Cinema Shock

Our "Try Hard" series concludes this week with a look at 90s action classic SPEED!

We're joined this week by special guest Todd Davis to take a deep dive into what makes this movie work, and why it's one of the  more enduring films to come out of the post-DIE HARD era of action films. 

As always, in addition to our analysis of the film itself, we'll discuss how it came to be, from script to final product, including a break down of how some of the movie's insane stunts were accomplished.

And this week, we're nominating SPEED for the Psychotronic Hall of Fame! Do you think it deserves a spot among the greatest genre films of all time?

VOTE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DC567KQ

Speaking of voting, it's time to vote for the Psychotronic Film Awards 2018: People's Choice Award! What was your favorite genre film of 2018? Vote to let us know! We'll reveal the winner in our upcoming 2018 wrap up episode and the winner will be discussed in a future episode as a possible inductee into the Psychotronic Hall of Fame!

VOTE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LRD6FTZ

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Contact us at any of the social media accounts listed below, or be a part of the show by calling us at (864) 371-9931 and leaving us a voicemail of 3 minutes or less and we'll use it on our next episode!

Visit our website at www.psychotronicfilmsociety.com. There you'll find all of our past episodes and our full list of Psychotronic Hall of Famers!

Theme song: “Foreign Body” by the Slasher Film Festival Strategy from their album PSYCHIC SHIELD. More info: http://slasherfilmfestivalstrategy.bandcamp.com

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We've done "DIE HARD on a mountain." We've done "DIE HARD on a boat." For the next entry in our "Try Hard" series, we're focusing on "DIE HARD in a boarding school!"

This week, we're taking a look at the 1991 film TOY SOLDIERS, starring Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton and Louis Gossett, Jr.!

We'll take a look back at its evolution from a novel to a project for Academy Award-winning director John Schelinger (with a script by David Koepp, JURASSIC PARK) to its eventual fate as a first-time feature by BEVERLY HILLS COP screenwriter Daniel Petrie, Jr.

TOY SOLDIERS was a staple of 90s basic cable, where most of our listeners probably discovered and fell in love with it as kids. So how does it hold up nearly three decades later?

We're joined for our discussion this week by special guest Fred Sims.

Join us next week as our "Try Hard" series concludes with "DIE HARD on a bus!"

VOTE IN THE 2018 PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD POLL

It's time again for us to countdown our favorite psychotronic films of 2018, but before we do that, we need your help! Long time listeners know that our year in review episode also includes a special award that they help choose: the People's Choice Award.

Head to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LRD6FTZ to vote in our poll to let us know your favorite psychotronic film of the past year. The winner will be discussed as a possible inductee into the Psychotronic Hall of Fame in a future episode!

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Contact us at any of the social media accounts listed below, or be a part of the show by calling us at (864) 371-9931 and leaving us a voicemail of 3 minutes or less and we'll use it on our next episode!

Visit our website at www.psychotronicfilmsociety.com. There you'll find all of our past episodes and our full list of Psychotronic Hall of Famers!

Theme song: “Foreign Body” by the Slasher Film Festival Strategy from their album PSYCHIC SHIELD. More info: http://slasherfilmfestivalstrategy.bandcamp.com

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This week, we continue our "Try Hard" series, in which we take a look at films that were inspired by — and sometimes, blatantly ripped off — the template set by DIE HARD in 1988.

Our 2nd entry in the series is Andrew Davis' 1992 "DIE HARD on a boat" film, UNDER SIEGE, starring Steven Seagal!

This was the film that was poised to be Seagal's first "real" movie, a chance at legitimacy for the star of gritty, street level action films of the late 80s/early 90s.

So did it succeed? That's a discussion we'll get into, plus our typical dive into a behind-the-scenes look at the film, and of course, we'll break down just how it utilizes (and okay, totally steals) the DIE HARD formula.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! We've opened up voting for our 2018 People's Choice Award! In a few weeks, we'll be taking a look at our favorite genre films of 2018, but we want to know what YOUR favorite was! Let us know by casting your vote at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LRD6FTZ

Join us again next week for a look at "DIE HARD in a boarding school" with a special guest!

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Contact us at any of the social media accounts listed below, or be a part of the show by calling us at (864) 371-9931 and leaving us a voicemail of 3 minutes or less and we'll use it on our next episode!

Visit our website at www.psychotronicfilmsociety.com. There you'll find all of our past episodes and our full list of Psychotronic Hall of Famers!

Theme song: “Foreign Body” by the Slasher Film Festival Strategy from their album PSYCHIC SHIELD. More info: http://slasherfilmfestivalstrategy.bandcamp.com

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Please rate review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever else you listen to podcasts!

We're baaaaaack!

After taking a couple of weeks off, we're ready to welcome 2019 with open arms! And not just any arms, but the big, bulging, sweaty arms of Sylvester Stallone!

This week marks the first week of our new series, "Try Hard," focusing on films that were inspired by DIE HARD and sought to mimic its premise (and box office success).

For the first film in this series, we're taking a look at "DIE HARD on a mountain," Renny Harlin's 1992 rock-climbing actioner CLIFFHANGER!

We'll discuss why this was such a pivotal point in Stallone's career, as well as the many unmade films that paved the road to this box office smash. There's so much to talk about here! Lithgow's English accent! Stalactites vs stalagmites! Michael F'n Rooker!

And most importantly: Is this a movie that's worthy of the Psychotronic Hall of Fame? Be sure to vote in our poll to let us know!

VOTE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NJ3YHHY

And be on the lookout soon for a link to vote in our annual People's Choice poll to help us decide your favorite psychotronic film of 2018!

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Contact us at any of the social media accounts listed below, or be a part of the show by calling us at (864) 371-9931 and leaving us a voicemail of 3 minutes or less and we'll use it on our next episode!

Visit our website at www.psychotronicfilmsociety.com. There you'll find all of our past episodes and our full list of Psychotronic Hall of Famers!

Theme song: “Foreign Body” by the Slasher Film Festival Strategy from their album PSYCHIC SHIELD. More info: http://slasherfilmfestivalstrategy.bandcamp.com

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Please rate review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever else you listen to podcasts!

Our 2018 Christmas series concludes this week with one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time, DIE HARD (1988)!

And yeah, it's a Christmas movie! We're not here to to negotiate that point.

We're joined once again this week by Todd Davis to discuss one of our perennial favorites. We'll discuss its origins as a Frank Sinatra vehicle (seriously!) on into its current status as one of the most well-loved action films of all time.

And it should probably come as no surprise that we've nominated DIE HARD for a spot in the Psychotronic Hall of Fame. Do you think it deserves a spot amongst a list of the greatest genre films of all time?

VOTE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/X6P3JP3

We're taking the week off next week to enjoy the holiday, but we'll be back the first week of January to begin a whole new series surrounding films that were inspired by DIE HARD. Come join us in January for a brand new Try Hard series, as we kick things off with 1993's CLIFFHANGER!

Happy holidays, everyone!

We'd love to hear your thoughts! Contact us at any of the social media accounts listed below, or be a part of the show by calling us at (864) 371-9931 and leaving us a voicemail of 3 minutes or less and we'll use it on our next episode!

Visit our website at www.psychotronicfilmsociety.com. There you'll find all of our past episodes and our full list of Psychotronic Hall of Famers!

Theme song: “Foreign Body” by the Slasher Film Festival Strategy from their album PSYCHIC SHIELD. More info: http://slasherfilmfestivalstrategy.bandcamp.com

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Please rate review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever else you listen to podcasts!

For the second week in our 2018 Christmas series, we're welcoming back special guest Todd Davis to take a look at yet another Christmas sequel! This time, it's Tim Burton's BATMAN RETURNS.

While we haven't yet discussed Burton's original BATMAN film from 1989 (look for that in the upcoming year!), we'll discuss how the success of that film led to Burton reluctantly returning to the franchise and being given carte blanche create the most Tim Burton-y superhero film of all!

We'll also discuss whether or not its reputation as one of the most well-regarded Batman films and one of the better films in Burton's career makes it a worthy addition to the Psychotronic Hall of Fame! What do you think?

VOTE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R3XYN99

We'll be back next week with the final film in this Christmas series, a film that's a perennial favorite around the homes of both of our hosts, and one that celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this year!

We'd love to hear your thoughts! Contact us at any of the social media accounts listed below, or be a part of the show by calling us at (864) 371-9931 and leaving us a voicemail of 3 minutes or less and we'll use it on our next episode!

Visit our website at www.psychotronicfilmsociety.com. There you'll find all of our past episodes and our full list of Psychotronic Hall of Famers!

Theme song: “Foreign Body” by the Slasher Film Festival Strategy from their album PSYCHIC SHIELD. More info: http://slasherfilmfestivalstrategy.bandcamp.com

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Please rate review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever else you listen to podcasts!

This week begins our annual Christmas series, and unlike last year, this year's theme is less specific: we're simply bringing on some friends to discuss some of their favorite Christmas films (then capping the series off with an all time Christmas classic).

To kick things off, we're joined by a trio of special guests: John Ferrer, Zack Daigle and Scott Dunlap, three of the founders and organizers of McArathon, a 24 hour Christmas movie marathon that's entering its FIFTEENTH (!!) year this year!

This year's McArathon will take place on December 22-23 from noon 'til noon at Birds Fly South Ale Project in Greenville, SC, and the theme this year is sentient trees! Admission is free and you definitely won't wanna miss it! For more information on this year's event, visit McArathon.com or their Facebook event page.

