All the way from Adelaide, South Australia, director Pirie Martin joins us to discuss his strange experimental film noir, Psychosis, in which a criminal fixer who hears voices (but is not otherwise obviously schizophrenic) investigates some drug zombies, which leads to an an encounter with a masked vigilante and a master hypnotist drug kingpin and … it just gets stranger from there. Debuting on Tubi on Oct. 4.
Category Archives: Interviews
POD 366, EP. 87: A BANANAS INTERVIEW WITH GREG DELISO AND ADDISON BINEK OF “PSYCHO APE PART II”
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Quick links/Discussed in this episode:
Psycho Ape Part II: The Wrath of Kong
We ran out of time before asking for hometown restaurant recommendations, but Greg DeLiso responded by email: “Detroit, National Coney Island.”
Abruptio (2023): Read Giles Edwards’ Apocrypha Candidate review. Mangled puppet parts can be found strewn from Gardena, CA to Royal Oak, MI this week, with more venues turning up in the near future. Abruptio official site.
“American Horror Project Vol 2“: The three regional oddities featured in this volume are the New England curse feature Dark August (1976), the evil kid chiller The Child (1977), and the most obviously “weird” one, the losing-her-grip-on reality psychothriller Dream No Evil (1970). Curated by obscure horror specialist Stephen Thrower, with more deep analysis than you would expect for this shclocky drive-in fare. Buy “American Horror Project Vol 2.“
The Creature (1977): The plot, basically, is a woman falling for a German Shepherd. It’s one of those European anti-bourgeois screeds, exploitation style. Buy The Creature.
“Gregg Araki’s Teen Apocalypse Trilogy”: Read Gregory J. Smalley’s reviews of The Doom Generation and Nowhere. The set also includes Totally F***ed Up. We weren’t big fans of Araki‘s nihilistic teen satires, but of they’re good enough for the Criterion Collection, maybe they deserve a second chance. Buy “Gregg Araki’s Teen Apocalypse Trilogy.”
Happiness (1998): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. The Criterion Collection does a 4K UHD upgrade of their edition of the blackest of black comedies. And they said you couldn’t buy Happiness. Buy Happiness.
Megalopolis (2024): It’s here, and it’s as divisive as we could have hoped. Francis Ford Coppola‘s America-as-ancient-Rome magnum opus is in theaters now; we should have a review and further commentary coming next week. Megalopolis official site.
Omen (2023): An immigrant visits his family in the Congo with his Belgian fiancee, only to be accused of being a sorcerer. Reviews suggest that the film’s conclusion may be stranger than the simple horror movie setup seen in the trailer indicates. The Blu-ray includes three bonus short films. Buy Omen.
Scarlet Diva (2000): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. Film Movement upgrades Asia Argento‘s gonzo semi-autobiographical trash film to Blu-ray; featureswise, it appears to be the same as the old DVD. Buy Scarlet Diva.
“Two Taoist Tales”: Read Shane Wilson’s Apocrypha Candidate review of Taoism Drunkard. Besides the maniacal Drunkard and its banana/watermelon monster, this twofer also contains the lesser-known sequel Young Taoism Fighter (1986), in which the kung fu fighters have apparently graduated from alcohol to then-popular crack. Buy “Two Taoist Tales.”
A Wounded Fawn (2022): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. The surrealistic horror about a schizophrenic serial killer debuts on physical media this week. The Blu-ray includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews and a bonus short film. Buy A Wounded Fawn.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
We may have a guest on Pod 366 next week—still in negotiations over scheduling. At any rate, we also expect to have a surprise bonus standalone interview midweek, and possibly a second surprise. Meanwhile, in written reviews, Shane Wilson takes on another one that Came from the Reader-Suggested Queue with Shinbone Alley (1970), an animated musical about the co-dependent relationship between a cat and a cockroach, while Gregory J. Smalley will give you his first impressions on Megalopolis. Onward and weirdward!
POD 366, EP. 82: ROGER MITCHELL OF “ZARDOZ SPEAKS TO YOU” SPEAKS TO US
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Quick links/Discussed in this episode:
Buy “Zardoz Speaks To You! How a Classic Movie was Created, Died, and Was Born Again” by this week’s guest, Roger Mitchell
The Making of Zardoz Facebook page
Chronicles of a Wandering Saint (2023): An Argentinian woman stages a fake miracle, but real miracles (or at least, inexplicable events) soon follow. The well-reviewed magical realist feature with comedy elements arrives on VOD this week. Buy or rent Chronicles of a Wandering Saint on Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu) or Apple+.
Crumb Catcher (2024): A newlywed couple are accosted by a couple of entrepreneurs intent on getting them to invest in their get-rich-quick device: a crumb catcher. “Absurd” and “odd” are some of the words turning up in reviews; the indie arrives on VOD this week. Buy or rent Crumb Catcher.
Megalopolis second trailer: Not sure if this is an “oops!” moment or part of a marketing scheme that has often stressed how bizarre this entire production was, but Lionsgate has withdrawn their second trailer for Francis Ford Coppola‘s Megalopolis after Variety pointed out that the (negative) critics’ quotes it presented for The Godfather and other films were made up. Roger Ebert himself called this trailer “one of the biggest embarrassments ever released by a major studio,” while Pauline Kael said the scandal “stinks like a wedge of stale Camembert fermented in sun for three days.” Of course, the controversial trailer itself will live forever on YouTube. Hollywood Reporter describes the fiasco’s aftermath.
The Other Laurens [L’autre Laurens] (2023): The official plot description reads, “A private detective [is] forced to face the ghosts of his past when his niece asks him to investigate her father’s death.” Sounds conventional, yet it catches our attention because Yellow Veil is releasing it, and one reviewer calls it “Lynchian” and “a strange film” while The Hollywood Reporter refers to “bits of dark comedy and weirdness.” The Other Laurens official site.
Undergods (2020): Read Giles Edwards’ festival review. A pair of corpse-collectors ride around a dystopian ruined city relating their strange dreams in this dreamy dystopian anthology film that finally arrives on a bare-bones Blu-ray four years after release. Buy Undergods.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
We may have a surprise guest (or guests) lined up for our next Pod 366, but in any case, Giles will be back with Greg to discuss the week’s news and releases. In other YouTube content, having cleared up a copyright misunderstanding that delayed its posting for more than a month, Pete Trbovich‘s Weird View Crew returns to cover Hollywood’s campy critical flop Dick Tracy (1990). In written reviews, Shane Wilson wisely takes John Huston‘s 1979 adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood out of the reader-suggested queue; Giles Edwards catches Crumb Catcher (see above); and Gregory J. Smalley ambles off to see Chronicles of a Wandering Saint (also above). Onward and weirdward!
KOSTANSKI & ME, TALKING “FRANKIE”
Steven Kostanski in person provides impressive contrast to his creations. Starting his career in make-up and prosthetics, Kostanski has dabbled in animation and, indeed, most of filmmaking’s many avenues. The day after the world premier of the bombastic chuckle-fest, Frankie Freako, he was good enough to have a quiet and informative chat with 366. Tune in for comedy advice, back-story, and an HO gauge-drop from the interviewer.
MIGUEL LLANSÓ RETURNS FOR AN “INFINITE SUMMER” INTERVIEW
Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway‘s Miguel Llansó returns to talk with Giles Edwards about his latest film, Infinite Summer, a more restrained (but still wild) film about a meditation app that takes you to a purple nebula.