Movie Meltdown - Episode 528 This episode we return to our running science fiction series to discuss "Terror Beneath the Sea"! A strange Japanese/American co-production from 1966 featuring sea creatures, an evil plot to take over the world... and a young Sonny Chiba! And while we try to figure out the mystery that is Peggy Neal, we also cover… Dr. No, Cromwell, a lot of model work, a giant space chicken, homing missile technology, Richard Harris, the leather-lined office, Japanese monster movies, a language barrier, Biloxi, Mississippi, a gaggle of reports, a healthy dose of misogyny, wearing sunglasses all the time, picaresque vs. classical storytelling, Kill Bill, these are our terror machines, they put this poor hapless dude into a tube, General of the mismatched Navy, the evil pinball machine that controls all the fish-people, Bela Lugosi, I feel like I’m watching Bergman on speed, progressive photography, Austin Powers, put into a chamber, toxic dumping, set the fish cyborgs to vibrate, well I get to get out of my cell for a little while, some Navy dudes, basically just automatons doing what we're told, murder them a whole lot of interns, it is his job to carry this film, Godzilla, a certain kinetic style of directing, Jackie Chan, Miss Moneypenny, The X from Outer Space, fire underwater, Timothy Dalton, inserting some lungs and I left my camera at the bottom of the ocean.   Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for as much of the plot as we can make sense of for "Terror Beneath the Sea". So go watch the movie before you listen.  “...while wandering through they get captured by some fish-people and brought to a very futuristic-looking underwater lab which also looks like the set of Sealab 2021 reconstructed by the creators of MST3K.”

Movie Meltdown

Terror Beneath the Sea

Movie Meltdown: Episode 527 This episode we ask the disturbing question - what if they made a live-action Rick and Morty movie? We attempt to come up with casting options, choices for directors and we delve into the overall themes of the show and how that might be converted into a movie.  And while we get into the groove with some snake jazz, we also bring up… face-huggers, multi-verses, remorse, comedy, the most moral choice you make, I hope that person gets run over, power-mad, that kitty is adorable, this is a story about a Grandfather and his grandchildren and their beloved story as they tear the entire universe apart, the fabric of the universe, she is in control, the house party, I can’t save every bus, go down any dark rabbit hole, Dan Harmon, there is just no hope, brief and minimal, epic selfishness, having sex with a planet, Back to the Future, self-assured and smart, horse doctor, there are so many moments of that… that have broken my heart, that could be sold, the rapid-fire delivery, I guess I wanna like Rick more than I probably should, clones, not the dynamic but the delivery, the story and the redemption, infinite perspective of the universe, The Rock can’t be everywhere at one time, taking a break, I don’t care, transcends whatever is happening and what are you doing with Jason Bateman? “It’s interesting… it brings up real philosophical and moral questions that... we’re not probably ready to answer yet as a society.”

Rick and Morty: The Movie

Movie Meltdown: Episode 526 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") First off... we bring you a special announcement about our new running series!! Not only does it have a super geeky tie-in - but it allows everyone to get involved!   And then... The Horror Club returns to discuss a terrific film that even WE weren't fully prepared for... The Perfection. Directed by Richard Shepard and starring Allison Williams, Logan Browning and Steven Weber - this movie will more than likely impress and shock most viewers.   And while we are continually jarred by our shifting perspective, we also address… Black Sabbath, some emotional problems, in an old janky school bus, Brian De Palma, Korean revenge movies, body horror, religion, so anxiety inducing, being a prodigy, maggots, sinister and horrifying, bugs, adjusting the tracking, different parts, calmly making dinner, this look in his eye, Ransom, the twist, electroshock therapy, satisfying, cellos, Boris Karloff, crazy eyes, the entire landscape, passion projects, leaves the country, this Is where I would be fine with being killed, chained to the floor, Single White Female, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, rewinding, he was just like grey, she pulls a meat cleaver out of her bag, beautiful shots, David Bowie, Girls, getting sick, Goodtimes Video, Mario Bava, giving a performance and Miramax Films.   Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for The Perfection. So go watch it beforehand for spoiler-free listening. Seriously, this movie has LOTS of spoilers... so really, watch it before you listen.   “This movie constantly threw me for a loop… in a good way… every time I thought I had it figured out - it was like NOPE.”  

The Perfection

Movie Meltdown - Episode 525 This episode we try to see if it's possible to - fix the Crystal Skull. The fourth installment in the Indiana Jones franchise has frustrated fans since it's initial release. So we start with our on-going recasting question... could something as simple as recasting the role of Mutt Williams save this movie? But then we start to ask even bigger questions like... what if Indy and Marion had a daughter? And what if we remove the alien plot completely? Would fans have been happy? And what artifact would Indy be looking for? Listen as we try to figure out - just what it would take to fix the Crystal Skull! And while we wish we were climbing around in a tomb, we also mention… Marvel Comics, a CG monkey, Karen Allen, Area 51, cracking open the plastic, The History Channel, The Chronicles of Narnia, David Childress, creating the story arc, Stranger Things, Shia LaBeouf, Hitler, grabbing a snake, memorable and interesting, Lara Croft, Harrison Ford, Taken, recasting, animated series, Solo, Sallah, archaeology, an extra level of research, George Lucas, passing the torch, socs vs. greasers, John Hurt, Forrest Gump, stunt casting, Horizon Zero Dawn, all kinds of Jesus, from a divided household, Cate Blanchett, quotable lines, Marcus, the Bond franchise, Michael Bay, campy things, Steven Spielberg, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, It, the object of desire, nuking the fridge, The Teen Choice Awards and Project MKUltra. “There’s elements there that are true throughout the other three movies, so what is it about this one that almost across the board people are like… I hate that movie!”

Fixing the Crystal Skull

Movie Meltdown - Episode 524 We recently posed the question, If they made a live-action "Battle of the Planets" movie - who gets cast as the leads? So we settle in for a discussion about different options... from big-budget blockbuster choices to more age-appropriate actors. What are the best selections? And while we realize we are natural social distancers, we also cover… Cowboy and Aliens, The Great, The Gift, The Mandalorian, Green Acres, Nuada,  subtitles and overdubbed, just be polite, covered in LED screens, kept upping the drama, Legolas, weird psychic link, chaotic neutral, Jon Favreau, desperate for human interaction, changing entertainment, A Clockwork Orange, vulgar moments, snippets and code, Mel Brooks, guinea pigs wearing masks, Loki, The Wicker Man, I couldn’t hit you easily, Space-X, the much-maligned, awkward teenager, The Time Machine, creating pop culture, the idealistic view, a new accessory, The Jungle Book, a dome, alternate soundtracks, ILM, the dudes who do the thing, Ishtar, dodge and parry, Göbekli Tepe, making screwdrivers and watching The Hitcher.  “...it was like a live-action and like claymation, animatronic thing - combined with something that looked like “Battle of the Planets.”

Battle of the Castings

Movie Meltdown: Episode 523 As we ease back into the real world, we sit down... in the same room… and have a discussion. Weird? Sure... but we try to overcome our adopted anti-social nature and discuss just some of the things we've been watching while locked in our homes.  And as we give things a chance that we previously wouldn't have, we also bring up… Shazam, The Lodge, Guardians, the Back to the Future trilogy, The Hustler, It: Chapter 2, Unbreakable, Castle Rock, James McAvoy, The Mentalist, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Gina Carano, Wreck-it Ralph, Have a Good Trip, network TV shows operating from home, underhanded plots, Kazaam, why are his arms so huge, Stephen Colbert, a sled dog, Riley Keough, streaming services and Zoom, will I remember it… no, Bruce Willis, this guy's life is ruined, dropping acid, Taika Waititi, a Gatling gun, Lizzy Caplan, leveling the playing field, Haywire, Piper Laurie, Heaven's Gated, ripped apart by evil creatures, everything about your life is kind of a waste, the trailer does everything you need it to do, Tim Robbins, Choose Your Own Adventure, Robin Tunney, Jackie Gleason, Steven Soderbergh and a shaved Chewbacca.  “...and then that becomes a whole thing... with the undead people.”

Real World Interaction with a Bear Hug

Movie Meltdown: Episode 522 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") We’re back!! The Meltdown Horror Club rises from the quarantine crypt! And we kick things off with a recent horror outing... as we discuss the 2020 release of "The Turning" directed by Floria Sigismondi.  And as we settle into our own creepy vibe, we also address…  the spider, a very repressed upbringing, tighten my doorknobs, the reset, The Shining, CG effects, Mackenzie Davis, tension, grunge, let your theories run wild, casual mannequins, a weird twist, child therapy mode, Finn Wolfhard, a blank canvas, the hand, old-timey outfits, being real, being pulled underwater, so frustrating, Brooklynn Prince, let’s explore this relationship you had with this creepy grown man, Joely Richardson, cut scenes, gaslighting, Hammer Films and being insane.  Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for "The Turning", so watch the movie before you listen.  “I think I would… be stuck there - and become a ghost probably.” Thank you to all our supporters! If you would like to join the club, go to: https://www.patreon.com/moviemeltdown

The Turning: Maybe We Should Unpack These Things

Movie Meltdown - Episode 521 The geek activities check-in continues as we virtually visit with Sam Drog and see what he's been up to and what he's been watching in these unusual times.  And as we realize most of what we say qualifies as a headline for Weekly World News, we also mention… The Black Hole, Train to Busan, The Lost Boys, The Girl with All the Gifts, Goonies Kool-Aid, Scandalous: The Untold Story of the National Enquirer, Crank, bubble gum, Waking Sleeping Beauty, Joel Schumacher, Titan A.E., Minecraft, Bo Welch, Late Phases, the same obsession, Jim Mickle, this requiem for disaster that going on throughout the entire movie, the unspoken demon that haunts every project, young Tim Burton, over-hyperly art directed, organic in the storytelling, name your parasites, they don't make people like that in kid movies anymore, baroque, punk, biological possession, some families hold together… because they never see each other, it doesn’t all have to be Russian novels, Lance Guest, tabloid journalism, it’s kind of like overdosing on morphine, Mike Mendez, being a social pariah, Kids Beat, that moody John Barry music, revisiting how big the thing blew up and how gross the kills were, if there was just some way... that we could monetize all that crap in your head, the TV weatherman looking like a philosopher, The Abandoned, style-shading animation, the national historical plaque… for Freejack, I can just do some cardio and eat all day, wade into the cesspool, John Carpenter, the unstoppable tides of life, we’re freakin’ out the straits, Lego, I am so invested… in this rat person movie, a rogue named Don Bluth, there was a signal… underneath the signal, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Best Week Ever and someone did politely save my life.  Spoiler Alert: Some generally referenced spoilery plot points in Train to Busan and The Girl with All the Gifts… but it’s things you probably already could tell were going to happen anyway. “Movies are a maddening rabbit hole, and you will never escape their grasp.”

Geek Activities: Quarantine Edition 4

Movie Meltdown - Episode 520 This episode we continue our running check-in series as we visit with Dick Starr for a discussion about the world around us, life choices and the movies we watch along the way.  And as we peek out of our compound through our periscope, we also cover… The Fanatic, Cursed Films, conspiracy theories, Rambo: Last Blood, Kung Fury, Against the Dark, Killer Couch, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, you coulda put Gilbert Gottfried in there, Jaws, E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, Piranha 3D, The Movies that Made Us, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, Mallrats, High Tension, Tusk, Red State, Madness in the Method, Jersey Girl, trying to breach your compound, reference images, with all your hidden gadgets and booby traps, Stand By Me, killing it at parents, laser raptors, I made the devil, man it was such a baffling role, Thought Crimes, nothing but killing random people, humane and delicious, creating your own religion, The Omen, not having children, The Adventures of Milo and Otis, Maximum Overdrive, gives a soliloquy, prehistoric disaster, I’m gonna use Santa Claus to kick Fred Durst’s ass, new snacks, The Crow, The Sims, nacho cheese, weaponizes his autism and I wonder if I’m going to find a body today?  Spoiler Alert: Major spoilers for “The Fanatic”... you have been warned.  “...this is just a collision of two horrible trains.”

Geek Activities: Quarantine Edition 3

Movie Meltdown - Episode 519 We're back to check in with some different Meltdown regulars... to see what they've been up to during the quarantine. And as we have candy for dinner (since there are no rules when no one is around to see), we also bring up… Tom Hardy, Mel Gibson, Knives Out, Rambo: Last Blood, Ozark, Wild Wild Country, Jojo Rabbit, Midsommar, Mirage Men, Cheers, Never Surrender, Battle of the Planets, Independence Day: Resurgence, Thundarr the Barbarian, Dracula, The Wicker Man, Signs, Tom Bombadil, you have a place to burn them in, incredible anxiety, avoiding Tiger King, The Hobbit, reality television, an avid social distancer, fantastically creepy, the aesthetic choices that they make are different, threequel Babe action, Joaquin Phoenix, Linda Moulton Howe and Stanton Friedman, Princess gets eaten by this giant flower that looks like a magnolia, George Wendt, The Transporter, Melkor has never left us, Rotoscoping, all the Hemsworths, filled with dread, have ya seen what the kids are doing, Heavy Metal, Clue, cattle mutilation and crop circles and leaked documents, M. Night Shyamalan, Lord of the Rings, Mad Max, Gary Oldman, blissfully unaware of the internet, Judd Hirsch, watching it on VHS, we pop culture in shifts, Taika Waititi and other fun ways to kill people.  Spoiler Alert: Random spoilers for “Rambo: Last Blood”... you have been warned.  “Strap yourself on the front of a vehicle… we're goin’ for a ride!”

Geek Activities: Quarantine Edition 2

Movie Meltdown - Episode 518 Since everyone is trapped at home, we decide to stay in touch during these weird times with a new quarantine edition of one of our old favorite discussions... geek activities.  While we return to our standard operating procedure of ramble and say bad words, in the process we also address… Daybreak, The Witcher, Felicia Day, Locke & Key, October Faction, John Wick 3, American Horror Story: 1984, Futureman, The Strain, he doesn’t really fit into any group, Peter Weller, monster huntin', Ultraman, tiny portions, crazy people in suits kicking at each other, ghosts that are reanimating bodies, Animaniacs, death people shows, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, Mark Dacascos, everybody had nice teeth, Emma Roberts, I don’t think she knows how dogs work, NewsRadio, it’s like Mad Max meets The Breakfast Club, virtual London, Hackers, Dylan Dog, big vampire weird-ass worms… with things that shoot out of our mouths, she’s not worth the effort, Jeffrey Dahmer met the Vice President, Tom Lenk, what other horror movies can we throw in here, Brandon Routh, training simulation, Henry Cavill and sardines.  “...they start coming back alive - in new people’s bodies. It’s the people from old-time-land, and then they're coming into new bodies and trying to take over the world. It’s complicated.”

Geek Activities: Quarantine Edition

Movie Meltdown - Episode 517 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") This episode the Horror Club attempts to reconvene in our new, semi-post-apocalyptic world. What is left in this new existence? What horrors will we discover? And will there still be cookies?! All this and more will be answered as we sit down to discuss the 2017 adaptation of Stephen King's story Gerald's Game. So remember to play responsibly in your own quarantine chamber as we mention… Carla Gugino, sweat pants, flashbacks, utilitarian makeup, Hush, they all have to shoot flames, Star Trek Into Darkness, so uncomfortable, things are weird, Moonlight Man, The Haunting of Hill House, Bruce Greenwood, furniture geek, childhood trauma, mohawks, useful feminine hygiene products, Oculus, The Shining, reading by candlelight, Mike Flanagan, pricey steak, Henry Thomas, the dog, Kate Siegel, streaming issues and the hand scene. Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for Gerald's Game, so go watch the movie before you listen. You have been warned!  “Still kind of on-theme… just in a different way.”

Gerald's Game Needs a Safeword

Movie Meltdown - Episode 516 Settle in for an extensive discussion of the sci-fi "classic" - Battle Beyond the Stars. And this is a film that definitely gives us a lot to dig into, considering the movie is produced by Roger Corman, written by John Sayles, featuring music composed by James Horner, art direction and visual effects by James Cameron… just to name a few of it's notable crew. Plus a star-studded cast including Richard Thomas, Robert Vaughn, John Saxon, George Peppard, Julia Duffy and of course Sybil Danning. And while we come to realize we are vaguely humanoid in the wrong kind of ways, we also cover… Last Woman on Earth, electric kaleidoscope, Enter the Dragon, Harlan Ellison, Vincent Price, glitter is cool, a disgraced conquistador, a back alley that also just happens to be a space ship, George Lucas, Starcrash, Hephaestus, lots of dome shapes, The Wasp Woman, Eloi, sassy consciousness, protecting the village of the innocent, analog electronic toys, stealing from Kurosawa, he's an old prospector stuck inside of a giant egg timer, create a new kind of a world, Ray Harryhausen, always be selling, this is a pretty bored universe, it doesn’t matter how many of the pools leak, Bucket of Blood, almost everything from a plumber's supply store, in a brutal display of physical comedy, prancing lizard man, clone Borg, a space hell house, Gale Anne Hurd, perched on top of a pile of pirate treasure, Ingrid Pitt, space medieval, plasma balls, Bela Lugosi, high-concept science fiction, H. P. Lovecraft, finger on the pulse of the decade, a caulking gun, Bill Paxton, cycling through potential robot partners, the most awkward angle possible, spiral latex, hope for the future, shooting people from space, with a washable silk shirt, surreal pop art, why did your movies manage to become classics, five surgery-mutant thumbs up, Forbidden Planet, the league of local actors who all do the robot, a lot of uncanny valley, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Alec Gillis, Las Vegas in space, Caroline Munro, matte paintings, space hippies, captured by mimes, the development of special effects as a science, The Man Who Fell to Earth, a civilization of rubes, The Mission, Marcia Lucas and the worst Roomba ever.  Spoiler Alert: We go into painstaking detail about the film Battle Beyond the Stars. So you should watch the movie before listening. You have been warned!  “...this movie was like, it was trying to be, at times, a silly, sci-fi romp, but then would turn around and then just be utterly surreal, acid-trip of a film.”

There’s Nothing to Do in Outer Space

Movie Meltdown - Episode 515 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") This Horror Club episode we discuss "Polaroid", the 2019 film directed by Lars Klevberg. And as we run through the weird urban legends of Polaroids, we also bring up… Locke & Key, Horse Girl, Eerie, Indiana, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Madelaine Petsch, throuples are all the rage, walking around with a kerosene lantern, there’s a lot of loose ends to this movie, Mitch Pileggi, predicts the future, there's a lot of homicidal kids, the whole scarf thing, Beta-test from the 40’s, ping pong, given my experience with photography and fire, lamp placement, there’s a deeper level to this that I never picked up on before, a lot of things in this movie that come up - that there's no payoff for, conspiracy theory, Tupperware, Instax, Goosebumps, fetchin' collarbones, somebody in this scenario needs to be creeped out by this - ‘cause I am, CGI, that noise, Joe Hill, a brandable name, surely it's not meant to be this dark, a movie so underdeveloped that you’ll want to shake it, Grace Zabriskie, it’s built into human DNA, in the darkroom, giving Georgie something to do, The Mummy and the Island of the Samoas.   Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for the movie "Polaroid", so go watch the movie before you listen.  “How do you convince Polaroid, the company, to sign off on this? You’re saying that yes, your camera murders people - in a magical sort-of way.” Thank you to all our supporters! If you would like to join the club, go to: https://www.patreon.com/moviemeltdown

Shake it Like a Polaroid Picture

Movie Meltdown - Episode 514 It’s time to announce the winners of this year’s Meltdown Awards! Join us as we discuss all the nominees and then reveal the winners from the 2019 films and performances voted on by our listeners.  So load up on hors d'oeuvres on frilly toothpicks, for this fancy event as we also address… that Grammy scandal, this one junkyard set, limited edition Chucks, Child’s Play, envelopes, Florence Pugh, Jim Jarmusch’s werewolf movie, that performance is amazing, Robert Downey Jr., Terminator, just let monsters fight, Cats, Alita: Battle Angel, at least they had a plot and a story-structure, It: Chapter 2, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Park So-dam, 1917, some sort of magical thing, Knives Out, Disney, they are trying to work some sort of plot in there, Ready or Not, Hobbs and Shaw, La La Land, diverse and interesting, Avengers: Endgame, Sam Mendes, distressed, Billie Lourd, The Fanatic, David Attenborough’s The Lion King, Lil Nas X, old people lanyard, Cold Pursuit, Doctor Doolittle, Merrily We Roll Along, Idris Elba, J.J. Abrams, Ad Astra, Brightburn, I didn’t even bother in the theater because it looked so depressing, Captain Marvel, Julia Butters, Terminator: Dark Fate, The Irishman, Hellboy, Adam Driver, Shazam!, what is the significance, The Lighthouse, Joker, Ma, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, I didn’t understand the purpose of it, at least they had a plot and a story-structure, Midsommar Uncut Gems, Once upon a Time in Hollywood, Will Smith, Andrew Lloyd Webber, on mushrooms, Anthony Russo & Joe Russo, The Rise of Skywalker, Parasite, Greta Gerwig, whoa… that was impressive, Quentin Tarantino, in dumpster attire, Book Smart, do people die, Dead Don’t Die, when’s the story going to start?, those outfits are fire, really fancy pizza rolls, Merrily We Roll Along, meatballs and who votes for these awards? “...it’s not a good movie - but there’s an integrity to it.”

The 2019 Meltdown Awards!

News, reviews and interviews - about your favorite thing - movies!

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