We’re off to the bright lights of the big apple for Curtis Hanson’s return to writing and directing with The Children of Times Square, a made for television movie of the week dealing with teenage runaways getting caught up in a life of crime in a grimy 1980’s (pre-Disney) Times Square. Though we found no background information about this movie, it's clear that Hanson took this opportunity to make his own version of Oliver Twist. For being a typical parental nightmare/scared straight story, this turns out to be a surprisingly engaging and compelling movie, thanks in large part to a very talented cast. Bryan and A.J. talk about some of the hokey elements (a band named the Raybops and a gang named The Leopards), memories of being a kid in the 80’s and early 90’s, and how this fits in with the Reagan-era fear of crime. We are also delighted to see Joe Spinell in his third Curtis Hanson movie. This episode’s themed drink was: The Algonquin.

This episode takes us into the arctic wilderness for Never Cry Wolf (1983), a very peculiar live action Disney film directed by Carroll Ballard, who also directed The Black Stallion (1979), and written by Curtis Hanson…and five other writers. Bryan and A.J. go into the troubled 3-year production of Never Cry Wolf, its unlikely ethereal tone, and speculate on when and how much Hanson was involved. We also talk about Ballard’s other animal movies, how star Charles Martin Smith spent so much time on set in Canada that he became a Canadian, and the origins of Touchstone Pictures and the PG-13 rating. This episode’s themed drink was: Alaskan Amber beer and beer w/absinthe (which we do not recommend).

Sofia Coppola has two new projects for us to talk about: one short, the other feature length. First up, Sofia directed the music video for A-Lister, a pop song by her daughter, Romy Mars, leading to the unofficial debut of a new segment called “Dad Describes Modern Music Video.” Then, Bryan and A.J. review Sofia’s first feature length documentary, Marc by Sofia, following her friend, fashion designer Marc Jacobs, as he prepares a new collection for the runway. We may not be the best people to talk about fashion, but we talk about Sofia's approach to the documentary, how she retains her cinematic style in a new genre, and how this is ultimately more of an intimate portrait of a friend by a friend. Tangents include: past experiences with coffee, Project Runway, and the most divisive movies & TV shows we ever watched at Vulcan Video. This episode’s themed drink was: cold-fashioned