When Francis Ford Coppola hired German auteur Wim Wenders to direct his first American film, little did he suspect the difficulty that film would have getting to screens. The movie was Hammett, a fictionalized account of the mystery writer Dasheill Hammett's second career as a private investigator. In real life, Hammett stuck to penning noirs but in Wenders' film he's enlisted to solve the disappearance of a San Francisco woman. The film was entirely reshot on sound stages after Orion Pictures expressed dissatisfaction with Wenders expansive shot-on-location first edit. It stars Frederic Forrest, Peter Boyle, Marilu Henner, Lydia Lei and Elisha Cook Jr.
Dan and Vicky discuss the much maligned film along with plenty of recently seen including El Conde, Madam Web, The Color Purple, Nyad, Rustin, The Zone of Interest, Imaginary, and the Dune films.
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1952's Stolen Face was an early Hammer Films production. The British studio, which would later become synonymous with thrillers and horror films, also churned out it's fair share of melodramas and comedies. This film, about a heartbroken plastic surgeon who physically transforms a prisoner into the woman who jilted him, stars Lizabeth Scott, Paul Henreid, Andre Morell and Mary Mackenzie and set the stage for films like Vertigo, Eyes Without a Face and The Skin I Live In.
Dan and Vicky discuss their thoughts on Stolen Face along with some recently seen: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's Restless Leg Tour, Feud: Capote and the Swans, Lisa Frankenstein, and several more films on the Sight & Sound best films ever list.
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Actor Ray Liotta was coming off crtitical acclaim for his star making turn in Martin Scorcese's Goodfellas and was looking for a vehicle that would turn him into a bonafide movie star. For others that path was paved by action movies so Liotta signed on to 1994's No Escape hoping it would catapult him to international acclaim. As the stoic, brooding J. T. Robbins, Liotta was able to not only show brawn, but also brains as he attempts to escape the island penal colony of Absolom and it's violent de facto leader Marek played by Stuart Wilson. The film also boasts Ernie Hudson, Kevin Dillon, Kevin J. O'Connor and Lance Henriksen.
Dan and Vicky discuss the actioner along with some recently seen movie and TV shows like Killers of the Flower Moon, Poor Things, Beyonce's Renaissance, The Holdovers and Hulu's The Bear.
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1974's The Tamarind Seed was considered a departure for star Julie Andrews. After a break to raise her family, Andrews was looking for a role that would reintroduce her to audiences in a new light. As the 70's were rife with political and paranoid thrillers, she jumped at the chance to play Judith Farrow - a woman reeling from personal tragedy who gets embroiled in a Cold War bait and switch. It helped that Andrews was being directed by husband Blake Edwards (who also adapted the script from Evelyn Anthony's novel) and her love interest was Omar Sharif.
Dan and Vicky discuss the forgotten thriller alolng with lots of recently seen including Max doc Chowchilla, Netflix's The Brothers Sun, 2024's Mean Girls, Jason Statham actioner The Beekeeper, concert doc Queen Rock Montreal, and Anatomy of a Fall. Also hear about how Vicky spent her birthday and Dan's time at Virginia Stage Company doing Dial M for Murder.
You can watch The Tamarind Seed for free at Freevee, Tubi and Roku
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1939's horror comedy The Gorilla was meant to be another 20th Century Fox showcase for the talents of The Ritz Brothers - three Newark born and Brooklyn raised brothers snatched from vaudeville by the studio in hopes they would bring Marx Brothers or Three Stooges size audiences. The film, however, was plagued with false starts, lawsuits and bad blood. It's failure effectively ended the trio's time at 20th and after one more film at Universal, they returned to the stage and nightclub circuit. The film also stars Bela Lugosi, Patsy Kelly and Lionel Atwill.
Dan and Vicky discuss their first film of 2024 along with plenty of recently seen like Birth/Rebirth, May December, Leave the World Behind, Poor Things, Maestro and the Broadway shows The Shark is Broken and Spamalot.
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A very special episode of the Hot Date Podcast with Dan & Vicky. There's drama, there's tears, there's nausea inducing popcorn. And, oh yeah, a movie to discuss.
This time it's 2000's Cornwall shot Saving Grace starring Brenda Blethyn and Craig Ferguson in the charming tale of a woman on the verge of bankruptcy with a plan to save her home by growing weed.
But truth be told, the movie isn't really the main feature this time - that would be our two hosts who maybe show a side of themselves you haven't heard before.
There's the usual banter about recently seen, including Eli Roth's Thanksgiving, The Wounded Fawn, Satanic Hispanics, Jane Seymour's return to TV in Harry Wild and rom com I Want You Back.
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We've reached another tenth podcast which means Dan and Vicky give you their Top Ten!
This time, your hosts are counting down to their favorite top ten creepy performances!
Man, woman and children are eligible. Try and guess which actor appears on both lists, which actor has two performances highlighted. What made-for-TV film makes the list!? Have a listen and see if you agree. Send us some of your favorite unsettling performances
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Italian horror director Lucio Fulci's 1988 Aenigma seems to have been inspired by films as varied as Carrie and Patrick, with a dash of Argento madness and 80's slasher thrown in for good measure. Shot in Serbia standing in for Boston, the film features make up effects by Guiseppe Ferrante, cinematography from Luigi Ciccarese and a score by Carlo Maria Cordio.
Dan and Vicky discuss the film along with some recently seen like Exorcist: Believer, Meg 2: The Trench, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, and Disney + series Loki.
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Take a trip on decommissioned Streetcar 133 in Luis Bunuel's surreal and sweet 1954 film Illusion Travels By Streetcar (La Ilusión Vaja en Tranvía). When two mechanics learn their favorite streetcar is being taken off the line for good, they take it for one last drunken joyride that turns into an existential examination of life in a big city. The film stars Carlos Navarro and Fernando Soto as the hapless mechanics and Lilia Prado as their female foil and potential love interest.
Along with the film, Dan and Vicky discuss recently seen films like Hulu home invasion thriller No One Will Save You, 2021's The Father with Anthony Hopkins, Expend4bles, and Showtime doc The 12th Victim about Caril Ann Fugate.
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1954's Sleep, My Love was an early directorial effort from German born emigre Douglas Sirk. Sirk would later become recognized as an auteur - by, of course, the French - for his work with melodramas (Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows). Sleep, My Love, starring Claudette Colbert, Robert Cummings, Don Ameche and Hazel Brooks, was his attempt at a domestic thriller.
Dan and Vicky discuss the gaslighting noir along with alot of recently seen including A Haunting in Venice, Talk to Me, The Wrath of Becky, Mafia Mama, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, 1995's Castle Freak, and Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein.
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Actors Griffin Dunne, Mark Metcalf, and Amy Robinson were looking for film projects for their fledgling production company and all agreed that Ann Beattie's novel Chilly Scenes of Winter was ripe for adaptation. Indie director Joan Micklin Silver came on board with John Heard and Mary Beth Hurt leading the cast. The film struggled at the box office in 1979 under the new United Artists imposed title Head Over Heels. When it was re-released in 1982 as Chilly Scenes of Winter, the film fared better and has since become a cult title.
Dan and Vicky discuss the romantic "comedy" along with their thoughts on the end of Netflix's DVD service, the women of Sex and the City sequel And Just Like That, and Dan's planned trip to Spain. Recently seen inlcudes The Equalizer 3, Blue Beetle, Bottoms, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, No Hard Feelings, Oppenheimer and The Pope's Exorcist.
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Mike White's (White Lotus, Enlightened, Chuck and Buck) directorial debut Year of the Dog tells the story of Peggy Spade, a mild mannered people pleaser who's life is upended when she loses her dog Pencil in a poisoning accident. Or was it an accident? Molly Shannon plays Peggy with a strong supporting cast that includes Peter Saarsgard, John C. Reilly, Regina King, Laura Dern, Josh Pais and Tom McCarthy.
Apropos to the film, Vicky discusses her love affair with dogs while Dan talks of hanging in The Hamptons with Steve Guttenberg. And of course your hosts give you some of their favorite recently enjoyed pop culture items including Bones and All, The Meg 2, the new Haunted Mansion, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, Prime's Dead Ringers series and the Shudder doc Sharksploitation.
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Dan and Vicky head back to the old west for a Gunfight at the OK Corral. The 1957 film directed by John Sturges and starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas tells the oft told tale of the legendary, albeit short, gun battle between the Earps and the Clantons and the violence, greed and passions that lead up to it.
In a wide ranging conversation, your hosts talk about the recent actors strike, Dan's show at the Bay Street Theater and lots of recently seen including Insidious: The Red Door, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One, Wake in Fright, the Rock Hudson doc All That Heaven Allowed, and the phenomenon that is Barbie and Oppenhemier.
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1985's Crimewave was the sophmore effort for Evil Dead director Sam Raimi, actor and producer Bruce Campbell and producer Bob Tapert. The film started as the script The XYZ Murders by Joel and Ethan Coen. Raimi and genre friendly production company Avco-Embassy agreed the script was a winner and started shooting on a 2.5 million dollar budget. And that's when the problems started. With really young and relatively inexperienced fillmmakers at the helm, the budget balllooned, actors started getting hurt and animosity grew.
Dan and Vicky, coming to you from NY and Nantucket, discuss the mostly reviled comedy thriller along with alot of recently seen, including the new Indiana Jones, Netflix's We Have a Ghost, Past Lives, King Richard, Black Mirror season 6, 1970 Nicholas Roeg film Performance, and the genius of Sean Hayes in the Broadway show Good Night Oscar.
Have a listen and follow us on social media below. Also buy tickets to Dan's show Tales from the Guttenberg Bible at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, Long Island.
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1963's Shock Corridor was director/writer/provocateur Sam Fuller's depiction of the search for truth in a hostile society bent on obfuscating and distorting it. Set in a mental institution, Fuller's story of a Boston Globe journalist who gets himself committed to solve a murder gets at the hypocrisy and violence that can occur when that search butts up against racism, sexism and preservation of the status quo. It stars Peter Breck, Conctance Towers, James Best, Gene Evans and Hari Rhodes.
Dan and Vicky discuss the indie classic along with alot of recently seen including The Flash, The Blackening, The Boogeyman, Renfield, Peacock's Based on a True Story, Feud: Joan and Bette, and You Hurt My Feelings.
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At a time when there was considerable United States naivete and even support around Hitler's domination of Europe, Warner Bros. took the calculated risk of releasing the fervently antifascist 1943 film adaptation of Lillian Helman's Tony award winning play Watch on the Rhine. Aiding them in delivering the important message was outspoken liberal Bette Davis, Hungarian born leading man Paul Lukas (who ended up winning the Oscar for Best Actor), Dashiell Hammett (taking over writing duties from partner Hellman), and producer Hal Wallis.
Dan and Vicky randomly chose the classic anti-war film to highlight on this newest episode of Hot Date but you know they'll also talk about a lot of recently seen movies and TV like Fast X, The Little Mermaid (2023), Broadway horror The Grey House, Gossip Girl, Terrifier 2, Sebastian Maniscalco's About My Father and docs about the Amityville Horror house, Donna Summer and Mary Tyle Moore.
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We're back with another Top Ten! Every tenth show we try to pick a fun and engaging topic that'll yield a list of our favorite top tens.
This time it's Top Ten remakes. Vicky's criteria was films that are better or just as good as the original. Dan didn't really stick to that criteria as you'll hear but the lists are eclectic, cover several genres and span the globe!
Have a listen, enjoy and send us your Top Ten Remakes!
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Dan and Vicky discuss the 1998 Canadian psychological thriller Pin from writer/director Sandor Stern starring David Hewlett, Cynthia Preston, Terry O'Quinn and the voice of Breaking Bad actor Jonathan Banks. Stern is most famous for penning The Amityville Horror from 1979.
Your hosts discuss the cult favorite along with plenty of recently seen including the horror docuseries In Search of Darkness, 1965's Red Beard, the Michael Jordan biopic Air, Shudder's The Apology, and several classics like The Secret Garden, Celine and Julie Go Boating, The Hucksters and Ida Lupino's The Hitch-Hiker.
You'll also hear about eye surgeries, irate theatergoers and the joys of working with Steve Guttenberg!
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On Hot Date episode 168, Dan and Vicky discuss the French-Polish film The Double Life of Veronique starring Irene Jacob, Philippe Volter, Sandrine Dumas and Claude Duneton. This was the breakthrough film of Polish auteur KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI, who went on to make the acclaimed Color Trilogy and the Dekalog series.
Your hosts also discuss dog sitting, Steve Guttenberg and give a shout out to a Hot Date Facebook fan! Some films and TV covered in the recently seen section include Scream VI, 1959's Ben-Hur, Hulu's Boston Strangler, Dungeons & Dragons, and the Nan Goldin doc All The Beauty and the Bloodshed.
