Transcript of 70mm’s Moonstruck (1987) Episode.
SLIM Heeey, it’s your old pal Slim and this is 70mm, a podcast for film lovers. Every Monday I sit down to talk about recently watched movies with my dear friend and artist, Danny Haas.
DANNY Cher is… enchanting in this movie, if I can be frank. Excuse me! That hair…
SLIM And our own spiritual advisor, Protolexus.
PROTO Nicolas Cage… The Cage Man. [Proto attempts a Nicolas Cage impression] Hiiii…uh….
SLIM Leading Ladies Month Volume Two continues with Proto’s pick: Moonstruck starring Cher and Olympia Dukakis. Did we fall deeply in love with both? Or were we turned off by Nicolas Cage’s grease? Find out… now.
[70mm theme songs ramps up, plays alone, fades out]
SLIM Bob Fosse…
DANNY Who?
PROTO Yes!
SLIM Proto watched a movie — coveted Blu-ray, private Blu-ray that I sent Proto, in the mail, USPS. You watched All That Jazz.
PROTO All That Jazz…
SLIM And I saw — I mean, do you want to tell the audience that doesn’t follow you on Letterboxd what rating you gave this movie and your experience?
PROTO As I revealed last week, I hadn’t given a single movie five stars so far in 2022. But not anymore! All That Jazz. Five stars. My first five banger. Gyad! You want to talk about a motion picture event? [Danny laughs] Where were you in 1979, the year that our Lord Bob Fosse released All That Jazz?
SLIM We weren’t born yet. But I felt something when you mentioned All That Jazz. When that review came into the Letterboxd app, there was like a great disturbance in the Force. [Proto & Danny laugh] That you had watched this. What were some of your favorite scenes of this movie?
PROTO Um…
SLIM Or what is it? Maybe people don’t even know what All That Jazz is. What’s the pitch for this one?
PROTO So I didn’t really know the history or the background of this movie until afterwards. But it’s Roy Scheider plays a, really like a genius choreographer, director, writer, who is simultaneously doing all of these things, while also having a very complex personal life involving an ex-wife, a daughter, and a number of girlfriends, while also keeping himself going with cigarettes and drugs, it seems like. [Danny laughs] But what’s amazing is that it’s the director, it’s considered like an autobiography, because it’s based on the director’s personal life, while he was still alive. So that’s what it’s about. And it’s kind of, it just goes over a period while he’s producing a Broadway musical and then also in post-production with a movie that he directed, which is something that he actually did do in life so that the movie and the the musical are based on things that he actually did. Favorite scenes, I mean, the scene, so there’s a few musical numbers. The scene where he’s showing the producers what he has… unreal performance. Like am I going to Broadway? [Danny & Slim laugh] Is this what you see on Broadway? I think I remember your review, Slim, you said the — I think something like “Is dancing the most sexiest thing a human body can do?”
SLIM Yeah, “Is dancing the sexiest thing a human being can do? I ask you.” And I mean, I love watching these kinds of movies. I mean, their performance the referenced of them. I mean, they’re like all half nude doing that.
DANNY Excuse me?
SLIM Sexy performance. I could watch that all day long, people dancing. People that are talented at dancing, my god.
PROTO You could say two thirds nude. [Danny & Slim laugh]
SLIM Two thirds nude. Now I’m looking at my review, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the boots that he wore.
PROTO Oh yeah, those boots.
SLIM Roy Scheider’s outfits are off the hook in this movie.
PROTO And also, I would say that the last half hour of the movie, that final sequence, is really incredible. Oh, also, you know, I hate to, you know, use extremes. But like, I want to say this is like one of the best edited movies I’ve ever seen. Just like, the editing really blew me away, the way the story unfolded, the way it would cut from scene to scene. Just really impressive. And then I saw that it did win an Oscar for editing.
SLIM Should we do All That Jazz at some point this year?
PROTO I would love to, I would love to watch it again.
SIM Dance Month. Oh my god, that sounds like a great idea, actually.
PROTO Oh, that is a great idea! Oh my god!
SLIM We have some business to get through. You know, we just talked about All That Jazz. Let’s talk about all that business.
PROTO Thank you.
SLIM We have released, we had a big week this week, Series 2 of the directors pins. Danny’s hard work put on display with our dear friends at Letterboxd. Disclaimer, I work at Letterboxd and they’re selling like hotcakes right now. Limited supplies, Danny. Limited supplies. What’s the status on our shipping headquarters? How are things at HQ?
DANNY It’s a mess over here. I don’t even know what day it is with the shippings and all the things. So much going on. You don’t want to see what my office looks like.
SLIM Probably a fire hazard to be honest.
DANNY It’s always been a fire hazard though. [Slim laughs]
SLIM Kindling in there. Also just to tease something out. We’re finally making moves on a potential meetup. 70mm meetup. Everyone’s been talking about it. We put out a survey to our Patrons and it’s probably going to happen in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia area, not exactly Philadelphia. But there’s some things in the works. Proto, how do you feel about this? Maybe coming to fruition in 2022.
PROTO I feel great. I think it’ll be a lot of fun to get out there. Everyone to be together, get to put some faces to names as they say. In the greater Philadelphia area. [Slim laughs] The meetup Mecca
SLIM Meetup Mecca of the United States of America. [Slim laughs] Last piece of business, we’re almost at 300 patrons.
DANNY Oh my.
SLIM What a sentence to say. Say hello to some new friends this week. Christopher, Amanda, Sydney, Jess and Deirdre all joined this week. And there was a Twilight watch party in our Discord this week.
DANNY Unreal.
SLIM I can’t imagine the kind of chaos that were happening in that channel during Twilight watch party. When are we going back? Any when are we going to go? Do the second Twilight movie or maybe even redo the first one?
DANNY I mean… Dance Month, let’s do it. [Slim laughs]
PROTO Should we watch Twilight at the meetup?
SLIM Ohhh, I’m listening.
DANNY We got to pick a movie.
SLIM Oh my God. I suggested the Star Wars Holiday Special and it didn’t get approved. So I guess everyone can thank the other two hosts for vetoing that plan. Danny, what did you watch this week?
DANNY I watched a couple things. We had another family movie night. My daughter pick The Rise of Skywalker and had a great time watching that fantastic Star Wars movie. But Casey and I had a movie date night. We went saw Everything Everywhere All At Once. And had an incredible time watching this film. It it it is living up to the hype that I have seen on Letterboxd and come in through our Discord in our Village. And it’s just a lot of fun. It’s an incredible amount of fun. I couldn’t get over the performances by Michelle and Ke. They were incredible in this film, and it really made me want to see more from Ke in the future, let alone taking over the Indiana Jones franchise from anyone else. And then I had a great time listening to your Daniels’ ep on The Letterboxd Show. You know what it was crazy was I noticed this with you and Gemma, you guys definitely have a way of making these people comfortable when they come on your show. And you could definitely tell the vibe with the Daniels they felt comfortable to be there with you guys and talk and you know to listen to them coming up with and making this movie it’s it’s a very interesting conversation and they seem like really rad dudes. So I love watching this film and then listening to your Letterboxd Show about it. It was great.
SLIM Oh my gosh. It’s such nice praise from you. Thank you very much for saying that. They’re very nice, very nice folks. Yeah. Very nice people to talk to. So it was easy to talk to them about their, about their great film that is sweeping the nation, the Letterboxd nation. I don’t even like that phrase. [Slim laughs] I don’t want to reverse trademark the letterbox nation. Cut that out. Proto, when are you going to make time to see this film? You going to let the hype die down?
PROTO I cannot wait to watch this on streaming. Anybody have a date? [Slim & Danny laugh]
SLIM Didn’t you go see Sonic 2 in theaters? What was that experience like? Probably the same exact experience that Danny had in theaters.
PROTO Yeah, probably. My dear son, Theo, he has been counting down the release of Sonic 2 for six months. I mean, we were on a daily countdown is the last week and we Yes, so we went and solid on Sunday. Got a nice little afternoon showing. Theater smelled like Bo. Fortunately, it was a packed Oh, when we went to 1030 in the morning, and it was like it was like 90% capacity for Sonic 2. But that’s the power of Sonic. I had a good time. I would say this is it’s at least twice as good as the first one. I gave the first one one star this is a three this is a three banger for sure. Do the math. And Jim Carrey they let Jim Carrey a little bit. They let him go a little bit more wild. This one. And it just you pay dividends. That’s what you want. You know, you needed it. So it was good. And my son, my son, somehow he knew what was going to happen in the post-credit scene. And I was aghast, I could not believe it. I was like I don’t even know what any of this means. How’d you know?
SLIM Is it YouTube?
PROTO I tried to pin him down. I was like, the YouTube algo right?! You saw this on Youtube?! And he wouldn’t say. But that was my theory.
SLIM James wants to see that too. But we weren’t able to make time. He’s also on YouTube a lot. God, one of the things that he’s now watching. I feel like probably maybe everyone else’s kids are watching this too, but it’s just videos of people watching TikToks or YouTube’s and commenting on it. It’s like this one YouTuber that is just sitting watching clips and commenting and I can’t stand it. Tell him every five minutes turn that YouTube down. Turn it off. We’re eating dinner. No YouTube time. This is my life now.
PROTO Yeah, well why watch something yourself when you can have someone else watch it for you?
SLIM Gonna throw up on myself. Every week we give out a free year of Letterboxd Pro get rid of third party ads and a host of other suite features filter where movies are showing on your streaming services. Disclaimer, I already said it earlier so I’m not gonna say it again. But this week’s winner for this wonderful tweet. “Every time I listen to 70mm pod I’m reminded what an absolute chill wave bang are there a theme song is.”
DANNY Goodness.
SLIM Isn’t that a great theme song? Don’t you just want to dance when you listen to our theme song? Like Bob Fosse.
DANNY Dance Month when?
SLIM That was Owen Grover. So you just want a free year of Letterboxd Pro. Radley in the in the mentions, how about RadleyRelics, friend in the Village, getting retweeted by Guillermo del Toro this week.
DANNY Big time.
SLIM Oh my god.
PROTO I mean, have you seen his work?
DANNY Yeah, seriously.
SLIM Incredible. I’ll link to it in the Episode Notes. Check it out. I had an idea for us. Should I talk about a movie I watched this week?
DANNY We got to kill time before we talk about Moodstruck. [Danny laughs]
SLIM The VGER bucks are already in place. The line has been whatever betting phrases. Robocop, Brandon wants to hear about so I got the 4k the Robocop era release. I ordered that a while ago and I mentioned it last week that I’m in a kind of a payment freeze from Amanda No, no purchases for the next 10 days. money’s tight. And of course that Robocop blu ray, preorder hits, and I get a text. You just buy something on Amazon? I was like, no, of course not! And I checked my Amazon. I’m like f so I got the steelbook. And I might be done on steelbooks. I got the steelbook not thinking that the steelbook was like, Oh my god. Photoshop is something else in chat right now.
PROTO That makes no sense.
SLIM I thought the steelbook would just be everything you would think that if I’m going to get the steelbook of this. Yeah, you would think that includes everything. Yeah, you know, like all the expensive goodies. So the Robocop blu-ray comes with like lobby cards, and a 80 page booklet and stickers and a post a reversible poster reversible sleeve still just comes to the disk and like 40 page booklet. So I was kind of bummed. I already have that stuff, but I wanted it again. Because I want to use that sticker on something. So I might be done on steelbooks. The 4k does look great. I don’t see like a massive change from the blu-ray or the 4k transfer that was already on Vudu. So your mileage may vary. It still looks great. But I watched the Made for TV version, which is also include on the extras I had an amazing time.
DANNY That’s pretty rad. That made for TV version of a movie as an extra.
PROTO Yeah, that’s wild.
SLIM That needs to be included on everything. Like imagine like Predator doing a release made for TV movie, any of Arnold’s movies. Yeah, having a made for TV edition right later on the desk. Right? So cool. But there’s also a bonus feature. These might all be on the the Arrow blu ray which I also own, I just never actually cracked open the bonus features. But there’s a storyboard of the Ed 209 that Phil Tippett did. Mad God, we talked about on the show. He has like this stop motion animation movie coming to Shudder in April or June. And it’s like a director’s commentary. commentary from him going through the head to nine creation working with Verhoeven. Super cool. So, bonus features are very rad on either version.
DANNY The Tippet movie is only streaming on Shudder? We’re not getting a theater release?
SLIM I think it actually did have like a mini run for a period of time like early this year or last year, Mr. But I’m not sure the details I know at the very least shutter is getting it in two months or so. Kev. I know the details in chat. Because I follow some people that have already rated it and I missed it. Like I didn’t even hear about this thing until like a couple weeks ago. I also got the Hard Target 4K. JCVD.
DANNY Amanda’s gotta be pissed. [Slim laughs]
SLIM I got this before the freeze. It’s been sitting in the basement waiting for you to pop it open and we don’t have a Letterboxd Show planned for next week. So I have some me-time planned and I’ve been going through some 4k that I’ve been neglecting. Four and a half stars. A lot of fun.
PROTO Oh can I just say…
DANNY Please,
PROTO This week, I did get to watch CODA.
SLIM Ohhh!
DANNY Ohhh!
SLIM Oscar winner itself.
PROTO Oscar winner itself. You know, people were doubting me that I’d watch this.
DANNY We’d never doubt you.
PROTO But I did it. I got around to it. I watched CODA. That’s a solid three star movie, I’ll tell you.
SLIM Hmmm. Three stars from Proto is a four star from most people.
PROTO It’s good. It’s good. But as I watched it and then I was thinking of just… I just kept thinking about the fact that this movie, this three star movie, was not only nominated for Best Picture, but then it also won Best Picture. And all I could think… All I could think of when that came to mind was… [Proto laughs maniacally]
SLIM Oh my god. Three stars and a maniacal laugh. That’s what we can all get from Proto for CODA. I don’t agree, personally. Danny doesn’t agree.
PROTO You know what I think of when I think of you guys giving that movie five stars? [Proto continues to laugh maniacally]
SLIM Proto sees one All That Jazz and he gives it a five stars and he’s drunk with power after seeing CODA as well makes me sick. We need to move into Moonstruck no more Proto movies for the rest of this episode.
DANNY He picked this one.
PROTO Thank you.
SLIM Dammit. [Slim & Danny laugh] So Moonstruck was Proto’s pick after an impassioned email from Sydney, who we’ll hear about hear from later in this episode by the way. Moonstruck. What is this film, Proto? Can you please guide us as are leading ladies month Volume Two nears it’s closed. We still have another movie after this week.
PROTO Loretta just wants to be married. She’s 37, was married before, but her bad luck led to her husband getting hit by a bus, dying instantly. This is because they got married at City Hall. And he didn’t propose on one knee. Really? It was his own fault and hers as well. So when Johnny Kamara rarely gets on one knee and gives her his pinkie ring, she says yes. But Johnny is a bit of a wet noodle and asked Loretta to invite his brother Ron Need to the wedding. Ronnie camera Ray is a one handed bread monger, who has an explosive personality and hates Johnny, because he is the reason he lost his hand and his own bras. But Loretta goes to talk to Ronnie on the night of a super moon. We’re talking a moon as big as a pizza pie. This moon pulls out the love pasta, and stirs the linguini within Loretta and Ronnie. Just like a pasta visual. That’s a Moray. They fall in pasta together and ain’t that too bad? Moonstruck…
SLIM Proto tickled pink with his synopsis for Moonstruck. I can see it in his face. 1987, she rattled off the cast last week. Cher. Nicolas Cage. Olympia Dukakis. John Mahoney. Danny Aiello. You hear you hear the name Aiello, you know, sends chills down your spine, positive or negative. We mentioned last week that proto chose this from a very passionate email from Sydney last week and you felt like you were writing a wrong, Proto. Is that what it felt like to you?
PROTO Righting a wrong, making a sacrifice, being the hero. Yes, that’s what I felt like.
SLIM Proto might not be a hero after that CODA comment. Both maniacal laughs The Hero the hero branding might be pouring off proto. Danny had you seen Moonstruck before?
DANNY Yeah. When we did our Cher Movie Month here on site a millimeter a couple years ago. You go back and check the tapes. We did a Cher movie three years ago. And I watched her during that time. And yeah, a lot of suggestions from the villagers to watch it and I had seen it. I had to, had to watch this one. They would shut up about it.
SLIM Do you have a long storied history with the Cher proto?
PROTO I do not. I don’t think I knew who Cher was and so up until a few years ago, honestly.
SLIM For real?
PROTO Yeah, I might have saw like, you know that her her on the battleship in VH1 videos and that was like, who’s that woman?
SLIM That was probably the first time I’ve seen a woman’s rear end, was that video. Remember the outfit that she wore in that thing? A-less chaps.
PROTO A-less chaps. Yeah.
DANNY Excuse me.
SLIM We can say a-less chaps, trying to keep it PG-13. But I mean, you run the numbers. I don’t know what year that came out. That music video on VH1 MTV, scandalous, scandalous for the youth, which I was at one time. But I had seen Mark a lot as a kid. So I knew about Cher.
DANNY Which one is that?
SLIM Mask is the one with Eric Stoltz. Boy with a massive facial skull deformity and biker gang mother attempts to live a normal life as possible circumstances. Rocky Dennis? You know remember that name? Rocky Dennis? Just google Rocky Dennis Mask.
PROTO What is happening?
DANNY I don’t know what you just read to us. That is not a movie.
SLIM Somebody listening to this podcast right now has seen the movie mask and they’re nodding with me along in this podcast. Thank you.
DANNY How many fans on Letterboxd?
SLIM 23. [Danny laughs] In this segment, we’ll go through the top three things that each host and dear friend notated in this viewing of Moonstruck, very popular movie among our community, Moonstruck. Proto, what’s your number one.
PROTO My number one is really the worldview that it’s that everyone in this movie seemed to have. I just I just couldn’t. I was so fascinated by this. There’s a number of scenes in this movie, where they talk about bad luck or they talk about why things happened. And they all have like this really goofy strange logic of, of why bad things happen in your life or you know, like and they and they equate it to like having bad luck because you made the certain decision. And at no point does anyone like question you What they’re saying, you know, like it’s like is that they’re all just like nodding their heads like Yeah, yeah, you’re right. You’re right. Like, the reason I had bad luck is because I got married at a city hall that totally makes sense that me marrying my husband at City Hall is the reason he died. You’re right, you’re right. You’re right. And it’s it strikes me as so bizarre because it seems like everyone in this movie is like living in this in this world. But it’s also kind of interesting, where you you like Rational you, like have a reason for why bad things happen to you. Or like why your life doesn’t go right. It kind of makes it easy. When you know, you can put your finger on why something bad happened to you. And they kind of have that throughout this movie.
SLIM Rhymes with Hannah in chat says it’s supposed to feel operatic in that way, perhaps. How about, I mean, even that one woman who was like cursing the plane. Do you remember that scene?
DANNY That was so out of the blue!
SLIM She was wishing that it exploded. Wishing it would explode in the air!
DANNY I think I viewed this movie more as a comedy than I do, maybe, than a rom-com. So I think the outlooks just kind of make me kind of chuckle, I think, because it’s just funny to me. This just doesn’t feel normal. I guess. Just to I don’t know, worry about bad luck all the time. It’s it was a funny take. Especially coming from Cher the whole time. Everything was about her bad luck. It’s especially when she’s talking to her father.
SLIM How old did she say she was?
DANNY 37.
SLIM Washed up. It’s over for Cher.
DANNY She should start doing podcasts.
PROTO I think the scene that that struck me that she just started doing podcasts is when she when she tries to convince Ronnie like the reason that his growth like the reason he got his fingers cut off is because it was something that he wanted. Rather than like an accident. Yeah, there’s BNB wolf coming out of him rather than like it being his brother’s fault. Where like both of them are like, don’t make any sense and are crazy viewpoints. But if neither would make any sense. You can kind of choose whatever you want. And she’s just kind of like, look, let’s, let’s not blame it on your brother. Let’s blame it on the Wolf view.
[clip of Moonstruck plays]
SLIM Very famous scene, the wolf, the wolf speech between the two of them. My number one, I’m actually not going to pick Cher. I’m going to pick Olympia Dukakis. I am in love with Olympia Dukakis and where has she been on my life? The scene her entire character, the scene with John Mahoney at the bar at the restaurant. Those are my scenes of the whole movie, to be honest, the two of them together. Even John Mahoney has character I’ve loved like he gets water drinks thrown on him twice at this restaurant. And there’s so much in the scene that I’d love to talk about, like him being a professor at his age. I don’t know. I mean, maybe he’s 50 something in this movie. He looks kind of older. But he’s dating multiple students. And, I like, couldn’t get over that fact, like, times have changed. Maybe they haven’t changed. But, you know, I never graduated college. But are is this happening on a regular basis that these young, gorgeous women are going out with the John Moniz of the world? What did I do wrong? I mean, this guy is getting tail as a professor of Navy. And he’s like, he’s not he doesn’t have it. John, how is he getting these women, Proto?
PROTO Well, they he kind of explains that, right? It’s like, yeah, he’s a professional. He’s a professor. He’s knowledgeable. He has all this info and like, I forgot the line. He says, but like, you know, like these, these young, you know, women with the world ahead of them come in and they see me, you know, that, like, you know, this professional who, who speaks so eloquently about these things that fascinate them are and he’s got a nice park about him. Yeah, yeah. So I can I can totally see that. But then like, yeah, once they’re dating him, it’s like, Oh, this guy is an old crusty man. [Danny & Slim laugh]
SLIM So yeah, I can, I was kind of being facetious, but he explains about how he does bed these women. You know, at first, they’re so enthralled with his personality, his knowledge, his zest for life. And then they kind of pull back the layers and realize that He’s kind of went burn out, and it eventually ends. And there was a I wish I had written it down. But his explanation of that, like he wanted to recapture that with these young women, and to kind of almost be that man again. So in that scene with Olympia Dukakis, you know, she is theorizing and is pretty positive that her husband is having an affair, and she’s kind of seeking out answers as to why. And she does ask him, you know why? And he says, because, you know, they’re afraid of dying or whatever. And she’s like, that’s it. That’s it. However, I actually thought that his explanation was pretty good. Like, before that, of maybe, you know, he, he sees something in these young women that he used to be, and he wants to kind of capture that. So I love the Olympians movie. I love that scene. But there was one thing that I wish they kind of did differently in this is that she figured things out from John Moniz original explanation and not the kind of like, fear of dying reasoning. So Olympia my queen, I need to watch more of her movies.
DANNY I have Olympia written down as well. Her and Cosmo in this. Vincent Gardenia and Olympia. I think they’re easily the show. For me. They’re the shining stars of this film. I every time Vincent’s on screen, he just sees make me laugh the whole time. His performance is so funny. He’s just a funny, I don’t know what it was about him. And I found this movie to be incredibly funny. There’s so much like dry humor, just even just how people respond to each other in this, especially Olympia. She is like the comeback queen in this movie, her responses to even to Cosmo, to Cher. It’s just it’s so funny. Like she’s hilarious in this.
PROTO Yeah, the relationships felt very lived in as if they had like truly existed. And just the way they would communicate with each other, like even that breakfast scene at the beginning, where it’s Cher and Olympia having breakfast and just like the way Cher responds to what Olympia is saying about like her life, it just felt like very real. Like it’s a very well written script. And there’s so many quotable lines in this, like the dialogue is dynamite.
SLIM Danny, what’s number one?
DANNY Number one, I’m gonna just gonna start with Cher. Cher is enchanting in this movie. If I can be frank, there’s something about her. I don’t know much about Cher. I noticed some of our music. I think I saw an MTV Cribs once. But shares is kind of not in my wheelhouse for musicians, actress. I just know her. Watching Moonstruck a couple years ago or a year ago, whenever I did was my first Cher movie, and watch it now. I can’t I honestly can’t take my eyes off of her. She’s incredible. She’s hilarious. When she goes to the Cinderella salon and gets her hair done. I mean, excuse me! That hair.
PROTO Wild, yeah.
SLIM That hair. I like when she walks out that salon and that dude with a mullet is like her oggling her. Those dudes were so gross. [Slim laughs]
DANNY But I don’t know, her accent in this. She’s just dynamite in this whole film. I understand that she won Best Actress for this. But man, I didn’t see what she was up against. But she really deserved it. I enjoyed her so much in this.
SLIM Yeah. I thought she looked really great with the grays too. And then she she was like, uh, she was tops then and then she got even topper with the new hair. And there were so many beautiful shots of her — Traynor in chat, Cher’s gray hair sent me. I had a revelation. Or her in the moonlight. So like I almost thought I had the shot Danny’s artwork. Yeah, they’re like 10 I wanted to there’s one of her just on the bed with a moonlight moonlight. That was the shade was too much work to do like God, and there’s one where she’s resting on her hand. And the camera is so close up to her face. She is stunning. I mean, and I don’t want to just make it a visual thing, but she’s an amazing actress in this movie too. So I thought that, you know, well deserved. She ran the gamut in terms of her skills and on screen. And I mentioned this maybe on an LB show, but I looked at her like filmography and I’m kind of like, that’s kind of an odd filmography. But I mean she was doing other things she’s not just like, right only doing theatrical movies and actress she’s like producing music, she’s doing to S ton of things. So it was a try to keep that in mind when I was looking at her stuff. Proto, number two.
PROTO Well we talked about Cher, we could talk about Nicolas Cage. The Cage man. [Proto attempts a Nicolas Cage impression] “Hiiiii…uhhh…”
SLIM Let me read Proto’s second review on Letterboxd for Moonstruck: “hair cut with a butter knife. body dipped into a vat of oil. coarse black hair covering pasty white skin. accent perfected in the bowels of hell. nic cage repulsion in full effect.”
PROTO We can all agree, there’s something about Nick Cage.
DANNY He’s got it.
PROTO He has it. And there’s movies where I think he he’s an incredible actor. And this one I don’t think he’s I honestly don’t even know what to make of his performance in this at some points. I’m like, you know, this is really interesting other person like this is terrible. So I don’t know, but he’s like hair. When you say around with his hair. Don’t get to me. What is going on his head. And that scene where he takes that that like flannel? Like he’s covered in sweat. He’s got a wife beater on and then he puts that flannel coat on. I was I was done. I was done with him at that point. He’s just like, he’s just like so greasy in this movie. It just, I just couldn’t handle it.
SLIM Ron in chat says he was only 23 and Bixel in chat would rest on that chest hair though.
DANNY Interesting.
SLIM I do agree that he was like unhinged in the in the early goings of this film. But I felt that he changed considerably as the as the movie went on. And Rhymes with Hannah. He’s great at the kitchen table at the end. I agree. I thought that was his best performance at the end of the movie where he was just kind of like observing the family. You know, the inner workings of that family almost like the potential marriage crumbling etc. I agree that he is just a very wild he’s like an untamed horse for the majority. Or an untamed Wolf, as Cher had said. Danny, what do you think?
DANNY What’s crazy is our first taste of Nick in this film is him having that incredible monologue down into the in the bakery?
[clip of Moonstruck plays]
DANNY It’s almost like he didn’t know what movie he was in. Like he was waiting to either rob a bus or bank robber like he was in he was taught he was in an action movie or something. But it’s also hilarious. Like, I when he asked her to get the big knife so he could kill himself. Like it’s just stupid and funny and screaming about his hand. I mean, I mean, I kind of liked it. I had a great time. I think he’s just insane in this film. I don’t understand how, I don’t understand how it works though. I don’t understand how he works in this film.
SLIM How about the scene where the one girl that was working at the place was talking about how she was in love with him when she could never be with him because it’s like seedy backstory with a failed marriage.
DANNY She’s sitting there crying at his hands story again. Oh my gosh, I think he’s funny though. It’s funny.
PROTO Yeah, that scene is, it’s like a lot of fun. But I have to think of that of like, you read the script, and you don’t these actors, they have to make the character right and you know, Nick Cage comes in and you kind of don’t know what he’s gonna do with it. And that must be like a hard thing to do of just like, at least for actors who kind of go over the edge with some of their performances you know, really kind of take it too far like jump the shark etc. Or whatever you want to call it. And you when they do that it’s it can really change the tone of a movie completely. And that’s you kind of get that with Nick Cage whenever you put them in a movie because you don’t know what you’re going to get.
DANNY It’s funny to think about his career and to think that at 23 in this movie and 87 He was already like full Nick Cage then. Yeah, like he doesn’t like he just has the pedal down and this is his entire career is this is how he kind of performs and it somehow worked for him.
SLIM My number two, we actually covered most of my top three. Let me get into…
DANNY The nitty gritty.
SLIM The nitty gritty. How about their sex scene together? When they are at each other’s throats he flips over the table or whatever, kisses her, picks her up. I love shares dialog. Take You Out on me. Leave nothing left. Oh my god I was cracking up! So hilarious!
DANNY It’s so funny. This movie is so funny.
PROTO Leave nothing but the skin over my bones. Jenna was like “What did she just say?!” [Danny & Slim laughs]
SLIM It’s like Char had only read like romance novels and has never had like sex that Nick is capable of giving her.
PROTO Also he’s like carrying her to the bed and she’s like, “Oh, fine. Just take me to the bed!”
SLIM She was ready. So that’s my number two. Danny, what’s yours?
DANNY The apartment, I can’t get over how big this apartment is. Every time they walk in when you have like a movie set in New York, you expect something tiny, even if it’s expensive, something tiny. But this this apartment was massive. And then I’m like, This man is a plumber. What am I doing with my life? What in the world? It had like a carport and his gate and the grandpa living there with all the dogs. I’m just like, holy crap. Where is this in New York?
SLIM Maybe the grandpa had it first. And it was like rent control or something. So they’re paying like $100 a month.
DANNY I wanted it. What an apartment. Give it to me.
PROTO Unreal. Oh, that kitchen they had was so amazing. She and Jenna were just like all going over that music and screen tile from floor to ceiling. Get out of here! Unfit kitchens. We have the furniture in there rather than cabinets. Oh my god, it’s unreal.
SLIM Some of the stuff that Jenna posts on IG, some of the kitchen she’s working with. Insane. JR Scrolling. You make me sick JR Scrolling with the work that you do. Who’s up next? Is it Proto? Number three?
PROTO Oh, you know, I’ve really loved Danielle Aiello. I thought his performance is great. He’s it’s hard to like pin down even like what he was going for necessarily at the beginning. Just I love how like he proposes but share kind of redirects everything that he does if she’s like, you know, you’re not on one knee. Where’s the ring? And he has this great line where he’s scratching his head and he says my scalp is not getting enough blood sometimes. Because she asked him why scrape? And then like the whole thing with him coming back from Sicily with his dead mind. I just knew that he was gonna say I can’t marry you anymore.
DANNY You called it?
PROTO Yeah I knew that was gonna happen. I knew it. But I really liked his performance. I thought everyone really meshed well in this movie.
DANNY Yeah, I agree. Aiello was great, too. And I think I think he was just funny. He was doing really, I think he was solid, especially that phone call the phone call where he’s at the foot of the deathbed of his mother. And he’s like, it’s so like, downtrodden. I’m at the deathbed. And she’s like, well, how was your flight? So random. It’s just funny. Like, that’s so much subtle comedy in this and it it was hilarious.
PROTO And the mom doesn’t seem to be like dying at all.
DANNY So funny.
