Not Now in Theaters: A Retro and Cult Film Podcast

I covered House a few weeks ago and had so much fun I was back in for the sequel.

But does House II live up to the fun of the original?

Well, I'll be annoying and say, "listen to my episode to find out." I'm sorry to do that. It's kind of annoying when people write that. But here I am, writing that.

But I will give you this: the new one is a lot lighter than the first movie. And that's funny to think because the first one isn't even serious at all.

Critics and audiences have generally pooped on this film as a good movie, but I think they need to get their shovels out and clean that crap up because it's not that bad.

Okay. So I gave away a little bit of how I feel on this anyhow.

Join me in this conversation as I go into a new house and a new quest. This time, it's about a great-great-grandfather and his great-great-grandson and, uh, entrepreneur friend protecting the Crystal Skull from the evil that wants to grasp it and presumably do evil with it because of course.

We'll be talking about cute Caterpillar Puppies and Baby Pterodactyls, electrician/adventurers who pop up out of nowhere to steal the movie, and the film's curiously laid-back attitude toward Uzi ownership and drunk driving.

Written and Directed by Ethan Wiley.

Starring: 

• Arye Gross
• Jonathan Stark
• Royal Dano
• Lar Park Lincoln
• John Ratzenberger

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And to read more of Will's writing or check out more podcast episodes, you can visit him at: willturntale.com

A Chinese Ghost Story is said to be a beloved Hong Kong film, one that's lasted generations, especially for those born in the 1980s.

And as a romantic adventure fantasy comedy film, it's easy to see a parallel between it and the West's The Princess Bride.

But the actual films are not that similar. A Chinese Ghost Story leans into the horror and martial arts genres, creating a romantic folk-lore-based adventure that occasionally gets slightly scary but is always darkly magic.

Join me for this discussion of billowy white dresses of cute ghost girls, stop motion without the herky-jerky, and whether there's one whoosh too many in a very whooshy film.

When a somewhat accident prone young tax collector named Ling Choi San falls in love with a beautiful, captivating woman, Lip Siu Sin, he's delighted. But when he learns his new young love is a ghost, he's pulled into a battle to rescue her from captivity.

With the help of priest/swordsman Yan Chixia, can Ling Choi San rescue Lip Siu Sin from her fate?

Directed by Ching Siu-tung
Produced by Tsui Hark
Starring:
Leslie Cheung, Joey Wong, Wu Ma

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And to read more of Will's writing or check out more podcast episodes, you can visit him at: willturntale.com

I don't normally dip back into 1950s movies on Not Now in Theaters, but for the so-called "Beauty and the Beast of westerns," I was intrigued.

Johnny Guitar looks like a classic western, but it's unlike the ones you would think of.

A cult movie in its time, the film has a big fan in Martin Scorsese and was an influence on the filmmakers of the French New Wave.

The picture breaks the mold of the 1950s western by pitting two warring women against each other in a battle to the death over a perceived slight, jealousy, and just pure hatred.

But director Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause) truly sets this work apart with an overdramatic tone. Every line and all the performances are full of bravado, and as Scorsese says, there really isn't another movie quite like it.

Join me for this discussion of babbling man babies, McCarthyism as a metaphor, and whether or not the film can hold up with the limits of the old action ways.

Directed by Nicholas Ray.

Starring:
Joan Crawford
Sterling Hayden
Mercedes McCambridge
Scott Brady

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And to read more of Will's writing or check out more podcast episodes, you can visit him at: willturntale.com

Ride in the Whirlwind is a Criterion Classic film directed by Monte Hellman and written by Jack Nicholson.

Filmed side-by-side with fellow low-budget Criterion Classic western The Shooting, the movie had a strong reception in France but was practically shelved and then relegated to TV in the United States.

But critical and audience appreciation grew over time because Whirlwind just isn't the average western.

Right at the height of the western genre's popularity, this anti-western, acid western, whatever label of western you want to give it, we can all agree doesn't play by the genre's normal conventions. This is more like a survival story, told plain and slow, than the gunslinging, win the day type of fare audiences would have been used to.

But while I loved The Shooting, covered in a previous episode, how did I feel about the less mysterious Whirlwind? You'll have to listen to find out. 

But I"ll tell you now I talk about things like the film's intentionally slow pacing, its solid performances, and the beauty yet sadness of Millie Perkins's dark eyes.

A group of cowboys takes shelter for the night with a gang of outlaws. But when a vigilante posse shows up to haul the outlaws to justice, the cowboys get caught in the crossfire, mistaken as outlaws themselves. Will the cowboys escape the posse?

Directed by Monte Hellman. Written by Jack Nicholson.

Starring:
Jack Nicholson
Millie Perkins
Cameron Mitchell
Rupert Crosse

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And to read more of Will's writing or check out more podcast episodes, you can visit him at: willturntale.com

A Better Tomorrow II is best-known for its epic, stylish, bonkers end shootout. Ranked by many as one of the best ever shot, it lives up to the hype as among the very best, very bloodiest, very chic Hong Kong action heyday endings ever crafted.

But the rest of the film is a chaotic mess.

A movie literally fought over by its director (John Woo) and producer (Tsui Hark), it's a mixed vision that feels bipolar.

The film is the story of an epic undercover cop operation with some of John Woo's trademark "gun-fu" action one minute, a drama about a raving lunatic the next.

