Ep. 05-14: Escape from New York (1981)

In 1997, a major war between the United States and the Soviet Union is concluding, and the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a giant maximum security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes into the island, the president (Donald Pleasence) is taken hostage by a group of inmates. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former Special Forces soldier turned criminal, is recruited to retrieve the president in exchange for his own freedom.

Escape From New York

Welcome to dystopian Manhattan in 1997, where only the savvy and savage survive. Escape from New York (1981) is one of those wonderful early Carpenter films with a certain je nais se quois (unlike many of his latter efforts). Join us as we discuss the film’s strengths and weaknesses, including the solid cast, crew, and cinematography. Listen, as Johnny Has the Keys has 24 hours to infiltrate the maximum security prison of Manhattan, rescue the President of the United States, and avoid global annihilation!

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. 05-13: Them! (1954)

While investigating a series of mysterious deaths, Sergeant Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) finds a young girl (Sandy Descher) who cannot speak. As Peterson joins forces with FBI agent Robert Graham (James Arness) and scientist Dr. Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn), he discovers that all the incidents are because of giant ants that atomic radiation has mutated. Peterson and Graham, with the aid of the military, attempt to find the queen ants and destroy the nests before the danger spreads.

THEM!

It’s been a while since we covered a Big Bug movie, so why not start with the one that started them all? Them! (1954) is a picnic basket of wonderful cinematic nostalgia and we all know what crashes a pleasant picnic in the 1950s: giant ants! Join us as we discuss why this film is a gold standard genre classic, including the star-studded cast (both primary and secondary), the script, and the fantastic (for the time) special effects. Listen, and Johnny Has the Keys goes deep down in the tunnels of Los Angeles, fighting enormous lethal insectoids, searching for the queen’s nest before the eggs hatch, migrate, and wipe out humanity!

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. 05-11: Event Horizon (1997)

When the Event Horizon, a spacecraft that vanished years earlier, suddenly reappears near Neptune, a team is dispatched to investigate the ship. Accompanied by the Event Horizon’s creator, William Weir (Sam Neill), the crew of the Lewis and Clark, led by Capt. Miller (Laurence Fishburne), explores the abandoned vessel. However, it soon becomes clear that something sinister lives in its corridors, and that the horrors that befell the Event Horizon’s previous journey are still present.

EVNT HORIZON

It’s really hard to describe how badly we want to like this movie. It’s gorgeous, and the cast is solid, but the script and directing just do not hold up. Join us as we discuss the troubled history of the film and its cultish rise in popularity since tanking at the box office. Listen as Johnny Has the Keys travels to the outermost of our solar system, where a long-missing ship is now the gateway to something far colder than space.

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. 05-09: The Blob (1958 & 1988)

The Blob (1958)—In this drive-in favorite, teenagers Steve (Steve McQueen) and his best girl, Jane (Aneta Corsaut), try to protect their hometown from a gelatinous alien life form that engulfs everything it touches. But no one else has seen the goo, and police officer Dave (Earl Rowe) refuses to believe the kids without proof.

The Blob (1988)—In a tiny California town, high school students Brian (Kevin Dillon), Meg (Shawnee Smith), and Paul (Donovan Leitch) discover a strange, gelatinous substance that melts the flesh of any living creatures in its path. The deadly substance gets into the town’s sewer system, where it grows uncontrollably, occasionally emerging to feast on unsuspecting townspeople. A military clean-up crew tries to contain the menace but does more harm than good. Again, it’s up to the teenagers to save the day!

THE BLOB

Welcome to our second double-feature this season. The Blob (1958) and its remake are both classics of the eras they’re from—the former of the 1950s teenage drive-in movie fare, and the latter an often wicked delivery of 1980s special effects. Join us as we discuss the pros and cons of both movies, including script, cast, effects, and, of course, nostalgia. Listen as Johnny Has the Keys drives down memory lane, dodging meteors that may contain icky life-forms that want nothing more than to devour us and our loved ones.

SHOW LINKS: