In this January 1st episode of The Rewatch Podcast, Cory and Eoghan are the last of their multiversal kind as they discuss The One.
Trailer:
Our Favourite Trivia:
The One grossed $79.6 million worldwide on a budget of $49 million.
Originally the film was to have starred Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, before Jet Li assumed the lead role.
Jet Li uses two distinct kung fu styles when portraying Gabe and Yulaw. The evil Yulaw uses Xingyi Quan, or "Mind-Form Fist" (loosely translated). As can be seen when he is training, it is a very linear, offensive style. Gabe on the other hand practices Bagua Zhang, or the "Eight Trigrams Palm". It is characterized by open palm fighting, with circular footwork. Both styles are two of the three main "internal" styles of Chinese kung fu - the third being Taiji Quan (Tai Chi).
What's Up Next?
Time to catch up on Wes Anderson! Coming soon we'll be rewatching his latest feature Asteroid City, followed by his recent collaboration with Netflix, a collection of Roald Dahl adapted shorts in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.
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In this New Years Eve episode of The Rewatch Podcast, Cory and Eoghan make a vengeful pact with the highest power as they discuss Life Blood.
Trailer:
Our Favourite Trivia:
The original script was titled Pearblossom, but it was changed to Murder World for production and released on DVD by Lionsgate under the final title Life Blood.
All advertisements for the film billed the leads as Sophie Monk and Scout Taylor-Compton, with almost no mention of Anya Lahiri. Scout Taylor-Compton has since called her appearance a cameo, she barely appears in the trailer, and isn't featured at all on the front or back of the DVD release.
What's Up Next?
Coming tomorrow, for no other reason than it's the first day of the year, we're talking about Jet Li's 2001 breakthrough The One.
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In this Christmas episode of The Rewatch Podcast, Cory and Eoghan inherit a big problem as they discuss MouseHunt.
Trailer:
Our Favourite Trivia:
The script was initially offered to 20th Century Fox and Disney; both studios got into a bidding war over the film rights. Late into the war came a third bidder: Jeffrey Katzenberg at DreamWorks. Katzenberg, who had just recently left Disney after a bitter falling-out with Michael Eisner, saw an opportunity to get back at his former employer by getting into the bidding war. Ultimately, DreamWorks emerged victorious.
Actor William Hickey was seriously ill during the film's production and died toward the end of principal photography. Fortunately all his scenes had already been filmed so it was not necessary to recast his part or make any major changes to the script to accommodate his death.
The voice talents behind Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King (1994) appear in the movie. Nathan Lane (Ernie Smuntz) voiced Timon. Maury, the pound owner, is played by Ernie Sabella, the voice of Pumbaa.
The mousetraps scene was completed without any digital effects. Over 800 mouse traps were set individually and rigged with wires under the floor. It took several takes, so each trap had to be reset, baited, and wired one at a time.
What's Up Next?
Next week we celebrate New Year's Eve with Life Blood.
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In this weeks episode of The Quantum Leap Revival, Cory and Tom spy on their loved ones as they discuss season 2 episode 8, Nomad.
Nomad:
Written by: Dean Georgaris
Directed by: Chris Grismer
Airdate: December 12, 2023
Synopsis:
Ben finds himself as Michael Allison, a rookie spy traveling by camel near the pyramid of Giza in 1961. When asking his chauffeur to return to Cairo, he is told the direction to go and leaves on foot before getting a ride on a motorcycle. Upon arriving he meets with Shepard Barnes, Station Chief and CIA agent, they discuss his recent recon in Giza and upcoming covert meeting, leaving Ben to continue the espionage.
Meanwhile, Addison and Tom cook at home when Tom gets a call on the secure line, leaving Addison to search for spices and accidentally stumble across an engagement ring. Tom reports he has to head back to DC, but isn’t quite sure of the reason.
Addison meets with Ben in the past and gives him the details. In the original timeline, Michael never made contact with his source, and Addison warns Ben that this work is extremely serious and he should be prepared to deal with people who lie for a living.
She coaches Ben to follow a man, cautioning him to be careful as he is obviously being led away from people. Ben finds himself face to face with the man, but is caught unaware by someone from behind. Ben turns to see a woman who introduces herself as Layla Adelle, an egyptologist and guide to the hard to reach places of the area. She offers her knowledge of traitors in the US Embassy, and German and Soviet operations across the Middle East in exchange for getting safe passage out of the country to the United States.
Addison and Jenn investigate Layla, cross referencing her with a spy known as Nomad that was never caught, and they find a perfect match in their activity around the country.
Ben asks Barnes about Nomad but he immediately dismisses the spy as just being a myth, and refuses to believe it could be a woman as well. He tells Ben to bug her upcoming meeting so they can have hard, irrefutable evidence of their traitor. Ben and Addison discuss what to do next, but their attention is drawn away when they see Hannah walking across the lobby, there as part of the hotel’s International Convention of Applied Sciences. Hannah catches Ben staring at her and approaches him. She knows who he is and the two retire to her room to catch up.
Addison consults with Ian and Jenn to figure out why the accelerator keeps having Ben and Hannah meet, and Jenn reasons it may just be a two person leap.
Ben and Hannah reveal how much they missed each other, but Ben remembers he has a job to do and Hannah asks to help. Addison returns to explain how Hannah may be able to help, providing Ben with cover as a couple on their honeymoon. Ben bugs the shop and proceeds to a nearby cafe with Hannah, but Layla is directed to a different shop as safety for her contact. Addison finds a back entrance to the new location, but warns Ben not to be seen, and Hannah reveals she has a plan.
Ben sneaks in to see Layla with the embassy traitor, Palmer. Hannah barges in through the shop’s front door and makes a scene as a cheated tourist, giving Ben time to hand the bug off to Layla and leave without being seen. However, after returning back to the hotel, Layla shows up and demands he call it all off, thinking that Ben isn’t honorable because he didn’t follow her instructions to just photograph the meeting. Hannah comes to his defense and convinces Layla to continue with the operation.
Addison leaves, distressed, and tells Jenn that the accelerator keeps putting Ben and Hannah together because they’re in love.
Ben and Hannah kiss and they contemplate their situation and what will happen after Ben leaps. Hannah tells him that he’s a nomad, his only home is people and they keep meeting for a reason. Ben refuses to get more physically involved with her at that moment, not knowing when they will meet again, but it only makes Hannah love him more.
Addison talks with Magic about how she is happy, but still misses Ben and can’t understand how to deal with the situation. Magic tells her they have to live the life in front of them, not the hope of what may or may not happen. Addison tells Ben that she wants him to be happy and Ben says the same, admitting he likes Tom.
As they wait for Layla to make her getaway, she suddenly turns and leaves. Addison realizes her cover must have been blown, spotting some East German spies, and knows Barnes must have arrested Palmer, and blown Layla’s cover. Ben is angry and says he is going to find Layla, but Barnes says it’s too late as it’s been reported that she is dead. Ben reprimands Barnes, calling him a coward, then goes to Hannah to confess that he failed.
Ben and Hannah talk about what they should do now, with Hannah telling him he can still help people without traveling through time. She blames herself for messing up his leap, but he tells her to not think that way, explaining that he didn’t think of his leaping as a great adventure but more of a trial or curse.
The QL Team brainstorm ideas and Magic says they need to redouble their efforts to find a way to bring Ben home. Addison says maybe they should be happy for him instead, reasoning that 1961 is just Ben’s new life with Hannah. An Alarm from Ziggy signals otherwise.
Barnes calls Ben and tells him that new intel suggests that Layla is actually still alive and in hiding. Addison returns to say that Ben’s speech to Barnes changed the timeline, and with help from the project team they find a mosque where Layla is likely hiding.
Ben leads the enemy agents around the mosque, even defeating one of them with skills that Addison helped him with during earlier leaps. He finds Layla, and while she says she will be safe with friends, Ben tells her she’s not going to be safe now. Ben uses misdirection involving Hannah, and Layla gets away safely with Barnes in one of the agent’s cars.
Ben and Hannah share a moment, saying how they will miss each other. Ben tells her “see you later” and they kiss. Hannah makes him promise to find her next time, telling him she loves him, and he leaps.
Addison returns home to Tom, and he begins talking about their future together as he hands her a folder of documents he received in DC, saying it may be a way to bring Ben home.
Ziggy’s Data Retrieval:
Who is Ben?
Michael Allison
Where is Ben?
Cairo, Egypt
When is Ben?
1961 (269 year leap forward - new record)
Closest Previous Leaps-
S01E11 "Leap. Die. Repeat." September 12, 1962
NOTE:
In the episode, Addison remarks that Ben has never leaped outside of the country (USA) before, and he reminds her of:
S02E01 "This Took Too Long!" Russia
Ben has, in fact, leaped outside of the country on 2 other occasions:
S01E02 "Atlantis" Aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis
S01E14 "S.O.S." South China Sea
Closet location to Sam Beckett-
S04E20 "The Curse of Ptah-Hotep" Saqqara, Egypt
Closet time to Sam Beckett-
S01E08 "Camikazi Kid" June 6, 1961
S02E04 "What Price Gloria?" October 16, 1961
S03E16 "Southern Comforts" August 4, 1961
S04E02 "Play Ball" August 6, 1961
S04E07 "The Wrong Stuff" January 24, 1961
Azita Ghanizada played Layla. She was a political refugee and asylum seeker, now living in the USA. She founded the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition (MAAC) to advocate on behalf of Middle Eastern North African (MENA) performers. Previously she had considered a career in politics, as well as international journalism. She was a lead in a 24 episode series called Alphas (Alphas is a science fiction drama focusing on a team that investigates people with supernatural abilities). Summer Glau guest stars in 4 episodes.
Barnes was played by Lou Diamond Phillips. Best known for his breakout role of Ritchie Valens in La Bamba, he’s had a long history of successful roles, including Stand and Deliver (the story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout-prone students to learn calculus), Young Guns (a group of young gunmen, led by Billy the Kid, become deputies to avenge the murder of the rancher who became their benefactor. But when Billy takes their authority too far, they become the hunted), Stargate Universe (trapped on an Ancient spaceship billions of light-years from home, a group of soldiers and civilians struggle to survive and find their way back to Earth). More recently, he starred in Netflix’s Longmire series (based on the books), and Prodigal Son (Malcolm Bright, one of the best criminal psychologists around, uses his twisted genius to help the NYPD solve crimes). He’s also done a lot of voice work for children’s cartoons like Firebuds and Elena of Avalor, as well as the voice of Forge in several X-Men video games.
Unsung Hero: Damon Preston! Most of his credits are minor roles, however, this year he was the lead in a movie called A Date (desperate to make some fast cash, Tracy turns to becoming an escort. The money starts to come in as his life takes a dangerous turn. Inspired by true events). He was also in the final episode of Seaquest as a very minor uncredited character named “Lost Boy.”
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In this episode of The Tom Hanks 80's Rewatch, Cory and Eoghan start off rough but become great friends as they discuss Turner & Hooch.
Trailer:
Tom Hanks Timeline:
Having been on an acting hiatus for four years and considering giving up acting altogether this was a script written with Bill Murray in mind to make a comeback. However Murray eventually agreed to return to acting and commitments to Scrooged (1988) and Ghostbusters II (1989) prevented him from taking the role of Turner. Jack Nicholson, Chevy Chase, Steve Guttenberg, John Larroquette, and Dudley Moore were also considered.
Hanks almost didn’t sign on, as he wanted to spend time with his new wife, Rita Wilson. She ultimately convinced him to take the part. Originally Scott Turner was supposed to be a stereotypical slob bachelor but having played such laid back characters at the time in Dragnet (1987), and Big (1988), Tom Hanks wanted a more challenging role so Turner was re-written to be more of an upright neat freak.
Hooch's real name was Beasley, and he had a stunt double named Igor. Beasley was born in a dog kennel in Merrimac, Wisconsin and the dogs were trained by Clint Rowe, who makes a brief appearance in the film. Beasley died in 1992, aged 14.
It was rumored for years — and confirmed by their friend, actor and director Ron Howard in 2020 — that Henry Winkler, the original director, and Hanks had a falling-out on the set which led to Winkler's replacement by Spottiswoode. According to Winkler, he was fired thirteen days into the production by studio executive Jeffrey Katzenberg. Winkler said of his firing: "Let's just say I got along better with Hooch than I did with Turner."
Many scenes were filmed on location in Monterey, Pacific Grove, and Moss Landing, California. "Cypress Beach" is fictional, using mostly Pacific Grove for shots such as the police department, the wedding foot chase, and the car chase down Ocean View Ave.
The two other investigators are Foster and McCabe, which were the same names of the second team to tail Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop (1984), also written by Daniel Petrie, Jr.
An alternate ending was filmed in which Hooch survives. Both endings were tested with different audiences. The endings scored the same. But the original ending provoked a passionate emotional response from the audience while the alternate ending elicited a quietly positive response. Hanks has publicly stated that he thinks the film may have done better had Hooch not died in the end. Hooche's death scene was the final one shot between Hanks and Beasley.
What's Up Next?
Happy Holidays! This Christmas we're rewatching MouseHunt, an early film from director Gore Verbinski. And for New Year's Eve we're rewatching another cheap horror staring Sophie Monk, Life Blood.
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In this weeks episode of The Quantum Leap Revival, Cory and Tom find the secrets of the witches brew as they discuss season 2 episode 7, A Kind of Magic.
A Kind of Magic:
Written by: Margarita Matthews
Directed by: Avi Youabian
Airdate: December 6, 2023
Synopsis:
Ben leaps in as Elizabeth, a young woman in Middle Towne, Massachusetts in the year 1692, the furthest back he’s ever leaped. He’s approached by another girl named Bridget who tells him that she didn’t do it, before she hurries them both off to the funeral for her husband, Josiah.
As the two enter the funeral, the townsfolk all stare at Bridget, as she explains to Ben that they all think she was responsible for Josiah’s death, but she denies it, saying that she loved her husband. Ian, having gotten Ziggy working again with Rachel’s help rewriting the Quantum Chip, shows up to explain that the townspeople call Bridget Goody, short for goodwife. The reverend begins talking about a drought and an affliction that killed Josiah as well as several other townsfolk.
Ian explains that people are looking for someone to blame, but they’re interrupted by Magistrate Bloodworth, who asks Ben if he had seen Goody acting strange before Josiah's death, with Ian explaining that the townspeople end up burning Goody at the stake as a witch. Suddenly the magistrate’s son, William, seemingly afflicted the same way Josiah was, collapses onto the church floor. The magistrate begins blaming Goody, but Ben begins to care for William and brings him back to life with CPR. The townspeople accuse Ben of being a witch, putting him and Goody into the stocks. Under the magistrate’s direction, the people are whipped into a panic, ready to hold a trial to determine their innocence before the apothecary, Morgan, steps in to defend them and is taken into custody as well.
The trial begins, but the magistrate doesn’t believe Morgan’s words, pushing her to admit she is a witch, while Goody tries to appeal to the people to no avail. Jenn shows up and says she found that pleading guilty is the only way to save their lives, as history shows those who plead their innocence always die, and Ziggy gives the strategy an 80% chance of success. Ben refuses that as not being good enough and instead calls William to the stand as his witness, realizing he already changed history, gambling on a new tactic. However, William does not help and accuses her of being a witch.
In a cell awaiting their burning, Morgan argues with Goody, angry she didn’t defend her when the magistrate said her tea killed Josiah, and accusing her of being just like the townsfolk and not thinking for herself, just going along with the herd. Suddenly, Ben starts to smell sulfur and reasons it could be due to the stress and the power of suggestion and the three women laugh at their situation. As they wait, a man named Sam Wiltshire comes by and Ben pleads with him to help but he refuses. Jenn reveals that her research found his family name in the records and that they had a long history in the town, despite Sam thinking his wife was barren. Ben uses the info to try and get his help and while it seems he is receptive, he pulls Ben against the bars and insults him, refusing. He leaves but Ben reveals that he managed to grab the keys to their cell.
They make their escape, with Morgan offering the use of her horses, and Jenn saying that Ben will leap if they can get Goody out of town. Unfortunately, they discover Morgan’s shop looted and her money stolen. Goody is shocked that her people would do this, and she and Ben gather what supplies they can while Morgan goes to ready the horses, finding that one of them was also stolen, and realizing that the one remaining horse can’t carry all of them.
Goody talks with Ben about losing people, and how hard it is, with Goody hoping that there is still good in the town. They look out the window and see Morgan riding away on a horse as the townspeople begin searching for the missing women. William shows up and tells them of his plan to help them escape. As they ready their escape, Ben appeals to William to be his own man and speak up to his father about how he really feels about life in Middle Towne. As they escape, Goody reveals that she really doesn’t want to leave but believes there is no choice. Jenn shows up and tells them to stop, that Morgan was caught. Ben wants to go back but Goody refuses to go with him, feeling the hate for all that has happened. Ben tells her she can’t go down that road, desperate to help her lead a better life not filled with hatred and bitterness, to help where she can, and Goody decides to go with him back to the town.
Back at the project, Addison confides in Magic her frustration that she feels useless, due to the events that lead to her being benched. Magic tells Addison about how he has been attending AA to find a community to help lift him up and how to focus on the things that she has control over. With history changing due to Ben’s decision to go back to the town instead of getting away with Goody, and Ian’s research into star charts and weather patterns in farmers almanacs, Addison comes up with an idea to help Ben, with Jenn pushing her to go into the imaging chamber.
Addison shows up and Ben is glad for any ideas she has, explaining that with it due to rain, he can use that to help the situation. As they make their appearance, Morgan is shocked they came back for her, with Goody telling her she has a friend. The magistrate orders them taken into custody but William steps in, demanding they are allowed to speak, explaining his cowardice in court. Ben gives a speech about the affliction of fear plaguing the town, telling them they are better than this, but the magistrate orders them to be burned. Ben makes a final plea and says if God wants them to burn then so be it, but if not, to let it rain. As he repeats his plea, no rain comes and the magistrate begins to move towards Ben to burn him himself, but just then, thunder roars and the downpour begins.
The magistrate asks what it means, and Goody says it means he was wrong, which causes the townspeople to begin calling for him to be burned. Ben stops them and demands that they find a different way to talk to each other instead of about each other. Ben suddenly smells sulfur again and traces it to the town well, realizing that their water supply has become contaminated in the drought, which is why people were getting sick.
Addison jokes with Ben after William kisses him on the cheek, and tells Ben that the deaths are over, with no more witch hangings or burnings in Middle Towne. Ben then tells Addison that he was scared of working with her but now is scared of what would happen if he doesn’t work with her, worried about becoming a bitter man, and asks her to be his hologram again, as he seemingly leaps into Egypt near the pyramids.
Ziggy’s Data Retrieval:
Who is Ben?
Elizabeth Bleecker
Where is Ben?
Middle Towne, Massachusetts
When is Ben?
1692 (263 year leap back, and current leap record)
Closest Previous leaps-
S01E05 “Salvation or Bust” 1879
S01E16 “Ben, Interrupted” Georges Island, Boston
Closet location to Sam Beckett-
S02E15 “Her Charm” Boston, Massachusetts
S02E17 “Good Night, Dear Heart” River Rock, Massachusetts
Closet time to Sam Beckett-
S05E20 “The Leap Between the States” September 20, 1862
Brian Van Holt was the Magistrate. He was a lead in numerous projects, such as Hot Break, with Star Trek alums Ethan Peck and Connor Trinneer (once a hot young TV writer, now nearing 50, divorced with kids, wants back into the business and does so in a modern gender reversed Cyrano story), Den of Thieves (an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and the state's most successful bank robbery crew clash as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank), Cougar Town,Ascension (a young woman's murder causes the subjects of a century-long mission to populate a new world to question the true nature of the project as they approach the point of no return), John From Cincinnati (in Imperial Beach, California, the dysfunctional Yost family intersects with two new arrivals to the community: a dim-but-wealthy surfing enthusiast, and a man spurned by the Yosts years ago), Threshold (A team of experts are assembled after the U.S. Navy discovers an extra-terrestrial object briefly appeared near a ship in the Atlantic Ocean), House of Wax (a group of teens are unwittingly stranded near a strange wax museum and soon must fight to survive and keep from becoming the next exhibit), and Love & Money (the penthouse residing Conklin family of socialites and the basement dwelling McBride family of maintenance men find themselves unhappily linked when the heiress daughter and blue collar son fall in love). Most recently he played John Reiner in Joe Vs Carole, a movie based on the Tiger King drama.
Amanda Jaros played Morgan. She’s got a number of small roles on her credits, but was the top credit for a sketch show called Skinny Legs Sketch Show and a series called Dating A Puppet. Most recently starred in the Yellowstone origin story, 1883.
Madalyn Horcher played Goody. Before this, she was in 12 episodes of the series Big Sky (a private detective and ex-cop solve crimes in Montana), and 10 episodes of the series Origin (a 10 episode YouTube original focused on a group of strangers struggling for survival aboard a spaceship heading to a distant planet). She was a main cast member in Gracepoint (When a young boy is found dead on an idyllic beach, a major police investigation gets underway in the small California seaside town where the tragedy occurred. Soon deemed a homicide, the case sparks a media frenzy, which throws the boy's family into further turmoil and upends the lives of all of the town's residents).
Michael Provost played William. He was higher up in the cast list for Plan B (follows a straight-laced high school student and her slacker best friend who, after a regrettable first sexual encounter, have 24 hours to hunt down a Plan B pill in America's heartland), and in Saving Zoe (the high school freshman kid sister of the murdered Zoë finds her diary, which sheds new light on the murder missed by the police. She investigates). He was a lead in Insatiable (a disgraced, dissatisfied civil lawyer-turned-beauty pageant coach takes on a vengeful, bullied teenager as his client and has no idea what he's about to unleash upon the world) and Most Guys Are Losers (over Thanksgiving weekend in Chicago, a college kid from California seeks approval from his girlfriend's dad, a bar owner and author of a dating book titled, "Most Guys are Losers”).
Ruby Jay was one of the young girls, and is best known for her role as Holly Hobbie in the series of the same name (Holly Hobbie has lived her whole life in the small town of Collinsville. Holly's a 13-year-old singer-songwriter who's got her best friends and close-knit family by her side, but she's dreaming of ways to save the world - even if it's starting in her own backyard). She was a main voice actor in Fancy Nancy (the story of a young girl who loves to wear fancy clothes), Twin Mirror (a video game about Sam Higgs, a former investigative journalist who returns to his hometown. Forced to confront his past, Sam finds himself torn between reconnecting with his loved ones and using his unique abilities to uncover the town's dark secrets), and in several episodes of Disney’s Rapunzel series. She was also a main cast member in The Unicorn (a widower is eager to move on from the most difficult year of his life, only to realize he's utterly unprepared to raise his two daughters on his own and equally unprepared for the dating world where he's suddenly a hot commodity). She is currently appearing in the new Disney+ series The Santa Clauses
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