Video Monsters

Hangout episode with Nathan and Eric, recorded live on the Video Monsters Discord server, 9/7/2021. Since Eric missed the 300th episode spectacular -- our review of Steven Spielberg’s DUEL with special guest Matt Mercer -- we spend a little time reminiscing about the three years we’ve spent together as podcast pals, then get Eric’s quick thoughts on DUEL. We also spend some time talking about what we’ve been watching and reading lately and cap off the episode with a discussion about AIRPLANE VS VOLCANO, a transportationsploitation classic (?) starring Matt Mercer that had us erupting with laughter! Nathan decided to make Eric watch it as punishment for missing the 300th episode with Matt and ended up having a great time with it! If you enjoy this episode, be sure to fly into our Discord channel for volcanic live chats every Tuesday night starting around 9:30pm EST.

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

The Video Monsters’ Halloween series this year is TRANSPORTATIONSPLOITATION: HORROR IN MOTION, where we’ll be discussing tales of automotive terror! For our first full review in the series, we’re hitting the road with Steven Spielberg’s ferocious debut film, DUEL (1971); the deceptively simple story of a nice guy salesman pursued by a murderous monster of a truck driver across a seemingly endless stretch of desolate desert highway. And since the hosts of this podcast are also a bunch of maniacal monsters, we called in a nice guy of our own to get his perspective on the film. Special guest Matt Mercer (co-director and star of DEMENTIA PART II and star of the transportationsploitation classic, AIRPLANE VS VOLCANO) joins Nathan and Dan to talk about the planning and precision of cinematography, the tension brought about by the engaging world-building, and why Steven Spielberg should be considered a master of horror.  So get your swiss on rye to go, remember to replace the radiator hose, and crank up your Plymouth Valiant to tune into your own personal voiceover with our review of Steven Spielberg’s DUEL!

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

Spooky season is upon us, and the Video Monsters are shaking things up a bit with our Halloween coverage this year! In addition to our reviews, we will also be recording weekly live hangout episodes on Tuesday nights in our Discord channel and releasing them later in the main feed. This is the first of those episodes, in which Nathan and Eric announce this year’s Halloween theme: TRANSPORTATIONSPLOITATION: or HORROR IN MOTION, a series on horror films that are heavily driven by various modes of transportation. Now, we know what you’re thinking: “Fellas, how could this announcement possibly take up a full two-hour episode?!” Well, friends, since these live episodes are more laid back than our reviews, we fittingly derail the topic at hand and indulge in tangents a bit more often than usual. BUT most of that time is used to define the TRANSPORTATIONSPLOITATION criteria and debate the semantics of what types of vehicles count, determine how much screen time a film must devote to automotive carnage, and throw out some titles to argue over whether they do or do not qualify. Then, to cap things off, we play a couple of outrageous rounds of Pitchstorm: Creature Feature. Alright, enough idling about. Listeners, it’s time to start your engines because the Video Monsters are shifting into the Halloween season and sowing some vehicular discord with our TRANSPORTATIONSPLOITATION series!

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

Fare thee well to our ERICSISTENTIALISM series because it’s all coming full circle today with a film about a down-and-out folk singer who, no matter how hard he tries,  just can’t seem to land on his feet. Joel and Ethan Coens’ INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (2013) is a movie that Eric has been dying to cover for years and he may or may not have contrived this series, in part, just to have an excuse to talk about this movie on the podcast. Nathan and Dan will join him to talk about what sets the Coen Brothers apart from other filmmakers, how this movie perfectly reflects the trials of depression and the frustrations of everyday life, the timeless appeal of folk music, and so much more. So p-p-please get your vaccinations, grab your Flash Gordon boots, and don’t let the cat out on your way out the door. If it was never new, and it never gets old, then it’s our review of INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS.

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

On the second episode of our ERICSISTENTIALISM series -- where Eric confronts his quarter-life crisis through film -- we’re switching channels from THE TRUMAN SHOW to a very different kind of show altogether. THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (1971) is a film made in the 1970s, set in the 1950s, about the banality of life in small-town Texas, directed by a man from the big city in New York. Peter Bogdanovich’s frank coming-of-age drama is an important touchstone for both the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s, and Eric’s own personal journey discovering his love of cinema. Nathan and Dan join him to talk about the film’s timelessness and relatability, its gorgeously spare black-and-white cinematography, the evocative production design, the depth of feeling and empathy it has for its characters, and the extraordinary performances from its young cast of now legendary actors. So pass the pigskin, finish up your game at the pool hall, and grab yourself a burger from the diner because we’re all out of popcorn for our review of THE LAST PICTURE SHOW.

