Movie Schmovie

Ep. 431-Thomasine and Bushrod (1974), Tony Todd’s Legacy, Silo, The Penguin, and Heretic!

In a wide-ranging episode, the guys tackle Max Julien’s 1974 blaxploitation western, Thomasine and Bushrod; pay their respects to the late Tony Todd; and dig into the premiere of Silo’s second season on Apple TV Plus. Then Ron and John deliver a spoiler section on the first season of The Penguin and Steve shares a few thoughts about creepy Hugh Grant in Heretic.

Ep. 430-The Blob (1988) and More!

Ron, Steve, and John get together to talk about a horror remake from 1988, because there isn’t anything else going on. It’s Chuck Russell’s version of The Blob, a film with scary practical effects and an even scarier mullet.

Ep. 429-Memories of Murder (2003) and The Substance

Ron, Steve, and John ruminate on the nature of crime and justice as they discuss Bong Joon-Ho’s moody and absorbing 2003 serial killer drama, Memories of Murder. Then younger versions of the guys emerge from their bloody torn bodies for a run-down of Coralie Fargeat’s visceral, upsetting, and darkly funny new body horror film, The Substance. Happy Halloween!

Ep. 428-Doctor Sleep (2019), Smile 2, and the Terrifier 3 Phenomenon

Ron, Steve, and John are back with a horror-centric episode, from Ron’s Required Viewing pick, Doctor Sleep, to this week’s brand-new Smile 2, with a little side serving of Art the Clown, whose latest, the bludgeoning Terrifier 3, is already a huge success, especially for an unrated, independently-produced film.

Ep. 427-Watch-em-all: Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021), and Halloween Ends (2022)

Steve, Ron, and John take a trip back to Haddonfield, Illinois for the last time—three more times! It’s all in the name of wrapping up their Halloween Watch-em-all mini-series with coverage of the trilogy of (as of now) final installments in this curiously durable but certainly tired franchise, all directed by David Gordon Green: Halloween, Halloween Kills, and Halloween Ends.

Ep. 426-Fierce Creatures (1997), Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Rebel Ridge, Sing Sing

Ron, Steve, and John try to keep their zoo open by watching Fierce Creatures, the 1997 comedy that attempted to repeat the success of A Fish Called Wanda. They also enthuse about Jeremy Saulnier’s new Netflix thriller, Rebel Ridge, and Ronald and John share some thoughts on that hit Beetlejuice sequel.

Ep. 425-The Speedway Murders (2023), Cuckoo, Strange Darling

The guys check out experimental true crime semi-doc The Speedway Murders, which combines dramatic reenactments, talking head interviews, and speculative footage, and then dig into a couple of equally experimental recent horror films: Cuckoo and Strange Darling.

Ep. 424-Watchmen: Chapter 1, Alien: Romulus, and More!

Steve, Ron, and John take a look at two new releases: an animated adaptation of the first half of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s seminal graphic novel, Watchmen, and the latest entry in a franchise that keeps on kicking (and hugging faces and dripping acid blood), Alien: Romulus.

Ep. 423-Watch-em-all: Halloween H20 (1998); Halloween: Resurrection (2002); Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009)

As often happens, the title of the eppy says it all. This time Ron, Steve, and John endure and /or enjoy the next four Halloween sequels in their summer-long Watch-em-all commitment: 1998’s Halloween H20, aka the return of franchise heroine Jamie Lee Curtis as prototypical final girl Laurie Strode—and then three other movies, one of which features Busta Rhymes using kung fu on Michael Myers. Welcome to DangerTainment!

Ep. 422-The Plague Dogs (1982), House of the Dragon Season 2 Finale, Trap

The guys discuss perhaps the bleakest animated talking animal movie ever made, Martin Rosen’s The Plague Dogs (1982), before moving on to the much cheerier subject of incestuous royals engaged in bloody civil war, aka the second season finale of House of the Dragon. Then Steve and John try to escape their ambivalence about M Night Shyamalan’s latest mid-budget thriller, Trap.