Director's Club

 

FROM THE DARKEST UNDERWORLD RETURNS TWO FIENDS, PATRICK RIPOLL AND SPECIAL GUEST ROBERT REINEKE, TO DISCUSS THE LEGACY AND FUTURE OF ONE OF HORROR'S FINEST TRADITIONS: THE ANTHOLOGY HORROR FILM. THE FILMS DISCUSSED INCLUDE WAXWORKS, DEAD OF NIGHT, KWAIDAN, BLACK SABBATH, ASYLUM, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, TALES OF TERROR, CREEPSHOW, THE TWILIGHT ZONE & TRICK 'R TREAT.
ALSO DISCUSSED: HORROR ANTHOLOGY TELEVISION, RADIO SHOWS, THE FUTURE OF THE FORMAT, AND WHY SO FEW DIRECTORS THESE DAYS SEEM TO ADAPT EDGAR ALLAN POE. 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe

So this is a big deal for me. I discovered Memoryhouse after discovering composer Max Richter three years ago. I was living in Chicago and bought a record called The Slideshow Effect, and was immediately smitten with their sound. I played it for my roommate and told her that, "This is more than my jam, this is everything I love about music."  You can imagine my excitement when I was able to get a hold of them since I was curious about what they've been up to and how they've come to be the band that they are.  It's been awhile since they've put out a record but they are back and just finished a new album that should be out sometime next year. As a silver-club member of the Memoryhouse fan club, I couldn't be more excited to hear new songs.

For this 20-minute discussion, we focus on their songwriting process of course, but also the inspiration behind the masterpiece that is The Slideshow Effect.  Hopefully I don't come across too much like Kathy Bates in Misery declaring myself as a number one fan and more like a true music nerd that just happens to adore what Memoryhouse does.  Included are snippets of several songs as well as some links below so you can go out and buy their records.  You won't be sorry that you did.  A million thanks to Denise and Evan for their time.  Much gratitude to you for listening, and as I mention at the very end, the new website is: PopCultureClub.net!

Websites:
https://www.facebook.com/memoryhouse

http://memoryhouse.tumblr.com/

Songs Featured:
Memoryhouse - Lately
Memoryhouse - Bonfire
Memoryhouse - Heirloom (acoustic)
Memoryhouse - Pale Blue
Memoryhouse - Little Expressionless Animals
Memoryhouse - Walk With Me

Two Of My Favorites (YouTube):
Memoryhouse - Heirloom
Memoryhouse - When You Sleep (My Bloody Valentine Cover)

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe

Daniel Baldwin was on last year for an episode on the late, great Wes Craven. This time he returns to talk about another "master of horror" by the name of Tobe Hooper. To his credit, he's made one masterpiece worth praising a little bit more, but we mainly focus on the rest of his filmography.  We touch on everything from EGGSHELLS to TOOLBOX MURDERS, but the bulk of the discussion is on the middle of his career including EATEN ALIVE, LIFEFORCE, INVADERS FROM MARS, and more!  There's also a brief discussion about the so-called Horror Renaissance and I also tell everyone that it's a really good time to go out to the movies now that fall has arrived!

00:00 - 27:33 - Intro / General Discussion / Wes Craven
27:34 - 28:31 - Director Song
28:32 - 1:21:43 - Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Eaten Alive, Funhouse, Poltergeist
1:21:43 - 1:50:29 - Lifeforce, Invaders From Mars, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
1:50:30 - 02:11:43 - The Rest of Hooper's Filmography
02:11:44 - 02:16:48 - Top 3 / Outro

Stay tuned since this is indeed a busy month.  Not only are a couple of interview episodes being lined up and Patrick will be contributing two bonus episodes, but in two weeks, Gabe Powers will be on to talk about the 2nd horror director of the month, Stuart Gordon.  Until then, send any feedback to:  [email protected].  Thank you so much as always for listening!

Follow Daniel on Letterboxd:
http://letterboxd.com/danielwbaldwin/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe

I sneakily convinced Patrick to appear on a bonus episode by intrusively calling him up in the middle of the night -- in which we do a brief "what we watched" segment and more.  First and foremost, a couple of announcements are in order at the top including Patrick's Horror Show Spectacular for next month which we want YOU to contribute to.  Here is the link for more info:

http://bit.ly/dchorror1

Of course, I briefly tease about the future of the show including a possible podcast network, a contest to win an Amazon Gift Card, a remastered record, and much more!  But most importantly, it's a joy to hear Patrick's voice again as we mostly talk about the movies he's seen recently including THE INVASION, EDMOND, THE CRAZIES, HANGOVER SQUARE, UNFRIENDED and many other titles.  And I sing the praises of both THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and the underseen gem from the late 70s CHILLY SCENES OF WINTER.  Thank you so much Patrick for appearing on the show again and to the supportive fans for listening.

Songs Featured:
Wail - Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Patrick - The Humblebums
Nobody Cares If You Don't Go To The Party - Courtney Barnett

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe

Expressing love for music is often very difficult to put into words.  And some of the most powerful songs that have changed my life may not even have lyrics. Rachel Grimes is responsible for many of these songs, being a "key" player in one of my all-time favorite bands, The Rachel's.  They also recorded my favorite instrumental of all time, featured on one of my top ten favorite records, Music For Egon Schiele.  So you can say that yes, I am quite the fan of her work. 

Rachel's latest record, The Clearing, is a truly moving piece of work that demands to be heard and has made AV Club's list of the best records of the year so far.  Included are songs with full arrangements as well as the song that closes the record which is mainly just Rachel with her instrument of choice: the piano. Included in this episode is a brief introduction, my interview with Rachel, and some excerpts from her latest record.  This was a tremendous honor and I am eternally grateful to have spoken with one of my favorite songwriters of all time. 

Songs featured:
The Rachel's - Water From The Same Source
Rachel Grimes - The Herald
Rachel Grimes - The Clearing
Rachel Grimes - Transverse Plane Vertical
The Rachel's - Wally, Egon & Models In The Studio

Please Visit:
http://rachelgrimespiano.com
http://rachelgrimes.bandcamp.com

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe

Bill Ackerman returns to talk about the underrated Paul Schrader who most folks cite as the screenwriter of such films as TAXI DRIVER & RAGING BULL.  Maybe one day down the road, we'll do a writer's club episode on him, but for now, we're focusing on several of his overlooked films as a director starting with the brilliant BLUE COLLAR and ending with the debacle DYING OF THE LIGHT.  Throughout the conversation, a defense of Lindsay Lohan comes up as well as lots of love for DaFoe and Schrader's incredibly interesting filmography. 

00:00 - 06:08 - Introduction
06:09 - 06:48 -  Director Song
06:49 - 01:02:53 - Reviews of Blue Collar, Hardcore, American Gigolo, Cat People
01:02:54 - 01:47:11 - Reviews of Mishima, Light Sleeper, Affliction, Auto Focus
01:47:12 - 02:19:09 - Reviews of The Canyons & Dying Of The Light
02:19:10 - 02:26:28 -  Top 3 Schrader Films / Outro

The next official director-centric episode won't be until early October, in which we begin the scary movie mayhem month.  We will either kick things off with Stuart Gordon or Tobe Hooper featuring either Daniel Baldwin and/or Gabe Powers!  Thanks so much for listening! Until next time, please send me an email with questions, comments, concerns and ideas to: [email protected]

Follow Bill Ackerman on Letterboxd:
http://letterboxd.com/billackerman/

Follow me on Letterboxd:
http://letterboxd.com/instantjim/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe

Happy Labor Day weekend!  Here's a special surprise. To close out a productive day off, I put together a hodgepodge of treats for you including an interview with the head of the Department of Parks and Recreation (you'll have to listen to know why).  I also expound on my love for the 365 Day Project from way back in the day as well as present some weird audio nuggets uncovered!  To top it all off, at the end, I have a special interview with two members of the band New Pornographers - AC Newman & Kathryn Calder!  So there's lots of fun in store for fans of music and absurdism. 

