The Kulturecast

We continue Musical Month Deux with a look at one of the most critically and commercially reviled films of the last decade that also happens to be based off the first megamusical: Cats (2019). Scary Stories We Tell's Emma Mantell kicks off the New Year right by joining the first recorded episode of 2024 to talk about various celebrity-cat hybrids, the lack of buttholes, and why Tom Hooper may never work again.

Directed by Gillian Armstrong, the film follows Jo Kennedy as a young waitress in Sydney, Australia who has dreams of becoming a rockstar. Along with her cousin Angus, she attempts by any means necessary to make a name for herself in the Aussie music scene of the '80s. It's a cult classic that deserves a proper reappraisal by a wider audience.

For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at weirdingwaymedia.com.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

We kick off the New Year with a look at a true Australian musical classic that deserves alot more love than most musicals from the early '80s: Starstruck (1982). Noise Junkie's Heather Drain and Kulturecast newbie author Rachel McPadden program the episode and kick off the month with talk about Jo Kennedy, Aussie filmmaking, and the fan theory ending.

Directed by Gillian Armstrong, the film follows Jo Kennedy as a young waitress in Sydney, Australia who has dreams of becoming a rockstar. Along with her cousin Angus, she attempts by any means necessary to make a name for herself in the Aussie music scene of the '80s. It's a cult classic that deserves a proper reappraisal by a wider audience.

For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at weirdingwaymedia.com.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

With our quick jaunt into food films over, we end the year with a month programmed by the one and only Heather Drain, starting with an Argentinian horror film that could also be a noir film: Feast of Flesh. Noise Junkie's Heather Drain kicks off the month and joins the episode to talk about the film's masked man, the lighting, and more.

Directed by Emilio Vieyra, the film follows the exploits of a small Argentinian town that must contend with a masked killer who is drugging women and turning them into sex slaves. It's the classic murder mystery setup with some unique twists and turns that make it a cult classic worth tracking down.

For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at weirdingwaymedia.com.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

With Horrortober 9 in the rearview, we take a quick jaunt into food films with an amended month of two classic food films, closing with The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. Noise Junkie's Heather Drain and Dark Destinations' Father Malone join the episode to talk about the production design, Peter Greenaway, and that finale.

Directed by Peter Greenaway, it tells the story of the ruthless Albert Spica, played by Michael Gambon, a crime boss who takes over a fine-dining restaurant only to have his wife, played by Helen Mirren, fall in lovely with a regular customer behind his back. What follows must be witnessed to be believed; from the performances to the set design, it's a truly one of a kind film experience.

For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at weirdingwaymedia.com.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

With Horrortober 9 in the rearview, we take a quick jaunt into food films with an amended month of two classic food films, starting with Babette's Feast. Rankin on Bass's Richard Hatem joins the episode to talk about food, religion, and the end of the writer's strike.

Based on the short story by Karen Blixen, the film tells the story of two sisters, Martine and Filipa, who, after devoting their lives to their father, take in a French Revolution refugee who becomes their live-in chef. This chef becomes part of their lives and, after winning the state lottery, decides to pay it forward with the titular feast. Religion, food, and where the two meet; it's a truly mesmerizing film and a worthy adaptation of the classic story.

For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at weirdingwaymedia.com.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

With Horrortober 9 in the rearview, take a break from everything to check out a film that's been in Chris' blind spot: L.A. Confidential. The World is Wrong's Andras Jones stops by for his first time along with programming the episode all about classic LA, gangsters, and noir filmmaking.

Starring Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, and Guy Pearce, the film follows the three LAPD detectives as they must uncover corruption and lawlessness that plagues 1950's Los Angeles. It's an adaptation of James Ellroy's novel of the same name that cements itself as one of the finest entries into the noir genre along with featuring some truly magnetic performances.

For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at weirdingwaymedia.com.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

With Horrortober 9 in the rearview, we make one last stop in Horrotown for a film almost a decade in the making: Five Night's at Freddy's. Scary Stories We Tell's Emma Mantell and Dustin Rutledge join the episode to talk FNAF lore, the movie's RT score, and where the series goes from here.

Josh Hutcherson stars as Mike, a man plagued by memories of his brother who was kidnapped, who gets a job at the titular pizzeria so he can attempt to keep custody of his sister. Along the way, he finds out that the night security job may be much more than he bargained for when it turns out the animatronics may be possessed by the ghosts of other missing children. It's a wild ride that is as much fan service as it is an interesting entry into the horror mega-franchise.

For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at weirdingwaymedia.com.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

We end Horrortober 9, this year a mixed bag of new and old horror, with a film from 2022 that made tons of waves in the horror world: Barbarian. Scary Stories We Tell's Emma Mantell joins for the first time to talk about a rough movie with even rougher subject material, trigger warning advised for assault.

Georgina Campbell plays Tess, a woman renting out an Airbnb for the week only to find that it's already occupied by a man, played by Bill Skarsgard. That's the setup and should you want to check the movie out, do yourself a favor and go in as cold as possible. It's a wild, at times nonsensical ride that attempts to subvert your expectations damn near endlessly.

For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at weirdingwaymedia.com.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

We end Horrortober 9, this year a mixed bag of new and old horror, with another film that mashes up two things great on their own into a wild melange of splatter comedy: Hard Rock Zombies. Mondo Heather's Heather Drain programs the episode along with stopping by to talk all about zombies, zombies that rock, and zombie Hitler.

Starring E.J. Curse as Jessie, the film follows a group of hard rockers who wander into the wrong cannibal family's lodgings and are murdered only to be resurrected by a guitar riff with magical powers. Oh, and the family that murdered them? Nazis organized by the Fuhrer himself.

For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at weirdingwaymedia.com.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast

We end Horrortober 9, this year a mixed bag of new and old horror, with a film that's not too scary but definitely alot of nostalgic fun: Ernest Scared Stupid. Scary Stories We Tell's Maggie the Odd programs the episode as well as stops by to wax poetically about a man named Worrell.

Starring Jim Varney as the titular Ernest, he must content with a troll that was once imprisoned by his ancestors only to be loosed upon an unsuspecting town once again by Ernest himself. Eartha Kitt is also here playing an early version of her character from a certain Disney movie...

For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at weirdingwaymedia.com.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

———

The Kulturecast is a film and culture podcast from Weirding Way Media, hosted by Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, alongside a rotating table of guest co-hosts. Each week digs into where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other. Now home to sub-feeds including Required Viewing: A 360° Film Study with Dr. David D. Perlmutter.

New episodes weekly.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kulturecast/id931361376
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5wjxip9XVYapYuY12yEaGY.
Back the show: https://www.patreon.com/cw/kulturecast