Movie Meltdown

Movie Meltdown - Episode 442  This week we travel to Indy PopCon and discuss all the crazy goings on, as well as the latest trailers we've seen for upcoming movies, including… Bad Times at the El Royale, Suspiria, Destination Wedding, Upgrade, and the latest Halloween reboot attempt. And while we try to work through our Dakota Johnson issues, we also bring up… the greatest costume duo… that I’ve ever seen, free ice cream, so many accidental high-five deaths, you have to kill someone they love, a costume accessory to the eye, Grunkle Stan, one move away from Robert Sheehan, please don’t interact with me, doing a very specific wiggly dance, yo-yo rock stars, Thor would not smoke, Michael Myers in space, a reading rainbow, lonely Kevin Nash, how can you not love Daria, denim action and the surly attitude, Cate Blanchett, Cabin in the Woods, that kid felt the call… of DMX, the lizardy-dragon-girl-thing-lizard, hi-fiving Lance Henriksen, nobody likes a wooden spoon, wearin’ KangaROOS, I’m going to have to talk to

Movie Meltdown - Episode 441 This week we kick off our coverage of WonderFest as we sit down with Michael Possert Jr., who has spent many years working as a Special Effects Modelmaker as well as a Stop-Motion Fabricator. Listen as Michael tells stories of his adventures in the semi-recent past as he worked on huge movies like The Rocketeer, Apollo 13, Terminator 2, Alien 3, Serenity, True Lies, RoboCop 3 and many others all before joining up with Laika Studios to work on amazing stop-motion films like ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two Strings. Plus we travel back in time to several different stops on an epic road trip involving dinosaurs, civil war soldiers, super spies, cryptids, frightening penitentiaries and rock and roll superstars!    So strap on your rocket pack and zoom back in time as we also hear tales of… the flying door hinge, throwing rocks at battleships, so much nickel-plating, the hall of blacklight posters brought to life, a cat jury, the bobbing Mystic Seer head, interspersed lit

Movie Meltdown - Episode 440 This week we sit down to discuss the latest Star Wars standalone (sort of) movie Solo: A Star Wars Story. And all the history and universe-building that the film entails. Plus as we rejoice in the appearance of Clint Howard, we also mention… Mowgli, Skyscraper, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, all these thousands of people were murdered… for no real reason, making up for the nonsense we did way back here in this universe, it doesn’t count if they’re not going anywhere, Indiana Jones, Ray Park, film noir, The House with a Clock in Its Walls, female characters having a conversation, we’re zany… but there’s a giant shark coming after us, Han shot first, Josh Trank, robot rights, dammit Dwayne Johnson, they have to check so many boxes, the Kessel Run, the Ewok movies, celebrating Life Day, Ron Howard, if you would at least bring a bag of sand and a bus-sized shark. Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for the 2018 film Solo as well as the rest of the Star Wars franchise… and life as a whol

Movie Meltdown - Episode 439 (For our Patreon supporters.) This week we sit down and talk... about many, many things. Even some movies. And while we pin down exactly what meta-pandering means, we also discuss... The Sonora Pine, Ursula K. Le Guin, Ready Player One, Silence, weird Technicolor psychosis, once the Slint is in your system, hyper science, Superman mentality, the motionless picture, everyone was turning into Larry King, every other one... we know the rule, the American business, Martin Scorsese, adjusting stories, on the edge of town, Mark Hamill, Super 8, serialized storytelling, weird fetishization with our own social circle, we go home after popcorn, the sounds that kind of happen in your soul on those really dark nights, don't worry... I'm wearing a mask and gloves, Rian Johnson, Dickens novels, I don't know what winning looks like for our heroes, Star Trek culture, fanfiction, nothing but pop culture references, smart people from other countries want to come here, undercooked characters, Hitch

Movie Meltdown - Episode 438  This week we welcome the return of comedian Justin Golak to discuss this week's Sofa Theater feature: Ryan Coogler's Creed. Plus we go into some of the other movies we've seen recently, if it's worth getting a MoviePass and just what is the state of the modern comedy films these days.   And as we compare and contrast the modern-era Rockys, we also bring up... Blockers, Rampage, Game Night, The Death of Stalin, Super Troopers 2, like a puppy, too far Germany, the last days of me, they can't not do it, the music, Black Panther, born and bred, I think it's the best comedy on television now, convince the viewer, weathered wisdom, I've made a commitment to the future, Chris Rock, bold move as a mom, there's a lot of real tissue connected to that fictional story, Mystery Team, it's such a legacy film, you can't out-train it... you can't outlast it, this many years in, Tessa Thompson, twelve rounds for this man to prove that he is worthy of being alive, it was like... funnier than you m

Attack of the Killer Soundtrack - Episode 52 This week we are joined by composer, pianist and old school rock star - Rachel Grimes. Rachel has recently composed the score for Jeremy Frindel's film The Doctor from India, so we eventually discuss that... but not before we delve into her youthful interests, her formative years in the middle of a world-renowned punk rock scene and just how she got involved with the coolest field hockey team ever formed.   And while we confirm that Rachel's is the best part of Will Smith's Hancock, we also mention... Rodan, The City of Lost Children, Jacob Duncan, Lemonade Hayride, The Vogue Theater, every moment can be different, Vincent Guaraldi, Matmos, scenes were overlapping, concurrent streams, very gothy, oh my god... they just made the movie we wish we had made, Jason Noble, Zeppelin, don't go together with this rubber stamp ensemble, Peter Greenaway, viola, two cellos and bass, Nyman-esque, there wasn't the technical ability to put the show on in that room, 900 degrees, S

Movie Meltdown - Episode 437 This week our Super Series hits a new level with the culmination of a decade of Marvel movies bringing together the entire MCU - and our epic discussion of Avengers: Infinity War. And as we sat in awe at the sheer amount of planning and orchestration it took to get so many major actors in this one movie, we also discuss... Henry Cavill's mustache, Tom Cruise, The Empire Strikes Back, Trevor Goodchild, that disapproving look, the score, Fast and the Furious for your parents, The Crimes of Grindelwald, the incredible trauma, have we learned nothing from zombie movies, Drax, in a state of constant dying, what the hell is Nick's deal, everyone had to hold his head, 14 million visions, the bathroom fight scene, beast-mode axe, Final Fantasy VII, taking mechanical body parts, four years later, Thor, these are brutal f-ing actions, the Wakanda Air Force, that's some real Jack Kirby looking stuff, Danai Gurira, making yourself invisible, God tier, a dozen Jokers, all the side movies, Blac

Movie Meltdown - Episode 436 This week we head to The Bastion to watch and discuss The Void directed by Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie. And while we realize that we are all under the control of Bill Cipher, we also bring up... Channel Zero: Butcher's Block, Santa Clarita Diet, Avengers: Age of Ultron, the remakes of Dementia 13 and Cabin Fever, Art Hindle, Cthulhu mythos, Scarlet Witch, Bonnie Hunt, Sleepaway Camp, the magical murder powers of the woods, Linda Cardellini, being a realtor, Nick Jonas, playing Mousetrap, Friday the 13th, dressing like The Crow, Bride of Re-Animator, Nathan Fillion's head, a Nazi baseball team, playing Rampage, Uncle Frank Ultron, being a gamer, The Thing, Timothy Olyphant, have a buffalo baby, the people in white, Ethan Embry, CG animals, Nightbreed, do not Google degloving, a trippy music video, the dark arts, Scream Queens, kitten videos, I think that dynamic kind of works no matter what generation it is, the stairwell into Hell, Space Truckers, remakes, tiny girl ghos

Attack of the Killer Soundtrack - Episode 51 This week we are joined by Jonathon Mitchell from the band Nellie Pearl as we put together our own soundtrack of songs from a multitude of Winona Ryder-related projects. Including many live versions of songs from the recent Winona Ryd or Die event (coordinated by Heather and FEVA) as well as adding our own assortment of musical prerequisites and deep cuts from Winona’s career. And as we try to figure out where all the stickiness came from, we also mention... they had some grit, you’re not fluent in Portuguese, the tequila was not nearly the most intoxicating thing going on with me that night, In Your Face TV, check out the first two albums, somebody described it as an implosion, unhinged-ness, I lumbered through the crowd to the front door… and just right out into the street in the rain… and I just took off running down the middle of the street, rock star attitude, people that fell in love with her I think it also was because she was such an oddball, from Petula Cl

Movie Meltdown: Episode 435 This week we talk with filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe about his early pop culture interests and the influences that led to his specific documentary style. In particular, those that led him to direct his films The People vs. George Lucas, Doc of the Dead and 78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene. And as we realize we all come from the same international pop culture beginnings, we also discuss... Star Wars, Night of the Living Dead, Blade Runner 2049, Isle of Dogs, respecting the past, Charles Dickens, Rian Johnson, we don’t remember all the bad movies made, actively thinking about your role as a filmmaker, a tremendous amount of fun, the more you start peeling the layers, a completely unique phenomenon in pop culture, World War Z, Denis Villeneuve, he still has so many mysteries, I do what I do because I adore those films, Pontypool, testified before Congress against the colorization of black and white films, Ridley Scott, the idea of rules in any sub-genre, a passion for communication t

Movie Meltdown - Episode 434 (For our Patreon supporters.) This episode is a crossover Patreon event with one of our favorite artists - epyon5! Join us as we discuss the modern cult classic "What We Do in the Shadows"! A small, independent film that not only managed to find it’s niche audience but along the way has also created it’s own horror universe that has lead to many other projects.    And while we create our own shaming ritual, we also bring up… The Shape of Water, Murder on the Orient Express, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, under the top, huffin’ some spray paint, great misdirection, The Big Lebowski, there’s a roll-out going on, an illegal machine shop, I really wanna be a cowboy, The Beast, Fawlty Towers, we go out in the middle of the night in the streets of Cleveland looking for the right HDMI cable, Neil Breen, I expect him to always wear something on his face, those are good pants man… you just lost those pants, just bells and whistles… and explosions, puffy shirts, Wes Anderson, do you think he ha

Movie Meltdown - Episode 433 This week we return to our coverage of the Lexington Comic & Toy Convention as we discuss acting and directing with Jonathan Frakes. Plus we cover some of the variety of movies we’ve seen recently. And while we have a very special interaction with that girl in the stairwell, we also mention... The Octagon, Amityville: The Awakening, Leatherface, The Orville, Pauly Shore, Southbound, Alien: Covenant, Atomic Blonde, The Librarians, I call it speaking at performance volume, The Searchers, I would be killed by my own sleepwear, why is there no mystery anymore, Cameron Monaghan, the huge ninja-craze of the 80’s, Bella Thorne, is that just her gait, Shenandoah, the writers are on the set with you, gummy worms and a sandwich, Vanessa Hudgens, they wanna see in 30 frames, Stephen Dorff, he waits for them to fall into zany traps, 1967 Chevy Sport Van, North and South, Triangle meets Slacker, that one chick lived, a little more money… a little more time, Dean Devlin, this kid… wearing a

Movie Meltdown - Episode 432  This week we talk with master puppeteer David Barclay who not only helped to create Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back and Jabba in Return of the Jedi but also worked on Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Little Shop of Horrors and many other projects over the years. And while we all want to go hang out at a bar with David Bowie, we also bring up… Tiny Tim, Red Sparrow, Suburbicon, The Florida Project, Stuart Freeborn, Frank Oz, Scooby-Doo kind of sounds, coach and focus the performers, that whole side of the theater and arts was very fascinating to me as a kid, originally they were called Wild Things, Mike Ploog, picking up Academy slack, learning computer animation, it was a huge crew of just puppeteers, Robert Zemeckis, animatronics for theme parks, Cats and Dogs 2, a Darth Vader marionette, this was all practical in-camera effects, Where the Wild Things Are, That sculpture looks like real skin, mechanical plants, Lost in Space, The Muppets Take the Bowl, very deta

Movie Meltdown - Episode 431  This week we are coming to you "live" from the Lexington Comic & Toy Convention as we sit down with Doug Jones to discuss not just monsters and aliens, but also his Sofa Theater pick - Notting Hill. As well as hearing his stories about just being on-stage at the Oscars the week before with his Academy Award-winning film The Shape of Water! And while we realize that a guy with a giant moon head, is the coolest thing we’ve ever seen,  we also mention… Chuck Norris, Happy Death Day, both versions of It, Daniel Moder, Nosferatu, Lovecraftian, Tanzanite circled in diamonds, Famous Monsters of Filmland, Before I Fall, being on the Academy Awards, Rhys Ifans, slasher fun, Charles Aznavour, about to go up onto the ship and talk to Steven Spielberg, McDonald's, on the world’s stage, if you’re singing to me… I don’t care how long it is, life imitated art, horses and Henry James, wearing Armani, my funny Julia Roberts story that not many people know, Emily Mortimer, she was just getting

Movie Meltdown - Episode 430 We're back with the 10th annual Oscar Meltdown celebration - plus we hand out The Meltdown Awards for 2017 films! So join us for a big mouthful of pork, as we also discuss... hoodies are all the rage this year, Sebastian Stan’s mustache, confessing to library fines, the factual life of P.T. Barnum, I can fly… we already tried, can you be nominated for playing that horse, Zac Efron, the cat scene, drive-thru milkshakes, put a shirt on, well her teeth are so nice, giant monsters knocking over buildings, double Oscar/wedding, they soaked it in beer for a while, he makes me hate him in so many movies, monsters fighting with other monsters, that doorknob will be the death of me, Sufjan Stevens, tall as a giraffe with huge sunglasses, Drew Struzan, Mary and the Witch's Flower, manic pixie dream girl, giant monsters and alcoholism, they leave the damned door open, Taika Waititi and Jeff Goldblum, is this movie set in the 80’s or do they just dress really stupid, if they wanted someone wh

Attack of the Killer Soundtrack - Episode 50 This week we welcome our special guest - Austin-based singer/songwriter Bob Schneider. Bob has been making music since he was a kid and has spent the majority of his adult life writing songs and playing live all across the country. So join us as we discuss the changing Austin scene, working with director Robert Rodriguez, recording his live shows out on the road, what he likes to watch on Netflix and the special trick to getting your songs on a string of movie soundtracks. And as we’re clued in on the finer points of Leave Her to Heaven, we also bring up…Ypsilanti, South by Southwest, Alfred Newman, worked at a country club, I got some recognition from the ladies, El Paso, I feel like it’s pretty easy to make things complicated, and the music was insane, It was something my dad did, filming and editing video, I think of songs like solvable problems, a great way to capture this unique event, this is where I shine, the Sandra Bullock soundtrack collection, Germany, s

Movie Meltdown - Episode 429 (For our Patreon supporters.) This week the Super Series continues as we talk about Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther. And as we come to terms with awkwardly sitting next to people, we also mention… animation style, Chadwick Boseman, a lot of Minnie Mouse-themed things, technologically superior, Michael B. Jordan, dominate the sack race, Utilized everyone, the wall of wood, Lupita Nyong'o, a two-year-old with a Tesla car, the get out of jail free card, Danai Gurira, sci-fi, no-stick pans, hot dude of the moment, Martin Freeman, the center of the chicken is the calmest part, Rod Serling, snow-capped mountains, Daniel Kaluuya, on the rocks, as British goes, being vegetarian, the city, Letitia Wright, the colors, soul stone, nanobots, those aren’t our people, Angela Bassett, Red Sparrow, Captain America: Civil War, costumes, motion capture, making fish oil, you’re just a jackass alone in a room, Andy Serkis, contractually obligated to not shave, each of the tribes, we’re living in Black M

Movie Meltdown - Episode 428 This episode we pay tribute to just some of the celebrities that we lost in 2017. And while we try to decide what our theme song and montage for our lives would be, we also discuss... a Blue Steel Selfie, he would write everything long-form, the convention bubble, I’m just going to tell another brief story where I’m the bad guy, digging ditches, the greatest story ever told, fiction about real people, Keith Moon, won ten Obie Awards, you’re supposed to read those dates, Cybill Shepherd, industrial films, Walk Hard, it’s quiet… it’s slow… it’s poetic, was an elevator operator and a truck driver, it’s nothing but a series of anecdotes… sectioned by theme, going to film school… in the trenches, deep black negativity, where so much of your performance is non-verbal, it’s funny… all these people they mean something to us… but we don’t really know them, she looks like she should be in an Errol Morris documentary, the sweet old man who showed me around Los Angeles, even Mr. T’s got a mom

Attack of the Killer Soundtrack - Episode 49 This week we welcome our special guest Jamie Laurie aka "Jonny 5" who you may know as the co-lead vocalist and founding member of the band Flobots.  And as we make Transformers out of paper, we also bring up… drawing comic books, the Wikipedians don’t like to change their mind, Black Panther, Time's Up, all the animals in the book of mammals, at the basketball game, what’s the first song on the second side, attention is the currency today… everyone is fighting for it… and that makes it that much more precious, supporting your local bands, observe my own thoughts and emotional reactions to things, we would just press record on a boombox, the changing music scene, it shows that art makes a difference, galvanizing rallying energy, hand cut by me and my scissors, the cumulative effect did something that was transformative, kids recording at home, it was fun to go to Kinko’s and try to make your CD cover, it began as a lie, I heard you when I was eleven, what’s the last

Attack of the Killer Soundtrack - Episode 48 This week we are joined by composer Erich Stem to play and discuss all the 2017 Oscar Nominees for Best Original Song and Best Original Score. And while we try to decide if what they are going for is Oscary or Oscarly, we also mention… Wagner, Gene Autry, shaved the edges off, Tarzan, synthesized sound, Carter Burwell, the same kind of instrumental choices are there, Mudbound, I think I’d like to use a didgeridoo, how far is too far and how close is too close, it’s not as laborious to do that, Phantom Thread, old school Hollywood productions, Jonny Greenwood, Mary J. Blige, Catch Me If You Can, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson, Dunkirk, the common practice period, Hans Zimmer, Call Me by Your Name, what is the job of the music, Sufjan Stevens, The Shape of Water, ostinato pattern, Alexandre Desplat, Coco, I’ve heard this piece before, Titanic, what do you do when you are competing against a giant in the industry, it could sound like yesterday, the marketing angle,