Bravo for the B-side Podcast

It’s been a long time on the list, but we finally get to The Toxic Avenger. A foundation cult-classic with a loyal following, this movie birthed the Tromaverse. A solid B-movie, there are great lessons on simplified story, creating a unique hook, and some examples of what was acceptable in film 30 years ago that would not work well today. With differing opinions on its merits, we have a great conv...

It’s another random find in the sea of films, but a well-liked find. It’s Absentia, a film written and directed by Mike Flanagan, who you may know as the director of Doctor Sleep. There are a lot of great things in here we talk about. A straight-up horror, it is a little before its time. We have loudly exclaimed our disdain for jump-scare reliant films, but this 2011 movie takes jump-scares in a d...

Another long-time on the list favorite, Rubber proves that the most ridiculous, obscure hook can work and work well. Years ago we thought this would be a laughable junk film for bad-movie-night, but we were wrong. This movie is fun, beautifully shot, excellent practical effects, and a masterclass of lessons for everyone. We have a lot of fun talking about this film and its lessons. It’s a killer t...

We have for the first time a script doctor on the show. Terry McFadden is a long-working script doctor who has worked as a script analyst for production companies and studios since 1998. A genuinely wonderful man, Terry talks about the important aspects of scripts for features and television, what he looks for, and has some great advice on where stories commonly fall short in script form. We loved...

A Norwegian film that has long been on our list, Trollhunter is a great movie with surprising special effects. The recent release of the English dubbed version made it possible to watch and review for the show. Troll lore is taken to a new height, and the lessons of simple story mixed with little-used folklore make for some great lessons. We even get into some local folklore, though it’s not about...

How can you pass up something called Bunnyman Grindhouse Edition? We couldn’t. A re-release of Bunnyman, this indie horror has had a Grindhouse treatment. The original Bunnyman looked to be a fun ride, but the re-edit of it to make this version transitioned from fun to perplexing, then to distracting. The core story is still a fun backwoods killer romp, and there are some lessons we each point out...

Folks! This is a wonderful, jam-packed episode. We have Eric Schumacher, Nathan Campbell, Bradford Trojan, Marty Ketola, Clif Campbell, and Geoff Notkin, all from Revenge of Zoe! This was such an amazing talk, with some truly wonderful and fantastic people. We laugh, we cry, we pray for Nathan as his connection warbles. Join us for this odyssey into creative brilliance, nerd-dom, and some solid le...

Revenge of Zoe is a micro-budget film from 2018 that is a must see. A self-proclaimed “Nerd Comedy” that pays tribute to the 80s nerd films, this movie takes us on a fun ride through the lives of two comic store owners, an alcohol and drug addled writer, and imaginary or hallucinatory friends as they navigate the ominous task of writing a sequel to a successful comic adaptation. This movie proves...

With Dani not fully recovered, Jim speaks with director/producer Michael Matteo Rossi, who’s film Chase we covered last week. Jim and Michael talk about the movie, the pandemic, the importance of using social media a platform for encouragement, and so much more. Listen to this fantastic talk with a truly wonderful man, and be sure to check the links below. Links to Michael’s presence and films: fa...

Chase was brought to our attention by its director, Michael Matteo Rossi. We’re glad for it. Starring Damien Puckler, yes indeed, we follow a hit man who is torn between two lives. A low-budget indie film, Chase brings some excellent emotional struggle as well as great overall lessons on filmmaking. Rossi shot this in just 18 days, commendable if not amazing. Chase can be found on Amazon Video.

Our daughter Lily sits in for Dani, who is out sick, to talk about Space Captain: Captain of Space. This sci-fi comedy is a wonderful salute to the throwback serials of the 1930’s, like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. It doesn’t stop there, the connections and spoofs span decades of sci-fi schlock movies as well. Starting out as a multi-media play, and later turned into a feature, this movie is fun...

One of Jim’s all-time favorites, Lost in Translation. Filmmaker Sophia Coppola blows the lid off of traditional filmmaking with this brilliant movie. Beautifully shot and paced this movie brings attention to lessons of tone, characters, and the art of drawing in the audience to share in the emotional state of the story, and the power and art of editing. Another must see film that is coming up on 2...