00:00 - 01:25 - National Lampoon Skit
01:26 - 10:15 - Introduction
10:16 - 22:01 - Interview with Steve Partridge
22:02 - 35:07 - Audio Oddities / 365 Day Project
35:08 - 38:47 -  "I Learned From You" by Nehedar
38:48 - 50:04 - Audio Oddities / 365 Day Project
50:05 - 01:05:04 - New Pornographers Interview / Outro

See you next week for our regularly scheduled program, featuring one of my favorite guests, Bill Ackerman, as we dissect the work of writer/director Paul Schrader.  As always send your emails to: [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe

Canadian podcaster Corey Pierce joins me to deconstruct the art of comedy by not only focusing on the films of director David Wain, but by going down a list of our favorite lowbrow comedies.  We digress a bit here and there, but overall, I just wanted to do an entire episode devoted to the comedy genre and "state" my case for why WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER is my favorite comedy.  Other hot topics include metal music, Tim & Eric, the recent Netflix prequel of WET HOT, and a whole lot more. Surprisingly, I think neither of us said the phrase "Comedy is subjective" once!  It's a miracle!

00:00 - 29:10 - Introduction / Wes Craven / Metal Music
29:11 - 44:54 - Top Ten Favorite Lowbrow Comedies
44:55 - 45:25 - Director Song
45:26 - 01:17:54 - Wet Hot American Summer
01:17:55 - 01:19:13 - Brief Filmspotting Appearance
01:19:14 -  01:52:32 - The Rest Of Wain's Films
01:52:33 - 02:05:52 - Outro

Join me in two weeks when guest and friend Bill Ackerman returns to talk about the controversial Paul Schrader.  Is he a better writer?  Are his films as a director just as strong?  Will Bill convince me that THE CANYONS is actually worth a damn?  Stay subscribed and see.  Patrick also has a bonus episode coming very soon about horror anthology films!  Thanks as always for listening.  In the meantime, please do send me an email to: [email protected]

Also if you're curious about what I think of the INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS films, definitely listen to this episode and subscribe to it in general since they're awesome: http://wherethelongtailends.com/still-watching-the-skies-episode-13-invasion-of-the-body-snatchers/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe

Hard to know how to review QUEEN OF EARTH myself without rambling on and on (what a shock) but at least I got to spend 15 minutes with the filmmaker to get a better sense of what he was going for.  Suffice to say, I am fairly certain I loved the movie despite wrestling with it overall.  Director Alex Ross Perry, whom we just did an entire episode on not too long ago, was kind enough to spend 15 minutes with me over the phone to talk about his latest film and his process. Couldn't be more excited to share another interview with you all for this short but sweet bonus episode!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe

The great Kurt Halfyard and Andrew James of the RowThree Cinecast return for another wonderful and lengthy sequel episode on one of our favorite filmmakers / Renaissance man Steven Soderbergh.  This time we try to focus on the latter part of his career starting with THE LIMEY and going forwards from there.  There were some technical difficulties on my end due to some nasty weather and I had a bad headache, but I couldn't be happier with this episode thanks to my smart, articulate, and well-mannered guests. 

00:00 - 12:00 - Introduction
12:01 - 12:42 - Director Song
12:43 - 01:37:30 - The Limey, Solaris, Ocean's 12, Bubble
01:37:31 - 01:38:26 - Contagion Score Snippet
01:38:27 -  03:03:20 - The Good German, The Informant, Contagion, Haywire
03:03:21 - 03:14:47 - Top 5 Soderbergh Films / Outro

Join me once again in a couple weeks for one of my favorite podcasters out there making his DC debut. Corey Pierce will be on to talk all-things David Wain and comedy!  There will be surprises in store and possibly a guest appearence by a can of talking vegetables.  As always thanks for listening!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe