On the premiere episode, Dan and Vicky choose July 27, 1972 as their Hot Date. The classic survival thriller "Deliverance" was released on July 30th and went on to become one of the highest grossing films of the year, pick up three Oscar nominations and forever change the discussion of rural versus urban class dynamics. Dan and Vicky discuss their impressions of the film and address the controversial scenes that have given it it's reputation. They'll also look at the year 1972 in social and political history and share the things they're currently watching, reading and listening to in the "Favorite Things" segment. Check out Dan and Vicky's first Hot Date. You'll be begging for a second one!
Based on Peter Schaffer's hit play, the movie version of Amadeus won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Actor and Director. Dan and Vicky watched the Director's Cut, which has about 30 minutes of footage not included in the original release version. They discuss the historical, political and personal climate around the time the movie came out on September 19, 1984 and also talk about some of their favorite pop culture obsessions from the past week. Go back to 18th century Vienna with Dan and Vicky on their second Hot Date!
French director Roger Vadim made his US filmmaking debut in 1971 with Pretty Maids All In A Row, based on the scandalously prurient novel of the same title. It was an inauspicious and largely forgotten film and was one of the last movies to come out of MGM before they almost entirely ceased film production. It stars Rock Hudson, Telly Savalas, John David Carson and the very sexy Angie Dickinson in a tale of sexual exploration and murder on a sunny California high school campus. Written and produced by Mr. Star Trek himself, Gene Roddenberry, Pretty Maids is one of the strangest films to ever come out of a major studio and Dan and Vicky get into all the looniness. Rock Hudson bedding every high school coed he can find, John David Carson and his erection problem, the va-va-va voomness of Miss Dickinson. Oh, and that pesky serial killer! Dan and Vicky take it all on. Hot Date 3 goes back to high school -- and it ain't Pretty!
Heads you win, Tails you die! When late director Tony Scott read the story of Domino Harvey in an article in The Daily Mail, he was eager to translate her life to film. Working with her and screenwriter Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko, Southland Tales), Scott ended up with less a biopic and more a bombastic love letter to the style in which Harvey lived her life -- fast, furious and on the edge. A onetime model and DJ, affirmed tomboy Harvey found success later as a bounty hunter. Scott's film tracks her through one particularly messy job, complicated by blackmail, mistaken identity, missing limbs and the cast of Beverly Hills 90210. Dan and Vicky take a look at this action movie on acid - one of them got high on it, the other not so much. Plus they review the sights and sounds of it's release month, October 2005. Back from a 3 week hiatus, Dan and Vicky are ready for action in Hot Date 4.
Producer Robert Evans resisted the efforts of horror schlockmeister William Castle to direct the film adaptation of Ira Levin's novel, Rosemary's Baby, and the film world is all the better for it. Polish wunderkind Roman Polanski took the reigns and created a horror classic; a movie Levin called the best EVER film adaptation of a novel. Self-congratulation aside, he's not too far off. In an epic Hot Date, their longest and hottest yet, Dan and Vicky not only give their thoughts on the satan baby masterpiece starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes and Oscar winner Ruth Gordon, but also on the little seen TV movie sequel, Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby from 1976 and last year's NBC remake with Zoe Saldana. They also touch on the original novel and the 1997 sequel, Son of Rosemary. Finally getting to riff on their first true horror film, your fun loving hosts get into some Rosemary's Baby behind-the-scenes drama, discuss their favorite horror podcasts, talk about what they've been watching recently, remember October 1968 history and reveal what Irish movie star Richard Harris and disco diva Donna Summer have in common. On Hot Date 5 Dan and Vicky conceive a bouncing baby boy ... from HELL!
Barbra Streisand is a force to be reckoned with. Two time Oscar winner, multi Grammy, Golden Globe and Emmy winner. The woman even has several Peabodys! So when she decided to tackle her grittiest role to date -- as a prostitute indicted for murder fighting to prove her sanity in a competency hearing -- who was going to say no? Well...actually...someone did. In 1982 when Streisand expressed interest in the role of Claudia Draper in the film adaptation of the play Nuts, Universal declined and gave the role to Debra Winger instead. Four years later, after being mired in development hell, Winger was out and Streisand got the role back and pushed it through at Warner Bros. She chose the screenwriters, director, cinematographer, even had a hand in casting. So what's the verdict? Does Nuts emerge as a vanity project or does Babs hit it out of the park? Dan and Vicky nearly lose their minds recording this week's podcast. After a computer glitch erases their first go-round, they jump right back in and grab this show by the... well....nuts. Nuts on Hot Date 6! Pretty Funny, Girl!