We all know it, and we finally made it down the list to Chopping Mall. This standard 80’s horror film has some mixed lessons, to-do’s and not-to-do’s. We have rampant Casio music, character naming issues, but it’s all forgiven for exploding heads and some wicked remote control robots that just tear it up. Also, this is one of the finest accidental documentaries on mall life in the 80’s. Yeah, that...

This movie is ridiculous in a fantastic way. Zombeavers gives us an old-fashioned animals gone wild situation mixed with our favorite genre; Zombies. There is no mistaking that this is a campy film, riddled with bad puns, obnoxious characters, stuffed beaver zombies, and it does it all gloriously. Another technically sound film, Zombeavers brings it and delivers with fun. Excellent lessons on effe...

Another Cult Classic, the 1978 Piranha. It can be fun under the right circumstances, but the lessons from this film are based on its failure to follow them. Characters need to be interesting. The A, B, C stories need to line up. Dialogue has to serve a purpose, even on a rudimentary level. Piranha has none of this, so you can see firsthand what a movie that lacks all of the basics looks like. Stil...

Another random find, and a fun/funny one at that. Save Yourselves is a great indie film that places a ‘modern’ couple, who spend their time buried in their phones and laptops, in an end-of-world scenario. An indictment of modern social media lifestyle and screen dependency, this humorous survival against aliens story has the most fantastic lessons of character development we have seen in some time...

We talk with Alisdair Cook, who wrote the book that one of the main characters from Redwood Massacre: Annihilation wrote. Sounds strange, but it’s wonderful. This is a fantastic example of taking something from a film and giving it its own life. We talk about writing the book and some juicy bits of upcoming projects in the Redwood Massacre universe. Alisdair’s book, Redwood Massacre: The Untold St...

It was fun then, and it’s still fun now. The 1988 Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a cult classic. For good reason. This horror-comedy brings clowns to the screen in a hilariously unique fashion. Pure B-movie fun this movie has some fantastic lessons on bringing the ridiculous to life. You won’t find Oscar performances here, or an award winning story, but you will find some of the best practical...

It’s not an interview, it’s a great discussion between four cinephiles. Join us as we talk with two fantastic women, Julia Marchese and Teri Gamble. Co-hosts of The Horror Movie Survival Guide, actors, movie lovers, and Julia directed the incredible documentary Out of Print. What makes all of this writing, directing, producing, filmmaking in general, is the love of film by people. In this episode,...

We found this excellent gem from 2010 and had to talk about it. Uncle Brian, written and directed by Nick McAnulty, is a gritty look at real life with a cornucopia of messed up people. The writing, direction, and acting have magnificent lessons for all. This is the kind of film Hollywood would not have the balls to do, but Nick did. Uncle Brian can be found on Amazon Video.

We visit Mystery Alaska, one of only two films by television producer and writer David E. Kelley. Set with an A-film budget, Mystery Alaska fell sharply into B-movie treatment, and fell even lower. This fun, feel good film has a lot of lessons on fast pacing, quick dialog, and building characters without mounds of unnecessary backstory. Mystery Alaska can be found on Amazon Video, iTunes, and DVD.

This was a great find. Scare Me, released in October of 2020, directed and written by Josh Ruben, was a delightful watch. The movie itself hits on so many things about writing, story crafting, and collaboration it is its own bundle of lessons. This indie film is a fantastic example of small cast, single location, and some old-school techniques for delivering an entertaining story with full-fledged...

When we first covered Redwood Massacre: Annihilation it was a pre-release screener. We could only do a light surface analysis, but now we do a full dive into this excellent horror film. Written and directed by David Ryan Keith, we jump ten years after the first film and pick up on Burlap’s reign of terror. Starring Danielle Harris, Damien Puckler, Gary Casper, Tevy Poe, and Jon Campling, this fun...

We end the year covering the works of an amazing B-movie director and producer. The works of William Castle are overshadowed only by his outrageous PR stunts. Castle set the bar for marketing B horror films, had a rivalry with Alfred Hitchcock, adored Vincent Price, and was a prolific movie maker. Join us as we talk about this amazing man, his fantastic films, and how his life and his body of work...

What better way to celebrate the holiday than a Christmas Slasher film? All Through the House is a wonderful little Santa-slasher that gives us some great, bloody fun. It also suffers from an irrelevant storyline that nearly takes the fun out of watching, which we get into with some detail. All Through the House can be found on Amazon Video.