Season 19, Episode 9 I hate that they don't capitalize the 'C' in the title "Timecop". It just looks better than the lower case 'c'. I know this is a weird hill to defend, but I'm not moving on that. This is why I capitalized it in the title and why I'll continue to do so throughout this article. Before we discussed the movie, TimeCop , for the main show, I've always held that this movie was one of my favorite Jean-Claude Van Damme films. I'm sure I've also said it was his best, but I stopped making blanket statement like that in the late 90s. Movies, like all art, is subjective and for one to exclaim one piece of art is better than another is, in reality, saying that they prefer it, or it speaks to them more. So, I liked TimeCop quite a bit. Then I watched it again. I still enjoy it, but boy did I forget about a lot of inconsistencies, baffling plot points, and the entirety of Gloria Reuben's character, Agent Sarah Fielding. I'll leave those for the podcast episode, but there were some pieces I never forgot. The split, as you can see in the image above, is one of them, although the believability of how Walker needs to do the move tests the limits of common sense. I also always remembered Senator McComb's fate, but his motivation to letting himself die in the end, which we also discuss on the episode, is mind-blowingly (not a word) dumb. Check out this episode where we answer the ultimate question: Does the character, Walker, always roll up his sleeves, or does Jean-Claude Van Damme? TimeCop Story by Mike Richardson & Mark Verheiden Screenplay by Mark Verheiden Directed by Peter Hyams Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mia Sara, Ron Silver, Bruce McGill, Gloria Reuben Watch us on YouTube! Or on your favorite podcast portal... Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links

Season 19, Episode 8 Merry Christmas! What a way to celebrate the holiday then by listening to a brand new episode of Forgotten Cinema. We take on the 2016 film Office Christmas Party, which has its roots in the tradition of office holiday parties across the country combined with the always hyped up expectation of having an all-time rager. (Project X, Superbad, Can't Hardly Wait, Animal House, the Hangover series deals with the aftermath, and more I'm probably forgetting.) Hollywood has a history of party movies where the characters are looking to have an all-time party they will never forget. When in reality, those types of parties rarely happen. Office Christmas Party carries on the tradition of party films and adds the common experience those employed face at the end of every year. The office holiday party. The tradition of throwing a party at the same spot where you work is weird, isn't it? When I was working at the movie theater, our holiday parties would take place on a Monday night, while we were still open. It was fun, but surrealistic. I've never experienced a full-on rager that lasts all night and changes your life for the better. But there's still time, right? It didn't happen this year, but maybe one year, I'll experience joy, embarrassment, jubilation and regret all in one night. Office Christmas Party Directed by Josh Gordon & Will Speck Screenplay by Justin Malen and Laura Solon and Dan Mazer Starring Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, T.J. Miller, Jennifer Aniston, Kate McKinnon, Courtney B. Vance, Jillian Bell and more! Check us out on YouTube: If podcasts are your thing... Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links

Season 19, Episode 7 Nicolas Cage plays David Spritz, a depressed weatherman, trying to figure out how to "fix" his life on so many levels. If he's not trying to reconcile with his wife, during a separation clearly headed toward divorce (She has a boyfriend!), then he's attempting to connect with his children, including stopping a predator from taking advantage of his teenage son. We talk plenty on this episode about the many different facets of David's life that seem to be in flux and not in a good way for him. But one of the main subplots involves the strained relationship between David and his father, Robert Spritzel, played by Michael Caine. David actively seeks his father's approval, even going so far as to plant a letter from Hello America (Basically, The Today Show ), looking to have him come and audition for their national weatherman slot. We learn about the science-fiction novel David wrote that his father, an award-winning writer in his own right, never read. Robert consistently befuddled by his son's actions and words, you start to feel for David's uphill battle for his father's love. The love is there, but Robert struggles with how to truly connect with his son. There are plenty of movies that deal with the many different relationships that fathers and sons have. In the case of The Weather Man, the ending leaves you feeling that the struggle between David and Robert is still there, but it's getting better. Here are a few favorite father-son movies I enjoy: Field of Dreams (You cried at the end. You know it.) Road to Perdition (We covered this movie!) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Finding Nemo Frequency And there plenty more that I've forgotten or maybe haven't seen yet. The Weather Man Written by Steve Conrad Directed by Gore Verbinski Starring Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Hope Davis, Nicholas Hoult, Gil Bellows Check out our episode on YouTube! If podcasts are your thing... Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links

Season 19, Episode 6 This film legit scared me when I first watched it in theaters. Perhaps, I believed in aliens more than I expected. I remembered leaving the theater and being genuinely shook about what I just witnessed. Even today, after a rewatch for this episode, the scenes that take place on the alien craft are frightening and shot in a realistic nature to evoke a sense of the potential for an abduction, not only could happen, but could possibly be this terrifying. And then we did the episode. I went through the notes and discovered...it was all made up. Even the movie's director, Robert Lieberman, doubted the claims of Travis Walton from the novel The Walton Experience . Inconsistencies and the validity of the abduction claims aside, the biggest disappointments in this rewatch was learning all those scary abduction scenes were created by Lieberman based on dreams he was having while prepping for the production. What a bummer. But don't let that fact dissuade you from revisiting Fire in the Sky . There are some decent scenes in this movie, and if you love The X-Files (like we do), this movie feels like one big stand-alone (or mythology) episode from the show. Check us out on Youtube! If you prefer audio only, because we're just too ugly to look at, here you go... Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links

