Vintage Cinema Rewind

A Night to Remember (1958 - Britain) Primer

Stop us if you've heard this one before. The maiden voyage of the biggest ship ever constructed. A trip through iceberg-infested waters. People funneling to the lifeboats. That's right, before Jack and Rose and James Cameron's 1997 masterpiece, there was A Night to Remember--one of the first cinematic cracks at this particular disaster. Michael and Blake find themselves aboard the upper decks as the ship begins to sink. How will they cope with their predicament? Can they manage to save people? Or are their efforts all wet? 

The Lift (1983 - Netherlands) Deep Dive

"These damn machines will be the death of us all some day!" It's a tale as old as time. Man versus Machine. Man versus Gravity. And Vintage Cinema Rewind versus the Airwaves. Blake and Jason (and Kelvin!) are back with a Deep Dive on the iconic Danish horror film: The Lift! As the elevator doors snap shut and darkness falls on our heroes, can they escape this coffin-shaped shoot in time? Or will they be mangled so thoroughly and so completely that all three of them will fit into a Danish pastry?
 
Full movie: https://youtu.be/2r7a_dQnsRk?si=GruIocD3_tzUJrYG 
 
Where to watch: The Lift - movie: where to watch streaming online

The Lift (1983 - Netherlands) Primer

Vintage Cinema Rewind is back! And now, Blake and Jason are joined by the Debonair Darling from Denmark: Kelvin! This week's episode covers The Lift--an iconic 1983 science fiction film from the same country that combines everyone's two greatest fears: confined spaces and gravity. As an evil elevator terrorizes Amsterdam, can these three uncover the true culprit and stop this radioactive menace? Or are they all on a one-way trip to the ground floor?
 
Full movie: https://youtu.be/2r7a_dQnsRk?si=GruIocD3_tzUJrYG 
 
Where to watch: The Lift - movie: where to watch streaming online

City of God (2002 - Brazil) Primer

On this week's Vintage Cinema Rewind, Blake and Michael take a trip to the City of God: where divinity is in short supply. They meet all sorts of characters, including Rocket, a studious child with dreams of a better life, Li'l Zé, a young man with a precocious appetite for blood, and Benny, who is too kind and too charismatic for his particular line of work. Join them as they sit back and watch as all these different stories and lives unfurl around them. Can these characters escape their bleak and oppressive lives? Or will the beast finally devour them? 
 
Opening Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QujbbyEUXjo

City of God (2002 - Brazil) Deep Dive

Things continue to unravel on Vintage Cinema Rewind's Deep Dive of City of God. As the streets run red with blood, powerful forces continue to conspire against each other. In one corner, we've got Li'l Dice: the city's most sadistic criminal. In the other corner we've got Knockout Ned: a reluctant crime lord. And somewhere between the two stands Rocket, armed only with his camera. Can the city survive this tumultuous gang war? Or are we all just chickens fleeing the knife?

The Top 5 Movies of the 2020s (so far)

Have you ever stopped to consider the relentless onslaught of time? The inevitable death-march of the years? The ticking of the clock counting down towards to our own untimely demise? Well. Now that the mood has fully been soured, join Blake, Jason, and Michael as they share their Top 5 films of the half-dead 2020s (ugh, we know)! Regular and semi-regular listeners may notice some repeat offenders. But there may be a few dark horses in these stables! So give it a listen and drown out the existential dread (it won't help)! 

Princess Mononoke (1997 - Japan) Pt. 2 Deep Dive

The adventure continues on Vintage Cinema Rewind's Deep Dive on Princess Mononoke! Tensions boil over between Iron Town and the old gods of the forest--leaving Blake caught in the crossfire. But as the curse spreads up his arm and he prevents the masked princess from assassinating the local warlord, he begins to questions where his true loyalties lie. But as Michael--the king of the boars--prepares one final charge, the noose tightens around the valley. Can Blake resolve this brutal conflict? Or will this valley descend into chaos? 
 
Where to watch: Princess Mononoke - movie: watch streaming online

Princess Mononoke (1997 - Japan) Pt. 1 Primer

String your bows and mount your red elks, because Vintage Cinema Rewind is back with of Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke! Blake's simple agrarian life as a prince is turned upside down after a chance encounter with a wild boar leaves him marked for death. He's sent into the mountains to seek a cure--but instead finds himself caught in a tangled web spun by many different spiders. Can he navigate these flashing limbs and purify himself before the curse spreads?   And just who is this mysterious masked princess who seems so intent on cleaving a bloody path to victory?  
 
Where to watch: Princess Mononoke - movie: watch streaming online

Django (1966 - Italy) Part 2 Deep Dive

DJANGO! Have you always... been an avid listener of Vintage Cinema Rewind: Your 47th (48th?) favourite film podcast. The stakes have raised and the die has been cast! As the rival bandit clans vie for control of the valley and the sack of Confederate gold, Michael and Blake enjoy the few moments of quiet to discuss the film's characters, themes, and the many, many movies it has influenced. Can they shoot their way out of this deadly snare? Or will they be caught with the gold scarlet-handed?
 
Where to watch: Django - movie: where to watch streaming online

Django (1966 - Italy) Pt 1. Primer

Don your dusters, stare down the sights of your six-shooters, and prepare to drag some coffins across the wastes--because it's time for Django: Sergio Corbucci's iconic 1966 spaghetti western! Michael is a lonesome drifter with steely eyes and a peculiar bundle looped about his shoulders. But when he's blown into a war-torn ghost town, he finds himself caught between a pair of rival bandit clans--one of which is headed by Blake, a man he has a personal grudge with. Can he liberate this mud-spackled town from evil? Or does he have some dark work set in mind himself?
 
Where to watch: Django - movie: where to watch streaming online

High and Low (1963 - Japan) Pt. 2 Deep Dive

Things have certainly looked better on Vintage Cinema Rewind. And yet, the Deep Dive on Akira Kurosawa's iconic crime thriller High and Low continues. Michael has been returned--safe and mostly sound--but the kidnapper made a speedy escape with Blake's sack of cash. Now, the investigators narrow their pursuit--ferreting out new leads and pressing old accomplices. Can they recover Blake's fortune? Or will the cobbler's children have no shoes?
 
Where to watch: High and Low - movie: where to watch streaming online

High and Low (1963 - Japan) Pt. 1 Primer

Hostile takeovers. Kidnapping. Foot fetishes? Vintage Cinema Rewind continues their Anything But American series with Akira Kurosawa's acclaimed crime thriller: High and Low. Blake is a no-holds-barred corporate executive at National Shoes with his eyes on the throne. But when his son's friend Michael is kidnapped by shadowy interlopers, both his future and his fortunes are put in serious jeopardy. Should he surrender his vast wealth in exchange for Michael's wellbeing? Or should he give this whole crooked scheme the boot? All this will be determined and more on this week's episode!
 
Where to watch: High and Low - movie: where to watch streaming online

Last Night (1998 - Canada) Pt 2 Deep Dive

The end is near (nigh?). The rioters have soothed themselves. Crowds gather in the streets--awaiting the fated conclusion to the grim tragicomedy that is the entire human race. Everyone chooses to live out their final hours differently. Blake and Michael--for instance--crouch in the darkness and continue with their Deep Dive on Don McKellar's masterpiece: Last Night. They discuss the film's rich themes, inventive works of characterization, and incredible finale. Can they come to an agreement before midnight? Or will they fail to go gently into this goodnight? 

Last Night (1998 - Canada) Pt 1 Primer

It's six in the evening and the world is exploding at midnight. How would you spend your final hours? Would you resolve old grudges--or kindle some new ones? Would you keep your head down and keep toiling away--or live out your wildest dreams? Would you rage against the wretched designs of fate--or end everything off with a smile? This is a question Don McKellar 1998 masterpiece--Last Night--seeks to answer. Join Michael and Blake as they make their way through this sublime comedy, knowing the end is fast approaching.
 