Impact: The force with which two lives come together. Sometimes for good, sometimes for evil. Dan and Vicky come together and it's ALL for the good as they look at the little remembered B-movie from 1949, Impact. The movie that asks: If your wife's lover botches a hit on you and accidentally kills himself AND the world mistakes his charred body for yours, could you let your wife hang for a murder she didn't actually successfully commit? And how do you pay back the surprisingly progressive Chinese maid who saves the day -- and your butt? Dan and Vicky take a wild trip through film noir territory with some detours for exciting Supreme Court rulings, cowboy weddings in upstate New York, random thoughts on death and growing old and the musical stylings of Vic Damone. DEEP Impact is more like it. Hot Date 7 with Dan and Vicky. Black, white and RED hot all over!
Before he became the official film adapter of all things J.R.R Tolkein, Peter Jackson was a young monster movie enthusiast and animator creating kitschy, violent, over the top gore-fests in his home country of New Zealand. When Dead Alive, his third feature, appeared in 1992, it had one of the biggest opening weekends of any film in New Zealand history, beating the latest Warner Bros. Batman film at the box office. It didn't have as immediate an impact in the US in February 1993 but Hollywood could tell they had a unique talent on their hands. Dan traveled four hours to be with Vicky to get Episode 8 out and after a rocky start (another computer malfunction caused their first take at 8 to be deleted), they deliver their tightest show to date. In addition to the gushy main feature, they touch on some of their other recently viewed movies -- Vicky makes a case for The Den and Dan tries to forget Queen of the Damned -- and try and remember just who the hell Shanice was and what she was signing in 1993. Hot Date Episode 8:Dead Alive is one nasty Mother.
After the success of the The Thin Man in 1934, MGM was eager to get stars William Powell and Myrna Loy back in front of the cameras for a sequel. It took two years and, if film lore is to be believed, some financial courting of Loy but, with a new story from Dashiell Hammett, the country's favorite sleuthing couple was at it again in the 1936 follow-up, After The Thin Man. Returning to San Francisco from New York celebrities after solving the Thin Man case, Nick and Nora Charles have barely popped the New Year's champagne before they're embroiled in their next mystery. But this time it's personal. The husband of Nora's cousin has disappeared, setting in motion a chain of deceit, blackmail and murder. Along for the ride are their adorable and mischievous wire fox terrier Asta, a supporting cast of eccentric and hilarious characters and a young Jimmy Stewart. In addition to swooning over the chemistry between Powell and Loy, Dan and Vic discuss the summer adventures that took them from Maine to the Dominican Republic, give their thoughts on the prevalence of true crime shows set in Florida and Canada and commiserate on living and renovating in the Big Apple. Your favorite podcast couple covering your favorite detective couple! It's Hot Date 9: After The Thin Man.
Hot Date is in celebration mode! Dan and Vicky have reached episode ten and want to shake things up and do something special for our loyal listeners. Instead of bantering about one film, our hosts pull out all the stops and pick their ten favorite films from ten randomly chosen directors! As a bonus, they'll also choose runners-up. There's a filmmaker for ever taste -- horror, comedy, action, or drama. We won't reveal the filmmakers here but rest assured they are some of the most exciting artists working today and one who is no longer with us. As always we hope to start a Conversation, provide some Blazing commentary, Fly in the face of the ordinary. Okay, okay enough clues! Subscribe and listen now to Hot Date episode 10 with Dan and Vicky.
Melissa Sue Anderson was eager to break out of the house that Michael Landon built when she signed on for 1981's slasher Happy Birthday to Me. She was still screaming and crying but this time it was from trying to avoid being shish kebabbed by a mysterious killer and not from the trials of prairie life. She was joined by tough guy film legend Glenn Ford as her psychiatrist, Canadian stalwart Lawrence Dane as her preoccupied Dad, future soap superstar Tracey Bregman as her best friend and fledgling actors Lisa Langlois, Lesleh Donaldson, Matt Craven and David Eisner who would all go on to healthy careers. Dan and Vicky discuss Happy Birthday to Me's place in slasher history and how it's twisty and convoluted plot was a departure for the genre. They also take a look at the minor controversy that greeted the film when it premiered on DVD in 2005 and how the Canadian government's tax system of the era inadvertently gave rise to the beloved horror subgenre affectionately titled Canuxploitation. There's a tribute to the late Wes Craven, a look at the music of May 1981 (Sheena Easton and Kim Carnes lovers take note) and some Straight Out of Compton love. Hot Date 11: Happy Birthday to Me! You're all invited to Dan and Vicky's party! Blow out the candles and cut the cake.
