Hot Date

At 73, Boris Karloff was looking for material that would finally give him the chance to show his range as a performer.  He knew he couldn't escape his reputation as a reliable box office horror star but he hoped for a role that would allow him to play more than the sympathetic monster.  1958's The Haunted Strangler, written for the actor by friend Jan Read, gave him that opportunity -- partly.  Dan and Vicky pay tribute to Karloff and this film, one many consider to be his best.  They also give us some of their recently seen including the films Swallow, Red Sun, Vivarium, Mark of the Vampire, Boys in the Band, Enola Holmes and the series Death Comes to Pemberly and Monsterland.   The Haunted Strangler is your Hot Date Halloween treat.  Enjoy the show and leave us some feedback.  Check out our website at www.hotdatepod.com

Released in 1932, Jewel Robbery flaunted the sexual chemistry between it's two leads, introduced marijuana as a comedic motif and had it's debonair criminal escape police capture at the end -- all things that wouldn't have been allowed only a few years later under the restrictive Hayes code.  The film stars William Powell and Kay Francis - their sixth film appearance together -- and is ably directed by William Dieterle (The Life of Emile Zola). Dan and Vicky discuss the film and lots of recently seen including 2019's Cats, 1957's Vincent Price vehicle The Story of Mankind, influential documentary Titicut Follies, and 1968's Corruption with Peter Cushing.  Check out Hot Date 115: Jewel Robbery and leave us some feedback.  Our website is www.hotdatepod.com 

Originally a screenplay titled Nightline, 1980's Don't Answer The Phone was shot under the title The Hollywood Strangler - perhaps a nod to director Robert Hammer's stated purpose to make a film exploring the proliferation of serial killers in the 1970's.  The eventual title was a bid to get the audiences that had made 1979's phone themed thriller When A Stranger Calls a success. Dan and Vicky discuss this notorious early eighties cheapie along with a bunch of recently seen including The Omen trilogy, Netflix's The Haunting of Bly Manor, this year's drive in success story The Wretched, Hitchcock's Topaz, 1973 oddity Fleshpot on 42nd Street and The Wicker Man.   BUT you must listen to hear the EXACT moment Dan and Vicky discover who won the 2020 presidential election!  It's right there, on the podcast, captured in the moment.  Biden/Harris 2020!! Hot Date 116:  Don't Answer The Phone brings the exploitation and the nomination!  Leave is feedback and visit our website www.hotdatepod.com.     

Before Norwegian filmmaker Andre Øvredal found acclaim with his festival fave The Autopsy of Jane Doe and box office clout with 2019's teen horror hit Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, he wrote and directed 2011's Trollhunter which won him acclaim both at home and around the world.  The found footage fantasy follows a group of college journalists getting to the bottom of Norway's best kept secret - the government sanctioned hunting of real live trolls!  Dan and Vicky discuss the quirky film along with plenty of recently seen like Night of the Lepus, The Pack, Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist, 1964's The Yellow Rolls Royce, 1936's Devil Doll, and Dan's visit back to theaters for the first time since March to see Blumhouse's Freaky.   Enjoy Hot Date 117: Trollhunter and leave us some feedback.  Check out our website for all Hot Date news! Info on Dan's latest acting endeavors: To The Bone reading www.theworkingtheater.org Nantucket Christmas Carol radio play www.whiteherontheatre.org  

By all accounts a job for hire, The Blue Gardenia nonetheless benefited from having German director Fritz Lang at the helm.  On a tight 21 day shooting schedule, Lang and cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca came up with shooting techniques that would save time while also contributing a sense of suffocating paranoia and intensity.  They are aided enormously by an able cast led by Anne Baxter, Richard Conte, Ann Sothern and Raymond Burr and classed up musically be the appearance of Nat King Cole on the soundtrack and in a key scene. Dan and Vicky discuss the film along with a bunch of recently seen including films Come Play, Antebellum, Hitchcock's Family Plot, HBO's Superintelligence, the heist films of Michael Caine and TV shows like The Vow, The Undoing, and Masterpiece: 50 Fabulous Years.   Also hear from Dan about his recent Covid scare and what your hosts think about the news that Warner Bros. is releasing their entire film slate on HBOMAX! Check out Hot Date 118 and leave us some feedback on Apple podcasts and our social media channels.  Our website is www.hotdatepod.com. 

Here we are at the end of 2020 taking stock of the strange and intense year that was.  There's lots of introspection, reflection, and depression happening.  So does Hot Date have the movie for you!  1973's Under Milk Wood, starring Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole,  Elizabeth Taylor, Glynis Johns, and a bevy of wonderful British character actors, is a film adaptation of Welsh writer Dylan Thomas's tone poem. Dan and Vicky ring in the New Year with a discussion of this forgotten and unique experimental film from director Andrew Sinclair.  Also on deck is alot of recently seen including Netflix's The Prom, HBO's The Flight Attendant, several Hitchcock classics and recent horror films Relic and Becky.   Give a listen to Hot Date 119 and leave us some feedback on our social media accounts.  www.hotdatepod.com  

Hot Date has reached another Top Ten episode - just what we do here every tenth podcast - and this time Dan and Vicky discuss their favorite all time male comedic film performances.  Spanning movies from the 20's to the 2000's, we hope you'll have a chuckle recalling these very funny men.  No names revealed here.  You'll have to listen to Hot Date 120! Your hosts will also get into lots of recently seen including some early Hitchcock, some screamers from Shudder, classic noirs and a few TV oddities.   Leave us feedback on social media and check out our website at hotdatepod.com.

2014's The Last Passenger was the feature directorial debut of British filmmaker Omid Nooshin and tragically his last.  After a long battle with depression, the ambitious and talented director, who was rumored to have snuck his way onto the sets of Eyes Wide Shut and Star Wars: Phantom Menace to observe filming, committed suicide in early 2018, leaving a wife and young child.  National Suicide Prevention Hotline : 800-273-8255. https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ Dan and Vicky discuss the tightly directed The Last Passenger as well as a plethora of recently seen including films Possessor, Death on the Nile, Charade, 1963's The Incident, The Wolf of Snow Hollow and Spontaneous.   There's vaccine talk and Biden/Harris praise along the way too!  Have a listen to Hot Date 121 and leave us some feedback.  Check out our website at hotdatepod.com

Shot in 6 days for the super stingy price tag of $69,000, Kurt Neumann's Secret of the Blue Room, a remake itself of a German film, was enough of a success for Universal Pictures that they remade it twice in the span of eleven years.  Once in 1938 as a semi-comedy called The Missing Guest and again in 1944 as a musical called Murder in the Blue Room.  Dan and Vicky discuss this often forgotten thriller in Universal's 1930's spate of horror and suspense output.  They also talk about recently seen movies including Wonder Woman 1984, The Heiress, When A Stranger Calls, #Alive, Mortuary Collection, On The Waterfront and The King of Staten Island.    And in a special segment they pay tribute to late director Omid Nooshin of episode 121's The Last Passenger and remember the passing of Cicely Tyson, Cloris Leachman, Christopher Plummer and Hal Holbrook.  Check out Hot Date 122 and leave us some feedback on Apple podcasts.  Also take a visit to our website at hotdatepod.com and check us out on our social media platforms.   

Renowned French director Claire Denis was shooting her dour  thriller High Life while nursing her dying mother. She credits the real life tragedy in her life for the somber, sometimes oppressive feeling that pervades the film. It stars Robert Pattinson and an international cast including Juliette Binoche (a Denis regular), Mia Goth, Andre (3000) Benjamin, and Lars Eidinger and was Denis's first English language film and her second true attempt at genre after 2001's vampire drama Trouble Every Day.   Dan and Vicky discuss the outer space weirdness of the film and it's obsession with bodily fluids!  Also on deck is plenty of recently seen including Saint Maud, Hounds of Love, Bava's Planet of the Vampires, Malle's Au Revoir Les Enfants and Vicky's deep and long dive into the films of Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar!  Don't miss it. Check out Hot Date 123 and leave us feedback on your favorite podcatcher.  All things Hot Date can also be found on our website: hotdatepod.com.  

The obscure 1962 film What A Carve Up!, retitled No Place Like Homicide! for it's American release, brings British comedians Sidney James and Kenneth Connor together in a comedy thriller with touches of vaudeville revue and murder mystery.  James was UK comedy royalty having been the star of the successful Carry On series of films while Connor first found success in radio and later joined James in the Carry On franchise.  Here they're bumbling buddies hoping to claim an inheritance while not getting murdered in the process. Dan and Vicky chat about the film, their feelings about cinemas reopening in New York City, trips to McDonalds as kids and so much more!  If you're looking for viewing recommendations, they discuss more Almodovar, Ken Russell's The Devils, WandaVision, and the baboon on the loose thriller Shakma among others.   Check out Hot Date 124:  What A Carve Up! and leave us some feedback.  Visit our website at www.hotdatepod.com

Based on the popular folk song of the same name by Mississippi born singer Bobbie Gentry, Ode to Billy Joe was a huge hit when released in the summer of 1976.  The film was the brainchild of Max Baer Jr., best known for playing Jethro Bodine in the popular 60's sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies.  When acting jobs became scarce after the cancellation of the show Baer put his focus on film production and made and starred in what was thought to be the most successful independent film of all time, 1974's Macon County Line, until The Blair Witch Project surpassed it in 1999.   Dan and Vicky discuss the Southern teen drama on this week's episode along with plenty of recently seen like The Dark and the Wicked, Allen vs Farrow, A Promising Young Woman, Raya and the Last Dragon and Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Check out Hot Date 125 and leave us some feedback.   Visit our website for all things Hot Date at hotdatepod.com 

Juzo Itami's 1985 film Tampopo, about one woman's search for the perfect ramen recipe, has become so popular over the years that the restaurant industry around the world adopted it's name for many of it's own ramen and Japanese establishments.  The film teams the director with his real life wife Nobuko Miyamoto, along with Kurosawa regular Tsutomu Yamazaki and Ken Watanabe, who would go on to be one of the most bankable Japanese actors around the world. Dan and Vicky discuss the culinary comedy along with several recently seen items like Zach Snyder's Justice League, Tenet, Hunter, Hunter, What's New Pussycat?, The Irregulars, and the Obama/Springsteen podcast Renegades. We also give a shout out to listener Edward Karam and discuss Dan's dip into the world of FunikiJam. Hot Date 126: Tampopo.  Have a listen, leave us feedback, visit our social media sites and drop by our website hotdatepod.com    

The 1951 noir No Questions Asked was a rarity for MGM.  The studio, mainly know for epics and musicals, steered clear of edgier material.  But when producer Dore Schary became head of production he had a clear goal of reproducing the success he had at RKO and rushed several noirs into production, the first being the New York set No Questions Asked.  The film stars Barry Sullivan, Arlene Dahl, Jean Hagen and George Murphy.   Dan and Vicky discuss the forgotten thriller along with some recently seen including The Empty Man, Thunder Force, Plague of the Zombies, Born Yesterday, early DePalma film Murder a la Mod, and Shoplifters of the World. Enjoy Hot Date 127 and leave us feedback.  Visit our website at hotdatepod.com.

1994 was a very busy time for 25 year old future Oscar winner Renee Zellweger.  She found work in six films that year - everything from a Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel to grunge classics Reality Bites and Dazed and Confused.  But it was Love And A .45 that gave her the opportunity to play her first lead role.  The lovers on the lam film also boasted the varied talents of Ally McBeal heartthrob Gil Bellows, Peter Fonda, ReAnimator's Jeffrey Combs, Rory Cochrane and David Lynch regular Jack Nance.  Dan and Vicky discuss the comedy thriller along with lots of recently seen including Bill and Ted Face the Music, 2020's The Witches, Woody Allen's Interiors, Michelle Pfeiffer starrer French Exit, 1976's original Rocky and Godzilla vs. Kong. Check out Hot Date 128:  Love And A. 45 and leave us some feedback.  Visit our website at hotdatepod.com.  

Oscar winning actress Regina King directs One Night in Miami, a fictionalized account of the meeting in 1964, post the Clay/Liston fight, between Cassius Clay, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke and Malcolm X.  It is adapted by Kemp Power from his own play of the same name.  Kemp made history himself as the first African-American to co-write and direct a Disney animated feature with 2018's Soul.  Dan and Vicky cover their first film released during the pandemic with One Night in Miami.  They also discuss some recently seen including 1959's Anatomy of a Murder, Polanski's 1966 thriller Cul-de-Sac, Inherit the Wind, 1937's Pepe le Moko, the 1981 slasher Madhouse, and Truffaut's The Man Who Loved Women. Check out Hot Date 129 and leave us some feedback.  Visit our website for all things Hot Date at hotdatepod.com. And see Dan in his reading with Barrington Stage, Get Your Pink Hands Off Me Sucka and Give Me Back, from June 4th-6th.  Tickets here: https://secure.barringtonstageco.org/givemeback/1536

Murder, kidnapping, revenge, sex and love gone wrong.  All the subjects, and more, of some of the greatest films based on true crime events.  And all getting a Spotlight, wink, on Hot Date's latest Top Ten episode.  We cover some of our favorite films based on and inspired by true events.  You'll hear about some classic titles but also ones that you may be new to you.  So check the alarm system, get your mace, and hide the jewels cuz these films will steal more than your heart.  Along with their Top Ten and alternate lists, Dan and Vicky discuss some recently seen including A Quiet Place, Part II, 2001's Fat Girl, Disney's Cruella, and 1946's The Best Years of Our Lives. Episode 130: It's A Crime!  Enjoy and leave us some feedback.  Visit our website at hotdatepod.com 

Producer Samuel Goldwyn wanted to populate his film of Elmer Rice's play Street Scene with a mix of actors from the hit Broadway production and Hollywood.  To play the lead Rose, Goldwyn had Nancy Carroll in mind.  Signed to Paramount, the studio's managing director Bud Schulberg, would not give Carroll up for the film, instead suggesting Sylvia Sidney for the part.  Sidney, also Schulberg's mistress, nonetheless turned out to be inspired casting for the role and anchors the ensemble with her mix of innocence and grit. Along with this 1931 gem, Dan and Vicky delve into some recently seen, including In The Heights, Unhinged, Summer of Soul, Army of the Dead, In Fabric and Memories of Murder. Check out Hot Date 131 and visit our website at hotdatepod.com!

Director Josef von Sternberg was lured back to Eastern Europe from Hollywood in 1930 by producer Erich Pommer to direct a film about mad Russian monk and con man Rasputin.  Sternberg set his sights instead on an adaptation of the novel Professor Unrath by Heinrich Mann.  He cast Oscar winner Emil Jannings in the title role and discovered his leading lady, Marlene Dietrich, singing in a local Berlin club, was instantly taken by her and offered her the role.   Dan and Vicky discuss this classic of early German sound cinema along with alot of recently seen film and TV including Mare of Easttown, Spectrum's The Bite, Werewolves Within, Marvel's Black Widow, Wrong Turn 2020, and Iran's A Separation.   In a special segment, our hosts also wax nostalgic about the cinemas they frequented as young movie fans. Check out Hot Date 132 and leave us some feedback.  Visit our website at hotdatepod.com  

Two years after having the biggest blockbuster to date with Jaws and three years after the successful disaster pick Earthquake, Universal Studios pulled out all the stops with Rollercoaster, hoping to duplicate the earlier films' box office.  They doubled down on Sensurround, the innovative sound system  that immersed audiences in every creak, rumble and woosh of the titular ride and hired 70's everyman George Segal as the lead.  The movie, however, did not connect with audiences, and was easily trounced at cinemas by George Lucas's first Star Wars film (or his fourth, depending on who you ask). Dan and Vicky return to their favorite film era, the 70's, for a dose of disaster and disco.  They also catch us up on some recently seen including the Fear Street films on Netflix, the 1981 neo noir classic Body Heat, Gunpowder Milkshake, Zola, the new GI Joe universe film Snake Eyes, and some fun animal attack schlock.   Listen to Hot Date 133 and leave us some feedback.  Visit our website at hotdatepod.com.  

A passion project for star Christopher Reeve, 1987's Street Smart became instead the auspicious introduction of film audiences to Morgan Freeman and Kathy Baker.  Freeman, mostly known for his four years on PBS's Electric Company and a successful theater career, stepped into the spotlight and received an Oscar nomination for his work as vicious pimp Fast Black.  Baker, also a renowned theater actress, gained notice in the film The Right Stuff before breaking out as Street Smart's sympathetic hooker Punchy. Dan and Vicky take a look at the New York set drama, along with lots of recently seen like the Red Riding: Year of Our Lord film series, doc Helter Skelter: An American Myth, Pink Flamingos, Jungle Cruise, The Suicide Squad, The Boy Behind the Door, Vivo and The Vigil.  Check out Hot Date 134: Street Smart and leave us some feedback.  Our website:  hotdatepod.com  

Dan and Vicky chose the random Hot Date of August 21, 1965 and decided on the film Darling starring Julie Christie, in her Oscar winning lead performance, and Dirk Bogarde and Laurence Harvey as the two men vying for her attention.  Directed by John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy, Sunday, Bloody Sunday), it's a first time watch for our hosts. Along with the main feature, Dan and Vicky talk about some recently seen including The Night House, Don't Breathe 2, 1990's Wild at Heart, Free Guy, Protege, and 1986's Spanish horror film Anguish.   Check out our website for all your Hot Date needs:  hotdatepod.com

1958's Blood of the Vampire had all the earmarks of a Hammer film without actually being one.  Hammer regular Jimmy Sangster was brought in to write the script.  The film very much echoed the style and flair of a Hammer film.  And Hammer actress Barbara Shelley (Dracula, Prince of Darkness, Rasputin, Quatermass and the Pit) plays the female lead.  It didn't fool British movie goers however where the film was less successful but found a healthy audience in the US where it ran for years on double bills with other B movies. Dan and Vicky sink their teeth into Blood of the Vampire as well as a ton of recently seen including Candyman 2021, Malignant, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, 1939's Goodbye Mr. Chips, 1971's Sunday Bloody Sunday, and Hulu's Only Murders in the Building.  Check out Hot Date 136 and leave us some feedback.   Visit our website at hotdatepod.com.