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

Now that the month of August is coming to a close, it’s time to finally kick off our August coverage! Because that’s how we do things here at Video Monsters. In all seriousness, with the start of school, an increased workload at our day jobs, and a distressing rise in COVID cases (especially at our headquarters in good ole Tennessee) we’ve had a hell of a time staying on track this month, but we’re determined to push on and plan to release a series of three episodes over the next week to make up for it.

This month’s theme is a personal one. Eric turned 30 this month (on Friday the 13th!), and it’s prompted him to spend a lot of time lately ruminating on the past decade of his life and the uncertain future that lies in the decade ahead. So, he’s decided to confront his existential dread head on in a series we’re calling ERIC-SISTENTIALISM! The films will all be about people who feel stuck in some way and inevitably begin to question their place in the universe. First up is THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998). Nathan, Eric, and Dan discuss the movie’s near universal appeal and deft handling of tone, dig into the mechanics of the show itself, question if anyone or anything can ever truly be authentic, marvel over how the movie feels both quaint and prophetic from a 2021 perspective, and speculate on what Truman’s future has in store for him. So fix yourself a tall glass of Mococoa, book a trip to Fiji, and prepare yourself for the answer to life’s most pressing question: “How’s it going to end?” Find out now by tuning in to our review of THE TRUMAN SHOW.

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

The Chattanooga Film Festival’s 2021 lineup was excellent this year, and one of the standout flicks of the fest was a hugely entertaining little Australian genre hybrid called AN IDEAL HOST. We loved it so much that it even inspired (and, of course, won) Video Monsters’s inaugural “Scrappy as F**k” Award on our Chatt Film Fest wrap-up episode. So, we were delighted to have the film’s director, Robert Woods, join Nathan and Eric for an interview to talk about how the film came together, his approach to storytelling, his love of mixing and subverting genre tropes, the lengthy editing process, and how the film may have never been released to the public if it weren’t for the pandemic. Be warned, though. This movie is best experienced knowing as little as possible going in and we dive into some major spoilers during the interview. If you haven’t seen it, be sure to check out AN IDEAL HOST on Facebook (/anidealhost) for more information about when and where you can screen the film for yourself.

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

We sadly must bid a fond farewell to the United States of Emmericha this week. But we are definitely going out on a high note by going down to the White House with WHITE HOUSE DOWN (2013)! A big, fun, goofy action flick about domestic terrorists taking over the White House. Which, uh, maybe plays a little differently now than it did 8 years ago. Nathan, Eric, and Dan will dig into that as well as how much Roland Emmerich’s dad humor shines in this movie, the phenomenal cast, the bad CGI that somehow works in the film’s favor, and Emmerich’s uniquely foreign love of America. Plus, we cap it off with each of us deciding where WHITE HOUSE DOWN would rank if it were a part of the DIE HARD franchise and… let’s just say that at least one of our rankings (*cough*Nathan*cough) may be slightly controversial…. So lace up your Jordans, grab yourself some squirrel repellent, and hop into Ground Force One with us because we’re going to Channing all over your Tatum with our review of WHITE HOUSE DOWN!

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

On the penultimate episode of our United State of Emmericha series, we’re covering a film about a global crisis made worse by the people in charge who refuse to listen to scientists because they’re more concerned about the economic strain of addressing the problem than they are with saving people’s lives. You know, the kind of story that could only exist in the realm of science fiction….  of course, that means we’re talking about THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW (2004), the disaster flick in which the Earth expedites the shipping on climate change to finally cleanse itself of the pesky humans plaguing its surface. So watch out for softball-sized hail on your way to the underwater payphone, huddle up next to a burning bundle of tax code and, whatever you do, don’t forget your passport because it’s time to listen to our review of Roland Emmerich’s THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW!

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

We’re continuing our United States of Emmericha series with Roland Emmerich’s fascinating attempt to simultaneously go back to his roots and try his hand at something entirely different. This week we turn our attention to the origin of Independence Day with the Revolutionary War epic, THE PATRIOT (2000). On this episode, Nathan, Eric, and Dan discuss the malice and magnetism of Mel Gibson, the generational trauma of war, patriotism vs nationalism, and how much the film’s whitewashing of history hurts an overall strong narrative. So pour yourself a cup of ink-free tea, grab your hatchet, and watch out for rogue cannonballs as you listen to our review of THE PATRIOT.

Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons