Optimism Vaccine

The moment you start dipping your toes into the murky waters of Italian horror cinema, everyone will tell you the same thing: "Dario Argento is great! Just don't watch anything after Opera!"

But what if those dweebs were wrong? What if Argento was still making good films well into the 00s?

Or maybe they're actually all shit. There's only one way to find out.

THIS WEEK: Sleepless (2001), The Card Player (2004), Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005)

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Mario Bava, Sergio Martino, and Lucio Fulci built their legacies by creating some of the most beloved giallo and horror films of all time. But, like most of their Italian contemporaries, they were willing to take on just about any genre if a studio was willing to offer up a meager budget. So what happens when they make Spaghetti Westerns?

THIS WEEK: Roy Colt & Winchester Jack (1970), Mannaja: A Man Called Blade (1977), Four of the Apocalypse (1975).

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It's been nearly 25 years since the original Cowboy Bebop first helped you convince your friends that anime wasn't just horny cartoons about tentacles and robots. So what do you do with a cool cultural artifact that has stood the test of time? Why grind it up into weeb sausage and barf it back up as a live action Netflix series, of course! Thank god Christopher L. Yost is finally giving the Jon Cho fanatics the show they've been clamoring for.

THIS WEEK: Cowboy Bebop: Season 1 (2021)

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Listen to Woolong Club, an episode by episode look at the original Cowboy Bebop:

https://player.captivate.fm/collection/6e4352c8-9d44-488f-8b26-eea6f0657295

Shawn and Jack are off living their lives, leaving us scrambling to give our listeners something to be thankful for this week. Steve supplied the turkey: Unidentified with Demi Lovato, a vapid reality show in which products of the Mickey Mouse Club seek to commune with extra-terrestrial life. Whether your brain has been poisoned by Disney or colloidal silver, you're sure to enjoy our tumble into the world of stargates, giants, ancient sea bases, and fraud. Mostly fraud.

A quick disclaimer: Demi Lovato identifies as non-binary, and we made every effort to respect that. There are a couple of incorrect pronouns that weren't fixable in the edit. I hope the listeners understand that they were used without any sort of malicious intent. This was an off-the-cuff conversation about a show filmed during a time when Demi Lovato identified as female, and they are referred to using those pronouns throughout the duration of Unidentified. Apologies to anyone who may take issue to the content.

THIS WEEK: Unidentified with Demi Lovato (2021)

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After three long years, your favorite Cowboy Bebop podcast/OV spinoff series, Woolong Club, is BACK!

On this episode: Spike and Jet's partnership is on the rocks, as a melancholy Faye makes a mysterious friend on the Callisto, and the sinister Vicious makes his long awaited return!

Listen to the rest of Woolong Club:

https://player.captivate.fm/collection/6e4352c8-9d44-488f-8b26-eea6f0657295

Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

From small town Texas stripper to geriatric billionaire's wife, reality TV pioneer and denim spokeswoman, Anna Nicole Smith exemplified the American Dream in the 90s. She may have never broken into Hollywood completely during her short life, but ANS did leave us with a handful of DTV action films where she starred alongside notable thespians like Joanie "Chyna" Laurer and Joey "Not John" Travolta. Join us as we immerse ourselves in the rich cinematic legacy of Anna Nicole Smith.

THIS WEEK: To the Limit (1995), Skyscraper (1996), and Illegal Aliens (2007)

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A few years, multiple delays, and several explosions in the company of exotic women later, Jake and Jack have finally reached the finish line. It's time for the final Daniel Craig bond film and the final For Your Ears Only (for now), No Time to Die.

Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

Eric Marsh of The Gauntlet Podcast joins us as we wrap up our annual October dalliance with the macabre. This week we're taking a stroll through that old, crowded, grungy cesspool New York City, where the pizza lacks structural integrity and the blood of topless sunbathers rains down from the sky. Fuck Rudy Giuliani. This is Larry Cohen's town.

THIS WEEK: It's Alive (1974), God Told Me To (1976), and Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)

Rate and Review Optimism Vaccine on iTunes: https://bit.ly/OptimismVaccine

Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

We've dug through the ditches and burned through the witches and slammed Shawn Glinis into the wild world of Rob Zombie horror films. We're joined by author, critic, and Rob Zombie superfan, Mike Thorn, to discuss Zombie's unique oeuvre and impact on the cinematic landscape.

THIS WEEK: House of 1000 Corpses (2003), The Devil's Rejects (2005), and The Lords of Salem (2012)

Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

Buy Mike Thorn's Peel Back and See: https://journalstone.com/bookstore/peel-back-and-see/

The Shawn Glinis 2021 Halloween Spooktacular marches on with four adaptations (maybe interpretations? films inspired by? Vague recollections of something someone read once?) of Edgar Allan Poe's classic short story, The Black Cat. Prepare to be thrilled by horror titans like Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff! Chilled by maniacal Italian cat puppets and Jeffrey Combs' southern accent! And deeply confused by an unofficial Suspiria sequel about a vomiting witch!

THIS WEEK: The Black Cat (Ulmer, 1934), The Black Cat (Fulci, 1981), The Black Cat (Cozzi, 1989), The Black Cat (Gordon, 2007)

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