Season 19, Episode 5 I'm not sure when it happened. It might be a reflection of my added years on this Earth or the amount of movies I've seen, but I have developed an affinity toward 70s cinema over the years. This week's Forgotten Cinema episode — The Candidate — was a movie I watched while going down a rabbit hole of 70s films over the span of a few weeks. But, like I say on the podcast, I'm not really sure how I found my way to this movie. We all come with baggage to a movie and it's very hard to separate what you believe in or what you might be feeling when we start watching a film. I'm not a political person, so coming into my first watch of The Candidate , I was focused on the character piece it's meant to be. And much like my second watch, I was into it. Redford, much like, Paul Newman and many actors of their caliber, has such an effortless feel when he's performing on screen. Nothing feels fake. Nothing feels like a performance. He just is. Is that born from the style of cinema in the 70s? Does that feel of becoming a character, rather than performing a character, more prominent in acting of yesteryear, than now? I don't know. Sometimes, it feels like that. Like anything, it comes down to preference. I highly recommend you watch The Candidate and many other films from the 70s. You might be amazed how much you come to enjoy them. This might be a good place to start. If you haven't already watched our latest episode, please check it out here on YouTube. If you prefer audio only, because we're just too ugly to look at, here you go... Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | More Links

We're standing up to the corruption of Rome and stepping into the ring with Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and the ghost of Maximus in Gladiator II. Ridley Scott is bringing us more ancient roman hijinks almost a quarter of a century after his original best picture nominee which won Russell Crowe an Oscar. What did we think of this film? Just how awesome was Denzel Washington? Can the young Mescal step into the armor of Crowe? Well, he does, but does he deserve it? So, grab your Gladius and sandals, please notice the CGI feral baboons to the left and right of you and settle down for Forgotten Cinema. Join our FC community on Patreon , it's free to join! If you'd like to support us further, we've also got a merch shop . Special thanks to our Patreon supporters who make this show possible. You can also find the episode on your favorite podcast platform! Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | YouTube  | More Links

As many, or not many, of you know we have a Patreon for people who would like to support the show with a monetary donation. For these select few, we produce shows just for them...until some time passes and we share it with everyone! Introducing our Forgotten Cinema: Lead Up series. This series highlights either a set of movies (or maybe one movie) that wer revisit before we watch the latest installment for our Now Showing Series. For example, when we did the Now Showing for Gladiator II , we also did a Lead Up for Gladiator. The Ripley Saga Over the summer, we took on the Alien franchise leading up to the latest release, Alien: Romulus, which we did for a Now Showing episode. Yes, we did ALL of them. Out now is what we're calling: The Ripley Saga — Alien , Aliens , Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection . These are YouTube exclusives. Please enjoy! Alien Story by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett Screenplay by Dan O'Bannon Directed by Ridley Scott Starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto Aliens Story by James Cameron and David Giler & Walter Hill Screenplay by James Cameron Directed by James Cameron Starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton Alien 3 Story by Vincent Ward Screenplay by David Giler & Walter Hill and Larry Ferguson Directed by David Fincher Starring Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Paul McGann, Brian Glover, Lance Henriksen Alien: Resurrection Written by Joss Whedon Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet Starring Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Dominique Pinon, Ron Perlman, Gary Dourdan, Michael Wincott, Den Hedaya, Brad Dourif

Season 19, Episode 4 I know I saw this movie. When we chose this as a movie for Season 19, I remembered the scene with the robot clown that Bryan Brown controls. He uses it at the end of the movie to stop the bad guy. Only that happened in the sequel, F/X 2 ! So did I see F/X ? I'm pretty sure I did. When I rewatched it for our recording, scenes and dialogue were familiar, but much like the laundry list of movies I've seen that run through my head, I simply forgot more of this film than I remembered. F/X is one of those movies that fits the Forgotten Cinema model of why we created the podcast. This is a movie that has similarities to other 80s action/thriller films with minor tweaks, mainly being the lead actor is from Australia, and not exactly a household name for the casual moviegoer. Of course, those who are cinephiles, know Bryan Brown's work in Cocktail , Gorillas in the Mist , and more recently, Anyone But You . The counter to that is the star power of Mel Gibson, a fellow Aussie, who is clearly a massive Hollywood star at this point. But Brown keeps his accent in this movie and he's not doing much action in this action/thriller. Also, the thriller aspect of the film is good, not great. These, and many more variables, add up to a film that gets lost in time. (Brian Dennehy being his most Brian Dennhy-est, Jerry Orbach before his Dirty Dancing fame, etc.) But F/X is always a high recommend in my books. And also, what do I know! The movie got a sequel and I still need to rewatch it! F/X Directed by Robert Mandel Written by Robert T. Megginson and Gregory Fleeman Starring Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Diane Venora, Jerry Orbach Check out what we had to say on the episode!

