Full Cast And Crew

Billy Friedkin's iconic 1971 game-changing NYC police procedural/car chase classic 'The French Connection' has a fascinating backstory and making-of history, and, hey: that's what I'm here for! To bring you all the best stories behind the scenes on the streets of New York and all the context and color that helps place this movie in the pantheon of the films that came before and after it. The NY Times article about this summer's censorship of the film is linked here. Mark Kermode's very well made BBC documentary about the making of The French Connection can be seen on YouTube. Owen Roizman, the film's brilliant and prolific cinematographer's IMDB page is here. Do yourself a favor and watch the films of the brilliant French director Jean-Pierre Melville. Listen to David Shire's iconic score for The Taking of Pelham 123 on YouTube. Don Ellis' haunting end credits music from The French Connection.

Peter Yates was quietly one of the most interesting film directors of his time. His seminal 1967 British train-robbery film 'Robbery' got him noticed for the job directing Steve McQueen in 1968's 'Bullitt'. In that film, Yates turned in a car chase frequently mentioned as second only to the iconic one filmed by Billy Friedkin in 'The French Connection'. By 1973, Yates was in Hollywood, working under a three-picture deal with Peter Bart and Robert Evans at Paramount. Two of those didn't work out. The third turned out to be 'The Friends of Eddie Coyle', which is one of the very best 70's crime films, one of the very best Boston-set films ever made, and features Robert Mitchum's very best performance amid a wonderfully constructed neo-noir shot entirely on location in a series of blue-collar and working class Boston spots. In this episode, I talk about 'Robbery', 'Bullitt' and 'The French Connection' and how they compare and contrast to 'The Friends of Eddie Coyle', an underappreciated little masterpiece of the sort Peter Yates specialized in throughout his career.

Martin Scorcese's new film 'Killers of the Flower Moon' is in many ways his magnum opus; it's a film carefully wrought with all of his and his production team's highest possible creative efforts, and it also marshals all those resources in the furtherance of a greater collective understanding and reckoning with yet another dark chapter in America's history. Links Marty's interview with Edgar Wright. 'The FBI Story' 1959 Film version of the Osage Murders. The many Osage artisans behind the scenes of the film. Vogue magazine article about the Osage constumers. The legal issues surrounding the return of Osage head rights and lands. Article about Robbie Robertson's score for the film. Music from the film: THE PIPE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3Oz4to8y_Y OIL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR-lyorY25Y They Don't Live Long: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAImXzdgZ2g Tulsa Massacre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px1mvSgKh-0 Heartbeat Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X83uF0IPobs&list=PLLv3qeuV3YDpYbdqu3rKy-KbpA3HxcPtN&index=4 Production Designer Jack Fisk. Article about the Production Design of the film from De Zeen.

A particular interest of mine is phone calls in movies. I'm interested in them as plot devices, as examples of good or indifferent screenwriting, as opportunities for actors to show different sides of themselves in scenes where they're not opposite other actors, and on and on. In this episode we'll take a look at a few different genres of Movie Phone Call scenes: scenes where actors are onscreen portraying both sides of the calls, scenes where we only hear the audio of the other side of the call, and then, finally...the Holy Grail of Movie Phone Calls: The One-Sided Phone Call. Clips The YouTube channel BurgerTime's excellent Supercut of Movie Phone calls. Bob Newhart is the master of the One-Sided Phone Call. The entire Bob Newhart one-sided call between Abe Lincoln and his Press Agent. Some truly one-sided phone call scenes: Swingers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU3Pk6oDNRU Planes, Trains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRvNg4zQ_14 Black Sheep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvptWDiYrIk The Killing of A Chinese Bookie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysWfMYfP-2k Poltergeist: https://youtu.be/FqYZkY-VRCI?feature=shared&t=105 Taken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49AA2eieEts American Psycho: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OARf8dNLBc Fargo: https://youtu.be/WGxTMoDAI7M?feature=shared&t=47 Taxi Driver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9iLQ7g_jDk Dr. Strangelove: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEB-OoUrNuk&t=5s

An appreciation of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and his brilliant portrayal of real-life CIA Most Interesting Man Gust Avrokotos in Mike Nichols' final film 'Charlie Wilson's War'.

