Movie Meltdown - Episode 633

This episode Sam Drog returns as we delve into our own history with the original movie The Crow, give a recap of all the failed incarnations in-between and then get into an honest discussion of our thoughts on the new film directed by Rupert Sanders.   

And while we comprise our ultimate anti-social movie experience, we also address… Bill Skarsgård, Brandon Lee, James O'Barr, wearing your aluminum foil hat, enabling bad behavior, Michael Wincott, hanging out with a squirrel, Ridley Scott, making a deal with the devil, panel layout, David Patrick Kelly, John Waters’ zombies, a dystopian future, not Tilda Swinton, limbo world, cg blood, having crow-powers, Cold Cave, the power of credit cards, I want to go back to that well of heartbreak and bankruptcy, Jon Polito, this concentrated version of every bad decision they’ve made, I want to go back to that well of heartbreak and bankruptcy, Tony Todd, Hellraiser 2, a nuclear-powered Chicken Biscuit, Jon Polito, the closest I’ve gotten to love, The Veils, action sequences, the furry lifestyle, John Wick, dirty rice and a coffee, Alien: Resurrection, being a moody teen, I like breakin’ stuff, Ghost in the Shell, then it’s not consumerism - it’s culture, nostalgia grab, the culture has become a deep-fried Twinkie, the finer things in life, a gothic landmark, an interesting trainwreck, Blue Ruin and juicy out on the town.     

Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for "The Crow", both the 2024 and 1994 versions. And pretty much everything else Crow-related. 

“It's not like the fans are just going out and seeing whatever's got a crow on it.”

Movie Meltdown - Episode 632 (For our Patreon "Horror Club")

Join us as the horror club discusses She Beast, directed by Michael Reeves and starring Barbara Steele, John Karlsen and Ian Ogilvy.

And while we try to decide our favorite thing about Ghost Toast, we also mention… Sarah Squirm, pumpkins, Longlegs, Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs, Alien: Romulus, Halloween encroachment, a dunking chair, because Communism, terrible fashion choices, The Thing with Two Heads, he creeped me the hell out, fake grilled cheese sandwiches, British accents, Witchfinder General, my circadian rhythms were screwed up just watching this, who designed your kitchen, it never got dark that day, you don’t look for your wife, special popcorn buckets… doing things, the screaming was really distracting, is this Back to the Future, Osgood Perkins, Black Sunday, torches at noon, the thematic through line of Communism, alcohol and barbiturates, I expected at some point to have raw meat thrown at me, slow atmospheric and bleak, about spending about 90% of the movie unconscious, state fair fun and we ask, do Volkswagen Beetles actually float?

Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for She Beast (aka Revenge of the Blood Beast) so watch the movie before you listen. 

“That should be the tagline… what was the point of any of this?!”

Movie Meltdown - Episode 631

This episode we sit down with Max Neace, a writer, director and producer originally from our neighborhood. So listen as we find out how he took his interest in film from shooting YouTube videos to getting his own feature films made. Plus we discuss the conception and challenging execution that is his most recent movie - Shift. 

And while our guest may wish he was conversing with a chair, regardless we still discuss… comic strips, self-storage facilities, horror, outlining, Connor McGill, we are losing our minds, self-distribution, writing, Alfred Hitchcock, changing the frame rate, physical media, Garfield, eight sequence breakdown, shooting with no budget, Rio Bravo, embracing limitations, festival circuit, Longlegs, continuity, Twister, a lot of monitor footage, the first watchable cut of the movie, Don’t Tell a Soul, acquiring music, moving to L.A., audience imagination, editing, Watchmen, our voyeuristic culture, finding mentors, storytelling and Rear Window.

“There was a method to the madness. And it was really gratifying to get to that point because it was complicated.”

Movie Meltdown - Episode 630  (For our Patreon "Horror Club")

The Horror Club is back with Mario Bava's giallo classic - Blood and Black Lace.

And as we narrow down where we want to put our secret bookcase/door, we also bring up… When Evil Lurks, The Exorcist, Shaun of the Dead, The Ninth Configuration, Dick Tracy, her hair, her makeup, the eyeliner, the outfits, I was like - I love her, I wanna look like you, Frankenstein in every room, Peter Lorre, sitting in the dark, messing with mom’s purse, the question of the masked killer, whoever gets possessed gets… gross, cinematography, demon hunters, working at night, being a sex maniac, Jersey Shore meets fancy Italian architecture, Edgar Wright, it was gnarly, luckily they didn't base World War II on a fashion show, affordable reproductive rights, epileptic or possessed by a demon, the third act monologue, if you came to this movie for dialogue, being a DJ, Cameron Mitchell, gorgeous in the same way, the pettiness of Warren Beatty and a faceless supernatural entity the likes of which we have never seen.

Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for "Blood and Black Lace", so go watch the movie before you listen.

“It's like the Melrose Place of 60s Italy.”

Movie Meltdown - Episode 629

Sam Drog returns… and this time we kick things off with a book club discussion on how reexamining children’s books as an adult can ruin your life. Or perspective of it? Then eventually we also discuss some movies we’ve watched. 

And as we decontextualize someone's feelings, we also delve into… Bucket of Blood, Abigail, Charles Beaumont, The Million Eyes of Sumuru, Roger Corman, Damon Packard, Venom, The Girl from Rio, 1984, Dom DeLuise, Tobe Hooper, The Giving Tree, keep making art, beatniks, the Scream sequels, Dick Miller, unconditional love, Green Eggs and Ham, A Day in the Life of John Carpenter, this is a very codependent relationship, with a wrench and a bucket, a killer snake, the dancing scene, becoming part of the system, Death Race 2050, unfulfilled expectations and disillusionment, Beyond the Valley of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and everything's become a metaphor.

“You are sort of like a children’s book… a weird, crazy children’s book.”

Movie Meltdown - Episode 628 (For our Patreon "Horror Club")

After taking care of our nuptials we are finally back to discuss our previously announced (quite a while ago) feature - Alice, Sweet Alice.

And as we recap how we may have gotten lost and murdered during the post-ceremony activities, we also address… The First Omen, Them, Near Dark, that’s a huge chapel, The Howling, Luke James, the crazy age reveal, don’t play with matches, the creepy landlord, Don’t Look Now, memorable settings, acting dialed to eleven, in the rain, Alfred Sole, Catholicism is weird, this is a hospital… you have to stop screaming, Brooke Shields, Bernard Herrmann, making it rain, X-rated movies, New Jersey, Beef, Ralph Ineson, spooky kids and nuns, Diabolique, having no money makes you creative, I was creeped out the whole time, Psycho, Lillian Roth, getting roaches, Aliens, funeral grifting and Paula E. Sheppard. 

Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for "Alice, Sweet Alice", so go watch the movie before you listen. 

“The honeymoon doesn’t start yet!”

Movie Meltdown - Episode 627

We're coming to you “live” from WonderFest as we hang out and talk about toys and marriage… and possibly even a few movies. 

And while we’re confused about converting things to the metric system, we also mention… getting married to George Romero, Lego storylines, Kill Bill 1 and 2, head trauma, Greg Nicotero, bringing a howler monkey to a fancy affair, Shrek 2, a specific face of Barbie, murder shows, references that don’t land, changing burritos, tiny little Godzillas, a breakfast taco, Michael Madsen, asking questions about liters and trees, older than Elvis, obsessed with whatnot, layers of pop culture references, building a slightly futuristic world, books on tape, double decker tacos and a howler monkey in a tuxedo.  

“How many yards are in a two liter?”

For more on WonderFest, go to: https://wonderfest.com/

Movie Meltdown - Episode 626

Sam Drog returns… and this time I’m not sure we truly represent both sides of the argument as we discuss Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver. 

And as we bust into a large box of Wheat Thins, we also cover… Close Encounters of the Third Kind, bag-head musicians, Maximilian, shoveling coal, let’s not forget holes, The Island, badass robot arms, Irish jig dancing, a good laser, a gluten allergy, I still got into it with caveats, this might take some mental gymnastics to get excited about, a Nature Valley commercial, viking amish paradise, the titular scar, she’s filled with magic fairy dust, check the haircut, Quaker Oats bland guy, that’s not an efficient way to kill, underground laser town, pick a thing,The Black Hole limited series, this is work for all of us, Roger Corman, The Freshmaker, you humans are dumb, it's like a trailer for a movie that you never get to see, you got techno rave Jeff Goldblum fly crystalis snot-covered guy coming up out of the water, Farm Wolverine, Army of the Dead, struck a mean silhouette, flexing his shots, you need oven mitts, a car with no motor in it, physical labor, Micheal Bay, Monk in space, fooled again by holes, commercial director style, they beat in a scene, our little space coup, you gotta have some carbs dude, Silence of the Lambs, the coal room, the planet’s the thing, that’s the subscription model, Tyler Perry seduced by AI and the valor of the everyman.

Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for “Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver”, so watch the movie before you listen. I mean, if you care? 

“Wait a second… this might not have been a good movie!”

Movie Meltdown - Episode 625

After going to see Melissa Joan Hart and Caroline Rhea’s new, live performance, we discuss that… and then just go ahead and discuss Melissa’s 1999 movie Drive Me Crazy. 

And while trying to decide if we trust ourselves to ever eat pancakes again, we also bring up… Adrian Grenier, really expensive parking, Rob Thomas, being catfished, how much the world has changed since the 90s, Benicio del Toro, orange powder, weird computer searches, bra removal, Eden Sher, a sanitized high school, comedy disconnect, every scene is punctuated by our pop song of the moment, the trying clothes on montage, a slightly elevated fort, rebellious teenagers, the indie comedy scene, iZombie, pagers, the Ali Larter era, off-stage comedians, Holliston, the ever-changing mall experience, Party Down, The Donnas, the animal testing subplot, a hollowed out carcass that other critters have moved into now and Britney Spears.  

Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for “Drive Me Crazy”... you have been warned. 

“This is a low key reverse of 'She’s All That'”.

Movie Meltdown - Episode 624

We’re back to round out the Enzo G. Castellari trilogy as we discuss Escape From the Bronx. 

And while we carefully construct an exact miniature version of our future city, we also delve into… Dune 2, Sydney Sweeney, Jodorowsky's Dune, Poseidon, Emmy Rossum, Turkey Shoot, Henry Silva, Mark Gregory, the death truck rolls up and the guys pour out, George Miller, are they being exploded or electrocuted, Piranha 3D, animal safety in films, Wish stormtroopers, Antonio Sabato, goombas in suits, influencing science fiction, Wolfgang Petersen, Strike Jr, Three Thousand Years of Longing, The NeverEnding Story, Australian post-apocalyptic movies, setting up explosions, Escape from New York, a post-apocalyptic sewer, Australian exploitation cinema, so it’s just these two dudes wandering through the sewer now, John Carpenter, The Adventures of Milo and Otis and the sexy popcorn bucket.  

Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for “Escape From the Bronx”. I mean, if you can actually spoil that movie?

“Nothing was really done here… we just killed time and people.”

Movie Meltdown - Episode 623

Join us "live" from Lexington as we discuss our day at the Lexington Comic & Toy Convention!  

And while we assemble and eat our Mr. Bones candy, we also address… Julie Brown, crocheting, Tim Jacobus, American Gladiators, Emma Roberts, maybe I am the reason you stress out, 3D printing, Scream 6, Earth Girls Are Easy, The Fast and the Furious, Cynthia Rothrock, VHS rental pricing, What We Do in the Shadows, walking with your elbows all the way out, Kathy Long, Goosebumps, garbage can candy, Sam Irvin, Dune, getting movie posters back in the day, Jeff Speakman, R.L. Stine, getting stung by a jelly bean, seeing Madonna live, Fight Club, Don "The Dragon" Wilson, people being polite, Out There, Mark Dacascos and the best way to judge Charisma Carpenter's height. 

Spoiler Alert: Spoilers for Scream 6, Scream 4 and random moments from season 4 of What We Do in the Shadows… you have been warned. 

“Oh, wait a minute… I’ve seen movies!”

For more on the convention, go to: lexingtoncomiccon.com