Confessions of a Not-So-Dangerous Mind*

One of the brightest lights Hollywood's ever had, Robin Williams would have turned 75 on July 21, 2026.

After a troubled production, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace opened on July 17, 1987 to poor reviews and so-so boxoffice. Sadly, it was to be Christopher Reeve's final turn in the cape.

What awful news to wake up to 😢 So many top-level films and performances. Over the years virtually everyone who worked with him made mention of what a good guy he was. His IG page (a frequent stop for me) showed him to be a funny, humble, and genuinely decent person.

Much more than just a fun time at the cinema, In the Line of Fire is an action film, a suspense thriller, a romance, and a 😢 reminder that even "Top Tier Legends" aren't indestructible forever. Clint's turn as Frank Horrigan ranks with his finest work and he's matched by John Malkovich, digging deep to author a phenomenal supervillain.

New York baseball is in chaos! The Mets have waved the white flag and the Yanks recently lost 9 of 10 after a lengthy stretch of high-level play. What gives?! Join me for a reasonable explanation (if such a thing is even possible 🤣😆

As Tom Cruise turns 64 today, a happy 35th to "The Greatest Summer Movie Ever," Terminator 2, which opened July 3, 1991. A monster hit w/critics and audiences, T2 grosses $520 million and later wins 4 Oscars in the year of Silence of the Lambs, JFK, and Bugsy. 💪

Arguably the funniest scene In Woody Allen's clever 1993 comedy Manhattan Murder Mystery finds Diane Keaton and Alan Alda staking out a woman who may be involved in murder.

In a recent podcast episode, host Ike Barinholtz and friend/guest Seth Rogen discussed Sylvester Stallone's career and pointed out the significant number of bad movies he's made. Were they throwing shade? Or just criticizing the weaker films in his career?

On June 28, 1997, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield met for the second time, roughly 8 months after their thrilling first fight, in which Evander took Mike's World Heavyweight Title. Join me for some fascinating backstory and the unfortunate outcome of Tyson-Holyfield 2.

I didn't go out on a date until 30. The anxiety was terrifyingly real. I did, however, believe that screenwriting success was assured. I imagine being presented with a choice: professional success, tempered by continued loneliness... or professional disappointment, but a booming social life.

The Summer of 1982 saw the release of four all-time classic science fiction films: E.T., Blade Runner, The Thing, and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. Oddly enough, only two of the four were boxoffice hits. Join me for a deep dive back in time...

David Cronenberg's sensational meditation on life, love, body horror, and "insect politics" turns 40 this August. Join me for a look back at a brilliant film which has grown significantly in stature over the succeeding decades.

The true story of my experience seeing Outbreak (1995) during its opening weekend, co-starring a gentleman one row back of me who spent most of the movie coughing his lungs up 😷

The humorous, 4-minute story of how I learned of Robert Downey Jr.'s casting as Tony Stark, more than two years before the movie came out. #ChoicesWereMade

Last Action Hero opened June 18, 1993 to so-so reviews and disappointing boxoffice. With Jurassic Park opening a week prior, Cliffhanger still doing strong business, and Clint Eastwood's In the Line of Fire and Harrison Ford's The Fugitive opening later that summer, it was just the wrong time (and the wrong summer movie season) for LAH's quirky, offbeat charm.

The 2026 New York Knicks' stunning run to the NBA championship is already the stuff of legends. Join me for a look at the history, legacy, and the franchise's first title in 53 years. 

A boxoffice and critical disappointment turned beloved Gen-X Standard, Can't Hardly Wait is now (incredibly) 28 years old, having opened 6/12/98. Join me for a look back at a film which Gen-X rejected back in the day, before rediscovering it in our "older era."

The New York Knicks' stunning comeback in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals is the stuff of dreams, of legend, and of history.

Winner of 6 Oscars (inc. Best Picture and Best Director), One Battle After Another is a sprawling epic, a challenging film, quite difficult to classify, but absolutely worth seeing.

30+ years ago, I watched Rosemary's Baby at NYU, in "Color and Cinema." How I correctly identified legendary producer William Castle via his shocking cameo remains a mystery to this day 🤔😆

Peter Weir's unconventional dystopian nightmare not only predicts the future of tv,  but of "viral videos," "mass consumption of media," and the sense that we're all living in a giant fishbowl.

4x Oscar winner and "Hollywood's Last Icon" Clint Eastwood turned 96 on May 31st and according to his son, is retiring from the movie business.

The fan favorite "second sequel" to the iconic, Oscar-winning original opened May 28, 1982 and (against a $17 mil budget) grossed an astonishing $270 million worldwide. Join me a deep dive into the making of a classic.

Although I haven't been a diehard Knicks fan since the 1990s, here's to the 2026 NYK, as they prepare for the NBA finals.

Concluding our look back at the 5-film Dirty Harry Franchise with an exploration of the final entry, 1988's The Dead Pool.

Join me for a look at Larry Clark's controversial 1995 film Kids. Despite mixed reviews from critics, it was a significant boxoffice hit relative to cost, and co-stars Chloe Sevigny and Rosario Dawson (who I inexplicably blanked on during the ep) went on to great careers.

James Foley's terrific (and timeless) adaptation of David Mamet's 1983 play somehow feels specific to the early 1990s recession, which was ongoing as this film hit theaters. Irony alert, ppl watching the film for the first time circa 2008 said the exact same thing

The newest entry in our ongoing series is Mike Nichols unconventional 1994 "werewolf romance" Wolf, starring Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Legendary New York Yankees' broadcaster John Sterling passed away this morning at age 87. Join me for a look back at his incredible career in general, and his extraordinary 35 season run with the Yankees.

The newest entry in our ongoing series is the classic 1986 comedy Back to School, starring unquestioned comedy GOAT Rodney Dangerfield.

Continuing our look back at the Dirty Harry franchise with the 4th entry, 1983's hugely successful (but very problematic) Sudden Impact.

Despite being a fan of the MCU and comic book movies in general, I've barely discussed the MCU on the channel. We're about to change all that, starting with a deep dive back to 2008's OG Iron Man.

On the occasion of his 86th birthday, let's rewind to 1993 and Al's fantastic turn as a former crime boss determined to go straight in Brian DePalma's terrific crime drama Carlito's Way. 

On Jack Nicholson's 89th birthday, a look at 2003's Something's Gotta Give, a critical and financial success... and a character who seems quite similar to "The Real Jack," or more accurately how he was perceived.

The newest entry in our ongoing series is Barry Levinson's fantastic adaptation of Lorenzo Carcaterra's controversial bestseller.

Following up our discussion of Magnum Force earlier this week with a look at the next film in the Dirty Harry series, The Enforcer (1976).

The first part of our chat had us breaking down Steel Magnolias, now we turn our focus to Ali's personal experience with Type 1 Diabetes and how she's adjusted in the last decade, since her diagnosis.

Part 1 of my chat with Ali Johntry, T1 LADA Diabetic, Educator, and Long Island Entrepreneur. Stay tuned for Part 2!

Seen by many critics as a kind of "apology" for the 1971 original, Magnum Force is a thought-provoking film which gets into all kinds of gray areas...

Mike Nichols' 1967 masterpiece is the newest entry in our ongoing series.

The newest entry in our ongoing series is Richard Donner's masterful 1978 "OG" Superman: The Movie

Gregory Hoblit's twisty courtroom thriller Primal Fear opened April 5, 1996. Richard Gere is solid, but Edward Norton -- en route to a Supporting Actor Oscar nom in his film debut -- steals the film as a former altar boy accused of murder.

Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, and Robert DeNiro have all played Satan. Which of these legends did it best?

During the summer of 1980, 6 y.o. me saw a TV commercial about "a pitching machine for kids" called "Reggie Jackson's Bat Away." I HAD TO HAVE THIS. Join me for a nostalgic piece of true history - me, my dad, Reggie, and a deceptively solid mechanical contraption that was almost revolutionary for 1980.

The newest entry in our ongoing series is John Carpenter's surprisingly hopeful scifi classic Starman.

A key figure in the evolution of New American Cinema, 14x Oscar nominee Warren Beatty turns 89 today.

As movie weekends go, the weekend of March 26, 1992 ranks with the best, and certainly as good as any, *ever*, in the first quarter of a year. That weekend's boxoffice was led by White Men Can't Jump, followed by Basic Instinct, My Cousin Vinny, and Wayne's World.

Hope springs eternal! The 2026 New York Yankees open the season in San Francisco! Join me for some obscure history and personal tales of old-school days at the Big Ballpark in the Bronx.

The newest entry in our continuing series is Oliver Stone's controversial take on the Assassination of John F. Kennedy. 

It's been nearly three decade since "The 1996 Mt. Everest Disaster." Join me for a look back at a tragic piece of real history, focusing on Jon Krakauer's harrowing true-life bestseller Into Thin Air.