Episodes
Sunday May 16, 2021
Sunday May 16, 2021
Point Blank (1967) Review
Way back on episode 126 of the Sordid Cinema Podcast, we reviewed John Boorman’s gritty, raw crime drama Point Blank, featuring superb performances by Lee Marvin and Angie Dickinson.
The 1967 thriller combines elements of film noir with stylistic touches of the European nouvelle vague and features a fractured timeline (similar to the novel’s non-linear structure), disconcerting narrative rhythms, and a carefully calculated use of film space.
Discussing the film is Ricky D, Simon Howell and former co-host, Ali McKinnon.
Tuesday May 04, 2021
Sordid Cinema Podcast #578: Excalibur and Arthurian Myth
Tuesday May 04, 2021
Tuesday May 04, 2021
The legend of King Arthur has never been lacking in cinematic retellings, but none can compare to John Boorman’s gorgeous and thematically faithful Excalibur. From the vast and tangled web of source material, the director of Point Blank and Deliverance distills the epic myth down to iconic imagery backed by theatrical performances from young actors destined to be stars. This week the Sordid Cinema Podcast discusses the fantastic (and fantastical) filmmaking, dives into the lore, and admires the vision of clunky knights and a wily wizard, all bound together by primeval landscapes and a magical sword.
Join Rick, Simon, and Patrick as they debate the effectiveness of green lighting and ADR, compare Excalibur to another movie involving a quest for the Holy Grail, enjoy Nicol Williamson’s sly (and often hilarious) turn as Merlin, mourn the character of Gawain, and show off their knowledge of one of the most famous tales ever told. Whether you think it’s glorious or a little goofy, there’s plenty to love about Excalibur, so have a listen!
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Monday Apr 19, 2021
Sordid Cinema Podcast #576: Ravenous is Hungry for Man Meat
Monday Apr 19, 2021
Monday Apr 19, 2021
Ravenous (1999) Review
In one of our most spirited episodes in recent memory, the gang unites with guest Mike Worby to sing the praises of Antonia Bird’s gonzo 1999 cannibal shocker Ravenous. Is it a horror movie, a western, a cannibalism drama, a homoerotic fable, a survival story, a historical epic, a black comedy, or a satire? The answer is yes. Also: lots of talk about Michael Nyman and Damon Albarn’s oddball score, the brilliant cast, Robert Carlyle’s demonic antics, and how to sell your friends on this one-of-a-kind movie.
Friday Apr 16, 2021
Sordid Cinema Podcast Rewind: Mad Max Special Part 1
Friday Apr 16, 2021
Friday Apr 16, 2021
Max Max and The Road Warrior
The release of Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller’s triumphant return to the franchise he created 36 years prior (!), prompted us to record a two-part extravaganza devoted to Miller’s series of post-apocalyptic thrillers. We get to Fury Road in the second half of this special; for now, former co-host Edgar Chaput rejoined us to discuss the original Mad Max, as well as its significantly more financially impactful sequel, 1981’s The Road Warrior.
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Monday Apr 05, 2021
Monday Apr 05, 2021
Abel Ferrara’s King of New York wasn’t a hit with most critics back at the time of its release, but over the years it has gained a loyal, cult following and is now considered by many, one of the best gangster films of the ‘90s. Not only was the film a significant turning point in the director’s oeuvre but it helped launch the career of Christopher Walken, David Caruso, and Laurence Fishburne.
This week on the Sordid Cinema podcast, we discuss the hard-edged crime thriller along with Ferrara’s career and why King of New York stands the test of time. All this and more!
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Monday Mar 29, 2021
Sordid Cinema Podcast #574: 'The Silent Partner' is a Hidden Gem
Monday Mar 29, 2021
Monday Mar 29, 2021
Modern thrillers getting you down? Head back to the late 1970s and indulge in Daryl Duke’s The Silent Partner, a nasty, funny neo-noir driven by Elliott Gould and Christopher Plummer’s deadly game of cat and mouse. Loaded with gags, twists, and tons of real Toronto landmarks, the film was a critical and commercial hit at the time, but has since evolved into a cult item beloved by critics and connoisseurs of edgy Canadiana. Ricky, Simon, and Patrick offer their perspectives on the twisted characters and ponder how 21st-century audiences might take to this brutal-but-hilarious caper.
