Really Awful Movies: Ep 211 – Death Wish

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On this episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast, a by no means rigorous semi-defense of the popcorn muncher/crowd pleasure Death Wish. 

Co-host Chris, explains his surprising positive review of the reboot in a discussion with Jeff (who has not seen the Death Wish remake).

Usually, we both watch a movie and discuss it. This time, Jeff was off hanging out with legendary rock stars in New York City (you’ll have to guess which one as we’re not disclosing it) and wasn’t able to catch the film on the big screen.

Doesn’t matter. We talk Eli Roth, easily the…um….4th best “Roth” after rocker David Lee, author Philip, actor Tim…so yeah.

Jeff is not big on Eli, Chris is wholly indifferent but not AS down on him.

Death Wish (the 1974 original) we hold in very high regard. The tale of a quiet, introspective family man-turned-vigilante was polarizing, but ultimately a pretty intriguing and interesting (not to mention action-packed) offering.

In the Death Wish remake, Paul Kersey is no longer an architect…he’s an ER doctor. Is this a good or bad deviation from the original? We discuss….

Also, the 2nd Amendment? Yay? (Chris) or nay? (Jeff).

We talk about Bruce Willis, our love…you could say our die-hard love-affair with his body of work…and the political climate for the release of a movie that unabashedly champions guns.

And finally, your genial hosts talk about their relationship with CryptTV, a co-venture of Roth’s that is a social media site meant to bring together horror lovers from across the globe. Does it?

Lots to discuss on this episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast.

 

 

 

Really Awful Movies: Ep 210 – Cujo

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On this episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast, a look at the unconventional animal attack movie, Cujo.

Adapted from a Stephen King novel, which oddly, as Stephen King die-hards neither of us had read, we decided to take a look at this one.

Cujo was directed by Lewis Teague, and written by Don Carlos Dunaway and Barbara Turner (under the nome de plume of Lauren Currier).

The film stars scream queen Dee Wallace (The Howling/The Stepford Wives), Daniel Hugh Kelly (Hardcastle and McCormick) and Danny Pintauro (Who’s the Boss?).

Cujo the tale (or, er…tail) of the eponymous dog, a St. Bernard. He gets rabies from burrowing underground and getting bitten on the nose by a bat. He goes after his owner, an off-the-grid mechanic, his buddy, and the Trenton family (whose lemon was being serviced by said mechanic).

On an earlier episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast…we covered two movies “inspired” by the great JAWS, The Car and Grizzly, with Scott Drebit from Daily Dead. We love our animal attack movies!

However, Cujo is cut from a different cloth. Usually animal attack movies involve some experiment gone wrong, which results in animals growing to super-sized level and going haywire, attacking the townsfolk. And invariably, authority figures get involved and nobody listens. However, that is not the case here.

Cujo is quiet, and inward focused. But it’s still worth checking out despite a few lulls.

On this episode, your genial hosts Chris and Jeff, talk about getting attack by dogs growing up, and what it’s like to be a dog, versus a cat person. We also talk about our love for Mr. King, his scene settings, and our fondness for Danse Macabre.  We also break down what makes this different from other natural horrors.

We’ll undoubtedly cover more King on the show.

Really Awful Movies: Ep 209 – Zombie Nightmare

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What do you get when you mix ancient Haitian voodoo mystery with uber-cheap tax shelter bargain basement Canadiana? Why, Zombie Nightmare, of course.

Zombie Nightmare is a 1986 Canadian zombie film produced and directed by Jack Bravman. It stars Jon Mikl thor, who had a lengthy career fronting the eminently forgettable power metal band, Thor. The movie also stars a young  Tia Carrere (the babe from Wayne’s World) and of all people, Batman’s Adam West. West portrays a grizzled, stoagie-puffing police captain.

Zombie Nightmare was filmed in the suburbs of Montreal and cost all of $180,000 to make. And it looks it.

Because this was the 80s, and because it is a sorta-horror movie, there has to be a prologue. Prologues are deliciously fun any way you slice it, whether it’s this one, or the kid from Hospital Massacre getting rejected on Valentine’s and then growing up to be a vicious healthcare serial killer (whoops, spoiler. do check out our Hospital Massacre podcast!) Here, young Tony witnesses his father dying at the hands of two street thugs, as the guy is intervening on behalf of a woman who’s being attacked.

Years later, and our boy is Tony all grown up and a baseball playin’ fun-lovin’ guy. Jon Mikl Thor plays our protagonist, and there’s one thing we should mention about Mr J.M.T: he was a body builder of some renown. Hence, Tony is totally RIPPED and looks like he’d tear the cover off a fastball.

Tony, it seems, inherited his father’s Good Samaritan tendencies. While thwarting a robbery, Tony is run over by some street toughs. The victim, a store proprietor garbling one of the worst Italian accents in celluloid history, drives Tony’s limp, lifeless body to mom’s place, and it’s there that she enlists the help of a Haitian voodoo priestess to raise Tony from the dead.

Tony, thus revived, seeks vengeance on everyone who was in the vehicle that bowled him over.

Silly in the extreme, Zombie Nightmare was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Join us, as we discuss the film on the Really Awful Movies Podcast.