Shows
AlcohollywoodCONNICKUH SPECIAL: Memphis Belle (1990)Every year, the Alcohollywood podcast takes the week before Christmas to celebrate the life and works of Sir Harry Connick Jr. - actor, musician, Renaissance Man. Harry Connickuh, listeners! For this episode, we take our appreciation for Harry Connick Jr. all the way to the beginning - his breakout film debut in the 1990 WWII drama Memphis Belle. Connick joins a cavalcade of other young 90s stars (Matthew Modine, Sean Astin, Tate Donovan, Eric Stoltz, Billy Zane and more) as the crew of a B-17 bomber on its last mission before ending its tour of duty. Whi...
2018-12-1400 minAlcohollywoodHORROR OCTORBOR: Thinner (1996) (CONTENT WARNING: use of the word 'gypsy') We explain the full context of its usage in the episode, and its ubiquity in the film itself makes it relatively unavoidable as a term. However, we understand its seriousness as a pejorative to the Romani people, and apologize in advance for anyone who might be offended.) Seven years in, and Alcohollywood is on its seventh Horror Octorbor! Some Kind of Goblin sets upon us a mission to explore films related to the seven deadly sins, so we're temporarily back to weekly episodes as we try to take this o...
2018-10-0500 minAlcohollywoodInnerSpace (1987)The main podcast is back, baby! Since Ant-Man and the Wasp has us thinking about all things shrinking, we decided to look at 1987's fun-sized adventure comedy InnerSpace! Film critic for HollywoodChicago.com (and now Alcohollywood!) Jon Espino joins us to dive into a movie from our 80s-kid childhoods - a Joe Dante romp of the finest order that sees hotshot pilot Tuck Pendleton (Dennis Quaid) shrunk down to a microscopic level and injected into the body of nebbish hypochondriac Jack Putter (Martin Short). Together, the two have to evade corporate spies, silent Terminator-types, and navigate a ve...
2018-07-1300 minAlcohollywoodUpgrade: Interview with Writer/Director Leigh WhannellAlcohollywood's spinoff mini-cast On Tap returns! Every so often, we'll be providing you with exclusive interviews, reviews and festival coverage alongside the regular podcast. Hope you enjoy! To kick off our (semi-) inaugural installment, Clint reviews Leigh Whannell's upcoming sci-fi thriller Upgrade. After losing his wife and the use of his limbs after a tragic attack, a man (Logan Marshall-Green) equips himself with an experimental technological upgrade to regain the ability to walk - using his newfound powers to track down the men who killed his wife. It's lean, bloody and immensely entertaining, with more than a few...
2018-05-2900 minAlcohollywoodApollo 18 (2011)The Alcohollywood podcast is back after a month hiatus! We're moving to new episodes every two weeks, but we'll still bring you all the goodies you've come to expect. For this episode, we usher in 2018 with the found-footage horror flick Apollo 18, about a group of NASA astronauts at the height of the Cold War launching a clandestine moon mission to spy on the Russkies. What they find, however, is more than they expected... and, given the film's found-footage conceit, kinda hard to see. Join us (along with returning guest Nick Freed) as we plant our flag in t...
2018-02-0200 minAlcohollywoodALCOHOLLYWOOD PRESENTS: Indiana Jones and the Monkey King (Part 5)Full Cast and Credits at http://www.alcohollywood.com
2017-02-1400 minAlcohollywoodK-19: The Widowmaker (2002) w/Blake Goble of Consequence of SoundAlcohollywood is back for 2017, and we've brought Consequence of Sound's Blake Goble out to sea to talk about Kathryn Bigelow's 2002 sub drama K-19: The Widowmaker, starring a wery Russian Harrison Ford and a not-so-wery Russian Liam Neeson as competing captains on a radioactive Russian sub at the height of the Cold War. Take a listen and enjoy our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (Thanks to our sponsor Cards Against Humanity as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)
2017-02-0400 minAlcohollywoodALCOHOLLYWOOD PRESENTS: Indiana Jones and the Monkey King (Part 4)At long last, Alcohollywood presents a project years in the making: Indiana Jones and the Monkey King! Chris Columbus’ unproduced 1985 screenplay comes to life in this full-cast radio drama with sound effects, original music, and voicework from your favorite Alcohollywood guests! In Part 4, Indy (Nick Freed) tries to mollify moon-eyed college student Betsy (Betsy Stone), who threatens to....kill herself if she can't be with Indy? Geez, this got dark fast. Enjoy! DISCLAIMER: This episode contains several unfunny scenes depicting attempts at suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please contact the Nati...
2017-02-0100 minAlcohollywoodALCOHOLLYWOOD PRESENTS: Indiana Jones and the Monkey King (Part 3)At long last, Alcohollywood presents a project years in the making: Indiana Jones and the Monkey King! Chris Columbus’ unproduced 1985 screenplay comes to life in this full-cast radio drama with sound effects, original music, and voicework from your favorite Alcohollywood guests! In Part 3, Indy (Nick Freed) commiserates with Marcus Brody (Chris Bashen) about his potential next mission, and all the sidekicks he's lost along the way. Wait...lost? Like, Sallah and everybody? Geez, that's a gut punch. Take a listen and enjoy! Full Cast and Credits at http://www.alcohollywood.com
2017-01-1800 minAlcohollywoodALCOHOLLYWOOD PRESENTS: Indiana Jones and the Monkey King (Part 2)At long last, Alcohollywood presents a project years in the making: Indiana Jones and the Monkey King! Chris Columbus’ unproduced 1985 screenplay comes to life in this full-cast radio drama with sound effects, original music, and voicework from your favorite Alcohollywood guests! Part 2 sees Indy (Nick Freed) returning to his day job as a mild-mannered professor, only to face his greatest nemesis yet... angry students! (Thanks to our sponsor Cards Against Humanity as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!) Full Cast and Credits at http://www.alcohollywood.com
2017-01-1400 minAlcohollywoodALCOHOLLYWOOD PRESENTS: Indiana Jones and the Monkey King (Part 1)At long last, Alcohollywood presents a project years in the making: Indiana Jones and the Monkey King! Chris Columbus' unproduced 1985 screenplay comes to life in this full-cast radio drama with sound effects, original music, and voicework from your favorite Alcohollywood guests! In Part 1, our story begins with rugged adventurer (and mediocre fisherman) Indiana Jones (Nick Freed) visiting Scotland to enjoy some much-needed recreation, only to become ensnared in a murder investigation involving g-g-g-ghosts! Full Cast and Credits at http://www.alcohollywood.com
2017-01-0700 minAlcohollywoodSudden Death (1995) w/Pat Trek's Patrick O'RourkeThis week, Patrick O'Rourke of Pat Trek joins us to kick off December with the Jean-Claude Van Damme action film Sudden Death! Basically "Die Hard in a hockey stadium," Sudden Death features a disgraced fire marshal (JCVD) who has to save the Vice President and his own daughter from the clutches of a madman (Powers Boothe) holding them hostage during a Hawks-Penguins game. Featuring kick-fights with henchmen in penguin suits and the most industrious MacGyvered weapons, Sudden Death is a total blast - especially with our custom cocktail and drinking rules! Related Links: Get tickets to VS...
2016-12-0200 min
On TapEpisode 02 - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them / Nocturnal Animals / Billy Lynn's Long Halftime WalkFor our second go-around, Alcohollywood co-host Jared joins Clint to talk about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the latest entry in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter; Nocturnal Animals, the latest domestic drama/thriller from Tom Ford; and Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, the ambitious military drama from Ang Lee. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/alcohollywood!
2016-11-2831 minAlcohollywoodThe Night of the Hunter (1955) w/Filmspotting's Adam KempenaarThis week, we lean into the everlasting arms of special guest Adam Kempenaar of Filmspotting as we discuss the Expressionistic style and intriguing moral center of Charles Laughton's acclaimed 1955 noir thriller The Night of the Hunter! ANNOUNCEMENT: For the month of January 2017, we'll be pre-empting new episodes of the podcast in favor of bringing you our long-awaited full-cast radio drama Indiana Jones and the Monkey King! Don't worry, our spinoff shows Twin Cinema and Alcohollywood On Tap will run as scheduled. Related Links: Get your tickets for Filmspotting, Filmspotting: SVU, CinemaJaw and The Next...
2016-11-1700 min
On TapEpisode 01 - Doctor Strange / LovingWelcome to our first episode of Alcohollywood On Tap, where the folks at Alcohollywood review the latest studio/indie releases, as well as provide festival coverage and interviews! This week, Mercy Street Theatre Company's Julia Rohed joins Clint to discuss Marvel's latest superhero film Doctor Strange, as well as Jeff Nichols' civil rights drama Loving.
2016-11-1224 minAlcohollywoodSafe (1995) w/Twin CinemaThis week, Theo Estes of our spinoff web series Twin Cinema (subscribe to our Youtube channel for new episodes every other week) joins us to get artsy with Todd Haynes' 1995 independent drama Safe, starring Julianne Moore! ANNOUNCEMENT: Look out later this week for the launch of our biweekly spinoff podcast, Alcohollywood: On Tap, which will cover new releases, independent films, and offer interviews and festival coverage! Subscribe on iTunes! (Thanks to our sponsor Cards Against Humanity as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)
2016-11-1200 minAlcohollywoodTetsuo the Iron Man (1989) w/Twin CinemaThis week, returning guest Theo (whose film review webseries Twin Cinema will be coming soon to the Alcohollywood Youtube Channel!) joins us to disassemble the cinematic mind-screw that is Shinya Tsukamoto's Tetsuo the Iron Man! Somewhere between the surrealism of Lynch and the body horror of Cronenberg, Tetsuo follows a terrified salaryman as his body is slowly supplanted with strange metal growths. We chat about the film's striking 16mm photography, the surrealist plot, and drill-does, while offering you our custom cocktail and drinking rules. Check it out! (Thanks to our sponsor Cards Against Humanity as part of the C...
2016-07-2800 minAlcohollywood250TH EPISODE: Roar (1981)For our 250th episode, we take on one of the more insane films we've ever seen, as playwright Dusty Wilson and improviser Pat Niday joins us to talk 1981's Roar! The infamously bloody animal drama is essentially a home movie in which Tippi Hedren's husband (the Charles Manson lookalike Noel Marshall) convinces his family to make a film about them hanging out with their menagerie of lions, tigers and other big cats. It goes about how you'd expect - 70 crew members were injured on set - but the end result is one of the most hilarious tense cinematic experiences you...
2016-07-2100 minAlcohollywoodIn Bruges (2009)This week, returning guest Derek Jarvis stops by as we break down the acerbic wit and tough-guy moralism of Martin McDonagh’s black crime comedy In Bruges! After a botched hit, the twitchy Ray (Colin Farrell) is sent to the medieval Belgian hamlet of Bruges with his partner Ken (Brendan Gleeson) by their inscrutable, temperamental boss Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes). While there, they take in the sights, clash with the local populace, and occasionally gain an insight or two about the human condition. Of course, all this is set to a flurry of creative profanity, Gothic architecture, and the dee...
2016-07-1000 minAlcohollywoodJohn Wick (2014) w/Down in FrontThis week, we go dog-avenging with Mike and Jessica of Down in Front as we check out the 2014 Keanu Reeves shoot-em-up John Wick! A straightforward but oh-so-stylish take on the action revenge thriller, the film follows Keanu's titular former hitman as he takes revenge on the mob family that unknowingly killed his dog and took his car. It's a ridiculous premise, but the pitch-perfect action staging and stylish direction make it a tremendously enjoyable bit of pulp, and gives Keanu a much-needed punch in the arm (or stab in the kidney). Check out our thoughts along with our custom c...
2016-07-0800 minAlcohollywoodIn the Mouth of Madness (1994) w/Keith Phipps of The Next Picture ShowThis week on Alcohollywood, Keith Phipps of The Next Picture Show joins us to talk John Carpenter’s 1994 Lovecraftian mind-bender In the Mouth of Madness! When grizzled/semi-New Zealander insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) is tasked with tracking down the missing horror writer Sutter Cane (get it? like Stephen King?), he finds himself in a metatextual nightmare where the lines between realty and fiction are intriguingly blurred. It’s a curiously effective mix of campy horror chills, impressive practical effects, and mind-bending twists, so check it out along with our custom cocktail and drinking game! (Thanks to o...
2016-06-0400 minAlcohollywoodDRAGON MONTH: Reign of Fire (2002)This week on Alcohollywood, we start our May-long ode to legend’s greatest beasts with DRAGON MONTH! (We promise, we’ll take a break from theme months after this one.) Starting off, returning guest Todd Kuhns joins us to talk 2002’s post-apocalyptic dragon flick Reign of Fire, starring Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey! In the grim future of 2020 – presumably in the fiery wake of President Trump’s first term – dragons rule the earth, and humans are left to huddle in castles and reenact Star Wars in front of children as myth. But when a group of roughneck US troops ro...
2016-05-0500 minAlcohollywoodAPRIL SHOWERS: Purple Rain (1984) w/Consequence of SoundThis week on Alcohollywood, Blake Goble of Consequence of Sound joins us to pay homage to Prince in the wake of his tragic passing with his flawed-but-singular 1984 opus Purple Rain! Telling the tale of young Prince (played here, oddly, by late-twenties Prince already in his sexual-dandy outfits) and his struggle to get to the top of the Minneapolis music scene, Purple Rain is chock full of Prince’s thumping soundtrack, incredible concert sequences, and…some pretty unfortunate acting and a threadbare narrative connecting everything together. In spite of all that, it remains a wonderful testament to the genius of Prince’...
2016-04-3000 minAlcohollywoodMARCH ON MARS: John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars (2000)As we continue Mars-ch on Alcohollywood, returning guest Craig (with a little help from new guest Alicia) joins us to talk John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars! An entertainingly cheesy change from the astronaut-based disaster movies that make up most Mars movies, Ghosts of Mars is late-career Carpenter at his most gonzo. Featuring a group of Mars cops (led by Natasha Henstridge and Jason Statham) and a band of criminals (led by professional lip-biter Ice Cube) fending off a group of possessed Martian ghosts who make themselves up like Marilyn Manson, Ghosts of Mars has all the grunge-rock, lesbian subplot...
2016-03-2100 minAlcohollywoodMARCH ON MARS: Mission to Mars (2000)This week on Alcohollywood, Ele Matelan of WildClaw Theatre joins us as we continue our March full of Mars movies with the companion piece to last week’s Red Planet, Brian De Palma’s Disney-produced Mission to Mars! Telling the same story of a group of astronauts taking off for the Red Planet (Gary Sinise, Connie Nielsen, Tim Robbins and Jerry O’Connell) to investigate Don Cheadle’s doomed first mission, De Palma’s 2001-lite slog takes some hard left turns amongst its Disney-caliber safeness, and we’ll take you through them along with our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (Th...
2016-03-1300 minAlcohollywoodMARCH ON MARS: Red Planet (2000)All of March, the Alcohollywood crew is blasting off to the Red Planet for five movies set on Mars! First up, Nick Freed of Consequence of Sound joins us to talk 2000’s Red Planet (namely, the movie where Val Kilmer threw a dumbbell at Tom Sizemore during filming). The Armageddon to Mission to Mars’ Deep Impact, Red Planet is a bizarre mix of 2001, Stealth and The Matrix in which a group of bro-y scientists crash-land on Mars to investigate a failed terraforming experiment, only to find themselves on the run against a killer military robot they decided to bring along with them...
2016-03-0500 minAlcohollywoodRedline (2009) w/Grant of Chip & IronicusThis week on Alcohollywood, we switch gears with Grant from Chip & Ironicus (specifically Chipod Ironicast) to talk the crazy 2009 anime racing flick Redline! Unlike the last anime we watched (Satoshi Kon’s Paprika) Redline‘s uniquely concerned with the fast and the furious – fluid racing animation, a crazy anime story, broad alien characters and all of the jiggling robot boobs a 14-year-old weeaboo could ever hope for. It’s not subtle, and it might not even be good in the conventional sense, but it’s certainly not ordinary. Take a listen and check out our custom cocktail and drinking game! (Th...
2016-01-1600 minAlcohollywoodThe Little Rascals (1994)This week on Alcohollywood, improv-esario Pat Niday joins us to talk 1994’s strangely modern reboot of The Little Rascals! Directed by Wayne’s World’s Penelope Spheeris, The Little Rascals takes place in a bizarre world where the idiosyncratic group of 30s delinquents somehow also grew up and were socialized in modern-day Los Angeles, and cause all manner of mayhem while also sort-of having parents? It’s all a bit confusing, and the terrible kid actors do little to help the matter; still, we’ve got a custom cocktail and drinking rules to help you navigate this very strange beast!...
2015-11-2400 minAlcohollywoodThere Will Be Blood (2007) w/Wildclaw TheatreThis week on Alcohollywood, guest Ele Matelan of WildClaw Theatre (and our friend from Our Fair City) grabs a milkshake and sits down with us to talk about listener request and 2007 arthouse darling There Will Be Blood! Among one of the more contemplative films in Paul Thomas Anderson’s repertoire, TWWB tells the story of Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis, in an oft-admired and long-impersonated performance), an unscrupulous oil man who seeks to start and expand his oil empire from nothing. Full of gorgeous shots, fascinating performances, and a fair share of psychologically complex characters, this one gave us plenty to...
2015-11-0700 minAlcohollywoodThe Thief and the Cobbler: Recobbled Cut (2006) w/Twenty Questions TuesdayThis week on Alcohollywood, we invite returning guest David Rheinstrom (of Twenty Questions Tuesday and Our Fair City fame) for one last job before he departs Chicago for the wide world of San Francisco – the “Recobbled Cut” of the infamous animated labor of love The Thief and the Cobbler! Who Framed Roger Rabbit’s Oscar-winning animator Richard Williams’ magnum opus is an elegantly drawn piece of cinema that follows the titular double-act as they attempt to retrieve the Three Golden Balls from the evil Vizier (Vincent Price), while winning the heart of Princess Yum-Yum in the process. Its thirty-year production...
2015-09-1000 minAlcohollywoodStealth (2005)This week on Alcohollywood, Jared and I fly solo (along with sentient Maillbot J4R.3D) as we check out the 2005 flop Stealth! In this notorious cross between Top Gun, 2001, and an Incubus music video, Stealth follows hotshot pilots Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel and Jamie Foxx (fresh off his Oscar for Ray) as they contend with an experimental AI fighter (voiced by Prison Break's Wentworth Miller) who goes rogue after...getting hit by lightning? This two-hour epic is full of director Rob Cohen's particular tics, porting the zooming-though-vehicle-mechanics CG shots from The Fast & the Furious and the obnoxious nu-rock soundtrac...
2015-09-0500 minAlcohollywoodFood of the Gods (1976) w/Our Fair CityThis week on Alcohollywood, Clayton Faits of Our Fair City joins us to talk about the chintzy 1970s giant animal flick Food of the Gods! Adapted from a “portion” of the novel by HG Wells, Food of the Gods stars Starcrash alum (and walking LL Bean ad) Marjoe Gortner as a football player/survivalist who finds himself in the midst of an invasion of giant animals on a secluded island. With a little pluck and determination, Marjoe and the cast of mumbly supporting players must fight off giant rats, mealworms, maggots and shadowy wasps – all rendered with adorably flimsy care an...
2015-08-2700 minAlcohollywoodDredd (2012) w/Mercy Street TheatreThis week on Alcohollywood, Julia Rohed of Mercy Street Theatre Company joins us to talk the Karl Urban 2012 comic book movie/reboot Dredd! Fulfilling a mission he’s had (perhaps to an irritating degree) for the past 3 years, Clint finally gets Jared to watch Dredd, the most recent adaptation of the British comic strip after the 1995 Sylvester Stallone disaster. Does it hold up to the cult hype? Did it deserve the sequel fans never got? And how does a population that’s 96% unemployed buy all those drugs anyway? Find out all these answers and more, along with our custom cock...
2015-08-2000 minAlcohollywoodBig Trouble in Little China (1986) w/Grant of Chip & IronicusThis week on Alcohollywood, Grant of Chip & Ironicus fame joins us to talk the 1986 John Carpenter cult classic Big Trouble in Little China! THRILL as Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) wryly smirks his way through a rescue mission in the heart of San Francisco's Chinatown, oblivious to his role as the film's sidekick! GASP as mystical Raidens and old mascara-d ghost-men kidnap green-eyed girls for demonic rituals involving mall escalators! We chat about all this and more, so give us a listen and check out our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (Special thanks to our sponsor C...
2015-07-2300 minAlcohollywoodThe Pest (1997) w/Nathan RabinThis week on Alcohollywood, we make a double feature of “shitty 90s comedies Clint watched too often as a kid” by following Good Burger with the lamentable John Leguizamo vehicle The Pest! Guest (and author of You Don’t Know Me But You Don’t Like Me) Nathan Rabin joins us as we witness the irredeemably-shrill Pestario Vargas (Leguizamo) vamp, titter, and offend his way through a Most Dangerous Game-like scenario involving Jeffrey Jones as a Nazi human hunter. Along the way, Pest manages to reference every 50s or 60s movie and TV figure the presumed kid audience...
2015-06-2500 minAlcohollywoodSorcerer (1977) w/Twin CinemaThis week on Alcohollywood, we get a bit more obscure with Theo from Twin Cinema as we discuss William Friedkin’s lost 1977 thriller Sorcerer! An unfortunate casualty of the end of New Hollywood and the beginning of the Star Wars era of special-effects blockbusters, this remake of the classic French film The Wages of Fear sees a group of disparate expatriates (including Roy Scheider) in a small South American hellhole, tasked with a dangerous mission to transport unstable nitroglycerin 200 miles to put out an oil rig fire. What follows is a moody, tense, existential and deeply stylized journey through th...
2015-04-3000 minAlcohollywoodLeaving Las Vegas (1995)This week on Alcohollywood, playwright Dusty Wilson joins us to talk 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas, starring Academy Award-winning Nicolas Cage (in a role that gives his craziness some context and pathos) and Oscar-nominated Elizabeth Shue in one of her finest, most sensitive roles, as a drunkard and a prostitute who spend several weeks together in Vegas while the former drinks himself to death. It’s not the lightest material a drinking games/alcohol-based podcast can cover, but the complex psychology of its characters and dreamlike narrative give us plenty to chew on (much like our Lost Weekend episode, linked belo...
2015-04-1600 minAlcohollywoodDude, Where's My Car? (2000)(NOTE: We switched to a new laptop this week, so some driver issues made the sound quality a bit less sweet this episode. We promise it’ll be repaired next week.) This week on Alcohollywood, we’re getting shibby with returning guest Nick Ostrem to talk the 2000 stoner comedy Dude, Where’s My Car? When perpetually-stoned Jesse and Chester (Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott, who never actually smoke anything in the film) try to track down their car, they stumble upon a mad chase between “hot chicks,” dudebro jocks, space nerds and Hugo Boss models in order to t...
2015-04-0200 minAlcohollywoodBack to the Future (1985) w/Geekspotting & Consequence of SoundGreat Scott! This week on Alcohollywood, Justin Gerber of Consequence of Sound and James Thompson of Geekspotting stop by to go back in time and learn the power of love with 1985’s Back to the Future! Bob Zemeckis' 80s sci-fi comedy classic sees slacker Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) jumping in a retrofitted DeLorean created by his creepily-close mad scientist friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and zipping back to 1985, contending with 50s nuclear family politics, the prospect of getting back to his own time, and making sure his parents fuck so they can make him. For a mo...
2015-03-2600 minAlcohollywoodVirtuosity (1995) w/Grant of Chip & IronicusGreetings, listeners! Grant from Chip & Ironicus and the Six Feats Under podcast network joins us in our new and improved Alcohollywood Labs 2.0 to talk the 1995 cyber-thriller Virtuosity! Years before they’d meet up in American Gangster, Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe face off in this cyber-thriller that sees an ex-cop convict with a robot arm (Washington) tracking down the anthropomorphized version of an AI serial killer named Sid 6.7 (Crowe, hamming it the hell up). What follows is all of the best, misguided clichés about virtual reality and future technology, wrapped up in an loud neon bow of explosions and...
2015-03-0500 minAlcohollywoodRace with the Devil (1975)This week on Alcohollywood, recurring guest Derek joins us from the basement to talk Satanic panic movies with Race with the Devil! This 1975 Peter Fonda-Warren Oates road thriller follows these two easy riders along a two-lane blacktop to evil, as they (and their girlfriends) must use the incredible powers of their RV to hold off an increasingly encroaching horde of Satanists who catch them spying on their latest sacrifice. A gonzo combination of the ‘devil’s cult’ and road movie genres of the 1970s, the film certainly elicited varying reactions from us, including: Why do our protagonists have t...
2015-02-0600 minAlcohollywoodLegend (1985) w/Lair of the UnwantedThis week on Alcohollywood, we (along with Jason Soto of Lair of the Unwanted) finally take on our first Tom Cruise movie with the Ridley Scott fantasy Legend! Right off the heels of Jared’s appearance on the Blade Runner episode of the Nerd Outcast Podcast, we take on another 1980s Ridley Scott movie featuring unicorns and inhuman creatures. This time, though, we get to see a young, buck-toothed Tom Cruise battle a devilish Tim Curry (as literally the Devil) for the soul of his princess lover Mia Sara. Along the way, we get some imps, surprisingly modern...
2015-01-2900 minAlcohollywoodDetention (2011) w/Consequence of SoundThis week on Alcohollywood, we (along with Nick Freed of Consequence of Sound) face our greatest challenge as we take on the aggressively weird, hyperkinetic 2011 high school horror meta-comedy Detention! Music video raconteur Joseph Kahn (of Torque…fame?) self-financed this off-kilter, virtually indescribable tale of high school students, horror movie slasher villains, time travel, alien vegetarians, body swaps, man-fly hybrids, and Dane Cook in his most restrained performance. With its incredibly schizophrenic pace and high ambitions, the movie throws everything at the wall and tries to see what sticks, creating a film that you will either absolutely lo...
2015-01-2300 minAlcohollywoodCity Lights (1931) w/Twenty Questions TuesdayThis week on Alcohollywood, we strap on our bowler hats and grab our wobbly bamboo canes as we tramp it up with David Rheinstrom of Twenty Questions Tuesday with David & David and Our Fair City by watching the Charlie Chaplin silent classic City Lights! In this delightful classic, our beloved Tramp (Chaplin) finds himself falling in with a comely blind flower girl and an eccentric millionaire, all while navigating the harsh world of the big city. Ambitious, timelessly hilarious, and heart-wrenchingly sweet, it's commonly considered one of the best films of all time - now we're here to help y...
2015-01-1600 minAlcohollywoodThe Postman (1997) w/Our Fair City and BlastropodcastThis week on Alcohollywood, Mark Soloff of Blastropodcast and Ryan Bond of Our Fair City join us to slog through the three hour apocalyptic Western-y flop The Postman, starring/directed by Kevin Costner! In this follow-up to his other sci-fi flop Waterworld, Costner plays a rugged drifter in a desolate, apocalyptic Oregon, who takes up the mantle of “Postman” in order to deliver mail to these post-apocalyptic shantytowns and rebuild America. While there are some neat ideas behind it, the film’s bloated budget, languid pace, and miscast lead results in a three-hour snoozefest that even we have a bit of t...
2014-12-0500 minAlcohollywoodSamurai Cop (1991)This week on Alcohollywood, Nick Ostrem joins us once more to talk the surprising cult film Samurai Cop, the recently-unearthed 1991 action-comedy starring Robert Z’Dar and Matt Hannon! The film tells the incomprehensible tale of bug-eyed karate cop Joe Samurai (Matt Hannon), his aloof partner (Mark Frazer), and their attempts to break down the evil Japanese Katana gang. Samurai Cop is a whirlwind of laughable acting, stilted dialogue, stunningly bad cinematography and more untouched boobs than you can shake a stick at. Still, we’ve got you covered with our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (If you need more...
2014-11-2700 minAlcohollywoodMy Favorite Year (1982)This week on Alcohollywood, we uncover a lost, forgotten cult gem with My Favorite Year! Based loosely on the early writing career of Mel Brooks and his encounter with Errol Flynn on the variety show My Show of Shows, the film swaps those two for Mark-Linn Baker (Cousin Larry from Perfect Strangers) and Peter O’Toole as the hammy lothario Alan Swann. While this film is one of the few films to have a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, we had a bit more of a complicated time with it, as Jared and Clint (and guest Derek) get into a li...
2014-11-0600 minAlcohollywoodHORROR OCTORBOR III: Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) w/Forced ViewingThis week on Alcohollywood, we strap cameras onto some oscillating fans and bring along Daniel Lackey of Forced Viewing and The Nightmare Gallery to talk Paranormal Activity 3! This third entry in the found-footage ghost/demon/whatever(?) series has all the thrills and spills you expect from the series: passive-aggressive bickering between couples, small noises in the night, time-lapse standing near beds, and so much more. Even still, we dig into the nature of found footage, especially this series. We also talk about what exactly makes us fear the idea of watching someone else’s home movies. Take a listen, an...
2014-10-2300 minAlcohollywoodHORROR OCTORBOR III: Saw III (2006)"Hello, listener. I wanna play a game. All your life, you've wanted a custom cocktail and drinking game to one of the more insane entries to the Saw series. Today, this opportunity will be given to you. Clint and Jared of Alcohollywood (along with returning guest Dusty Wilson of Mercy Street Theatre Company) continue their month-long exploration of the third entry in a number of horror series with Saw III, in which Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) offers another series of karmic rust traps for yet another group of ungrateful, hapless protagonists. You will listen to t...
2014-10-0900 minAlcohollywoodUHF (1989) w/Nathan Rabin of The DissolveThis week on Alcohollywood, we’re getting weird once again with special guest Nathan Rabin (staff writer of The Dissolve and co-author of Weird Al: The Book)! This time, we take on “Weird Al” Yankovic’s only feature film, 1989’s UHF! The film is a distillation of Weird Al’s carefree, joyful, tongue-in-cheek parodic style, as slacker dreamer George Newman (Al) acquires a UHF station and fills it with all manner (or AL manner?) of off-the-wall programming. The result is messy, but delightful in its own way, and definitely earns its cult status. Take a listen, and check out our drinking...
2014-09-1800 minAlcohollywoodThe Horse Whisperer (1998)This week on Alcohollywood, guest Theo helps us get in touch with our feminine, middle-aged side with Robert Redford’s The Horse Whisperer! When little Scarlett Johansson gets injured riding her horse, which itself becomes traumatized and aggressive, career-woman working mom Annie (Kristen Scott Thomas) takes both of them to ‘horse whisperer’ Tom Booker (Redford), who offers his homespun wisdom and chaste masculinity to this erstwhile city family. The movie’s gorgeous, but it’s also three hours long, and the romance-novel cliches abound; still, we actually had some surprising reactions to a movie we went into with some pretty low ex...
2014-09-1100 minAlcohollywoodHard Candy (2005) w/Ironicus of Chip & IronicusThis week on Alcohollywood, guest Theo helps us get in touch with our feminine, middle-aged side with Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer! When little Scarlett Johansson gets injured riding her horse, which itself becomes traumatized and aggressive, career-woman working mom Annie (Kristen Scott Thomas) takes both of them to 'horse whisperer' Tom Booker (Redford), who offers his homespun wisdom and chaste masculinity to this erstwhile city family. The movie's gorgeous, but it's also three hours long, and the romance-novel cliches abound; still, we actually had some surprising reactions to a movie we went into with some pretty low expectations. Tak...
2014-09-0400 minAlcohollywoodSleuth (1972) w/Our Fair CityThis week on Alcohollywood, David Rheinstrom of Our Fair City joins us as we get out our magnifying glasses and take a closer look at the 1972 dramedy-thriller Sleuth! Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine both got Oscar nods for their performances in this adaptation of the titular Anthony Schaffer play, in which an eccentric old crime novel writer (Olivier) invites his wife’s working-class new lover (Caine) for a Machiavellian game of wits they won’t soon forget. Both actors are in fine form, the twists are fun and inventive, and there’s a good deal of spark that helps make up fo...
2014-08-2800 minAlcohollywood150TH EPISODE SPECIAL: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) w/Our Fair City and Geek Girl ChicagoIt’s our 150th episode, and Alcohollywood is bringing back Chicago-geek power couple Clayton Faits (of Our Fair City) and Lauren Faits (aka Geek Girl Chicago) to talk about Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade! In honor of our very first episode, where we covered Crystal Skull, we decided to look back on the third Indy film! Here, the titular adventurer (Harrison Ford) must beat the Nazis to an historical religious artifact with great power – sound familiar? Along the way, though, he learns a few lessons about family from his bookish, stern dad (a wonderful Sean Connery) and gives a le...
2014-08-0700 minAlcohollywoodClifford (1994)This week on Alcohollywood, guest Nick of Three Brothers Theatre joins us to talk about yet another cinematic disaster – the 1994 film Clifford! Released unceremoniously in 1994 after being filmed in 1990, this abortive problem-child film sees Martin Short playing a precociously violent and demonic 10-year-old whose parents dump him on the unsuspecting Uncle Martin (Charles Grodin), whose life is completely destroyed over the next 90 minutes. Short’s creepy mugging and overblown schtick meshes poorly with the oddly nihilistic and dark tone of the film, resulting in a movie that’s as creepy as it is unpleasant. Luckily, we’ve got some booze an...
2014-08-0100 minAlcohollywoodThe Black Cauldron (1985)This week on Alcohollywood, Nathan Roebbel of the Right Brain Project joins us as we dig into the Disney archives to take a look at the long-forgotten animated flick The Black Cauldron! The movie is an adaptation of an obscure Welsh-inspired fantasy book series following the adventures of a meek pig-keeper named Taran, who must fight off the Horned King (John Hurt) and destroy a magical cauldron that can create an army of the undead. Released in 1985 after a contentious production process, the film isn’t done any favors by its half-hearted attempts at darker material and flat, samey cha...
2014-07-2400 minAlcohollywoodThe Lost Weekend (1945)This week on Alcohollywood, we’re staging an intervention by making a drinking game for a film about alcoholism! Returning guests Andrew and Julia join us to take on Billy Wilder’s 1945 classic The Lost Weekend, about an alcoholic writer (Ray Milland) who endures a rock bottom bender over the course of three days. The film takes an unflinching look at the morality and psychology of alcoholism, a first for a movie of this type. The film is helped along with some creative imagery and Miklos Rozsa’s unsettling theremin score. (It's also a fantastic double feature with Double Indemni...
2014-07-1700 minAlcohollywoodThe Visitor (1979) w/GeekspottingThis week on Alcohollywood, returning guests and Kat and James (from fellow podcast Geekspotting) join us to help us unpack the 1979 masterpiece The Visitor! A strange Italian mix of Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen, and Star Wars, this crazy film follows the interstellar battle between good and evil, as represented by Old Space God (John Huston) and a petulant little hell child named Katy (Paige Conner). Featuring Lance Henriksen as a sadistic basketball team owner and Franco Nero as Space Jesus, this crazy Drafthouse Films discovery is full of surprises. Check it out with us, along with our custom co...
2014-07-1000 minAlcohollywoodFOURTH OF JULY SPECIAL: The Patriot (2000)Happy birthday, America! We’re celebrating the Fourth of July in style here on Alcohollywood, as we take on Roland Emmerich’s American Braveheart, aka The Patriot! Returning guest Dusty Wilson comes back to indulge in this three hour long exercise in melodrama, Mel Gibson crying faces, and slow motion flag waving (and flag stabbing). With a giant ensemble cast, and a suitably bombastic John Williams score, The Patriot cements itself as one of the most American movies a German has ever made starring two Australians. Luckily, we’ve also got a custom cocktail and drinking rules to help w...
2014-07-0400 minAlcohollywoodQuest for Fire (1981)This week on Alcohollywood, we get in touch with our primitive side with returning guest Theo as we check out the stark prehistoric film Quest for Fire! A strange blend of speculative historical documentary and hero’s journey, the film follows a small group of Neanderthals (including Silver Bullet’s Everett McGill and Bunraku’s Ron Perlman) who must travel to find a new source for fire after it is lost. Along the way, they encounter apelike homo erectus, advanced homo sapiens (including a mesmerizing Rae Dawn Chong) and prehistoric animals of varying levels of terror. The film itself is a f...
2014-06-2000 minAlcohollywoodBunraku (2011) w/Nathan Rabin of The DissolveThis week on Alcohollywood, we’ve got a very special guest: Nathan Rabin, former head writer for The Onion AV Club and current contributor to The Dissolve! He joins us to talk about the the samurai western gangster musical film mash-up Bunraku! In a post-apocalyptic world without guns, a drifter (Josh Hartnett) and samurai (Gackt) must team up with a saloon owner (Woody Harrelson) to defeat a mob boss (Ron Perlman) for unknown reasons. What follows is a stylish, but ultimately schizophrenic exercise in style and theatricality for its own sake. Take a listen below, and check out our cus...
2014-06-1200 minAlcohollywoodBeing There (1979) w/Our Fair CityThis week on Alcohollywood, we take a break from video games, space cats and gangster lizards to take on something a little more sensitive – the 1979 Peter Sellers film Being There. One of his last roles, Sellers plays an unassuming, exceedingly ‘simple’ gardener named Chance, whose sheltered lifestyle is changed forever when his benefactor dies. Entering the harsh outside world, his tenuous grasp on reality and the nature of things manages to exert incredible influence on the people around him, including the President of the United States (Jack Warden). It’s a difficult (and utterly fascinating) film to describe, but we give...
2014-06-0500 minAlcohollywoodFish Story (2009)This week on Alcohollywood, recurring guest Derek joins us as we check out one of the more unconventional listener requests we’ve been given – 2009’s Japanese dramedy Fish Story! The tale of an obscure punk song that ends up saving the world from a deadly comet, Fish Story is an anthology film featuring vignettes from 1975 all the way to the apocalyptic world of 2012, showing the different ways in which the song (and the story that inspired it) dramatically affects people’s lives. It’s quirky and offbeat, to be sure, but the film is earnest and unpredictable enough to be surprising...
2014-04-2400 minAlcohollywoodBicentennial Man (1999) w/Our Fair CityThis week on Alcohollywood, Clayton Faits of Our Fair City and Chicago actor Andrew Saenz joins us to take a look at the Robin Williams science fiction vehicle Bicentennial Man! Adapted from the short story and novel by author Isaac Asimov, the film follows two hundred years of a robot butler (Williams) who strives to be human. This includes falling in love with the granddaughter of his original charge (Embeth Davidtz). Directed by Chris Columbus, the film is a bit of a sentimental slog of weepy scenes about life and love. That being said, it gives us a lot t...
2014-04-1700 minAlcohollywoodSilverado (1985) w/Our Fair CityThis week on Alcohollywood, we saddle up with Our Fair City writer (and friend of the show) David Rheinstrom to take a look at Silverado, the 1985 ensemble Western written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan! The film stars Kevin Kline, Danny Glover, Scott Glenn and Kevin Costner as a ragtag band of gunslingers who help each other deal with their personal demons and long-standing rivals, including Brian Dennehy as a corrupt sheriff and Jeff Fahey as an unhinged outlaw. Silverado has a great, fun energy to it while also deftly juggling a complex plot and a large cast of characters. We...
2014-04-1000 minAlcohollywoodThe Watcher (2000) w/Kris FlanaganIn the wake of a horrifying kidnapping, Clint must go Jared-less for this week’s episode of Alcohollywood! Joined by grizzled detective (and previous guest) Max and special guest, comedian Kris Flanagan, the trio attempt to keep Jared alive by enduring and drinking to The Watcher, the 2000 serial killer thriller starring James Spader and Keanu Reeves (who was under duress for the making of the film, his signature literally having been forged on a contract)! This film, in which grizzled ex-cop Spader is chased in Chicago by a serial killer he unsuccessfully chased in his old job, feel...
2014-04-0400 minAlcohollywoodTime Bandits (1981) w/GeekspottingThis week on Alcohollywood, James and Ruben (our resident geek experts from the Geekspotting podcast) join us to check out Terry Gilliam’s feature-length debut, Time Bandits! Fed up with his dreary, gadget obsessed parents, young Kevin falls in with a group of dwarf thieves using a time map from God to steal riches throughout history. We’ve covered Gilliam before with our Brazil episode, and Time Bandits has just as much of Gilliam’s dark whimsy as many of his other early classics. Join us for our custom cocktail and drinking game!
2014-03-2000 minAlcohollywoodST. PATRICK'S DAY SPECIAL: The Secret of Kells (2009) w/Our Fair CityErin go bragh, listeners! It’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend, and Alcohollywood (along with guest Jeffrey Gardner of Our Fair City) has decided to buck the trend by talking about a good movie about Irish mythology – the animated film The Secret of Kells! A fictionalized account of the story of the Book of Kells (an illuminated account of the Four Gospels that is an integral part of Irish history and culture), The Secret of Kells utilizes a fascinating animation style that evokes traditional Irish art, and the illustrations of the Book of Kells itself. The result is an intriguing a...
2014-03-1300 minAlcohollywoodThe Black Hole (1979) w/BlastropodcastThis week on Alcohollywood, Mark (from the classy science-y comedy podcast Blastropodcast) joins us with our look at Disney’s attempt to cash-in on the Star Wars craze, The Black Hole! A group of hapless scientists and astronauts exploring a black hole find a haunted house-ship occupied by Dr. Hans Reinhardt (Maximillian Schell, channeling Captain Nemo) and a bunch of robots. Once there, they find betrayal, mystery, laser gun fights and surprisingly un-Disney disembowelings – elements that make for a rather atonal, if refreshingly earnest, science fiction picture. Shockingly dark for a Disney movie, the film shows everything from hor...
2014-03-0600 minAlcohollywoodOSCAR SPECIAL: Gravity (2013) w/CinemaJawIt’s Oscar season this week, and on Alcohollywood we’ve got Ry from our friends at CinemaJaw to help us talk about Best Picture nominee Gravity! Acclaimed director Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men) gives us this simple-yet-strong tale of survival and faith in space, as astronauts Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) find themselves stranded in space after a cloud of space debris destroys their shuttle. The two must overcome obstacle after obstacle, as Cuaron sends his camera floating right alongside them, capturing both Clooney and Bullock’s strong performances and the gorgeous visual ef...
2014-02-2800 minAlcohollywoodFalling Down (1993)This week on Alcohollywood, we dig into the grit and grime of Joel Schumacher’s 1993 thriller Falling Down! On a sunny Los Angeles day in the early 90s - in the face of poverty, scalding heat, and the boiling pot of post-Rodney King race relations – Bill “D-Fens” Foster (a powerful Michael Douglas) finally snaps and starts a long walk home, taking out his frustration on societal ills in the process. Meanwhile, an easy-going cop on his last day (Robert Duvall) finds himself the only one able to put together the pieces of D-Fens’ little crime spree, culminating in a crazy, har...
2014-02-2000 minAlcohollywoodThe Dinosaur Project (2012)This week on Alcohollywood, we head for the land of the lost with the found footage flick The Dinosaur Project! Equal parts Cloverfield and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, the film follows a group of experts who head for a mysterious African island, hoping to find dinosaurs. Well, guess what they find? Despite the goofy premise, we actually had quite a bit of fun with The Dinosaur Project, since it commits itself quite well to the found footage gimmick and has a fair bit of visual style. The CGI isn’t great, but not bad considering the fi...
2014-02-0600 minAlcohollywoodIchi the Killer (2001)This week on Alcohollywood, Clue guest Theo returns to us to check out the 2001 Japanese thriller Ichi the Killer! One of the most violent movies of all time, this film by acclaimed director Takashi Miike follows two violent men living in a depraved world of rape and violence – the stylish yet sadistic Kakihara (Thor’s Tadanobu Asano) and the emotionally unstable killing machine Ichi (Nao Omori). The film’s long for its subject matter at 130 minutes, and its narrative gets confusing, but it’s a movie that will stick in your mind. Check it out along with our custom cocktail an...
2014-01-3000 minAlcohollywoodMothra vs. Godzilla (1964)This week on Alcohollywood, we delve into the complex Godzilla mythology with 1964’s Mothra vs. Godzilla (aka Godzilla vs. The Thing)! This film pits the famous lizard against mystical island god Mothra over control of Mothra’s giant egg! Part of the great Toho tradition of weird rubber monsters fighting each other, it’s certainly an interesting, crazy ride to endure. Grant of Chip & Ironicus joins us as we talk about miniature ladies, noble savages, and the hard world of investigative journalism. We’ve also got a double dose of cocktail for you, so check out our recipe and drinking rule...
2014-01-1000 minAlcohollywoodPi (1998)Happy New Year, listeners – it’s the start of another year for Alcohollywood! To kick off 2014, we (along with guest Derek) try to solve the mystery of 3.14 with the Darren Aronofsky film Pi. Pi follows Max (Sean Gullette), an obsessive New York recluse who dedicates his life to the pursuit of a numerical value that just might explain everything from the stock market to the nature of God. Or, is he just going insane from cluster headaches and auditory hallucinations? Aronofsky’s debut film is a crackerjack thriller with a brash visual style that he would develop furthe...
2014-01-0200 minAlcohollywoodCHRISTMAS SPECIAL: Jingle All the Way (1996)Happy holidays, everyone – the Alcohollywood Christmas special episode is here! This time, guests Julia and Todd join us as we take on the 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger stinker Jingle All the Way, in which Arnold flexes his comedy muscles as a workaholic dad whose son’s love is contingent on the acquisition of the hot new Turbo Man toy. This ends up leading him on a merry last-minute chase through the Twin Cities, while crazy post office worker Sinbad is hot on his heels. The movie actually has its funny moments, mostly coming from Phil Hartman’s sleazy bachelor Ted, a...
2013-12-2400 minAlcohollywoodPopeye: The Movie (1980)This week on Alcohollywood, we hit the high seas once again for the Robert Altman directed musical flop Popeye: The Movie! This 1980 mess of a film sees Popeye (a mumbling Robin Williams) enter the idyllic world of Sweethaven, only to fall in love with the wide-eyed Olive Oyl (Shelley Duvall), adopt the adorable Swee’Pea, and fight off the blustering Bluto (Paul L. Smith). Altman’s signature cinematography, with its muted backgrounds and emphasis on wide shots, has its similarities to the original Max Fleischer cartoons. Still, it also ends up treating everything with a weird distance. Add...
2013-12-1900 minAlcohollywoodBlack Lightning (2010)Zdravstvuyte tovarisch! This week on Alcohollywood, we’re taking all you comrades for an Eastern bloc party with the 2010 Russian superhero flick Black Lightning! Produced by Timur Bekmambetov (of Night Watch and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter fame), this Russian love letter to blockbuster superhero movies sees Dima, a down on his luck college student, suddenly inherit a flying Volgo automobile modified by Cold War scientists using magic fuel. Slowly learning its powers, he uses it to become the superhero Black Lightning and save Moscow from the machinations of the evil diamond magnate Prof. Viktor Kuptsov. A derivative yet...
2013-12-1200 minAlcohollywoodDay of the Dolphin (1973)All aboard this week on Alcohollywood, as we (along with guest Max) continue our double dose of dolphin movies with the George C. Scott vehicle The Day of the Dolphin! A sensitive story about a man and his dolphin masquerading as a '70s political thriller, this Mike Nichols film is the most dour treatment of a movie about talking dolphins anyone could expect. Scott plays Dr. Terrell, a grumpy marine biologist who develops a system for dolphins to understand and speak basic English, only for nefarious forces to steal the dolphins away from him. Check out our custom c...
2013-12-0500 minAlcohollywoodCONNICKUH SPECIAL: Dolphin Tale (2011)Harry Connickuh everybody! This week on Alcohollywood, it’s our favorite time of the year, where we (along with Jeff Award-winning composer Trevor Watkin) celebrate the life and career of everyone’s favorite slack-jawed crooner, Harry Connick Jr.! This time, we’re heading into the drink with the 3D family event of 2011, Dolphin Tale. This film tells the true story of Winter (herself), a dolphin who lost its tail in a crab cage and must be given a robot tail by master inventor Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). Along the way, a pair of kids learn to bond with the animal w...
2013-11-2800 minAlcohollywoodFight Club (1999)This week on Alcohollywood, our Disney princess Cherish joins us as we hit you as hard as we can with our review and drinking game of 1999’s cult hit Fight Club! This adaptation of the Chuck Palahniuk novel of the same name follows an unnamed narrator (Edward Norton) who finds a release from his disaffected, postmodern life by falling in with radical soap salesman Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). Together, they create fight clubs and rebel against the establishment, all the time creating something even more dangerous. In the meantime, the narrator learns more about himself and his relationship with an...
2013-11-2100 minAlcohollywoodThe Lady Vanishes (1938) w/Consequence of SoundThis week on Alcohollywood, guest Justin from Consequence of Sound joins us as we recover from last week’s terrible Oogieloves to cherish a true classic: the 1934 Alfred Hitchcock thriller The Lady Vanishes! The last movie he made before heading to America, The Lady Vanishes sees young bride-to-be Iris (Margaret Lockwood) and wan Englishman Gilbert (Michael Redgrave) stuck in a mystery about an old governess (Dame May Whitty) who has suddenly disappeared on a train. No one seems to know anything about her, or believe that she ever existed - was she all in Iris’s head, or is some...
2013-11-1400 minAlcohollywoodThe Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure (2012)This week on Alcohollywood, Hausu and Mallrats guest Nick returns to help us endure the fresh, shiny hell that is 2012’s children’s movie flop The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure! “From the marketing genius behind Teletubbies,” as the trailer tells us, The Oogieloves introduces us to a hellish landscape in which three obnoxious, multicolored monsters (Goobie, Zoozie and Toofie) wander through Lovelyloveville to collect balloons from high place and drink junk food. Along the way, they encounter a number of D-list washed-up actors (Cary Elwes, Chazz Palminteri, Christopher Lloyd, Cloris Leachman, Jamie Pressly, Toni Braxton and othe...
2013-11-0700 minAlcohollywoodHORROR OCTORBOR: The Invisible Man (1933) / Hollow Man (2000)This week on Alcohollywood, we (along with guest Max) unwrap the secrets of the 1933 James Whale classic The Invisible Man and the 2000 Paul Verhoeven slasher Hollow Man! Two wildly different tales of mad scientists who discover invisibility, the Universal classic follows Claude Rains as a sadistic chemist who goes on a murder spree in a 19th century village. Meanwhile, Hollow Man follows Kevin Bacon as an egotistical pervert who uses his powers to terrorize his hot neighbors in a SyFy Original Movie laboratory. The 30s film earns its classic status through tremendous performances, ahead of its time e...
2013-10-2400 minAlcohollywoodHORROR OCTORBOR: The Mummy (1932) / The Mummy (1999) (w/Biggest Fan Podcast)This week on Alcohollywood, Brockett from the Biggest Fan Podcast joins us for this latest installment of Horror Octorbor, where we pair classic Universal monster movies with a modern adaptation! This time around, we get wrapped up in the 1932 Boris Karloff classic The Mummy and the 1999 Stephen Sommers-directed action-comedy The Mummy, starring Brendan Fraser as Indiana Jones-lite Rick O’Connell! These two movies have wildly different tones. Whereas the Karloff Mummy is a more sedate, dramatic and suspenseful love story, Fraser’s Mummy trades tension for wry charm and thrilling, fast-paced action sequences. They’re two great flavors that go grea...
2013-10-1700 minAlcohollywoodHORROR OCTORBOR: The Wolf Man (1941) / The Wolfman (2010)The full moon is out, and this week on Alcohollywood we’re scaring up some strange (along with guest Jesse) for Week 2 of this year’s Horror Octorbor! This week, we’re looking at the 1941 Universal classic The Wolf Man, starring Lon Cheney Jr., and the 2010 Joe Johnston reimagining The Wolfman, starring Benicio Del Toro! While the 1940s movie has quite a bit to love (fun performances, great makeup and prosthetics for the time), Johnston’s flick suffers from incredibly flat performances (especially from Del Toro and Emily Blunt), dim cinematography, and a tone that goes all over the p...
2013-10-1000 minAlcohollywoodHORROR OCTORBOR: Frankenstein (1931) / Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)Happy hauntings, listeners – it’s Horror Octorbor once again at Alcohollywood! This year, we’re doing something a little different: taking the major Universal monster movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood and comparing them to a modern adaptation/reimagining and seeing how they stack up. We’re starting out this week with everyone’s favorite stitched-up modern Prometheus, Frankenstein – along with guest Nathan of The Right Brain Project, we resurrect both the 1931 James Whale classic (starring Boris Karloff) and the melodramatic, big-budget costume drama Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, directed by and starring Thor’s Kenneth Branagh (and Robert De Niro as the cr...
2013-10-0300 minAlcohollywoodDanger: Diabolik (1968)This week on Alcohollywood, we're getting groovy with 1968's Dino de Laurentiis-produced Italian spy-sploitation flick Danger: Diabolik! Adapted from the Italian comic, the film sees Barbarella's John Philip Law as a leather-clad super thief with a hot girlfriend/accomplice, spending the movie stealing more and more elaborate goods while being chased by Italian policeman Jenko and gangster Valmont (played by Thunderball's Largo, Adolfo Celi). The whole thing is delightfully wacky, if a little empty, and Mario Bava's broad, energetic style is quite interesting to behold. Not only that, we get a wonderfully groovy Ennio Morricone score and app...
2013-09-2700 minAlcohollywoodThe 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953)This week on Alcohollywood, we dive headfirst (along with guest Emily) into the madness that is Dr. Seuss’ first and only live-action creative work, The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T! A 1950s mix of musical comedy, Disneyesque whimsy and horrifying Seussian allegory, the film follows young Bart, an unfortunately untalented child who daydreams a nightmarish world run by his tyrannical piano teacher, Dr. Terwilliker. His scheme is to keep his mother captive and schemes to hold a music concert for his 500-kid piano! It’s only with the help of his all-American wimp father figure Mr. Zabladowski, some insa...
2013-09-1300 minAlcohollywoodSunset (1988)This week on Alcohollywood, we (along with guest Derek) saddle up for the Hollywood historical western Sunset, starring Bruce Willis and James Garner (and directed by Blake Edwards of Breakfast at Tiffany’s fame)! This half-cocked whodunit sees an older Wyatt Earp (Garner) serving as a technical consultant for an early silent Western starring cocky Tom Mix (Willis), only for the two to get embroiled in a seedy murder mystery at the heart of the Golden Age’s seedy underbelly. Malcolm McDowell also stars as a sneering, Bizarro Charlie Chaplin, and Mariel Hemingway as The Girl of the Movie.
2013-09-0500 minAlcohollywoodFlash Gordon (1980)This week on Alcohollywood, Our Fair City’s Lise ‘Kat’ Evans joins us as we hitch a ride on a phallic-looking spaceship to watch the 80s camp classic Flash Gordon! Adapted from the comic strips and film serials of the 1930s and 40s, this Dino De Laurentiis-produced bit of cheese follows intrepid football player/space adventurer Flash Gordon (Sam J. Jones) and his erstwhile girlfriend Dale Arden (Melody Anderson) as they battle the forces of Ming the Merciless (Max Von Sydow) and befriend the Errol Flynn-esque Prince Barin (Timothy Dalton) and blustering hawkman Prince Vultan (BRIAN BLESSED!). ...
2013-08-3000 minAlcohollywoodClue (1985)This week on Alcohollywood, Jared and Clint (with guest Theo) take a peek at the 1985 ensemble board-game comedy Clue! Decades before Battleship, this board game adaptation sees the classic murder mystery game adapted into an Agatha Christie-esque murder-in-a-house whodunit. Headed by an ensemble of fantastic comedic actors from the 80s (Michael McKean, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, Tim Curry, Leslie Ann Warren, Martin Mull and others), Clue is a hilarious and surprisingly bawdy caper with quite a bit of surprising Red Scare subtext. Join us as we discuss the sexual politics of McCarthy-era America, the alternate name...
2013-08-0900 minAlcohollywoodBatman: The Movie (1966) w/BlastropodcastHoly libation*! This week on Alcohollywood, we set atomic batteries to power and turbines to speed with the 1966 film companion to the camp TV classic, Batman: The Movie! Join the Caped Crusader (Adam West) and his trusty sidekick Robin (Burt Ward) as they foil a dastardly plot to kidnap the world’s leaders, perpetrated by their combined Rogue’s Gallery of villains! Mark of Blastropodcast joins us as we take a closer look at this bit of 60s silliness, discussing such trenchant topics as the logistics of Batman’s equipment, the selective prosopagnosia of superheroes and supervillains, and the...
2013-07-2600 minAlcohollywoodMallrats (1995)This week on Alcohollywood, we head back into the 90s, land of Weezer, plaid shirts, and ripped jeans as we (along with guest Nick) revisit the 1995 mall comedy Mallrats! This flawed throwback to hard-R teen sex comedies is the second film from Kevin Smith, and his first (and only) attempt to write and direct a major studio picture. Watching the film, it’s not hard to see why – Smith’s overly verbose dialogue is mumbled out by an ensemble of half-baked ‘90s actors, the director’s limited visual style makes the whole film look ugly, and it’s hard to wa...
2013-07-1900 minAlcohollywoodTime After Time (1979) w/BBEThis week on Alcohollywood, we’re joined by Nina and Bryan of Broken Brush Entertainment (along with fellow guest Edwina) to take a look at the 1979 sci-fi comedy/thriller Time After Time! Directed by The Wrath of Khan’s Nicholas Meyer, the film follows famed science fiction author H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) as he chases Jack the Ripper (David Warner) to modern-day 1979 San Francisco. There, the two of them engage in a battle of wits to bring the Ripper to justice, all the while getting a smitten bank teller (Mary Steenburgen)thrown into the mix. The film is...
2013-06-2800 minAlcohollywoodTheatre of Blood (1973)This week on Alcohollywood, we honor the greatest playwright in literary history with the Shakespeare themed slasher-comedy Theatre of Blood! This 1973 comedy of terrors features horror icon Vincent Price as crazed Shakespearean actor Edward Lionheart, who (along with daughter Diana Rigg and an army of loyal meths drinkers) unleashes a series of elaborate murders against the group of critics who spurned him for an award. The result is a fantastically campy, yet effortlessly stylish piece of 70s Gothic horror that’s just ridiculous enough to be fantastic. Lionheart’s traps are equal parts Seven, Saw and Snidely Whip...
2013-06-2100 minAlcohollywoodThe Thing (1982)This week on Alcohollywood, Jared and Clint (and returning guest Craig) break down the whys, wheres and whos of John Carpenter’s 1982 classic The Thing! This gory spin on the 1950s monster movie The Thing from Another World, the film follows a group of Antarctic researchers (including Kurt Russell’s gruff MacReady) as they encounter a creature that can imitate them perfectly and wants to murder them, turning into all manner of grotesque beings along the way. The practical effects by Rob Bottin are incredible, and the uniformly great cast is a wonder to watch – if you haven’...
2013-06-0800 minAlcohollywoodMystery of the Wax Museum (1933)This week on Alcohollywood’s Mystery Month, we travel back in time to the days before the Hays code for 1933’s horror film Mystery of the Wax Museum! Intrepid reporter Florence (a speed-talking yet adorable Fay Wray) attempts to work out the secret behind a series of mysterious deaths in New York City. Her journey leads her to the newly opened wax museum led by the ever-so-tragic villain Dr. Ivan Igor (Lionel Atwill), and the thrills keep coming! The last major motion picture filmed in the rare two-strip Technicolor process, the film has a strange quality to it...
2013-05-2400 minAlcohollywoodMystery Men (1999)This week on Alcohollywood, Mystery Month continues with the 1999 superhero comedy Mystery Men! This campy tale of a group of misfit superheroes who attempt to save Champion City from the evil Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) is definitely interesting in concept - and helped by a great cast - but the script is incredibly spotty. Director Kinka Usher's schizophrenic direction and the poorly aged music and song choices don't help, but the film manages to find quite a few moments of self aware superhero comedy. However, none of this leads o a film that add up to more t...
2013-05-1700 minAlcohollywoodMystery Train (1989)This week on Alcohollywood, we start Mystery Month, where all the movies have ‘mystery’ in the title! Starting off, we talk about 1989’s Jim Jarmusch film Mystery Train, a strange and hip anthology film featuring three stories of people (both native and tourist) navigating Memphis, Tennessee on the same night. From a disaffected young Japanese couple seeking the home of rock stars, to a lost Italian woman trying to find her way, to a trio of locals out on a night of crime, the movie is an exercise in effortless meanderings. Throughout, Jim Jarmusch’s underplayed style out in full...
2013-05-0300 min