Sordid Cinema Podcast

Sordid Cinema Podcast #567: The Hunt is Killer Thriller Entertainment

After much controversy surrounding its premise and the timing of its original release, Craig Zobel’s The Hunt finally dropped into theaters before suffering an unceremonious death due to pandemic closures. But did this tongue-in-cheek story of rednecks being hunted by elitists deserve better? Was misleading marketing a factor in its ultimate demise? This week, Rick and Patrick are joined by returning Sordid Cinema Podcast host Simon Howell to give this entertaining genre film its due. Sure, the satire might be toothless, but it’s hard not to appreciate all the humor and bloody kills that The Hunt does so well.

From gleefully dispatching expected protagonists to a knockdown brawl in a rustic manor, there is a lot to love here. Perhaps more than anything else, however, fans of this type of film will want to savor a fantastically restrained, physical performance by Betty Gilpin (GLOW) as a reticent former soldier who finds being tracked down by self-righteous psychos as a form of stress relief from her daily life as a car rental agent. Streamlined and more mainstream than many of the ads and rhetoric would have suggested, The Hunt should be on the radar for anyone looking for a fun movie night where a guy gets stabbed by a stiletto heel, a woman is doubly impaled by a spiked pit, and a pig names Orwell runs rampant (at least for a while). For a discussion on all this and more, have a listen!

Sordid Cinema Podcast Rewind: Craig Zobel’s True-Crime Indie Thriller Compliance

On this episode of the Sordid Cinema Podcast (which was recorded back in 2012), Julian Carrington, Simon Howell, and Ricky D reviewed Compliance, a thriller written and directed by Craig Zobel, and based upon a strip search phone call scam that took place in Mount Washington, Kentucky, in which the caller, posing as a police officer, convinced a restaurant manager to carry out unlawful and intrusive procedures on an employee.

Sordid Cinema Podcast Rewind: Breaking Down Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice

Inherent Vice Review

The Sordid Cinema podcast has been around since 2007 and as you can imagine, the show has gone through some major changes over the years including the name. It was originally called Sound On Sight but on January 21, 2015, original hosts Simon Howell and Ricky D sat down to record what was supposed to be the final episode as a team before Simon quit and Ricky decided to rename it. And to send it off in style, they invited Kate Rennebohm and Adam Nayman to discuss one of the best films of 2014, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice.

Listen on LinkTree | Amazon | Spotify | iTunes | Podbean | YouTube | Listen Note |

Sordid Cinema Podcast Rewind: David Cronenberg’s Videodrome and The Fly

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!

Sordid Cinema Podcast Rewind: Cronenberg’s Antiviral

In our sixth Cronenberg-themed show (recorded in 2012), we expanded our scope to include David Cronenberg’s very own spawn, Brandon, whose debut feature Antiviral had just gone wide in Canada. Ricky, Edgar, and Simon tackled the flick, to see how it stacks up against one of daddy’s earlier efforts, 1981’a sci-fi actioner Scanners.

Sordid Cinema Podcast #566:Scanners: So Good, It Will Blow Your Mind

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.

Sordid Cinema Podcast #565: Is 'The Karate Kid Part II' the Best in the Series?

Maybe the original isn’t the best around? This week on the Sordid Cinema Podcast, hosts Rick and Patrick kick off the new year by looking back at an old sequel: John G. Avildsen’s The Karate Kid Part II. It turns out that crane kicking Johnny Lawrence’s face at the All Valley Karate Championship was just a warmup for Daniel-san, as this time he follows his sensei, Mr. Miyagi, to a small village in Japan in order to sort out a long-standing feud. Along the way, they both encounter flying fists, swinging hooks, mini drums, and romantic tea ceremonies. But does this follow-up to a classic stand toe-to-toe with its predecessor?

Though The Karate Kid Part II may have plenty of issues (an overlong recap, a homicidal teenage rival, a lack of focus, and some questionable matte paintings), there is still plenty to love about a sequel that dares to push a franchise forward. The exotic setting and darker tone result in higher stakes, and despite the many familiar beats, this film also has the best romance in the series, as well as an intriguing nemesis in Sato. Join us as we discuss both the highs and lows of this still very watchable slice of the 80s, somehow make comparisons to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and reveal our most memorable moments. For all this and more, have a listen!

Sordid Cinema Podcast #564: Black Christmas Continues to Give Horror Thrills

Though director Bob Clark may be most remembered for helming the brilliantly sentimental holiday favorite A Christmas Story, his 1974 slasher classic Black Christmas is just as unforgettable, though for very different reasons. The story of a psychopathic murderer who terrorizes the residents of a sorority house just as everyone is about to leave for Christmas break might come to seem like merely a seedy premise for some cheap thrills, but excellent craftsmanship and standout performances result in one of the most unnerving home invasion films ever made. Where’s a Red Rider carbine action BB gun when you need one?

This week Rick and Patrick are joined by filmmaker Keir Siewert to break down exactly what makes this precursor to the slasher genre explosion so effective. Along the way we touch on the film’s creepy use of POV, discuss how the characters enhance the tension and go into how the film inspired John Carpenter to make his own seminal classic, Halloween. But how does that ending hold up? Is Olivia Hussey’s Jess a true ‘final girl’? Could changing one line of dialogue have made an already superb experience even better? For all this and more, have a listen!

Sordid Cinema Podcast #563: Cynicism Can’t Keep It’s a Wonderful Life Down

Once a staple of holiday programming, Frank Capra’s 1946 masterpiece It’s a Wonderful Life may not be as widely broadcast, but it nevertheless still deserves to be seen by as many as possible. An inspiring story that showcases an inspired performance from star Jimmy Stewart, this tale of a man driven to the brink of suicide who is given a second chance at life remains powerful and effective to this day. What better way for the Sordid Cinema Podcast to kick off the holiday season than by re-taking the plunge ourselves into the world of a disappointed dreamer called George Bailey, the miserly Mr. Potter, and a doddering guardian angel named Clarence.

Rick and Patrick’s trip through the storybook town of Bedford Falls includes talk of a near-fatal poisoning by a druggist, a Depression-era run on the banks, theft of $8000 that could lead to embezzlement charges, loss of hearing, a theory about a possible curse by a marriage-seeking teenager, a supremely talented crow, and discussions of just how many strip clubs a small town needs. Feeling the holiday spirit yet? Find out why the guys believe the notoriously sentimental ending works perfectly, count the references to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It Happened One Night, and maybe even learn what a spinster is!

For all this and more, have a listen!

Sordid Cinema Podacst #562: ‘Airplane!’ Still Soars To Silly Heights

The spoof genre may have descended to near non-existence these days, but neither time nor inferior imitators have grounded what many consider to be one of the greatest comedies ever made. This week the Sordid Cinema podcast takes a look at 1980’s Airplane!, a top-notch example of what an amazing take-off looks like. With a story ripped straight from an obscure drama called Zero Hour! and a healthy sense of irreverence built up from 10 years of disaster movies, this story of an airline flight placed in peril by some rotten fish packs in so many jokes that it will be nearly impossible to see them all in just one viewing.

But who watches Airplane! only once? Surely, not Rick and Patrick (and we’re not calling you Shirley). Join us as we discuss some of the best gags, marvel at how close this film is to comedic perfection (oh, Johnny…), and muse about the potential future of the spoof genre. For all this and more, have a listen!