But with its hyperbolic moments, like the infamous "apologize to the rice" scene, is this movie still a lot of fun?

Join me for this discussion of even more of John Woo's "Heroic Bloodshed," the identical twin main character rescue, and the scenes Max Payne is probably exactly based on.

Directed by John Woo.

Starring:

• Dean Shek
• Ti Lung
• Leslie Cheung
• Chow Yun-fat

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And to read more of Will's writing or check out more podcast episodes, you can visit him at: willturntale.com

John Boorman's Excalibur is still many film fans' go-to story of King Arthur. And it's a movie I love to stare at because it is simply gorgeous.

A dark fantasy epic, its visual brilliance and story of light, might, and right continue to captivate filmmakers and audiences.

Merlin is here and he's tricky; Morgana is here and she's witchy. Noble Arthur loves Guinevere, but she's twitchy (because of Lanceleot).

It's as uplifting as it is haunting. And loaded with practical effects, like handcrafted suits of armor, the film feels as everlasting as the subject matter.

Join me for this discussion of green and gold glowing, armor so bright it's like staring at the sun, and the need to check in on your heroes when your film takes a big detour.

Directed by John Boorman. Screenplay by Rosso Wallenberg and John Boorman. Cinematography by Alex Thomson.

Starring:

• Nigel Terry
• Helen Mirren
• Nicholas Clay
• Cherie Lunghi
• Paul Geoffrey
• Nicol Williamson

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And to read more of Will's writing or check out more podcast episodes, you can visit him at: willturntale.com

Nemesis is a low-budget 1990s cyberpunk action film that, if you missed in its day, you got to check out now.

With effects wizards from Terminator 2 and cult movie vets behind the camera, director Albert Pyun (Cyborg), cast, and crew stretched a limited budget into an action science-fiction film that's still finding fans today.

In this episode, I dive into the cult movie-making that gives Nemesis a stand-out place in the straight-to-video era of the 1990s.

If you like Sega Genesis games, books by William Gibson, or action films that are retro and awesome, this movie may be for you.

I unpack its fun camera angles, firefights and kickass practical effects, but question its wig choices.

Directed by Albert Pyun. Written by Albert Pyun (credited as Rebecca Charles).

Starring:

• Olivier Gruner
• Tim Thomerson
• Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
• Merle Kennedy
• Yuji Okumoto
• Marjorie Monaghan
• Brion James
• Deborah Shelton

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And to read more of Will's writing or check out more podcast episodes, you can visit him at: willturntale.com

American Yakuza is a straight-to-video film that may catch your eye because it stars the legendary Viggo Mortensen.

In this episode, I explain that, even though I didn't like this film, it may be a good watch for aspiring writers and creatives. As an imitation of a heroic bloodshed film, there are writing lessons to learn here.

When forklift driver and ex-con Nick Davis rescues Yakuza gangster Shuji Sawamoto from a mob hit, it marks the beginning of an unlikely friendship. As Nick grows close to Shuji and develops a new love interest, Yuko, he gains acceptance into the Japanese mafia.

But when gangster Dino Campanela launches an attack to wipe out the Yakuza, Nick may be called to the rescue again.

Directed by Frank Cappello. 

Starring:

• Viggo Mortensen
• Ryo Ishibashi
• Michael Nouri
• Franklyn Ajaye
• Yuji Okumoto
• Anzu Lawson
• Robert Forster

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And to read more of Will's writing or check out more podcast episodes, you can visit him at: willturntale.com

Is John Dies at the End a modern cult film?

Director Don Coscarelli pulled magic from modest budgets with Phantasm and Bubba Ho-Tep. And in adapting David Wong's cosmic horror comedy novel John Dies at the End, well, he pulls up a lot of goo here.

And whether you love all the stuff, the many many bags of stuff, that are in this movie or not is the real question here.

While the film has mixed reviews, critics and audiences agree this comedy/horror is anything but boring.

So being a big Don Coscarelli fan, this was my dive into his last film to date.

Join me for a discussion of the film's bags of creativity, a cast that mixes newcomers and cult favorite vets, and whether or not a movie with this many ingredients holds together.

When college dropouts David and John try a drug called soy sauce, they receive supernatural powers and get pulled into a multi-dimensional battle to stop an invasion.

Written and Directed by Don Coscarelli. Based on John Dies at the End by David Wong.

Starring: 
Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman, Doug Jones, and Daniel Roebuck

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And to read more of Will's writing or check out more podcast episodes, you can visit him at: willturntale.com

Prospect is a bit of a space western and a definite science-fiction thriller.

The film started as a crowdfunded short and, when it attracted attention, got expanded into a full-blown release.

Prepare to have your mind blown by the fact that this film has a $4 million dollar budget yet memorably pulls off what many call "lo-fi sci-fi" or "lived-in sci-fi."

And with strong performances from leads Sophie Thatcher and Pedro Pascal (yes, he is in this), this is a movie that many audiences have found but still not enough have gotten to know.

Join me for a discussion of spaceships like latte cups, Pedro Pascal's slippery character Ezra, and the merits of not explaining your space tech.

Written and Directed by Zeek Earl and Chris Caldwell. 

Starring:

• Pedro Pascal
• Sophie Thatcher
• Jay Duplass

Connect with us on Bluesky:
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And to read more of Will's writing or check out more podcast episodes, you can visit him at: willturntale.com