Sitting Around Talking Movies

Exclusive Interview with Woody Allen

In this very special episode our very own Neil Rosen and Roger Friedman of Showbiz411.com sit down with Woody Allen in his New York townhouse for a wide ranging and eye opening discussion. Woody has been doing publicity for his first novel "What's With Baum," but the conversation goes far beyond that. He talks about his many triumphs. Included in those are the 50 movies he’s made, winning the Oscar for “Annie Hall,” and the many actors he’s worked with. And speaking of "Annie Hall," Woody also expresses his feelings over the passing of his co-star and muse Diane Keaton. It's a fascinating discussion so listen in!

A Little Buzz: "Bugonia," "Christy," "A House of Dynamite" and Much More!

Award Season is looming and so far there are no clear favorites. And there may never be, Some years are like that. BUT there are some pictures coming soon that have been getting some buzz and lucky us,we've seen them. And lucky you because we'll tell you which movies are worthy of buzz. Neil Rosen starts us off with "Bugonia" which is the latest from director Yorgos Lanthimos who seems to find new ways to torture Emma Stone in every movie he makes. Bill Bregoli tells us about the Netflix movie "Ballad of a Small Player" in which Colin Farrell sweats a lot and gambles in far-off Macau. Is it a safe bet? And Bill McCuddy tells us about "Christy" starring Sydney Sweeney as boxer Christy Martin. We've also got Bill M's interview with Jodie Foster about her latest movie "A Private Life." You can hear it right here. We've also got the Springsteen sort of biopic "Deliver Me From Nowhere" as well as "Nuremberg" starring Russell Crowe as a Nazi! Plus we've got the nuclear thriller from Kathryn Bigelow "A House of Dynamite" and the documentary Ben Stiller made about his parents called "Stiller and Meara: Nothing is Lost." Geez, there's even more including the spicy "Hedda" and the buzzy foreign film "Sentimental Value." There's even more but your humble scribe is tired from all this typing and has just enough energy left to tell you Neil teases something special that's coming soon.

Seriously Now - "Kiss of the Spider Woman," "One Battle After Another" and More!

Not only is Fall in the air but you can tell it's also time for the serious movies. The award show bait, the film festival films. The films you heard someone talk about at a party. We've seen some of them and we're going to let you know which are worth your time and money. We start with "Kiss of the Spider Woman." It's been on film before and even on Broadway. But now it's a movie musical. Neil Rosen kind of went nuts on this one. Then there's the latest from Paul Thomas Anderson called "One Battle After Another: which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn. Bill McCuddy will let you know what he thought of that one. Neil then fires back with "Blue Moon" which stars Ethan Hawke and it tells the story of ells the story of Lorenz Hart's struggles with alcoholism and mental health as he tries to save face during the opening of "Oklahoma!". Not to be outdaone, Bill Bregoli tells us about the long awaited sequel "Spinal Tap: The End Continues" about everyone's favorite fictional heavy metal band. He also saw "Roofman" which stars Channing Tatum as a charismatic criminal, who on the run from the police, hides in a hidden space of a toy store. We've also got "The Smashing Machine" which stars Duane Johnson as you've never seen before, the Paul Greengrass action film "The Lost Bus," and a little gem of an action movie called "Dead of Winter" which stars, beleive it or not, Emma Thomson. And since you may need a drink after listening to us we've got the new streaming series "House of Guinness." So listen in.

Pumpkin Spice! - "Highest 2 Lowest," "Caught Stealing," "The Paper" and More!

We'll be honest, none of these movies or streaming shows have anything to do with pumpkin spice. The title is simply there to get your attention, which all these shows could use. They're not awards bait (though there's a slight chance they may get some) and they're not heavily promoted. But still, they're worth cheking out. We start with "Highest 2 Lowest" which is a Spike Lee remake of a Kurosawa film your obnoxious friends may brag that they've seen. They're probably lying. Anyway, it stars Denzel Washington as a music mogul who is faced with a dliemma when a teenager is kidnapped. Bill McCuddy and Bill McCuddy both saw it and they'll let you know what they think. Then there's "Honey Don't" starring Margaret Qualley as a lebian private eye. Of course Bill Bregoli saw it. He also saw "Caught Stealing" starring Austin Butler as ex-baseball player Hank Thompson who unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City. Neil Rosen streamed "My Mom Jayne" which explores the life and legacy of Mariska Hargitay's mother, Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield, who died tragically in a car accident at age 34 when Mariska was only three years old. Bill Mccuddy's been straming too and he tells us about "The Paper" which in which a documentary crew searches for new subject, finding a dying Midwestern newspaper and its publisher's efforts to revive it using volunteer reporters. Think "the Office" with newsprint all over its hands. He also watched the series "Blood" which IMDB tells us is about "old secrets, older betrayals, mind games, and the lies family tell each other." And not getting out of his chair. Mr. McCuddy also watched "Rebus" about a hardboiled Edinburgh cop with a tendency to bend rules. Meanwhile, Bill Bregoli keeps going to movie theaters where he saw a bizarre Ron Howard movie called "Eden," about a group of outsiders who settle on a remote island only to discover their greatest threat isn't the brutal climate or deadly wildlife, but each other. And if you want a movie to watch on Netflix with yur parents there's "The Thursday Murder Club." Oh, and Neil read a book about Elaine May. Plenty here, so listen in.

Totally Disarming - "Weapons," "Happy Gilmore 2," "Sunday Best" and More!

The Summer Clearance Sale at your local theater continues but we've done our best to find some interesting selections for you. First we have "Weapons," the box-office surprise horror movie. It tells what happens when all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance. It's got Julia Garner and Josh Brolin. Both Bill Bregoli and Bill McCuddy have different opinions on it. Then there's the long awaited (for some people anyway) sequel "Happy Gilmore2" which NeilRosen will fill us  in on. We also have the thriller "Relay" starring Lily James and Riz Ahmed in which a broker of lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten them breaks his own rules when a new client seeks his protection to stay alive. For documentary fans there's "Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan" which tells how Ed Sullivan broke barriers by booking Black artists on his Sunday night variety show. Plus Neil fills us in on a book about Woody Allen and Bill McCuddy poses an interesting question. So listen in!