It's not about good or bad. It's about then and now.
Shyamalan's stripped-down sci-fi shocker closes out the Summer...from Space! with an alien invasion that doubles as family grief counseling. Our buddy Alex Rodriguez helps put a new twist on the Night-as-next-Spielberg narrative as we swing away at the meanings behind the miracles of Signs.
Signs (2002)
Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Starring Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Cherry Jones, and M. Night Shyamalan
The podcast gets pulp-y as we launch the Summer of Serials - a celebration of Hollywood's infatuation with the heroic icons of pre-WWII comic strips, radio dramas, and matinee serials. First up is Dick Tracy, as Warren Beatty dons the canary yellow overcoat and fedora to battle goons and gangsters blessed with easily distinguishable physical features.
We call up Alex Rodriguez on our trusty two-way wrist radio to celebrate the film's embrace of the comic aesthetic and marvel at Detective Tracy's staying power in pop culture for nearly a century.
Dick Tracy (1990)
Directed by Warren Beatty
Written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr.
Based on the characters created by Chester Gould
Starring Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, Glenne Headly, Charlie Korsmo, William Forsythe, Ed O’Ross, Dustin Hoffman, Mandy Patinkin, Dick Van Dyke, and Madonna
One of the most misunderstood films of its time - and perhaps of all time - is Starship Troopers, a loud, brutish sci-fi/action blockbuster that slyly satirizes the genre's political and moral absolutism. Scratch at the layers of hyper-violent bombast (and Day-Glo bug guts), and it doesn't take long to find a scathing indictment of fascism, nationalism, and the military-industrial complex.
We drop into a new year of 'casting with new recruit Alex Rodriguez, and savor our first encounter with action cinema's Dutch master, Paul Verhoeven. Would you like to know more? Then do your part and enlist with our loyal army of listeners!
Starship Troopers (1997)
Directed by Paul Verhoeven
Written by Ed Neumeier
Based on the novel by Robert A. Heinlein
Starring Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Neil Patrick Harris, Jake Busey, Patrick Muldoon, Clancy Brown, Seth Gilliam, and Michael Ironside
