Episode 98 - Flickering for Vengeance

Thanks to a recommendation from friend-of-the-show George, we started down a long, twisty path that lead us to the films we discuss on this episode. The through-line on all of them is the idea of revenge.  We start off with 2004's Dead Man's Shoes, from director Shane Meadows.  Paddy Considine plays Richard, who has come back to his hometown to settle a score that involves his brother Anthony.  At first, we do not know exactly what has set him on this path, but the film reveals it in a masterful way. It is powerful and dark, yet surprisingly comic at times. We follow that up with 2013's Blue Ruin, from director Jeremy Saulnier who had also helmed Green Room. We follow Dwight, who is also locked into getting revenge for something, which we only really learn the full details of, late in the proceedings. The incredible lead-performance is from Macon Blair, who has gone on to write and direct a film that was just featured on Netflix titled I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore.  With two great lead performances from Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood, this is yet another revenge tale, but this one is wonderfully offbeat and unique. An excellent aperitif after the heavy double-whammy of Blue Ruin and Dead Man's Shoes.  We went far afield with episode 98 and we hope you enjoy the show as much as we enjoyed recording it. Let us know your thoughts by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com, or just post a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 97 - Everything Old is New Again

We all complain about how the dream factories of Hollywood only spit out remakes and rehashes of existing properties.  We see endless streams of superhero films, and "reimagined" versions of some of our most beloved titles, and we lose all hope. Then along come two really fantastic films that shake us out of this despair and show us that there are still some people out there doing good, original work. People who appreciate that the old ways are sometimes best. We start off with 2016's "The Autopsy of Jane Doe", starring Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch.  It is directed by Andre Ovredal, who gave us the amazing "Troll Hunter".  This is a small and intimate look into the lives of two men working in a mortuary that are tasked with solving the mysteries behind a woman's body found at a crime scene. It is sensational, and the less you know about it, the better...just go see it! We follow that up with 2015's "Green Room", from director Jeremy Saulnier.  It tells the story of a punk band from Washington D.C. that finds themselves on the opposite coast of America, without a dollar, or any gigs, who are offered a shot to perform at a club deep in the woods and frequented by skinheads. Things do not go well. This is such an intense and impactful film, you really have to see it to believe it.  Let us know what you thought of the films, and the show, by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com or just leave us a message on our Facebook page.

 

Episode 96 - Zero Budget Blockbusters

For this episode of the podcast, we look at two more films from the 70s, but both of these feature special-effects work from people who would go on to redefine what is possible in film effects work. We start off with 1970's Equinox, with effects from Dennis Muren who has more than a few Oscars in his cupboard. It is a very interesting, Lovecraftian tale, about ancient books that unlock doorways to dark realms. It is amazing what they accomplished with no money.  We follow that up with 1977's Planet of Dinosaurs, which has some truly spectacular stop-motion work from Jim Aupperle.  This is a real throw-back to a simpler type of story, and it is full of groan-worthy moments, but it is still a sweet taste of  "the good old days".  Let us know what you thought of the show by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com  or flickersfrom@gmail.com or just leave a message on our Facebook page.

 

Episode 95 - Flickers '95

Happy New Year, and welcome back to the damp confines of the cave!  We are going into the wayback machine to remember a film series that made a major mark on genre cinema. We start off with the very entertaining "Airport" from 1970. With a stellar cast lead by Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Helen Hayes ( in an Oscar-winning role ) and series-regular George Kennedy, the film is based on the bestselling novel by Arthur Hailey.  It tells the story of an airport manager who is beset on every side, by nature, business forces, and a very dissatisfied wife. It is a tightly plotted, and swiftly paced tale. This is old-hollywood at it's best.  We follow that up with the second sequel, titled simply "Airport '77". This film boasts another amazing cast that includes Jack Lemmon, Lee Grant, Jimmy Stewart and even the legendary Joseph Cotton. It is more of an action-movie than the first film, but it is extremely entertaining and totally worth your time.  Let us know what you thought of the show by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com or just leave a message on our Facebook page.

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.