Movie Meltdown

Movie Meltdown - Episode 449 This week we welcome our friend Nora to lead an over-all history and general discussion about the way mental illness is portrayed in the movies. So join us as we hit some key films over the decades as well as some unusual personal favorites on how we look at “crazy people” and therapists on the big screen. So as we work toward finding the most healthy way to deal with what we’re messed up about, we also mention… Isle of Dogs, he got a road trip out of it, he wanted to troll your dad but there was no technology to do it yet, it was actually banned by the Army, mechanized version of a person, dissociative identity disorder, let’s get ourselves a robot and get emotionally attached to it, post-suicide recovery, Wes Anderson, forgotten events in their early childhood, healthy coping mechanisms, she's a very predatory therapist, John Huston, tics and movements and speech, nervous conditions, crazy families, it's almost more of a parlor trick than a mental disorder, Doug Jones, touching

Movie Meltdown - Episode 448  This week we wrap-up Flyover Film Fest as we sit down with director Brett Simon to discuss his latest feature Better Start Running. Brett has devoted many years to studying film, art practice and creative writing as well as teaching film history, film theory and video production at UC Berkeley. As well as building a successful career as a commercial and music video director for bands like The Killers, Hoobastank and Queens of the Stone Age. So listen as we discuss everything from his early days as a movie fan all way up to directing his first feature film, Assassination of a High School President starring Bruce Willis and Mischa Barton. Plus we hear stories about coming to shoot his latest film in our own hometown as well as bringing along his cast including Analeigh Tipton, Alex Sharp and Jeremy Irons. Plus as we ponder just how the more they drive - the less they travel, we also mention… the Cinematheque guys, Snow Patrol, Michelle Gondry, I’m the log cabin guy, the old model i

Movie Meltdown - Episode 447 This week we're coming to you "live" from Harry Dean Stanton Fest as we sit down with Drago Sumonja the co-writer of Harry Dean's last film (Lucky) as well as director of the documentary Char·ac·ter. So listen as we discuss his time spent with Harry Dean as well as the artistic collaboration and friendship he has built over the years with actor Dabney Coleman. And while we realize that the whole world eventually comes together at Dan Tana's, we also bring up… Private Benjamin, he made his own weapon, we’d just kind of play the parts really, Daveigh Chase, Cloak and Dagger, they mounted this giant antenna-looking thing onto your house, it’s own weird special little world, Unwigged and Unplugged, something about him showing up in a dress one day, it turned out to be what I wanted to be, Ron Livingston, docudrama, Facebook and their darn algorithms, David Lynch, by necessity, crossing from PG to PG-13, and I would just start typing, racy movies in conservative households, Sydney Poll

Attack of the Killer Soundtrack - Episode 53 This week we are coming to you "live" from Forecastle Music Festival as we welcome our co-host Bryan Hamilton from the band Tsunami Samurai. Join us as we discuss the goings-on of the event all the while assembling a makeshift soundtrack from the bands playing there that weekend. And while we shun sunlight and other humans, we also mention… some art on a tree, here’s Johnny,the welcome overcast, they saved the best for the sequel, no one is curating, open invite to Jenny Lewis, the vibe that’s going on, do 13-year old kids care about that, The Slint reunion, this shows you how long they’ve been a band, gives us historical context, so grassroots, The 40 Watt in Athens, an 80’s night dance at school, the undead creature that I am, Justin Long, it’s their reference, YouTube just puts it on mix, a double-headliner with Built to Spill, something popped in it’s mechanical brain, this humid bowl that he was sitting in, at The Fox in Atlanta, I wasn’t sure he was going to

Movie Meltdown - Episode 446 This week we round out our coverage of this year's WonderFest as we talk with Rick Sternbach about space, art and the movies and projects he's worked on. (Including Carl Sagan's Cosmos, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Last Starfighter, The Black Hole, Solaris and Star Trek: The Next Generation.) Plus we are joined by our somewhat annual, reluctant co-host Eric Chu. And while we work on building our own Cray supercomputer, we also bring up… Deadpool 2, Better Watch Out, the new Lost in Space, doing artwork for science fiction and astronomy magazines, Larry Niven, set design, Alan Tudyk,you create something and then it goes back into it’s raw form, water slide decals, Harold had worked with Hitchcock, Juggernaut, Mars Attacks trading cards, Hal Clement, a different hand/eye skill set, we didn’t have computers in 1978, Theodore Sturgeon, she’d worked on the B-1 bomber, the early days of digital, his pencil drawings of the Gunstar, geometry, I got to see the evolution of the whole

Movie Meltdown - Episode 445 (For our Patreon supporters.) This week we sit down for a simple movie discussion and suddenly we are knee deep in an examination as to whether or not we are in fact - a culture of despair? But after hammering out the finer points of Thanos' plan for the universe vs. Roddenberry's vision of the future... we quickly fix all the world's problems. And while we try to figure out just what it takes to assemble the lair of a podcasting super-villain, we also mention… Guillermo del Toro, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Hateful Eight, dragons can, in fact, be defeated, a genuinely weird movie, more concentrated death... in a more productive way, the creative and constructive power of the imagination, escapism for poor people, when your real world has crossed over into what you thought was dystopia, non-likable characters, a zero sum game, a loss of faith in ourselves and each other, escapist literature, co-creators for the new world we live in, hanging out at one of Dali’s

Movie Meltdown - Episode 444 This week we are coming to you "live" from Days of the Dead: Indy as we talk with Ray Wise. You may know him Leland Palmer or The Devil himself. Or maybe as the Swamp Thing or Leon Nash from RoboCop... or the multitude of other roles from his impressive career. So join us as we hang out with Ray and discuss these roles and so much more! And as we fight the powers that be at the CW Network with all our might, we also mention… Winchester, The Rock version of Jumanji, Conan the Barbarian, an Orlando dentist, according to playground rules, Windom Earle, buckled and got both, Love of Life, Wes Craven, Patton Oswalt, Karen Gillan, Dead End, Dwight Yoakam’s chicken fries, Beastmaster, I get attachment issues, if it’s from Bill Moseley… it’s ok, the new Marlon Brando, Meredith Salenger, Chucks vs Vans, they’re either ice cold or leaking, Gene Hackman, Wishes, the swamps of Charleston South Carolina, Soldier of Orange, you know it was 95 degrees temp and 90 percent humidity and we had alli

Movie Meltdown - Episode 443 This week we return to our coverage of WonderFest as we sit down with actor John Amplas and discuss this week's Sofa Theater feature On the Waterfront. John is not only an actor (and part of many of George Romero’s early productions including Martin, Dawn of the Dead, Knightriders, Creepshow and Day of the Dead) but he has also spent the majority of his life teaching acting. So who better to delve into the acting style of Marlon Brando and the complex director that was Elia Kazan. And while we try to decide which order to place Eva, Marie and Saint we also mention… Daphne & Velma, a Lake Placid marathon, Rule 34, it’s ok to pretend, that alluring mystique, Betty White, working-class people, faux geeks, where American realism became the path for a lot of actors, Karl Malden, Bill Pullman wins, Stanislavski, completely therapeutic, vintage cereal, a lot of those folks came out of what then became the Actor’s Studio… which I’m not sure I’ve ever bought into… as a process, Lee J.

Movie Meltdown - Episode 442  This week we travel to Indy PopCon and discuss all the crazy goings on, as well as the latest trailers we've seen for upcoming movies, including… Bad Times at the El Royale, Suspiria, Destination Wedding, Upgrade, and the latest Halloween reboot attempt. And while we try to work through our Dakota Johnson issues, we also bring up… the greatest costume duo… that I’ve ever seen, free ice cream, so many accidental high-five deaths, you have to kill someone they love, a costume accessory to the eye, Grunkle Stan, one move away from Robert Sheehan, please don’t interact with me, doing a very specific wiggly dance, yo-yo rock stars, Thor would not smoke, Michael Myers in space, a reading rainbow, lonely Kevin Nash, how can you not love Daria, denim action and the surly attitude, Cate Blanchett, Cabin in the Woods, that kid felt the call… of DMX, the lizardy-dragon-girl-thing-lizard, hi-fiving Lance Henriksen, nobody likes a wooden spoon, wearin’ KangaROOS, I’m going to have to talk to

Movie Meltdown - Episode 441 This week we kick off our coverage of WonderFest as we sit down with Michael Possert Jr., who has spent many years working as a Special Effects Modelmaker as well as a Stop-Motion Fabricator. Listen as Michael tells stories of his adventures in the semi-recent past as he worked on huge movies like The Rocketeer, Apollo 13, Terminator 2, Alien 3, Serenity, True Lies, RoboCop 3 and many others all before joining up with Laika Studios to work on amazing stop-motion films like ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two Strings. Plus we travel back in time to several different stops on an epic road trip involving dinosaurs, civil war soldiers, super spies, cryptids, frightening penitentiaries and rock and roll superstars!    So strap on your rocket pack and zoom back in time as we also hear tales of… the flying door hinge, throwing rocks at battleships, so much nickel-plating, the hall of blacklight posters brought to life, a cat jury, the bobbing Mystic Seer head, interspersed lit

