Episode #8 - Boyz N the Hood (1991)

In this episode we discuss the 1991 coming of age drama, Boyz N the Hood. 

Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is sent to live with his father, Furious Styles (Larry Fishburne), in tough South Central Los Angeles. Although his hard-nosed father instills proper values and respect in him, and his devout girlfriend Brandi (Nia Long) teaches him about faith, Tre's friends Doughboy (Ice Cube) and Ricky (Morris Chestnut) don't have the same kind of support and are drawn into the neighborhood's booming drug and gang culture, with increasingly tragic results.

Episode Notes

• The character who has the pacifier in his mouth (who's name we couldn't remember) was called Dookie. He was played by Dedrick D. Gobert, who was shot and killed at the age of 22, 3 years after the film's release. 
• Intro Music: How to Survive in South Central by Ice Cube
• Outro Music: End of the Road by Boyz II Men

Episode #6 - Heat (1995)

In this episode we discuss the 1995 Crime Drama, Heat. 

Master criminal Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) is trying to control the rogue actions of one of his men, while also planning one last big heist before retiring. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hanna (Al Pacino) attempts to track down McCauley as he deals with the chaos in his own life, including the infidelity of his wife (Diane Venora) and the mental health of his stepdaughter (Natalie Portman). McCauley and Hanna discover a mutual respect, even as they try to thwart each other's plans.

Episode Notes

• Intro Music - The Heat Is On by GLEN FREY
• Outro Music - God Moving Over The Face of The Waters by MOBY

Episode #4 - The Sixth Sense (1999)

In this episode we huddle together for paranormal safety to discuss the 1999 supernatural hit - The Sixth Sense.

Dr Malcom Crowe (Bruce Willis) is a successful and prestigious child psychologist who, after a traumatising event involving the suicide of a now-adult patient seeks redemption in the form of a troubled and mentally haunted young boy called Cole (Haley Joel Osmond). As Malcom works with Cole to understand his spiritual gift he also has to reconcile his waning marriage and his own path towards redemption. All of which culminates in a climactic twist which demands a second viewing and which sealed the success of the movie at the box office.

EPISODE NOTES

• The film which catapulted director M. Night Shyamalan to stardom and who audiences & critics alike hailed him as the next Stephen Spielberg.
• A high quality exercise in effective use of screen-space and framed shots to instill a sense of foreboding and an unseen world.
• Hayley Joel Osmond who played Cole, vanished from the spotlight for nearly 15 years to pursue academic endeavors and only recently resurfaced, working closely with director/writer Kevin Smith. He took part in a very informative and enlightening interview on the Made Man YouTube channel.
• A stand-out performance came in the part of Toni Colette, who played Coles mother and who signed up for the script based on the penultimate scene in the car where her son tells her his supernatural secret.
• One of two films that Bruce Willis was contractually forced to star in due to a botched deal with Disney, after he caused the production of 'Broadway Brawler' to cease filming due to firing it's director.
• Intro Song: Ghost Town by The Specials 
• Outro Song: Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell