Episode 94 - The Long Good Friends of Eddie Coyle

Happy Holidays from the Cave! Nothing says  "We Love You" more than a couple of vicious and depressing tales of crime and criminals. We start off with 1973's The Friends of Eddie Coyle, starring show-favorite Robert Mitchum  as Eddie "Fingers" Coyle who has made some bad choices and is finding himself running out of options. It is complicated and challenging and totally engrossing. We follow that up with 1980's The Long Good Friday which stars Bob Hoskins as Harold, a high-level British gangster who has lots of bad things happening in his life. It is similarly complicated and challenging and an excellent companion to Eddie Coyle. Let us know what you thought of the show by sending email to flickersfrom@gmail.com or flickersfrom@yahoo.com or leave a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 93 - Last Exit to Fear

We look at two films based on work by the writer Huber Selby Jr. on this episode of the podcast. We  had only seen the amazing 2000 film Requiem for a Dream, which is based on Selby's book, so our expectations were high as we sought out his other films.  We start off the podcast with the 1989 film Last Exit to Brooklyn, which is based on Selby's controversial novel and which caused a big stir when it was released. With a strong lead performance from Stephen Lang, it is a complicated and impressive journey through a dark few weeks in the 50's. We follow that up with 2003's Fear X, from show-favorite Nicolas Winding Refn. With a stunningly underplayed performance from John Turturro, it focuses on a man who's experienced a senseless tragedy and his struggle to understand why it happened. Very low-key, moody, and tense, this is a film that will put you on edge almost immediately and then keep you there until the final credits.  Let us know what you thought of the show by writing to flickersfrom@gmail.com or flickersfrom@yahoo.com, or just leave a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 92 - Flickers from the Polls

We get super-political on this episode of the podcast, just in time for the U.S. elections which are almost upon us. We start off with 1970's "Joe", an early film from John G. Avildsen who would later give us such box office champs as Rocky and the Karate Kid.  It takes a look at the relationship between the haves and have-nots at a time when the youth were not interested in following in their father's footsteps ( which is surely a thing of the past ).  We follow that up with 1957's "A Face In The Crowd" from the legendary Elia Kazan, and  starring our local hero Andy Griffith as Lonesome Rhodes. The screenplay is by Budd Schulberg, who teamed with Kazan for "On the Waterfront", for which he was awarded the Oscar for best screenplay.  This tells a very familiar tale of someone who is "famous for being famous" who rises to surprising power because the public loves his persona, and how that power can be used for less-than-ideal purposes.  Let us know what you think of the movies, and the podcast, by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com or just leave us a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 91 - Flickers from the Damp

We added an entirely new ( and probably unwanted ) feature to Flickers...VIDEO!  If you want to see us recording the second half of the show, click here.  We are back to the deep dark sea on this episode, focusing on two older movies that take place above, on and under the waves.  We start off with 1966's Destination Inner Space. Full of cheese and an almost Donald-Trump-Level of of gender politics, it is a fun piece of fluff with a VERY impressive monster.  We follow that up with a TV-movie from 1981 called The Intruder Within. Starring Chad Everett and Joseph Bottoms, it is a reworking of the story from Alien ( which was a reworking of It! The Terror From Beyond Space and Planet of the Vampires ) but done very competently with some great bits of character development and some nice original touches.  Listen in to hear us go into exhaustive ( and exhausting ) detail on each. Let us know what you thought of the show, and especially the video component by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com or post a message on our Facebook page.

 

Episode 90 - You're Going to Need a Bigger Podcast

Watch out, the cave is flooded and we have been beset by man-eating sharks!  We go back to the 70's for two films that took our eternal fascination with these fearsome beasts and try to use that to bring people to the cinemas.  We start off with 1975's "Shark's Treasure", which stars the legendary Cornel Wilde who also produced, wrote and directed the film.  Essentially a little  tale  of treasure-hunting adventure in the caribbean, this film packs in a huge amount of subtle, and subversive content. This is a great movie that is filled with surprising turns.  We follow that up with 1976's "Mako, The Jaws of Death" from genre filmmaker William Grefé, and starring one of our favorite actors, Richard Jaeckel. It tells a story of a man who has become an ally with sharks and who fights against the humans that are out to exploit and kill them. It is a fun exploitation film with a strong performance from Jaeckel and some truly stunning scenes of shark attacks.  We loved both these films and would love to hear what your favorite shark movies are. Please write to us at flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com, or you can just post a message on our Facebook page.

 

Episode 89 - No Djacket Required

We go back to Italy for another dose of fine Italian cinema, this time focusing on two of their many "Spaghetti Westerns".  We start off with a Django film with surprisingly-low amounts of Django in it ( we figured it had, roughly, zero percent of Django in the actual film ) but...it was still totally awesome.  We are talking about the oddly-titled "Django Kill...if you Live, Shoot" from 1967. This is a weird and  twisted film that you really should search out. It has a wonderfully-complicated plot and a seemingly-endless stream of bizarre characters. All of whom are focused on screwing each other over. We follow that up with the absolutely brilliant "Keoma" from 1976 which stars the legendary Franco Nero ( the original Django ) as a half-breed indian who returns to his childhood home and must settle ALL the scores and right ALL the wrongs. It is amazing and impressive on almost every level.  Listen to the podcast to find out which level we feel doesn't quite measure up to the rest. Please let us know what you think of the show and send us suggestions for films to cover by writing to flickersfrom@gmail.com or flickersfrom@yahoo.com or just leave us a message on our Facebook page.

 

Episode 88 - Flickerin' Down the Road

We hit the road again this week, thanks to a great suggestion from one of our awesome listeners named Andrew. He told us about an amazing Canadian film from 1970, called "Goin' Down the Road" from director Donald Shebib. The film follows to "maritimers" who leave their homes to travel to the big city of Toronto with hopes of a chance to live a better life.  An incredible film, with honest and powerful performances, we had never heard of it and are thrilled that we were able to see it. We pair that one with 1974's "Road Movie" from director Joseph Strick.  This one also has incredibly brave and poignant performances, including a very young Barry Bostwick, and the truly mesmerizing Regina Baff as Janice, the catalyst in the storyline. It is the tale of two truck drivers who are following their dream of being independent drivers, who set off on their first run in their new rig...and things don't really go how they imagined.  These are two stunning, and bleak films, that don't leave you happy, but instead show the lengths that humans will go to, just to keep some semblance of hope. These are characters clutching at straws and frequently coming up short, if they come up at all.  Please let us know what you thought of the show by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com, flickersfrom@gmail.com or post a message over on our Facebook page.

 

Episode 87 - Flickers of the Blind Cave

We love getting recommendations from listeners but it might seem like we were ignoring one of those recommendations, but we assure you that is not the case. Thanks, and apologies, go out to Hugo, who suggested that we look into the "Blind Dead" films from Amando de Ossorio.  We  missed Hugo's message for a LONG time, but when we found it, lurking in the dark corners of our inbox, we leapt on the suggestion.  Starting with the first of the four films in the series, Tombs of the Blind Dead, from 1972, which tells the story of a group of Knights Templar that return from the crusades and are forced to pay a heavy price for their fall from grace.  A pretty grim movie overall, this one started it all.  We follow that up with the fourth and final film in the series, 1975's Night of the Seagulls. This one has lots of Lovecraftian influences and is probably a better overall film than the first one, but they both have plenty to recommend them.  Thanks to Hugo for the great suggestion, and our apologies again for taking so long to get to them. Please let us know what you thought of the show and send your own suggestions to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com or just post a message to our Facebook page.

Episode 86 - Outlaw Country

We are sticking close to home with the latest episode of the podcast. We look at two films that are totally products of our home-state of North Carolina. We start off with 1968's Killers Three, which was produced, co-written by, and co-stars the one and only Dick Clark!  With a surprisingly strong cast and a  well-paced story, this movie is a real blast ( literally at times ). We follow that up with 1978's Seabo, a.k.a. Buckstone County Prison.  Produced by, and starring local-legend Earl Owensby, it really wants to be more than it quite reach, but still delivered a fun, cheesy romp through the mountains of the Old North State. We loved these bits of homegrown goodness, and would love to hear about your own local filmmakers and the things they've produced, so send us some info to flickersfrom@gmail.com or flickersfrom@yahoo.com or just post a note over on the Facebook page.

Episode 85 - Bride of Frankenheimer

For this episode of the podcast we wanted to rewatch some films we had seen before but had NOT like, and see if our opinions changed on them this time.  It was an interesting experiment.  We  start with 2003's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. which has a truly impressive cast and is based on a graphic novel series of the same name from the legendary Alan Moore. We follow that up with 2006's Ultraviolet, from director Kurt Wimmer ( who made one of our favorite films, Equilibrium ) and stars the bellybutton of Milla Jovovich. In many ways, it was like we had never seen either of these films before, in both good and bad terms.  Let us know if you've had experiences with movies where you rewatched them and found yourself with new opinions on their qualities. Please also let us know what you think of the show and if you have any suggestions for the future. You can reach us at flickersfrom@gmail.com, flickersfrom@yahoo.com or leave us a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 84 - Freaky 2015

A Flickers podcast that doesn't look at films from the 70s or 80s!?!?! What has the world come to!?!?
We wanted to update things a bit this time, so we are looking at two from 2015, starting with The Invitation, which is very much like if Werner Herzog directed a claustrophobic remake of the Big Chill. Filled with great performances and a great ( and surprising ) story, this was a real treat. We follow that up with The Witch, and we both felt that it did, in fact, live up to all the hype that surrounded its release.  It tells what feels like a very authentic tale of an family that is disintegrating while something possibly supernatural taunts them from nearby shadows. We follow these two up with a discussion of other recent horror greats, but eventually the nurses come to give us our medicine and put us to bed before we get too excited.  Let us know what you've seen from the last couple of years that impressed you by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com or leave us a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 83 - The Quiet Pork Pie

Thanks to faithful listener Jason, we discovered something new and wonderful for the is episode of the podcast.  He turned us on to New Zealand director Geoff Murphy and suggested that we pair up two of his films. We start with 1981's Goodbye Pork Pie which follows a nutty young man named Jerry and his accidental companion John as the travel basically the entire length ( north to south ) of New Zealand in a bright yellow, stolen mini-cooper.  We think there's a lot more going on in the film that might appear at first glance and we talk quite a bit about our ideas. We follow that up with 1985's The Quiet Earth which is another in a proud history of post-apocalyptic tales.  This one does a lot of things differently however and really impressed us with it's craftsmanship as well as the arcs of it's main characters.  We were thrilled to get Jason's suggestions and hope that you will contribute yours to the cause as well.  Send your ideas, feedback, and naked photos to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com or post a message on our Facebook page.

 

Episode 82 - Flickers and Caves and Bears Oh My

We are off to Jellystone for this episode of Flickers!  There are bears in those woods and they are wanting to do more than ruin your picnic.  We start with 1976's Grizzly from director William Girdler and featuring performances from some of our favorite character actors, including Christopher George, Richard Jaeckel and Andrew Prine.  In a story that is VERY similar to a certain hit film about 3 guys who are looking for a big shark off the coast of Amity Island, this is a solid PG-rated movie that entertains but is not lacking problems. We follow that up with another movie about a killer bear, 1979's Prophecy from legendary director John Frankenheimer.  This time we bundle in environmentalism, the lousy treatment of native Americans, and corporate malfeasance...this is a heck of a stew.  With lead performances from Richard Foxworth, Talia Shire and Armand Assante, we really liked this one a lot.  Let us know what you thought of the show and send us your suggestions for future pairings by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com or just leave a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 81 - Stallone Again...Naturally

What is it about the inescapable pull of Menahem Golan?  We have yet another film from this storied filmmaker this time, but we start with 1986's Cobra, from George P. Cosmatos, who had previously given the world, Rambo: First Blood Part 2.  In a solid tale of a renegade cop who's trying to stop a ruthless serial killer from knocking-off a witness to one of his kills, Cobra delivers everything that you might want in an action film from the 80's ( except maybe nudity, which there is none of ).  We follow that up with Mr. Golan's 1987 film "Over The Top" which tells the story of Lincoln Hawk, a trucker and arm-wrestler who is trying to mend a shattered relationship with his youngish son.  Oh, did we mention that both of these films star the one and only Sylvester "Tango" Stallone? Well they do, and he is actually pretty great in both of these.  This show was built from a recommendation from Dylan over at D's Movie Corner...if you check out his site, please tell him that you heard about it on Flickers from the Cave. While you're letting people know things, let US know what you thought of the show and what movies you'd like to see added to the big pile of stuff that is filling up the cave. Write us at flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com or leave us a message over on our Facebook page.

