Episode 128 - There's Always Room for Giallo

With Julie "away on assignment", we decided to head back to Italy to look at a couple of films from a genre that is decidely unfriendly to women, the notorious "giallo".  We start with "What Have You Done To Solange" from 1972 which totally blew us both away. This was a really strong and well-told tale with tons of intrigue and mystery and some very unsavory moments. We use the word "masterpiece" several times in our discussion and stand firmly by that. We follow that up with another solid entry in the genre, 1973's "Torso" which hews much closer to the standards that you expect to see in any giallo.  It's good, but in comparison with the other film, it does not come out on top, but we still say it's worth your time to seek out.  Please let us know what you thought of the show and send us YOUR recommendations for some great giallos to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com. You can also post a message to our Facebook page or tweet us @cavewalls and don't forget about our Instagram page!

Episode 127 - Raw Vampire Robo Force

We kick and punch and resurrect the dead this time in the cave. We start off with a staggeringly inept film from 1988 called Robo Vampire which really has to be seen to be believed. If you are a fan of really bad cinema, this one deserves to be seen. We follow that up with a truly entertaining film from 1982 called Raw Force. It is packed with nudity and wacky comedy which serves to soften a tale of cannibal monks and an undead army of martial artists on a forbidden island. Listen in and then let us know what you thought of the show by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com. You can also find us on Twitter, on Facebook and also over on Instagram.

Episode 126 - Extreme Flickers

It's like a bag of flamin' hot cheetos in the cave this time...things are soooo EXTREME!!!  We start off with an amazing little movie from 1993 called "Extreme Justice" starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Scott Glenn ( and lots of others ) in a story of a secret team inside the LAPD with a mission to stop certain repeat offenders...permanently!  We follow that up with a movie from 1987 from legendary director Walter Hill called "Extreme Prejudice". This stars Nick Nolte and show-favorite Powers Boothe as two men in Texas that find themselves on opposite sides, of the law AND the Rio Grande.  It is a massively-operatic tale of good vs. evil and it drips with testosterone. Let us know what you thought of the show by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com  or flickersfrom@gmail.com. You can also post messages to our Facebook page, or tweet at us @cavewalls. You can also follow us and message us on Instagram.

Episode 125 - Jim Kata the Adventure Begins

There are all sorts of martial arts, but we picked two particularly interesting ones that were featured in films from 1985. We start of with the legendarily sketchy Gymkata, starring olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas who is recruited by the US government to take part in a dangerous game in central Europe, to win favor with the Khan. It is not good, but still, tons of fun to watch. We follow that up with the audaciously titled "Remo Williams - The Adventure Begins" starring the awesome Mr. Fred Ward.  Based on the long-running series of Destroyer novels, it is directed by Guy Hamilton who helmed many of the best films in the James Bond franchise. It was intended to be the start of a whole new set of movies but it mysteriously failed when it debuted.  We are using new equipment this time and are learning the ins and outs, but we think the sound quality is markedly better. Please let us know what you think of the show by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com. You can post a message on our Facebook page, or tweet us @cavewalls. Please check us out over on Instagram too!

 

Episode 124 - Flickers From the Sewer

We are getting all up in some manholes this time for the podcast.  Down in the darkness, under the city streets, there are things moving around in a very spooky way in both of the movies we talk about. We start with 1980's Scared to Death, from Bill Malone. It features a big humanoid monster known as the Syngenor that is killing people left and right. Only one former alcoholic, former cop has the skill to solve the mystery. It is very ambitious, and largely successful, especially when you consider the film's budget.  We follow that up with another from 1980, Lewis Teague's completely fantastic movie, Alligator.  Someone flushed a baby alligator down the toilet, 15 years ago, and that baby alligator has been eating the test animals from a local genetics lab which gives it a more than subtle growth-spurt. It stars the always-excellent Robert Forster and the totally gorgeous Robin Riker and the film is basically a perfect monster movie.  Let us know what you thought of the show by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com. You can also post a message on our Facebook page, and please follow us @cavewalls on Twitter and check out our newest addition over on Instagram!

Episode 123 - The Man-Cavian Candidate

We have two very disparate yet similar films this time in the cave. We start off with 1986's Hands of Steel, from Italian maestro Sergio Martino. It tells the story of Paco Queruak, a cyborg who begins to break from governmental control and rediscover his humanity. It is a quintessential 80's sci-fi movie and ultimately completely satisfying. We follow that up with a real mind-bender, the jaw-dropping Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning from 2012. Directed by John Hyams, it continues the story of the Universal Soldier franchise in a surreal, vicious, and completely over-the-top way.  This is dark, and shocking stuff, and WOW is it good!  Let us know what you thought of the show and send recommendations for future episodes by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com. You can also tweet at us @cavewalls, message us on our Facebook page, or follow our sparkling new instagram page.

 

Episode 122 - Sax-on Sax-off

There is no point in trying to deny it...we LOVE John Saxon! We look at two of his films this time, and, thanks to podcast-listener George, one of the films is his sole directorial effort! We start off with the legendary 1980 movie, Cannibal Apocalypse, which stars Saxon and Giovanni Radice in a tale of flesh-eating vietnam vets, running from the police in Atlanta, Georgia. We had heard about this one for years but it largely left us unimpressed. We follow this up with 1988's Zombie Death House, which was directed by Saxon, impressively! It is a total blast and it completely took us by surprise! Thank you George for the recommendation!  Please send YOUR suggestions for films to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com. You can also get ahold of us on our Facebook page or tweet at us @cavewalls.

Episode 121 - Above the Deadly Ground

Julie took over the film-selection this week, so we ended up watching two from Mr. Steven Seagal. We start off with his first, Above the Law from 1988, which is directed by the reliable Andrew Davis. It tells a very boilerplate story, but it tells it VERY successfully and really established Seagal as a new type of action star. We follow that up with his only directorial effort, 1994's On Deadly Ground. In this story, Seagal plays a native American who works for an evil oil tycoon, played by Sir Michael Caine in one of the most over-the-top performances we've seen. It is totally nuts.  Though there was dissension about the directorial efforts, we all agree that the movie is totally entertaining. Please let us know what you thought of the episode by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com. You can also post a message to us on our Facebook page or on Twitter @cavewalls.

 

Episode 120 - Ya Heard?

We decided to watch two films that feature the multi-faceted actor John Heard, starting off with 1981's Cutter's Way and following up with 1977's Between the Lines. None of us really "enjoyed" either movie, and we struggled in some cases to even make it through them. We bit both bullets though and pushed through for our podcasting art and we present our summation here. Even though the movies weren't fun, the conversations that they inspired are excellent and we DO recommend that you listen to those.  Please let us know what you thought of the show by writing to us at flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com.  You can also message us on Facebook or Twitter, where you can find us @cavewalls.

Episode 119 - Franciscus-Fest

We're not sure it's fair to call these movies "rip-offs" but...they are kinda rip-offs, but really, really entertaining ones! Both of the movies this time feature James Franciscus in the lead role, and deadly animals underneath the water!  We start off with 1979's "Killer Fish", which also stars Lee Majors, Karen Black and a lagoon full of hungry piranha! We follow that up with a 1981 "tribute" to Jaws that went by a million titles but we watched a copy called "L'Ultimo Squalo" ( The Last Shark ).  It adds Vic Morrow to the mix as a sort of Irish Captain Quint, with the emphasis on "sort of Irish".  We enjoyed both of these movies a lot and recommend them fully, just don't go in expecting them to be good in any sort of traditional way.  Let us know what you thought of the show by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com, leave us a message on Facebook or find us on Twitter @cavewalls.