Michael Mann doesn't do things by halves. When he decided to adapt The Last of the Mohicans, he dragged his entire cast into the mountains, made them learn 18th-century combat techniques, and created one of the most physically demanding historical epics filmed. John, Matt, and Westy are here to tell you exactly how mad it all got (Michael Madd, if you like).

We're talking Daniel Day-Lewis disappearing into the forest for months (standard), Wes Studi delivering a villain performance for the ages (with barely a word), and a score finished late in the day that somehow became one of cinema's most iconic. The team dig into Mann's obsessive attention to detail - from insisting every musket reload be period-accurate to shooting in locations so remote the crew needed survival training. Turns out when you combine Mann's perfectionism with frontier warfare, you get magic. Exhausting, expensive, borderline dangerous, "get rid of the sun" magic.

Tom Hanks trades in the nice guy routine for a Tommy gun in Sam Mendes' stunning Depression-era crime saga. We dig into Conrad Hall's legendary cinematography (his last, and possibly best), Paul Newman's devastating final performance, and how Mendes created something that feels more like a moving painting than a gangster film. Turns out America's Dad makes a pretty compelling hitman. 

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Genius, jealousy, and the best wigs in cinema history. We dive deep into Forman's masterpiece - from F. Murray Abraham's Oscar-winning turn as the tormented Salieri to the decision to shoot in Communist Prague (because where else would you film 18th century Vienna?). Plus, we settle the debate: is Mozart's laugh in this film a stroke of genius or a crime against audiences? John has opinions. Available anywhere you get your podcasts!

Available anywhere you get your podcasts!

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