Episode 80 - Flickers from the Disco

Apparently, in 1980, the world was gripped with a bad case of Disco Fever!  We prove this theory by talking about two films from this significant year.  With it being our 80th episode (!) we thought it was fitting to look at two from that specific year.  We start off with the totally baffling "The Apple" from producer/director Menahem Golan.  A mind-boggling biblical parable with more makeup than Max Factor and more crazy fashion than one of Lady Gaga's fever dreams. This is a true oddity and something that should be seen by anyone who has ever asked the question "what's the strangest film ever made?"  We follow that up with the bipolar antics of "Can't Stop the Music" from director Nancy Walker.  More known for being the spokesperson for Bounty paper towels, Ms. Walker really pulls out the stops with this highly-fictionalized story of the formation of the Village People.  This group of costumed performers were a huge sensation at the time and this film was an attempt to cash in on that tide of popularity,  The film switches back and forth between wide-eyed innocence and not-so-subtle innuendo that would make a sailor blush.  It is totally charming and more than a little annoying ( especially with it's 2 hour run-time ).  We loved both these movies and would appreciate hearing your suggestions for other musicals that would be appropriate for the podcast. Send us your thoughts and suggestions to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com or post a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 79 - Up Chuck

Did you say "action movies"? Did you say "Chuck Norris" ?  Wait a second, did somebody say "The Eighties" ?  Boy, oh boy, do we have you covered on this episode!  We both recently watch Electric Boogaloo: The Wild Untold Story of Cannon Films ( which we HIGHLY recommend ) and it inspired us to do this pairing of films.  We start off with 1985's Invasion U.S.A. which sees Chuck Norris square-off against an angry Russian terrorist named Rostov, played psychotically by Richard Lynch. It is a violent, mean-spirited epic, with innocent people being destroyed from almost the opening frame.  We follow that up with 1986's "The Delta Force" which features Chuck again, along with Lee Marvin as members of the elite Delta Force as they try to stop a crazed terrorist played by Robert Forster who has hijacked a plane full of innocents.  It is a movie with a split personality, as the first half is a fairly straight-forward tale of intrigue which devolves, in the second half, to a silly, over-the-top, romp with rocket-launching motorcycles and tons of explosions.  Despite this incongruity, we loved it!  Let us know what you thought of the show by writing to flickersfrom@gmail.com or flickersfrom@yahoo.com or post a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 78 - Pros and Cons of Witch Hunting

It is off to Merrye Olde Englande this time, for two amazing tales of witches and their hunters. We start with 1968's The Witchfinder General ( also known as The Conqueror Worm ).  We were lucky enough to watch the Director's cut of this amazing story based on the true story of Matthew Hopkins who did his best to rid the British countryside of witches in the 1600's. We then turn to 1971's The Blood on Satan's Claw which takes the idea of witches VERY seriously and shows us a tiny British village that is beset by a coven of young evil-doers who are up to all sorts of dastardly deeds.
Let us know what you thought of the show by sending email to flickersfrom@gmail.com or flickersfrom@yahoo.com or just leave a message on our Facebook page.

 

Episode 77 - Toy Boats In The Tub

We run giggling back into the strong, manly arms of Mr. Doug McClure again for episode 77 and bask in his glory.  It is time to get the rubber monsters out, and to set sail across a mysterious sea filled with mysterious dangers, and we are going to pack our ships with shifty characters and lots of twisty subplots.  We go out to sea for 1968's The Lost Continent and follow that up with 1978's Warlords of Atlantis.  These are both excellent films that succeed on basically every level ( as long as you judge the monsters a little loosely ).  Listen to us rave about them and then please send us your thoughts to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com. You could also leave a message on our Facebook page.

 

Episode 76 - You Know...For The Kids

A new year is upon us, and a new Flickers is upon YOU!  We start out the year with two movies that put children in perilous, zombie-related, situations, but with varying levels of success. We start with 2015's Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, which is on the extreme low end of success and finish up with 2014's Cooties, which truly knocks every single ball out of the park.  Scout's Guide, tells the story of 3 scouts who find themselves in a town where all the adults are gone, or turned into zombies, and all the high school kids are at a huge rave and need to be rescued. It is terrible, but does have some nice special effects, decent performances ( including the great Cloris Leachman ) and a handful of laughs.  Cooties, on the other hand, is an unmitigated success from beginning to end.  It stars Elijah Wood as Clint, a substitute teacher who picked the wrong day to show up for work. His elementary school is overrun by flesh eating kids and it is up a small group of teachers ( including Rainn Wilson in a hilarious role ) to survive the onslaught.  

It is funny, dark and expertly crafted. Let us know what you thought of the show by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com or leave us a message on our Facebook page.