Nighthawks' Podcast

For the autumnal season, the Nighthawks are talking about remakes of horror movies that have been covered previously in the podcast before.

First up, throwing back to Nighthawks Episode 11 (Titled Wes Craven’s Impossible Dream) Matt and Trevor chatted in the diner booth about the 1984 A Nightmare on Elm Street and its meta sequel Wes Craven’s A New Nightmare.

The boys check back in with the Nightmare franchise, by watching the Freddy Krueger movie whose most unexpected victim was the Platinum Dunes horror remake model.

Neither Matt nor Trevor had seen the 2010 Nightmare before this episode. Were they right to hold off? Does the remake deserve the hate, or is it a misunderstood innocent victim of remake prejudice?

Give ‘er a spin and try us. It’s prime time…

Link to Nighthawks Ep 11: https://bit.ly/2VXrkBz

On the lonely highways in West Texas, a young man faces down a lone hitch hiker who is on a screaming ride to Hell. Such is the case for The Hitcher in 1986, starring C. Thomas Howell (Far Out Man, Soul Man) and the late Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner, Escape From Sobibor, Blind Fury).

A film that saw a lot of change between the page and the screen, John Ryder hitches a ride with Jim Halsey, and he begins to terrorize the young man on a cross-country psychological car chase and mental breakdown.

Also along for the ride is Jennifer Jason Leigh, as a tough and smart waitress in a small town diner.

We also took a look at the 2003 sequel and the 2007...so you don't have to.

Once again the curse of coincidental timing has made our planned nostalgic look at a childhood favorite, oddly timely.

As was announced on August 17, 2019; Richard Williams, animator, auteur, creator, and artist died at age 86. Among Williams' credits is the film that we talk about in this episode?

Part tent-pole special effects film, part period noir, part madcap animated feature; Richard Williams was the man who told director Robert Zemeckis "yes we can," when the rest of the industry told him "we can't."

An in-depth mystery, an iconic presence in pop culture, and a watershed moment in special effects film making, Who Framed Roger Rabbit was a generation's introduction to hard boiled detectives, femme fatales, and corruption in Los Angeles city planning.

An enduring classic that tested the limits and is yet to be matched. An enduring legacy for an animator who did the impossible.

Content Warning: Diggstown contains overt themes of racism, violence and brutal deaths of people of color, and is headlined by James Woods. Woods has been accused in relation to the #MeToo movement.

The year is 1992 and the sport of boxing is enjoying a heyday in the United States.

Director Michael Ritchie would take a stab at some of that boxing success, after a string of other sports films including The Bad News Bears.

While not a hugely successful film, and panned by critics as being derivative; Matt and Trevor make the case that a fresh watch in 2019 isn't a wholly unwelcome thing.

With an all-star cast including Louis Gossett Jr., Heather Graham, Oliver Platte, Tex Cobb, and Jim Caviezal; the crackling dialogue and the Sting-like grits elevate this beyond any simple boxing movie.

Now is the time of Doom!
Now is the time of revenge!
Now is the time of high adventure!

Or... rather, 1982 was the time of Doom, revenge, and high adventure; when relative newcomer Arnold Schwarzenegger teamed with John Milius and brought the legendary pulp hero Conan of Cimmeria to the silver screen.

The R-Rated adventure epic borrowed plenty from Robert E. Howard, Texan native and Conan's creator, not only pulling from the Conan canon, (Conanon?) but from other Howard works as well.

To celebrate one year of partnership with the Hello Sweetie Podcast Network, the Nighthawks bring you this special, extra-long exploration into the bowels of beefcake masculinity, scantily clad femininity, racial ambiguity, swords, sorcery, a giant snake, and a "Weird Al" Yankovic reference within the first 30 seconds.

You'll have to wait longer for the first Invincible Ator reference.

Way back when, most of us watched a movie that scared us - but maybe at the wrong times, and about the wrong things. Then we read a story that scared us - or maybe it just filled us with premature angst? Then, someone buried that movie where the earth was sour, and now, we have a chance to watch a resurrected movie that will scare us some more…. OR WILL IT?

