The year is 1990. David is a loner that takes care of his ailing mother and is looking for a connection from the outside world by way of a video dating service. By chance David comes across a videotape, Rent-A-Pal. The Pal (Andy), played by Wil Wheaton of Star Trek TNG fame, may not be all he seems. As David develops an unhealthy relationship with the 'Pal' on his TV screen his life descends into madness. Join us as we dive into this story of loneliness, sadness, and psychological disintegration.    

Videodrome Cinema

Episode 71: Rent-A-Pal (2020)

Madness is endemic at an isolated castle where a collection of misfit Vietnam soldiers are undergoing a strange, experimental psychiatric play therapy under the guidance of their odd, yet benevolent psychiatrist. This week, we're taking a look at William Peter Blatty's bizarre directorial debut, The Ninth Configuration, a weird tragicomedy that bewilderingly lurches between screwball hijinks and dead-serious soul-searching, offering a frequently confounding, yet always amusing watching experience.

The Ninth Configuration (1980) aka Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane

Battle lines are drawn as a Soviet tank mercilessly razes an Afghani village to the ground, leaving a young Mujahideen fighter and a conflicted Soviet trooper to take revenge on the lumbering steel monstrosity. This week, we're taking a look at the unjustly ignored and almost universally forgotten "The Beast" (aka, The Beast of War). A potent anti-war thriller starting Jason Patrick in his follow-up to "The Lost Boys" and George Dzundza as the brutal Soviet tank commander.

Episode 69: The Beast (1988) aka The Beast of War

A well-to-do suburban family is thrown into turmoil as they individually and collectively struggle to come to terms with the death of a family member in Robert Redford's "Ordinary People". We're taking a look at this classic Oscar-winning family drama, featuring a dream-team of top-notch actors delivering some of their finest work. "Ordinary People" offers a no-frills look into the pain and secret resentments bubbling beneath the surface of family life and what it takes to overcome those hardships.

Episode 68: Ordinary People (1980)

We're back this week with a second serving of samurai action as we take a look at "The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi"! A rekindling of the classic Japanese film series, the film tells the story of a blind masseur with almost supernatural hearing (and swordsmanship) as he crosses paths with a rogue's gallery of assassins, gangsters, and ronin each harboring their own secret grudges and hidden agendas. Popular Japanese filmmaker, Beat Takeshi, infuses this story with as much humor and music as it has violence and pathos, delivering a toe-tappingly brutal tragicomedy.

Episode 67: The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)

This week on the show, we're taking a look at Ghost Dog: the Way of the Samurai, an East-meets-West culture clash, delivering modern-day samurai action with a hip-hop aesthetic. It's the story of a hitman who lives by the code of Bushido, serving his boss with unwavering loyalty, even as his boss tries to kill him following a botched assassination. Directed by celebrated auteur, Jim Jarmusch, this off-beat thriller/comedy comes packing philosophy and firepower in equal measure.

Episode 66: Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

Kevin Costner finds himself with no way out when his girlfriend is murdered by a rival lover: his boss...the Secretary of Defense! We're looking at "No Way Out" this week, a harrowing tale where our hero is in a race against time to prove his innocence while also unwittingly being given the task to prove his own guilt as a murderous enemy agent! Scandal and political intrigue abound in this spy thriller.

Episode 65: No Way Out (1987)

We've hit the nail on the head this week on the podcast, it's Nailgun Massacre! Following the barely coherent adventures of a murderous power tool enthusiast, this movie is notorious for it's bad acting, bad music...bad everything. This bit of trash cinema will have you howling in equal parts laughter and pain.

Episode 64: Nail Gun Massacre (1985)

The Halloween season continues on Videodrome Cinema Podcast this week as we take a look at Kathryn Bigelow's cult classic, Near Dark. When a gang of vampire desperados mosey into town stirring up trouble, our hero Caleb gets more than he bargained for as he gets swept up into their nightly hunts for blood. From the cast that brought you "Aliens", comes this gritty thriller that's part vampire movie and part neo-western.

Episode 63: Near Dark (1987)

This week, we look at the classic tale of a giant ape-king who is taken from his jungle home and brought to the big city--that's right, it's The Mighty Peking Man, who else? Joined by a Lady-Tarzan and armed with cheesy dialog and cheesier special effects, the Mighty Peking Man (and his screeching animatronic face) takes us on a hilariously campy journey from a stock-footage jungle to the streets of Hong Kong.

Episode 62: The Mighty Peking Man (1977)

Get ready to roundhouse kick a werewolf in the face; it's time to look at "The Brotherhood of the Wolf" this week on Videodrome Cinema Podcast! It's the strange, somewhat true story of the mysterious monster that once terrorized the French countryside and the pair of gentleman adventurers who hunted it down.  A dizzy mash-up of fantasy, horror, romance, kung-fu, and Western elements forms this unlikely genre-blending tale.

Episode 61: Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

The streets of the old French Quarter run red as a ritualistic murderer preys upon the ladies of the night and offers up their hearts to his evil pagan god. It's "Mardi Gras Massacre" this week on Videodrome Cinema podcast, an obscure Video Nasty that features no Massacre and barely any Mardi Gras. Join us as we explore the musty thrills of this groan-worthy slasher flick.

Episode 60: Mardi Gras Massacre (1978)

This week on Videodrome Cinema, we'll be looking at Netflix's controversial new film, "Cuties" -- an unflinchingly frank look into the issue of hypersexualization of young girls and the ways in which this problem is entrenched into society. A cast of talented young actors star in this film as the eponymous Cuties, a pre-teen girl's dance troupe that find themselves faced with both personal and cultural hurdles as they strive to win big at a dance contest.

Episode 59: Cuties (2020) - Mignonnes

Lone Star (1996)When the skeleton of his murdered predecessor is found, Sheriff Sam Deeds unearths many other long-buried secrets in his Texas border town.

Episode 58: Lone Star (1996)

Oh Mama, we're serving up an extra-sleazy slice of cinema this week: Burial Ground, the Nights of Terror! It's a zombie invasion, done Italian style, as the moldy, maggot-covered dead arise and feast on the brains of our hapless cast of characters (including a young weirdo with an Oedipus Complex). Blood, guts, zombies, and a dash of incest make up this cinematic stew in this week's episode of Videodrome Cinema!

Episode 57: Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (1981)

Movie reviews, discussions, and retrospectives. Hosted by Lionel, Chris, and Nicholas.

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Videodrome Cinema

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