SLIM Yeah, it did feel like Danny Aiello, it’s almost like the director told him to like play it up. Like we’re in a real slapstick comedy here. So take it up a few notches, because he was very extra as well. I guess maybe he says the same thing to Nicolas Cage. The one note that I had in that scene misses like my slim, being unable to travel without Google Maps, but just landlines in general. Remember landlines? Proto, do you have one in your house at all, still?
PROTO No, no, no, no.
DANNY It’s got to be in your unfit kitchen.
SLIM Unfit kitchen with a mock landline on the wall.
PROTO I have the sockets in the wall all over my house but not a landline.
SLIM It’s a different time, different time. All I have to say about that. I think it’s my number three let’s see. We got to Olympia There wasn’t — I’m kind of drifting into multiple honorable mentions here but the one scene where I can’t remember the character’s names but they were friends of the family, and they were, they told the story of the moon —
DANNY The Casteredies.
SLIM So he’s going to the window, already is looking at the moon. He’s like it’s, Cosmos moon. His wife remarks to him in that light. You look about 25 years old.
[clip of Moonstruck plays]
SLIM Oh, and he kind of likes drifts over there. Starts like playing around with her. I thought that was an adorable scene.
DANNY God they were great.
PROTO That scene was great. I felt like that kind of gave a hint that the you know of course like their the movie the title, the movies, Moonstruck Right? So there’s something going on with the moon. I can almost wish they played a little bit more into that. But they it was so subtle. And just this idea that their parents, you know, her parents fell in love under a moon as well. And we’re kind of like bewitched their whole lives by this the power of this moon. And then just the fact that this character sees it and the same night that Sharon Cher and Nick are together. It’s really cute.
DANNY So cute.
SLIM I also think that the the final scene in the kitchen with the family to wrap up the movie was so amazing. You know, because Olympia goes out with John Mahoney and he walks her home. And you know her father in law sees them and everyone is kind of aware of everyone else’s business. And it kind of it comes to a head in that final scene. I thought that everything tied together so well in that kitchen. Danny, what’s your third?
DANNY Yeah that was it. You gotta stop doing like two points for your one points. Okay, Slim? [Slim laughs]
DANNY The breakfast scene I think is like a masterclass in like script writing, performances, especially with such a bunch of people there. Like the conversation goes from like the Olympia telling Cosmo to end his affair with his wife and then it’s also funny, like the grandpa crying and saying he’s so confused after it’s all going down. Nick and Cher it but I’ve also shared like pretending to be mad that he’s calling off the wedding while Nick is there knowing that she loves him. Like it’s their performance, everyone’s performance in that final scene is incredible. It’s so funny.
SLIM Danny Aiello too, ge like gets invited to have some of the champagne still.
DANNY And then he’s down on one knee with the ring again just to give it to Ronnie. It’s great.
SLIM Proto, final thoughts, honorable mentions and rating for Moonstruck?
PROTO Honorable mentions, she had the grandpa with the five dogs. I mean, only five dogs for a 95 year old man? Only five?
SLIM There’s no way he’s picking up that dog crap on those walks. No way.
PROTO You see that jacket? I mean, he was wearing like a three piece suit taking a dog walk. You know, he’s got the coat on the hat, the scarf and then he’s singing at the moon. I love that. That was another great scene. That was really cute. He kind of threw me off that last scene though. His eye sockets. He needs to get those looked at. Those are bloodshot. A cute movie. I thought this was very cute. It was fun. It had laughs. I had a good time. Jenna made it halfway through before she fell asleep. I give Moonstruck three stars.
SLIM Three stars from Proto. The hero of the day.
PROTO For you Sydney.
SLIM What was that Spider-Man song? Hero… comes along? Nickelback?
PROTO There Goes My Hero.
SLIM [Slim sings unknown lyrics]
DANNY I don’t think you’re singing it… [Danny laughs]
SLIM Is that Spider-Man?
DANNY No!
SLIM Someone back me up. That was Spider-Man. My final thoughts and honorable mentions it was mentioned in chat. I can’t remember sorry, everyone’s scrolling. But the snap out of it line where he says that he’s in love with her. And she says snap out of it and slaps him twice my word. She had some hard that word there. So I had a lot of fun watching this as well. Olympia, Cher, Aiello, that’s the Holy Trinity for me solid four stars from me for Moonstruck.
DANNY I find myself watching this the entire time with a giant grin on my face. It’s it’s it’s so much fun to watch. I love the comedy. I love the every performance in this film. I think I had my last rating was four and a half stars and I’m staying there.
SLIM Four and a half stars from Danny Moonstruck we’ve all been Moon struck this week. Maybe less so proto. With three stars. That’s pretty high for Proto.
PROTO Thank you.
