Blood and Black Rum Podcast - A Cult Film / Horror Podcast

Red Hot '80s Action Summer is back, and this time we're back to duty with a look at Arnold Schwarzenegger's classic 1985 flick Commando! In true action movie fashion, Schwarzenegger's character has his daughter kidnapped by communists and he's got to get her back! We talk about the film's fast-paced construction, the ridiculous stunts throughout, the generic massive gunfight at the end of the film, and a whole lot more. We're also drinking Sierra Nevada's Summerfest lager!

Approximate timeline

0:00-9:00 Intro

9:00-16:00 Beer talk

16:00-end Commando

Next up: Police Story 2!

In true Blood and Black Rum fashion, we dive into some '90s nostalgia with an episode centered on the 1995 film Clueless. A precursor to Mean Girls, this film hits mostly the right notes of a fun high school flick, and we talk about the many big-name actors, the similarities and differences to other '90s rich-person flicks like Cruel Intentions, the stuffed musical score, and a whole lot more! We're also drinking Voodoo Brewing Company's Lacto-Kooler (Red) Berliner Weisse!

Approximate timeline

0:00-9:00 Intro

9:00-16:00 Beer talk

16:00-end Clueless

Next time: we start Red Hot '80s Action Summer III: Back to Duty.

It's not quite time for the creepy season yet, but we wanted to get a jumpstart (and a jump scare) with 2016's The Autopsy of Jane Doe, which is a movie that packs a wallop with a nude body that doesn't actually do anything and yet still maintains its eerieness. We talk about Andre Ovredal's atmosphere throughout, the clinical way that this film picks apart the dead, the supernatural witch elements that pepper the film later on, and a whole lot more. We're also drinking the Equilibrium/Parish Brewing Company collaboration beer Ghost in the Laboratory, a double IPA with all kinds of Citra!

Approximate timeline

0:00-10:00 Intro

10:00-20:00 Beer talk

20:00-end The Autopsy of Jane Doe

To end our KaiJune festivities, we turn to a remake of a classic '50s American horror film that, in our eyes, crosses over in similarity to traditional kaiju films. The Blob is revitalized in this violent, practical effects-laden movie about teenagers attempting to stop a giant monstrosity that continues to grow as it feeds on townspeople, and here we talk about the large cast, the excellent Thing-like SFX, the themes of government, and how this hews to a kaiju movie. We're also drinking Sam Adams' new Summer Adventure Lager and Take-a-Day IPA!

Approximate timeline

0:00-8:00 Intro

8:00-18:00 Beer talk

18:00-end The Blob

That concludes KaiJune! Hope you enjoyed.

For this episode of KaiJune, we wanted to cover something a little different and outside of the usual definition of a kaiju film. So we're tackling one of the staples of the Nuclear '50s with Them!, about giant killer ants in the New Mexico desert. Here we discuss the effects, the immediacy of the film's plotting, the colorful cast of the film, the Red Scare elements throughout, and a lot more! We're also drinking Ommegang's OMG Series Frozen World Double Cold IPA!

Approximate timeline

0:00-11:00 Intro

11:00-22:00 Beer talk

22:00-end Them!

Next up for the final episode of KaiJune: The Blob (1988)!

We continue our coverage of KaiJune with a look at Guillermo del Toro's anime-influenced Pacific Rim, a combination of Godzilla-esque kaiju monsters and Neon Genesis Evangelion type mecha battles. We talk about the obvious use of CGI, the film's everyman main character, the length of the movie, the variation of these new kaiju aliens, and a whole lot more. We're also drinking Busch Light Peach!

Approximate timeline

0:00-8:00 Intro

8:00-15:00 Beer talk

15:00-end Pacific Rim

Next up, the American nuclear '50s with Them!

Our second foray into giant monster movies finds us jumping to the Heisei era for the rebirth of Gamera in Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, 15 years after the end of the original series. Here we find Gamera fighting Gyaos yet again but with all new backstory and science fiction mumbo jumbo; we talk about the film's penchant for delivering a lot of science talk, its lackluster special effects that vary from guys in suits to plastic action figure-like appearances, the unnecessary romance, and a lot more! We're also drinking Beer Tree Brewing Co.'s Color Spill: Tiger Blood Fruited IPA!

Approximate Timeline

0:00-10:00 Intro

10:00-16:00 Beer talk

16:00-end Gamera: Guardian of the Universe

Next in KaiJune: Pacific Rim!

We start our celebration of kaiju films from the very beginning, with the 1954 Godzilla from director Ishiro Honda. We discuss the film's merits and also some criticisms of the loose narrative structure; we also talk about the film's origins after World War II, its direct associations with nuclear bombings, the use (and confusing science behind) the Oxygen Destroyer, and a lot more! We're also drinking Kirin Ichiban beer, which is unfortunately the export brewed by InBev instead of the traditional Japanese lager.

Approximate timeline

0:00-10:00 Intro

10:00-17:00 Beer talk

17:00-end Godzilla

Next up, we're taking on Gamera!

We're doing a double-feature of Ari Aster flicks, and the one we're starting with is 2019's Midsommar! This folk horror tale about a bad breakup is surely inspired by The Wicker Man, but Aster goes above and beyond with a sprawling tale or cultural rituals that draws from historical fact. We talk about the film's pacing, its metaphors on grief and empathy, the realistic gore, and that gut-punching opening sequence. We're also drinking Tree House Brewing's House Beer Lime in Tequila Barrels!

Approximate timeline

0:00-7:00 Intro

7:00-15:00 Beer talk

15:00-end Midsommar

Next up: Aster's Beau is Afraid

The weather's getting hotter and that means we're covering some sultry stuff on the show. We're tackling a '90s/'00s nostalgia trip with Cruel Intentions; if you grew up with Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Dawson's Creek, you most likely have in some way been impacted by the sexy trashiness that is this movie. We're talking the burn book plot devices, Ryan Philippe's character as a groomer, the soap opera magnitude of the script, and a whole lot more. We hope you enjoy our foray back into this cult trashic.

Approximate timeline

0:00-11:00 Intro

12:00-20:00 Beer talk

20:00-end Cruel Intentions

Next up, we'll be covering a two-week Ari Aster twofer with Midsommar and Beau is Afraid.