Movie Meltdown

Movie Meltdown - Episode 572 Get yourself a heart-shaped box of candy and join us as we discuss some alternate (questionably) romantic movies to watch for Valentine's Day.  And as we try to decode our special love messages from Reeses, we also mention… George Wendt, cannibalism, redefining cinema, The Island of Dr. Moreau, a golem more than a zombie, Danny Trejo, nothing good can last, Oliver Stone, being Batman, Dementia 13, your third rate Mickey Rourke, bitter love scenes, Reese Witherspoon, hot movies for mom, Gary Oldman, Harold Faltermeyer, Ione Skye, dating adventures, Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, coal miners, the undead, the career trajectory of Keanu Reeves, sideway Careless Whisper, the second-coming of Val Kilmer, Paul Rudd, the bad boy with the heart of gold, Frank Sinatra, time-traveling romance, a thinly-veiled religious allegory against substance abuse, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Skinamax. “There’s a lot of schmaltzy in this movie… misguided schmaltzy.”

Movie Meltdown - Episode 571 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") This episode we discuss Kuntilanak - aka "The Chanting Revisited". This 2018 film directed by Rizal Mantovani tells the story of a sinister mirror and a creepy witch. And as we get a small window into life in Indonesia, we also cover… Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Malignant, adding a wacky noise, worst babysitter ever, extended jaw, how many rupiah, Goosebumps, they really didn’t need that useless girl, and your socks are wet, explaining the plot, universal kid activities, where did mom get her money, being attacked while going to the bathroom, drunk dad, The Ring, airplane bathroom, dumped on the lawn, bickering and curse words, that’s an odd place to put a railroad spike, roots takeover, an alternate theory, The Goonies, lookin’ for something to jump scare ‘em, I don’t ever want to choke a child, Oculus, ridiculousness, ghost RC car and the wrong Polaroid. Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for the 2018 movie “Kuntilanak”. So go watch the movie bef

Movie Meltdown - Episode 570 This episode we return to the Super Series with a vengeance as we discuss Spider-Man: No Way Home and all things Marvel.  And as we work to make sense of the alternate universe we now live in, we also bring up… Hawkeye, Daredevil, Kingpin, She-Hulk, Tom Holland, Kate Bishop, Shang-Chi, Loki, What If...?, Spider-Man: Freshman Year, WandaVision, Young Avengers, Kang the Conqueror, Miles Morales, Kraven the Hunter, Jon Watts, The Rhino, arrogance personified, Betty Brant, self-masochistic, reappearing people, The Celestials, Zendaya, Gorr the God Butcher, something’s getting blown up somewhere, Vincent D'Onofrio, it’s Alexander the Great with a time machine, Felicia Hardy, Echo, The Lizard, tech in the wrong hands, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Eternals, Doctor Jane Foster, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Charlie Cox, a recent expert, working as a team, Electro, Christian Bale, a victim of mental illness, Dr. Curtis Connors, Justin Hammer, Harry Styles, superhero lawyers, furt

Movie Meltdown - Episode 569 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") Join us as we round out our holiday party with the Horror Club feature - Black Christmas. The 2006 remake/sequel directed by Glen Morgan is an alternate and gorier take on the college co-eds trapped at Christmas idea. And as we try to decide the perfect way to shove Christmas down your throat, we also delve into… musky caramel, The Fall of the House of Usher, two skeletors, A Christmas Prince, the icicle, we’re gonna smack you in the face with it again, Andrea Martin, over the top, candy cane shiv, the red herring game, everyone is so mesmerized by carolers, Michelle Trachtenberg, a defibrillator. Billy’s little telescope, Kit Kats beget Kit Kats, Bob Clark, we all have jaundice, Dimension Films, sinister nutcracker, mostly as a head, James Wong, how much do you know the first movie… or think you know, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, red and green light, alternate universe, the leg lamp, Jesus rode a unicorn one time, don’t think about it too hard, Oliver

Movie Meltdown - Episode 568 Our holiday festivities continue as we discuss six Christmas movies we've recently watched. Some are more disturbing than others… you be the judge as to which you find the most ridiculous.  And while we get involved in crazy scenarios involving mistaken identity, aliens, lies, murders, usurpers, dating apps, fairy tales and telepathy - we also address… Pirates World, Dark Angel, Santa extreme close-up, dating apps, during World War 2, Geraldo Rivera’s mustache, losing musical eras, naughty Martians, Hans Christian Andersen, Mad Max homage, Jon Favreau, fighting off a wolf, our brain stem fluid is a drug, working in a toy factory, gloriously annoyed, A Midnight Clear, stuck in Florida, RiffTrax, plucked a gorilla, an air raid horn, showing off how dumb our characters are, the whole mise en scène of the whole thing, cops and aliens, It's a Wonderful Life and mutant karaoke.  “So we have completely mishmash nostalgia, out-of-date references… and we’re making references to far better

Movie Meltdown - Episode 567 Grab yourself some cocoa and join us for a roundabout discussion of holiday movies. From the mainstream staples to the insane amount of recent independent entries - to some of the forgotten Christmas "classics".  And while we decide just who deserves to be on the naughty list, we also mention… Hawkeye, Kurt Russell, a rag-tag band of misfits, Buzz’s parenting skills, Avengers #168, Last Action Hero, Lifetime, Malcolm McDowell, Hallmark, the melting stairs, Netflix, Whitney Houston, swap the white people out, the production value is pretty low… the story is pretty thin, Bill Murray affection, posters in movie theaters, the naughty list, Vanessa Hudgens, cold pizza and cleaning your guns, we need more Batmans, John Lithgow, Cousin Eddie, that beanie would have been melted into his skull, Michael Keaton, Lucky the pizza dog, weird sequels, creme-filled wafers, the pre-adolescent Sophie's Choice, they did that one in 3D, wrestlers at Christmas, a classic Toys R Us commercial, it’s mor

Movie Meltdown - Episode 566 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") On this “very special” holiday episode, we gather around the table to give thanks for all the different movies we’ve watched in the past. And this year we watched ThanksKilling 3 - Jordan Downey and Kevin Stewart’s follow-up to their super indie cult hit ThanksKilling. Will they be able to recapture the holiday magic of the first film… we’ll see.  And as we test out the savory flavors of Turkey Dinner Candy Corn, we also bring up puppet fetishism, robots, Wanda Lust, Eldritch horror, outside of an abandoned Wendy’s, Garfield, Thanksgiving music, purposefully crude, Beetlejuice, self-important, trying to balance a horror/comedy, Natural Born Killers, skip its own sequel, shooting in real people’s homes, stick a knife in an electrical outlet, animated gay cats, Jim Henson, viscerally grossed out, throwing money at things, The Happytime Murders, you just showed up and got beaten with the sequel, Meet the Feebles, the charm of Gwar, string cheese, there

Movie Meltdown - Episode 565 This episode features the return of George aka “The Fanatic” as we look back at 1982 and all the monumental films that came out that year.  So put on your Flynn's Arcade T-shirt, grab your Reese's Pieces and get ready from some crazy tangents as we delve into... Bob Clark, Amy Heckerling, some sort of weird allegory for consumerism, Eddie Murphy, pandering garbage, George Romero, Colonel Trautman, a theater kid, David Lynch, the post-apocalyptic aesthetic, Richard Pryor, playing Atari, Rob Bottin, Lord Humungus, guns or walkie talkies, Lee Horsley, it is all about prostitution, Mr. Yankovic, missing parent issues, metal kids, Tom Hanks, competing against himself, Catherine Mary Stewart, practical effects, Walter Hill, the marketing didn’t know what the hell they had, he’s John Williams, going to the drive-in, John Waters, brutally honest comedies, Steven Spielberg, the next G.I. Joe, Christopher Reeve, sex comedies, Split Second, it is still getting worse, Ben Kingsley, Satanic pa

