Film Gold

If we told you ‘Deathtrap’ was the poorer cousin of ‘Sleuth’ (see Episode 13), would that be a bad thing? It would certainly be a great double bill, and the film on the docket this time is full of surprises, deception and plot twists. It’s not on a par with Hitchcock's ‘Psycho’ but does follow a similar structure as the viewer is engaged in one story before the film becomes something else entirely

Film Gold regular Scott Phipps joins Antony for a fun moviewhose opening scene is ‘a movie of a play-within-a-play which takes place within the play on which the movie is based’. As well as Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve, we have the director with one of the greatest filmographiesever, Sidney Lumet, adapting a play by the legendary Ira Levin

What could go wrong?...

Enjoy!

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Scott’s podcasts ‘The Stinking Pause’, ‘Reel Britannia’ and ‘Rainbow Valley'

We round off our look at Rocky III by going through theremaining scenes of the film. Without issuing too many spoilers, Rocky comes a cropper and his life goes seriously south, motivation all but gone. However, just as Clarence the Angel came to rescue George Bailey in our very first filmreview on this show, Rocky’s old rival Apollo Creed swoops in with a two-word plan that could be said to be slightly Beatle-esque (a little something for Glass Onion fans there).

Mr T continues to shine as the menacing Clubber Lang, but thesecond half of the film certainly belongs to the burgeoning bromance between Rocky and Apollo. Adrian also plays her part with a stirring speech on the beach, and Burt Young’s Paulie emerges as wonderful comic relief.

Will Rocky ultimately prevail? Well, probably…

At some point in the conversation, Antony and Scott also takea tangential look at the movies of 1982 in general. We were truly spoiled in the days when films as incredible as ‘The Thing’ and ‘Blade Runner’ could drop on the same day!

Enjoy!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

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Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) ⁠⁠

⁠https://www.antonyrotunno.com⁠

Antony’s John Lennon/Beatles and Psychology/Alt. Mediapodcasts⁠⁠

⁠https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com⁠

⁠https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com⁠

Support Antony’s podcast work (Film Gold, Glass Onion: OnJohn Lennon and Life And Life Only) at

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Scott’s podcast ‘The Stinking Pause’

Here’s part one of another swapcast with ‘The Stinking Pause’,hosted by Scott Phipps. This time round, Antony and Scott tackle the middle film of the original 5-film Rocky franchise (‘Rocky Balboa’ aka Rocky VI would eventuallyarrive after a long hiatus), a subject dear to both their hearts.

After the gritty 1970s fairytale that was the original film,followed by Rocky’s redemptive rematch with Apollo Creed in Rocky II, the series enters a new decade and a new era. The man gatecrashing the Rocky and Apollo party is the unforgettable Clubber Lang, played by the utterly unique Mr T in the role that would soon after land him in ‘The A-Team’ and make him a household name.

In this part, your humble hosts talk about their historieswith the series as a whole and discuss the other films in the franchise. They then start ploughing through Rocky III, including Rocky’s ‘friendly’ charity match with Hulk Hogan’s ‘Thunderlips’ and the lead-up to his defence of his titleagainst Clubber. Rocky Balboa is apparently now a ‘civilised’ champion. Oh dear…

Enjoy!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

Facebook⁠⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod⁠

⁠⁠ 

Twitter

⁠⁠https://twitter.com/FilmGold75⁠

Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) ⁠⁠

⁠https://www.antonyrotunno.com⁠

Antony’s John Lennon/Beatles and Psychology/Alt. Mediapodcasts⁠⁠

⁠https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com⁠

⁠https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com⁠

Support Antony’s podcast work (Film Gold, Glass Onion: OnJohn Lennon and Life And Life Only) at

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⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

OR

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Scott’s podcast ‘The Stinking Pause’

Antony and Luke complete their look at the flawed smorgasbord of ideas that is 1983’s ‘Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life’, going through the remaining good, bad, ugly, extremely violent & completely gross scenes, and separating the top tier from the filler tracks.

In this part, expect to hear discussion of galaxies,internal organs, death and anticlimax, not to mention the adventures of Mr Creosote, yet more French accents and the token Beatles reference

Ultimately, were the Pythons too old? Too tired? Too middle-aged?

Please make your own mind up, even though I’ve arguably now told you what to think twice…

Most of all, enjoy!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

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More than a pleasure to ‘get back’ (see what I did there?) with friend and podcast comrade Luke Thompson to round off our sort-of trilogy of Monty Python films (originally recorded on video, see below).

This time round, Antony and Luke look at the flawed smorgasbord of ideas that is 1983’s ‘Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life’, going scene-by-scene through the good, bad, ugly, extremely violent, completely gross and filler, and trying to find just what ismissing from this Python outing that made the previous two films close to flawless masterpieces (actually we say it right at the beginning but don’t tell anyone…)

In this part we give our general opinions of the film and look at some of the early scenes, so expect to hear about elderly pirates, sacred sperms and French ticklers. This is preceded by a bit of Python/Beatles comparisoning (that may not be a word) for our crossover audiences

Make your own mind up, even though I’ve already told you what to think…

Most of all, enjoy!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

Facebook⁠⁠

Luke and Antony complete their look at the classic comedy ‘Monty Python’s Life of Brian', the talk originally recorded on video earlier this year (see below).

It’s hard to avoid the controversy that surrounded this filmwhen it came out, and you will hear a clip or two from the remarkable TV debate around the more contentious aspects of it, the like of which would surely not be seen these days.

Most important though is the marvellous, some would sayflawless, content of the film, and we discuss some of the most famous and iconic scenes. Expect to hear about what the Romans did for civilisation, a famous Roman governor with a speech impediment, a rather unique Latin lesson and of course a controversially jolly accompaniment to the most agonising death imaginable.

Our review of the follow-up film ‘Monty Python’s The Meaningof Life’ will follow (as it should) in January

For now, enjoy!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

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What more is there to say about Monty Python’s Life ofBrian? Well, we may as well give it a bash.

Luke Thompson takes on hosting duties for a swapcast between Film Gold and Luke’s English Podcast, originally recorded on video earlier this year (see below).

In this first part, Luke & Antony discuss among otherthings their histories with the film, the basic philosophy of the Python team regarding biblical epics, some of the original inspiration for the film, and its production and financing.

Fans of the film will know that in that final aspect, acertain Beatle may well get a mention…

Part 2 will follow in early December

Enjoy!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

Facebook⁠⁠

Among Oliver Stone’s large and celebrated body of work is afilm from 1997 that was largely ignored and derided at the time but is a classic case of a rediscovered gem with cult appeal. Scott Phipps joins Antony to look at the dark and twisted ‘U Turn’.

Sean Penn leads an ensemble cast including the ultimate femme fatale Jennifer Lopez and many recognisable and renowned names at various stages of their careers. We recommend multiple viewings of this film to fullyabsorb all the details and vast array of images

Is this actually a comedy of the blackest kind, as thetrailer would lead you to believe? Will Bobby Cooper ever get out of town? And is everyone in Superior, Arizona on drugs?

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

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This time round we present our second Steven Spielberg filmand one that was very much a forerunner to (and inspiration for) the more famous ‘Jaws’, as an ordinary man is forced to find inner resources and transcend his limitations in order to defeat a seemingly unstoppable force that can’t be reasoned with.

By kind permission of Julian Charles of The Mind Renewed,the recording used here is from TMR’s 20th movie roundtable, featuring Antony as a guest alongside Julian, Frank Johnson and Mark Campbell.

Dennis Weaver stars as David (every)Mann, a salesman driving his beloved red Plymouth Valiant through the California desert on his way to an important work appointment, when a predatory monster of a smoke-spewing truck inexplicably picks him as its unsuspecting prey.

(from TMR shownotes)

‘Join us as we examine the tension, explore the film'sminimalist brilliance, and ask what "takeaways" might be gleaned from Spielberg's early TV/cinematic masterpiece’. 

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

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And so we say goodbye as Charles Foster Kane faces the final curtain…

Antony wraps up Citizen Kane’s final scenes, discusses the critical response to the film and its multi-decade legacy, and the final words -13 minutes of them- are given to the man himself, Orson Welles, aided by Huw Wheldon and Dick Cavett

If you’ve listened through this series (and the previous3-parter on Orson), we sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed it

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

Facebook⁠⁠

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Twitter

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Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) ⁠⁠

https://www.antonyrotunno.com⁠⁠

Antony’s John Lennon/Beatles andPsychology/Alt. Media podcasts ⁠⁠

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/

Support Antony’s podcast work (Film Gold, Glass Onion:On John Lennon and Life And Life Only) at

Antony continues a scene-by-scene analysis of Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. As we enter the second half of the film, things are still going reasonably well with Charles Foster Kane, but the slow descent into despair and emptiness will soon begin with the famous ‘breakfast table montage’.