2008's Zack and Miri Make A Porno was Kevin Smith's most expensive, most high profile film at the time so a lot was riding on it's success. Could Seth Rogen prove his star turn in the prior year's Knocked Up wasn't a fluke? Could Elizabeth Banks (replacing the previously announced Rosario Dawson) hold her own in her first headlining vehicle? Could a hard R movie with the word "Porno" in it's title be a crossover hit? Would this finally be Kevin Smith's entre into mainstream Hollywood? Well everyone involved went on to flourishing careers, but Zack and Miri Make a Porno would not be the raucous hit Harvey Weinstein was hoping for. He had a hard time getting news outlets to run ads for the film, famously fought with director Kevin Smith over the film's marketing, and had the misfortune to release it amidst the most damaging recession since the 20's. On their Hot Date, Vicky gives us a little background on the career of Kevin Smith, tells us about her recent love for everything Sherlock and wonders who the hell T.I. is. Dan talks about his alien encounters (!), why being an asshole on film sets makes you famous and his new found appreciation for Justin Long. And yeah, lots of porno talk! The Zack and Miri kind. Enjoy Hot Date 12. Our dirtiest date yet!
It took three William Faulkner stories to make the sultry, southern classic film The Long, Hot Summer and one difficult movie icon to almost unmake it. Although Orson Welles was director Martin Ritt's one and only choice to play burly land baron Will Varner, the two clashed continually on the sticky Louisiana set. They would eventually make up after the movie was finished but Ritt seems to have definitely earned the moniker the industry gave him later -- the Orson Tamer. In stark contrast, leads Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were in the throes of a love affair on and off screen and would eventually get married just two months after the film wrapped. Their union became one of the longest and loveliest in movie history. For episode 13, Dan and Vicky discuss the joys of watching two lead actors fall in movie AND real love on screen, compare this film to other Southern Gothic films of the time, and give their thoughts on the wonder that is Orson Welles. You'll also get the latest dope on the Pope, M. Night Shyamalan's newest The Visit, and Johnny Depp's take on Whitey Bulger. This one's a real barn burner! Hot Date with Dan and Vicky, lucky number 13!
It seems incongruous that producers would have originally wanted Vanessa Redgrave for the title role in 1966's Georgy Girl because sister Lynn seemed an absolute perfect fit and, indeed, ended up making it her breakthrough role. The film co-starred James Mason, Alan Bates, Charlotte Rampling and, in a small role, Redgrave's mother, Rachel Kempson. It was a huge hit in the UK but an even bigger one in the United States, much to the relief of Columbia Pictures who had sweated the young, unknown leads, the avant-garde shooting style of Canadian director Silvio Narizzano and some risque subject matter. Dan and Vicky give their impressions of this counter culture classic while also touching on William Friedkin's controversial gay thriller Cruising, TV's Scream Queens, riding the New York City subway during Comic Con, Connie Stevens and why Dan needs to see a therapist! FunikiJam everyone! And if you want to know what that means, you'll have to listen to Hot Date with Dan and Vicky #14. It's Groovy man.
Steve McQueen, David Soul and Sam Elliott were all attached to the car chase classic Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry when it was to be a direct adaptation of the novel The Chase and had no female protagonist. But after years of fits and starts, B movie producer James Nicholson acquired the property, brought friend and frequent collaborator Peter Fonda on board, had the script changed to make the leads a bickering couple and rode into history with the film as a top grosser for studio 20th Century Fox. Dan and Vicky buckle their seat belts for a wild and bumpy ride through Southern California with too cool Fonda, firecracker Susan George and stoic Adam Roarke. They give their thoughts on the casting, the car crashes and the insanely nihilistic ending, considered one of the most shocking in movie history. They also take detours to discuss their love of 80's sitcom Growing Pains, the fall's crop of new shows, some lost 70's horror gems, Jackson 5's Dancing Machine and Susan George's teeth. Hot Date 15 puts the pedal to the metal! Dirty Danny, Crazy Vicky are at it again!
Director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream) came up with a unique strategy for funding and staffing his debut feature Pi. He approached family, friends and everyone in between with the promise that if the film was a failure, he'd give them $50 on top of their initial investment of $100. The cast and crew had a different incentive -- he asked them to work for a deferred salary of $200 per day plus a cut of the box office if the film made any money. After premiering at Sundance, the $60,000 film got a $1 million dollar distribution deal and ended up grossing nearly $3.5 million when released to theaters in the heart of summer blockbuster season, July 1998. Dan and Vicky trip out on the surreal, nerve-rattling pleasures of this indie success story while also dissecting it's themes of religion, mathematics and the universe. They also get into what scary stuff they've been watching for Halloween, Dan's teenage, psyche-scarring viewing of Bob Guccione's Caligula, their love of Shania Twain, and what ginchy means. If you want to be ginchy, listen to Hot Date 16, the Pi episode! On a scale of 1 to 10, it's a solid 3.14159265359.
Is it a 2010 or a 2009 release? Things get confusing on Dan and Vicky's 17th Hot Date. They chose a random date in January of 2010, usually a deadly month for movies, and came up with the fairly classy Michael Hoffman film, The Last Station starring Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren. The film was dropped in a few theaters for an Oscar qualifying run in late 2009, but actually went wide in January of the following year, hence the confusion. But the Academy wasn't confused and the strategy paid off with Oscar nominations for both stars. Dan and Vicky examine the drama, based on the last few months of famed Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy's life, and chek hov their likes and dislikes. Also, Vicky rages against the Entourage movie, pushy New York subway riders and know-it-all podcasters. Ke$ha and Nicky Minaj pay a visit. And Dan discusses the 11(!) horror movies he watched at the Scary Movie 9 Festival at Lincoln Center. You should be russian to listen to Hot Date 17: The Last Station. Dan and Vicky are bringing the war and the peace!
Part of then 31 year old Ethan Hawke's audition for Training Day was a series of casting sessions with star Denzel Washington. It was after one of those reads that Hawke left fuming, upset that Washington had taken an improv too far, insulting and cursing him. But director Antoine Fuqua saw exactly the relationship he needed for the characters in the film and offered Hawke the role of rookie Jake Hoyt. Dan and Vicky cover the action thriller and it's two riveting stars but also discuss the proximity of it's initial release to the horrific events of 9/11. They share their thoughts on the relationship between entertainment and real life tragedy with the Paris attacks fresh in their memory. Vicky also opens up about a mugging incident that left her afraid but not beaten. But it's not all serious on Hot Date 18. Their shenanigans include a JLo takedown, a report from the New York Horror Film Festival and a suggestion for a hissing radiator inspired Hot Date drinking game! King Kong ain't got nothin' on Hot Date with Dan and Vicky 18!
It was a battle-ax royale at the box office in early 1964. The Joan Crawford film Strait- Jacket had come out exactly a month before but it was this Bette Davis vehicle, Dead Ringer, that came out on top. Dead Ringer was the number one film in the country two weekends in a row and continued the recent trend of Grand Dame Guignol films -- grotesque horror/thriller movies starring once popular Hollywood actresses moving into middle age. Dan and Vicky rate Davis's performance in Dead Ringer, her second time after 1946's A Stolen Life portraying twins, and discuss how Hollywood treated and continues to treat it's aging leading ladies. They also look at what was happening in music, movies and history in early 1964 with nods to Beatlemania, John Glenn's inner ear and the Leaning Tower of Pisa and run down the things they've been watching and reading recently. Vicky also does a shout out to her own dead ringer, visiting sister Denise Aguero, and teaches Dan all about barrel chests and Chicago serial killer H.H. Holmes. It's double the Davis and double the fun. Just in time for Christmas, unwrap a nasty treat on Hot Date 19 with Dan and Vicky!
Keeping with tradition, Dan and Vicky pull together a top ten movie list to commemorate ten episodes completed. Episode 20 is out of this world - literally - as our Hot Date podcasters discuss their choices for favorite space/alien films. Suggested by loyal listener Kenneth Cooperman, Dan and Vicky pick a few science fiction classics you may have seen but also some stealth additions that may creep in under your radar. They also offer runner-up and honorable mention choices and catch us up with what they've been watching recently. So strap yourself in, make sure your ship is pressurized and prepare for blast off as Hot Date looks to the skies for an alien movie fest. And have extra fun figuring out the name of the song and artist played over the opening credits! 2016 starts with an interstellar bang on Hot Date 20 with Dan and Vicky.