The Kulturecast

We take a break from Mike White March to check out the latest entry into the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise that just happens to share its title with the original: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022). Produced by Fede Alvarez, the film continues with the original film's continuity by bringing both Leatherface and Sally back to face off. Along the way, there may be a massacre or two, with chainsaws e...

It's Mike White March once again, and this year, it's all Chow Yun-Fat films! We near the end of the month with a drama that shows just how bad of a father Chow can be: All About Ah-Long. Starring Chow and Sylvia Chang, the two play estranged lovers whose child is seemingly torn between a life with one or the other. You'll never see the ending coming. The Projection Booth's Mike White and Wake Up...

We take another break from Mike White March to take a look at a film that is laden with '80s nostalgia of the action movie and sci-fi variety, Manborg. Starring every member of the Astron-6 crew, it follows Manborg, a soldier revived in the distant future and fused with robotics, that is tasked with taking down the evil Count Draculon. It's as tongue-in-cheek as it sounds and just as wild. Artist...

We take a break from Mike White March to check out the latest entry into the meta-horror franchise, Scream 5. Starring a mix of legacy characters and new faces, the film reintroduces Ghostface to a whole new group of savvy teens as they attempt to stop the killings before it's too late. It's a worthy entry into one of the truly great series. Singer Andy Gnosis and former Kulture Shocked writer Yas...

It's Mike White March once again, and this year, it's all Chow Yun-Fat films! We continue the month with a film that not only features a chainsaw duel but also some great buddy cop action: Tiger on Beat. Starring Chow and Conan Lee, the two play cops who have been paired together to take down a massive heroin dealer. As hell breaks loose when they find a way to track the dealer which just happens...

It's Mike White March once again, and this year, it's all Chow Yun-Fat films! We continue the month with a romantic drama that showcases Chow's dramatic chops: An Autumn's Tale. Starring Chow and Cherie Chung, Chung plays Jennifer, a woman who comes to NYC to study with her boyfriend only to find out that he's cheating on her. Along the way, she meets Figurehead, played by Chow, who helps her lear...

It's Mike White March once again, and this year, it's all Chow Yun-Fat films! To kick the month off, we take a look at a film that's a little bit Indiana Jones, a little bit martial arts, and a whole lot of high strangeness: The Seventh Curse. Starring Chow Yun-Fat, he plays Wisely, a sidekick to Dr. Yuen, an ass-kicking doctor tasked with breaking an ancient blood curse. Their adventure pits them...

We finish Begleyuary with a Paul Schrader film where he confronts his religious belief along with the changing times: Hardcore. Starring George C. Scott as a Calvinist father who goes to LA to find his lost daughter, he finds that she has fallen into the world of pornography. He then attempts to find her, and bring her home, all the while keeping his sanity and faith. Wake Up Heavy's Mark Begley a...

We take one more break from Begley on Begley with a reappraisal of the oft-maligned fourth sequel in the Indiana Jones franchise: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Directed by Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones must battle Russians, giant ants, and double agents on his quest to discover the mystery of the crystal skull. It's a mouthful just summarizing it; imagin...

We continue Begleyuary with another film that looks at a subculture that doesn't get enough cinematic love: Citizens Band. The film is directed by Jonathan Demme and stars an ensemble cast of characters who live and breathe CB radios in their small Nebraska town. Imagine "Cockfighter" but with radios instead of chickens, and you kind of get the idea. Wake Up Heavy's Mark Begley, The Projection Boo...

We continue Begleyuary with a film as controversial as it is entertaining primarily due to the titular bloodsport: Cockfighter. Directed by Monte Hellman and starring Warren Oates, it follows Frank, a fighter of cocks, who takes a vow of silence until he wins the Cockfighter of the Year award. Shades of "The Odyssey" and other road movies, along with a mesmerizing performance from Oates, make it a...

We take another break from Begleyuary with a look at a remake of a 1947 film based on a book: Nightmare Alley. Directed by Guillermo Del Toro, the film stars Bradley Cooper as Stanton Carlisle, a down on his luck carny, who takes his mentalism act a step too far in 1940's New York. Former Kulture Shocked writer Yashar Pirasteh joins Chris to talk about the film, Bradley Cooper, and Guillermo Del T...

