Peter Pan – Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers

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

August 4

The Lost Boys, 1987

Hello again and welcome back to another all new episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! This week Dion Baia and J. Blake are talking another absolute cult classic film that turns 30 this week. A movie about beach boardwalks, teen angst, and of course vampires, Joel Schumacher‘s The Lost Boys from 1987.

The Lost Boys Poster

The boys fondly reminisce about the era The Lost Boys came out within, and how the concept of teenage vampires was a relatively new idea for audiences. Blake and Dion discuss the vampire lore and the ‘classical’ representation these characters had in cinema, and how this film kind of turned that traditional idea on end. They talk about the obvious connections to novelist J.M. Barrie‘s story Peter Pan, as well as the other cultural influences peppered in the story, such as the reoccurring presence of rock icon Jim Morrison and the symbolism invoked, which goes to the greater themes layered within. They discuss the family dynamics in the story, be it the Emerson family’s or the Lost Boys gang themselves. The lads go into the Corey connection, and the relationship between Haim and Feldman that all started with this movie. They compare this film to the novelization, and interject some of the subplots and scenes that were discarded in the final cut of the 1987 movie. And they also chat about the sexual tension between the main characters in the story, and ponder the question: who is really attracted to who here? So, how monumental was The Lost Boys’ soundtrack when it came out? Did director Joel Schumacher maybe put himself a little bit into young Corey Haim‘s character? What’s Blake‘s Billy Wirth story? How about Dion‘s Jason Patric encounter? Well it’s about time that you sharpen those wooden stakes, gather as much Holy Water as you can find, and above all, don’t invite any strangers into your house because an all new edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers is coming your way!

(* The two stories referred to in the podcast that predate Bram Stoker‘s 1897 Dracula, were the 1819 short story entitled The Vampyre by John William Polidori, and the 1872 lesbian vampire novella Carmilla, by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu– both in public domain and available online free to read.

Extras:

Check out the original trailer for The Lost Boys!

Watch the deleted scenes, here!

And check out more deleted scenes from the film, here!

Take a look at Corey Haim and Feldman talking about The Lost Boys!

Have a look at the 2004 The Lost Boys 17 year old Retrospective!

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Category: Books, Fantasy, Horror | 6 Comments

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!