(This episode was plagued by sound issues. Apologies in advance for the quality. We hope it won't take away from your enjoyment of the show).
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Dan and Vicky discuss the randomly chosen 1950 melodrama Paid In Full starring Lizabeth Scott, Diana Lynn, Robert Cummings and Eve Arden.
Your hosts also discuss some recently seen including Cocaine Bear, All Quiet on the Western Front, Top Gun: Maverick, and the series Fleischman is in Trouble and History of the World Part II.
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Although stuntmen did most of the underwater work, Elvis Presley, cast as Navy frogman Ted Jackson, whose job it was to diffuse sunken mines, still had alot of scenes in and around water in 1967's Easy Come, Easy Go. This necessitated being clothed head to toe in scuba gear and getting wet occasionally - two things Elvis was not a fan of. Also appearing in this film, one of the last of Elvis' movie career, were an off shore treasure subplot, a yoga class musical number, hippies in full body paint and One Day at a Time star Pat Harrington as the owner of a seaside shanty.
Dan and Vicky discuss the musical adventure directed by John Rich along with lots of recently seen. Take notes! There's alot here! Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin, Shudder's Deadtectives, Significant Other on Paramount +, Netflix's You People, Peacock's Poker Face, Magic Mike's Last Dance, Luther: The Fallen Sun and SO much more.
Have a listen to Hot Date 166 and leave us your thoughts and ratings
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Based on the true kidnapping story of wealthy Hong Kong businessman Teddy Wang, 1993's (although shot in 1993, it wasn't released in the US until 1996) Crime Story was an attempt by Jackie Chan to expand his dramatic acting range. Audiences, and Chan himself, were not completely happy with the results. The film didn't make much of a box office impression and Chan resented director Kirk Wong for pushing the film to be darker.
Your Hot Date hosts discuss the Asian actioner along with alot of recently seen. Vicky talks about Velma, The Last of Us, The Mandalorian and Missing. Dan discusses seeing the new Avatar in IMAX 3D and White Lotus season 2. And both give their very STRONG opinions on Brandon Cronenberg's Infinity Pool. They also check in on the return of MoviePass and Vicky's various birthday celebrations!
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Although produced in Spain, 1973's The Corruption of Chris Miller, has all the earmarks of a traditional Italian giallo - sexual tension in an isolated country house, bad dubbing and, most importantly, a black clad killer. The film is directed by J.A..Bardem, uncle of Oscar winner Javier Bardem. The lush cinematography is by Juan Gelpi and the grand score is from Waldo de los Rios. Jean Seberg stars as Ruth, living with her estranged stepdaughter Chris in that country home. Into their strained relationship enters Barney, a British drifter played by Barry Stokes who may also be the killer murdering locals for their money.
Yout Hot Date hosts discuss the film along with a ton of recently seen. At the movies, there's MEG3HAN, A Man Called Otto, and Bill Nighy in Living. Streaming and video DVD finds include The Pale Blue Eye, RRR, Peacock's Sick, The Menu, and 1959's Complusion.
Also hear all about Dan's trip to Colombia and Vicky's cataract surgery!
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A starry cast brings 1949's The Bribe to life. Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Charles Laughton, Vincent Price and John Hodiak are all on a fictitious Caribbean island together falling in love and scheming to steal leftover ammunition parts. This somewhat forgotten noir was written by Marguerite Roberts, whose career was put on hold when she was blacklisted in 1951 for refusing to testify in front of the House Unamerican Activities Committee. It was nine years before she would resurface and write several award nominated screenplays, including the one that would win John Wayne his only Oscar, True Grit.
Dan and Vicky discuss the off beat noir along with plenty of recently seen including The Sadness, Sissy, Tar, The Fablemans, and more films off of the Sight and Sound best films of all time list.
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The Burning Plain was the directorial debut of screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, who took cues from his screenplays for Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel to weave the intergenerational story of two families, one white and one Mexican, colliding and seeking redemption. The film stars Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger, Jennifer Lawrence, and Joaquim de Almeida.
Dan and Vicky discuss the little seen drama from 2009 along with lots of recently seen films, including Vicky's attempt to watch all the films she hasn't seen off of Sight and Sound's recent list of the best films of all time.
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