And we’re back! It has been about a month since James and I last recorded our epic Dan O’Bannon tribute episode and this time we return with a review and discussion on the upcoming release of the Spanish horror film [Rec]². But since almost none of you have seen [Rec]², and plenty of you haven’t seen the original [Rec] either, we decided to cover both of those films as well as the US remake of [Rec], Quarantine.

As always with Spoiler Alert!, these discussion can and will contain spoilers. But be sure to skip to the end, as I give James a sneak peek of what our next Spoiler Alert! will cover, much to his chagrin. And if you are really dedicated, stick around until the very end to hear just how confident James is that he will hate the film.

As always thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy the show!

Show Notes

0:00 – We’re making a documentary!
0:15 – Chuck Mangione – Children of Sanchez
0:36 – Intro
04:57 – [Rec] discussion
15:55 – [Rec]² review
31:15 – Heavy spoilers for [Rec]²
42:07 – Final Summaries
45:28 – Unveiling of the next Spoiler Alert
48:05- James watches the trailer (Lawrence Welk – Calcutta)
50:17 – Final Thoughts
60:15 – The Bar-Kays – Soul Finger

 Standard Podcast [61:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Donate via PayPal

Subscribe $.99/month

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

And we’re back! It’s been along layoff since James and I had a chance to sit down and record a new podcast, and thanks to the wonders of memory, in this episode you’ll hear exactly why this is so. We also talk briefly about the Oscars, more specifically on the In Memorium montage that honors those who have lost their life in the past year, and we note some of the most obvious snubs from this montage, including the man we devote this episode to, writer/director Dan O’Bannon.

O’Bannon isn’t a household name, but his contributions to the Alien franchise and zombie lore alone make him as influential as anyone you are likely to find working in genre films. But then, the Academy isn’t fond of genre films, so why should they be fond of Dan O’Bannon?

So in this episode James and I tackle five of his films as our own way of honoring a man who has made movie watching just so damn enjoyable for us over the years. You may not know who he is, but you’ll be hard pressed to avoid his influences in modern film. He was an incredible talent, and film making is a lesser medium with his loss, and a whole lot less fun. But hopefully you’ll take the time to try out some of his films and finally see just what you’ve been missing.

The five films we selected:
Dark Star (Trailer)
The Return of the Living Dead (Trailer)
Lifeforce (Trailer)
Invaders from Mars (Trailer)
Screamers (Trailer)

Dan O’Bannon Official Site
Facebook Fan Page

Opening Music – Benson, Arizona by John Carpenter and Bill Taylor
Closing Music – Trioxin Main Theme from Return of the Living Dead

 Standard Podcast [113:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Donate via PayPal

Subscribe $.99/month

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

And we’re back! This time on High and Low (Brow) James and I are joined by a live studio audience named Kevin who was invited because he offered us pizza and bread sticks. Delicious bread sticks. Buttery foodstuffs aside, this episode’s theme is HP Lovecraft, an author both of us enjoy, but who’s works have struggled to gain mainstream acceptance and have had even worse results in finding capable, or even enjoyable, versions brought to the silver screen.

For this episode we watch The Curse of the Crimson Altar, a 1968 film starring Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff and Barbara Steele, an impressive pedigree to be sure, but will the film live up to the expectations that such a monstrous (pun intended) cast brings? The second film we watch is the 1992 film The Resurrected, directed by Dan O’Bannon and starring Prince Humperdinck, Ross’ lesbian ex-wife Carol, Mike Damone and some guy from Lost. Sure the bar is set low, but can it be cleared? And out of these two films will we finally stumble across a good adaptation of Lovecraft’s work?

Rounding out the show we have our selection process for the next episode, and once again we provide a twist on it to help keep things fresh and exciting. If you have any recommendations for films we could watch for the podcast, or want to suggest a potential theme for us to use, feel free to email us and tell us your ideas. If you enjoy the show make sure to subscribe through iTunes or our RSS feed so you can catch every new episode. Also, please friend James on Facebook. Because it will frighten and confuse him.

One more thing, if you enjoy the show feel free to donate to it through PayPal in either a single installment or as a recurring donor. We’d love to upgrade some of our equipment and anything you donate will go directly towards us getting some decent mics and perhaps even pop screens that aren’t made out of cotton balls.

As always, thanks for listening!

Opening Music – Mother Made Me Do It by Mark Mallman
Closing Music – Okey Dokey by The Incredible Bongo Band

Donate via PayPal

Subscribe $.99/month

 High and Low (Brow) - Episode 7 - HP Lovecraft [55:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (237)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Allow me for a moment, if you will, to wax rhapsodic about one of my favorite literary organizations, that being McSweeney’s. Every quarter McSweeney’s publishes their Quarterly Concerns, which is not only one of the coolest literary magazines imaginable, and the design of the magazine is often as amazing and fascinating as the works contained within it. McSweeney’s also publishes books from obscure and long forgotten authors, as well as works from widely read and respected modern authors, often times selling these works for ridiculously cheap prices (it is not uncommon that once a month a book be reduced to $.01) and often times donating much or all of the proceeds to various charities. McSweeney’s is an organization devoted to the advancement of art and literature and I am proud to give my money to such an esteemed organization.

Several years ago Nick Hornby (of High Fidelity fame) teamed up with several other writers to produce a new semi-monthly magazine from McSweeney’s entitled The Believer. It was filled with reviews and stories and original works and Amy Sedaris giving sex advice by proxy, everything one would want from a literary magazine. The Believer also accomplished two very important things, at least in my little corner of the world. The April ’06 issue contained an interview with Paul Giamatti that was so fascinating and enjoyable I can safely call it the best interview I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The Etgar Keret interview in the same issue isn’t half bad either. But that was just the beginning, as later I would read their September ’06 issue, simply referred to as the games issue. The issue was so captivating I have no qualms in naming it the best issue of any magazine I have ever read. Thus knocking off the July of ’84 issue of Ranger Rick, a feat I previously deemed impossible. (continue reading…)