Filmmakers and entertainers discuss the movies that inspired them. Hosted by Oscar nominated screenwriter and TFH Guru Josh Olson and fearless leader himself, director Joe Dante. The Movies That Made Me is recorded live in Hollywood and engineered by film composer Don Barrett.
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I I remember. I remember being very pissed off when, Truffo did a short called, way by kids and bicycle stuff, and he decided years later that it wasn't good enough, and he went back and redid it. And I remember being, I I think I was probably in college or a little older, and I I was I was offended. That he had gone back and changed something that I already had in my head as what I thought it was. But then when I started working in the business and I realized that you know, it's every every every splice is hard one, when you're working for a studio. And then when I had a couple of really terrible experiences, I started to realize, well, you know, the great thing about DVDs is that they they they save stuff because they wanna have extra They want it. They wanna get there. Here, you want to hear some extra scenes, but we're in the movie. Well, you didn't use to be able to do that. The scenes were gone, and they were literally gone because they didn't spend any money to save them. Whenever I went back and tried to find something that was, like, lost, it was it was lost, it was good and lost, and stayed lost. I remember seeing extended editions of of things on television before before it became a thing on DVD. You know, I remember Well, those are being a long there there was a longer cut. There was a longer Superman, I think. When I was a kid, I think a lot of a lot of the stuff that ended a lot of the stuff that ended up in the Alien special edition, they would cut these and try to make them more of, like, I guess, an event you know, for television. 2 nights. They could do 2 nights. You know, I think for Superman, they could run it twice. Yeah. When they recut the first 2 godfathers, they put all of them together. That's a completely. Yeah. Godfathers saga. But at least you did it. Yeah. And they made a mini series out of it. Which is at least interesting. I mean, I don't think anybody's out there going. Like, this is the definitive godfather, but if you love the god father. No. It's interesting. It's interesting. I've watched it once or twice over the years, and it's always kind of a fun experience, but it's a adjunct to the godfather. I never think I'm replacing the godfather. You know? Yeah. But, but it's those ones where you were. Okay.
Wanna learn how you can make smarter decisions with your money? Well, I've got the podcast for you. I'm Sean Piles, and I host NerdWallet's Smart Money podcast. Our show features our team of nerds, personal finance experts in credit cards, banking, investing, and more. And they'll help you make the most of your money while cutting through the clutter and misinformation in today's world of personal finance. You'll get clarity on strategies to help you build your wealth, invest wisely, shop for financial products, and plan for major life events. Listen to NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, everyone. This is Bobby Deuce. Steve. Hold on for a minute. Yeah. What? Just hold on. Hi. I'm Bobby Deucey. Steve's breathing on me. Well, yeah. You're listening to one of my favorite podcasts, the movies that made me, with my friends. I like to think they're my friends. I hope that they tell people that they are my friends. We have Josh and Joe, Joe Dante, the director. Well, I was gonna Just thank you. So, anyway, you're listening to it, and then you won't be listening to it when it's when it ends. This is the Movies That Made Me with your hosts, Josh Olson. And Joe Dante. That's the other thing too. It's like I even to this day, like, there's even a documentary out. I am loathed to give up the shtick. Oh, even with the doc you mean what I do? What I've done? Hey. By the way, it we should tell people it's a terrific documentary. It's Oh, we're gonna get into it. Don't worry. We'll we'll do a whole intro. I'm we liked it. Now that's coming from a stone great filmmakers. I'll And it's called Hendry. It's called Hendry. So, yeah, let's let's do it because Joe's blown my intro. I'll tell Pat
It's hosted by myself and, Monty Belmonte. He does the fabulous 413 for NPR. So kind of like a regional what's going on in the area and covers a lot of, things that are happening and artists and important events that are happening. And so he and I host that at the and and, yeah, it's it's always a good time. So later in this, I'm gonna try some trivia on you guys. Some of my favorite trivia that we've written, see if you guys can can get it. So Yeah. So then how do you determine the order of these things? Because I'm sitting here thinking, I, how would you, program because my my inclination also would go out on taking a pillows because it's just one of the greatest movies ever made, and you don't wanna Yeah. Well, it's got such a great ending. I mean, you Ugh. Ugh. Greatest I mean, I'm gonna be I'm gonna be honest. Taking a Pelham 123 played the way Star Wars you would think would play. Like, when that ending happened and he looks through the door, it was like they knew it was the ending. They knew it was gonna