'Lost In America' was Albert Brooks' 3rd film as a writer/director/star and remains probably the most broadly-appealing of his films. It's one of two of his films to have been given the Criterion stamp of cineaste approval, the other being the often-underrated 'Defending Your Life', and now, and perhaps even more important, it's the first of his films to be given the Full Cast and Crew treatment. Links: Albert Brooks: Famous School For Comedians Hilarious clips from Lost In America Criterion essay by Scott Tobias on Lost In America

'Across 110th Street' is a 1972 Harlem crime film that contains many of the tropes of the exploitation films of the era...but it also contains incredible performances from black actors whose skills rise far above the material at hand, people like Paul Benjamin, Yaphet Kotto, Richard Ward, and Marlene Warfield. And Bobby Womack's title song was used to great effect in 'Jackie Brown', as discussed in my last two episodes. In this week's episode I use the verses and choruses to explore Bobby Womack's amazing, tragic, and incredible life story, his relationship with Sam Cooke, his struggles and his surprisingly central role in the American popular musical landscape for almost 60 years.

Elmore Leonard's cocky, energetic ATF Agent Ray Nicolet is a key protagonist in his book 'Rum Punch'. For Quentin Tarantino's film adaptation of 'Rum Punch', 'Jackie Brown', the character, now named "Ray Nicolette" was embodied by the brilliant Michael Keaton with a perfectly cocky, energetic physicality. While cinematic universes are commonplace nowadays, in 1997 it was a surprise to see the character appear, uncredited, in Steven Soderbergh's adaptation of Leonard's novel of the same name, and even more rewarding to get a couple of additional character dynamics revealed by Keaton's similarly smart and self-aware performance. In this episode, much as I did in Episode 157 with Paul Newman's scenes from 'The Verdict' and in Episode 152 with Sean Penn's Jeff Spicoli scenes from 'Fast Times'...I go through all of Keaton's scenes from 'Jackie Brown' and 'Out of Sight' and offer up full appreciation. Also: a quick look back at Keaton's first real starring performance in 'Night Shift' with Henry Winkler and Shelly Long.

Quentin Tarantino surprised fans with the release of his third film, 'Jackie Brown' coming as it did on the heels of the global phenomenon that was 'Pulp Fiction' in all its unprecedented Tarantino-ness. Devoid of gory violence, 'Jackie Brown' is a thoughtful, hilarious, insightful and moving crime story that manages to be incredibly faithful to the ethos of the Elmore Leonard novel 'Rum Punch' (on which the film is based) while also mining Tarantino's own deeply personal connection to the blaxploitation films that made Pam Grier a genre star in the 70's and to the more working-class parts of Los Angeles, towns featured in the film like Carson and Hawthorne, CA and iconic now-gone locations like the Cockatoo Inn. "I treat movie stars like actors and actors like movie stars" said Tarantino, and that approach is well-represented here, with Michael Keaton and Robert DeNiro turning in perfectly-pitch supporting turns and industry vets like Forster and Grier getting plenty of runway to inhabit roles they weren't usually given during their heyday. This episode covers those locations, the incredible soul and r&b tracks that populate the soundtrack, and the brilliant acting from everyone in the cast, as well as the sure-handed filmmaking from Tarantino's growing collection of go-to crew and production staffers. One of my very favorite films, it's a pleasure to share my 'Jackie Brown' episode with you all!

