Sean Young – Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers

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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Category: Adventure, Books, Classic, Crime, Fantasy, Police, Sci Fi | LEAVE A COMMENT

April 8

Dick Tracy, 1990

The boys are back for yet another episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! This week Dion Baia and J. Blake are again going way down the alley, back to a huge franchise that was revisited during their childhood. A property that because of other comic book characters getting reboots around the same time, this beloved hero was able to finally see a well-deserved adaptation, with some big-time Hollywood clout behind it. We are of course talking about Warren Beatty‘s Dick Tracy, from 1990.

dicktracy

This Hollywood blockbuster is another example of a film with a huge cast of A-listers, and coming off the heels of 1989’s Batman, this property (which had been in the works at the time for over 10 years), had some much-needed life breathed into a then 50+ year-old franchise. Truly being a testament to a pre-CGI world, Tracy was one of the last big-budget features which utilized the old tricks of Hollywood, like SFX, matte-painting, use of miniatures, optical printing, practical sets, practical Effects, and of course, practical make-up. And because of Disney‘s involvement, boy did this movie use all of the above devices to their absolute fullest, making this film truly be a proper swan-song for old Hollywood before CGI muscled it’s way into the field. But why did Disney ultimately take it’s name off the title? Even though this movie would not have been realized without the true diligence of Warren Beatty, was he in fact miss-casted in playing the title role of the legendary police detective? How true was this film to it’s comic strip roots and creator Chester Gould‘s vision? Well all these questions will be answered it yet another epic edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

*Dion misspoke when he referred to 1920’s Irish Chicago gangster Dion O’Banion, as Dion O’Brien.

EXTRAS:

Here is the 2009 TCM Leonard Maltin Dick Tracy Special which explores the history of the iconic sleuth, with Warren Beatty reprising his role as the man in yellow. And Info about the special can be found here.

Have a look at this fantastic 1990 making-of TV documentary: Dick Tracy: Behind the Badge, Behind the Scenes.

Have a gander at the evolution in Al Pacino’s make up for his character, Big Boy Caprice.

Check out this very rare 1990 Evening Magazine TV show episode that covers the Dick Tracy Premiere at Disney’s MGM Studios in Orlando, along with some very rare interviews with the cast.

Look at this vintage 1990 commercial for the Dick Tracy toy line.

Check out this GREAT 1990 McDonald’s commercial, promoting Dick Tracy‘s tied-in marketing campaign.

Talked about in the podcast, here’s the indispensable 1980 book, The Celebrated Cases of Dick Tracy, 1931-1951.

Also covered in the cast, here’s the HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 1990 graphic novel prequel and comic book adaptation of the feature film, called Dick Tracy: The Complete True Hearts and Tommy Guns Trilogy.

And, have a daily dose of your favorite daily comic strip, found here at GoComics.com!

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Category: Action, Adventure, Animation, Celebrities, Classic, Comedy, Comic Books, Crime, Fantasy, Gangster, Police, Serial | LEAVE A COMMENT

September 25

Batman, 1989

This week is a celebration here at Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers because we’ve turned ONE year old!

To usher in the monumental anniversary, J. Blake and Dion Baia have recorded a podcast that could be their most EPIC yet, presenting a film that played a huge role in their upbringing and practically revolutionized Hollywood moviemaking and marketing in the late 20th century; basically the 1977 Star Wars of their generation. If you haven’t guessed it already, we are speaking about 1989’s Batman, directed by Tim Burton.

batman

Dion and Blake start off by reflecting on turning a year old, and the humbling experience it has been to hear from the fans they’ve gained who share the same love for movies as they do. The fellas chat about being part of a nostalgic generation, and attempt to set-up what it was like for them to be 10 year-olds living in a pre-Batman era and then live through that unbelievable summer of 1989, a perfect storm which has been dubbed in the annuls of history as Batmania.

Then they get into all things Batman: The lads go back and setup the history of comic books, from dime-store novels, pulp magazines to comic strips, and detail the elements in the culture that helped Bob Kane and Bill Finger create the Dark Knight. The boys proceed to go through the various eras of Batman, from the post WWII 50’s era Fredric Wertham crusade to clean up comics, to the ‘Pop‘ 1966 show that defined an era, to the ’70’s and ’80’s push to bring the character back to his roots. Once they get to the main course, Tim Burton’s 1989 tour de force, they track the 10-year journey of getting the film made, the various casting challenges posed (with Dion and Blake playing the BIGGEST version of their ‘What If ?‘ Game EVER), and even tackle the argument of who was a better Joker: Jack Nicholson or Heath Ledger? Not to mention the 26 year-old surprise that could ultimately send them both to the HOSPITAL to get their stomach’s pumped!

Yes, as epic as this description is, it barely scratches the surface of this MEGA podcast to commemorate Saturday Night Movie Sleepover‘s one year anniversary. Go ahead and have a spin today!

EXTRAS:

(As of this recording, some great news has been released about Bill Finger finally receiving the Batman credit he deserves!)

(Straight out of the Saturday Night Movie Sleepover’s Archive, here is an original sketch by none other than Bob Kane himself!)

(As mentioned in the podcast, another straight out of the SNMS’s Archive is an ultra-rare, one of a kind original piece of art done by the Hanna Barbara legend Bob Singer of Batman and Robin with Scooby and Shaggy.)

(Check out the TRAILER that started it all, released Christmas of 1988 to build excitement for the June 23rd 1989 premiere)

(Have a look at various 1989 commercials to promote all things Batman, including toys, Nintendo games, the *cereal*, Michael Gough as Alfred in a Diet Coke commercial, and many more! Wow it brings back memories!!)

(Here’s an VERY RARE Warner Bros. Industrial Short [courtesy of 1989Batman.com] part of the 1988 press kit, which some say was made to show the stockholders how the tone and look of the film would be, which was shot while the project was still in preproduction, and has in-depth interviews with Production Designer Anton Furst, Director Tim Burton, SFX man John Evans, among many others.)

(For all everything else related to the 1989 Burton film among other things, check out 1989Batman.com)

(HERE and HERE are some photo’s of the actual cereal box the boys opened on set and tried during the recording of their Batman 1989 podcast.)

(As referenced to in the podcast, have a gander at the 2011 Podwits article Dion did arguing Tim Burton‘s Batman films over Christopher Nolan‘s trilogy. )

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Category: Action, Adventure, Childrens, DC Comics, Drama, Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers Exclusive | 5 Comments