end within seconds and they just erupted. It was just just tears and happiness, and people went in the lobby. And you could tell it just kinda filled them with joy that it's like, the movie gave you the exact perfect ending that you wanted. And and and when it builds to that and then it pulls it off, it's just great with that David Shire score that just comes back in and they kind of been yep. No. Exact that's my ringtone on my cell phone. So yeah. And then pairing that with speed. So you asked why, you know, what's the order? So if I have kind of a ringer for the second movie, but I wanna show them something that I want them to be patient with, I'll put that Got it. Yeah. Yeah. And if the second one is kind of a gamble, and I know the first one's gonna do well, but I'm just not sure they'll have the patience for the second one. And sometimes the first one's energy leads into the second one. So, like, I wanted with lost in LA double feature. I wanted everybody to be patient and hang with the long
Yeah. We're talking about some of your well built, Joe. You're in great great shape. But, let let's just let's just get into it. You're gonna talk about some of the your favorite movies, films that have inspired you. Do you wanna just, like should we just start at the top and work our way down? Yeah. I didn't put them in any you know? How can you put it on top? It's it's a funny it's it's a funny thing to come up with your top ten favorites because, you know, it's a moving target. So I I I just I just went with the the first ten that crossed my mind the most. It was completely instinctual, and, you know, I'm always amazed, you know, when I look at the criteria, and there'll be these great directors, and they'll choose movies, and they they'll these come up with Serbian masterpieces from 1949 that we've never heard of. And Yeah. They're trying to intimidate you. I I know. Yeah. Just all all these. So, I think everything I chose, most people will have heard of. Well, can I ask you one question first? Because it it it just occurred to me as I'm sort of looking at these and thinking about what appeals to you. Do you because obviously you're you're you're you're an actor, a producer, or director. Are you are you when you sort of, like, are there all alone in the dark and you have to pick one word for what you do? What what in your mind are you? You know what I mean? I'm I'm just a writer, you know, who occasionally podcasts. That's about it. But are you do you come at it primarily as an actor? I, I I I and I'm I'm pausing on that because it because it is a difficult question, for me because I I have I have moved from profession to profession out of, necessity or desire. You know? I ended up producing movies. That wasn't my first love. I would never have thought I was a producer. But I produced a movie and cast myself.
Not very sexy. Because also when promoting this film, a lot of people have been bringing up that apparently, particularly like sort of, you know, younger generation audiences, people are becoming much more averse to vaccines in films, which I'm kind of about. I feel it's a thing I've only actually I've only read it, but I've, yeah, so I don't know how to change it. Minority. It's a thing that happens. There was a thing a few years ago when, like, there's this huge backlash against a woman being the lead in the Star Wars film, and it turned out it was just one guy on Twitter. And then they put him on CNN Yeah. Exactly. I don't like it. Tiny minority. Because none of their Yes. None of their explanations hold water. You You know? They're like, well, they don't they don't have anything to do with the plot. You're like, yeah. You're talking about a bad sex scene. Like, a bad sex scene. Makes me makes me uncomfortable. Yeah. Well, that's Oh, yeah. I mean, a lot of these films, I think, make me very uncomfortable, but I think that's sort of why why I kind of like them. And I don't know. For me, it was sort of just the inherently sort of slightly voyeuristic nature of cinema where that one could sound too lofty. But the I don't know. Sex and violence is sort of a very important part of it, I think. And all of us kind of Yeah. Very I said that there's there's always just something I don't know. Even just the idea just going to the cinema is sort of inherently something a bit kind of slightly pervy. I don't know. Sort of people, like, sitting in a dark and audible watching this thing together and feeling stuff. Yeah. Exactly. You know what I mean? Like, all all of that. So I think, so yeah. Because, like, because I know because at first, I was like, oh, should I should I give a list of the 10 films that maybe, but then I always then I just start thinking about the same films that I always think about which which I was really excited by as a teenager. And I was like, I don't know if I want to talk about Lord of the Rings again. I love it so much. That's not on this list. No sense of humor. Let's let's let's jump in. Let's take the first one or however you wanna I mean, I don't know. Now I'm like, okay. Well, I've got I wrote the list. I've got them here too. I can feed you. Yeah. You go go for it. Go for it. Your first one is one that I I I'm fast well, I'll tell my personal connection to it. I don't know if you can imagine. Yeah. But, yeah, let's let's have a crash.