Movie Meltdown - Episode 440 This week we sit down to discuss the latest Star Wars standalone (sort of) movie Solo: A Star Wars Story. And all the history and universe-building that the film entails. Plus as we rejoice in the appearance of Clint Howard, we also mention… Mowgli, Skyscraper, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, all these thousands of people were murdered… for no real reason, making up for the nonsense we did way back here in this universe, it doesn’t count if they’re not going anywhere, Indiana Jones, Ray Park, film noir, The House with a Clock in Its Walls, female characters having a conversation, we’re zany… but there’s a giant shark coming after us, Han shot first, Josh Trank, robot rights, dammit Dwayne Johnson, they have to check so many boxes, the Kessel Run, the Ewok movies, celebrating Life Day, Ron Howard, if you would at least bring a bag of sand and a bus-sized shark. Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for the 2018 film Solo as well as the rest of the Star Wars franchise… and life as a whol

Movie Meltdown - Episode 439 (For our Patreon supporters.) This week we sit down and talk... about many, many things. Even some movies. And while we pin down exactly what meta-pandering means, we also discuss... The Sonora Pine, Ursula K. Le Guin, Ready Player One, Silence, weird Technicolor psychosis, once the Slint is in your system, hyper science, Superman mentality, the motionless picture, everyone was turning into Larry King, every other one... we know the rule, the American business, Martin Scorsese, adjusting stories, on the edge of town, Mark Hamill, Super 8, serialized storytelling, weird fetishization with our own social circle, we go home after popcorn, the sounds that kind of happen in your soul on those really dark nights, don't worry... I'm wearing a mask and gloves, Rian Johnson, Dickens novels, I don't know what winning looks like for our heroes, Star Trek culture, fanfiction, nothing but pop culture references, smart people from other countries want to come here, undercooked characters, Hitch

Movie Meltdown - Episode 438  This week we welcome the return of comedian Justin Golak to discuss this week's Sofa Theater feature: Ryan Coogler's Creed. Plus we go into some of the other movies we've seen recently, if it's worth getting a MoviePass and just what is the state of the modern comedy films these days.   And as we compare and contrast the modern-era Rockys, we also bring up... Blockers, Rampage, Game Night, The Death of Stalin, Super Troopers 2, like a puppy, too far Germany, the last days of me, they can't not do it, the music, Black Panther, born and bred, I think it's the best comedy on television now, convince the viewer, weathered wisdom, I've made a commitment to the future, Chris Rock, bold move as a mom, there's a lot of real tissue connected to that fictional story, Mystery Team, it's such a legacy film, you can't out-train it... you can't outlast it, this many years in, Tessa Thompson, twelve rounds for this man to prove that he is worthy of being alive, it was like... funnier than you m

Attack of the Killer Soundtrack - Episode 52 This week we are joined by composer, pianist and old school rock star - Rachel Grimes. Rachel has recently composed the score for Jeremy Frindel's film The Doctor from India, so we eventually discuss that... but not before we delve into her youthful interests, her formative years in the middle of a world-renowned punk rock scene and just how she got involved with the coolest field hockey team ever formed.   And while we confirm that Rachel's is the best part of Will Smith's Hancock, we also mention... Rodan, The City of Lost Children, Jacob Duncan, Lemonade Hayride, The Vogue Theater, every moment can be different, Vincent Guaraldi, Matmos, scenes were overlapping, concurrent streams, very gothy, oh my god... they just made the movie we wish we had made, Jason Noble, Zeppelin, don't go together with this rubber stamp ensemble, Peter Greenaway, viola, two cellos and bass, Nyman-esque, there wasn't the technical ability to put the show on in that room, 900 degrees, S

Movie Meltdown - Episode 437 This week our Super Series hits a new level with the culmination of a decade of Marvel movies bringing together the entire MCU - and our epic discussion of Avengers: Infinity War. And as we sat in awe at the sheer amount of planning and orchestration it took to get so many major actors in this one movie, we also discuss... Henry Cavill's mustache, Tom Cruise, The Empire Strikes Back, Trevor Goodchild, that disapproving look, the score, Fast and the Furious for your parents, The Crimes of Grindelwald, the incredible trauma, have we learned nothing from zombie movies, Drax, in a state of constant dying, what the hell is Nick's deal, everyone had to hold his head, 14 million visions, the bathroom fight scene, beast-mode axe, Final Fantasy VII, taking mechanical body parts, four years later, Thor, these are brutal f-ing actions, the Wakanda Air Force, that's some real Jack Kirby looking stuff, Danai Gurira, making yourself invisible, God tier, a dozen Jokers, all the side movies, Blac

Movie Meltdown - Episode 436 This week we head to The Bastion to watch and discuss The Void directed by Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie. And while we realize that we are all under the control of Bill Cipher, we also bring up... Channel Zero: Butcher's Block, Santa Clarita Diet, Avengers: Age of Ultron, the remakes of Dementia 13 and Cabin Fever, Art Hindle, Cthulhu mythos, Scarlet Witch, Bonnie Hunt, Sleepaway Camp, the magical murder powers of the woods, Linda Cardellini, being a realtor, Nick Jonas, playing Mousetrap, Friday the 13th, dressing like The Crow, Bride of Re-Animator, Nathan Fillion's head, a Nazi baseball team, playing Rampage, Uncle Frank Ultron, being a gamer, The Thing, Timothy Olyphant, have a buffalo baby, the people in white, Ethan Embry, CG animals, Nightbreed, do not Google degloving, a trippy music video, the dark arts, Scream Queens, kitten videos, I think that dynamic kind of works no matter what generation it is, the stairwell into Hell, Space Truckers, remakes, tiny girl ghos

Attack of the Killer Soundtrack - Episode 51 This week we are joined by Jonathon Mitchell from the band Nellie Pearl as we put together our own soundtrack of songs from a multitude of Winona Ryder-related projects. Including many live versions of songs from the recent Winona Ryd or Die event (coordinated by Heather and FEVA) as well as adding our own assortment of musical prerequisites and deep cuts from Winona’s career. And as we try to figure out where all the stickiness came from, we also mention... they had some grit, you’re not fluent in Portuguese, the tequila was not nearly the most intoxicating thing going on with me that night, In Your Face TV, check out the first two albums, somebody described it as an implosion, unhinged-ness, I lumbered through the crowd to the front door… and just right out into the street in the rain… and I just took off running down the middle of the street, rock star attitude, people that fell in love with her I think it also was because she was such an oddball, from Petula Cl

Movie Meltdown: Episode 435 This week we talk with filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe about his early pop culture interests and the influences that led to his specific documentary style. In particular, those that led him to direct his films The People vs. George Lucas, Doc of the Dead and 78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene. And as we realize we all come from the same international pop culture beginnings, we also discuss... Star Wars, Night of the Living Dead, Blade Runner 2049, Isle of Dogs, respecting the past, Charles Dickens, Rian Johnson, we don’t remember all the bad movies made, actively thinking about your role as a filmmaker, a tremendous amount of fun, the more you start peeling the layers, a completely unique phenomenon in pop culture, World War Z, Denis Villeneuve, he still has so many mysteries, I do what I do because I adore those films, Pontypool, testified before Congress against the colorization of black and white films, Ridley Scott, the idea of rules in any sub-genre, a passion for communication t

Movie Meltdown - Episode 434 (For our Patreon supporters.) This episode is a crossover Patreon event with one of our favorite artists - epyon5! Join us as we discuss the modern cult classic "What We Do in the Shadows"! A small, independent film that not only managed to find it’s niche audience but along the way has also created it’s own horror universe that has lead to many other projects.    And while we create our own shaming ritual, we also bring up… The Shape of Water, Murder on the Orient Express, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, under the top, huffin’ some spray paint, great misdirection, The Big Lebowski, there’s a roll-out going on, an illegal machine shop, I really wanna be a cowboy, The Beast, Fawlty Towers, we go out in the middle of the night in the streets of Cleveland looking for the right HDMI cable, Neil Breen, I expect him to always wear something on his face, those are good pants man… you just lost those pants, just bells and whistles… and explosions, puffy shirts, Wes Anderson, do you think he ha

Movie Meltdown - Episode 433 This week we return to our coverage of the Lexington Comic & Toy Convention as we discuss acting and directing with Jonathan Frakes. Plus we cover some of the variety of movies we’ve seen recently. And while we have a very special interaction with that girl in the stairwell, we also mention... The Octagon, Amityville: The Awakening, Leatherface, The Orville, Pauly Shore, Southbound, Alien: Covenant, Atomic Blonde, The Librarians, I call it speaking at performance volume, The Searchers, I would be killed by my own sleepwear, why is there no mystery anymore, Cameron Monaghan, the huge ninja-craze of the 80’s, Bella Thorne, is that just her gait, Shenandoah, the writers are on the set with you, gummy worms and a sandwich, Vanessa Hudgens, they wanna see in 30 frames, Stephen Dorff, he waits for them to fall into zany traps, 1967 Chevy Sport Van, North and South, Triangle meets Slacker, that one chick lived, a little more money… a little more time, Dean Devlin, this kid… wearing a