A star studded cast highlights the crime drama Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead, director Gary Fleder and screenwriter Scott Rosenberg's entry in the 1990's spate of talky neo noir thrillers.  This is has Andy Garcia, Treat Williams, Christopher Walken, Fairuza Balk, Christopher Lloyd, Bill Nunn, William Forsythe, Josh Charles, Jack Warden, Steve Buscemi, and Gabrielle Anwar. Dan and Vicky discuss the film and it's unfair reputation as a Pulp Fiction clone.  They also talk the Tony Awards, Dan's new play A Sherlock Carol (https://asherlockcarol.com/), and lots of recently seen including Everybody's Talking About Jamie, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, A Classic Horror Story, The Chair, and Y The Last Man. Check out Hot Date 137, leave us some feedback and stop by https://www.hotdatepod.com/!

1948's Brighton Rock, based on the novel by Graham Greene, was a controversial hit in England where critics felt it reached new levels of depravity and on screen violence.  It also met the ire of novelist Greene himself, who was denied the opportunity to adapt his own book - that task fell to playwright Terrence Rattigan - and given zero influence in casting decisions.  Greene was vocal about his dislike of Richard Attenborough in the lead role of Pinkie Brown and Hermione Baddeley as crusader Ida Arnold.  After seeing the completed film, however, he relented and agreed both actors were well cast. Dan and Vicky take a look at this classic, much heralded British crime noir along with recently seen films and tv shows including Mike Flanagan's Midnight Mass, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, The Green Knight, No Time to Die, and Hulu comedy series Pen15. Leave us feedback on our socials and visit our website at hotdatepod.com. 

A negative pickup for Universal Pictures to cash in on the 3D trend partially initiated by the company's own Jaws 3, low budget sci fi epic Metalstorm failed to spark at the box office.  Of the many quirky elements of the film, it's bombastic orchestral score sticks out as belonging to a different movie.  Composed by Band's brother Richard, the music gives the film a gravitas that the chintzy special effects, languid pace and bad acting don't.  The film stars soap star Jeffrey Byron, Australian Mike Preston, the late Kelly Preston, genre fave Tim Thomerson and Night Court's Richard Moll.  Dan and Vicky give their thoughts on Metalstorm as well as recently seen items including Halloween Kills, The French Dispatch, Spielberg's The Sugarland Express, black Western The Harder They Fall and 1980 slasher Prom Night. For tickets to Dan's show A Sherlock Carol visit:  asherlockcarol.com Don't forget to leave us feedback on our social media pages and visit our website at hotdatepod.com.

We're back again with another of our famous Top Ten List episodes.  This time we're looking at our favorite movie villains.  Those despicable, pathetic, misguided, attractive movie characters - some based on real people - we love to hate from films spanning the last century.   Dan and Vicky also check in on some recently seen like The Eternals, Nobody, The Deep House, Antlers, tick...tick...Boom, and Red Notice. Have a listen and come up with your own list of movie villains.  Send them to us on our social media pages and check out our website hotdatepod.com.    

For our final Hot Date of 2021, we chose Putney Swope, written and directed by Robert Downey Sr.  As an indictment of corporate greed, the advertising business and race, the film was Downey's reaction to working for years in a production company whose main client was a powerful ad agency.  There were no takers for the movie from the major studios so Downey turned to independent producer and distributor Don Rugoff, who placed the film in his art houses across the country and turned it into a major underground hit.   Dan and Vicky discuss the film, along with lots of recently seen including Sex and the City follow up And Just Like That, NBC's Annie Live, Disney's Encanto, House of Gucci, Being the Ricardos, 1992's Glengarry Glen Ross, 1974's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Spielberg's West Side Story, and a bunch of Hammer horror.  Ring in the New Year with Hot Date 141: Putney Swope and leave us some feedback or a star rating.  hotdatepod.com 

1991's The Commitments was a departure for filmmaker Alan Parker.  Traditionally an explorer of the darker reaches of human interaction (Angel Heart, Mississippi Burning), the film was instead a serio-comic look at the making of a band in working class Dublin.  Based on the novel by Roddy Doyle, Parker and his casting team scoured Ireland for actors who could convince as musicians or musicians who could carry the dramatic demands of the script.  He came up with a motley crew of actual singers (Maria Doyle, Glen Hansard) and exciting novices (Andrew Strong, Angeline Ball). Dan, Vicky and special guest/Commitments mega fan/Hot Date listener Theresa Sullivan discuss the crowd pleaser along with a bunch of recently seen.  Hear what your hosts thought of Spiderman: No Way Home, Don't Look Up, 2021's Nightmare Alley, horror films Censor and Boys From County Hell, the new King's Man film, Spielberg's War Horse, and Denzel Washington/Frances McDormand starrer Macbeth.  Hot Date 142: The Commitments with special guest and long time friend Theresa Sullivan will have you singing!  Leave us feedback or a star rating and visit hotdatepod.com  

In the early 70's Hammer Studios, Britain's premier production house for horror and fantasy films, was at a crossroads.  The Hammer name connoted class, style and a certain elegance but the new wave of horror was grittier and more explicit.  Playing against The Exorcist and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hammer films could almost appear quaint.  So Hammer pivoted and started making films like 1972's Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde in response.  Still using trained British talent and adapting classic texts, this new period for Hammer saw a push towards more nudity (mostly female) and more visceral violence. Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde was advertised as giving viewers "the sexual transformation of a man into a woman...before your very eyes!"  A bold claim - not entirely true - but part of Hammer's attempt to draw in more exploitation hungry crowds. Dan and Vicky discuss the film - their first stab at a Hammer film - along with lots of recently seen including 355, The Red Shoes, Jakob's Wife, Rock and Roll High School, The Humans and Wes Craven's Vampire in Brooklyn. Check out Hot Date 143, leave us some feedback or a star rating and visit our website at hotdatepod.com.  

The unique 1946 film noir So Dark The Night gave actor Steven Geray his first and only chance to play the lead in a film.  Up until then, and for years after, he was a reliable and memorable supporting player in films like Spellbound, Gilda and All About Eve.  Geray had fled his homeland of Hungary after his pointed impersonations of Hitler and Mussolini on the European theatre circuit drew the threatening attention of the Italian and German governments! Your hosts Dan and Vicky discuss the Jospeh H. Lewis directed psychological drama along with some recently seen.  They break down the latest Scream film as well as 2021's Werewolves Within, 1977's Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Visconti's Death in Venice, Omen ripoff Holocaust 2000 and recent stand up from Aziz Ansari. Take a listen to Hot Date 144, leave us some feedback, drop us a star rating and visit our website for more:  hotdatepod.com 

1965's Who Killed Teddy Bear mixes spasmodic dance sequences, lewd phone calls, predatory lesbians, incest, and Sal Mineo in short shorts to create one of the strangest films to come out of the swingin' sixties.  It's directed by Joseph Cates and stars Mineo, Juliet Prowse, Jan Murray, and Elaine Stritch. Dan and Vicky discuss this odd film along with lots of recently seen like 2022's Death on the Nile, Marry Me, 1983's The Keep, Spielberg's Bridge of Spies from 2015 and the Showtime doc We Need to Talk About Cosby. Check out Hot Date 145: Who Killed Teddy Bear and leave us a star rating, review or feedback.  hotdatepod.com 

With the powerhouse producing team of Guillermo Del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron behind it, 2004's Ecuadorean drama Cronicas had an easy time being chosen as that country's submission for the Best Foreign Language film at the Academy Awards.  It didn't get that honor but still had the star power to guide it to international acclaim.  John Leguizamo, performing fully in Spanish for the first time in his career, leads a stellar cast that includes Leonor Watling, Damian Alcazar, Jose Maria Yazpik and Alfred Molina. Dan and Vicky visit this indie gem as well as catching us up with some recently seen including the Affleck/Damon epic The Last Duel, 2022 horror film The Cursed, Spielberg comedy romp 1941, 1959's The Young Philadelpians, Bo Burnham Inside and 2019 Dutch road rage thriller Tailgate. Check out our new podcast artwork (!), leave us feedback on the episode on your favorite podcatcher, and visit our website at hotdatpod.com.

1956's Picnic, adapted from the Pulitzer and Tony award winning stage play by William Inge, gave director Joshua Logan the chance to realize the grand picnic of the title on actual locations in Kansas.  But the filming was not without it's headaches.  With two insecure lead actors, tornadoes that threatened to shut production down, and thousands of extras to corrall, Picnic could have been mess.  But it went on to be a box office success and win two Academy Awards.  Dan and Vicky discuss the classic drama along with some recently seen selections including Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022, The Batman, 1960's Flesh and the Fiends, Hulu horror Fresh, Ti West's X, and Dexter: The New Blood. Take a listen and leave us some feedback or a star rating.  hotdatepod.com

Filmmaker Frank Agrama, mostly known today as the producer of family friendly fare like the Robotech TV and video game series and a Heidi miniseries, got his start with more adult material like the 1981 horror film Dawn of the Mummy.  Taking over direction from fired original director, Armand Weston, Agrama shot the grisly feature in his home country of Egypt with mostly American actors and an Italian crew. Dan and Vicky discuss the mummy/zombie hybrid thriller along with lots of recently seen like Marvel properties Moon Knight and Morbius, Ti West's X, 1983 lost Canadian thriller Siege, Netflix's Murderville and Disney's Better Nate than Ever.   Check out Hot Date 148, follow us on social media and leave us some feedback.  hotdatepod.com 

Off of the critical success of his 2010 film Buried (which trapped star Ryan Reynolds inside a coffin for 90 minutes) director Rodrigo Cortes had the clout to attract Sigourney Weaver, Robert DeNiro, Cillian Murphy, Toby Jones and Elizabeth Olsen to his next project.  2012's Red Lights is the story of a duo of supernatural debunkers who meet their match in a celebrity psychic with a dangerous past. Dan and Vicky discuss the Spanish/Canadian thriller along with some recently seen.  Hear what Vicky had to say about Russian Doll season 2, Killing Eve season 4, the Fathom Screening of Singin' In The Rain and the Ti West horrors The Roost and Sacrament.  Dan talks about his recent surgery and the films Last Night in Soho, 1986's Eyes of Fire, Spider Man: No Way Home, and Everything Everywhere All At Once.  hotdatepod.com Follow us on social media and leave us your feedback. https://www.facebook.com/hotdatemoviepodcast Twitter:  @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

For our milestone 150th show, we offer our Top Ten lists of our favorite Best Picture Winners of all time.  From ribald comedies to dark thrillers to ripped from the headlines dramas, Dan and Vicky honor those honored with the most prestigious film award in the world.   But our hosts don't stop there!  They talk about some recently seen including Nic Cage's The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Finnish horror movie Hatching, Amazon's sci-fi show Outer Range, Netflix's The Guilty and some NY theater picks.  You'll also hear in real time what happened to Hot Date's guest host for this episode -- yes, we were supposed to have a guest but...well, just listen! hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Insta: @hotdatepod Twitter:  @HotDate726  

The Patricia Highsmith novel The Talented Mr. Ripley has been adapted twice for the screen - most recently in 1995 in a star studded version by director Anthony Minghella.  But the novel's first filmed version came in 1960 from two time Oscar winning director Rene Clement.  Called Purple Noon in an ode to the vibrant Italian sky over Sicily where the story was set and shot, Clement's version casts Alain Delon as the sinister Tom Ripley and Maurice Renot as rich playboy Dickie (called Philippe in this film). Dan and Vicky discuss the moody French classic as well as lots of recently seen including the new Dr. Strange, the return of the The Kids in the Hall, 1945's The Seventh Veil, Spielberg's West Side Story, the new Firestarter and the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards in Shudder TV.   Take a listen also for details on Dan's trip to wine country in California and Vicky's unfortunate tumble in Chelsea.   Hot Date 151: Purple Noon.  Leave us some feedback, follow us on social media and visit our website at hotdatepod.com.   

Robert Altman's Chicago set A Wedding from 1978 tells the story of two families and the lavish and chaotic day they marry off young Dino (Desi Arnaz Jr.) and Muffin (Amy Stryker).  An all star cast of 70's luminaries,  including Carol Burnett, Paul Dooley, Mia Farrow, Lillian Gish, Dina Merrill, Vittorio Gassman and Geraldine Chaplin, is joined by some background players who would later become stars in their own right.  Look closely for Windy City actors Laurie Metcalf, John Malkovich, Jeff Perry, Gary Sinise, Joan Allen, George Wendt and Dennis Franz! Dan and Vicky discuss this comedy with it's ensemble of 48 speaking parts and Altman's trademark improv sensibilities.  Also on deck is some recently seen including Alex Garland's Men, 1955's Bad Day at Black Rock, Girl Interrupted, Icelandic fable Lamb, Hulu's Candy, and Prime's The Boys season 3. Check us out at hotdatepod.com Or visit us on social media: FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

In response to the success Univeral was having with it's monster series, 20th Century Fox endeavored to bring their own monster movies to the big screen. Taking cues from the mix of horror and comedy Universal had begun to explore, The Undying Monster has a scary castle, a family curse, a pair of funny Scotland investigators and visual style to spare.  It's directed by John Brahm and stars Heather Angel, John Ellison, John Howard and Heather Thatcher. Dan and Vicky discuss the light horror mystery along with recently seen items like Official Competition, Paramount + series The Offer, Shudder's Off Season, 1970's Trog, and some films from the Dario Argento retrospective at Film at Lincoln Center including the US premiere of his new giallo Dark Glasses. Visit out website at hotdatepod.com and leave us some feedback on our social media accounts: FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod     

Director/screenwriter Bill Condon has since become an Oscar winning filmmaker with credits ranging from writing 2002's Chicago to directing two films in the Twilight series.  But his directorial debut came with 1987's Sister, Sister, a Gothic thriller set in Louisiana and starring Judith Ivey, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Eric Stoltz. Dan and Vicky discuss the film, which mixes horror and the supernatural into it's arguably over-cooked mix.  They also talk about some recently seen, including Ms. Marvel on Disney+, Joel Kim Booster's Netflix standup special, Stranger Things Season 4, Cindy Sherman's slasher Office Killer, Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, Black Phone and The Northman.  Visit out website at hotdatepod.com and leave us some feedback on our social media accounts: FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod  

Tigon British Film Productions, founded in 1966 as counter programming to the more well known Hammer Studios, nonetheless took a page from the Hammer playbook by making horror and exploitation films.  Tigon films, however, are often marked by a low budget mean streak and grittiness.  Successes for the company included 1967's The Sorcerers, 1968's The Witchfinder General, and 1971's Blood on Satan's Claw.  1969's The Blood Beast Terror stars Peter Cushing, Robert Flemyng, Wanda Ventham, and Vanessa Howard.   Dan and Vicky have a "moth"-ful to say about the strange and quirky film along with lots of recently seen including 1972's The Flesh and Blood Show, HBO Max's Tokyo Vice and DMZ, Lelsey Manville in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, and 1964's Viva Las Vegas. Also listen for talk of Murder on Nantucket and bone grafts! Visit out website at hotdatepod.com and leave us some feedback on our social media accounts: FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod  

With Shakespeare's King Lear as it's source material, both the book by Jane Smiley and the film adaptation directed by Jocelyn Moorehouse of A Thousand Acres sets the action on an Iowa farm.  In the 1997 film,  Jason Robards plays the raging patrirach of the Cook family, whose bequest of his land to his three daughters, played by Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, raises tensions and unearths long hidden family secrets. Dan and Vicky discuss the star studded melodrama along with lots of recently seen including Bullet Train, BJ Novak's Vengeance, Jordan Peele's Nope, modern slaher They/Them, and the Netlix series Uncoupled.  After a minor hiatus we're back!   Leave us some feedback on all our social media outlets.  FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

1951's Three Husbands and 1949's A Letter To Three Wives share screenwriter Vera Caspary but also similar storylines.  In Three Husbands, the title characters receive letters about their wives' possible infidelity and in Three Wives the ladies recieve missives from a woman announcing she is running away with one of their husbands.  Caspary specilaized in stories about strong women, having also penned Laura, The Blue Gardenia (a Hot Date pick at Episode 118), and I Can Get it For You Wholesale.  Dan and Vicky discuss the film and their love of stars Eve Arden and Ruth Warrick.  Also on deck is plenty of recently seen including Watcher, Three Thousand Years of Longing, Marvel's She Hulk, Orphan: First Kill, Hulu's Prey, The Good Boss, and 1949's A Holiday Affair. Hot Date Podcast FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Director Stuart Gordon, known for creating the body horror classics Reanimator and From Beyond, reunited with writer David Mamet to direct the film adaptation of the controversial playwright's one act play Edmond.  Gordon and Mamet were colleagues in the Chicago theater scene and first collaborated on the original staging of the writer's Sexual Perversity in Chicago.  In Edmond, William H. Macy plays the title character, a misanthropic bigot being put through a dark night of the soul on his way to elightenment.  The cast includes Julia Stiles, Joe Mantegna, Rebecca Pidgeon, Denise Richards, and Bokeem Woodbine. Dan and Vicky discuss the film along with lots of recently seen including Barbarian, Don't Worry Darling, Bros, 1973's The Last of Sheila, See How They Run, the Goodnight Mommy remake and Hulu's Reboot.   Hot Date Podcast FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod    

Dan and Vicky offer a special Halloween episode of Hot Date covering the 1982 Canadian slasher Humongous.  It was Vicky's idea to find a horror film from the 80's that she hadn't seen and Dan had.   They were almost successful - after all Vicky's seen ALOT of movies.  Humongous, directed by Prom Night's Paul Lynch and written by The Changeling's William Gray, has been a mostly forgotten slasher only recently finding an audience after being cleaned up for DVD and blu ray. Along with the main feature, your hosts cover plenty of recently seen, including Netflix's The Midnight Club, Criterion Channel's 80's horror lineup, Blonde, Hocus Pocus 2, Triangle of Sadness, and Broadway's Cost of Living. Take a listen and leave us some feedback. Hot Date Podcast FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod  

We've reached our next Top Ten episode (something we do here at Hot Date when we reach every tenth show) and this time we're picking our favorite mysteries and whodunnits.  From Poirot to Parker, giallo to slasher, we're choosing the films that kept us guessing, made us gasp and even gave us some chuckles. Along with our main topic, you'll hear about plenty of recently seen including new takes on Hellraiser, Halloween, Fletch and Black Panther and plenty of TV and live theater.  You'll hear about Dan's new off-Broadway show, A Sherlock Carol, and get five favorite whodunnits from a very special guest! hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

When it came time make the film of Arthur Laurents successful play The Time of the Cuckoo, the natural casting choice was Shirley Booth, who won a Tony for the Broadway production and had an Oscar for the 1952 film Come Back Little Sheba.  But producers felt she was too old and not enough of a box office draw.  Director David Lean was determined to get Katherine Hepburn and the star needed little convincing.  As her love interest, he cast Italian Rossano Brazzi. Future Night Stalker star and suffering Dad in A Christmas Story Darren McGavin made his film debut in the small role of a philandering artist. Dan and Vicky discuss the classic romance along with a lot of recently seen, including Idris Elba in Beast, Glass Onion, She Said, 1996's Eye for an Eye, and American Horror Story: NY.    Have a listen and leave us some feedback on all our socials! hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

The Burning Plain was the directorial debut of screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, who took cues from his screenplays for Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel to weave the intergenerational story of two families, one white and one Mexican, colliding and seeking redemption. The film stars Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger, Jennifer Lawrence, and Joaquim de Almeida. Dan and Vicky discuss the little seen drama from 2009 along with lots of recently seen films, including Vicky's attempt to watch all the films she hasn't seen off of Sight and Sound's recent list of the best films of all time.  Have a listen and leave us some feedback on all our social media accounts: hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

A starry cast brings 1949's The Bribe to life.  Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Charles Laughton, Vincent Price and John Hodiak are all on a fictitious Caribbean island together falling in love and scheming to steal leftover ammunition parts.  This somewhat forgotten noir was written by Marguerite Roberts, whose career was put on hold when she was blacklisted in 1951 for refusing to testify in front of the House Unamerican Activities Committee.  It was nine years before she would resurface and write several award nominated screenplays, including the one that would win John Wayne his only Oscar, True Grit.   Dan and Vicky discuss the off beat noir along with plenty of recently seen including The Sadness, Sissy, Tar, The Fablemans, and more films off of the Sight and Sound best films of all time list.  Leave us some feedback and reach out to us on social media.   hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod  

Although produced in Spain, 1973's The Corruption of Chris Miller, has all the earmarks of a traditional Italian giallo - sexual tension in an isolated country house, bad dubbing and, most importantly, a black clad killer.  The film is directed by J.A..Bardem, uncle of Oscar winner Javier Bardem.  The lush cinematography is by Juan Gelpi and the grand score is from Waldo de los Rios.  Jean Seberg stars as Ruth, living with her estranged stepdaughter Chris in that country home.  Into their strained relationship enters Barney, a British drifter played by Barry Stokes who may also be the killer murdering locals for their money. Yout Hot Date hosts discuss the film along with a ton of recently seen.  At the movies, there's MEG3HAN, A Man Called Otto, and Bill Nighy in Living.  Streaming and video DVD finds include The Pale Blue Eye, RRR, Peacock's Sick, The Menu, and 1959's Complusion.   Also hear all about Dan's trip to Colombia and Vicky's cataract surgery!  Leave us some feedback and reach out to us on social media.   hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Based on the true kidnapping story of wealthy Hong Kong businessman Teddy Wang, 1993's (although shot in 1993, it wasn't released in the US until 1996) Crime Story was an attempt by Jackie Chan to expand his dramatic acting range.  Audiences, and Chan himself, were not completely happy with the results.  The film didn't make much of a box office impression and Chan resented director Kirk Wong for pushing the film to be darker. Your Hot Date hosts discuss the Asian actioner along with alot of recently seen.  Vicky talks about Velma, The Last of Us, The Mandalorian and Missing.  Dan discusses seeing the new Avatar in IMAX 3D and White Lotus season 2.  And both give their very STRONG opinions on Brandon Cronenberg's Infinity Pool.  They also check in on the return of MoviePass and Vicky's various birthday celebrations! Leave us some feedback and reach out to us on social media.   hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Although stuntmen did most of the underwater work, Elvis Presley, cast as Navy frogman Ted Jackson, whose job it was to diffuse sunken mines, still had alot of scenes in and around water in 1967's Easy Come, Easy Go.  This necessitated being clothed head to toe in scuba gear and getting wet occasionally - two things Elvis was not a fan of.  Also appearing in this film, one of the last of Elvis' movie career, were an off shore treasure subplot, a yoga class musical number, hippies in full body paint and One Day at a Time star Pat Harrington as the owner of a seaside shanty. Dan and Vicky discuss the musical adventure directed by John Rich along with lots of recently seen.  Take notes!  There's alot here!  Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin, Shudder's Deadtectives, Significant Other on Paramount +, Netflix's You People, Peacock's Poker Face, Magic Mike's Last Dance, Luther: The Fallen Sun and SO much more.  Have a listen to Hot Date 166 and leave us your thoughts and ratings hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Dan and Vicky discuss the randomly chosen 1950 melodrama Paid In Full starring Lizabeth Scott, Diana Lynn, Robert Cummings and Eve Arden.   Your hosts also discuss some recently seen including Cocaine Bear, All Quiet on the Western Front, Top Gun: Maverick, and the series Fleischman is in Trouble and History of the World Part II.   hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

On Hot Date episode 168, Dan and Vicky discuss the French-Polish film The Double Life of Veronique starring Irene Jacob, Philippe Volter, Sandrine Dumas and Claude Duneton.  This was the breakthrough film of Polish auteur KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI, who went on to make the acclaimed Color Trilogy and the Dekalog series. Your hosts also discuss dog sitting, Steve Guttenberg and give a shout out to a Hot Date Facebook fan!  Some films and TV covered in the recently seen section include Scream VI, 1959's Ben-Hur, Hulu's Boston Strangler, Dungeons & Dragons, and the Nan Goldin doc All The Beauty and the Bloodshed. (This episode was plagued by sound issues. Apologies in advance for the quality.  We hope it won't take away from your enjoyment of the show). hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Dan and Vicky discuss the 1998 Canadian psychological thriller Pin from writer/director Sandor Stern starring David Hewlett, Cynthia Preston, Terry O'Quinn and the voice of Breaking Bad actor Jonathan Banks.   Stern is most famous for penning The Amityville Horror from 1979. Your hosts discuss the cult favorite along with plenty of recently seen including the horror docuseries In Search of Darkness, 1965's Red Beard, the Michael Jordan biopic Air, Shudder's The Apology, and several classics like The Secret Garden, Celine and Julie Go Boating, The Hucksters and Ida Lupino's The Hitch-Hiker.   You'll also hear about eye surgeries, irate theatergoers and the joys of working with Steve Guttenberg! hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

We're back with another Top Ten!  Every tenth show we try to pick a fun and engaging topic that'll yield a list of our favorite top tens.  This time it's Top Ten remakes.  Vicky's criteria was films that are better or just as good as the original.  Dan didn't really stick to that criteria as you'll hear but the lists are eclectic, cover several genres and span the globe!  Have a listen, enjoy and send us your Top Ten Remakes!  You can get tickets to Dan's show at Bay Street Theater, Tales From the Guttenberg Bible, written and starring movie icon Steve Guttenberg, here: https://www.baystreet.org/ Follow us here: hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

At a time when there was considerable United States naivete and even support around Hitler's domination of Europe, Warner Bros. took the calculated risk of releasing the fervently antifascist 1943 film adaptation of Lillian Helman's Tony award winning play Watch on the Rhine.   Aiding them in delivering the important message was outspoken liberal Bette Davis, Hungarian born leading man Paul Lukas (who ended up winning the Oscar for Best Actor), Dashiell Hammett (taking over writing duties from partner Hellman), and producer Hal Wallis. Dan and Vicky randomly chose the classic anti-war film to highlight on this newest episode of Hot Date but you know they'll also talk about a lot of recently seen movies and TV like Fast X, The Little Mermaid (2023), Broadway horror The Grey House, Gossip Girl, Terrifier 2, Sebastian Maniscalco's About My Father and docs about the Amityville Horror house, Donna Summer and Mary Tyle Moore.  Get your tickets to Dan's show Tales From the Guttenberg Bible at Bay Street Theater below and leave us some feedback on our social! https://www.baystreet.org/ Follow us here: hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

1963's Shock Corridor was director/writer/provocateur Sam Fuller's depiction of the search for truth in a hostile society bent on obfuscating and distorting it.  Set in a mental institution, Fuller's story of a Boston Globe journalist who gets himself committed to solve a murder gets at the hypocrisy and violence that can occur when that search butts up against racism, sexism and preservation of the status quo.  It stars Peter Breck, Conctance Towers, James Best, Gene Evans and Hari Rhodes. Dan and Vicky discuss the indie classic along with alot of recently seen including The Flash, The Blackening, The Boogeyman, Renfield, Peacock's Based on a True Story, Feud: Joan and Bette, and You Hurt My Feelings.   Hit us up on our socials and get your tickets to Dan's new show at Bay Street Theater below: https://www.baystreet.org/ Follow us here: hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

1985's Crimewave was the sophmore effort for Evil Dead director Sam Raimi, actor and producer Bruce Campbell and producer Bob Tapert.  The film started as the script The XYZ Murders by Joel and Ethan Coen.  Raimi and genre friendly production company Avco-Embassy agreed the script was a winner and started shooting on a 2.5 million dollar budget.  And that's when the problems started.  With really young and relatively inexperienced fillmmakers at the helm, the budget balllooned, actors started getting hurt and animosity grew.   Dan and Vicky, coming to you from NY and Nantucket, discuss the mostly reviled comedy thriller along with alot of recently seen, including the new Indiana Jones, Netflix's We Have a Ghost, Past Lives, King Richard, Black Mirror season 6, 1970 Nicholas Roeg film Performance, and the genius of Sean Hayes in the Broadway show Good Night Oscar.   Have a listen and follow us on social media below.  Also buy tickets to Dan's show Tales from the Guttenberg Bible at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, Long Island. https://www.baystreet.org/ Follow us here: hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Dan and Vicky head back to the old west for a Gunfight at the OK Corral.  The 1957 film directed by John Sturges and starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas tells the oft told tale of the legendary, albeit short, gun battle between the Earps and the Clantons and the violence, greed and passions that lead up to it.   In a wide ranging conversation, your hosts talk about the recent actors strike, Dan's show at the Bay Street Theater and lots of recently seen including Insidious: The Red Door, Mission Impossible:  Dead Reckoning Part One, Wake in Fright, the Rock Hudson doc All That Heaven Allowed, and the phenomenon that is Barbie and Oppenhemier. https://www.baystreet.org/ Follow us here: hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Mike White's (White Lotus, Enlightened, Chuck and Buck) directorial debut Year of the Dog tells the story of Peggy Spade, a mild mannered people pleaser who's life is upended when she loses her dog Pencil in a poisoning accident.  Or was it an accident?  Molly Shannon plays Peggy with a strong supporting cast that includes Peter Saarsgard, John C. Reilly, Regina King, Laura Dern, Josh Pais and Tom McCarthy.   Apropos to the film, Vicky discusses her love affair with dogs while Dan talks of hanging in The Hamptons with Steve Guttenberg.  And of course your hosts give you some of their favorite recently enjoyed pop culture items including Bones and All, The Meg 2, the new Haunted Mansion, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, Prime's Dead Ringers series and the Shudder doc Sharksploitation.   Follow us here: hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Actors Griffin Dunne, Mark Metcalf, and Amy Robinson were looking for film projects for their fledgling production company and all agreed that Ann Beattie's novel Chilly Scenes of Winter was ripe for adaptation.  Indie director Joan Micklin Silver came on board with John Heard and Mary Beth Hurt leading the cast.  The film struggled at the box office in 1979 under the new United Artists imposed title Head Over Heels.  When it was re-released in 1982 as Chilly Scenes of Winter, the film fared better and has since become a cult title. Dan and Vicky discuss the romantic "comedy" along with their thoughts on the end of Netflix's DVD service, the women of Sex and the City sequel And Just Like That, and Dan's planned trip to Spain.  Recently seen inlcudes The Equalizer 3, Blue Beetle, Bottoms, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, No Hard Feelings, Oppenheimer and The Pope's Exorcist. Follow us here: hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod  

1954's Sleep, My Love was an early directorial effort from German born emigre Douglas Sirk.  Sirk would later become recognized as an auteur - by, of course, the French - for his work with melodramas (Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows).  Sleep, My Love, starring Claudette Colbert, Robert Cummings, Don Ameche and Hazel Brooks, was his attempt at a domestic thriller. Dan and Vicky discuss the gaslighting noir along with alot of recently seen including A Haunting in Venice,  Talk to Me, The Wrath of Becky, Mafia Mama, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, 1995's Castle Freak, and Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein. Follow us here: hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Take a trip on decommissioned Streetcar 133 in Luis Bunuel's surreal and sweet 1954 film Illusion Travels By Streetcar (La Ilusión Vaja en Tranvía).  When two mechanics learn their favorite streetcar is being taken off the line for good, they take it for one last drunken joyride that turns into an existential examination of life in a big city.  The film stars Carlos Navarro and Fernando Soto as the hapless mechanics and Lilia Prado as their female foil and potential love interest.   Along with the film, Dan and Vicky discuss recently seen films like Hulu home invasion thriller No One Will Save You, 2021's The Father with Anthony Hopkins, Expend4bles, and Showtime doc The 12th Victim about Caril Ann Fugate. Follow us here: hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod    

Italian horror director Lucio Fulci's 1988 Aenigma seems to have been inspired by films as varied as Carrie and Patrick, with a dash of Argento madness and 80's slasher thrown in for good measure.  Shot in Serbia standing in for Boston, the film features make up effects by Guiseppe Ferrante, cinematography from Luigi Ciccarese and a score by Carlo Maria Cordio. Dan and Vicky discuss the film along with some recently seen like Exorcist: Believer, Meg 2: The Trench, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, and Disney + series Loki.  Follow us here: hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod  

We've reached another tenth podcast which means Dan and Vicky give you their Top Ten! This time, your hosts are counting down to their favorite top ten creepy performances! Man, woman and children are eligible.  Try and guess which actor appears on both lists, which actor has two performances highlighted.  What made-for-TV film makes the list!?  Have a listen and see if you agree.  Send us some of your favorite unsettling performances Follow us here: hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

A very special episode of the Hot Date Podcast with Dan & Vicky.  There's drama, there's tears, there's nausea inducing popcorn.  And, oh yeah, a movie to discuss.  This time it's 2000's Cornwall shot Saving Grace starring Brenda Blethyn and Craig Ferguson in the charming tale of a woman on the verge of bankruptcy with a plan to save her home by growing weed.   But truth be told, the movie isn't really the main feature this time - that would be our two hosts who maybe show a side of themselves you haven't heard before.  There's the usual banter about recently seen, including Eli Roth's Thanksgiving, The Wounded Fawn, Satanic Hispanics, Jane Seymour's return to TV in Harry Wild and rom com I Want You Back.  Have a listen, leave us some feedback and follow us here: hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

1939's horror comedy The Gorilla was meant to be another 20th Century Fox showcase for the talents of The Ritz Brothers - three Newark born and Brooklyn raised brothers snatched from vaudeville by the studio in hopes they would bring Marx Brothers or Three Stooges size audiences.  The film, however, was plagued with false starts, lawsuits and bad blood.  It's failure effectively ended the trio's time at 20th and after one more film at Universal, they returned to the stage and nightclub circuit.  The film also stars Bela Lugosi, Patsy Kelly and Lionel Atwill. Dan and Vicky discuss their first film of 2024 along with plenty of recently seen like Birth/Rebirth, May December, Leave the World Behind, Poor Things, Maestro and the Broadway shows The Shark is Broken and Spamalot.   Have a listen, leave us some feedback and follow us here: hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod  

1974's The Tamarind Seed was considered a departure for star Julie Andrews.  After a break to raise her family, Andrews was looking for a role that would reintroduce her to audiences in a new light.  As the 70's were rife with political and paranoid thrillers, she jumped at the chance to play Judith Farrow - a woman reeling from personal tragedy who gets embroiled in a Cold War bait and switch.  It helped that Andrews was being directed by husband Blake Edwards (who also adapted the script from Evelyn Anthony's novel) and her love interest was Omar Sharif.   Dan and Vicky discuss the forgotten thriller alolng with lots of recently seen including Max doc Chowchilla, Netflix's The Brothers Sun, 2024's Mean Girls, Jason Statham actioner The Beekeeper, concert doc Queen Rock Montreal, and Anatomy of a Fall.  Also hear about how Vicky spent her birthday and Dan's time at Virginia Stage Company doing Dial M for Murder. You can watch The Tamarind Seed for free at Freevee, Tubi and Roku hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Actor Ray Liotta was coming off crtitical acclaim for his star making turn in Martin Scorcese's Goodfellas and was looking for a vehicle that would turn him into a bonafide movie star.  For others that path was paved by action movies so Liotta signed on to 1994's No Escape hoping it would catapult him to international acclaim.  As the stoic, brooding J. T. Robbins, Liotta was able to not only show brawn, but also brains as he attempts to escape the island penal colony of Absolom and it's violent de facto leader Marek played by Stuart Wilson.  The film also boasts Ernie Hudson, Kevin Dillon, Kevin J. O'Connor and Lance Henriksen. Dan and Vicky discuss the actioner along with some recently seen movie and TV shows like Killers of the Flower Moon, Poor Things, Beyonce's Renaissance, The Holdovers and Hulu's The Bear. Check us out on all the socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

1952's Stolen Face was an early Hammer Films production.  The British studio, which would later become synonymous with thrillers and horror films, also churned out it's fair share of melodramas and comedies. This film, about a heartbroken plastic surgeon who physically transforms a prisoner into the woman who jilted him, stars Lizabeth Scott, Paul Henreid, Andre Morell and Mary Mackenzie and set the stage for films like Vertigo, Eyes Without a Face and The Skin I Live In.   Dan and Vicky discuss their thoughts on Stolen Face along with some recently seen:  Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's Restless Leg Tour, Feud: Capote and the Swans, Lisa Frankenstein, and several more films on the Sight & Sound best films ever list.  Check us out on all our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod  

When Francis Ford Coppola hired German auteur Wim Wenders to direct his first American film, little did he suspect the difficulty that film would have getting to screens.  The movie was Hammett, a fictionalized account of the mystery writer Dasheill Hammett's second career as a private investigator.  In real life, Hammett stuck to penning noirs but in Wenders' film he's enlisted to solve the disappearance of a San Francisco woman.  The film was entirely reshot on sound stages after Orion Pictures expressed dissatisfaction with Wenders expansive shot-on-location first edit.  It stars Frederic Forrest, Peter Boyle, Marilu Henner, Lydia Lei and Elisha Cook Jr. Dan and Vicky discuss the much maligned film along with plenty of recently seen including El Conde, Madam Web, The Color Purple, Nyad, Rustin, The Zone of Interest, Imaginary, and the Dune films. Check us out on all our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Alan Alda plays George Plimpton in Paper Lion, the 1968 film based on Plimpton's book of the same title.  The book and film chronicle his attempt at joining the Detroit Lions during pre-season training for a story in Sports Illustrated.  Several real life football players appear as themselves in the film inlcuding Alex Karras (who starred two more times on film with Alda in Springtime and M*A*S*H*), Frank Gifford, Joe Schmidt, and Lem Barney.  In the shortest Hot Date to date and after many technical snafus, Dan and Vicky discuss the film along with some recently seen.  New horror Immaculate and Late Night with the Devil get the spotlight but also look for reviews for the new Ghostbusters, Godzilla x Kong, and the reality franchise Traitors on Peacock.  Check us out on all our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