To celebrate this year's event, John, Zack & Scott have come to the show to discuss a film that's a McArathon classic, the cult favorite (and YouTube sensation) SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT PART 2.

This film is infamous for its extensive use of footage from the first film. We'll get into exactly how that came to be as we dive into the making of the film. We'll also discuss the cult following that the film has acquired over the last three decades and try to decide if that's enough to get it into the Psychotronic Hall of Fame!

Which, as always, is your choice.

VOTE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7G8D2HZ

We'd love to hear your thoughts! Contact us at any of the social media accounts listed below, or be a part of the show by calling us at (864) 371-9931 and leaving us a voicemail of 3 minutes or less and we'll use it on our next episode!

Visit our website at www.psychotronicfilmsociety.com. There you'll find all of our past episodes and our full list of Psychotronic Hall of Famers!

Theme song: “Foreign Body” by the Slasher Film Festival Strategy from their album PSYCHIC SHIELD. More info: http://slasherfilmfestivalstrategy.bandcamp.com

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Please rate review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever else you listen to podcasts!

This week, we're returning to one of the most dividing directors we've discussed on the show in a discussion of Ridley Scott and his nearly forgotten 1985 fantasy film LEGEND.

As always, we'll discuss the origins of the film and how Scott came up with the idea of filming a dark fairy tale to follow up BLADE RUNNER, but there's much more to the story of LEGEND than typical behind-the-scenes tidbits, with issues ranging from on set tragedies to significant changes being enacted by Universal Studios executives.

The film was a box office and critical failure upon release, but how does it hold up after three plus decades?

We'd love to hear your thoughts! Contact us at any of the social media accounts listed below, or be a part of the show by calling us at (864) 371-9931 and leaving us a voicemail of 3 minutes or less and we'll use it on our next episode!

Visit our website at www.psychotronicfilmsociety.com. There you'll find all of our past episodes and our full list of Psychotronic Hall of Famers!

Theme song: “Foreign Body” by the Slasher Film Festival Strategy from their album PSYCHIC SHIELD. More info: http://slasherfilmfestivalstrategy.bandcamp.com

Follow the show: 

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Please rate review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever else you listen to podcasts!

This week on the show, we're throwing it back to 1998 with the debut (and, um, only) feature film by acclaimed music video director Hype Williams.

That's right Society, this week, we're discussing the DMX/Nas vehicle BELLY!

We'll dive into Williams' career and discuss how it led to this film, and why the film failed to deliver at the box office (and essentially destroy Hype's chances at making another feature).

And one of us (you'll have to listen to find out who) is saying that the film deserves a Redemption, but we're gonna leave that up to y'all to help us decide!

VOTE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y2J7GY9

We'd love to hear your thoughts! Contact us at any of the social media accounts listed below, or be a part of the show by calling us at (864) 371-9931 and leaving us a voicemail of 3 minutes or less and we'll use it on our next episode!

Visit our website at www.psychotronicfilmsociety.com. There you'll find all of our past episodes and our full list of Psychotronic Hall of Famers!

Theme song: “Foreign Body” by the Slasher Film Festival Strategy from their album PSYCHIC SHIELD. More info: http://slasherfilmfestivalstrategy.bandcamp.com

Follow the show: 

Follow Justin: 

Follow Gary:

Please rate review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever else you listen to podcasts!

We've somehow made it 100+ episodes on a show dedicated to cult films without discussing a single solitary film produced by the king of the b-movies, Roger Corman, but this week we're remedying that oversight with a discussion on one of the most enduring films he ever produced, the 1979 rock n' roll musical ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL!

As we always do, we dive deep into the stories behind the making of the film, including all of the different (weird) directions it could've gone and all of the other bands who were considered well before the Ramones were chosen to star! We'll also get into its myriad of connections to the films of John Carpenter (we just can't leave the guy well enough alone) and try to figure out how well it holds up nearly four decades after its release.

And, naturally, we're also nominating it for the Psychotronic Hall of Fame, a decision that we always leave up to our listeners, so be sure to vote in our poll to let us know if it's a deserving entry!

VOTE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/G6J7BXC

We'd love to hear your thoughts! Contact us at any of the social media accounts listed below, or be a part of the show by calling us at (864) 371-9931 and leaving us a voicemail of 3 minutes or less and we'll use it on our next episode!

Visit our website at www.psychotronicfilmsociety.com. There you'll find all of our past episodes and our full list of Psychotronic Hall of Famers!

Theme song: “Foreign Body” by the Slasher Film Festival Strategy from their album PSYCHIC SHIELD. More info: http://slasherfilmfestivalstrategy.bandcamp.com

Follow the show: 

Follow Justin: 

Follow Gary:

Please rate review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever else you listen to podcasts!