Movie Meltdown

Movie Meltdown - Episode 391 (For our Patreon supporters.) This week... we talk about movies. Zombie movies and rage viruses... and high school melodrama... and slasher movies... and the Leatherface family reunion... and Stephen King stories... and one of our favorite, if not one of the most perplexing directors. All that, among many other things. And while we specifically clarify that we don't eat flesh... we eat brains, we also mention... Chicken Little, Vincent Price, hand-held action scenes, my two least favorite things about weddings and funerals, The Edge of Seventeen, putting dirt on the coffin, a button-down shirt, Dan O'Bannon, it still yips, Turk 182, as happy as you can be in a zombie apocalypse, I'm expected to look like a grown-up, just vast wasteland and dead bodies, a grim presentation, Chicken Run, The Last Man on Earth, wearing super short skirts, Tobe Hooper, even people who love it make fun of the second half, 28 Days Later, you care about those characters, From the Hip, Haley Lu Richardson

Attack of the Killer Soundtrack - Episode 43 This week we welcome our special guest E.G. Daily! You may know her from Pee Wee's Big Adventure or Valley Girl or tons of other movies. Or maybe you know her from all of her music performances over the years. Or maybe her recent appearance on The Voice. Or maybe you just know her voice from Rugrats or The Powerpuff Girls or countless other animated characters. However you know Elizabeth Daily... you know she's talented. This week we sit down with her to discuss her career and along the way we build a soundtrack of not just her work but also songs from other movies she's been involved with over the years. And as we hit the clubs across the Sunset Strip, we discuss... Martha Coolidge, singing mice and Braveheart, I'm gonna get my daughter an agent, Michelle Pfeiffer, playing the song in my car, Tim Burton, keeping him in the real world, Sean and Chris Penn, working at Radio Shack, once you've planted that many seeds... for that many decades, things just start growi

Movie Meltdown - Episode 390 This week we talk with the one, the only - John Waters. Now is he intrinsically evil? Well, we'd say no. But the Censor Board may have a different answer. Or The Baltimore Police Department. Or certain Canadian film distributors. Or... well, there's probably a lot of people. Listen as we revisit stories of his early days of shooting films in his hometown, specifically, the newly restored and rereleased Multiple Maniacs. And just how this kid from Baltimore got together with his friends and inadvertently came to offend so many people over the years. But along with these crazy stories comes some wisdom. So as John goes out into the world and talks to people today... does he hold the key to living an interesting and fulfilling life? Listen and find out for yourself. And as we bask in the cultured luster of Janus Films presents, we also discuss... The Cavalcade Of Perversion... on their front lawn, shooting on 16mm, it's like a hostage video, smoking pot and taking acid, lobsters ar

Movie Meltdown - Episode 389 This week we are joined by director Rob Spera. He's not only been directing film and television for the past thirty years, but he's also currently teaching filmmaking at The American Film Institute. We talk about his early days working with Roger Corman and shooting low-budget horror and thriller movies. And then we'll find out just how that led him to direct the genre favorite Leprechaun in the Hood. And we'll cover how he moved into directing high-profile network shows like Supernatural, Army Wives and Criminal Minds. And how all that led him to his latest film, The Sweet Life starring Chris Messina and Abigail Spencer. And while we figure out the best way to capturing your audience, we also cover... Corman's technique, acting in New York, the Supernatural cast, how to teach filmmaking in an ever-changing medium, Bus Stop, Warwick Davis, shifting the axis, Al Pacino, driving two characters to their death, they point to the symptom, teaching, becomes your editor, this is somethi

Movie Meltdown - Episode 388 (For our Patreon supporters.) This week we hang out in a parking lot and reminisce about our time spent at the Lexington Comic and Toy Convention. Plus we discuss some of the movies and shows we've seen lately. And as we try to decide just how inappropriately color-coded the Power Rangers were, we also mention... John Wick, The Girl on the Train, loitering Deadpool, Major Lilywhite, 3-gun competition, Mystery Science Theater 3000, are you on Top Model, a T-Rex stumbling down a hallway, Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, Riverdale, that's always a plus... nobody got stabbed, scamming free stuff from the CW booth, kids making their own shows, Creepypasta, Solomon Grundy want pants too, Sean Gunn and Sebastian Bach, in a Lifetime movie, Mädchen Amick, you and Tina Fey... you're the only ones who can sell that, slave girl Leia Dorothy, Daredevils, and then there was a teeth monster, now there's a guy who didn't try very hard, Squirm and pancakes. Spoiler Alert: Spoilers mentioned for The

Movie Meltdown - Episode 387 This week our host is reunited with Bryan Johnson from the podcast Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! as well as the AMC series Comic Book Men. Join us as we discuss recent and not-so-recent movie viewings, meeting people who used to have very interesting jobs in the business and eventually we round things out with this week's Sofa Theater feature the 1979 horror movie Don't Go in the House. Which just happened to be filmed right around the corner from where Bryan grew up. Memories and body burns ensue. And as a couple of old guys reminisce about the way the world used to be back in the day, we also bring up... Ralph Macchio, Katrina Law, John Wick, when it came out on video, Jacques Cousteau, my son's on TV, Michael Rooker, a whole ensemble, shoveling stuff into a furnace, if you were on TV... it was a major major deal, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, taking a ferry to Ellis Island, a phone booth, Dan Grimaldi, hanging out at The Web, you are either from a different country or you're craz

Movie Meltdown - Episode 386 This week we hang out with artist Dirty Donny as we discuss, among other things - designing the artwork for pinball machines, working with Metallica and our movie o' the week Heavy Metal. And as we assure ourselves that we aren't just watching the movie to see naked cartoon girls, we also bring up... laserdiscs, Eddie the Head, Hernandez Brothers, BMX bikes, skateboarding, Sean Penn, guitars and cars, The Hellacopters, I can't believe I'm allowed to buy this, Ivan Reitman, the big kid down the street, Stephen King, Bernie Wrightson, a '73 Dodge van, Superchannel, Beavis and Butt-head, my dork hanging out, Conan the Barbarian, one of my hero directors, Thrasher Magazine, Wizards, springs on the back shocks on the front, the plastic gas tank, The Cannonball Run, the motor painted green, Warren Oates, problems with the soundtrack, Clint Eastwood, coming up with the breadbox, Ralph Bakshi, camping with my parents, a bootleg VHS, Love and Rockets, robot Brigitte Nielsen, midnight movi

Movie Meltdown - Episode 385 It's time for the most prestigious of all award shows - The Meltdown Awards! Yes, join us as we gather together to ignore the Oscars and instead hand out our own awards... The Foilers. Plus we eat a lot of pork, recap our reactions to the films of 2016 and even read some of the comments made by our voters. And as we are hippin' up the Pepto audience a little bit, we also mention... a social faux pas, Janelle Monáe, skinsuit, I'm kind of like the Michael Jordan of diabetes, I forgot that movie existed, what are you wearing, Powerless, cowboy bad boy charm, John Goodman, taking home leftovers, attack of the man buns, the swirling tornado and a bunch of rock dudes, I'm all about some Brie Larson, that weird little club on the outskirts of nowhere, you'll be dead or napping soon, the arm in the door, a race track in the basement, she might have had TMJ, how much it added to the movie atmospherically and mood-wise, King Kong, he looks so haggard, The IT Crowd, being mean in a Starbuck

Movie Meltdown - Episode 384 (For our Patreon supporters.) This week we return to our on-going "Super Series" as we discuss the latest super hero entry: The Lego Batman Movie. So join us as The Meltdown Gang settles in to talk about Batman, the DC universe, multiple villains and just how the Lego empire ties them all together. So as we pick out the new Lego sets we're going to need to buy, we also discuss... Riverdale, being needed in your life, organic things like water and fire, Roger Rabbit, Oscar-nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, a bullet hole in his forehead, Space Ghost, less frames to worry about, bad CG rock guys, the Batman geeks are in heaven, Deadshot, I feel like you've brought a curse on my home, Twin Peaks, kids are like... I like Legos, Killer Croc, Legends of Tomorrow, Grammy-winners, Geoff Johns, Landstriders, Mel Gibson, Sophie Turner spoiled it, the funny tech guy, Deadpool, all of this is by design, BoJack Horseman, darker and more offensive, my love affair with the CW is kind of

Movie Meltdown - Episode 383  This week, in response to a recent online list, the gang gets together to come up with their own top ten list of best and/or underrated villains. And as we contemplate that maybe making a snuff film is the way to go, we also mention... the Dick Tracy museum, gets drunk on blood, stares the boy down, Robocop, in the middle of the bloodbath, AFI, it was incredibly dark for it's time, gross wheezing jokes, David Lynch, smashes a bottle, a cool... calm... snake-like villain, he's always rich with really odd people, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, another villainess with inscrutable motives, The Last House on the Left, the birth of the alt-right, Nil by Mouth, his gumline, well... it won't bring back our kids, pathos, quotable, talk about unhinged, they wanted to show the deterioration, Villain vs. Monster, incredibly manipulative... they almost make the movie hard to watch, I guess I'm going to dive into David Cronenberg, She fights it, and she fights it, and she fight

Movie Meltdown - Episode 382 This week we welcome our special guest co-host comedian Bert Kreischer. Join us as we talk about getting into comedy, becoming part of the podcast world, being the inspiration for the movie Van Wilder and the Rolling Stone interview that started it all. Then we change gears to this week's Sofa Theater feature... Fletch. Where we discuss whether this Chevy Chase comedy holds up today... and just how it has influenced Bert's life overall. And as we repeatedly put on ridiculous disguises throughout the show, we also mention... Snoop's podcast, Dane Cook vs. Ryan Reynolds, doing drugs at fourteen, Milo Yiannopoulos, singing and acting, Laughable, Godfrey, I would definitely say I made my career on podcasting, Bill Burr, I wanna say in a weird way it helped form who I am today, comedy is not about the set you have... it's about the set you're working on, Charlie Murphy, Ethan and Hila Klein, When I got into comedy I felt like... so outside of it, because everyone seemed to know every c

Attack of the Killer Soundtrack - Episode 42 This week we play and discuss all of the nominees for both original song and original score for the 89th Annual Academy Awards. So join us in knocking out all of your musical Oscar homework in one shot! And as we embrace the a nice dreamy quality, we also discuss... melancholy, deep-fried pig tails, Eminem, I won't do it, cello and bass, it's like a robot making a sad song, key changes, The Tooth Fairy, weirdness around, Arrival, the thought of it actually winning just made me laugh, never neglects instruments, it's like he used the right instrumentation... he just didn't go the distance, imitating Kevin Hart, Lincoln, radio version, stepping up to meet the level of the project, the Academy Awards is not really a pinpoint of the best of the year... it's just what the Academy decides to nominate. It is it's own weird little game, digital picture vs. Polaroid, Rhodes piano, Bruce Springsteen, no real movements, Be Cool, it melts in and out of tones, they are smart,

Movie Meltdown - Episode 381 (For our Patreon supporters.)   This week we gather at the Bastion to peer into the grim future that is: Death Race 2050. And as we play a rousing round of guess the celebrity's age, we also mention... Crazyhead, I impressed a small child, Chad Radwell, Sherlock, a nuclear blast, Resident Evil out of order, Eddie Steeples, a Tuesday at Malcolm's house, Nothing in the Dark, The Selection, still no flying cars, quarter-assed, corn ninjas, Black Mirror, Lewis Reeves, Home Alone-ish, having nothing to say, the Bechdel test, molotov cocktails, Emma Roberts, Watson got hot, they might have been State Fair quality, oh my god... I am cool to a nine year old, bonus points for Yancy Butler?, the mask is itchy, I should be buried with it, Malcolm McDowell's Farm of Miniature Ponies, having an existential crisis, non-safety compliant, flashy gun, DIY Photoshop, Billie Lourd, when she's off her meds... she can see the demons, you're just throwing out a hot topic... and then leaving it sit the

Movie Meltdown - Episode 380 This week we discuss the 2016 film Blair Witch directed by Adam Wingard. Is it a true sequel? Is it a reboot? And just how does it compare to the original project? And what changes have happened in both the real world and on the horror scene since the first Blair Witch film left it's mark? And while we hear a stick break in the distance, we also bring up... Trevante Rhodes, Dog Eat Dog, Naomi Watts, Shin Godzilla, Skull Island, voo doo doll, LaLa Land, true POV, high end sci fi, jump scares, Jack Black, Creep, the underground railroad, retelling those stories, The Force Awakens, Rings, you got that many castles to pay off your gonna make a lot of wizard movies along the way, Moonlight, Willem Dafoe selling candy and getting a massage, King Kong, screw it... monsters, hitting all the points, time missing, Ryan is old news, Paul Schrader, Peter forgot how to edit, cowboy Adrien Brody, hell dimension, a bunch of gangsters doing gangster shit, running away from monsters, Book of Shad

Movie Meltdown - Episode 379 This week we return to our annual segment People Who Died... Died, as we discuss just some of the performers we lost in 2016. And as we are smacked in the face with our own mortality, we also mention... Alec Guinness in drag, in Warsaw when the blitzkrieg occurred, Mitch Miller, Brazil, Good Burger, Scrooge McDuck, The Phil Silvers Show, South Park, fireside chats, Volgograd, in a Santa Claus suit, using anamorphic, what is this land... why are we paying so much, Dick Tracy, buys a horse and cart, unscrupulous... yes, buckets of blood... in vivid color, spend three years in prison, living for nostalgia, The Time Machine, everyone feels like everything personally affects them now, a pioneer in his own right, Sam Peckinpah, it's like we were in a trench in World War I together, perpetual media cover of every horrendous event, dying for 40 years, every time I go to the flea market... I feel like a Coen Brothers casting agent, Paul Bartel, him dying is just... all part of the show, a

Movie Meltdown - Episode 378 This week we hang out at the Bastion and watch William Castle's I Saw What You Did. Plus we recap some recent movies, reminisce about ridiculous things we did as kids and enjoy some gifted DIY Fiddle Faddle. And while we realize how hard it is being mysterious and sexy, we also discuss... Joan Crawford, Scream Queens, Penn and Teller, L.A. Confidential, Warriors of the Rainbow, Gary the dog, evening attire, glass made out of sugar, Tuesday Weld, that Dean Cain show, that's going to lead to mildew and mold, sad and historical, the burying drive, ratted out to Krampus, semi-bee-hivey, she's the craziest little bitch who's ever bitched, Billie Lourd, the house that created fog, the hand of a serial killer, Fear Street, this lady was going commando, mom yelling at the screen, and I think part of that was due to the underwear, the way kids operated back in the day, back when we were ninjas, key parties, old school bootylicious, having a peanut butter sandwich, are you a demon?, it was

Movie Meltdown - Episode 377 This week we are joined by our special guest co-host - author Brian Jay Jones. Brian is a New York Times bestselling biographer who's written Washington Irving: An American Original, Jim Henson: The Biography and most recently George Lucas: A Life. So join us as we discuss the process of researching his subjects as well as a good, old fashioned geek-out session where we talk about George's early days, creating Star Wars and Lucas' impact on the film world as well as the legacy he leaves behind. And as we address the finer points of having your heart ripped out, we also mention... Saturday morning cartoons, a brain in a jar, the Special Editions, Red Tails, Kirk Thatcher, Raiders of the Lost Ark, American Graffiti, Michael Eisner, Powaqqatsi, fungible until that last moment, John Milius, Body Heat, being totally dead, used car salesman, advancing the cause of the filmmaker, getting Prince to play at your wedding, the voice of the executive producer, it's really like Camelot for th

Movie Meltdown - Episode 376 (For our Patreon supporters.)   This week is a multitude of things. First off... it's our anniversary. So as we celebrate crossing over into our 9th year of Movie Meltdown... we also return to our semi-annual tradition of getting together to celebrate - Life Day. And coincidentally, it also happens to mark the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. So what better time to kick-off our new, exclusive Patreon episodes then by gathering the gang together to eat Wookie cookies and discuss the latest Star Wars release. It sounds like a pretty great way to spend this holiday season. And as we realize we all want to live in a Ralph McQuarrie castle, we also mention... Tarkin, stealing the Hammerhead ships, creepy skin, as an insurgency, sliced and diced, General Dodonna, everything has to be displayed in a two-dimensional space, Wookie hairballs, it was baked in, the final act, two-fifths of me is here, a suicide mission, hot Vader action, super secret super weapon, moof-milker, settin

Movie Meltdown - Episode 375 This week we welcome back one of our favorite special guest co-hosts - Hal Sparks. We discuss everything from the basics of coordinating a busy and multifaceted career to spending years working with the Disney company, to one of his favorite movies... this week's Sofa Theater feature: Conan the Barbarian. From the Robert E. Howard pulp beginnings to the black and white Marvel comics to Arnold Schwarzenegger's interpretation in the film world... we discuss a multitude of themes and aspects of Conan. And as we realize we are effectively just beloved, we also mention... James Earl Jones, The Princess Bride, Talk Soup, First Blood, it takes a couple of whacks, a modern studio system, Braveheart, directing the show, it's always been about the hustle, wolf pelts, manipulation of the gods, such a firewall between the organizations, homogenized network television, going down through the red light district knocking on doors, a great Wayne Newton-style villain, Andy Lau, Bill Burr, the big

Movie Meltdown - Episode 374 This week we welcome our special guest co-host comedian Yedoye Travis to discuss stand up, movies and the "magic" involved in our movie choice - The Prestige. And while we adamantly get on Team Tesla, we also address... relocating to L.A. and New York, Nickelodeon, tone painting, Batman v Wolverine, the power comedy clubs have, Toonami, David Bowie, Mystery Science Theater 3000, writing poetry, it's almost like Hollywood is a very limited workplace, Adult Swim, why am I an accessory to murder, Rachel McAdams, I'm a big fan of... not spoon-feeding things, Pee Wee's Playhouse, hit me up Scarlett, a 3D printer, a bitter battle for supremacy, Memento, 146 time jump cuts, Reggie Watts, doing theatre, Cartoon Network, Terrence Malick, worst stagehands ever, where were you when Chris needed you?, Interstellar, I do a few things, Jonah Ray, choir, boxing robots, Wes Van Horn, not making concessions, every Nigerian has been to London, Scrooge McDuck, sitting out on the back deck, no patro