Robert Davi – Saturday Night Movie 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

August 23

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

December 7

Die Hard, 1988

‘Tis the Season! J. Blake and Dion Baia are kicking off the Christmas season with a spectacular edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! For this holiday installment the boys are covering a genre-pioneering action-adventure epic–that’s also celebrating it’s 30th birthday this year. It’s the Bruce Willis classic, Die Hard, from 1988!

Die Hard It’s been a long night (and long year) for the SNMS crew and the lads have started hitting the old holiday ‘nog a little early this sleepover night. Dion and Blake layout the history of this holiday essential, unpacking the history of how it was originally a sequel to a Frank Sinatra property, and it’s journey to becoming one of the most influential action movie’s of the 80’s. Blake also reminisces about seeing a screening of this film introduced by the late great Alan Rickman, and what he had to say when a film asked him a very specific script logic question regarding the storyline. So grab your sleigh bells, your yule tide cheer, your Berettas and most importantly your shoes, cause the guys are taking a trip to Nakatomi Plaza in this 2018 holiday edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

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

Extras!

Out this week, please go pick up a copy of Dion Baia‘s debut novel, Blood in the Streets, available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com, Target.com, Simon & Schuster, or at your favorite bookstore in paperback, ebook & audiobook!

Check out the original theatrical trailer for Die Hard, with lines no included in the final version!

Have a look at this great collection of Die Hard bloopers!

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Category: Action, Adventure, Classic, Thriller | 3 Comments

April 6

The Goonies, 1985

Welcome back to another exciting episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! This week Dion Baia and J. Blake are two kids on an adventure! They’re headed up to the Goon Docks, and taking up where Chester Copperpot (aka Keenan Wynn) left off, looking for One-Eyed Willy‘s treasure as they take on an absolute cult classic, The Goonies, from 1985!

The Goonies

Always a huge request from listeners, this film brings it all back for Blake and Dion. They chat about the idea of all of us having a shared collective of ‘childhood memories’ consisting of bikes, skateboards, snack food and junk food, and plain fun and adventure, as they reminisce about this classic epic. They discuss this subgenre of “kids on an adventure“, and other films of the time period which shared commonalities with this template, and the various forces that came together to get The Goonies made. They analyze the superb cast and crew, and the surprising tidbits of info that may not be commonly known- (such as the dropped subplot of gorillas escaping a local zoo and stealing a golf cart and then a car, all of which was shot Second Unit by Steven Spielberg!) -among others. The boys attempt to unpack as much as they can in another enthralling, hilarious and informative edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

#Craptoad #TickletheBrim

(During the podcast while talking about the 1996 film Mulholland Falls, Dion mistakenly said John Lithgow when he meant John Malkovich– our apologies.)

Extras!

Here’s the Cyndi Lauper tie-in music video, The Goonies ‘r’ Good Enough !

Check out these deleted scenes from the movie!

Take a look at this Making of Featurette from 1985!

Brought up on the podcast, here is a short documentary about the life of iconic football player John Matuszak, who played Sloth, and his untimely death.

And also discussed on this episode, here is child star Ernie Reyes Jr. from the mid-80s, taking on some local bully/gang members, and kicking Don Cheadle‘s butt.