Celluloid Fever Dreams

Winslow Leach is a young man who wants to create heavenly music, even if he has to descend to the depths of hell to do it.

Brian DePalma's (Scarface) Glam Rock reinterpretation of the Phantom of the Opera is a perfect encapsulation of 70s musical culture in all it's campy, stylized glory. In this episode we'll discuss the film, as well as the cultural influences that play into it's story. Despite being a box office, and critical failure Phantom of the Paradise has over the years developed a cult following and had a much bigger impact on the film and music industry than anyone could have imagined.

Host Wyndham Jennings will tell you about the struggles to get it released, and why this early DePalma work should be considered one of the most important films of the 70s before discussing some of the trends it helped predict.

Other films mentioned in this episode: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Suspiria, Carrie, The Black Dahlia, Smokey and the Bandit, Used Cars, Rocky

Continuing Season 3 after a hiatus with the John Cusack action comedy Grosse Pointe Blank. A film that dares to ask what's scarier, fighting for your life against international hitman trying to steal your contract or going to your high school reunion to face the girl you stood up at prom? Host Wyndham Jennings discusses whether John Cusack should be in action movies. Why didn't Minnie Driver become a bigger star? Is there anyone better suited to playing a lecherous Douchecanoe than Jeremy Piven? and Why don't films have soundtracks like this anymore? Discover the answers only on Celluloid Fever Dreams!

Other Films Mentioned: Mother, Jugs, and Speed. Phantom of the Paradise, Miami Blues, My Bodyguard, Ella Enchanted, and Doctor Detroit

A mix of Dirty Harry and Robocop with gratuitous nudity, over the top violence, criminal furries, and demonic gun running nuns? And it was written by the creator of Ben 10 and directed by one of the founding members of Slipknot? Why is this film not a cult classic already? This week Wyndham patrols the mean streets with Officer Downe, the LAPD's secret weapon in the war on crime. Thanks to dark science he's stronger, faster and tougher than anyone else on the force, and if he does get taken out? They'll just bring him back. He'll rest in peace when the streets are finally clean of crime.

Other films mentioned in the episode: Bubba Ho-Tep, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Big Fish, Boss Level, The Hunt, Must Love Dogs

We're back! (The podcast, not that horrible animated dinosaur film.) To kick off Season 3 host Wyndham Jennings dives into the 1998 Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon comedy Pleasantville. The story of 2 modern teens trapped in a 1950s sitcom who wind up changing it forever and learn something about themselves along the way. Learn a little history about toilets in television shows. Find out why Don Knotts is a perfect example of stunt casting. See how a fun film from the 90s would be a political and cultural lightning rod today. Celebrate the return of someone's favorite podcast from a lengthy hiatus and download Celluloid Fever Dreams today!

Other films mentioned in the episode: The Shakiest Gun in the West, Freeway, Seabiscuit, Mystery Men, Face Off, Sling Blade, Dumb and Dumber

Quick update on the podcast, and what's been going on for the past two months. It's a bit rambly, and chaotic but I'm getting divorced AND buying a house simultaneously so I'm a little frazzled. Until I can get in somewhere permanent I'm going to post these minisodes that will help me get back into podcasting again, and maybe cover some stuff that I can't touch on the regular episodes.

This week I lay out all 5 (6? 7?) different timelines that make up the Halloween(1979) franchise, and what movies you should watch in which order to see each one through. I also talk about other franchises and films that have played with alternate timelines, or Multiverse style settings. Spoiler: Gwyneth Paltrow has been in one that wasn't the MCU. So, listen to me butcher a famous quote and get this week's winning lottery numbers, for some alternate timeline out there not this one with Celluloid Fever Dreams!

It's a movie! It's a European capital! It's a psychological syndrome! Ethan Hawke(Gattaca) plays a bank robber who takes Noomi Rapace(Lamb) hostage in this 2018 heist comedy. Based on the actual events from 1973 the hostages eventually take the side of the robbers versus the police, which leads to the coining of the phrase Stockholm Syndrome to explain the psychology behind it. Host Wyndham Jennings will talk about the actual robbery, other cases of Stockholm syndrome, Steve McQueen's Mustang, and why films based on true stories should have a "Where Are They Now?" segment at the end.

Other films to check out: Shimmer Lake, Dog Day Afternoon, The Town, Trapped in Paradise, Queenpins, Have a Nice Day, Eat Your Bones, Bullit, Vanishing Point, Badlands

It's a Musical-Comedy Film, based on a Broadway Musical, based on the actual Chicken Ranch that inspired a song by ZZ Top! It's chickens all the way down! Combining the biggest Country star of the 80s with the biggest leading man of the 80s leads to one of the biggest musicals of the decade. Dolly Parton(Steel Magnolias) plays the madam of The Chicken Ranch, a brothel just outside of a small Texas town. Burt Reynolds(Stroker Ace) plays the sheriff who turns a blind eye to the goings on at the Ranch as long as they don't start trouble. Dom DeLuise(Twelve Chairs) plays the crusading reporter determined to save Texas from the sin of prostitution, despite no one wanting him to. Filled with songs, laughs, and some sexy times it's hard to believe one of the most successful films of the time has been all but forgotten today.

Wyndham Jennings takes a dive into the real history of the Chicken Ranch, the film's surprise connections to 2 horror classics, and why Reynolds and DeLuise were one of the best comedy duos of all time in the latest episode of Celluloid Fever Dreams

Other Films to Watch: 9 to 5, Hooper, Silent Movie, Dog Day Afternoon, Best Friends, Sharky's Machine, City Heat, Spaceballs

Sylvester Stallone (Demolition Man, Rocky) is an action star with a long list of successful films. So imagine everyone's surprise when he teamed up with John Landis (Blues Brothers, Coming to America) for a screwball comedy about a Prohibition Era gangster trying to go straight. Based on the French play by Claude Mangier, already made into a film back in 1967, Stallone must contend with rival gangsters, a rebellious daughter (Marisa Tomei in one of her earliest roles), and henchmen who would rather go to jail than do the dishes. Top loaded by a cast of great character actors, and a couple of genuine legends, this is an often overlooked piece of Stallone's filmography. Host Wyndham Jennings dives into the film's history, its influences, and the disaster that almost prevented it from being made before answering The Most Important Question of All! Is it entertaining?

Other films to watch: Clue, Stir Crazy, Raising Arizona, The Jerk, Death at a Funeral, Real Genius, Hot Fuzz, 1941

A Heavy Metal, Horror-Comedy from New Zealand that finds two teens having to stop a demon they accidentally summoned by playing the ultimate metal song from bringing about the end of the world. Lots of blood, gore, and killer music to enjoy. A film in the tradition of Bad Taste and Dead Alive that manages to balance several genres and still sneak in a bunch of Easter Eggs for metal fans. Join Wyndham Jennings as he tells the story of the film from contest entry through being renamed so Wal-Mart would sell the DVD.

Other films to enjoy alongside this one: Phantom of the Paradise, Black Sheep(Not the Chris Farley one.), Housebound, Trick or Treat, Dead Alive, Meet the Feebles, Repo The Genetic Opera

Murder! Genetic Monstrosities! Adultery! Chickens! No, seriously lots of chickens. More chickens per minute than any other giallo in history. Anna's husband has a strange hobby, murdering prostitutes in a roadside hotel. She doesn't notice because she's too busy trying to breed the world's first boneless chicken. Her cousin, and secretary, Gabrielle decides she wants Anna's chicken farm and conspires to kill her and frame Marco for it by dressing the corpse as a prostitute. From director Giulio Questi (Django Kill...If You Live Shoot!) comes one of the weirdest giallo films of all time. Surreal, dreamlike, and self indulgent in the way only films from this era can be it remains a beautiful, discordant experience, but is it entertaining? Host Wyndham Jennings explores the film, and the lasting influences of this genre of Italian cinema in another episode of Celluloid Fever Dreams!

Other Films to check out: Django Kill...If You Live Shoot!, Arcana, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, A Bay of Blood, All The Colors of The Dark, The Psychic, Eye in the Labyrinth, A Lizard in Woman's Skin