Movie Meltdown - Episode 564 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") As our October party continues, join us as we discuss the latest entry in the partially rebooted Halloween franchise -  David Gordon Green’s Halloween Kills. And along the way, we come up with theories that involve Bigfoot, aliens, kung fu, teleportation, cults and William Shatner himself. And while we find new creepy-themed candies, we also address… The People Under the Stairs, What We Do in the Shadows, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, double wines, John Carpenter, occulty reasons, mob mentality, the power of the mask, Anthony Michael Hall, a big flashy way to go out, callbacks to movies that don’t exist, genre gets political, Loomis, in a hospital bed, Kyle Richards, he’s ready to murder! he’s been holding it in for 40 years, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tommy Jarvis > Tommy Doyle, the headless horseman, streaming services, alternate timeline and continuity, George Bailey, the magical jumpsuit, young kids in danger, energy vampire, changing perspective, th

Movie Meltdown - Episode 563 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") Join us as we kick off our Halloween festivities with a discussion of The Houses October Built directed by Bobby Roe. And as we test our candy endurance, we also mention… Hider in the House, Only Murders in the Building, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, House, Zack Andrews, awesome spooky songs, green-colored creme, Fruit Brute, zombie strip clubs, all these clowns in an RV, The Forest, Roald Dahl witches, Brandy Schaefer, camera placement, The Blair Witch Project, roadside attractions, Mikey Roe, unintentionally so funny, pre-head injury, a working walkman, fancy coffins, a fun centerpiece, Elvira, weirdos taking a nap, The Game, two yutes tuna, one long post-credits scene, Gary Busey, The Monster Mash, riding around in a truck, screaming candy, Jeff Larson, confrontations with strange people, occasional sounds and then them being scared and the unenthusiasm of children. Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for 2014’s "The Houses October Built"… you

Movie Meltdown - Episode 562 This episode we head back out into the world as we visit the Lexington Comic & Toy Convention. And after looking at all the toys, we then sit down to discuss the Full Moon Feature Dollman directed by Albert Pyun and starring Tim Thomerson, Jackie Earle Haley and Kamala Lopez. And as we decide who our favorite American Gladiator is, we also cover... Near Dark, Trancers, Billy Wirth, Cobra, as fun as murderous gangs can be, Romeo is Bleeding, shared universe, Charles Band, desolate buildings and rubble, VHS boxes, Marc Singer, full-length mirrors, Helen Hunt, Death Wish, VideoZone, special effects, Jane Austen's Mafia!, Rip Torn, he plays skeezy, you gotta be oily, hot and ripped, I hate when my sarcophagus is sore, Trancers II, Sledge Hammer!, Megan Ward, post-apocalyptic landscape, Crying Freeman, this is the wrong kind of weird, Buck Rogers, safety precautions, Morgan Fairchild and are you into anime? Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for the 1991 release Dollman. So watch it befo

Movie Meltdown - Episode 561 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") This outing we discuss Let Sleeping Corpses Lie or The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue or possibly Don't Open the Window… or some sort of ‘70s zombie movie.  And while we question the competency of the police, we also bring up… Mom and Dad, Evil Genius, Sands of Oblivion, homicidal infants, Jack Webb, the weird statue, Nicolas Cage, you can get heroin anywhere, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Jorge Grau, sonic radiation, George Kennedy, the shelf life of drugs, I am proud and disguised of myself, Willy's Wonderland, I’m mad about apples, Sci-Fi vs SyFy, corrupt cops, innovative ways for pest control, they are very organized for mindless creatures, melee on the football field, a metal collider on a long stick the machine, as you’re being murdered… just being right, it makes parents kill their children, Cecil B. DeMille, outwitted by a hand towel and the MacGuffin baby. Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for Let Sleeping Corpses Lie or whatever title you wan

Movie Meltdown - Episode 560 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") This episode we discuss I Drink Your Blood - the '70s movie directed by David E. Durston. And as we realize we are our own counter-culture, we also address… Two Sentence Horror Stories, I Saw the Devil, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Lynn Lowry, the Manson murders, George Romero, his dentures fell out, Shivers, a low-budget beheading, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, character development, Apache Chief, David Cronenberg, wearing a wig, an allegory about free love, Burn After Reading, rabid dogs with guns, Doogie Howser, revenge plots, hippies, no sense of urgency, The Crazies, synthy music, he kind of feels bad because he thinks he’s supposed to, Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury, getting pitchforked, a commentary on Vietnam, poisoned Tylenol, Ewan McGregor, Pink Flamingos, killing animals, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, rated X, The Stepford Wives, John Goodman, a professional dancer, $12 in 1970 money, Jadin Wong, biological warfare, Cat People, hippie grudge match, Dan Tracht

Movie Meltdown - Episode 558 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") This episode we round out the trilogy as we watch and discuss Fear Street: Part 3 - 1666 directed by Leigh Janiak.  And as we recount the tales of the goods and the fears, we also mention… little village movies, the evil spirit doesn’t mix well with water, Puritan times, different actors playing different parts, weird magic berries, I was getting ready to get up and leave the room, religious zealots, The Wizard of Oz, is there a video on Instagram that I can watch, Gadzooks, her and her friends went to swap bodies, the pig adventure, The VVitch, lithographs or it didn’t happen, running through the tunnels, fluorescent paint, cheerleaders killing people, double D batteries, you’re so bored you’ll accuse someone of being a witch, playing the lute, dalliances and headlamps.      Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for “Fear Street: Part 3 - 1666” - you have been warned. “THAT’S the thing you’re going to question in this entire movie?!”

Movie Meltdown - Episode 558 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") This episode we head back to the 70s as we discuss Fear Street: Part Two - 1978, directed by Leigh Janiak. And as we find solidarity with the outcast kids, we also cover… Sadie Sink, Capri Sun, did I lock the car, rockin’ the side-ponytail, minions of the witch, Halloween, drawn to where all the evil is, juice boxes, you don’t shake off a chest wound, get an alarm clock, matching airbrushed shirts, the body count, Ted Sutherland, listening to cassette tapes, this is how murder pacts get started, the outhouse scene, being paranoid, Sleepaway Camp, Gillian Jacobs, a net bag full of barrels, piecing together the overarching story, I’m glad that we are not shying away from the darker side of this story, Chiara Aurelia, I never saw an otter, lost in tunnels underneath the school, making weapons, hanging with the preppy crowd, she saw his name on the wall, bottled water and just who is Ed Sheeran? Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for “Fear Street: Part Two -

Movie Meltdown - Episode 557 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") This episode we kick off our discussion of the new Fear Street trilogy of terror as we discuss Fear Street: Part One - 1994 directed by Leigh Janiak.  And as we slip into the tales of the mall, we also bring up… 90’s music, The Shining, Snake Eyes, chokers, a hankerin’ for some Sbarros, Maya Hawke, metal kids on the internet, using the bad words, Doctor Sleep, tie-in merchandise, R.L. Stine, Kiana Madeira, I’d use hawthorn, the bread slicer, one year-olds suck at putt-putt, Olivia Scott Welch, one more D than 3, ridiculous 80s kills, get your finger out of my fresh f-ing wound, The B-52’s, abusive relationships, Benjamin Flores Jr., Musicland, when the book fair would come and set-up in the library, JNCO and Duck Heads, The Mist, you don’t know the fistfights that were had over that figure in the aisle, wildings is like a gentle way to put it, Stranger Things, a bowl full of human teeth, Wes Craven, roque, it’s a sexy wound, goth kids, Mrs. Todd's S

Movie Meltdown - Episode 556 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") On this episode, we welcome back Dick Starr as we return to the outback to discuss Wolf Creek 2. The 2013 Australian horror film is still co-written and directed by Greg McLean, so how does it compare to the first film and how does it fit into the ongoing franchise.   And as we try to figure out, what's going on with Nicolas Cage, we also address... Fear Street, Willy's Wonderland, Goosebumps, creating a series versus a movie, a loophole movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, get to know the kids, YA horror, The Twilight Zone, competing crocodile movies, Ed Gein, Rambo: Last Blood, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, bone decor, using a grinder, John Jarratt, worried about vicious dogs, a supernatural level of murderer, Jack Black, the tractor-trailer scene, The Banana Splits Movie, a new level of gore, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, promote the legend of Mick, Mom and Dad, true crime,  the boogeyman of the outback and his twisted murder ride haunted house cata

Movie Meltdown - Episode 555 (For our Patreon "Horror Club") This episode the Horror Club reconvenes to discuss The Ghoul - the 1975 movie directed by Freddie Francis and starring Peter Cushing, John Hurt and Veronica Carlson.  And while we brush up on our fake violin playing, we also mention… A Quiet Place Part 2, From Beyond, an evil Maharaja, he’s quite dead, Top Secret, Greedo in heels, look at these… they’re so tall, The Great Gatsby, your weird like medieval Knight haircut looks kind of familiar, John Krasinsk, the secret Satan-worshipping room, practical effects, double quicksand, nobody changes clothes, Greg Nicotero, decoy ghoul, Ken Foree’s underwear, the entire Back to the Future trilogy, why don’t people dance like that anymore, bedroom slippers, laid his depravity, Colin Firth in the marsh and those nachos are gonna get us killed man!  Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers for “The Ghoul” (aka “Night of the Ghoul”), so go watch it before you listen.  “Dammit… you have opened a door, to a room - that I don

Movie Meltdown - Episode 554 For this special bonus Horror Club episode, we return to WonderFest to talk with Sam Irvin. Sam is a director, producer, screenwriter, author and the film historian who recently provided the audio commentary for Frankenstein: The True Story. This 1973 film was directed by Jack Smight and written by Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy and contains a very interesting subplot that was slyly snuck past the censors at the time. Featuring a stellar cast including James Mason, Leonard Whiting, David McCallum, Jane Seymour, Michael Sarrazin, Sir John Gielgud, Agnes Moorehead, Sir Ralph Richardson and Tom Baker - listen as we delve into this impressive and often overlooked horror classic.    And as we deal with our own monstrous issues of abandonment and rejection, we also cover… Growing Fangs, Boris Karloff, Universal Studios, Dr. Polidori, magnum opus, Ben-Hur, the Grandfather of every horror host, Peter Lorre, the great wisdom of the executives, Elsa Lanchester, Anne Rice, talking ab

Movie Meltdown - Episode 553 We finally venture back out into the world - and thankfully it’s for our coverage of WonderFest! There we sit down once again with Kirk Thatcher to hear his continuing amazing stories of working in the industry - in particular, his years working with The Muppets. Listen as Kirk tells us stories about meeting Jim Henson, working on Dinosaurs, being a Gremlin, sitting in the writer's room, directing humans on The Kids are Alright, putting together a live puppet show at the Hollywood Bowl and how he ended up in Spider-Man: Homecoming.  And while we’re currently writing a children’s book entitled, “My Sharkleberry Adventure”, we also bring up… A Quiet Place Part II, The Bad Batch, horseshoe crabs, Joe Dante, The Raft, whatever yogurt was in German, Matt Groening, the Marvel connection, Red 40, Waldo C. Graphic, had his arm eaten off, Michael Giacchino, working in a writer’s room, Baby Yodas to Justified, keeping weird celebrity mementos, they are always so murky, the democratization o