Film Generations

By the mid-1970’s the old Hollywood studio system was on life support, allowing new filmmakers to break through with unusually provocative features, none more so than Martin Scorsese’s surprise 1976 hit, Taxi Driver.

With its perversely lost and disconnected “hero”, remorseless dive into the most degraded aspects of a dying New York City, and shocking violence, Taxi Driver was unique. Leonardo DiCaprio has described it as the greatest independent film ever made, even though it was financed and distributed by a major studio.

Half a century later and with a steady diet of screen violence and horror, how has this great film’s cultural meaning and impact changed?

Listen in to hear the viewpoints of film lovers who were there when it was released — and those seeing it for the first time with 21st century eyes.

Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik

Panelists: Guy Lewis, Olive Goldberg & Sonia Howell

An ElectraCast Production

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5IligQP7Fo

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxi_Driver

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075314/

Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/taxi_driver

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In the wake of Director Rob Reiner’s tragic death, Film Generations examines The Princess Bride, a 1987 favorite with a magical cast, that came amid an astonishing string of hits that transformed Reiner’s public image from sitcom star “Meathead” to one of Hollywood’s most esteemed and beloved directors.

Our young panelists were introduced to this film on video at early ages, making it a childhood memory formed long before they became film buffs. How does that affect their opinions of this comedy/fantasy/satire, and is their lens hopelessly different from the hosts, who saw the film when initially released in theaters as adult aspiring filmmakers?

Find out as our swashbuckling panel weighs in, only on Film Generations.

Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik

Panelists: Guy Lewis, Kylee LaRue & Jake Flowers

An ElectraCast Production

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princess_Bride

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093779/

Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/princess_bride

Roger Ebert: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-princess-bride-1987

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To cineastes of the 20th century, Ingmar Bergman was a fixture on the Mount Rushmore of World Cinema. His cultural presence receded in the decades following his death but Gen Z interest in his films, driven by streaming and Letterboxd, is suddenly on the rise. We couldn’t wait to pick one of his most challenging movies to see how it plays to a younger audience.

Persona (1966), made smack-dab in the middle of Bergman’s career, has delighted and perplexed audiences from the day it was released. Some of the issues it tackles — identity, motherhood, sexuality — are perennial. Others -- Jungian duality and the artificiality of filmmaking — seem ripe for a comeback.

Hearing different generations of film lovers grapple with this masterpiece illuminates how our culture has changed and what continues to endure. Listen in for the surprising results.

Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik

Panelists: Guy Lewis, Kylee LaRue, Olive Goldberg & Brennan Guntang

An ElectraCast Production

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEfJopPIbQg&t=163s

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persona_(1966_film)

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060827/

Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/persona

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On the heels of last episode’s Double Indemnity (1944), Film Generations examines the 1981 film noir Body Heat, an update of the genre for the then youthful baby boom generation. This was the directorial debut of writer/director Lawrence Kasdan, an unknown who leapt into prominence when he co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back (now Star Wars V) and Raiders of the Lost Ark in the same year.

Among Body Heat’s era-appropriate updates to film noir are explicit sexuality, a liberated femme fatale and buckets of body sweat, all in living color. This approach turned heads in in 1981 but does it get a rise from a young generation in 2026?

Find out as our panel reveals all, only on Film Generations.

Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik Panelists: Guy Lewis, Olive Goldberg & Sonia Howell

An ElectraCast Production

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_Heat

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082089/

Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1002830-body_heat

Roger Ebert: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-body-heat-1981

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Double Indemnity, as much as any other movie, invented the film noir genre and is possibly the most imitated, spoofed and remade classic of all time. Yet, on re-watching it, we as hosts were truly surprised: Double Indemnity defies expectations, and as much as being a template for the Film Noir genre it helped birth, it is also a template for the singularly witty and cynical voice of the great Billy Wilder.

Wilder’s record-breaking writer/director career defied genre expectations with satiric comedies, ground-breaking dramas and films like The Apartment that walk a tightrope between the two. With Double Indemnity, he took a lurid news story about a homicidal wife and, with screenwriter Raymond Chandler, turned it into a taboo-crossing tale of sex and betrayal that spotlights darkest Los Angeles while casting shade on modern American life.

Do these qualities pierce through eight decades of parody, imitation and meme? To judge by our young panel’s responses, the answer is both yes and no. Hear for yourself if and how this 20th century classic survives 21st century perception.

Hosts: Mark Netter, David Tausik

Panelists: Guy Lewis, Olive Goldberg, Sonia Howell, Brennan Guntang

An ElectraCast Production

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Indemnity

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036775/

Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/double_indemnity

Original Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKrrAa2o9Eg

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Fresh off his surprise hit M*A*S*H, Robert Altman headed out to the snowy Northwest with stars Warren Beatty and Julie Christie to make this quirky anti-western whose reputation grew along with Altman’s career. Our young panel was divided on this one, from the 1971 depiction of sex workers to the to the hyper-realist flourishes that have informed yet remain at odds with American filmmaking in 2026.

So does McCabe & Mrs. Miller stand the test of time as a classic of its era? Tune in and find out how this Vietnam-era reimagining of the American frontier plays for a new generation.

Hosts: Mark Netter, David Tausik

Panelists: Guy Lewis, Sonia Howell

An ElectraCast Production

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCabe_%26_Mrs._Miller

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067411/

The Criterion Collection: https://www.criterion.com/films/28712-mccabe-mrs-miller

Ebert Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-mccabe-and-mrs-miller-1971

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Frequently named by filmmakers and critics as one of the greatest films ever made, Jean Renoir’s classic tale of French soldiers in a World War I German POW camp and their daring escape is now almost 90 years old. Its importance to film history is certain — but is it still fun to watch?

While much of Grand Illusion is unique, especially its bittersweet farewell to the pre-WWI European aristocratic order, it has directly influenced countless movies, including The Great Escape and The Shawshank Redemption, does it offer any surprises or unexpected delights to a new generation?

Get set for an impassioned discussion across generations where one thing becomes clear: this film’s preoccupations are immensely relevant to our world today.

Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik

Panelists: Guy Lewis, Kylee LaRue, Cohlie Brocato

An ElectraCast Production

Trailer: https://youtu.be/vcO8rEjoG0c

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Grande_Illusion

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028950/reference/

97% on Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/la_grande_illusion

Ebert Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-grand-illusion-1937

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In 1976 All the President’s Men was released to an audience eagerly awaiting Hollywood’s take on the story of the decade: the Washington Post investigation that led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon. The all-star team of producer Robert Redford, screenwriter William Goldman and director Alan Pakula had the task of adapting a highly complicated best-seller by reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein into a movie, but could rely on the fact that contemporary audiences knew the story well.

With the help of The Godfather cinematographer Gordon Willis and a superb cast, they succeeded in creating a film worthy of the hype. But does it hit with a new generation of viewers whose understanding of Watergate may be understandably murky at best? Can a film this topical still pack a punch almost 50 years after its release?

Find out as our panel of young film lovers contends with the revolutionary changes in journalism, politics, and the media that have occurred since 1976 — and ask whether a pair of intrepid reporters could topple a corrupt President today.

Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik

Panelists: Guy Lewis, Jake Flowers, Anika Mathur

An ElectraCast Production

Trailer: https://www.imdb.com/video/vi2958664729/?playlistId=tt0074119&ref_=tt_ov_pr_ov_vi

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_President%27s_Men_(film)

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074119/

MetaCritic: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/all-the-presidents-men/

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A firecracker that initially fizzled with audiences but has increasingly crackled with succeeding generations of film lovers, Sweet Smell of Success today boasts a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Defying genre expectations, it has been described in the media as a film noir, a crime thriller, a comedy, a satire, a character study, and a drama. By any measure, this poison pen letter to the glitzy world of big city show business is bracing and entertaining.

It features pungent dialogue, a ripping jazz score, balls-out performances from enthusiastically unlikeable characters played by Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis, and top-notch location work in 1950s New York City strikingly shot in black and white.

Can our panel of young film-lovers relate to this bygone world of martini-drinking, cigarette-smoking, woman-exploiting men on the make? Or will the not-so-sweet smell drive them away?

Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik

Panelists: Guy Lewis & Kylee LaRue

An ElectraCast Production

Added to National Film Registry in 1993

IMDb with restored trailer: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051036/reference/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Smell_of_Success

Original Variety Review: https://variety.com/1956/film/reviews/sweet-smell-of-success-2-1200418251/

Roger Ebert Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-sweet-smell-of-success-1957#google_vignette

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After The Godfather (1972) became arguably the most successful movie of all time, a sequel was unavoidable, and sequels are always inferior to the films they follow. Or are they?

Our hosts and our panelists alike grapple with the legacy of this giant 1974 classic and the inevitable comparisons to the original. Has history singled out a winner? And do viewers approaching these films for the first time see it the same as those who lived during the first release of these masterpieces? Tune in to find out.

Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik

Panelists: Guy Lewis, Grace Chapman, Jake Flowers

An ElectraCast Production

AFI Greatest American Movies (original list): #32

Original trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCktxnczyOM&t=16s

IMDb listing: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071562/reference/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Godfather_Part_II

Original Variety Review: https://variety.com/1974/film/reviews/the-godfather-part-ii-3-1200423302/

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The Godfather (1972) is one of the very few movies to achieve supremacy both critically and commercially. Breaking all box office records upon its release, it now regularly appears on lists of the top ten films of all time.

But while it surprised everyone 53 years ago, it’s now a well-worn part of culture where a young person is guaranteed to have experienced it as a meme before ever seeing the movie. What impact does this pre-saturation have on young viewers? Can they still enjoy the film? Does it live up to the hype?

Find out if this classic still packs the punch of a tommy gun or if it’s an offer the newest generation can refuse.

Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik

Panelists: Guy Lewis, Kylee LaRue, Grace Chapman & Jake Flowers

An ElectraCast Production

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaVTIH8mujA&t=120s

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Godfather

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/

Ebert Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-godfather-1972

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La Dolce Vita (1960) marked a huge milestone in world cinema: the passing of Italian neo-realism to a new generation less steeped in war and poverty, more affluent and optimistic, and hungry for a taste of all the glamour that television, rock n roll, and 7-day-a-week PR would bring. Yet the film was rooted in the old world, with its powerful criticism of crumbling morals and the increasing shallowness of modern life.

It also heralded the full flowering of Federico Fellini, considered by many even today one of the greatest film directors of all time.

While the impact 65 years ago was huge, what impact can the film hold today? Don’t miss our young panel’s reaction to this classic and find out whether this masterpiece still resonates in a timeless way or has already faded like an old black-and-white print.

Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik

Panelists: Guy Lewis, Kylee LaRue & Olive Goldberg

Editor: Josh Tillman

An ElectraCast Production

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPBpHtf9kSQ

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Dolce_Vita

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053779/

Ebert Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-la-dolce-vita-1960

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This unlikely sci-fi classic burst on the scene in 1968, surprising critics and audiences alike, spawning 4 sequels, 2 reboots, a TV series, and a slew of images and phrases that have permeated world culture. Younger generations have absorbed many of its touchstone memes whether they’ve seen the film or not, but how do they react to the film itself?

Has its rubber masks and paper mâché sets dated it beyond credibility (despite winning Oscars for what was then seen as a technical achievement)? Has the CGI reboot rendered it obsolete? Or does this time piece that so delighted young boomers 57 years ago still pack a punch today?

Don’t miss the young panel’s reaction to this popular cultural dynamo from the late 1960s.

Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik

Panelists: Guy Lewis, Kylee LaRue & Masha Yuzhakov

Editor: William Parks

An ElectraCast Production

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0-dUM_A-Cg

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_of_the_Apes_(1968_film)

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063442/

Ebert Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/planet-of-the-apes-1968

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On the heels of Annie Hall, which catapulted Woody Allen from the role of a beloved thinking-man’s clown to the highest echelons of cinema, the writer/director/star made Interiors, an excellent film which nonetheless baffled even his most ardent fans. He came back to comedy with 1979’s Manhattan, the beginning of a string of 35 films in 35 years, all written and directed by Allen, and all pushing beyond the slapstick sight gags that originally made him a star.

Embroiled in a scandal since 1992, Woody Allen has increasingly found himself canceled despite being the most honored screenwriter of all time and possessing an unparalleled track record among writer/directors of quality and productivity. Our young film lovers never knew a time when Allen’s career wasn’t synonymous with scandal. How does that color their reaction to this 46-year-old critical and commercial hit, which aims dead center at the Allen controversy due to its storyline centering around the then 42-year-old star’s relationship with a 17-year-old high school student?

You won’t want to miss the young panel’s reaction to this film, a perfect bellwether of profound cultural changes since the 1970s.

Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik

Panelists: Guy Lewis, Kylee LaRue & Steven Renteria

An ElectraCast Production

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEoEGW4Hb9w

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_(1979_film)

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079522/

Ebert Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-manhattan-1979

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Agnès Varda’s docufiction about a troubled – and troubling – young homeless woman roaming the French countryside was singular when released in 1985, but it anticipated a slew of 21st century films depicting women marginalized by their rejection of traditional roles. The film does not, however, cater to contemporary political morality. She is neither a hero nor a villain, nor are the people who try to help or exploit her.

Is this unjudgmental approach simply un-Hollywood, or is it in some way old fashioned, a relic of a less fully politicized time? How will our young panelists understand this portrayal of a disempowered victim that refuses to valorize her victimhood?

Listeners unfamiliar with the stellar career of Agnès Varda, perhaps the greatest female director to date, shouldn’t miss this chance to discover this extraordinary film.

An ElectraCast Production.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagabond_(1985_film)

Original Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac-OohOehOw

Winner 1985 Golden Lion, Honorary Oscar, 100% on Rotten Tomatoes

Winner 1986 Césars for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress

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In 1999, David Fincher’s Fight Club opened to bad reviews and disappointing box office. 25 years later, it widely considered one of the best, most entertaining films of the last quarter century, a perennial 800-pound gorilla in the world of internet chat. It solidified the reputation of David Fincher, an auteur who (like many) has put his work ahead of any efforts to promote his image as an artist.

Younger viewers often came to this film early in life, perhaps too early to understand its sarcasm and humanistic ideology, but they know far better than boomers do how relevant it is to today’s culture. It is, among other things, a Rorschach test that appeals to and excites people across all IQs, political persuasions, and personal identities.

Listen in as young and old grapple with one of the final classics of the 20th century.

An ElectraCast Production.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight Club_(film)

Original Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdJKm16Co6M

Currently imdb’s 12th best movie of all time

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In 1947 RKO studios made a surprise classic with OUT OF THE PAST, directed by journeyman Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas and Jane Greer near the start of their careers. For film noir fans, this movie’s reputation has never stopped growing since. Combining snappy dialogue, a double-crossing femme fatale and an unusual flashback structure, this sexy and suspenseful movie heats up fast and never takes its foot off the gas.

But does this film still burn as hot for young audiences, with actors they may have never heard of and a censorship code that, no matter how far the filmmakers pushed it, leaves a lot more to the imagination than we’re used to today?

Find out on this episode of Film Generations.

An ElectraCast Production.

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_the_Past

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039689/

BFI / Sight & Sound Greatest Films of All Time (#157): https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/greatest-films-all-time

Roger Ebert “Great Movies” Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-out-of-the-past-1947

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Horror films do not typically win Academy Awards but Ruth Gordon won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of the Upper West Side NYC witch-next-door in the terrifying thriller that defined lead actress Mia Farrow’s career, Rosemary’s Baby. Based on the best-selling novel by Ira Levin and cementing the legendary status of director Roman Polanski, this movie was a huge box office hit and generated endless articles debating its feminist message, in one of the most chilling gaslighting stories of all time.

Since its release we’ve seen the horror genre grow increasingly bloody, gruesome and explicit. So while Rosemary’s Baby focuses on the psychological body-horror of something evil growing inside of an expectant mother, does it still have the same impact on today’s audience that it had over half a century ago.

Find out what if our panel of young film-lovers got those same chills from this horror classic.

An ElectraCast Production.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary's_Baby_(film)

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063522/ (#9 Top Horror Film of All Time)

• The Guardian: The 25 best horror films of all time (#2)

• American Film Institute 100 Most Thrilling American Films (#9)

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One of the highest regarded silent films, The General appears as #18 on AFI’s most recent list of the greatest American films of all time. Yet, the film flopped in its initial release, fell into the public domain in 1954 when the studio didn’t even bother to renew the copyright, and didn’t appear anywhere on AFI’s original list.

Why was this seminal comedy neglected so long, only to end up canonized as one of the greatest films ever? And is it being forgotten all over again?

The General’s action sequences inspired scores of modern action masters including Jackie Chan, Tom Cruise and George Miller, but is its own extended chase scene still inspiring? And how about its apolitical treatment of the Civil War – is that a non-starter in today’s politically polarized world?

Find out what our panel of young film-lovers think after seeing The General for the very first time, on Film Generations.

An ElectraCast Production.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_General_(1926_film)

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017925/

On Roger Ebert’s Top Ten Greatest Films Ever list.

Sight & Sound 10th Best Film of All Time (1982 survey).

American Film Institute 18th Best American Film of All Time (2nd best silent film).

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Following the big budget failure of Dune, director David Lynch went back to his surrealistic roots with a controversial vision of American suburbia’s dark underbelly, Blue Velvet. This movie put actors Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern on the map as a young couple searching for clues, featured Isabella Rossellini as a sexually blackmailed lounge singer, and revived the career of counter-culture icon Dennis Hopper as the terrifyingly unpredictable Frank Booth.

Considered extremely edgy for a mainstream studio release in 1986, does this psycho-sexual coming of age story still pack the same transgressive yet highly engrossing punch that it once did? Find out what our panel of young film-lovers think after seeing Blue Velvet for the very first time, in a post-Twin Peaks world that has already absorbed so much of Lynch’s style and sensibility.

An ElectraCast Production.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Velvet_(film)

Rerelease Trailer: https://youtu.be/k_BybDB_phY?si=9Dn5vrLyjFB-Zsqj

American Film Critics 4th Best Film of the 1980’s

Sight & Sound 5th Best Film 1975-2000

American Film Institute 8th Best Mystery of All Time

American Film Institute 36th Best Villain of All Time

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