Full movie: Last Night 1998

VCR at the 1975 Oscars Present: The Godfather Part II (1974) Deep Dive

Things continue to unravel on Vintage Cinema Rewind's Deep Dive of Francis Ford Coppola's iconic sequel: The Godfather Part II. Michael's quest for vengeance leads him across the ocean to Cuba, where more and more unrest continues to brew. However, his family's weakest link may be even closer than he anticipated. And half a century earlier, Blake finds himself caring for a young family while the criminal element conspires to infiltrate his come. Can Michael salvage this broken empire? Can Blake lay the foundations for this glass castle? Or is everything about to come shattering down around these two men?

VCR at the 1975 Oscars Present: The Godfather Part II (1974) Primer

Prepare to be made an offer you can't refuse. Vintage Cinema Rewind continues their coverage of the 1975 Oscars with perhaps the most iconic sequel of all time: The Godfather Part II! Michael is still adjusting to his new role as the don--struggling to manage both his business and his increasingly fractured family. But an attempt on his life has him questioning the loyalties of those around him. Meanwhile, decades earlier, Blake flees Sicily to start a new life in America. However, his modest means are threatened by a local mafioso. Can these two timelines--and two men--merge together? Or are we watching a thread sever? 
 
One Scene to Sell the Movie: The Godfather: Part 2 (1/8) Movie CLIP - My Offer is Nothing (1974) HD - YouTube

VCR at the 1975 Oscars Presents: The Conversation (1974) Deep Dive

Audiophiles (and Blake) rejoice! Vintage Cinema Rewind is back with their Deep Dive in Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 neonoir masterpiece: The Conversation! The wheels in Blake's life are continually greased by old grudges, mysterious schemes, and treacherous plots. After deciding to destroy the tape to protect those involved, Michael arranges for the files to reach his waiting hands. Can Blake prevent another brutal murder? Or should he just play his saxophone in his destroyed apartment in peace?
 
Audio Commentary: The Conversation (1974) - DIRECTOR COMMENTARY (FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA)

VCR at the 1975 Oscars Presents: The Conversation (1974) Primer

It’s that time of year again, folks! Hollywood’s various bedazzled luminaries gather to light up the night skies. Awards will be given. Legacies will be cemented. Hosts may or may not be slapped (is this joke too dated? Whatever.). And in honour of Francis Ford Coppola’s two-time nomination at the 1975 Oscars, Vintage Cinema Rewind is covering his oft-overlooked classic: The Conversation! Blake is the world’s greatest surveillance expert—there’s no whispers no matter how private, how inane—that he cannot capture. But when Michael—his client’s mysterious assistant—demands he surrender the tapes, Blake worries about the fates of those involved. Can he uncover the truth of this strange, strange conversation? Or will his pleas fall on deaf ears?
 
The Conversation Audio Commentary: The Conversation (1974) - DIRECTOR COMMENTARY (FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA)

Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Deep Dive

It's (still) the most romantic time of the year And in honour (or begrudging acceptance) of Valentine's Day, Vintage Cinema Rewind continues with their Deep Dive on Sleepless in Seattle. Michael has reluctantly started dating again, but Blake does not approve of his new flame or her annoying hyena laugh. He's determined to set him up with a woman who keeps writing him letters and is totally not stalking him. Will Michael make it to his fated union atop the Empire State Building? Or will there be no tiramisu this year?
 
Where to watch: Sleepless in Seattle - movie: watch streaming online
 
One Scene to Sell the Movie: Sam is Sleepless in Seattle - Sleepless in Seattle (1/8) Movie CLIP (1993) HD
 
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Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Primer

It's the romantic month of the year. And in honour of Valentine's Day, Vintage Cinema Rewind is covering the quintessential 90s romcom: Sleepless in Seattle. Michael is a recent widower whose heart is closed to love. But when Blake calls a radio psychologist expressing his need for a new wife, Michael suddenly finds himself flooded with offers. Can he find his destined soulmate? Or should he start shopping for a mail-order bride?
 
Where to watch: Sleepless in Seattle - movie: watch streaming online
 
One Scene to Sell the Movie: Sam is Sleepless in Seattle - Sleepless in Seattle (1/8) Movie CLIP (1993) HD
 
Follow us on Letterboxd: ‎VCR_Podcast’s profile • Letterboxd