Season 19, Episode 3 There must be a writing trope in the realm of comedies that deals with the style of movie we get with Night Shift . Protagonists working a job they don't like/are under-appreciated/or just stuck in rut One protag is in love with a woman he cannot have for a variety of reasons (too shy, she's with someone else, etc.) The job is boring A plan is hatched to make money for someone or something/help someone/correct an injustice Fun is had/shy people are brought out of their shells/love is found Trouble brews and there's the risk of getting caught/arrested/murdered(but in a comic way) Lessons are learned/the protag finds true love/a better life lies ahead for all Some movies that kind of follow the arcs laid out above include: Doctor Detroit (1983) , Risky Business (1983) , Daddy Day Care (2003) , Accepted (2006) , The House (2017) , and the subplot in The Other Guys (2010) "Gator's bitches better be using jimmies!" . There are more, I know. But the last one I wanted to talk about was small independent comedy that no one probably ever saw. Shot in 2003. Released in 2005. Save the Forest . Does that sound familiar? I may have brought that movie up a few or a dozen times during the show. Yes, Save the Forest was a movie I made with several of my friends when were Up on the Roof productions. While I was watching Night Shift for this episode, I couldn't help but be reminded of our movie where a couple of friends and movie theater employees tried to save their old place of business by turning it into a secret late-night porno theater. Was I subconsciously following the trope set forth by the movies of the 80s? Was I influenced without knowing it? Am I a true child of the 80s?! Honestly, if you've read any of my novels , novelettes...and some scripts, yeah, I am. The first step is admitting you have that influence, right? Night Shift Directed by Ron Howard Written by Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel Starring Henry Winkler, Michael Keaton, Shelley Long Check out the episode of Forgotten Cinema on YouTube! ...or on your favorite podcast platform. Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | YouTube  | More Links

Season 19, Episode 2 My relationship with Phenomenon is rooted in nostalgia. The movie was released in 1996, which would place me around 21 years of age, and no, this isn't a drinking story. But this was smack dab in the middle of me discovering my love of storytelling, cinema and anything else creative. I've talked about it on the show quite often, that when I started getting into film, I watched everything. Working at a movie theater only helped that appetite. When Friday rolled around, my movie weekend watching started on that Thursday night, with what screening was I going to watch and who was coming with. Two would hold one movie. I believe Titanic was three. Before movies were delivered via satellite (even before they were sent on hard drives), two giant cans of movie reels would show up on Wednesday or Thursday. And these cans contained a film reels in 20 minute increments that a projectionist would need to splice together in order for moviegoers to see the full show. To make sure they did a good job, projectionists would screen the films late at night. We were lucky enough to work with a decent bunch of projectionists who would let us sit and watch the film while they did their quality checks. So, for most of the 90s through the 2010s, I watched a majority of my movies alone in a theater late at night with a few friends and colleagues. It was great. Phenomenon came out the same weekend as Independence Day , but while ID4 came out on July 3rd, which was Wednesday in 1996, Phenomenon released on the Friday, July 5th. That meant I probably watched ID4 on the Tuesday (or Monday) before the 3rd and I'm willing to bet I watched Phenomenon (I don't remember which theater) on the Thursday, late July 4th night. Ahhh...the Fourplex. My old stomping grounds. I used to change the letters on that marquee. Notice how the walkway doesn't go all the way around? Yeah, we used to climb over to each side, outside the railing. And if I'm not mistaken, I believe I watched ID4 in Showcase North Haven (before it was a Rave Cinemas and before it was a Cinemark), and one of the reels was spliced upside down, which meant they had to fix it, so they stopped the movie and we had to wait to finish it out. Side Note: The only other movie I watched as a screening in North Haven was Star Trek: First Contact and in that one, they spliced the reels out of order, but the cut was seamless, we didn't know until 20 minutes after, when the movie suddenly jumped back in order. Needless to say, I never went to a screening in North Haven again. Back to watching Phenomenon, and I talk about this on the episode, but I remember having a good time watching this movie as we juste quoted ridiculous lines of dialogue to each other for years to come. "It's a damn light!" or "This is great. This is great." We were stupid twenty-something, movie geeks. It's what we did. Phenomenon Directed by Jon Turtletaub Written by Gerald Di Pego Starring John Travolta, Robert Duvall (who is awesome in this!), Kyra Sedgewick, Forrest Whitaker, Jeffrey Demunn Find out what Mike and I thought about the movie this week on your favorite podcast platform. Spotify  | Apple Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | YouTube  | More Links Here's the YouTube video for your viewing pleasure: