North by Northwest (with Jackson McDonald)

Games? Must we? This week we're leaving Spooktober behind us and kicking off No-Theme-ber with a bang, as King Bob frontman and Roxy Fever host Jackson McDonald returns with our second Hitchcock in just three weeks as he redeems himself by bringing a cross-country spy thriller to the table that set the template for summer thrills for everything that's come after it. Yes, it's 1959's North by Northwest, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by Ernest Lehman, and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau. A classic mistaken identity thriller, Hitchcock is recombining story elements from a number of spy films of his past, leaving one final stamp on the genre before turning his focus back to horror. The end result is a movie that has its fingerprints all over not just the Mission: Impossible franchise, but what we expect from blockbuster entertainment period. Plus: Jackson and JMo combine for theatrical field trips to The Wild Robot and Venom 3: The Last Dance, while Hayley's still buzzing over a visit to the Video Stop in Watrous, Saskatchewan. Listen to King Bob's new album, Rookie: linktr.ee/allhailkingbob Other works referenced in this episode include The Birds, The Stand, Longlegs, Us, Shutter Island, Malignant, The Thing, Star Wars, Fargo, High Fidelity, The Black Phone, Invitation to Hell, Casa Bonita Mi Amor, 6 Days to Air, Where We Call Home, Super Mario Party Jamboree, Vertigo, Rear Window, Secret Window, Trap, Koyaanisqatsi, Family Guy, Mad Men, Rope, Charade, Big Trouble in Little China, Total Recall, Hail Caesar!, Burn After Reading, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, The Maltese Falcon, Jaws, Rebecca, and The 39 Steps, among others. We'll be back next week as No-Theme-ber continues with the Steve Martin rom-com Roxanne, famously filmed in Nelson, BC (or at least famously in this part of the world), a selection brought to us by beloved guest Rachel Hadaway, who will be joining us for that one. Until then, we'll see you at the movies!!