In 1944's Christmas Holiday, Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly, both known for their achievements in musical comedies, were cast against type as a lounge singer with a sordid past and her abusive husband respectively.  Audiences seemed to be ready for the change as Christmas Holiday, directed by stylist Robert Siodmak and based on a W. Somerset Maugham story, quickly became one of Universal's most successful films of 1944.   Dan and Vicky discuss the offbeat and melancholy Christmas movie along with their feelings on some recently seen movies and TV including The First Omen, Monkey Man, Zone of Interest, Beau is Afraid and Netflix's Dick Wolf docu-series Homicide New York. Check us out on all our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod  

A star studded cast joins Guy Ritchie regular Jason Statham in Revolver, the British auteur's violent meditation on the Ego and revenge.  Ray Liotta, Andre Benjamin, Mark Strong, Vincent Pastore and Francesca Annis are all members of warring crime syndicates with Statham as the ex-con caught in the center.  Ritchie was ultimately unhappy with the theatrical version and reinstated and rearranged many scenes to make his 110 minute version.   Dan and Vicky discuss the director's cut of the film, the AMC A-list, and couponing in a wide ranging discussion that also includes plenty of recently seen like Shudder's Infested, Abigail, Challengers, Last Voyage of the Demeter, I Saw The TV Glow, Blumhouse's Night Swim, and Netflix series Dead Boy Detectives. Check us out on all our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Hot Date has reached another tenth episode and that means a Top Ten extravaganza of movie memories and memorable moments.  This time Dan and Vicky discuss their favorite Moms and Dads from film across the ages.  The mission was accepted differently by your co-hosts so you're getting an eclectic list of perfect and imperfect parents.  Dan, of course, found his choices mostly from the horror genre and included couples while Vicky broke her list into her five favorites of each gender.     This episode is a freewheeling discussion covering everything from Vicky's shopping obsession to your hosts opinions on embattled Kevin Spacey's life and careeer.  There's also some recently seen including Netlfix's Baby Reindeer, Pamela Adlon's Babes, Celine Song's Past Lives, 90's horror gems Mute Witness and Ghost Watch, and the doc Misery Loves Comedy. Check us out on all our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

After winning the Oscar in 1948 for best actress in Johnny Belinda, Jane Wyman had her pick of projects and leading men.  She chose the winning comedy Three Guys Named Mike in 1951 because of it's potential box office appeal and the chance to try her skills in a different genre.  Her supporting cast of Mikes included Van Johnson, Howard Keel and Barry Sullivan.   Dan and Vicky discuss the film where Wyman plays a flight attendant at the center of a romantic triangle.  They also give us their thoughts on some recently seen including IF, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Godzilla Minus One, The Strangers Chapter 1, shows in The Walking Dead franchise, and a deep dive look at new arthouse slasher In A Violent Nature.  Check us out on all our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Michael Sarnoski, director of the recent summer horror hit A Quiet Place: Day One, made his feature directorial debut with 2021's Pig starring Nicolas Cage and Alex Wolff.  Pig is the story of a withdrawn farmer living in the Oregon woods with his trusted and lucrative truffle pig.  When the pig is kidnapped, Cage's character embarks on a journey to find it and also maybe himself.  The producers didn't have the money to hire a trainer for their porcine star for more than three days so they started shooting and hoped for the best - the pig ended up biting star Cage several times! Dan and Vicky discuss the indie critical hit along with lots of recently seen like Tuesday, Inside Out 2, The Exorcism, The Watchers, The Blackening, Daddio, and Hacks season 3. Check us out on all our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

After Italian producers balked at director Enzo Castellari's idea to remake The Dirty Dozen, he raised the money himself and hired American B-movie titans Bo Svenson and Fred Williamson to lead a group of military prisoners across Nazi German territory (really the backlots of Cinecitta and surrounding areas) on a trek to freedom into Switzerland.  In 1978's The Inglorious Bastards, Castellari uses all the staples of Italian 70's schlock cinema (boobs, blood and bad dubbing) to great effect in this rousing and silly war film.   Dan and Vicky discuss the film that so inspired Quentin Tarantino he bought the rights to the title to use for his own 2009 Nazi war film.  Along the way, you'll get conversations on saving movie theatres, Sip and Paint and 80's actress Lisa Eilbacher as well as find out what a Disney bitch is (hint: Vicky is one).  You'll also hear talk of some recently seen like Beverly HIlls Cop: Axel F, The Seven Samurai in 4K, A Quiet Place: Day One, Will and Grace reruns and Fly Me To The Moon.  Check us out on all our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Hot Date is shaking things up for our latest episode. Instead of reaching back in history for a random date, Dan & Vicky stay in the present and discuss the serial killer thriller and recent release Longlegs, directed by Osgood Perkins and starring Maika Monroe, Nic Cage, Blair Underwood and Alicia Witt.   Along with Longlegs, your hosts chat about some recently seen including Sing Sing, Kneecap, Under Paris, the documentary Faye, and horror film Monolith.   Check us out on all our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Shot on location in foggy San Francisco, Blake Edwards' Experiment in Terror was his follow up to Breakfast at Tiffany's - again engaging a young sophisticated city girl with a handsome leading man but this time in a very different context.  Lee Remick plays Emily Sherwood, a bank teller menaced by a blackmailer and serial killer and Glenn Ford is the FBI agent assigned to protect her and capture the villain.  Ross Martin, known mostly for playing nice guys, is bad guy Red Lynch and was nominated for a best supporting actor Golden Globe. Dan and Vicky discuss the stylish noir thriller along with plenty of recently seen: Deadpool and Wolverine, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, Night Watch: Demons are Forever, Love Lies Bleeding, and Maxxxine.      Check us out on all our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Shot on location in New Orleans, blaxploitation horror film J.D.'s Revenge was the introduction of two of the hardest working and respected Black actors in the business - Glynn Turman and Louis Gossett.  Already established presences in lots of TV and film projects, J.D.'s Revenge gave them the opportunity to play leading roles.  With able support from Joan Pringle and Fred Pinkard, the movie, about a law student possessed by the spirit of a violent gangster, has become a cult favorite.  Dan and Vicky discuss the film, along with lots of recently seen like Nicole Holofcener's You Hurt My Feelings, Cuckoo, Trap, I.S.S., Disney films The Emperor's New Groove, Elemental, Wish and 2017's Beauty and the Beast. And watch, like and subscribe to the pilot for Dan's web series West 40s below.   Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod West 40s

Joan Bennett and James Mason, in only his third US film, play blackmailee and blackmailer respectively in director Max Ophuls' The Reckless Moment - his tale of a harried housewife whose life is turned upside down when her daughter accidentally kills a cad boyfriend and Bennett tries to cover it up.  After directing only five American films, German born Ophuls returned to France, where he was a citizen, and continued to direct until his untimely death at age 54.  Despite a relatively small output, Ophuls is nonetheless considered a true auteur. Dan and Vicky discuss the film along with lots of recently seen including the new Crow, Caitlin Cronenberg's Humane, Alien: Romulus, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Killer and Shudder series Horror's Greatest.  Watch, like and subscribe to the pilot for Dan's web series West 40s below.   Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod West 40s

The 1990 Australian film Blood Oath (aka Prisoners of the Sun) is the harrowing true to life story of the military tribunal put together on the Indonesian island of Ambon to investigate the mass killings of Australian soldiers in a Japanese POW camp.  Leading the charge is Captain Cooper, played by stalwart Aussie actor Bryan Brown (FX, Cocktail, Anyone But You) and a whole battalion of great supporting turns from Deborah Unger, Terry O' Quinn, Russell Crowe, Toshi Shioya, Tetsu Watanabe, George Takei and John Polson.  Dan and Vicky look at the film along with a bevy of recently seen items like Max's Penguin, AMC's Breaking Bad, Strange Darling, My Old Ass, Humane, The Deliverance, 2024's Speak No Evil and Blumhouse's Afraid. Watch, like and subscribe to the pilot for Dan's web series West 40s below.   Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod  

The 2002 film Home Room imagines the unlikely friendship between two survivors of a school shooting - women from very different backgrounds united in tragedy.  Busy Philipps and Erika Christensen play Alicia and Deanna respectively and Victor Garber is the police investigator hoping the two will help answer questions about the deceased shooter.  With Columbine fresh in the world's memory, director/writer Paul F. Ryan attempts to examine the effect a mass shooting can have on the community and the people in it.  Dan and Vicky discuss the little seen Home Room along with lots of recently seen like Salem's Lot 2024, The Wild Robot, Rosemary's Baby prequel Apartment 7A, Joker: Folie a Deux, Exhibiting Forgiveness, Civil War and The Substance. Watch, like and subscribe to the pilot for Dan's web series West 40s below.   Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod   