Sunday Mar 21, 2021
Sunday Mar 21, 2021
Alex Proyas’ Dark City Review
While The Matrix grabbed more attention the following year from sci-fi fans and moviegoing audiences, 1998’s Dark City still holds up as a fantastically imagined search for what it means to be human in a neo-noir city set on a spaceship hurtling through the cosmos. Alex Proyas’ story of a man without a memory, who is trapped in a waking nightmare perpetrated by Nosferatu-looking aliens who swap memories in and out of citizens as if they were positioning pieces of an unsolvable jigsaw puzzle, moves at a breakneck pace while still managing an intoxicating atmosphere. This week Rick, Simon, and Patrick dive deep into the psyche of this great work of imagination, and while they may not resurface with all the answers, the journey is still a great one.
Join us as we break down John Murdoch’s path from a wanted serial killer to mankind’s redeemer, marvel at the impressive production design, muse on Jennifer Connelly’s nightclub singer character (or lack thereof), and try to parse out that ending. And just why does Christopher Nolan’s name keep coming up? For all this and more, have a listen!
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Monday Feb 01, 2021
Monday Feb 01, 2021
The Outlaw Josey Wales Review
After firing Philip Kaufman and taking over the production reins himself, Clint Eastwood managed to turn The Outlaw Josey Wales into an iconic western that laid the ground for classics yet to come. This week the Sordid Cinema Podcast takes a deep look at not only what makes this story of a southern farmer hell-bent on revenge a flawed but important step in the actor-director’s career but also contextualizes the film’s place in revisionist 70s westerns. Don’t piss down our backs and tell us it’s raining; Josey Wales might not be Eastwood’s best film, but it contains a treasure trove of wonderful characters and subversions of a revered-but-fallen genre. Joining Rick and Patrick this week is former screenwriter, author, and professor Bill Mesce, who helps us parse out both what makes this film so unique, as well as what could have been improved.
Which supporting character stood out the most? Were all those bullets really as exciting as they were intended to be? And how would things work out if Sandra Locke had never been cast? Sure, we might not be so keen on this particular western romance, the episodic nature of the story gets different mileage from different hosts, and maybe we don’t spit tobacco as much as we could have, but there’s no doubt that we recognize The Outlaw Josey Wales as one of the great westerns that’s as much fun to watch and talk about now as perhaps it ever was. For all this and more, have a listen!
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Thursday Jan 21, 2021
Sordid Cinema Podcast Rewind: David Cronenberg’s Videodrome and The Fly
Thursday Jan 21, 2021
Thursday Jan 21, 2021
David Cronenberg Special
On episode 252 of the Sordid Cinema podcast (then named Sound on Sight), we invited Sean Dwyer and Jay Cheel from the Film Junk Podcast to discuss David Cronenberg’s visually audacious, revolutionary, and utterly strange sci-fi thriller, Videodrome— as well as The Fly, possibly his most triumphant and accessible film to date. Enjoy!
Monday Jan 18, 2021
Sordid Cinema Podcast #566:Scanners: So Good, It Will Blow Your Mind
Monday Jan 18, 2021
Monday Jan 18, 2021
Scanners Podcast Review
This week the Sordid Cinema Podcast takes a deeper look at the 1981 cult classic Scanners to see if there’s still more in this tale of telepathic intrigue than a nifty exploding head GIF. Goomba Stomp writer/editor Mike Worby joins Rick and Patrick on their dive into director David Cronenberg’s first commercial hit, discussing where the film stands in his pantheon, debating the effect a rushed production schedule had on the script, and wondering just why the film’s lead actor comes across as a robot. Along the way here are comparisons to Hitchcock and the X-Men, praise for the incredible practical effects, a chuckle over a phone booth that gets blown up but good, and some questions about that twist ending.
Does Scanners still stand the test of time? What sort of tweaks could be made if this film was ever reimagined? And just how many times will that exploding head actually be mentioned? For all this and more, have a listen!
Editor’s Note: We’ve included our original review of Scanners from 2012 at the one hour and fifteen-minute mark of the episode.