This episode, we took that little game we sometimes play - “Should it be remade” - and turn it into a comprehensive game of Should It Have Been Made and Also Should it Have Been Remade as we talk all things Pet Semetary (including that odd spelling).

We’re comparing the (very) 1989 release of Pet Semetary to its shiny new cousin...and that means scary kid talk, scary sister talk, scary kitty talk, with some bonus book talk, and a whole lot of Fred Gwynne love.

By the time we’re done pitting these differing adaptations against each other, the scorecard may just surprise you.

We also delve, once more, into the filmability of stephen King - a man with so many book-to-film adaptations under his belt you can basically build any resume you choose for him.

Also, we’re doing what we can to bring attention to our friends at Watchtower Coffee and Comics and their plan to relocate their space - you can check that out at:

https://bit.ly/2JmQJBd

In 2014 a woman facing insurmountable odds in the American legal system, published a telling memoir about the most elite poker game to hit either the East or West coasts.

Molly Bloom published Molly’s Game, about her stellar achievements in the world of (mostly) legitimate underground poker. Molly’s book named some names of the many Hollywood heavy swingers that used to sit around Molly’s poker table, pulling in million dollar pots.

After the book was released, Molly’s journey continued, and the story, including the publishing of the book, was adapted into a movie, directed by Aaron Sorkin.

Make sense?

Molly’s Game isn’t a movie that fits into an easy category for a quick sell. But it is an interesting story, about a fascinating person, who did some impressive things, and faces daunting adversity. On top of that you have Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, and Michael Cera filling out the cast.

The boys in the cafe sit down for a hand of liar’s poker as they discuss both the book and the movie.

Speaking of conversations at cafes involving books and movies, our friends at the Watchtower Cafe in Salt Lake City, Utah are moving and looking to be better than ever. The boys discuss this in the episode, and the Watchtower Kickstarter can be found here:

https://bit.ly/2W1yqrk

If you can, please consider donating or sharing the campaign.

This is the end...
My beautiful friend...
After 11 years, Disney/Marvel takes its victory lap, bringing a huge amount of closure to a franchise that spans over 20 films since 2008.

As is discussed in the episode, the twists and turns of Endgame come early in the film, and there's not much granular discussion to be had about the film, without spoilers.

That being said, the Nighthawks take the opportunity to discuss their reactions to the film without any spoilers, the state of the Marvel franchise, and a hot take about the dateability of Seth Rogen.

For those of you who have seen the film, there is an audible warning, and then the Nighthawks will talk about the film spoilers and all. Again, no spoilers at the beginning, audible warning, spoilers at the back half of the episode.

Was the great Marvel gambit (heh) worth it?

What do you think?

It's a Marvel prequel. Although the boys call it the first, in the episode, it's not.

Where Captain America: The First Avenger took us back to World War II, Captain Marvel: The First Female Lead Marvel Hero Movie takes us back to Operation Desert Storm.

Not that the Middle Eastern conflict plays heavily into the story of Carol Danvers and her fantastic super powers, but the setting of the early 90s is important.

Captain Marvel manages to evoke a nostalgia for a largely untapped 90s market, while also managing to cater to a largely untapped female market.

While it can be a disservice to call this "A Female Superhero Movie" as an assignment of genre, we do feel that it's a Superhero Movie that very much deals with female identity in modern society, and serves as an allegory for the fight for women's rights.

The political angles on this have some Marvel fans ruffling their feathers, but...

Get used to it. Captain Marvel is blazing a trail, and the Nighthawks think this is just one example of many more inclusive movies to come.

Happy New Year to all of the listeners of the Nighthawks Podcast.

As the slow march of time slowly ticks over an arbitrary number assigned by men to account for revolutions around the sun, the boys decide to join in the festivities with a movie that starts with a New Year's Eve Celebration.

According to the mythology of The Poseidon Adventure, just after midnight on New Years Eve, a rogue wave struck and capsized the SS Poseidon, as it was on its final voyage.

Stuck on the boat is a handful of survivors led by a rebellious preacher (Gene Hackman), with backup from the immortal Shelly Winters, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, and Jack Albertson.

It's a disaster tale of survival and thrills as the midnight hour brings calamity to The Poseidon Adventure.

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