Optimism Vaccine

THIS WEEK: Salon Kitty AKA Madam Kitty (1976), All Ladies Do It (1992), Cheeky (2000)

We're crankin' our nut knob higher this week and checking out the films of brilliant butt enthusiast and Italian ass-teur, Tinto Brass. Producers may have hacked apart his cut of Caligula, but they can never take away the weird bread scene in Salon Kitty.

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THIS WEEK: Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965), Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), and Supervixens (1975)

We finally got to fulfill our lifelong dream of covering our favorite army combat cameraman turned campy sexploitation and softcore peddler, Russ Meyer. How many filmmakers can say they had a career making the finest big-boobed, square-jawed, action packed movies in the world AND got to collaborate with Roger "Erogenous" Ebert? There's only one, baby.

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THIS WEEK: Emanuelle in America (1977), Star Of David: Beautiful Girl Hunter (1979), Bitter Moon (1992)

VOTE ON THE NAME FOR THIS MONTH'S THEME

ANOTHER PATRON REQUEST EPISODE!

Theres no better way to kick off November than with a trio of movies that would get a more respectable podcast shamed and criticized into oblivion. Lucky for us, most people don't care about which films we cover and those who do hold us to the lowest of standards.

We'll be tackling all the hard hitting questions this week like: Why is the greatest amount of effort Joe D'Amato has ever put into a film a few grainy snippets of people being convincingly tortured? Was David Cronenberg kind of into that shit? Is Star of David mostly anti-semitic or the most anti-semitic? How much does it rule when Peter Coyote nostalgically yearns for Roman Polanski's wife to pee on him?

All of these answered AND MORE!

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THIS WEEK: Hellraiser (1987), Nightbreed (1990), Lord of Illusions (1995)

Clive Barker is a British author, filmmaker, and visual artist known for his contributions to the horror and dark fantasy genres. While his primary claim to fame is as a novelist and short story writer, he also had a brief but impactful career as a film director.

Clive Barker made his directorial debut with "Hellraiser," a horror film based on his own novella "The Hellbound Heart." The movie introduced audiences to the iconic character Pinhead and explored themes of pleasure and pain through a puzzle box that opens a gateway to a sadomasochistic underworld. "Hellraiser" received critical acclaim for its originality and graphic special effects, making it a cult classic in the horror genre.

Barker's second directorial effort was "Nightbreed," a dark fantasy film based on his own novel "Cabal." The story revolved around a man who discovers a hidden world of monsters living beneath a cemetery. While the film had a troubled production and was heavily edited by the studio, it has gained a dedicated fanbase over the years, leading to a "Director's Cut" release that better aligns with Barker's vision.

Barker's third and, to date, final directorial work was "Lord of Illusions," a supernatural horror film. The story followed a private investigator who becomes entangled with a charismatic illusionist with dark, supernatural abilities. The film explored themes of magic and mysticism and was based on Barker's short story "The Last Illusion." While it didn't achieve the same level of success as his previous films, it still has a following among genre enthusiasts.

After "Lord of Illusions," Clive Barker shifted his focus primarily to his writing and other creative endeavors, such as painting and producing films. His work in the horror and fantasy genres continues to influence the industry, and his creations, particularly Pinhead from "Hellraiser," have left a lasting impact on pop culture. While his film directing career was relatively brief, his contributions to the horror genre remain notable and enduring

Thanks for the summary, ChatGPT. Let's see if it dupes more people into listening to this.

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THIS WEEK: Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (1988), Nightmare Sisters (1988), Leeches! (2003)

Shawn Glinis has never seen a single David DeCoteau movie about shirtless hunks taking showers. We're doing our best to help him live a less shameful and embarrassing life.

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Steve's Chili Recipe

1 1/2-ish lbs ground beef (nothing too lean you weirdo. 80/20 or better. Usually I just grab a prepackaged 80/20 that’s a little over 1 lb)

1/2 lb-ish thick-cut bacon, chopped (about 6 strips but fuck it man go wild if you want)

1 can (15 oz) of each: light red kidney, black, pinto, beans drained. 

1 can (15 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes with juice

1 small can (6 oz) tomato paste

2 big ass shallots, chopped (you can use 1 regular onion, sweet or red, instead if you’re lame—just don’t use white onion)

1 red bell pepper, chopped (orange is fine too I guess. Just don’t use green)

1 big jalapeño, chopped. (Use a serrano if you need more heat and want people to think you’re interesting)

2 and 1/2 cups beef stock (maybe 3. Keep an eye on your liquid levels and add more if you need it for your desired consistency)

1 T dried oregano

2 T chili powder

2 t cumin

2 t cinnamon 

2 t kosher salt

1 t ground black pepper

1 t smoked paprika

1 t crushed red pepper

2 T Worcestershire sauce (only use Lea & Perrins unless you don’t respect yourself)

1 T minced garlic (you can do more if you want. it’s garlic. Go crazy. No one will question you.)

1 big squirt Siracusa (this is for a little extra flavor, not heat)

brown ground beef. Drain. Dump into chili receptacle. Brown bacon in same pan. Give the chopped veg a quick sauté in the fatty bacon pan. Scrape everything (yes, all those good brown bits too) into your main Chili cooking receptacle. Add everything else and give it a good stir to combine.

How to cook it all:

Stock pot - low heat for a long ass time, cover, stir occasionally

Slow cooker - low for 6 hrs

Instant pot/Pressure cooker - chili setting, 15-20 mins. 19 seems to work well. Vent after and you’re good.

Serve with sour cream, chopped scallions, cilantro, shredded cheddar and cornbread on the side

THIS WEEK: Blood Bath (1966), The Velvet Vampire (1971)

Shawntober continues with Roger Corman protégé and criminally underrated New Hollywood auteur, Stephanie Rothman.

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THIS WEEK: Truth or Dare?: A Critical Madness (1986), Killing Spree (1987), and Creep (1995)

Shawn Glinis is back for another OpBOOism VacSCREAM October. We're kicking things off this year with a look at regional horror filmmaker and reigning king of Florida gore, Tim Ritter. Join as as we look at his early slasher films, discuss the incomparable Asbestos Felt, and try to keep Miros from howling like a cartoon wolf every time Kathy Willets is on screen.

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THIS WEEK: Dark of the Sun (1968), The Wilby Conspiracy (1975), Raid on Entebbe (1977)

Optimism Vaccine sets sail for the mother continent to talk sweat soaked colonizers, blood diamonds, Sidney Poitier and if Yaphet Kotto is a better Idi Amin than Idi Amin.

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THIS WEEK: Undeclared War (1990), Burning Paradise (1994), Full ALert (1997)

When people speak glowingly of the Hong Kong New Wave or the great Hong Kong action directors, Ringo Lam is usually the first auteur left on the cutting room floor. Yeah, you've seen City on Fire and know it's great, but some of Lam's greatest films were also his biggest critical and commercial failures.

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THIS WEEK: Bad Cat (2016), First Person Shooter (2022), Cinnamon (2023)

Brought to you by our patron poll, it's original films from the best damn streaming platform in the world. Will Tubi offer us the slick style of a Netflix production? Of course not. You will get a Turkish CGI Garfield that smokes and swears though so count your blessings.

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