Ep. 48 - Magic (1978)

On a special Christmas-themed episode, Scott and Ben dive down the 70s conspiracy thriller rabbit hole with Sidney Pollack's THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR. See if you can follow the breadcrumbs as we: *Relish Redford's mo-ped machismo *Casually comment on Cliff's combover *Fawn fondly over Faye's fabulous photos PLUS *Sidney Pollack out-hitches Hitch as the original king of Cameo *Von Sydow lays a glove on us *Hank Garrett smushes a schnoz *Encyclopedia Brown vs. Dick Tracy AND *A Seinfeld conspiracy *What was playing that week?

On an all-star episode of 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s, Jim Healy and Scooter McCrae join Scott and Ben for an apocalyptic assault on John Boorman's one-of-a-kind dystopian sex/death romp, Zardoz! Listen along as the quartet analyzes everything from Sean Connery's speedo-loincloth to Sean Connery's bearded ponytail. Hold on to your headphones as we careen down memory lane with tales of close encounters with John Boorman, Jonathan Rosenbaum, and the Coen Brothers. Break out the green bread, this one's a doozy!

On an all-new episode of 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s, Ben and Scott cover Martin Scorsese's left-turn follow up to Mean Streets. Topics include: *Burstyn as auteur *Voices sell visuals *Keitel's accents *Alfred Lutter III is John Cazale Jr. *Mott the Hoople vs. The Boss vs. Bob Seger *Vic Tayback, superstar *What's Happening is NOT Cooley High *The joy of low-stakes cinema *The joy of secret jump cuts *Kristofferson as manic-pixie-beardo And much much more!

On a spirited, contentious new episode, Scott and Ben discuss Richard Attenborough's 1978 spook show, MAGIC. Listen and weigh in with your opinions about: - Fats: sentient or wood - Corky: psychic or trickster - Peggy: boobs or eyebrows - Burgess Meredith: can this guy tell time, or what? - David Ogden Stiers: hairpiece or herpes? - William Goldman: old-fashioned or just old school - Ventriloquism: to throw or not to throw, that is the question and much much more, including Dead of Night, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, and Soap!

On a special double feature/dual podcast episode of 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s/Cinematalk commemorating the screenings of both films at UW Cinematheque, Ben Reiser and Jim Healy take a deep dive into a “Fistful of Feiffers”, discussing both LITTLE MURDERS (1971) and CARNAL KNOWLEDGE (1971). ‘71 was a big year for screenwriter/playwright/cartoonist Jules Feiffer, with Alan Arkin’s LITTLE MURDERS and Mike Nichols’ CARNAL KNOWLEDGE both hitting screens within six months of each other. Listen along as Jim and Ben try to suss out Feiffer’s inspirations, figure out what genres these films do and don’t fall into, Elliott Gould on top of the world, Candice Bergen’s best work, waiting for Godard, Gordon Willis goes wild, Nicholson as man-baby, magnificent Ann Margret, and much more, including not one, but TWO rounds of “What else was playing that week?”.

All aboard as Scott Lucas and Ben Reiser dissect one of the all-time great thrillers, Joseph Sargent's The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Hang on to your straps as we: - Wrap our heads around the catch-all: Neo-Noir - Bow down to the great Peter Stone (Not a pen name!) - Pay our respects to Tom Pedi - Talk NYC Jews and Italians - Badmouth Tony Scott - Guess the mayor - Say gesundheit! And much, much more!!

On the long-awaited return of 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s, Scott and Ben indulge their 70s Heston-Dystopia fixation with a double bill of The Omega Man and Soylent Green. Soak in the radiation vibes as S&B: - Wax poetic about dad bods and tummy hair - Argue for the inclusion of The Omega Man as a blaxploitation forefather - Discover the origins of Phantasm and Dawn of the Dead - Get all squishy about squibs and uzis - Wonder about the wardrobe departments of both of these 70s sci-fi fashion-awkward spectacles. And so much more!

Boy have we got a podcast for YOU! Scott and Ben tackle Michael Crichton's 1973 masterpiece, WESTWORLD. Highlights include: Richard Benjamin, movie star Yul Brynner, movie star James Brolin, movie star John Carpenter, thief Stephen King, approachable celebrity Vincent Canby, film critic And much much more!

On a brand new episode of 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s, Ben is joined by Jim and Pat Healy for an earth-shattering discussion of the 1974 disaster movie, EARTHQUAKE. Aftershocks include: McPadden tackles INCUBUS Reiser dragged out of TOWERING INFERNO Heston goes shirtless, AGAIN! Goddamn Gardner! Bujold reads the script Nolan goes Transatlantic Kennedy cries! Forlorn Greene! Marjoe is a madman! Corduroy is king! Victoria’s pointy Principals! And much much more…

Just in time for Halloween, a brand new episode of 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s takes a fully committed swing at the Citizen Kane of horror movies: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Join Scott and Ben as they discuss: • Adventures in the projection booth • Tobe Hooper - auteur or not sure • Tobe or not to be, that is the question • Paul Partain – actor or not sure • Ed Neil – James Franco or Roger Waters • TCM vs Evil Dead – avant-garde vs calling card • Last House on the Left – classic or crap • Why is the old Franklin house called the old Franklin house? • Tobe Hooper calls the MPA for advice on getting a PG • Gunnar Hansen hates Paul Partain • Marilyn Burns – track star or not sure • Grandpa IS Mr. Six • Daniel Pearl is the Gregg Toland of TCM • Daniel Pearl shoots every music video ever made And much more! Plus: What was playing the week TCM was released in NYC