The Kulturecast

In this bonus episode, the Unholy Triumverate beams in from the planet Gremulon as they take a look at Bernard Shakey's nuclear musical classic, Human Highway. Written, directed, and starring Bernard Shakey aka Neil Young, it follows the inhabitants of Linear Valley as they unknowingly live their last night on Earth. It's a wild, weird, and funny ride through the mind of Neil Young and DEVO along...

We kick off Father Malone Month, talking about preparatory school films, with a look at a Malcolm McDowell film where he totally murders his teen compatriots, If.... Starring McDowell as Mick, he must deal with dickhead teachers, dickhead students, and dickhead society all while attempting to find his way in a 1960s British prep school. It has an ending that must be seen to believe and almost over...

In this bonus episode, we head on down to the 80s cinema for a Night Shift double feature: Children of the Corn and Maximum Overdrive. Both films are based on short stories from horror maestro Stephen King and both feature a veritable who's who of 80s character actors. They're both fun and not to be taken too seriously given the subject material of killer kids and killer semis. Wake Up Heavy's Mar...

We end Patreon Programmed Month, this year all Rutger Hauer films, with a true 80s horror classic and Hauer's finest performance, The Hitcher. Starring Hauer and C. Thomas Howell, the two face off as predator and prey across the roads of the Texas panhandle. Expect blood, car crashes, and dismemberment or two. Mondo-Heather's Heather Drain and Dark Destination's Father Malone join Chris to talk ab...

We are near the end of Patreon Programmed Month, this year all Rutger Hauer films, with a film that retells the classic story of man hunting man, Surviving the Game. Starring Ice T, he plays a homeless man who takes a job as a hunting guide for Rutger Hauer only to find out he's actually the prey. It's a totally 90s retelling of The Most Dangerous Game complete with dreadlocks and John C. McGinley...

In this bonus episode, we venture into the Eighth Dimension to take a look at one of Chris' favorite films, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. Starring Peter Weller as Buckaroo Banzai, he must stop the destruction of Earth by the evil Lectroids led with aplomb by John Lithgow's John Whorfin. If it sounds insane, that's because it is, but equally amazing. On Seagal's Trevor...

In this bonus episode, the Unholy Triumverate is here, they're here, and they're looking to talk all about Scott Baio singing his little heart out in Bugsy Malone. A fever dream of a film, it follows Baio as the titular Bugsy, a child mobster tasked with getting in between two warring families who fight with cream-pie guns and pedal cars. Also, it's a musical; you need to see this movie. Mondo-Hea...

In this bonus episode, we try to determine whether or not it's alive with a look at one of the strangest film "franchises" in recent memory, the Cloverfield trilogy. We start with 2008's Cloverfield, stop by 10 Cloverfield Lane, and end up in space with the Cloverfield Paradox. Buckle up, it's stylistically all over the place. Wake Up Heavy's Mark Begley joins Chris to talk about the films, the AR...

In this bonus episode, the Unholy Triumverate is skulking around the jungles of Africa looking for green drop drink, cigars, and drugged bananas in Michael Crichton's Congo. Starring Ernie Hudson and Tim Curry (yes we know they aren't the actual leads of the film, sue us), the two must take two boring white bread scientists to the secret city of Zinj with their talking ape Amy. It's both as fun as...

We reach the halfway point of Patreon Programmed Month, this year all Rutger Hauer films, with another genre mash-up inspired by another Hauer classic, Split Second. Starring Rutger Hauer as troubled detective Harley Stone, he must team up with erudite Dick Durkin to take down a demonic serial killer stalking dystopian London. Hauer and genre mash-ups seem very popular, don't you think? The succes...

We continue Patreon Programmed Month, this year all Rutger Hauer films, with an action comedy take on Zatoichi: Blind Fury. Starring Rutger Hauer as blind samurai Nick Parker, he must save the life of a former military pal and his precocious son on a cross-country road trip. Come for Rutger, stay for Randall Tex Cobb and the strange genre mash-up. Pulp-Serenade's Cullen Gallagher joins Chris to ta...

In this bonus episode, the Unholy Triumverate is here, they're here, and they are talking all about some direct-to-video vampire fun, Subspecies. Starring Anders Hove, it follows the exploits of Radu the vampire as he attempts to gain power, find love, and please his mummy; yes you read that right. It's got all the chaotic energy one might expect from a mid-90s Full Moon release. Mondo-Heather's H...

We kick off Patreon Programmed Month, this year all Rutger Hauer films, with a sequel(?) to a Steve McQueen TV show: Wanted: Dead or Alive. Starring Rutger Hauer as Nick Randall, he must take down a makeup-less Gene Simmons who is threatening to destroy Los Angeles. From terrorists jumping out of barrels to wild gunplay, it's a great way to kick off the month. Artist Dustin Rutledge and On Seagal'...

We end Bronson month with an on-foot chase film across the wilds of the Great White North featuring Bronson and James Coburn: Death Hunt. Bronson plays Albert Johnson, a mad trapper, who pisses off the wrong group of trappers and ends up on the wrong end of James Coburn's sights. Blood, bad editing, and a whole lot more! Wake Up Heavy's Mark Begley joins Chris to talk about the film, the true stor...

We near the end of Bronson month with an exciting dive into Charles Bronson as a Ramboesque veteran who wants to sell his watermelons but can't seem to catch a break: Mr. Majestyk. Starring Bronson, he is plagued by Al Lettieri's crazy-eyed mobster who just can't seem to let well enough alone when Bronson injects himself into Lettieri's prison escape. It sounds more fun than it actually is which,...

In this bonus episode, the Unholy Triumverate is here once again to talk all about French surreal animation and species politics with Fantastic Planet. Directed by Rene Laloux, it follows the Traags and Oms as they battle one another for supremacy of their planet. It's a wild ride that is unlike anything you've ever seen but something you should definitely check out. Mondo-Heather's Heather Drain...

We kick off another month programmed by Pulp-Serenade's Cullen Gallagher and DC Titan's Richard Hatem and this time, it's all Bronson all month long. We kick off the month with a film that features Bronson and Coburn in the world of street boxing, Hard Times. It follows the two of them as they attempt to make a living in Depression-era New Orleans as fighter and manager. Pulp-Serenade's Cullen Gal...

We continue Bronson month with a western that shares a lot in common with buddy cop movies, and it features Charles Bronson: Red Sun. Also starring Toshiro Mifune, the two men must team up, against their will, to take down Bronson's former partner and retrieve a legendary samurai sword. It's an interesting entry in the genre and features some great performances! Pulp-Serenade's Cullen Gallagher, D...

In this bonus episode, we talk about Alex Garland's latest entry into his growing filmography of genre-bending fare, Men. Starring Jessie Buckley, she plays a woman attempting to cope with the loss of her husband who stumbles into a town like no other. To say any more would be to give too much away; go knowing as little as possible! Wake Up Heavy's Mark Begley joins Chris to talk about the film, G...

In this bonus episode, we take a look at David Cronenberg's latest film that's a possible return to the body horror aficionado, Crimes of the Future. Starring Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart, the film follows Mortensen as a performance artist who has vestigial organs removed on stage in a dystopian future. Kristen Stewart plays a perfect weirdo obsessed with his art and his evolutionary advanc...

In this bonus episode, we venture back to Derry, Maine to take a look at every adaptation of Stephen King's magnum opus, It. We cover all three films, along with a light dive into the book. Did you know they're doing a prequel TV show? Yikes. Wake Up Heavy's Mark Begley joins Chris to talk about the films, the Pennywise performances, and King's works. You can follow Chris Stachiw at @ChrismasClaus...

In this bonus episode, we take a look at one of Tobe Hooper's other films that aren't Poltergeist, The Funhouse. Written by Larry Block, it takes place over one night at a carnival where a killer funhouse keeps attracting willing victims. It also features one of the most insane creature designs this side of Kothoga in Relic. Wake Up Heavy's Mark Begley joins Chris to talk about the film, Hooper's...

In this bonus episode, we journey into the farthest reaches of the known universe to find some ice and travel through time with The Ice Pirates. A spoof of everything 70s sci-fi, the film follows a rag-tag crew of titular ice pirates who are tasked with finding the mythical Seventh World which totally isn't just Earth. It's a send-up of Star Wars in the best way possible. Artist Dustin Rutledge jo...

We end Pride Month with a look at a film that chronicles one of the most infamous murders in New Zealand, Heavenly Creatures. Starring Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet, it follows the two young women who are looking for their places in the world and find each other. When they're forced to be separated, they hatch a plan to try and stay together that ends in tragedy. It might not sound like a Peter...

We near the end of Pride Month with a contemporary period piece that comes directly from South Korea, The Handmaiden. Starring Kim Min-hee and Kim Tae-ri, the film follows the two women as they attempt to get out from under the thumb of an oppressive Japanese-occupied Korea and the men who seek to control them. It features some fantastic performances and a three-act structure that recontextualizes...