Dark Discussions Podcast

Long time actress and comedian Elizabeth Banks entered the directing ranks with PITCH PERFECT 2 (2015) followed by the reboot of CHARLIE’S ANGLES (2019).  Both films received mixed reactions by audiences and also critics.  Her latest COCAINE BEAR (2023) also has had mixed reactions from both critics and audiences alike however it has received some note for its very eclectic style.

When a drug smuggler drops a shipment of cocaine out of a flying airplane over the Georgia wilderness, he mistakenly knocks himself unconscious while disembarking the plane.  The results leave a dead smuggler and bags of cocaine lost in the forest.  Soon a group of nature lovers, forest rangers, European tourists, police officers, children playing hooky, St. Louis drug smugglers, a concerned mother, and a group of teenage criminals all ironically meet up in the state park only to find out that a local black bear has ingested some of the illegal substances and gone violently mad.

On her third try, Elizabeth Banks may have established herself as much of a director as she is an actress and comedian.  The movie includes the final role of Ray Liotta (and it is dedicated to him).  The film was released on February 24th, 2023 with a budget of $35M USD.  The film has gone on to make $66.5M USD and earned itself a cult following.  Your co-hosts take a look at this curious film and give their thoughts on what sounds like an absurd movie.

Welcome to The Rise of the Cordyceps Infected: A Last of Us Podcast. We discuss weekly each episode of the television series THE LAST OF US seen on HBOMax.

It all started in 1986 with the novella THE HELLBOUND HEART (part of a horror anthology NIGHT VISIONS VOLUME 3) written by English author Clive Barker.  The story soon became a movie in 1987 leading to multiple films in the franchise, introducing horror fans to the cenobite demons, the puzzle box talisman known as the Lemarchand Configuration, and the main cenobite nicknamed Pinhead.  Now a new movie has arrived in the franchise.  Some say it is a reboot.  Either way HELLRAISER (2022) was released on Hulu for Halloween 2022 on October 7th.

Recovering addicts Riley (Odessa A’zion) and her boyfriend Trevor (Drew Starkey) decide to rob a warehouse in a remote section of their city.  When they find a strange puzzle box, Riley’s brother Matt (Brandon Flynn) suddenly disappears leading Riley to believe that the box is actually some sort of talisman.  Riley and Trevor research the owner of the warehouse that they stole the item from.  Hoping to find her brother, Riley, joined by Trevor and their friends, head to an abandoned mansion owned by the missing billionaire Roland Voight (Goran Visnjic). 

The movie was directed by David Bruckner, well known for the incredibly reviewed Netflix original THE RITUAL (2017).  The screenplay for HELLRAISER was written by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, best known for their horror films SIREN (2016) and Bruckner’s other film THE NIGHT HOUSE (2020).  HELLRAISER (2022) has received fairly good reviews and some say it may be the best in the franchise.  Your co-hosts take a look at the movie and are joined by fabulous Hollywood actor Dan Lench in the discussion.

Welcome to The Rise of the Cordyceps Infected:  A Last of Us Podcast.  We discuss weekly each episode of the television series THE LAST OF US seen on HBOMax.

Robert Eggers of New Hampshire is one of the most talked about genre directors on the internet.  With his A24 distributed movie debut, THE WITCH (2015), he immediately went became the “director everyone must watch”.  After THE LIGHTHOUSE (2019), his latest, THE NORTHMAN (2022), arrived to theaters on April 22, 2022 to critical acclaim.

In AD 895, young prince Amleth (Alexander Skarsgard) watches his father (Ethan Hawke) be murdered by the boy’s uncle (Claes Bang).  His mother (Nicole Kidman) is taken prisoner and the wife of his uncle, the new king.  Fleeing he eventually becomes intentionally enslaved by his uncle in hopes to get vengeance for his father and mother.

The film stars Alexander Skarsgard in a role that could lead to stardom.  With its supporting cast that includes award winning actress Nicole Kidman, along with Ethan Hawke and Anya Taylor-Joy, the film received critical acclaim from critics everywhere.  Dark Discussions takes a look at Eggers latest film and gives their thoughts.

Welcome to The Rise of the Cordyceps Infected: A Last of Us Podcast. We discuss weekly each episode of the television series THE LAST OF US seen on HBOMax.

M. Night Shyamalan burst on the scene with THE SIXTH SENSE (1999), and though he has had a number of “misses”, he’s had numerous successful films too including SIGNS (2002) and SPLIT (2016).  Though known as a director, he also has done much of the screenwriting for his films too.  His latest, KNOCK AT THE CABIN (2023), an adaptation of a novel, he did co-screenwrite the script.

When Wen (Kristen Cui) goes on vacation with her two fathers, she meets Leonard (Dave Bautista) while outside their cabin collecting grasshoppers.  Though friendly, he is a stranger, and young children aren’t supposed to talk to strangers.  After Leonard says he is here for bad reasons, she runs inside to tell her family, and what seems to be a home invasion film turns into so much more.

The film stars Dave Bautista in a career defining role.  Also in the movie are Rupert Grint, Jonathan Groff, and Ben Aldridge.  Receiving mixed reviews and faltering at the box office, it did reach number one at the box office its first week.  Your co-hosts take a look at this new film by Shyamalan and give their thoughts.

Welcome to The Rise of the Cordyceps Infected: A Last of Us Podcast. We discuss weekly each episode of the television series THE LAST OF US seen on HBOMax.

After his controversial chapter in the ALIEN film franchise, ALIEN 3 (1992), David Fincher went on a spree of some seriously remarkable films. With a few minor films, he had a run of classics such as SEVEN (1995), THE GAME (1997), FIGHT CLUB (1999), ZODIAC (2007), THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010) and GONE GIRL (2014). His THE GAME, though a minor success at the box office, was a powerful example of the type of thrillers he would become known for.

Nicholas Van Orton is a very successful investment banker that lives in the San Francisco area. To many he appears to be a selfish and fairly aloof man, but he has carried personal demons from his childhood that haunt his adult life. At his birthday, his estranged brother gives him a gift to a LARP from a mysterious company called Consumer Recreation Services. Soon, his life seems to become exciting but for all the wrong reasons.

THE GAME stars one of the top leading men of its era, Michael Douglas, at the top of his game (no pun intended). The cast includes Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger, along with James Rebhorn and Carroll Baker. With a budget of $70M USD, the film went on to gross $109.4M USD. Just like FIGHT CLUB, THE GAME originally received fixed reviews before being re-evaluated and becoming a classic. Your co-hosts take a look at this spectacular thriller and give their thoughts.

Found footage horror films were the big craze a few years back, and the new film SKINAMARINK (2023) takes a little from those films but is its distinct thing.  Noted on such websites as IMDB as an experimental horror film, the movie has gotten some note by critics and actually had a theatrical run that was quite successful for its small budget.

Two young children, a boy and a girl, from a one parent home find their father missing when they wake up in the middle of the night.  Searching the home, weird things begin to occur.  Windows disappear, doors vanish, and strange voices call to them.  As they search the home, one wonders if there may be an evil entity that is now among them.

After doing many shorts on his YouTube channel, Canadian Kyle Edward Ball has now debuted his feature length debut (also written by him).  The film was made on a budget of $15,000 while its theatrical run made over $2M USD.  Critically the film is getting fantastic views yet audiences are much less kind.  Your co-hosts take a look at this newly released film on the Shudder channel and give their thoughts.