As you listen to this and/or watch the film, it’s worth asking a fundamental question about acceptance of reality and whether public acclaim is merely a poor substitute for something fundamental to a happy life.

The final part of this series will be out at the end of the month

We hope you enjoy the show!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

Facebook⁠⁠

https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod⁠⁠

Twitter

⁠⁠https://twitter.com/FilmGold75⁠⁠

Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) ⁠⁠

https://www.antonyrotunno.com⁠⁠

Antony’s John Lennon/Beatles and Psychology/Alt.Mediapodcasts ⁠⁠

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/

Support Antony’s podcast work (Film Gold, Glass Onion: OnJohn Lennon and Life And Life Only) at

Our continuing journey into the world of Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane finds Antony beginning a scene-by-scene analysis, starting with the film’s Gothic horror opening,possibly the best-known final word of a character in any film, and then the sudden and jarring segue into the newsreel obituary of the world-famous Charles Foster Kane.

We try to make sense of the sometimes absurdly non-linear structure of the film while admiring the remarkable artistry contained in every scene. The young Kane is brash, charismatic and successful in his professional and personal life, but his downfall will soon begin…

Part 4 will be out next month

We hope you enjoy the show!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

Facebook⁠⁠

https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod⁠⁠

Twitter

⁠⁠https://twitter.com/FilmGold75⁠⁠

Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) ⁠⁠

https://www.antonyrotunno.com⁠⁠

Antony’s John Lennon/Beatles and Psychology/Alt.Media podcasts ⁠⁠

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/

Support Antony’s podcast work (Film Gold, Glass Onion: On John Lennon and Life And Life Only) at

Following on from Film Gold’s Orson Welles special last time round, Antony this time tackles head-on, with another multi-parter, the grandaddy of American films, Citizen Kane.

The first two parts look at the background and the making of the film before we go scene-by-scene through the film in later parts.

This time round, Antony intros this deep dive and looks at Orson Welles’s arrival in Hollywood, his incredible RKO contract, and the writing and inspiration(s) for the multi-layered character of Charles Foster Kane

We hope you enjoy it!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

Facebook⁠⁠

https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod⁠⁠

Twitter

⁠⁠https://twitter.com/FilmGold75⁠⁠

Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) ⁠⁠

https://www.antonyrotunno.com⁠⁠

Antony’s John Lennon/Beatles and Psychology/Alt. Media podcasts ⁠⁠

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/

Support Antony’s podcast work (Film Gold, Glass Onion: On John Lennon and Life And Life Only) at

We continue our Orson Welles journey, accompanied by uberfan David ‘Ghosty’ Wills, with discussion of the big daddy of all films, 1941’s Citizen Kane. Was this both a blessing and a curse for Orson’s career? We also discuss Welles’s forays into wartime politics and the films ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’,, ‘The Stranger’, ‘The Lady From Shanghai’ and ‘Macbeth’.

The final part will be out at the end of the month

We hope you enjoy the show!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

Facebook⁠⁠

https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod⁠⁠

Twitter

⁠⁠https://twitter.com/FilmGold75⁠⁠

Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) ⁠⁠

https://www.antonyrotunno.com⁠⁠

Antony’s John Lennon/Beatles and Psychology/Alt. Media podcasts ⁠⁠https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/

Support Antony’s podcast work (Film Gold, Glass Onion: On John Lennon and Life And Life Only) at

Following on from our Marlon Brando and Michael Caine deep dives in the last few years, this time Orson Welles gets the Film Gold treatment. David ‘Ghosty’ Wills joins Antony for a 3-parter looking at the great man’s life, work and legacy.

First up we discuss Orson’s early life and the start of his theatre and radio careers, both of which Ghosty feels are somewhat undervalued when compared to his more famous film work.

Part 1 ends with the famous ‘War of the Worlds’ broadcast in 1938, our hero on the cusp of going to Hollywood and making the film that would make and break him…

Part 2 will be out next month

We hope you enjoy the show!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

Facebook⁠⁠

https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod⁠⁠

Twitter

⁠⁠https://twitter.com/FilmGold75⁠⁠

Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) ⁠⁠

https://www.antonyrotunno.com⁠⁠

Antony’s John Lennon/Beatles and Psychology/Alt. Media podcasts ⁠⁠https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/

Support Antony’s podcast work (Film Gold, Glass Onion: On John Lennon and Life And Life Only) at

We complete our Michael Caine tribute, a joint presentation of the ‘Film Gold’ and ‘The Stinking Pause’ podcasts, as the great man turns 90. Antony Rotunno and Scott Phipps count down their top 5 Caine performances and also discuss his ultimate legacy after 60 years as a film star. There are audio clips galore to complement the conversation, including Michael reading from the first of his many memoirs and also offering a few acting tips!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

Michael Caine, born as Maurice Micklewhite, has been acting for 70 years and been a star for nearly 60. This 2-part joint presentation of the ‘Film Gold’ and ‘The Stinking Pause’ podcasts celebrates the life and career of a true cinematic icon as he approaches his 90th birthday.

