most iconic and famous characters within the genre and what better place to start than right in the middle of the series… that’s right, the boys are talking Freddy Krueger and specifically the 30th anniversary of A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors, from 1987.

A Nightmare on Elm St Part 3: Dream Warriors

That’s right, Blake and Dion start smack in the middle of the franchise, and after touching on the mysterious world that exists for children inside department store circular-coat racks, they jump right into the Elm Street lore; utilizing a largely forgotten Tobe Hooper directed episode of the 1988 series Freddy’s Nightmares, A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series which delves deep into Freddy’s backstory, something that was still really unexplored up until that time. They jump into Dream Warriors, discussing the Wes Craven‘s involvement and the original script he submitted, then deemed too dark and subsequently changed due to the subject matter. Dion and Blake get into the controversial topics that are presented in the film, which were still very taboo to cover in the 1980s, topics like depression, self-harm and teen suicide. So, how was this installment as a sequel; did it accomplish what it needed and set out to do? As an effects-heavy film, how do these practical FX hold up nowadays? How does this stack up in relation to the other A Nightmare on Elm Street movies? And what’s Dion‘s funny story about meeting actor Robert Englund back in 2009 and the autograph he asked for? Well all these intriguing and mind-blowing questions get answered, so grab some coffee or a Red Bull, because whatever you do, you don’t want to fall asleep during this week’s all new episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

Extras!

As discussed in the podcast, check out this rare episode of Freddy’s Nightmares, A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series, that explores the child murder Freddy Krueger’s nefarious history in coming the demonic villain we know him as today.

Here are both the original Wes Craven script deemed too dark by the studio, and the one that was ultimately filmed.

Check the Dokken music video for their song Dream Warriors, for the 3rd Elm Street film.

Have a look at the original trailer for A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors.

Take a look HERE and HERE at the photos of the unused SFXs of Freddy’s head on the nurse’s body.

As discussed in the podcast, check out J. Blake‘s appearance on the WrongReel Podcast, talking about the great Buster Keaton.

Here is the photo of Dion meeting Robert Englund in 2009.

Also brought up in the cast, here is the fascinating book The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell.

Lastly, also talked about, check out the amazing PBS American Experience documentary entitled The Lobotomist, about neurologist Walter J. Freeman and his once exulted way of dealing with our mentally ill in this country, by way of transorbital lobotomies.