Dreamscape (1984)

We're back in the 80's! This time we take a trip into a disturbing atomic nightmare with Dennis Quaid, Kate Capshaw, and Max von Sydow in Dreamscape (1984), directed by Joseph Rubens, and written by David Loughery.

Featuring visual effects by Peter Kuran and makeup effects by Craig Reardon.

On this track we cover:

- 80's effects on a budget
- The problematic production
- How movies deal with dreams and the paranormal
- Peter Kuran and his company
- The so-called Dream People of Malaysia

DOWNLOAD

Download the mp3 file here. Link.

Subscribe to the commentary podcast in iTunes. Link.

STATS

Participants: David Bjerre and Dennis Rosenfeld.
Day of recording: December 11th, 2012.
Version: Bluray or NTSC DVD
Movie runtime: 1:39:00

SCREENSHOTS

Help me Dennis, you're my only hope!

Max von Sydow. He played Ming the Merciless.

Kate Capshaw and Dennis Quaid.

Some Peter Kuran magic.

David Patrick Kelly as Tommy Ray.

"Can I blow your horn?" "Should I remove the towel first?"

When you grow up, you can divorce Meg Ryan too.

Craig Reardon jumps out the window. Oh, sorry, it's his Snakman who jumps in.

Finally some interesting cinematography.

Gorgeous Dreamscape sequence.

The nunchuck jumpcut.

The Snakeman vs. The President.

ARTICLES

Cinefex No. 19, article by Adam Eisenberg
Cinefantastique Vol. 15, no. 2
Starlog No 81, article by Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier
Fangoria No. 39, article by David Everitt

LITERATURE

The Dream Master, by Roger Zelazny

AUDIO/VIDEO

Bluray extras.

LINKS

Senoi Dream Theory, by G. William Domhoff. Link.

Why are Dreams so Weird? by Steven Novella. Link.

Scientists use brain imaging to reveal the movies in our mind. Link.

Magi and the History of Computer Animation. Link.

Art of the Title: The Thing. Link.

VCE Films. Link.

IMDb. Link.

Wikipedia. Link.

Prometheus (2012)

In space no one can hear you develop a bad screenplay, but on this track you can listen to us rip into one of 2012's most disappointing movies: Prometheus (2012). Directed by Sir Ridley Scottt, "written" by Jon Spaihts & Damon Lindelof.

On this track we cover:

- The deeply flawed screenplay
- The complete lack of science and logic
- Connection to the franchise
- Crackpot internet theories
- And we offer changes to improve the script

PS: We apologize for David pronouncing all names wrong.

DOWNLOAD

Download the mp3 file here. Link.

Subscribe to the commentary podcast in iTunes. Link.

STATS

Participants: David Bjerre and Dennis Rosenfeld.
Day of recording: October 11th, 2012.
Version: Bluray or NTSC DVD.
Movie runtime: 2:03:45

SCREENSHOTS

Prometheus arrives at LV-223.

Weyland's briefing was bad...

... But it was nothing compared to the next act.

Oh my God! Do you SEE that plothole?!

A clever production designer gives the internet more fuel.

See those yellow dots in the bottom left corner? Those are the guys you're looking for Captain.

Gorgeous effects. They got that part right.

The new maps app is awesome.

Noomi is a trooper.

This is where the Alien franchise ended up. So sad.

LITERATURE

Prometheus: The Art of the Film, by Mark Salisbury
Prometheus: Alien Genesis, article by Joe Fordham
American Cinematographer, July 2012, article by Benjamin B

AUDIO/VIDEO

Bluray extras.

FXGuide #149: Prometheus Visual Breakdown. Link.

FXPodcast: Prometheus. Link.

The VFX Show #149: Prometheus. Link.

Half in the Bag: Prometheus. Link.

The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe, Episode 363. Link.

ARTICLES/LINKS

Prometheus: rebuilding hallowed vfx space, by Mike Seymour. Link.

The Science of Prometheus, by Steven Novella. Link.

Astronomer uncovers the good, bad and WTF science of Prometheus, By Phil Plait. Link.

Prometheus: An Archaeological Perspective, by Henry Rothwell. Link.

The Science of Prometheus, by Frank Swain. Link.

5 Scientists Share Their Baffled Reactions on the Science in 'Prometheus', Carol Pinchefsky. Link.

What’s Wrong With Prometheus, by Julian Sanchez. Link.

Prometheus Unbound: What The Movie Was Actually About. Link.

IGN - Official Quotes. Link.

Screenwriter Jon Spaihts On The Prometheus That Never Was, interview by Nick de Semlyen. Link.

The Blade Runner - Prometheus Connection Explained, by Scott Neumyer. Link.

Backstory. Link.

IMDb. Link.

Wikipedia. Link.

CORRECTIONS

Apparently the Big Bang has nothing to do with the stars moving. We blame our non-existing astronomy education - Thanks to Sven.

The Birds (1963)

Time to tackle one of the big masters, as we duck and cover for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963).

Evan Hunter wrote the screenplay, Tippi Hendren and Rod Taylor play the leads - and the film offer fantastic contributions from effect wizard Albert Whitlock.

On this track we cover:

- The original short story
- Production stories
- Visual effects
- The Hitchock style and legacy
- The Tippi Hendren controvercy

DOWNLOAD

Download the mp3 file here. Link.

Subscribe to the commentary podcast in iTunes. Link.

STATS

Participants: David Bjerre and Dennis Rosenfeld.
Day of recording: August 16th, 2012.
Version: NTSC DVD or Bluray
Movie runtime: 1:59:28

SCREENSHOTS

Who did YOU have to sleep with to get this part?

The view of the bay, courtesy of Mr. Whitlock.

She's prettier than the last one your brought home.

Elegant composition, let's give credit to cinematographer Robert Burks.

You would need alcohol too, to make that backdrop look convincing.

The title characters take a break.

Those odd kinda-still-frames-but-not-really.

Mr. Whitlock paint the God's eye view. Appropriate.

Another elegant composition.

That final haunting shot.

LITERATURE

Cinefantastique: Volume 10, No. 2
- The Making of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, article by Kyle B. Counts.

Hitchcock: A Definitive Study of Alfred Hitchcock, by Francois Truffaut.

The Birds And Other Stories, by Daphne Du Maurier.

AUDIO/VIDEO

All About The Birds, directed by Laurent Bouzereau.

The Trouble with Marnie, directed by Laurent Bouzereau.

The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style, directed by Gary Leva.

DVD extras.

LINKS

The Matte Paintings of The Birds. Link.

Matte Shot blog: History of the World. Link.
Matte Shot blog: The Hindenburg. Link.

Every Hitchcock Cameo Ever. Link.

Variety review. Link.

NY Times review. Link.

The Birds - BFI Film Classics, by Camille Paglia. Link.
- an unintentionally hilarious attempt to analyse the film.

IMDb. Link.

Wikipedia. Link.

CORRECTIONS

Dennis accidentially said that The Blair Witch Project was from 1994. It's from 1999.

Our studio

To celebrate our new CommentariesOnFilm.com url, and to keep the site hot while we're on vacation, we figured it would be fun to post a few pictures of our studio setup.

So here it is,, when we recorded the Alien vs. Predator track:

And a little closer look, just before we did the Lethal Weapon track:

Have a great summer!

Lethal Weapon (1987)

This time we declare our love for one of the most iconic action movies from the 80's, Lethal Weapon (1987). The first entry in a franchise that would eventually degenerate into silly slapstick.

Our man-crush Shane Black wrote the script - when he was barely 20, for God's sake! - and Richard Donner directs Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the leads.

On this track we cover:
- The Lethal Weapon franchise
- The brilliance of Shane Black
- The film vs. the script vs. deleted scenes
- Action movies of the 80's
- The careers of Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, and Richard Donner
- And Dennis thinks Danny Glover is a bloody thief

DOWNLOAD

Download the mp3 file here. Link.

Subscribe to the commentary podcast in iTunes. Link.

STATS

Participants: David Bjerre and Dennis Rosenfeld.
Day of recording: May 29th, 2012.
Version: Theatrical cut on Blu-ray or NTSC DVD.
Movie runtime: 1:49:37

SCREENSHOTS

Danny Glover as Murtaugh.

Mel Gibson as Riggs.

The airbag-with-print-of-a-car stunt, performed by the actress Jackie Swanson.

Mel Gibson buys drugs from Anthony Kiedis' dad. Ah, Hollywood for ya.

Mel Gibson just saw Lethal Weapon 4.

Beautiful shot, by Stephen Goldblatt.

Simple, effective, visual storytelling, without any cuts.

So what if I did "Gone Fishin'"! At least people will still talk to me.

Another beautiful shot.

Raw, brutal violence.

The chaotic final fight.

From Lethal Weapon 2: No, Glover is not a bloody thief.
He pics up the money, and slams it down, when the bad guys shut the door.

LITERATURE

Lethal Weapon, Screenplay by Shane Black.

American Cinematographer, April 1987, article by Bess Wiley.

Crash, bang, wallop what a picture, article by Sam Delaney. Link.

Back in Black, interview by Alex Simon. Link.

AUDIO/VIDEO

Bluray special features

Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol (1979). Link.

LINKS

IMDb. Link.

Wikipedia. Link.