Cinco DeNio

You are partially right that the names are part of the con but they are also cons in themselves when done separately. The Two Jethros are two hicks (the Mormon twins in this instance). The Ella Fitzgerald refers to them broadcasting a tape of the vault to disguise what was really happening (and/or the staged explosion which was also taped). The Leon Spinks refers to the boxing match. I think the Boesky refers to Carl Reiner's part of the big roller to distract the casino boss. I'm not totally familiar with the Ivan Boesky story although I remember it happening.

I was curious because I was born and raised in Ypsilanti. (Or more properly, Ypsitucky, for all the Kentuckians that came to work in the bomber plant during World War II. See the Jane Fonda film The Rainmaker for more on that subject.) I thought maybe I had stated that in a previous thread. Instead a happy coincidence!

I also thought of something like the remake Ocean's Eleven where they list a bunch of cons, each one telling part of how the heist is going to go. "Off the top of my head, I'd say you're looking at a Boesky, a Jim Brown, a Miss Daisy, two Jethros and a Leon Spinks, not to mention the biggest Ella Fitzgerald ever."

Honestly I thought Deadfall was the name based on it requiring a major character to play dead as part of the scam. (Although that's part of The Sting as well so I suspect Uncle Lou isn't really dead.)

Where did you pull Ypsilanti from? I suspect I know. just curious.

It's certainly possible. Extra points are he demands Lou show him the Joker card from the deck. Also Nic Cage was going to play Superman when Kevin Smith was directing so Nic was already "in" the DC film universe.

The first time was. The August 9th I mentioned is coming up in a few weeks. It showed at the Ritz at the Bourse theater.

<Major spoilers ahead> I admit I didn't see it in the movie until I read IMDB. This movie is supposed to be a take on The Sting. That's why the carousel, why the main character walks away with no money, etc. I honestly thought the donut shop girl was going to try to assassinate Michael Biehn like the diner lady did Robert Redford. The shadowy guy is like the guy Paul Newman asked to keep an eye on Robert Redford and keep him safe. I'm assuming maybe the dad dying at the beginning was supposed to be like James Earl Jones' real-life father dying in The Sting, to give the main character some motivation. The con is also similar, where they are trying to take the mark's money without him knowing he was taken. (They were trying to break Dr. Lyme and drive him out of business.) The people busting in and creating a shootout were the distraction this time. All the stuff between the brothers was just to keep Michael Biehn on track. The cake jewelry box was "the cake" initially to throw off Michael Biehn. That was simply a red herring of sorts. The real cake was the $2 million from the heist. </major spoilers>

We can also visit the classic Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land (start at 16:45 if the link doesn't work).

Agreed. My local theater up in Philadelphia is showing it again on August 9th. The last time I went they had multiple screens because of the demand.

I was hoping the cammer wasn't the one who crashed but no such luck. <spoiler alert>

I just wanted to make sure we were getting the better Michael, not the one Micaela Watkins describes in the Xanadu episode. "He's a frustrated artist and I think he was cast REALLY BADLY." Jason: "You think?" (I like Michael Beck just fine in The Warriors but he is a little flat there too.) Speaking of, the HDTGM Xanadu episode is being listened to in the first clip of this car crash video.

Michael Pare is the Streets of Fire Michael, not the Xanadu Michael, correct?

Missed opportunity to change your last name. Cameron Dameron-Hill would have been fantastic.

Here's the old rotation with a list of films. It's not up-to-date but is the most exhaustive.

Wait until Monday. That's when the announcements are made. Cameron or someone will create a thread for it. I will find the link for the rotation list.

I admit the hooded coat made it kind of obvious they were in a studio in front of a screen. There wasn't nearly enough wind as there would have been if they were in a towed car. Her hood probably wouldn't have stayed in place.

I was about to knee-jerk say La La Land just because the white man "mansplains" it more but honestly now I'm not sure. I think I like Bing's better.

I love the movie White Christmas but it has the same problem, with both male leads. I can better understand Danny Kaye with Vera-Ellen but not Bing with Rosemary Clooney. It's especially glaring when you see Danny trying to fix Bing up with showgirls from his own show! (I bet they think it's a casting couch experience and going out with him would help their careers.) On top of that, Danny's dancing was in no way up to Vera-Ellen's level so they had to bring in another dancer to keep up with her. He looks much more the part.

I thought Uncle Willie was Keenan Wynn originally. After I looked him up (it's Louis Calhern) the voice still sounded familiar. Any ideas? I thought maybe Bullwinkle and Rocky but the Narrator and the Fractured Fairy Tales guys aren't him. ADDED ON: It turns out this was his last film as he passed the same year the movie was released. So it is both his and Grace Kelly's last film. ADDED-ADDED ON: The only IMDB credit I recognize is Duck Soup. I would have to watch that again and see if that's where I remember his voice from.

Was Spy Magazine a thing? All I can find is the real magazine started in the '80s.

I really need @Cameron H. to stop reading this thread until he's seen the movie. Spoiler alert!!! I found the identity mix-up completely implausible. I wish I could think of the other movie where something similar happened but wouldn't the reporters know what their target looked like, especially because there was a galley of an article about him?

I've only ever seen John Lund in one other movie, The Perils of Pauline with Betty Hutton, but he was completely wooden there as well. His IMDB page only has a few roles. My other note for now is that all the characters seemed to be too broadly drawn. Everybody played their role but you knew what their role was and would be as soon as they were introduced.