Rogues Gallery

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Case File 052: Stuntman Mike (Death Proof) Mar 23, 2022

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Back in the early aughts, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez were enjoying an overwhelming level of success. They decided to use their clout to launch an ambitious cinematic experiment - each of them would direct one half of a double feature designed to pay homage to the exploitation flicks they grew up watching. The result was 2007's Grindhouse and the response to it was... largely apathetic. It fizzled out at the box office and Tarantino's entry in particular seemed to divide even his most stalwart supporters. We decided to give Death Proof another look by opening up a case file on its central antagonist: Stuntman Mike. Do our original evaluations still stand or is there more going on under the hood with this one than we initially gave it credit for? Let's find out!

Case File 051: Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) Mar 09, 2022

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The Dream Master is sort of the dividing line between the first six films in the Elm Street franchise, but the question is: which side does it fall on? Is this the last good entry or the first bad one? Let's find out! Topics include: Wes Craven's original pitch for the film, how a writer's strike forced them to make a lot of this up as they went along, director Renny Harlin's incredible persistence when it came to landing this gig and the methods he employed to separate this one from past installments, the apex of Freddy Krueger's popularity and his expansion into other media, and much more!

Case File 050: Taxi Driver Dec 16, 2021

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As controversial as it was influential, Taxi Driver remains an unflinchingly uncomfortable portrait of how one man's self-imposed loneliness spirals out into explosive violence. On this episode, we're taking a closer look at Rober DeNiro's iconic performance as Travis Bickle and investigating how he became one of cinema's defining antiheroes. Topics include: the low point in screenwriter Paul Schrader's own life that laid the foundation for this story, why Martin Scorsese responded so strongly to the script and his dogged determination to get the film made, the ingenuity they used to overcome their lack of resources, aspects of Travis's character that had to be downplayed in the final version, how a popular interpretation of the ending ignores some of the darker aspects of the intended message, the film's unfortunate connection to a real life tragedy, the sequel that never materialized, and much more! Quick note - there were some issues with Mike's audio in this one. We apologize and we're working on it. Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Spotify Chris's Instagram & Twitter | Kristen's Instagram Chris & Kristen's Web Series: The Strange Case of Lucy Chandler

Case File 049: Disturbing Behavior Nov 24, 2021

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On this episode, we're heading to the idyllic town of Cradle Bay to investigate their mysterious Blue Ribbon program. Although its participants initially showed promising results, a few of them have recently been exhibiting some... Disturbing Behavior. But the more sinister story here might be what happened to this film in post-production. The director delivered a psychological thriller in the vein of The X-Files, but the studio decided they wanted something more along the lines of Scream. As a result, numerous alterations were made and at the end of that process, the original 115 minute cut had been whittled down to an anemic 84 minute version. So what's in that 30 minutes of additional footage? What was the thought process behind removing it? And how different would the critical and commercial response to Disturbing Behavior have been if they'd left it in? Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Spotify Chris's Instagram & Twitter | Kristen's Instagram Chris & Kristen's Web Series: The Strange Case of Lucy Chandler

Case File 048: Holiday (Batman: The Long Halloween) Nov 10, 2021

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We're not quite ready to put Halloween behind us, so we decided to take a look at a story about one that seemingly never ends. On this episode, we're opening up a case file on The Holiday Killer from Batman: The Long Halloween and investigating the origins of this seminal comic book and the recent animated adaptation. Topics include: the previous collaborations between writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale that set the stage for The Long Halloween, why getting into comic books can sometimes feel impenetrable for prospective new readers, setting the appropriate level of stakes for a Batman story, the two different eras and styles they're attempting to bridge here, complicated feelings about the ending, the aspects the animated version streamlines or changes, the various sequels and spin-offs, The Long Halloween's impact and influence on other Batman media, and much more! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Spotify Chris's Instagram & Twitter | Kristen's Instagram Chris & Kristen's Web Series: The Strange Case of Lucy Chandler

Case File 047: Halloween III: Season of the Witch Oct 27, 2021

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The final moments of Halloween II had been intended to kill off Michael Myers for good, but the film's box office success all but guaranteed another sequel. The only way creators John Carpenter and Debra Hill could be lured back for another entry was with the promise that they could come up with an entirely new story that had no ties whatsoever to the previous films. Unfortunately, their attempt to transition into an anthology format didn't sit well with audiences and Halloween III: Season of the Witch was a critical and commercial disappointment. In the decades since its original release, this black sheep transformed into a dark horse and became one of the more beloved installments. On this episode, we're examining all of the initial miscalculations the filmmakers made about audience expectations, charting the movie's ascent to cult status, and seeing how it holds up when evaluated on its own terms.

Case File 046: The Omen (1976) Oct 06, 2021

Show notes

The popularity of occult horror had been on the rise since the late 60s, but it was the success of The Exorcist in 1973 that led to a slew of other films attempting to cash in on that craze. One of the more notable efforts was Richard Donner's debut feature The Omen. On this episode, we're investigating how Donner took a slightly garish horror script that no studio was interested in making and transformed it into a more grounded mystery/thriller that attracted A-list talent and became a pop culture phenomenon.

Case File 045: Clarence Boddicker (RoboCop) Sep 22, 2021

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In some ways, this entire podcast is built around the idea that a hero is only as good as their villain. Looking at the original RoboCop through that lens, it's easy to understand why it's still held in such high esteem. There's A LOT to gush over in this film (and we do), but Kurtwood Smith's performance as Clarence Boddicker is unquestionably one of its highlights. Topics include: our introductions to the film and the jarring mismatch between its ridiculous title and the actual content, how so many of its themes have become even more relevant in the last thirty years, why director Paul Verhoeven's outsider perspective on American culture gives the satirical elements extra bite, the way they push the violence to both humorous and horrifying effect, what makes Boddicker stand apart from other 80s action movie bad guys, the various sequels/spin-offs/cartoons/toys/etc., your answers to Ultimate Match Up, and much more!

Case File 044: 28 Days Later Sep 08, 2021

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"The Infected" from Danny Boyle's post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later aren't technically zombies, but the movie is definitely operating within the confines of that sub-genre. In fact, its popularity helped lead to such a strong resurgence of interest in zombie-related media that we're still seeing the effects of it two decades later.

Topics include: tracing the film's origins back to a screenwriter that was playing too many video games, remembering a point in time where zombies weren't as prevalent in pop culture, the pros and cons of the decision to shoot this on a prosumer mini-DV camera, the fiilm's "show don't tell" approach to character development, the somewhat divisive third act, alternate endings, its impact and influence, and much more!

Case File 043: Basic Instinct Aug 25, 2021

Show notes

Basic Instinct was a box office hit in the spring of 1992, but its success was matched by the level of controversy it generated. At the center of it all was a star-making performance by Sharon Stone, who gave us one of cinema's most iconic femme fatales and one of the most famous scenes in movie history. On this episode, we're opening up a case file on Catherine Tramell and investigating the heyday of the erotic thriller. Topics include: why Michael Douglas originally wanted them to cast someone more famous as Catherine, the long list of actresses who passed on the role, the bizarre push and pull the movie has between the sensibilities of its screenwriter vs its director, key differences between the theatrical and unrated versions and how those change shift our perception of Nick, the protests that disrupted shooting and the film's opening weekend, the long delayed sequel, the death of the erotic thriller, and more!

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