Episode 170 - Tommy Guns and Roses

We finally got the whole gang back together again for a long, drunken, food-filled episode, with a truly apocalyptic amount of rambling. We look at two movies that explore the life of notorious bank robber John Dillinger. First up is 1973's Dillinger, from maverick writer/director John Milius, with Warren Oates playing the titular character. It is a rough and rowdy tale of criminals and the big strong lawmen who are chasing them down. It's violent, and full of that signature Milius dialogue. We follow that up with 1979's The Lady in Red from the killer combination of John Sayles and Lewis Teague. It focuses more on a young woman played by Pamela Sue Martin who has a VERY rough life then meets Dillinger at the diner where she works and they fall in love. This one is also very rough in spots, with the main character being subjugated, beaten and mistreated in a myriad of ways. We all loved both movies and recommend them fully. Let us know what you'd like us to look at next by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com.  You can also reach us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

 

Episode 169 - Stoned Wheelers

We have gotten the gang back together...sort of...for this episode of the podcast. In what can only be described as "The best we can do at the moment" we present a hodge-podge of recordings and a metric ton of rambling as we look at two classic motorcycle movies of the 70s. Thanks to a great recommendation from Craig, we were turned on to the 1974 Australian classic "Stone" which none of us had heard of before. It completely deserves it's legendary status and kicked ass in every way possible. We follow that up with also excellent 1973 British flick "The Death Wheelers" ( aka Psychomania ). It's a much more light-hearted affair, but still a unique twist on the biker genre and total blast. Let us know what you'd like us to look at next by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com.  You can also reach us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Episode 168 - Flickers from the Block

We're back with another two-seater Covid19 special from the cave, looking at two films with similar storylines but VERY different tones. We start off with 1985's Tenement from director Roberta Findlay. It is a super low budget, exploitation movie that takes place mostly in and around a tenement building in the South Bronx. There are some very rough moments in the movie, and they pack a punch, even with some of the less than perfect acting and very basic special effects. It is a grimy, mean-spirited movie, and we recommend it 100%. We follow that up with Enemy Territory from 1987, which has Ray Parker Jr. in one of the two lead roles. With Tony Todd playing the leader of a vicious gang called "The Vampires" it follows an insurance salesman who has gotten himself into a seriously bad situation and who relies on the kindness of the residents in an enormous apartment building to escape from danger. It has a lighter tone than Tenement, but still has some bleak moments. This is another one we think you should check out. Let us know what you'd like us to look at next by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com.  You can also reach us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Episode 167 - Rothrocking

During this global downtime, we wanted to harken back to a simpler period, when all we needed was a little kicking and punching to make us feel better. One of the biggest female martial artists back in the day was Cynthia Rothrock, and we look at two of her films for this show. Mike is struggling with scheduling during the pandemic, so we brought Eli back for a repeat engagement to help us come to grips with the movies. We start off with 1993's Undefeatable, from legendary director Godfrey Ho. It has Cynthia seeking revenge on a psycho who has killed a number of people, including her sister. It is, largely, a mess, but fun and delivers the necessary goods. We follow that up with 1991's Tiger Claws, which is a real cornucopia of treats! With the monster Bolo Yeung as the villain, it is packed with some great moments, clever film making, and works on almost every level. Let us know what you'd like us to look at next by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com.  You can also reach us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Episode 166 - Robocop-y

With all the craziness in the world, we have another two-headed episode for you...this time with Julie and Marty looking at some movies that are ALMOST Robocop. We watch the excellent "The Vindicator" from 1986 ( released BEFORE Robocop ) and "The Demolitionist" from 1995. We both agree that The Vindicator is excellent, from director Jean-Claude Lord, with a great suit-design from Stan Winston Studios. It does a lot with a small budget and is filled with great ideas. The Demolitionist, though, is saddled with Richard Grieco as the villain which keeps it from really hitting its target. We hope everyone out there is staying safe in their own caves while we deal this bastard of a virus. Let us know what you'd like us to look at next by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com.  You can also reach us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Episode 165 - White Line Ballin'

Truckers were HUGE when Mike and Marty were growing up. They were featured on TV shows, on songs on the radio and were big business on the movie screen. We've been dying to cover this topic and finally got around to it on this show. Unfortunately, Julie was tied up and could join us, but she'll be back soon. We start off with 1978's High Ballin' which stars Jerry Reed and Peter Fonda as two long-time friends facing off against a band of hijackers who are attacking truckers and stealing their rigs. It's a solid little movie, but it really doesn't try to do more than tell a simple story. Our second movie, though, is 1975's White Line Fever, starring Jan-Michael Vincent and directed by the incredible Jonathan Kaplan. This is pure exploitation and completely entertaining, raising the bar in every way. It tells the story of Carrol Jo Hummer, a military veteran, back from the war, and wanting to follow in his late-father's footsteps and become a truck driver. He is faced with corruption and criminal behavior and he refuses to sit idly by. We cannot recommend this one highly enough! Let us know what you'd like us to look at next by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com.  You can also reach us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

 

Episode 164 - Flickers De Breen

Surely no one can argue that some movies are better than others...does it not logically follow that there must be one movie somewhere that is objectively the worst one ever made? Tastes being what they are, it's really not possible to make that overall judgement, but we dare anyone to challenge the statement that we cover two of the very worst ones on this episode of the podcast. Joined in the cave by friend-of-the-show Eli ( click on his name to see some of his truly awesome work ), we look at some delightful and mind-boggling trash. We start off with 1997's "Geteven" aka "Road to Revenge" from Mr John De Hart esquire...a celebration of 80s and 90s action movies with actual movie stars costarring alongside Mr De Hart. It's bad, but in a very charming and goofy way. We follow that up with the excremental "Fateful Findings" by the legend Neil Breen from 2013.  This one was an endurance test that we made it through, but were not better for it. It is bad...really bad. Will we watch more movies from Breen?  Probably.  Will they be better than this one? Who the hell knows! Let us know what you'd like us to look at next by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com.  You can also reach us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Episode 163 - Slashers and Stalkers and Flickers...Oh My

It is time to go back to the 80's AGAIN for more of that good, crunchy, slashery goodness. We start off with 1981's Happy Birthday to Me, with a stellar cast, a big-deal director and SFX from a legendary artist. We follow that with 1982's The House on Sorority Row, from director Mark Rosman. Packed with nubile co-eds, and a series of mysteries killings, it was a real surprise. Listen in to the podcast to find out what we thought of each and to hear what we've all been up to. Let us know what you'd like us to look at next by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com.  You can also reach us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Episode 162 - The Angel Angle

High school honor student by day...and Hollywood hooker by night! This phrase is the central conceit of three films from the 1980s. Starting off with the very successful "Angel" from 1984, writer director Robert Vincent O'Neil created a rose-colored view of the life of a VERY young girl in Hollywood, California who had to turn to street-walking to pay the bills after her mother abandons her. We meet a wonderful cast of misfits who share the nighttime streets with her and also a sinister killer played by John Diehl who is murdering the girls, one by one.  This is a solid bit of exploitation and was a big hit at the box office. It was SUCH a hit that the following year, the sequel "Avenging Angel" was released, with a new actor playing the title character but bringing back some of the key members of Angel's entourage. This was a middling success, with some great moments, but also with plenty of moments that fell flat. Still though, the second entry was more successful than the next in the series, 1988's "Angel 3 - The Final Chapter". With yet another actor playing Angel in this one, it is more "Miss" than "Hit" but still was an interesting conclusion to the series. With three films and our patented rambling, this episode is slightly longer than usual, but hopefully you will find plenty to enjoy.  Let us know what you'd like us to look at next by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com.  You can also reach us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

 

Episode 161 - Band Together

It was Julie's turn to pick this time and she set her sites squarely on director Charles Band! We watched two great movies from him, starting off with 1984's Trancers, starring Tim Thomerson and Helen Hunt. Borrowing heavily from a variety of sources, this is an ambitious and largely successful story that combines time travel, mind control, humor and even a little romance. This is good, entertaining stuff. We follow that up with 1990's Crash and Burn, which wants you to believe it's a story about a giant robot, but is actually a post apocalyptic tale about corporations taking over after financial and environmental disasters ruin the world. It's another successful combination of elements that delivers in a variety of ways. We also ramble, a lot! Let us know what you'd like us to look at next by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com.  You can also reach us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!