Billy Friedkin, maybe the weirdest (in a good way) major American director of his generation, almost doesn't make sense on paper; wait...the same guy directed 'The French Connection' and 'The Excorcist'? But the ups and downs of Friedkin's storied and somewhat haphazard career are what makes him one of the most interesting directors to consider. And 'To Live and Die in LA' is some kind of crazy masterpiece, punching WELL above its weight as a non-studio, non-union middling-budget (6 million dollars) independent LA neo-noir. Filled with superlative near-first-timers like John Turturro, William Petersen, John Pankow, Willem Dafoe and stellar supporting work from the likes of Steve James, Robert Downey, Sr, Darlanne Fluegel, Dean Stockwell, Jack Hoar, and Debra Feuer, TLADILA is easily consumed as genre fare...or more diligently dissected as the incredible example of top-tier filmmaking and production design and location and stunt work that it also is. Needless to say that's where I'm taking my cues! Available now on a newly restored 4K UHD and blu-ray disc, TLADILA has frustratingly not been available to stream but my plea here is that you avail yourself of the physical media and set aside an evening to appreciate this great work of FUN and ART. Buy the new release here. Listen to Wang Chung's excellent TLADILA soundtrack here.

A deep-dive into the semiotics of 'Barbie' and its post-feminist critique of corporate capitalism and American mores. Just kidding, I went and saw 'Barbie' with five 12-year-olds. Six, if you count me. But seriously, this episode unpacks some of the things I found interesting about the film, its very existence, its brilliant marketing and repositioning. Also: supporting cast wins and losses, why the filmmakers missed a perfect opportunity to put the idiotic 'Barbie Girl' song to great use, and a plea for an Allan spinoff.

I'm joined by legendary ad-man-turned brand-identity guru, author, screenwriter, and producer Ernest Lupinacci to talk all things 'The Godfather' and 'The Godfather, Part II' (with a sideways glance at 'The Godfather, Part III'), including our preferences, what II gained and lost in terms of casting and production, returning Mario Puzo to center stage credit for creating this universe of indelible characters. Follow my guest Ernest Lupinacci on Instagram. Check out Ernest and illustrator Alex Ogle's excellent graphic novel about the making of 'The Godfather', 'The Godfather Gang' here. Watch the Paramount+ scripted series that about the making of 'The Godfather' here.

An episode about 40 years of fandom and learning to actively listen to music while being of an age that can appreciate the collective experience of Dead & Company's Final Tour for the singular happening it represents.

I went and saw the new Indiana Jones movie at the Drive-In.

An email from a listener got me thinking about film scores that I actually listen to and love, so this episode shares a handful of classic and contemporary scores I think are worthy of special consideration. Scores referenced in this episode: Get Carter The Taking of Pelham 123 Dirty Harry Out Of Sight Ocean's 11 Ocean's 12 Ocean's 13 Taxi Driver Koyaanisqatsi American Beauty The Social Network Blade Runner Blade Runner 2049 Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World Chinatown Heat Moneyball Gomorrah

This week's companion episode to my previous episode about Sidney Lumet's 'The Verdict' is for the craft purists, the Newman obsessives, and the acting completists out there. Much like I did with the amazing Sean Penn Spicoli scenes in my follow-up to the 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' episode, here I'm going deep on Paul Newman's brilliant, career-best performance as Frank Galvin and discussing ALL of his key scenes in the film.

One of my very favorite films and featuring one of Paul Newman's favorite performances, Sidney Lumet's 'The Verdict' has grown in stature and appreciation since its premiere in 1982. With a brilliantly adapted screenplay by multi-hyphenate David Mamet, a tortured development process encompassing stars like Redford and other directors named Sidney (Pollack), and a first-rate cast, 'The Verdict' is one of the greatest courtroom dramas of all time. I'm thrilled to be joined once again by author and editor Keir Graff, who once again turns in an excellent appearance as a well-prepared guest on the pod. We dive deep into the making of this film, play some iconic scenes, and discuss the nuances and joys of the performances, the writing, the directing and the production elements that make this wonderful film such a standard of the form. Keir Graff's author website. Keir's previous appearance on the Full Cast and Crew Podcast discussing "The Color of Money". Watch "The Verdict" Playlist of Official "The Verdict" clips. Watch the Paul Newman/Joanne Woodward documentary 'The Last Movie Stars', directed by Ethan Hawke. Buy Sidney Lumet's indispensable guide to making movies, called, magically enough 'Making Movies'. Listen to Sidney Lumet's indispensable Director's Commentary to 'The Verdict' in podcast form.

Bennett Miller was the 3rd director attached to the adaptation of Michael Lewis' classic baseball non-fiction book 'Moneyball', after Steven Soderbergh was replaced by Sony, who got nervous over his plan for interspersing interviews with real-life characters from the book like Lenny Dykstra and Darryl Strawberry throughout the film. His rewrite of Steve Zaillian's script made the studio nervous when paired with the $50 million dollar budget. Some of that technique remains in Miller's use of real baseball scouts and former players in the film, but it's blended seamlessly with the fantastic performances by Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill (who replaced Dmitri Martin in the role of Paul Brand/Paul DePodesta), Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Chris Pratt. Pitt and Sony exec Amy Pascal and producer Mike DeLuca stuck with the project, reduced the budget, and luckily, the film got made. On the face of it, it's an audacious undertaking: no less than an art-house take on baseball. Or is it a crowd-pleasing writer's film with a decidedly 70's bent? Or is it a treatise on the limitations of collective conventional wisdom? It's all these things and more. Some Articles About 'Moneyball': https://www.looper.com/593376/the-untold-truth-of-moneyball/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/making-moneyball-272655/ Roundtable with Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Bennett Miller: https://youtu.be/r9g2Bk2GQYY?t=199 84th Academy Awards Nominees and Winners.

I'm joined by frequent FCAC Guest Star Richard Brown as we explore the many possible reactions to Robert Altman and Joan Tewksbury's 'Nashville'...a film that polarized pretty much everyone when it came out but that has settled into a comfortable middle-age of generally accepted masterpiece status. But...is it? In this episode Rick and I explore the fruits of Altman's decision to have entirely new country music songs written for the movie, in many cases BY his stars, many of whom were not musicians. We discuss Lily Tomlin's exerted influence on her character's key scenes, and how her warmth and humanity contributes much-needed heart to the proceedings. There was much backstage drama during the shoot, and of course we're not above handling the better of those stories with class and dignity... Watch 'Nashville' on YouTube. Read about 'Nashville' on Wikipedia. Some 'Nashville' clips. A few of Rick Brown's other recent FCAC appearances: Bobby Darin Beyond the Song Broadcast News Our 'Weird Christmas' Special Watch the 'Payday' trailer here.

The 2003 episode that David Letterman devoted entirely to a single guest, Warren Zevon, stands out as one of Dave's signature episodes and the frank and revealing conversation they had about Zevon's terminal lung cancer diagnosis is but one of many fascinating layers to that appearance that this episode of the podcast explores. Issues of ambition, ego, addiction, self-medication and recovery were shared by both of these talented and tortured entertainers. Zevon's life and career were shadowed by his alcoholism, his brief period of 12-Step sobriety, and the abstinence from alcohol and drugs he would give up upon receiving his terminal cancer diagnoses. Letterman has spoken openly about his own father's alcoholism and sobriety in AA, and his own decision to stop drinking in 1984 and how his life and work has been altered by that decision. In their many meetings on Letterman's shows, these issues and many others would be crackling in the fore and background. This episode was inspired by Crystal Zevon's incredible, heart-wrenching oral biography of her ex-husband Warren Zevon, a contemplation of Zevon's many appearances on the David Letterman shows over the years, and a lifelong fascination with reading between the lines of rock biographies. Sources: Zevon songs 'Werewolves Of London' Video 'Keep Me In Your Heart' Lyric Video 'Desperados Under The Eaves' Video 'Searching For A Heart' Video Dr. Demento 'They're Coming to Take Me Away' 'Fish Heads' 'Dead Puppies' Paul Nelson's 1981 Profile of Zevon Zevon's Appearances on Letterman Jesse Thorn's revealing 2020 podcast interview with David Letterman Buy Crystal Zevon's excellent biography of Zevon on Amazon. Watch Letterman's Netflix INTV series.