Film Generations

On the heels of last episode’s Double Indemnity (1944), Film Generations examines the 1981 film noir Body Heat, an update of the genre for the then youthful baby boom generation. This was the directorial debut of writer/director Lawrence Kasdan, an unknown who leapt into prominence when he co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back (now Star Wars V) and Raiders of the Lost Ark in the same year. Among Body Heat’s era-appropriate updates to film noir are explicit sexuality, a liberated femme fatale and buckets of body sweat, all in living color. This approach turned heads in in 1981 but does it get a rise from a young generation in 2026? Find out as our panel reveals all, only on Film Generations. Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik Panelists: Guy Lewis, Olive Goldberg & Sonia Howell An ElectraCast Production Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_Heat IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082089/ Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1002830-body_heat Roger Ebert: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-body-heat-1981 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh off his surprise hit M*A*S*H, Robert Altman headed out to the snowy Northwest with stars Warren Beatty and Julie Christie to make this quirky anti-western whose reputation grew along with Altman’s career. Our young panel was divided on this one, from the 1971 depiction of sex workers to the to the hyper-realist flourishes that have informed yet remain at odds with American filmmaking in 2026. So does McCabe & Mrs. Miller stand the test of time as a classic of its era? Tune in and find out how this Vietnam-era reimagining of the American frontier plays for a new generation. Hosts: Mark Netter, David Tausik Panelists: Guy Lewis, Sonia Howell An ElectraCast Production Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCabe_%26_Mrs._Miller IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067411/ The Criterion Collection: https://www.criterion.com/films/28712-mccabe-mrs-miller Ebert Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-mccabe-and-mrs-miller-1971 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1976 All the President’s Men was released to an audience eagerly awaiting Hollywood’s take on the story of the decade: the Washington Post investigation that led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon. The all-star team of producer Robert Redford, screenwriter William Goldman and director Alan Pakula had the task of adapting a highly complicated best-seller by reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein into a movie, but could rely on the fact that contemporary audiences knew the story well. With the help of The Godfather cinematographer Gordon Willis and a superb cast, they succeeded in creating a film worthy of the hype. But does it hit with a new generation of viewers whose understanding of Watergate may be understandably murky at best? Can a film this topical still pack a punch almost 50 years after its release? Find out as our panel of young film lovers contends with the revolutionary changes in journalism, politics, and the media that have occurred since 1976 — and ask whether a pair of intrepid reporters could topple a corrupt President today. Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik Panelists: Guy Lewis, Jake Flowers, Anika Mathur An ElectraCast Production Trailer: https://www.imdb.com/video/vi2958664729/?playlistId=tt0074119&ref_=tt_ov_pr_ov_vi Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_President%27s_Men_(film) IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074119/ MetaCritic: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/all-the-presidents-men/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After The Godfather (1972) became arguably the most successful movie of all time, a sequel was unavoidable, and sequels are always inferior to the films they follow. Or are they? Our hosts and our panelists alike grapple with the legacy of this giant 1974 classic and the inevitable comparisons to the original. Has history singled out a winner? And do viewers approaching these films for the first time see it the same as those who lived during the first release of these masterpieces? Tune in to find out. Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik Panelists: Guy Lewis, Grace Chapman, Jake Flowers An ElectraCast Production AFI Greatest American Movies (original list): #32 Original trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCktxnczyOM&t=16s IMDb listing: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071562/reference/ Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Godfather_Part_II Original Variety Review: https://variety.com/1974/film/reviews/the-godfather-part-ii-3-1200423302/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

La Dolce Vita (1960) marked a huge milestone in world cinema: the passing of Italian neo-realism to a new generation less steeped in war and poverty, more affluent and optimistic, and hungry for a taste of all the glamour that television, rock n roll, and 7-day-a-week PR would bring. Yet the film was rooted in the old world, with its powerful criticism of crumbling morals and the increasing shallowness of modern life. It also heralded the full flowering of Federico Fellini, considered by many even today one of the greatest film directors of all time. While the impact 65 years ago was huge, what impact can the film hold today? Don’t miss our young panel’s reaction to this classic and find out whether this masterpiece still resonates in a timeless way or has already faded like an old black-and-white print. Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik Panelists: Guy Lewis, Kylee LaRue & Olive Goldberg Editor: Josh Tillman An ElectraCast Production Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPBpHtf9kSQ Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Dolce_Vita IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053779/ Ebert Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-la-dolce-vita-1960 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the heels of Annie Hall, which catapulted Woody Allen from the role of a beloved thinking-man’s clown to the highest echelons of cinema, the writer/director/star made Interiors, an excellent film which nonetheless baffled even his most ardent fans. He came back to comedy with 1979’s Manhattan, the beginning of a string of 35 films in 35 years, all written and directed by Allen, and all pushing beyond the slapstick sight gags that originally made him a star. Embroiled in a scandal since 1992, Woody Allen has increasingly found himself canceled despite being the most honored screenwriter of all time and possessing an unparalleled track record among writer/directors of quality and productivity. Our young film lovers never knew a time when Allen’s career wasn’t synonymous with scandal. How does that color their reaction to this 46-year-old critical and commercial hit, which aims dead center at the Allen controversy due to its storyline centering around the then 42-year-old star’s relationship with a 17-year-old high school student? You won’t want to miss the young panel’s reaction to this film, a perfect bellwether of profound cultural changes since the 1970s. Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik Panelists: Guy Lewis, Kylee LaRue & Steven Renteria An ElectraCast Production Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEoEGW4Hb9w Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_(1979_film) IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079522/ Ebert Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-manhattan-1979 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1999, David Fincher’s Fight Club opened to bad reviews and disappointing box office. 25 years later, it widely considered one of the best, most entertaining films of the last quarter century, a perennial 800-pound gorilla in the world of internet chat. It solidified the reputation of David Fincher, an auteur who (like many) has put his work ahead of any efforts to promote his image as an artist. Younger viewers often came to this film early in life, perhaps too early to understand its sarcasm and humanistic ideology, but they know far better than boomers do how relevant it is to today’s culture. It is, among other things, a Rorschach test that appeals to and excites people across all IQs, political persuasions, and personal identities. Listen in as young and old grapple with one of the final classics of the 20th century. An ElectraCast Production. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight Club_(film) Original Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdJKm16Co6M Currently imdb’s 12th best movie of all time Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Horror films do not typically win Academy Awards but Ruth Gordon won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of the Upper West Side NYC witch-next-door in the terrifying thriller that defined lead actress Mia Farrow’s career, Rosemary’s Baby. Based on the best-selling novel by Ira Levin and cementing the legendary status of director Roman Polanski, this movie was a huge box office hit and generated endless articles debating its feminist message, in one of the most chilling gaslighting stories of all time. Since its release we’ve seen the horror genre grow increasingly bloody, gruesome and explicit. So while Rosemary’s Baby focuses on the psychological body-horror of something evil growing inside of an expectant mother, does it still have the same impact on today’s audience that it had over half a century ago. Find out what if our panel of young film-lovers got those same chills from this horror classic. An ElectraCast Production. • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary's_Baby_(film) • IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063522/ (#9 Top Horror Film of All Time) • The Guardian: The 25 best horror films of all time (#2) • American Film Institute 100 Most Thrilling American Films (#9) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following the big budget failure of Dune, director David Lynch went back to his surrealistic roots with a controversial vision of American suburbia’s dark underbelly, Blue Velvet. This movie put actors Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern on the map as a young couple searching for clues, featured Isabella Rossellini as a sexually blackmailed lounge singer, and revived the career of counter-culture icon Dennis Hopper as the terrifyingly unpredictable Frank Booth. Considered extremely edgy for a mainstream studio release in 1986, does this psycho-sexual coming of age story still pack the same transgressive yet highly engrossing punch that it once did? Find out what our panel of young film-lovers think after seeing Blue Velvet for the very first time, in a post-Twin Peaks world that has already absorbed so much of Lynch’s style and sensibility. An ElectraCast Production. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Velvet_(film) Rerelease Trailer: https://youtu.be/k_BybDB_phY?si=9Dn5vrLyjFB-Zsqj American Film Critics 4th Best Film of the 1980’s Sight & Sound 5th Best Film 1975-2000 American Film Institute 8th Best Mystery of All Time American Film Institute 36th Best Villain of All Time Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1969 this audacious western drove a nail into the coffin of the old studio system, recasting the West along with classic Hollywood stars including William Holden and Robert Ryan into a newly violent, gritty and cynical image reflective of the Vietnam War era. The movie was a huge success and had a major impact on the Baby Boomer generation. But 54 years later, after numerous filmmakers have built on the graphic elements of the film, what does it still have to say, if anything, to today’s generation? Our panel of young film-lovers discusses the film’s violence, its male-centered world, its depiction of 1913 Mexico, the revolutionary spirit that sets this action film so far from movies made even just a few years earlier, and what to make of the hard-drinking director, often accused of misogyny and cruelty, the legendary Sam Peckinpah? Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik Panelists: Grace Chapman, Kylee LaRue & Guy Lewis An ElectraCast Production. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_Bunch https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1059489-wild_bunch 52nd on The 100 greatest American films by BBC 63rd on The 80 Best-Directed Films by Directors Guild of America (DGA) 80th on AFI's 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time by American Film Institute Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1929 Luis Buñuel conspired with fellow surrealist Salvador Dalí to make what has become perhaps the most famous short film in cinema history, Andalusian Dog (Un Chien Andalou) a film that shocked the public, was nearly banned in France, and won these 2 provocateurs a devoted audience. Five decades later, near the end of a distinguished film career, Buñuel made the Oscar-winning hit, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, a hilarious yet dead-pan send-up of aristocrats, the Church, government, and patriarchy that perfectly straddles the line between society’s most cherished pretensions and complete absurdity. Both films evince an anti-establishment style of humor and critique rarely seen in movies, and present challenges to viewers brought up in a more concrete, literal age. What will our young film lovers find in the confounding and marginalized genre of surrealist film? Could these movies be even more relevant in the 21st century? Find out as we confront the wickedly funny and caustic political tableaus of the legendary writer-director, Luis Buñuel. Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik Panelists: Grace Chapman, Guy Lewis, Kylee LaRue & Jake Flowers An ElectraCast Production Andalusian Dog Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie trailer: https://youtu.be/T7XNFYdQ8S8?si=vj8UQriqnGfpVMdl Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Bunuel IMDB (Luis Buñuel): https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000320/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frank Capra is well-known for such top-ranked classics as It Happened One Night, Lost Horizon, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It’s a Wonderful Life. However, his 1941 film, Meet John Doe, starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck, deserves more love. It’s often very funny but deals with some of the darkest issues of American democracy and demagoguery. While sometimes labelled corny, its characters grapple with moral choices and the depths of despair – all while taking on surprisingly contemporary issues of fake news, voter manipulation, mass layoffs, mob rioting and the media’s craving for sensationalism. So does this 82-year-old film speak to a new generation of film lovers? What still seems timely and what now makes us cringe? Find out, when our young panel brings today’s sensibilities to this time capsule from the Great Depression. Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik Panelists: Grace Chapman, Jake Flowers & Kylee LaRue An ElectraCast Production Per AFI, one of the 50 most inspiring films of all time Original Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM9fO0QxHLI Newer trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j3gdbdnoEk Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meet_John_Doe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This still shocking and wildly popular movie, which birthed the slasher genre and yet is still perhaps the deepest, most complex example of it, was maestro Alfred Hitchcock’s biggest hit, even though it was the lowest budget film he made in America. Psycho broke so many rules, in such a riveting way, that it’s never stopped being talked about in the 63 years since its release. It blew the door off the censorship of the Hays Code. The famous shower scene and the incredible music accompanying it have been imitated year after year after year by hacks as well as by the most highly regarded filmmakers of the last half century. Our panel of film-lovers talk about the astonishing twists and turns of the story, the hidden symbolism and techniques that make it such a head-turner, and exactly how it is that a film that has been copied so often for so long still delivers a fresh experience. Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik Panelists: Jake Flowers, Guy Lewis & Ann Michelle An ElectraCast Production Current AFI Greatest American films list: #14 Current AFI Greatest Thrillers List: #1 Original Trailer: Psycho Official Trailer 1960 HD - YouTube Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho_(1960_film) Original Time Magazine Review: https://time.com/3907090/original-review-1960-psycho/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices