Hot Date

The final film in director Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe cycle, The Tomb of Ligeia marked the second collaboration for Corman and screenwriter Robert Towne.  Towne would go on to be one of the hardest working and respected writers and script doctors in Hollywood (The Last Detail, Shampoo, Mission: Impossible, The Firm, Personal Best and Tequila Sunrise) and collect an Academy Award for writing Chinatown.  Towne is quoted, however, as saying that his adaptation for The Tomb of Ligeia was the hardest he'd ever worked on.   Dan and Vicky discuss the horror film along with plenty of recently seen like films Marty Supreme, Rosemead, Dead Man's Wife, The Lost Bus, Griffin in Summer, Twinless, Is This Thing On?, and TV series Heated Rivalry and Kaos. Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast X: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

The late 2000's were chock-a-block with Winnie-the-Pooh projects.  In addition to this week's Hot Date 2017 film Goodbye Christopher Robin starring Domhnall Gleason, Margot Robbie and Kelly Macdonald, there was another biopic with Ewan McGregor, several animated features and numerous documentaries.   Dan and Vicky discuss the Simon Curtis directed biopic on writer A. A Milne's creation of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories and the toll it took on his family along with some recently seen items like Primate, The Plague, The Secret Agent, and Harlan Coben's Run Away on Netflix. Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast X: @HotDate726

1995's Little Odessa is a look inside a Russian American family and their ties to the mob in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.  Shot over two months in the brutal cold of a 1994 New York winter, Little Odessa stars two Oscar winners, Vanesaa Redgrave and Maximilian Schell, one nominee, Tim Roth, and fresh from his success in Terminator 2, Edward Furlong.  Dan and Vicky discuss the feature film debut of director James Gray as well as lots of recently seen including 2025's meta sequel Anaconda, Paul Feig's The Housemaid, Marty Supreme, The Testament of Ann Lee with Amanda Seyfried, No Other Choice, Coyotes, We Bury the Dead, and Netflix series The Beast in Me and Stranger Things Season 5.   Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

For her directorial debut, comedienne and writer Elaine May chose to adapt the short story The Green Heart by Jack Ritchie into A New Leaf - the story of a rich playboy who loses all his money and schemes to marry and murder a rich woman.  Walter Matthau plays the entitled Henry Graham and May herself plays the ditzy but lovable Henrietta Lowell.  The film went over budget and time, necessitating a couple extra million dollars and 40 extra shooting days.  Paramount took the final edit away from May, winnowing her original 3 hour cut into the existing 90 minute theatrical cut.  The films boasts a bevy of comedic character stars including Jack Weston, Doris Roberts, Renne Taylor and James Coco.   Dan and Vicky discuss the oddball romantic dark comedy along with alot of recently seen including 2025's Silent Night Deadly Night, Hamnet, Fackham Hall, Nouvelle Vague, Jay Kelly, The Running Man and Equalizer 2.    Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Four times a year, Hot Date goes to the actual movies to bring you a film playing right now!  Vicky could not let the release of Wicked: For Good go by without discussing it so we bring you the continuing saga of Elphaba Thropp and Galinda Upland, Glinda the Good and The Wicked Witch of the West respectfully, of the Land of Oz.  Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Butero star along with Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum.  Also catch up on your hosts recently seen like Rental Family, Wake Up Dead Man: Knives Out, Zootopia 2, Caddo Lake, I Don't Understand You, Netflix series Adolescence, and NBC's DMV. Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Leslie Goodwins, director of 1943's Ladies' Day, a farcical comedy set in the world of baseball, needed a lead actress that woluld believably cause players to throw games and lose focus.  Stunning Mexican beauty Lupe Velez was just that actress; and luckily, Goodwins and Velez had a good working relationship.  She was the star of his Mexican Spitfire films, a series with Velez as the recurring lead.  This would be their last collaboration as Velez would tragically end her own life only a year later. Dan and Vicky discuss the forgotten comedy along with lots of recently seen including Del Toro's Frankenstein, Oz Perkins' Keeper, Edgar Wright's The Running Man, Predator Badlands and Bugonia. You'll also hear about Vicky's trip to Disney, Dan's own stay in Florida and an AI machine who's feelings get hurt? Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Based on the story of his own mother's fight with cancer, director/writer Josh Mond made the lead character of 2015's James White a caregiver with his own addiction and commitment issues. He enlisted up and comer Christoper Abbott to play the lead and Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon as his mother.  Set and shot in New York City, Mond scored the film with music from Kid Cudi and gave the singer a supporting role.  Dan and Vicky discuss the indie drama along with lots of recently seen like Shelby Oaks, Tron:Ares, Black Phone 2, Richard Linklater's Blue Moon, and Luca Guadagnino's After the Hunt.   Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

We've reached another Top Ten episode and this time Dan and Vicky discuss their hottest top ten actor comebacks.  Every actor has a lull in their career, either intentional or not, and Dan and Vicky are paying tribute to actors who stuck it out and came back bigger and better.  Dan takes the theme in his own direction so you'll be excited to hear how your hosts have added their own spin it. You'll also get thoughts on plenty of recently seen movies and TV like Bone Lake, Challengers, Him, One Battle After Another, Anemone, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Alien: Earth. Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

1999's The Corruptor was the second attempt by an American film studio to make an international star out of Chow Yun Fat.  The Replacement Killers a year before with Mira Sorvino failed to thrill audiences and The Corruptor, about a New York Chinatown war between two rival gangs, didn't exactly make waves.  Ironically, it took a Tiawanese filmmaker, Ang Lee, to bring Fat world recognition a year later with hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.   Dan and Vicky discuss the Mark Wahlberg co-starring buddy cop actioner along with some political talk and lots of recently seen including The Conjuring: Last Rites, The Long Walk, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, and the plays Gene and Gilda and Blood Orange.   Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

1967's The Jungle Book was Disney's attempt to adapt the series of Rudyard Kipling's books into a children's animated film.  Initial attempts to create a screenplay were nixed by Walt Disney for being too bleak and violent.  The final version of the script by Larry Clemmons, Ralph Wright, Ken Anderson, and Vance Gerry was chock a block with songs, talking animal characters, and toned down threats.  The film became the second highest grossing Disney movie at the time and spawned several sequels and live action remakes. Dan and Vicky discuss their very first animated film on Hot Date along with lots of recently seen films like The Roses, Nobody 1 and 2, Splitsville, Caught Stealing, and series Alien: Earth and Dexter: Resurrection. Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Highest 2 Lowest, out today on Apple TV +, is the latest joint from Spike Lee.  The film is the latest adaptation of Ed McBain's King's Ransom and follows in the direct foorsteps of Akira Kurosawa's version, High and Low.  Shot on the streets of New York City by frequent Lee collaborator Matthew Libatique, the film also fuses several different musical cues and genres to create the story of a kidnapping gone wrong and the moral dilemma it presents for the music mogul now tasked with paying the ransom.  The film stars Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, A$AP Rocky, John Douglas Thompson, Dean Winters, LaChanze, Princess Nokia, and Ice Spice.  Dan and Vicky break with Hot Date format once again to choose a film currently playing in cinemas.  They also discuss their recently seen including Netflix's Wednesday, 2025's Naked Gun, Freakier Friday, Weapons, Fantastic Four: First Steps and Went Up The Hill. Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Originally envisioned as a vampire dominatrix with a dungeon to torture and feed on men, 1936's Dracula's Daughter underwent a radical reinvention to accommodate a more sensitive Production Code.  Gloria Holden's daughter is a more thoughtful, melancholy blood sucker, trying in vain to turn her back on her vampiric roots.  The only character from the original to make it into the sequel is Van Helsing (Von Helsing in this version).  Bela Lugosi was meant to reprise his role but moved on after the film's production was delayed several times.   Dan and Vicky discuss the sequel, it's place in the Universal horror pantheon and it's much talked about lesbian themes.  They also cover alot of recently seen movies and TV including Eddington, The Home, Together, 2025's I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Warner's Batwoman (the Ruby Rose year).  Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

1981's Tattoo, the lone feature effort of commercial director/co-writer Bob Brooks, was fraught with pre and post production problems.  The film, about a tatto artist (Bruce Dern) unnaturally obsessed with a fashion model (Maud Adams), had it's release date pushed back after Brooks protested the edit producer Joseph Levine created without his input or approval.  Transit authorities in NY took down pre-release posters for the film in response to complaints about the images presented - a woman's bare bound legs covered in tattoos.  And Dern insinuated on the press tour that he and Adams had had actual sex in the film - a claim Adams disputed. But the publicity didn't seem to help the film find an audience.  It pretty much came and went in theaters and is currently out of print.  Dan and Vicky discuss the controversial erotic thriller along with lots of recently seen including the new Superman, Jurrasic World: Rebirth, Oh Hi, Disney+'s Behind the Attraction documentary, Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story and

1959's It Happened To Jane was the rare Doris Day film that didn't hit with audiences at the box office.  Columbia attempted a re-release in 1961 under a new title, Twinkle and Shine, with similar results.  In the film, Day plays a Maine lobster farm owner pitted against a large railroad company when they damage her reputation and livelihood.  The comedy co-stars Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs, and Steve Forrest and was shot on location in towns throughout Connecticut. Dan and Vicky discuss the film along with some recently seen like Elio, Bride Hard, Megan 2.0, 28 Years Later, Unitl Dawn, Sorry Baby, and The Woman in the Yard. Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

A Quiet Place to Kill (aka Paranoia) was the third collaboration between Golden Globe winning American actress Caroll Baker and Italian horror and thriller filmmaker Umberto Lenzi.  Baker, disillusioned by the American studio system, moved to Europe in the late 60's with her family and formed a working relationship with Lenzi that spanned four films.  In this one she plays Helen, a race car driver reunited with her ex-husband and his new wife -- marital intrugue and a murder plot ensue.  Starring with Baker in the Italian/Spanish co-production are Jean Sorel, Anna Proclemer, and Marina Coffa. Dan and Vicky get a little political at the top of the podcast but then turn quickly to some recently seen - The Life of Chuck, The Materialists, Al Pacino starring possession film The Ritual, Hitchcock's 1939 film Jamaica Inn, 1982's Vice Squad, and the Aussie film Dangerous Animals.    Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Hot Date is shaking things up again by choosing a recent date and a movie hot from theaters to discuss.  Dipping into the John Wick universe, Dan and Vicky discuss Ballerina, the next film in the Keanu Reeves lead action franchise.  Wick takes a back seat to Eve Macarro, played by Knives Out and Blonde star Ana de Armas.  Eve is on a mission to avenge the murder of her father - a journey that takes her from the Continental Hotel to snowy Austria.  Her co-stars include Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Anjelica Huston, Lance Riddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane and Keanu Reeves.  Your hosts also discuss their recently seen including Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning, Karate Kid Legends, Bring Her Back, Conclave, Final Destination: Bloodlines, and the Hell House series! Also hear about the love Hot Date gets from ChatGPT and your hosts try to figure out who Morgan Wallen is! Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

1947's Crossfire, directed by Edward Dmytryk, is based on the novel The Brick Foxhole by Richard Brooks.  In Brooks' novel, a gay man is murdered by a soldier on leave but the film had to adhere to a Hays Code which didn't allow for depictions of homosexuality so anti-Jewish sentiment became the reason for the killing.  Ironically, it was the film's theme of anti-semitism that put it's makers in the crosshairs of Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist HUAC hearings.  It's director and writer John Paxton ended in prison for their views.  The film stars the Robert dream team of Robert Ryan, Robert Young and Robert Mitchum. Dan and Vicky discuss the noir thriller and lots of recently seen including Babygirl, The Damned, Thunderbolts, Nonnas, Lilo and Stitch, horror classics (!) Nekromantick and Nekromantick 2 and comedian Mateo Lane. Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Hot Date has reached it's next Top Ten episode and for this episode, Dan and Vicky pick their most favorite movie adaptations - films that started as books, plays, musicals, songs, even Twitter feeds!   Your hosts also talk about what they've seen recently including Sinners, Drop, the new season of Black Mirror, Kevin Bacon starring horror show The Bondsman, The Lincoln Lawyer, and the Broadway musical Real Women Have Curves. Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

2000's Born Romantic is a little seen British comedy about dating in the Y2k era.  Chock a block with UK stars including Craig Ferguson, Catherine McCormack, Jimi Mistry, Adrian Lester, Olivia Williams, David Morrissey and Jane Horrocks, the film follows a group of lonely hearts finding love and laughter with a London salsa club as the center of their romantic universe.  Dan and Vicky discuss the rarely seen film and how we find love and romance in the modern world.  They also talk about some recently seen items like The Rule of Jenny Penn, Freaky Tales, Hell of a Summer, The Amateur and MAX's medical drama The Pitt.  Listen for their thoughts on finding community at the movies, remembering 9/11, and King Lear in Delaware! Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod

Based on the Stephen King short story, Oz Perkins The Monkey tells the story of a wind up toy monkey that haunts the lives of twin brothers Hal and Bill.  Christian Convery plays the twins as teen boys and Theo James plays them as adults.  Produced by James Wan, the film also stars Tatiana Maslany, Sarah Levy, Adam Scott, Elijah Wood and Perkins himself in the role of the boys' eccentric uncle. Usually dipping back in time to find films, Dan and Vicky choose a Hot Date from 2025 to offer a look at a recent release.  They also discuss lots of recently seen like The Penguin Lessons, Snow White, Death of a Unicorn, Opus, Peacock series The Americas, the TCM series The Power of Film, and Dan's poignant reaction to Ru Paul's Drag Race.  Our socials:  hotdatepod.com FB:  Hot Date Podcast Twitter: @HotDate726 Insta:  hotdatepod