Movie Meltdown - Episode 538 This episode we discuss "The Babysitter: Killer Queen". This recent comedy/horror is the sequel to the first Babysitter movie we discussed a couple of years ago. The cast returns for this second outing, but does the movie hold up? And what does our director McG add to the mix? And while we work through our own time discrepancies, we also address… Samara Weaving, The Terminator, Kevin Williamson, shirtless guy, Stranger Things, Sugar Ray, Ready or Not, elbow patches, old man references, going for the angular look, Judah Lewis, Jenna Ortega, Swingers, Zendaya, Emily Alyn Lind, corduroy, Quentin Tarantino, Andrew Bachelor, I want something to be easy, Robbie Amell, running shoes, Jackass, Risky Business, references, Rim of the World, between punk and prep, Ken Marino, movies where the sequel surpasses the original, The Monster Squad, Smash Mouth, tiny little demon hands, death by surfboard, I don’t wanna relate to current 14-year-olds, why wouldn’t you wanna ride on those coattails a little bit, Bella Thorne and a beautiful ethereal film.  Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for "The Babysitter: Killer Queen"... so watch it before you listen.  “There’s no place for logic - in a McG movie!”

Movie Meltdown

Fun Times with the Babysitter

Movie Meltdown - Episode 537 This episode we welcome back a couple of cast members for our first real-world recording since the world shut down! And there’s plenty to catch up on. And while we’re perusing all the stuff we also mention… Thrashin', stickers, Phantasm, books and baby yodas everywhere, Dimension 404, Josh Brolin, reading Indiana Jones, Urban Legend, Don Coscarelli, she’s gonna pelvic thrust this gate open, Color Out of Space, moldy horror books, Clancy Brown, Bumblebee, Berenstain Bears, commitment phobia, Idle Hands, Overlord, Robert Buckley, oozing blood and pus and goo, a Phantasm 5 VHS, She-Ra, Funko POP vinyl figures, he's a Spanish Egyptian with a Scottish accent, if it had kids in it… it must be a kids movie, The Shawshank Redemption, Jonah Hex, George Romero, a movie theater demon, The People Under the Stairs, Sherilyn Fenn, that’s not a natural human pose, movies with zombies in them, Nicolas Cage, we didn’t have what we have now, it’s rare that things shock you anymore, those things in The Beastmaster and movie discounts at the dentist.  “I’m not a hoarder… I’m a collector!”

Distracted by the Real World

Movie Meltdown - Episode 536 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") Join us in the high rise as we round out our Halloween festivities discussing Poltergeist 3. And while we continually change the subject to avoid the film at hand, we also cover… Gary Sherman, Gremlins 2, chocolate and the Amish, Cillian Murphy, working on a Japanese fishing boat, Chicago, wet blanket sleeper, the reflection in the mirrors, we need someone to fill in the blanks, the parking garage, throwing them off the boat, Home Alone 2, a whole new Dana theory, Scatman Crothers and Zelda Rubinstein, The Crow, this wrapper is different, the ’80s, we have to cut out the ghost sex, talking with normal people, The Shining, I feel like their reaction is a bit underwhelming, creepy backwood stories, the career of Jon Bon Jovi, straight outta the attic from The Haunted Mansion ride, if people died, MGM, ghosts murdering people, The Thing, real world life horrors, the frozen pool, Garry Marshall, collar-popper, Chopping Mall, that synth sound, Peacock, I can’t do this because I’m a person with feelings, Crohn's disease, Wilford Brimley and Paul Rudd, no one’s going to grab you, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Rutger Hauer and vampire kisses. Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for Poltergeist 3… so go watch it before you listen. “This movie was fifty percent mirrors and fifty percent people yelling Carol Anne! Carol Anne!!”  

Poltergeist 3: Carol Anne! Carol Anne!!

Movie Meltdown - Episode 535 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") We're back!! And this episode we continue our Halloween celebration as we discuss Poltergeist 2: The Other Side. The sequel to the massively popular original features the return of JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O'Rourke, Zelda Rubinstein - with new additions Will Sampson and Julian Beck. And while we get an update on the current whereabouts of the creepy clown painting that haunted a certain cast member’s childhood, we also bring up… making a supernatural insurance claim, smacked a space worm, being turned to stone by spirits, what if we put some meat on their bones, the beast wants her, up on the smokehouse, pumpkin spice, manly journey, tone, a zombie element, the car is alive, real chocolate not white chocolate, get Brian Gibson on the phone, creepy preacher, sleeping in a tent in the yard, coming to terms with your clairvoyant nature, H.R. Giger, a lightning rod for the dead people, pick another household appliance, the tequila worm, cahoot, braces attack, talking to kittens, odd choices, the family spelunking, taste flashback, an old ghost man, any random portal, I feel like we the audience were responsible, fun size and the real cost of sculpting skeletons. Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for the 1986 film “Poltergeist 2: The Other Side”. So go watch the movie beforehand. “The house is gone, you’ve moved away… what is your problem dead people?!”

Poltergeist II: Skydiving on the Other Side

Movie Meltdown - Episode 534 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") Join us as we kick off our month-long Halloween celebration! First, we brave the frightening endeavor that is - a Zombie Skittles taste test! Then we jump headfirst into the pool full of skeletons that is the 1982 classic Poltergeist. We discuss the legends of “the curse” that has followed this franchise. We address the Steven Spielberg vs. ‎Tobe Hooper controversy. And we just look at the ground-breaking ghost story that it is.  And as we try to decide who we have more of a crush on JoBeth Williams or Craig T. Nelson, we also address… real skeletons, the killer tree, kids and clowns, The Beast, Heather O'Rourke, Industrial Light & Magic, the taste lingers, Mr. Incredible, It, go deep, the 1988 Super Bowl, a dorky dad, face-peeling, it’s own meta-curse, Jerry Goldsmith's music score, Zelda Rubinstein, put the helmet on, it tries to kill him with a piano, Aliens, special effects, Star Wars, suburbia, Raiders of the Lost Ark, trees inside the house, Dominique Dunne, stacking chairs, A Nightmare on Elm Street, stickers with googly eyes, ectoplasm, shotgun-blasted a giant vacuum cleaner, Ghostbusters, the national anthem, strawberry jelly, ghost cat, weird creepy kids, the Wilhelm scream, bioengineered food ingredients, George Lucas, interdimensional goo, Oliver Robins, cigar boxes and TV people.  Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for the 1982 version of “Poltergeist”. So go watch or re-watch the movie beforehand! You’ll be glad you did.  “This is just like a theme park ride!”

It’s a Poltergeist kind of Halloween

Movie Meltdown - Episode 533 This episode we talk with the famous (or infamous) Sam Drog about a lesser-known documentary - Demon Lover Diary. In the wilds of Michigan, three unsuspecting filmmakers get themselves in over their heads as they sign on to help make an independent horror film.  And as we make the obvious observation that we’ve all become lame, sad shut-ins, we also mention… missing fingers, Ted Nugent, Tenet, Basket Case 3, a Terry Gillian and/or George Orwellian nightmare, Geostorm 2, The 100, George Miller, the evil scientists, Divergent, Wargames, James Cameron, the history of movies you don’t hear about, gunplay, Charles Bronson, leather buckles everywhere, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, being so certain about something, New York vs. Michigan, New World Pictures, a bad mojo, fly on the wall, The Devil's Rain, it’s really almost like they found a movie in a box they forgot to release, with his sheer force of personality, memories of Jason Voorhees, True Lies, have a little artistic flare when you’re gonna go murder people, exposition scenes, time caspsule, hey we’ve got these guns laying around, if you’re gonna comment about society - you’ve gotten be from a safe distance, man’s folly, The Ann Arbor Film Festival, havok-causing dreams, you don’t see the waves of madness that you are generating, a certain level of success is pretty fleeting, a window into the 70s, reality distortion field, I Like to Hurt People, it’s an amazing thing… films… how they tie us all together like that, Dushku in our lives, Gerard Butler, being a trucker, Ally Sheedy, watching the pretty pictures go by, that scene is haunting, everybody is under the tyranny of somebody else’s dream, zombie apocalypse, the public discourse has moved on, Galaxy of Terror, culture differences, dreams are weird… they can set you free - and they can also crush you, Fury Road, keep the kids and the guns in their own area, George Romero and a speedometer factory. Spoiler Alert: Sure it’s a documentary… but there are still some strange turns that come along that you may not see coming. So go watch “Demon Lover Diary” before you listen. “It’s just such a raw like... something smuggled out of somebody’s closet kind of movie.” Sam Drog artwork by Liam Jax - Demon Lover Diary artwork by Jenn Woodall

Sam Drog and the Demon Lover Diary

Movie Meltdown - Episode 532 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") On this exclusive Horror Club episode, we discuss Elle Callahan's 2018 film Head Count. And while we admit to ourselves that we all kind of want to move into an old funeral home, we also cover… Creepypasta, tidy demons, Joshua Tree, urban legends, weird symbols, amazing cell phone service, folklore, I don’t know… fives, the Zero candy bar, multiple Joe Pescis, a funny-looking little guy, doppelgänger, being a wet blanket, creepy glowing eyes, alien Sleestak, given what you can see what the creature or the monster... can and can’t do - it always seems like web design is always outside of it’s wheelhouse, rumored witch, an advertisement for tequila, a demon-thing, making a Jackass movie, dead parents, maybe a cult, a Bic lighter, Hisji, who put coconut in this, born of the internet, it is just gorgeous, I think I unleashed this crazy internet curse, multiple suicides, peanut butter kisses and candy corn, goat man, living in a trailer and which of these characters do I want to die? Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for "Head Count"... so go watch it before you listen.  “Most adults are still like… what? I’ve never eaten Creepypasta… how do you make it?”

Ten Heads in a Duffel Bag

Movie Meltdown - Episode 531 When a certain co-host that hadn't seen "The Rise of Skywalker" finally sits down and watches it… well, it opens up a whole new can of sandworms. So listen as we dig into J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson and the overall arc of the most recent trilogy. Along the way, we get some opinions that you may not have heard on this show before - and before we're done, we look to the future of the franchise. And while we ourselves get “the toy box feeling”, we also bring up… Knives Out, the Star Trek Encyclopedia, The Mandalorian, he is an absolutely unique presence, Justin Lin, the wolfman having a drink, Super 8, none of this has to be an obstacle to having a good time at the movies, I’m going to let them do the writing for me, it’s like pure unadulterated fun, a marketing tool is a writing technique, Daisy Ridley, realizing a property for its fans, the most to do… out of any of the movies, Tales of the Bounty Hunters, nobody had done it that way before, Star Wars wish-fulfillment, it ticks these boxes and pushes these buttons, working-class sci-fi, Jon Favreau, perfectly relatable, Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina, how do we keep this franchise rollin’, William Shatner, let me tell you about a mystery box, when they were making the expanded universe, maybe his greatest accomplishment and frog nuns.  "The plot of the film is itself - is an excuse for the film to happen.”

I Am All the Star Wars Fans

Movie Meltdown - Episode 530 This episode we talk with Austin Trunick, author of “The Cannon Film Guide”, an in-depth series of books about the legendary 1980s B-movie studio, The Cannon Group.  And as we discuss the art and influence of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, we also address… The Apple, renting horror movies, Death Wish 2, Frank Langella, Exterminator 2, Sho Kosugi, Vestron Video, there’s so much craziness going on there, Chuck Norris, a post-apocalyptic universe, 10 to Midnight, the yellow Power Ranger, Michael Dudikoff, Masters of the Universe, William Sachs, Enter the Ninja, has one of the higher body counts, Charles Bronson, Avenging Force, a healthy supply of guys who could do flips, Flashdance, they’re dressed… basically as The Village People, unrelated ninja, Skeletor, re-dubbing European porno movies, the hero shoots the villain point-blank… with a bazooka, Dolph Lundgren, he had already moved on to another project, Franco Nero, Breakin', violent action movies, that was based on a stage-musical written in Israel… in Hebrew, there are so many ninja movies, Empire International Pictures, Invasion U.S.A., Mario Van Peebles, with a dubbed Texas accent, you travel five-thousand miles… around that corner, Ninja III: The Domination, the threads of society are falling apart as the years go on, River Of Death, Revenge of the Ninja, and during the screening… the audience actually boo’ed, Death Wish 3, Robert Ginty, high confidence in the product he was producing, Christopher Walken, wearing a crazy leather-studded outfit and at least make it releasable.  “...yeah, they were very, very good at selling - their movies.” For more on the book, go to: http://www.cannonfilmguide.com/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CannonFilmGuide/  And Twitter: https://twitter.com/CannonFilmGuide

The Cannon Film Canon

Movie Meltdown - Episode 529 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") This episode we discuss Travis Stevens' Girl on the Third Floor starring Phil Brooks, Trieste Kelly Dunn and Sarah Brooks. Plus we kick-off our new segment... 20 Ways to Die!! And while we all try to figure out just how familiar we are with the career of CM Punk, we also mention… Parasite, haunted house law, girls just showin’ up on your back porch, don’t stick your face under there, old school wrestlers, wear PPE, a house geek, acting by himself, get out of my yard, practical special effects, things that don’t match up in life, beware of hooker ghosts, don’t shove your hand into slimy places, she knocked on the door, I won’t get brain’d by a ghost, it’s a test, it like… weirdly gave me nightmares, disclosing your ghost, the murder brothel, a fourth-grader and a cenobite costume, I want a tiny door, they didn’t say… hey, come to our orgy, having sex with a ghost, I like my references to be 40 years old, The Die Hard 2 Dilemma and don’t give marbles to a baby. Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for the 2019 movie “Girl on the Third Floor”. So go watch it BEFORE you listen.   “Why did he think that he could redo that entire house by himself?”

Rollin' with the Girl on the Third Floor

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.”

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

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