We take a break from Begleyuary with a look at an Eric Bana thriller set in the Australian outback: The Dry. Bana plays Aaron Falk, a federal agent, who returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of his childhood friend who murdered his family and then killed himself. Once home, he realizes there may be more to not only his friend's murder but also a cold case he was directly involved in. Forme...

We kick off Begleyuary with a film that features Kurt Russell as Dexter Riley, a wiz-kid scientist, who accidentally invents invisibility in Now You See Him Now You Don't. Also starring Ed Begley Jr. (not for very long), Dexter and his friends have to outsmart a scheming businessman who is hellbent on turning their college into a horse-racing track. Wake Up Heavy's Mark Begley and The Projection B...

We conclude Comedy Mafia Month with a film featuring a semi-dramatic turn from Marvel's tree daddy himself, Vin Diesel, in Sidney Lumet's Find Me Guilty. Diesel plays Jackie DiNorscio, a mobster, who decides to represent himself in the longest trial in American history where he and several other mafia defendants were charged with RICO. Dark Destination's Father Malone joins Chris to talk about the...

We continue Comedy Mafia Month the final parody film from Jim Abraham, director of Airplane!, but this time the sights are turned on gangsters in Jane Austen's Mafia!. Starring Jay Mohr as a Michael Corleone-type, it apes the plots of the first two Godfather films with Scorsese's Casino for good measure. Sight gags and lunacy ensue! The Projection Booth's Mike White joins Chris to talk about the f...

We take a break from Comedy Mafia Month with one of the most anticipated films of 2021, the true third canonical sequel in the Ghostbusters franchise, Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Starring McKenna Grace and a host of others, it follows the estranged family of Egon Spengler as they take over his estate and uncover a world-threatening mystery. On Seagal's Trevor Gumbel and Dark Destination's Father Malo...

We kick off Comedy Mafia Month with a gangster-inspired retelling of the Robin Hood story featuring musical numbers, Robin and the 7 Hoods. Starring Frank Sinatra and other members of the Rat Pack, it follows Sinatra's Robbo as he attempts to make his fortune and clear his name in a murder case. Pulp Serenade's Cullen Gallager joins Chris to talk about the film, the musical numbers, and Sinatra's...

We end Dolin December with a look at three stop-motion shorts from Aardman Studios that helped popularize them, Wallace and Gromit. Starring the lovable duo, the three shorts (A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave) spotlight not only their comedy stylings but also genuinely spectacular stop-motion work. Artist Maggie the Odd and Pulp-Serenade's Cullen Gallager join Chris to talk about...

We take a break from Dolin December with a reboot sequel that honestly has no right to exist or be as good as it is: The Matrix Resurrections. Starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, the film explores the original film's mythology while introducing a new, more powerful Matrix program. It's a soft reboot sequel that succeeds where almost all the others have failed; yes, we're serious. The Proje...

We continue Dolin December with a look at one of the most technically impressive films ever covered on the Kulturecast: The Wizard of Speed and Time. Directed and starring special effects maven Mike Jittlov, it follows him as he attempts to get his special effects-laden film done inside the cutthroat Hollywood system. It's reminiscent of early live-action Disney films mixed with a heavy helping of...

We kick off Dolin December with a look at an animated special from 1971 that features three different narrators and music by Harry Nilsson: The Point. Narrated by Ringo Starr, Dustin Hoffman, and Alan Thicke, the story follows Oblio, a pointless boy, who is exiled to the Pointless Forest and his dog Arrow. It's reminiscent of Rankin and Bass and after-school specials but also features fantastic so...

We finish Zombie Movie Month with a film that features one zombie that comes back from the dead for a dance at the prom: My Boyfriend's Back. Directed by Bob Balaban, the film follows Johnny Dingle, a high school teenager killed by accident only to come back as a zombie. Once a zombie, he must figure out why he's undead and what he can do to undo it, all the while taking the prettiest girl in scho...

We kick off Zombie Movie Month with a look at a film focused on what happens when two friends have to deal with becoming zombies: The Revenant. Starring Chris Wylde and David Anders, the two friends have to deal with becoming zombies, then using their zombie powers for "good." It's a unique indie film that features the undead in a truly unique way. The Projection Booth's Mike White joins Chris to...

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