April | 2022 | Howard Casner - Rantings and Ravings

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE: Join filmmaker Nicole Jones-Dion, one of the winners of the Fox Writers Incubator Program, as we discuss two films about people caught between life and death-the horror/thriller Jacob’s Ladder and the romantic fantasy A Matter of Life and Death, aka Stairway to Heaven.

“Jake. New York is filled with creatures”. Don’t you hate when this happens? You’re dead. No, you’re still alive. No, you’re dead. No, you’re alive. No, you’re…Sounds like it’s time for Episode 79 of Pop Art, where we find the pop culture in art and the art in pop culture. It’s the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture, and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic/indie side of cinema with a connection to it. Today, I am happy to welcome as my guest, filmmaker Nicole Jones-Dion, who has selected, as her choice, the Adrian Lyne/Bruce Joel Rubin expressionistic thriller Jacob’s Ladder, while I have chosen Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s epic fantasy A Matter of Life and Death, aka Stairway to Heaven, both films about characters caught between life and death.

And in this episode we answer such questions as: Why do these sorts of films fascinate people? Why did Lyne change the location of the courtroom scene between Tim Robbins and Jason Alexander from a hallway to a stairwell? What was the original purpose in making A Matter of Life and Death? What is the major difference between Lyne’s vision and Rubin’s vision of Jacob’s Ladder? Why was the title A Matter of Life and Death changed to Stairway to Heaven in the US? Why did Rubin do that sent him on a spiritual quest and led him to write about these themes of life and death? How does WWII and Viet Nan play into the two films? How does Planet of the Apes fit in? The Tibetan Book of the Dead? On what day did they begin filming A Matter of Life and Death and what is its significance? Who is Tom Rolf and why is he the unsung hero of Jacob’s Ladder? How do the James Bond films fit in? What does the title Jacob’s Ladder refer to? Who is Jezebel?

Check out Nicole’s IMDB page at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5702566/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_4

And her film Stasis on IMDB TV and Amazon

Check out my blog at https://howardcasner.wordpress.com/

My books, More Rantings and Ravings of a Screenplay Reader, The Starving Artists and Other Stories and The Five Corporations and One True Religion can be found at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=howard+casner&ref=nb_sb_noss

Meanwhile, like, follow or comment on my podcast. I’d love to know what you think. And check out the other episodes. On ITUNES https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-art/id1511098925, Anchor: https://anchor.fm/howard-casner, and Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5jX4noVGArDJdmcFtmrQcG , Sticher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/pop-art, Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/…, Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/pop-art, Pocketcasts: https://pca.st/vfjqj6j6, Radiopublic: https://radiopublic.com/pop-art-GExxNb and other streaming sites

Check out my Script Consultation Services at http://ow.ly/HPxKE. I offer several types of service. Testimonials can be found at the blog entry.

Finally, I have published a collection of three of my plays, 3 Plays, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08478DBXF as well as two collections of short stories, The Starving Artists and other stories, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FS91CKJ and The Five Corporations and the One True Church and other stories, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KY5Z3CF.

Ever wonder what a reader for a contest or agency thinks when he reads your screenplay? Check out the second edition of my screenwriting book, More Rantings and Ravings of a Screenplay Reader published on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GD1XP9Y

POP ART, WHERE I FIND THE POP CULTURE IN ART AND THE ART IN POP CULTURE. Join me and podcaster, blogger and film enthusiast Richard Kirkham as we discuss Bull Durham and This Sporting Life, two films about athletes in existential crises.

I know what you’re thinking. What happened to Episode 77. Well, we recorded that episode on 2001 and Solaris twice, but Skype failed to download it. But everything seems fine now and we should be doing that episode in the near future. For some illogical reason, I decided to keep it Episode 77. Don’t ask me.

IT TAKES A LOT OF BALLS: I believe in the Church of Baseball. It’s spring when a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of…sports; or sport for our English listeners. Yes, sounds like it’s time for Episode 78 of Pop Art, where we find the pop culture in art and the art in pop culture. It’s the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture, and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic/indie side of cinema with a connection to it. This time round, I am happy to welcome back, for the fourth time, Richard Kirkham, who has chosen as his film the Ron Shelton low key classic Bull Durham, while I have chosen the Lindsay Anderson’s angry young man, kitchen sink drama This Sporting Life, both films about athletes going through an existential crisis.

And in this episode we answer such questions as: What is it about sports films? What does it mean to win by losing? What do the writers of both films have in common? What happened during the Broadway production of David Storey’s The Changing Room that didn’t shock little old ladies? Where did the names come from? If a baseball player hits the bull do they really get a free steak dinner? How does Ron Shelton resemble his Bull Durham hero? How does Lawrence Olivier fit in? Who did the producers of Bull Durham want for Tim Robbin’s role first and how did Ron Shelton react? Why were young men angry in Britain?

Check out the LAMBcast at http://www.largeassmovieblogs.com/

Check out Richard’s blog at https://kirkhamclass.blogspot.com/?fbclid=IwAR3YYgDVY-42zT8hsDDo5ECSNe1xyPP9x2bvUAmm_XsVDDjtUjp3Aj8smCQ

Check out my blog at https://howardcasner.wordpress.com/