Pontypool is a bit of a favorite both here and at Row Three, so the chance for Andrew and i to sit down with producer Jeff Coghlan and ask him some questions about the film was a real treat. Is the trilogy still in the works? How awesome is Stephen McHattie? And just what is up with the final scene in the movie? All those questions and more are answered, and listen up for a rare podcast cameo from Film Junk’s Jay Cheel as well.
Some quick backstory before the interview, Craig and his recording partner Phil Harrell were roommates during the Flyway Film Festival with Film Junk’s Jay Cheel. We ended up having dinner together on Friday night before the screenings of the opening night films. So it should come as no surprise that the four of us spent the dinner talking about horror films. After that evening, I knew I wanted to get an interview with Craig so he could talk about his rather fascinating concept album Tonight of the Living Dead.
Using only a public domain copy of the film Night of the Living Dead that he downloaded from Archive.org he remixed the score of the film into a wholly new album. Then, he collaborated with Phil to do the same with the visuals of the film. What’s fascinating is that Craig and Phil did this entirely online. Even more amazing? That they had never met in person until they both attended the Flyway Film Festival.
Straight from Pepin, WI, Andrew from Row Three and I sit down and record a quick review of the Flyway Film Festival’s opening night Film, Ink. A fantasy epic sure sounds great, but will it hold up under an Indie budget? Survey says ….
Andrew and I hope to get a couple more micro-podcasts recorded throughout the Festival, either reviewing films or pulling aside some of the directors in attendance and having them talk about their films and the Festival itself. And if we are lucky, perhaps the enigmatic Jay Cheel of the illustrious Film Junk will join us for some of these as well. That is, if we can get some poutine in him before he goes into withdrawl.
Growing up I was always a huge fan of short stories. I was a voracious reader and they helped make me feel like I was getting more bang for my buck (or my parent’s buck as it were) when I read compilations. But even besides the fact that I could read more stories, and thus go on more adventures, I loved how they provided small snap shots into the character’s lives. They allowed me more freedom to come up with a continuation on the narrative, allowing me to fill in the gaps and construct worlds that only I would experience.
But while short stories have allowed authors to flourish, short films seem to be a slightly different animal. Too often festivals focus only on the ultra short films that have to rely on ironic or O’Henry style endings to drive the film, resulting in an all to often seemingly manufactured and formulaic genre.
Thankfully, the Flyway Film Festival cares not about running times, preferring instead unique tales and wondrous characters regardless of if the film is three or thirty minutes. Because of this, it is the audiences who benefit if they decide to attend this festival.
Our first milestone has been reached here at Where the Long Tail Ends, we have completed 5 episodes. When I initially decided I wanted to do a podcast earlier this yer, my goal was to complete four episodes by the end of the year and now James and I have shot by the lofty goal with over four months left in the year. I doubt we will keep this pace up, nor do I want too, but if we can finish three more by the end of the year I’ll be very satisfied. Hopefully you will as well.
In this episode our theme is Dynamic Duos, and we focus on two very different films. The first is the martial arts action film Showdown in Little Tokyo, with the starring duo of Brandon Lee and Dolph Lundgren squaring off in the celluloid circle. The second is the lesser known Spanish produced horror film Horror Express, which stars the famous Hammer horror film duo Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing as dueling anthropologists on a Trans-Siberian train that harbors a nasty secret. Will we like either? Will we agree to disagree? Will James invite his own brother to share his bed with him? Find out on our latest episode of High and Low (Brow).
As always, if you have any feedback, suggestions for themes or films for us to watch feel free to email us. If you like the show please feel free to subscribe to us on iTunes or simply follow our RSS feed here for updates. Also you can follow me on Twitter by simply clicking the logo up in the righthand corner. One of these days I’ll finally convince James to join Twitter, and then the real fun will begin. Until then I hope you enjoy the show and thanks for listening.
Show Notes 0:00 – The Donger
2:30 – John Hughes Memorial
8:25 – Showdown in Little Tokyo
29:25 – Horror Express
33:40 – SPOILER ALERT!
54:25 – James reviews Cantankerous
1:03:25 – James and the Giant Bed
1:09:45 – The Selection Show
1:30:20 – Final Thoughts
Entries (RSS)