The Kulturecast

Chris and Sean continue Horrortober with a look at some truly delightful Australian torture porn The Loved Ones. The film follows Brent, a teenager who lost his father, as he is kidnapped, mutilated, and tortured by a crazy chick he turned down for prom. It's a mix of Sixteen Candles and Hostel with a decidedly Australian flair. As always, you can follow Chris Stachiw on Twitter at @KultureStach, ...

Chris and Sean roll on with Horrortober with a look at Man-Roach takes Manhattan otherwise known as Mimic. It's Guillermo Del Toro's first English language film and one that pits normal New Yorkers against a genetically created bug threat. It's man versus nature in a battle under the city that never sleeps. As always, you can follow Chris Stachiw on Twitter at @KultureStach, Sean Liang at @Seannif...

Chris and Sean continue Horrortober with a look at Brian Yuzna's body horror directorial debut Society. The film stars Billy Warlock as Billy Whitney, a rich kid living in Beverly Hills, who is convinced that nefarious things are going on with his family. He finds out that not all is as it seems and that there may be some truly horrifying secrets that his society is hiding. We also talk our picks...

Chris and Sean kick-off the third year of Horrortober with a look at a wholly unnecessary remake of a truly classic horror film, A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010). The film stars Jackie Earle Haley on the scarred serial killer, Freddy Krueger, as he torments, maims, and murders the teenagers of Elm Street. It's a remake that does little to build upon the original and in doing so does little to stan...

Chris and Sean finish up Kaiju Movie Month with a look at the unfairly maligned first attempt at bringing Godzilla across the ocean, Godzilla (1998). The film stars Matthew Broderick in the leading role as Nick Tatopoulos, a worm scientist who is tasked with taking down the King of Monsters and his babies. It's a slice of the 90's as presented by the masters of disaster, Roland Emmerich and Dean D...

Chris and Sean return from a self-imposed hiatus talk about the penultimate film of Kaiju Movie Month, Godzilla (2014). The film is the first entry into the Godzilla/King Kong shared cinematic franchise and it introduces a newer, shorter Godzilla. It follows Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Bryan Cranston as they try to stop the MUTOs with the help of Godzilla. It's a lackluster first entry into a new Ame...

We continue One on One interview series with veteran actor Doug Jones. Doug Jones is one of Hollywood's premiere creature actors having played memorable roles in Hellboy, Crimson Peak, and The Strain. He is known for playing slender, tall monsters that are as memorable as they are terrifying. We spoke with him about his time playing Abe Sapien in Hellboy, working with auteur Guillermo Del Toro, an...

Chris is joined by a returning Sean, host of The Projection Booth Mike White, and Kulturecade editor Zach Wickwire to talk the first time that Godzilla and King Kong tussled in King Kong vs. Godzilla. The film stars King Kong, kidnapped by a Japanese pharma company, fights the king of monsters Godzilla to the death on the countryside of Japan. It's a campy film that is a stark contrast to Godzilla...

Chris is joined once again by Dan and Zach Wickwire continue Kaiju Movie Month as tackle a film that blatantly rip-offs Godzilla but does none of it right: Gamera (1965). The film follows Gamera, a giant mutant turtle, who not only saves children but also incinerates teenagers while wrecking havoc on Japan. It's derivative in every way of much better kaiju films. As always, you can follow Chris St...

Chris is joined by resident kaiju movie expert Dan Wickwire to continue Kaiju Movie Month as they lament the existence of Godzilla's son Minilla in All Monsters Attack. The film focuses on Ichiro, a latchkey kid, who dreams of Monster Island and being able to meet Godzilla and his son. Along they way, Ichiro learns about bullying and how to beat up bank robbers and other kids because he can. As al...

Chris and Sean are joined by writer Zach Wickwire to kick-off Kaiju Movie Month with the progenitor of all Kaiju movies, Godzilla (1954). The film follows the titular monster as he wrecks havoc on the innocent people of Japan after being created by the US during the second World War. As always, you can follow Chris Stachiw on Twitter at @KultureStach, Sean Liang at @Seannifer and Kulture Shocked a...

Chris and Sean end their Nicolas Cage retrospective with another Nic Cage horror film that isn't The Wicker Man: Pay the Ghost. Cage plays a professor whose son is kidnapped on Halloween by a supernatural entity and then he must try to deduce how to get his son back. It's a film that's an interesting concept but a total letdown in execution, a long shot from the first film of the retrospective. As...

Chris and Sean near the end of their Nicolas Cage retrospective with the film that made Nic Cage a YouTube sensation the world over The Wicker Man (2006). Nic Cage is Edward Malus, a sheriff tasked with finding his missing daughter on the mysterious island of Summersisle. He discovers not all is as it seems and must don a bear suit and punch women to suss out the truth behind the pagan society. It...

Chris and Sean are smack dab in the middle of Nicolas Cage retrospective with their look at another film that garnered Nic Cage another Oscar nomination Adaptation.. The film stars Cage as Charlie and Donald Kaufman, one of which is tasked with adapting Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief into a feature film. He fights to keep it true to the source material but ends up becoming lost in the process and...

We kick off the return of our One on One interview series with veteran actor Sam McMurray. He has worked in the industry for the last 41 years; his roles have ranged from voice acting to television along with film. We sat down with him to talk about his time on Raising Arizona, his role as Roy on Dinosaurs, and being a featured player on The Tracey Ullman Show. He also talks about his recent role...

Chris and Sean are joined by film director Matt Campagna to take a break from their Nicolas Cage retrospective to talk DC's latest entry into their cinematic universe Suicide Squad. The film stars Will Smith, Jared Leto, and Margot Robbie along with some other characters who get almost no screen time as they see if they can top Batman v Superman as DC's most disappointing film of the year. As alwa...

Chris and Sean continue their Nicolas Cage retrospective with a look at one of Cage's most over the top and meme-worthy performances in Vampire's Kiss. The film follows Peter Loews, a literary agent, as he descends into madness and possibly becomes a vampire. It's a cringeworthy performance that must be seen to be believed and it's a performance that is classic Cage. As always, you can follow Chri...

Chris and Sean are joined by screenwriter Tim Burns to kick off the Nicolas Cage retrospective with a look the Coen Brother's second film Raising Arizona. The film follows Nic Cage and Holly Hunter as an ex-con and ex-cop married couple that steals a baby from recently born quintuplets only to have their lives turned upside down. It's one of the Coen Brother's funniest and most personal film. As a...

Chris takes a break from Shakespeare Month to talk the hotly debated reboot of Ghostbusters with filmmaker Matt Campagna. The film follows four women who take it upon themselves to fight the growing paranormal disturbances throughout the city of New York. It's one of the year's most controversial films and a lightning rod for fanboys and feminists alike. As always, you can follow Chris Stachiw on...

Chris continues Shakespeare Month with guests Mike White of the Projection Booth, film critic Oscar Moreno, and Quinn Fleming to talk Ran, Akira Kurosawa's classic adaptation of King Lear. The film follows Hidetora Ichimonji, a Japanese lord, as he abdicates his throne to his three sons who then turn on him. He then descends into his own mental hell as his empire collapses all around him destroyin...

Chris and Sean continue Shakespeare Month with the Tom Stoppard-written and directed look at Hamlet's friends as they struggle with an existential crisis in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. The film follows the two as they attempt to thwart their own demise why trying to find their place in the world. It's a comical look at the hapless duo along with some fantastic performances by Gary Oldma...

Chris and Sean kick off Shakespeare Month with the Ralph Fiennes directed Coriolanus. The film adapts the classic play by the Bard as Caius Martius becomes a war hero and then a politician only to have the state of Rome turn against him. He then joins forces with Volsci rebels to take down the city he once called home. It's an interesting if not flawed film that sometimes too closely follows the s...

Chris and Sean are joined by film critic John Lein and frequent guest Zach Nowack to wrap-up June-Jitsu with a look at Jet Li's sci-fi martial arts mashup The One. The film follows Jet Li as Gabriel Yulaw, a universe-hopping psychopath who is determined to kill all alternate versions of himself. He runs into trouble however when he attempts to kill Gabe Law, also Li, and martial arts fighting and...

Chris and Sean are joined by film critic Ben Hanig and frequent guest Quinn Fleming as they near the end of June-Jitsu with a look at Tony Jaa's first major film Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior. The film follows Jaa as Ting who is tasked with retrieving the decapitated head of Ong-Bak, a statue that brings good luck and prosperity to his village. Along the way he finds himself thrust into the world of...

Chris and Sean are joined by frequent guest Quin Fleming to take a break from June-Jitsu to talk about the video game film that China made a success Warcraft. The film centers on Lothar and Durotan, a human and a benevolent orc who must work together to stop the forthcoming onslaught of black magic and evil orcs. It's the most successful video game film of all time and the first entry into the cin...