In this first part, Antony Rotunno and Scott Phipps look at Caine’s upbringing and give an overview of his career before beginning to count down their top 10 Caine performances (10-6) and also discussing Caine catchphrases and the many parodies of the great man. There are audio clips galore to complement the conversation, including Michael reading from the first of his many memoirs.

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

Originally recorded for 'The Mind Renewed' podcast and hosted by Julian Charles, this is a four-way discussion, also including Mark Campbell and Frank Johnson, about the 1978 conspiracy thriller Capricorn One, starring Elliott Gould, James Brolin, Branda Vaccaro and Hal Holbrook and written and directed by Peter Hyams.

About to embark upon the first crewed mission to Mars, three NASA astronauts (played by James Brolin, Sam Waterston and OJ Simpson) find themselves suddenly removed from their command module, minutes before lift-off, and flown to a secret desert base. There they learn of an outrageous plan, hatched by establishment conspirators, to fake the Mars landing using a TV studio, props and themselves as actors—a deception in which they are forced to be complicit. Picking up on the trail of the conspiracy is news reporter Robert Caulfield (Elliott Gould), who goes further and further down the proverbial Rabbit Hole as he tries to make sense of the increasing anomalies. But not all goes well—(or, perhaps, not all seems to go well)—with the plan. Upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, the astronauts' (crewless) module breaks up. Now, they are officially dead—their existence a threat to the lying narrative. Their only hope is to escape and reveal the plot to an incredulous world.

Film analyst extraordinaire Rob Ager returns to 'Film Gold' podcast to help Antony pick through the many layers of the seminal 'zombie film' from 1968, which also has elements of horror & sci-fi and makes numerous comments on the society of the time  We go through the plot, characters and themes of the film, talk about its influence and throw in a couple of tangents along the way...  

Links to Rob's work can be found below and there's also a link to the original uncut video version of this podcast, which includes footage of the film to complement the conversation  

Enjoy!  

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.  

Feedback to antony@antonyrotunno.com  

Alfred Hitchcock, The Master of Suspense, makes his first appearance on the podcast as we take a look at his 1954 ‘limited setting’ classic, starring Hitchcock regulars James Stewart and Grace Kelly in their only on-screen collaboration.

Antony is joined by Matt Williamson, who has a highly recommended you tube channel called ‘Pop Goes The 60s’. Antony and Matt work through the plot and dive into the interesting themes around voyeurism, class, surveillance and movie watching (as voyeurism) itself

Hope you enjoy it!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to antony@antonyrotunno.com

Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod

Twitter- @FilmGold75

Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts)

https://www.antonyrotunno.com

If you'd like to make a donation or get a monthly/yearly subscription across Antony's 3 podcasts, go to:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno

show links

Rear Window featurette

For this episode, we take our first (but surely not last) trip into the surreal, anarchic world of the comedy group known as Monty Python.

Luke Thompson, fellow English teacher and podcaster, helps Antony navigate the choppy but hilarious waters of King Arthur's somewhat pointless quest 'on horseback', aided by some eccentric knights, to seek the Holy Grail.

We discuss and dissect favourite scenes from the film, look at the multi-layered process of a comedy film that plays with time periods while seeming to be critiquing the film medium itself, and also look at the magic blend of 6 gifted comedians and performers that made the Python team so special 

Hope you enjoy it!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to antony@antonyrotunno.com

Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod

Twitter- @FilmGold75

Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts)

https://www.antonyrotunno.com

If you'd like to make a donation or get a monthly/yearly subscription across Antony's 3 podcasts, go to:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno

show links

Luke’s website & podcast

Antony is joined by Jenifer Thyssen of jeniferthyssen.com and Julian Charles of themindrenewed.com to discuss what is on one level a romantic comedy but which, as you will hear, has many subtleties and offers endless points of discussion about life and existence.

Hope you enjoy it!

'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.

Feedback to contrafib2001@gmail.com

Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod

Twitter- @FilmGold75

links

Jenifer and Julian's main websites