Supporting Characters

Bill talks to film journalist, special effects supervisor, podcaster and award-winning home video supplements producer Heather Buckley. They discuss her path from writing for Dread Central to co-producing the forthcoming feature film THE RANGER. Other topics include: J. Hoberman and Jonathan Rosenbaum's book  MIDNIGHT  MOVIES, punk rock, Martin Scorsese, applying a DIY ethic to working in corporat...

Bill talks to author and film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum about some of his many endeavors in film culture, including books like MOVING PLACES and MOVIE WARS, his tenure as principal film reviewer at the Chicago Reader, and his involvement in multiple Orson Welles-related projects, ranging from THIS IS ORSON WELLES to THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND. Other topics include: Critical interactivity, identity...

Bill talks to writer, editor and podcaster Kat Ellinger about the various film culture projects she's been involved in, from creating her first blog to co-hosting the Daughters Of Darkness podcast and serving as the Editor-In-Chief at Diabolique Magazine. Other topics covered include accents, Video Nasties, sexism in film culture, Heather Drain, Parental Advisory stickers, the importance of editor...

Bill talks to writer and film historian Tim Lucas about some of his many contributions to film culture, from early mimeographed fanzines and articles like "The Shape Of Rage" and "The Butchering of Dario Argento" to award-winning efforts like Video Watchdog magazine and the book MARIO BAVA: ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK. Other topics covered include David Cronenberg and the filming of VIDEODROME, aud...

Bill speaks with Joseph A. Ziemba, creator of the website Bleeding Skull, director of genre programming and promotions at Alamo Drafthouse, and a lead archivist for American Genre Film Archive (AGFA). They discuss the origins of his various projects, as well as formative cinematic experiences, the aesthetic of BOARDINGHOUSE, work/life balance, the evolution of AGFA, and why preserving films like B...

Bill speaks with film critic Abbey Bender. They discuss her experiences in film culture, from childhood repertory screenings to writing for publications like Film Comment, The Village Voice, Playboy and Rolling Stone. Other topics include: "women's interest" writing assignments, fashion as it relates both to Rainer Werner Fassbinder and "The Brady Bunch", New York film culture, politics and contra...

  Bill speaks with author and film historian Lee Gambin. They talk about his wide array of artistic pursuits, from directing confrontational stage plays and selling fanzines for beer money to writing for Fangoria and lecturing at film festivals and universities. Topics include: FROGS, the origins of Lee's various books (including the new NOPE, NOTHING WRONG HERE: THE MAKING OF CUJO), tailoring one...

Bill speaks with writer and film programmer Ashley Clark about his pursuits, from his early blog Permanent Plastic Helmet and programming screenings at the movie theatre where he worked to writing for publications like The Guardian, Sight & Sound, Reverse Shot and Vice and programming for the BFI and MOMA. Other topics covered include: THE HATEFUL EIGHT, Wendell B. Harris Jr.'s CHAMELEON STREET an...

Bill speaks with Elric Kane about the wide variety of film culture projects he's been involved in, from hosting podcasts like Killer POV, Shock Waves and Pure Cinema, to directing films, producing and hosting interview shows like This Week In Horror and Inside Horror, teaching film, working at Facets, launching an entrepreneurial venture with Jump Cut Café, and much more. Other topics covered incl...

  Bill speaks with Barry Solan about both his years running repertory movie houses like The State Theatre and experiences as owner of the Video Americain video store chain. They also discuss midnight movie culture of the early 1980s, discovering rare movies on Youtube, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, bootlegs, how Video Americain came to be featured in John Waters' SERIAL MOM, the appeal of video s...

Bill speaks with writer/podcaster Amanda Reyes about her many experiences that shape her work, from discovering Scandinavian films on Bravo as a teenager to the professional satisfactions of becoming as an archivist.   They discuss the origins of her many film cultural endeavors, including the Made For TV Mayhem blog and its companion podcast, as well as the new book   Are You in the House Alone?...

Bill speaks with film blogger and podcaster Brian Saur about the origins of his many endeavors, from his long-running Rupert Pupkin Speaks site to the recent Pure Cinema and Just The Discs podcasts. Other topics discussed include Saur's in-progress documentary on author Danny Peary, the influence of social media on initial viewing experiences, the merits of film lists and the circumstances that ca...

Bill speaks with film critic Nick Pinkerton about his experiences and practices as a writer, from his initial reviews for Reverse Shot to becoming a regular contributor at publications like The Village Voice, Sight & Sound, Artforum and Film Comment.   Other topics discussed include the late Kim's Video chain, the importance of great editors, moderating Q&As, New York City film culture, criticism...

  Bill speaks with DVD/Blu-Ray producer, writer and film festival programmer Marc Walkow about his many projects and pursuits in the world of film culture, from his early days at TLA Video to programming for the New York Asian Film Festival to his essential role in turning Nobuhiko Obayashi's HOUSE into a popular cult film. They discuss his extensive history in home video: developing the Euroshock...

Bill speaks with Tracks Of The Damned podcast host Patrick Ripoll.   In addition to talking about both his current show and his years co-hosting the Director's Club podcast, they discuss Woody Allen, the C.H.U.D.com forums, standup comedy, the "Loveline" radio call-in program, what makes Letterboxd less evil than other social media sites, Buster Keaton, midnight movies, building cinephile monaster...

This week Bill speaks with the film critic Violet Lucca, Digital Editor of Film Comment Magazine and host of The Film Comment Podcast, about her experiences in film culture. Some of the topics discussed include: hybrid documentaries, Vine filmmakers, Nate Parker, DCPs and New York repertory cinemas, identity politics in film criticism, Rotten Tomatoes, prestige television, Film Comment's relations...

Bill speaks with Danny Peary, the author of Cult Movies, Cult Movies 2, Cult Movies 3, Guide For The Film Fanatic, and Cult Movie Stars, among others. They talk about Peary's long history with movies: childhood viewing that ranged from Abbott & Costello to Ingmar Bergman, discovering Andrew Sarris in high school and spending afternoons at theatres like The Thalia, starting a campus film society wh...

Bill speaks with Jeremy Richey, editor and co-creator of the quarterly print journal Art Decades. They talk about the origins of this publication and his litany of film-related blogs, among them Moon In The Gutter, Fascination: The Jean Rollin Experience, Nostalgia Kinky and Harry Moseby Confidential. They also discuss plagiarism, influential books, Jean Rollin, feminism, Tim Lucas, Jeremy's docum...

Bill speaks with Black On Black Cinema host and TNP Studios founder Jay Jacksonrao. In addition to talking about the origins of his Nerdpocalypse and Black On Black Cinema shows, they discuss blockbuster spectacle cinema and the post-9/11 appeal of superhero movies, Baltimore film culture, FRUITVALE STATION and how the economy can inform the kinds of stories told in black films. Visit the official...

Bill speaks with Director's Club host and Now Playing Network founder Jim Laczkowski. In addition to talking about podcasts, both his own and those of others, they discuss his early years directing short comedies to make his classmates laugh, his long history with WGN Radio film critic Nick Digilio, EVIL DEAD 2, near-death experiences, PUMP UP THE VOLUME, bandwagon mentality, the Chicago film crit...

Bill speaks with Exhumed Films co-founder and Diabolik DVD co-owner Joseph A. Gervasi about how the DIY ethos of hardcore punk informed his endeavors in film culture. They discuss the origins of his various projects, from early ventures like The Cabbage Collective and Bizarre Videos to later efforts like The Valerie Project and the ongoing Loud! Fast! Philly! series. Other topics addressed include...

Bill speaks to writer/film programmer Kier-La Janisse about her many contributions to film culture, from her Cannibal Culture fanzine and Cinemuerte film festival to co-founding venues like the Blue Sunshine Psychotronic Film Centre, schools like The Miskatonic Institute Of Horror Studies and her small-press publishing company with fellow writer Paul Corupe, Spectacular Optical Publications. We ta...

Bill speaks to writer/podcaster Mike White about his various projects and pursuits in the world of film culture, from WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE FOOLING? and Super Happy Fun to Cashiers du Cinemart and The Projection Booth. They also discuss film festivals, bootleg culture of the early 2000s, adult films, Bruce Campbell, underappreciated filmmakers, Mike's documentary appearances, unhelpful publicist...

Bill talks to documentary filmmaker Daniel Griffith of Ballyhoo Motion Pictures. Griffith explains how his independently-made documentary on film producer K. Gordon Murray opened the door to an ongoing career producing DVD/Blu-Ray supplements (for companies like Synapse Films, VCI Entertainment and Shout Factory) and documentary features on subjects like John Carpenter's DARK STAR, Florida filmmak...

Bill talks to film programmer and PhilaMOCA curator Eric Bresler. They have a conversation about his wide variety of projects, including his Video Pirates found-footage comedy shorts, the documentary OTAKU UNITE!, the Cinedelphia Film Festival and his work at PhilaMOCA. Other topics discussed include Philadelphia film culture and exhibition, tape trading, Eric's admiration for the band Sparks, TLA...