Tv/Movie Rewind

Today Matt & Todd observe the wasteland of 1968 alongside Vincent Price in: 1968's The Last Man on Earth.

The Last Man on Earth stars:

Vincent Price as Dr. Robert Morgan

Franca Bettoia as Ruth Collins

Emma Danieli as Virginia Morgan

Giacomo Rossi-Stuart as Ben Cortman

Whit Bissell Award Winner: Umberto Raho as Dr. Mercer

Christi Courtland as Kathy Morgan

The director credits go to Sidney Salkow and Ubaldo Ragona.

Based on the novel I am Legend by Richard Matheson, also co-screenwriter with William F. Leicester.

Set in 1968 we find Dr. Robert Morgan going about his daily routine as a vampire hunter. The vengeful undead have taken over the world as far as Dr. Morgan knows, and he's taking out as many as he can before his own life or sanity give in.

It is an imperfect little gem that overcomes any detractions for us with a compelling story, haunting atmosphere, and a good cast with a classic performance by a legend.

This one is a lot of fun and a fun entry point into classic independent horror.

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Today, Matt & Todd explore the world of organized crime through 1973’s The Friends of Eddie Coyle, directed by Peter Yates and based on the novel by George V. Higgins.Starring:

• Robert Mitchum

• Richard Jordan

• Steven Keats

• Peter Boyle

The Friends of Eddie Coyle is a standout in crime cinema: character-driven, understated, and calmly realistic in its portrayal of Boston’s underworld in the early ’70s. No car chases. No slow motion. No glitz. No orchestral swells or streets of blood. This is just a gritty, day-in-the-life look at hardened veteran criminals who are too far in, with few ways out.

The film opens with Eddie (Mitchum) staring down a 3–5 year sentence in New Hampshire for hijacking a whiskey truck. Desperate to avoid prison, he starts looking for help with the law, crossing paths with some of the most dangerous people in town.

What follows is a gripping tale of crime and consequence.This one’s a masterpiece, plain and simple—and Matt’s favorite crime movie of all time.

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Today, Matt and Todd get into the 1958 sci-fi horror classic: The Blob. Directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth and starring:

• Steve McQueen as Steve Andrews
• Aneta Corsaut as Jane Martin
• Earl Rowe as Lt. Dave Barton

Whit Bissell Award winners Stephan Chase as Dr. Halen and Olin Howlin as Barney

Special mention to “Steve’s” friends, the Teenagers:

• Robert Fields as Tony
• James Bonett as “Mooch”
• Anthony Franke as Al

The Blob is a sci-fi horror masterpiece from the heyday of the genre. When I (Todd) first saw it, I expected to riff on 1950s quaintness and clunky special effects. What we got instead was a fantastically charming movie—where the best parts might not even involve the titular, indescribable alien mass of destruction.

Steve McQueen is a treat to watch as a nearly 30-year-old “teenager,” joined by his similarly aged pals as they battle adult cynicism and a gelatinous lifeform that dissolves everything in its path.

The Blob could be accused of being far better than it had any right to be. Charming performances and real impending dread combine into an 86-minute joyride—a true gem of 1950s sci-fi with unexpectedly strong acting and a surprisingly grounded emotional core.

Steve McQueen, a legend taken from us too soon, shines here in one of his earliest and still most memorable roles—as a vulnerable, scared, but determined teen hero.

Oh, and we also get an all-time banger of a theme song from songwriting super-legend Burt Bacharach and Mack David.

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Three O’Clock High is a 1987 teen comedy directed by Phil Joanou, starring:

• Casey Siemaszko as Jerry

• Anne Ryan as Franny

• Richard Tyson as Buddy Revell

• Whit Bissell Award winners Stacey Glick as Brei (Jerry’s sister), and co-winners Scott Tiler & Guy Massey as Bruce and Scott, amateur documentary filmmakers.

Written by Richard Christian Matheson and Thomas Szollosi.

Released in 1987, a critical moment for teen comedies. Just two years prior, we got Weird Science (twice!), Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. This one didn’t quite land the same way. It underperformed at the box office and didn’t win over critics for the most part.

So… what happened?We don’t really know. But we're talking about why we liked it!

Today, we’re talking about this overlooked gem of the genre. Loosely riffing on the 1952 western High Noon, Three O’Clock High gives us a surreal, anxiety-laced day in the life of Jerry Mitchell. He’s just a regular student who accidentally crosses paths with Buddy Revell—a hulking new kid with a violent reputation. The showdown is set: 3 o’clock, after school, in the parking lot. No escape.

Unlike its teen comedy peers, this one leans darker. It’s not Bad Boys, but there’s definitely more blood and missing teeth than the movies above.

Instead of cliques and awkward prom moments, we get likable characters squaring off against a clear villain. It’s a refreshing twist—less detention hall, more clumsy sheriff-vs-bandit showdown.

Also we get a killer soundtrack by Tangerine Dream!

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Pitch Black is 2000 a sci-fi/action horror film directed by David Twohy.Starring:

• Vin Diesel as Richard B. Riddick

• Radha Mitchell as Frye

• Whit Bissell Award winner Cole Hauser as Johns

• Keith David as Abu "Imam" al-Walid

• Rhiana Griffith as Jack

• Whit Bissell Award winner Lewis Fitz-Gerald as Paris

Pitch Black was an instant classic for us when it dropped back in 2000. The film that launched Vin Diesel’s career features a fantastic cast, striking imagery, and a vibe that’s equal parts eerie and cool.

It performed well as it more than doubling its modest budget and spawned two (soon to be three) sequels, animated shorts, and a surprisingly excellent video game.

Critically, the reception was mixed. The cries of “derivative!” aren’t entirely off-base and are pretty easy things to say regarding genre films. That's not what we're about though. We're about consuming sci-fi coolness. And Pitch Black absolutely delivers every course.

Yes, it leans into familiar tropes and trappings, but if we're being honest, that’s kind of what we came for.And we’d argue that passing it as just derivative misses the point. For fans who want this kind of story, Pitch Black offers something special: great performances, a very human core, and inspired creature effects and camera work that reward you if you’re paying attention. We love it.

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Today, Matt & Todd are joined by guest Gabe Crate to explore the original Planet of the Apes saga one last time (sorta, the movies, anyway).

Released in 1973, Battle for the Planet of the Apes is the fifth and final film in the series, directed by J. Lee Thompson (who also helmed Conquest) and starring:

• Roddy McDowall as Caesar

• Claude Akins as Aldo

• Natalie Trundy as Lisa

• Austin Stoker as (Bruce) MacDonald

• Whit Bissell Award winners Paul Williams (as Virgil) and Lew Ayres (as Mandemus)

Arguably the weakest entry in the franchise, with the least new ground to cover—but also, maybe, the most approachable. On one hand, it feels like an extended TV episode designed to tie up loose ends for the franchise faithful. On the other, it’s a well-directed, well-acted film with solid set pieces and the most hopeful ending of the series.

Sure, the ideas and budget may have been running low, but the performances pull you in and keep you there—right up to the confusing finale. Maybe it deserved better. But this is what we got, and honestly? It’s an awful lot of fun.

The fifth and final end to the story. Once and for all. No bombs. No bullets. Good night, nurse.

That is… except for the TV series. And the animated series.So maybe don’t lose your tack and saddle just yet.

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Our name is The TV/Movie Rewind Podcast. As a grim evening falls once again in the thick woods of historic olde New England, two men—Matt & Todd—are joined by a new arrival in town: Katherine, for part two of their discussion on the gothic horror classic Dark Shadows (1966–1971).

That’s right—we came back. There’s just too much to say.

This time, we dig into some of our favorite characters, motivations, scenes, flubs, and how the show continues to serve as a source of creative inspiration. We’re joined in our dive today by long-time Dark Shadows fan Katherine Gonzales.

Among other talents, Katherine is a content creator who shares her love for DS and Dark Shadows-inspired music on YouTube, along with her own experiences with the paranormal. She’s a veteran of many DS conventions, with an encyclopedic knowledge of the show and a genuine enthusiasm that made exploring Collinwood one more time with her an absolute joy.

You can find Katherine's DS-inspired creations on:

YouTube: like DS deep dives Here, and today's outtro:

This week we have an extra treat at the end featuring Discount Artificial Sweetener's song: 'Styrofoam Tombstones', fans should really like this one, Matt & I think its great.

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.

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Today on the TV/Movie Rewind Podcast, Matt & Todd get reanimated and rearmed with Universal Soldier—Roland Emmerich’s 1992 sci-fi action flick that boldly blends high-octane combat with Frankenstein, war crimes, and plenty of roundhouse kicks.

Starring:

• Jean-Claude Van Damme as “LUC, SAD!” Luc Deveraux, a memory-wiped near-automaton as confused about what he is as he is about who he is.

• Dolph Lundgren as “ANDREW, MAD!” Sgt. Andrew Scott, a completely unhinged maniac with a necklace made of ears and probably loves Casualties of War for all the wrong reasons.

• Ally Walker as Veronica Roberts, a journalist just trying to do her job and not get murdered by government cyborgs.

• Whit Bissell Award winners Jerry Orbach (as Dr. Gregor) and Robert Trebor (as the motel owner), plus genre favorites Ed O’Ross and Leon Rippy.

This is great early-90s action:

• Government conspiracies

• Secret military programs

• And a plot that could be described as RoboCop meets First Blood with a dash of Short Circuit if Johnny 5 had been developed by Cyberdyne Systems.

• Van Damme kicks people. Lundgren screams about betrayal. There’s a diner fight, a farm showdown, and a final battle that ends with a hay baler and some light existential horror.

Despite 5 sequels, this one is often forgotten in the larger pool of muscley-action films. For one, Van Damme’s box-office draw was waning, and it could be said that this kind of action film a dying genre in 1992, especially with Die Hard a few years earlier establishing a new action archetype.

Lastly, at least in America alone, 1992 would be dominated by other classics such as:

Disney’s Aladdin, Academy Award Winning Unforgiven, Basic Instinct, Reservoir Dogs, A Few Good Men, Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Batman Returns, and The Bodyguard, to name a few.

This one had an up-hill battle for your memory, so we’re giving it another look. You should too!

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Today on the TV/Movie Rewind Podcast, Matt & Todd ride out with The Seven Magnificent Gladiators—Bruno Mattei’s 1983 sword-and-sandals spectacle courtesy of Cannon Films.

If you're Matt and Todd, you had us at either "Bruno Mattei" or "Cannon Films." But both?? We’ll chip in for the 4K restoration ourselves.

If you're not familiar with that glorious pairing, it’s hard to explain just how much these movies mean to us. They're not trying to win awards—they're trying to inject pure entertainment into your bloodstream, like they've got a vendetta against subtlety and the solution involves kilotons of TNT strapped to a Chevy Caprice.

What you're watching is the source code of entertainment. Just go along for the ride, and you will have a good time.

The Seven Magnificent Gladiators is wild, it’s fun, it’s dubbed... and it’s working on a budget. An inspired remix of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (by way of The Magnificent Seven), this version asks: “What if we did that in ancient Rome… on a Cannon budget… using actors who were already wearing swords-and-sandals for another production?”

Starring (and our choice as their Magnificent Seven counterpart):

• Lou Ferrigno as "Han"—yes, Han. That’s what the "H" on his belt stands for. Definitely not Hercules, who Lou was coincidentally played at the same time. (Yul Brynner)
• Sybil Danning as Julia the most mercenary of the group (Brad Dexter).
• Brad Harris as Scipio, Han’s right Han-d (Steve McQueen).
• Emilio Messina as Goliath the gentle giant (Charles Bronson).
• Giovanni Cianfriglia as Festo (We'll go with Robert Vaughn I guess?).
• Sal Borgese as Glafiro (I swear he throws a knife or something in this, so he'll be James Coburn).
• Rubert Mura as Vendrix (Horst Buchholz).
• Carla Ferrigno as Pandora.
• Yahudi Efroni, earning our coveted 'Whit Bissell' Award as The Emperor.
• Dan Vadis as Nicerote—the most fashion-forward warlord this side of Humungous or Raven Shaddock.

It’s Cannon. It’s Mattei. It’s awesome.

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edited 7/26/25: Apologies for the original audio, the hisses and my illness :(

Our name, is the TV/Movie Rewind Podcast.

As night falls on Matt & Todd, they find themselves drawn into the gothic madness of Dark Shadows. Dark Shadows is a show born from the literal dream of Dan Curtis in 1966, fleshed out by writer Art Wallace, and brought to moody life by directors Lela Swift, John Sedwick, and Henry Kaplan.

Set designer Sy Thomasoff, composer Robert Cobert, and writers Sam Hall and Ron Sproat helped build what would, by 1968, become a cultural phenomenon—an unlikely soap that reshaped supernatural storytelling for generations, airing on June 27, 1966 on ABC until April 2, 1971.

For horror fans today, Dark Shadows is a cornerstone. It carved a path for everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel to True Blood and Anne Rice, maybe this.

What begins as a tale of mysterious genetics and brooding intrigue spirals quickly into the story of a tortured vampire thrust into increasingly deranged predicaments.

We're talking soap opera insanity: At one point remorseful vampire astral-projects through time to defeat the mute ghost of a warlock… but instead helps him (with help from another warlock…) fight a phoenix that said warlock (the future-ghost one) accidentally created… this runs afoul of the plans of the witch (who created the vampire). That’s before fancy-knifed assassins, magic severed hands, a werewolf curse, yet another even more powerful warlock show up, and 400 more episodes before the narrative ends abruptly.

It’s homage. It’s theft. It’s divine melodrama. And it’s also… 1,225 episodes. Not every one is a masterpiece. Pacing? Glacial. Takes? Singular. Flubs? Frequent. Stone walls? Rattling. Bats? Unapologetically rubber. No blood, the violence is rather tame, but if you can get ‘into it’ there is so much fun to be had here.

As essential to genre history as Dracula, Star Wars, or Star Trek, Dark Shadows is a wild, shadowy ride. This is best enjoyed with someone who's ready to lean into the madness.

Dark Shadows stars (for the most part):

Alexandra Moltke (Isles) as Victoria Winters

Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins

David Selby as Quentin Collins

Lara Parker as Angelique Bouchard

Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard

Louis Edmonds as Roger Collins

Nancy Barrett as Carolyn Collins-Stoddard

David Henesy as David Collins

Kathryn Leigh Scott as Maggie Evans

John Karlen as Willy Loomis

Thayer David as … we’ll go with “Stokes”

Grayson Hall as Julia Hoffman

Joel Crothers as poor, poor Joe Haskell

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.

Find and reach out to Matt on: Bluesky: @MovieMattSirois.bsky.social
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