There was a moment in time when a bunch of classic, quite artistic films got made that were playing with a similar idea of normal people getting sucked down the rabbit hole into a crazy overnight adventure. And often, there would be a romantic component. All these movies were sort of cool, and exotic, and hip, and funny, and weird. There was often a danger element.
To me, this is a sort of love letter to the weird, cool, ultra-sketchy, sexy, mysterious vibe of downtown New York.
"Into the Night" is set in L.A., with Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer. One of the things I loved about it is how those two actors are so different, and their chemistry in that movie is like nothing you've ever seen before. It's just the strangest, most interesting chemistry. And then, John Landis is one of the great comedy directors of all time. That movie is just eccentric, and weird, and dangerous-feeling, and mysterious.
Again, this is just a total love letter to downtown New York. It was a groundbreaking movie in that it was told in such a female-centered voice. It was written by a woman and directed by a woman, and the stars were women. And so, it was totally different from other kinds of comedies that we'd seen before. The costumes are amazing, and the music is amazing, and that movie just has a great energy.
Again, funny, dangerous, sexy, cool. Jeff Daniels is in the role of the everyman who gets caught up in this crazy adventure with Melanie Griffith's character, who is a comedic femme fatale. Ray Liotta in the breakout part. Jonathan Demme at his best.
The ultimate overnight movie. This isn't a comedy, but I'll put it in here because it just captures that feeling of night, the energy of it, and that way in which you never want the sun to come up. It's like the sun just changes everything. The original "Warriors," which is this incredible action/adventure movie with such style and incredible costumes and music and cast, is set against the backdrop of New York City in the late '70s. And it’s a totally iconic overnight story.
