Ep. 06-11: Westworld (1973)

Westworld is a futuristic theme park where paying guests can pretend to be gunslingers in an artificial Wild West populated by androids. After paying a sizable entrance fee, Blane (James Brolin) and Martin (Richard Benjamin) are determined to unwind by hitting the saloons, and brothels, and shooting their guns. But when the system goes haywire and Blane is killed in a duel with a robotic gunslinger (Yul Brynner), Martin’s escapist fantasy suddenly takes on a grim reality.

Westworld (1973) may not be scary by today’s standards, but to a young, impressionable child of 1973–take it from me–Yul Brynner was absolutely terrifying. Join us for some rip-roaring nostalgic fun as we dive into our second Michael Crichton offering of the year, discussing the recurring motif in his work as well as its seminal influence today. Listen, as Johnny Has the Keys travels to yet another amusement park, one where things also run amuck on a smaller but no less dangerous scale.

SHOW LINKS:

Get Tim’s Book THE DEAD NEXT DOOR

Do you like our show? Want more cool stuff? Help us continue…

Reach out to us…

Ep. 06-09: The Stepford Wives (1975)

Joanna Eberhart (Katharine Ross) moves to the quiet town of Stepford with her husband (Peter Masterson) and children. The town seems perfect — maybe a little too perfect. There’s something not quite right with the suburb’s women: they’re vapid, unfathomably devoted to housework and completely subservient to their husbands. Joanna teams up with another recent transplant, Bobby (Paula Prentiss), to investigate the mystery of Stepford’s wives and makes a horrific discovery.

Today we return to the world of Ira Levin (Rosemary’s Baby) to a little sci-fi classic from the mid-1970s. The Stepford Wives (1975) is an ambitious, if not a very well-executed film. Join us as we discuss the pros and cons of the film, including the director, screenplay, and costumes. Listen, as Johnny Has the Keys travels to the quaint village of Stepford, where behind the gorgeous facade we discover sinister machinations lurking!
SHOW LINKS:

Get Tim’s Book THE DEAD NEXT DOOR

Do you like our show? Want more cool stuff? Help us continue…

Reach out to us…

Ep. 04-35: A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

A robotic boy, the first programmed to love, David (Haley Joel Osment) is adopted as a test case by a Cybertronics employee (Sam Robards) and his wife (Frances O’Connor). Though he gradually becomes their child, a series of unexpected circumstances make this life impossible for David. Without acceptance by humans or machines, David embarks on a journey to discover where he truly belongs, uncovering a world in which the line between robot and machine is both vast and profoundly thin.

A.I. – Artificial Intelligence

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) is really the vision of two different directors, Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick. Join us as we discuss the evolution of this project and its collaborative progression from one director to the other. Join us as we discuss the pros and cons of the movies including, the screenplay, the talented cast (especially Osment and Law), and special effects. Listen, as Johnny Has the Keys, ventures into a robotic future where again we ask that common sci-fi question… What does it really mean to be human?

SHOW LINKS

Get Tim’s Book THE DEAD NEXT DOOR

Do you like our show? Want more cool stuff? Help us continue…

Reach out to us…

Ep. 04-10: Metropolis (1927) & I Am Mother (2019)

Metropolis (1927) In the future, in a city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city’s mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.

I Am Mother (2019) After humanity’s extinction, a teenage girl is raised by a robot designed to repopulate the earth. Their unique bond is threatened when an inexplicable stranger arrives with alarming news.

Episode 10 Metropolis/I Am Mother

Welcome to the first DOUBLE-FEATURE of our 4th season. In this special episode, we are diving back into silent move territory, before fast-forwarding almost one hundred years later to a current offering from Australia. Join us as we discuss the similarities and differences between the two and the dynamic of female characters in both. Listen as Johnny Has the Keys journeys into the future of two vastly different worlds, one a dystopia, the other an apocalypse, where we discover that human nature really never changes… does it?