Our 200th Episode! 200 episodes of Hot Dates and Hot Takes on some of the weirdest, most beautiful and just plain bad movies. We've covered Oscar Winners and Razzie Winners, blockbusters and indie films, classics and guilty pleasures.   To celebrate this milestone, we've invited Alexandra Kopko from the Film Bros Podcast to discuss our favorite directorial debuts.  Dan and Vicky and Alex offer their top tens and a fun list of alternates.  From the Gerwigs to the Raimis to the Lumets, hear the films that paved the way for some of the greatest careers in film - and some that were one and done!  It's an epic chat, out longest show EVER! Dan and Vicky also discuss their usual recently seen - a bevy of great TV and film offerings.   Our socials:  hotdatepod.com https://thefilmbros.podbean.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Dan and Vicky discuss the found footage horror thriller Megan is Missing.  The film, starring many first time actors and shot for under a week on a $35,000 budget, was the brain child of cinematographer Michael Goi.  Goi was eager to make a cautionary tale on the dangers of online predators and so impressed Anchor Bay Films they gave the movie, shot in 2008, a small theatrical release in 2011.  Starring Amber Perkins and Rachel Quinn, Megan is Missing has divided critics - some applauding it's unflinching look at the dangers of being a teen in the internet age and others calling it exploitative.   Dan and Vicky share their very strong responses to the film as well as catching us up on some recently seen like Heretic, The Exorcism, Red One, All Hallow's Eve and It's What's Inside.   Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

The couples paired up in Martin Ritt's 1961 musical drama Paris Blues were more than just smart casting.  Real life married paramours Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward play Ram and Lillian, a jazz musician and the woman he falls in love with him.  And Sidney Poitier and Diahann Carroll, real life lovers at the time, play Eddie and Connie.  Carroll and Poitier had carried on an extramarital affair on their previous film Porgy and Bess and continued during the making of Paris Blues.  Both eventually stayed married and ended the affair after Paris Blues was completed.  Dan and Vicky discuss the jazz heavy film along with lots of recently seen including Moana 2, The Coffee Table, Twisters, Blink Twice, They/Them, Kyle Mooney's Y2K and NBC series St. Denis.  Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Of his time working with then burgeoning film actress Marilyn Monroe, Fritz Lang recalls a 26 year old who struggled with self esteem issues, set tardiness, and lack of preparation.  On 1952's Clash By Night, adapted from the Clifford Odets play, Monroe drove the director to distraction but was surprisingly embraced by leading lady Barbara Stanwyck.  Stanwyck, recognizing an overwhelmed and emotionally vulnerable fellow actress, was patient, helpful, and caring with the young actress according to Lang.  What resulted was a pretty assured above the title debut for Monroe and Stanwyck's usual strong lead performance.  The drama also boasts the talents of Paul Douglas, Robert Ryan and Keith Andes (returning from the Broadway play, albeit in a different role).   Your hosts Dan and Vicky discuss the film along with a list of recently seen like Luca Guadagnino's Queer, La La Land, Emilia Perez, September 5, and The Fire Inside.   Catch Dan in Dial M For Murder at the Pioneer Theatre in Salt Lake City.  Link below for tickets: Dial M for Murder Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

1973's Slither was the directorial debut of Howard Zieff (Private Benjamin, My Girl) and the screenwriting debut for W.D. Richter (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Big Trouble In Little China). In the freewheeling comedic thriller, James Caan goes on the road looking for a stash of embezzled money with Peter Boyle, Louise Lasser and Sally Kellerman in tow.  Famously, Caan was quoted saying he took the role for the money and had little understanding of the story. Dan and Vicky discuss the film along with lots of recently seen including Nosferatu, The Front Room, Shudder's doc series Horror's Greatest, Better Man, Leigh Wannell's Wolfman, Trim Season and The Brutalist. *Sound issues exist in this episode.  We hope they won't detract from your enjoyment of the show.    Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Struggling to find a role that would break her from beautiful girlfriend, adoring wife parts, 1992's My New Gun gave Diane Lane her first starring vehicle.  It was a role that got her noticed and some of the best reviews of her career.  Supporting her were Stephen Collins, James LeGros, Maddie Corman, Tess Harper, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the tale of a handgun that sets off a chain of distressing events in the life of Lane's unfulfilled New Jersey housewife. Dan and Vicky discuss the indie darling along with plenty of recently seen like Babygirl, Presence, NIghtbitch, Companion, 1972's Fright, Red Rooms, It Ends With Us, Wolfman, Shudder's Horrors Greatest and lots of SNL 50 programming. Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Originally titled Shelter and produced independently in 2010 with Swedish filmmakers Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein co-directing, the Julianne Moore starring Six Souls, written by Identity's Michael Cooney, was eventually purchased by the Weinstein Company under their Radius banner.  But the Weinsteins were in the midst of serious financial woes in 2010 after the failure of Nine and many of their acquisitions ended up in distribution turnaround.  Six Souls would eventually come out in 2013 as a day and date VOD and theatrical release.  It got very little attention and seemed a strange detour on Moore's otherwise stellar career path.  Dan and Vicky discuss the forgotten supernatural thriller along with some recently seen gems like Heart Eyes, My Dead Friend Zoe, Love Hurts, Anora, Emilia Perez, Love Me, and Peacock's Traitors.  Also hear about Vicky's apartment woes and Dan's road trip to Florida! Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod  

The Rickshaw Man, Hiroshi Inagaki's 1958 film about a gruff rickshaw driver who becomes the surrogate father to a boy who loses his father unexpectedly, is a remake of his own 1943 black and white film of the same name.  The 1958 version won Inagaki the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival and was one of 20 films the director made with his favored actor Toshiro Mifune.   Dan and Vicky discuss the film along with lots of recently seen items like A Complete Unknown, Oscar winner Flow, Mickey 17, Black Bag, 1997's Tower of Terror, and streaming shows like Daredevil: Born Again, Delhi Boys and The Americas. Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Based on the Stephen King short story, Oz Perkins The Monkey tells the story of a wind up toy monkey that haunts the lives of twin brothers Hal and Bill.  Christian Convery plays the twins as teen boys and Theo James plays them as adults.  Produced by James Wan, the film also stars Tatiana Maslany, Sarah Levy, Adam Scott, Elijah Wood and Perkins himself in the role of the boys' eccentric uncle. Usually dipping back in time to find films, Dan and Vicky choose a Hot Date from 2025 to offer a look at a recent release.  They also discuss lots of recently seen like The Penguin Lessons, Snow White, Death of a Unicorn, Opus, Peacock series The Americas, the TCM series The Power of Film, and Dan's poignant reaction to Ru Paul's Drag Race.  Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

2000's Born Romantic is a little seen British comedy about dating in the Y2k era.  Chock a block with UK stars including Craig Ferguson, Catherine McCormack, Jimi Mistry, Adrian Lester, Olivia Williams, David Morrissey and Jane Horrocks, the film follows a group of lonely hearts finding love and laughter with a London salsa club as the center of their romantic universe.  Dan and Vicky discuss the rarely seen film and how we find love and romance in the modern world.  They also talk about some recently seen items like The Rule of Jenny Penn, Freaky Tales, Hell of a Summer, The Amateur and MAX's medical drama The Pitt.  Listen for their thoughts on finding community at the movies, remembering 9/11, and King Lear in Delaware! Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Hot Date has reached it's next Top Ten episode and for this episode, Dan and Vicky pick their most favorite movie adaptations - films that started as books, plays, musicals, songs, even Twitter feeds!   Your hosts also talk about what they've seen recently including Sinners, Drop, the new season of Black Mirror, Kevin Bacon starring horror show The Bondsman, The Lincoln Lawyer, and the Broadway musical Real Women Have Curves. Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

1947's Crossfire, directed by Edward Dmytryk, is based on the novel The Brick Foxhole by Richard Brooks.  In Brooks' novel, a gay man is murdered by a soldier on leave but the film had to adhere to a Hays Code which didn't allow for depictions of homosexuality so anti-Jewish sentiment became the reason for the killing.  Ironically, it was the film's theme of anti-semitism that put it's makers in the crosshairs of Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist HUAC hearings.  It's director and writer John Paxton ended in prison for their views.  The film stars the Robert dream team of Robert Ryan, Robert Young and Robert Mitchum. Dan and Vicky discuss the noir thriller and lots of recently seen including Babygirl, The Damned, Thunderbolts, Nonnas, Lilo and Stitch, horror classics (!) Nekromantick and Nekromantick 2 and comedian Mateo Lane. Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Hot Date is shaking things up again by choosing a recent date and a movie hot from theaters to discuss.  Dipping into the John Wick universe, Dan and Vicky discuss Ballerina, the next film in the Keanu Reeves lead action franchise.  Wick takes a back seat to Eve Macarro, played by Knives Out and Blonde star Ana de Armas.  Eve is on a mission to avenge the murder of her father - a journey that takes her from the Continental Hotel to snowy Austria.  Her co-stars include Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Anjelica Huston, Lance Riddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane and Keanu Reeves.  Your hosts also discuss their recently seen including Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning, Karate Kid Legends, Bring Her Back, Conclave, Final Destination: Bloodlines, and the Hell House series! Also hear about the love Hot Date gets from ChatGPT and your hosts try to figure out who Morgan Wallen is! Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod