Bravo for the B-side Podcast

While the name is simple, Thanksgiving is a solid bit of holiday horror. In the pantheon of holiday horror films the turkey eating holiday is the most overlooked. The gore is satisfying and the killings come at a fairly decent rate. The chief downside provides important lessons for writers. The primary is backstory. Often unnecessary for redshirts we get a lot of it being thrust in our faces that wastes time and is frustrating in its poor timing and irrelevant information. Other than a couple of missteps like that it was a fun watch and just as fun to discuss.

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Far too long has passed since we’ve talked with Kyle Hester. Join us for a magnificent conversation about the upcoming release of his latest film Preacher 6, his documentaries, the evolution of Indie filmmaking, and more. Kyle talks about the ups and downs of the journey of making Preacher 6, battling the pandemic, and how Just Keep Going is the key phrase we should all practice. We also talk about his wife Tracy’s new book release and Kickstarter for her next novel.  Look below for links to Kyle and Tracy’s sites, socials, and so on. Sit back and listen to one of the most upbeat and genuine people in the business. We loved this conversation, and think you will as well.

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Kyle's Links

https://bsky.app/profile/kylehester.bsky.social

https://pickrelay.com/t/8gkr-id6r/haunted-lake-lanier

Tracys kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/msdshollywood/magic-spells-delivery-service-book-one-hollywood

13 short Horror Stories for Bedtime.

https://a.co/d/ijcqBy7

Long on our list, the Asylum version of Sherlock from 2010 was finally pushed to the top. Way back before the podcast started we found this hidden deep down the rabbit hole. Dani loves Sherlock Holmes, and when you pair him with a T-rex, I mean come on. Unfortunately the T-rex went from awesome to burdensome. There are plenty of issues here, but as always meaningful lessons can be found within. We do love Asylum films, as ridiculous as they are, because at the end of it all they are fun to watch. We have said before, having people say your film was fun to watch is the goal.

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Another find during bedrest, I. Madman is a late eighties mild horror that fits the period and genre perfectly. A woman finds herself terrorized by a character from a strange book. Sounds pretty simple, and it is. The film overall is a fun watch. Inundated with late eighties filmmaking techniques and a fast-paced storyline, for the most part, there are some good lessons here. The writing could have used a go-over, the editing is not tight, but we do have some good lessons that can elevate your work. Not the least of which is; having a caped villain running through traffic is timeless and magical.

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An excellent surprise, Forgive Us All was a delight to watch and dissect. We have so many good lessons from this film that we go over. Forgive Us All is another take on the zombie genre, one that is near and dear to our hearts. Going more to the route of Infected rather than zombies, this movie tells the story in precise, crisp, efficient writing, of a survivor named Rory who is looking for meaning in her life. Having suffered tragedy on the onset of the apocalypse, she wonders why surviving even matters. There is no fat to trim away from this film. With a brilliant combination of writing, direction, cinematography, and post work, we are given a very intimate feeling ride through tragedy within tragedy, and hope.

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You can only go so long before your curiosity gets the best of you. With no less than three Popeye films that hit in 2025 we had to take a dive. We settled on Popeye’s Revenge based on trailers, of which none were truly gripping. We dive into this dumpster fire attempt to capitalize on the expiration of copyright on old, beloved cartoon characters. We posit the script was done by AI, and the director may as well have been AI too. There are a couple of good lessons here, a couple, but the rest is a sorely disappointing run of missed opportunities, poor writing, nonsensical story, and actors who just did not have a chance to show their chops with this awful material. Spoiler, we watched another Popeye film after this one, Shiver Me Timbers, and it was not any better.

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This week we’ve taken on Wrath of Dracula, starring the fantastic Hannaj Bang-Benz. There was certainly some money behind this independent film, but Wrath of Dracula was lacking on some areas. The actors were great, and there are a lot of fantastic lessons that all Indie filmmakers should tap into. There are, unfortunately, some lessons on what not to do.  Among them - writing pitfalls. If you’re going to have a story about Dracula, you should probably invite him to the story. More on that inside.

We have discussed documentaries here and there over the years, but we have never done an episode on them. The wait is over. Documentaries are a fantastic way to break into Indie filmmaking. There are some basics in planning a documentary that we discuss, but you are relieved of having to write a feature script, casting actors, and your equipment needs are minimal. Compared to a feature production, a documentary is far less expensive to get your feet wet in the sea of filmmaking. We discuss some documentaries that we have seen recently, and we have seen a lot of them, as examples of what and what not to do when creating your own. The bottom line is follow your passion or interest, share it with everyone.

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It was a cult classic that started in 1987, and in 2024 it was redone by director/writer Ryan Kruger. Street Trash kept a lot of the 80s vibe, music, and practical effects. While the cinematic lessons are all positive, the more important lesson is how to analyze an older film for its ability to be remade in modern times. Not all films or their message will translate to modern sensibilities. Street Trash, however, holds a statement that unfortunately still fits today. Ryan’s take on the older film gives us a fun, gross, splat-filled practical effect bonanza. Before all of that, Jim goes on a pretty heartfelt rant starting with a failed actor and the sad, tragic trajectory of Superman in films.  Because, why not.

Street Trash can be found on Tubi

For the fourth time in the run of our show, we talk with our friend David Ryan Keith.  Writer/director of Primal Games, I Am Rage, Redwood Massacre, Redwood Massacre 2: Annihilation, Ghosts of Darkness, and Attack of the Herbals, David once again talks candidly with us about his latest film Primal Games, making films, marketing, distribution, all of the fun stuff. A key lesson we discuss is that no matter how much passion and heart you have, at the end of the day this is a business and has to be treated as such. Join us for another delightful conversation with David and enjoy quite a bit of laughter.

Check David's work at Clear Focus Movies