The Kulturecast

Chris Stachiw, and 80's TV Ladies Susan Lambert take listeners on a hilarious and insightful journey through the world of musicals, focusing on the beloved classic "The Sound of Music." With their witty banter and contrasting perspectives, Stachiw and Lambert explore the film's cultural significance, production design, and music with humor and charm. Whether you're a die-hard fan of musicals or si...

Chris Stachiw, Josh Hurtado, and Jess Byard provide a riveting analysis of the film "Downrange," capturing the essence of its unique camera work, tension-building techniques, and subversive nature. The hosts delve deep into the nihilistic tone of the film, exploring the lack of motive behind the sniper character's actions and the senseless violence that drives the story forward. With insightful co...

Chris Stachiw, guest Rod Lott, and author Andrew J. Rausch take listeners on a wild ride through the gruesome world of Herschel Gordon Lewis's cult classic film, "Blood Feast." With a mix of humor and insight, the hosts discuss the film's graphic gore, amateur acting, and bizarre Egyptian themes, while sharing personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories. From failed attempts at getting into d...

The hosts of The Kulturecast dive deep into the chaotic and unexpected world of the cult classic "Versus," exploring its tumultuous production history, over-the-top action sequences, and genre-defying elements. With insightful analysis and humorous commentary, Father Malone, Chris Stachiw, and Ryan Verrill take listeners on a wild ride through the bizarre and bewildering world of this unique film,...

Hosts Mike White and Chris Stachiw dig deep into their thoughts on Dune Part Two, offering insightful commentary on the character development, narrative structure, and challenges of adapting such a complex world to the big screen. With differing opinions on the film, the hosts provide a well-rounded discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of the movie, highlighting standout characters like Paul...

The hosts of The Kulturecas dive deep into the 1989 romantic comedy "Chances Are," dissecting its quirky plot and reflecting on its similarities to other classic films of the era. With lively banter and differing opinions, Sharon and Susan provide a humorous and insightful analysis of the movie, exploring its outdated romantic entanglements and praising the engaging performances of the cast. Wheth...

We continue Romance Month with a bonus episode that came into being due to our previous episode on Victor/Victoria that also just happens to work for this month's theme: The Americanization of Emily . Rankin' on Bond's Richard Hatem programs the episode to talk more Julie Andrews, James Garner, and alot of anti-war sentiment. Reuniting James Garner and Julie Andrews, the film follows Garner's Char...

We continue Romance Month with one of the great fantasy romance films that also explores ideas of fate and, strangely, neuroscience: A Matter of Life and Death. Someone's Favorite Productions' Dr. Will Dodson and The Projection Booth's Mike White join the episode to talk David Niven, a young Kim Hunter, and the escalator to Heaven. Starring Niven and Hunter as star-crossed lovers, Niven cheats dea...

We begin Romance Month with one of the most unconventional romantic films of all time with one hell of a soundtrack: Harold and Maude . Adam's Corners Adam Long joins the episode to talk all about Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon, and that soundtrack by Cat Stevens. Written by Colin Higgins as his senior film thesis, it follows the titular Harold and Maude, one obsessed with death, one obsessed with living l...

We near the end of Musical Month Deux with one of the regularly scheduled programming films that is a musical with a capital "M": Oliver! . Someone's Favorite Production's Dr. Will Dodson joins the episode for the first time to talk about Oliver Reed, white privilege, and epic musicals. Based on the musical of the same name by Lionel Bart in turn based on Dickens' Oliver Twist, it follows the jour...

We end Musical Month Deux with a musical remake of the John Waters-directed original that features one of the strangest screen performances ever: Hairspray (2007) . Film critic Josh Hurtado and Alamo Drafthouse's Jackie Stewart join the episode to talk all about John Travolta's role, the music, and the film's message in 2024. A remake of the 1988 Waters film of the same name , it follows Tracy Tur...

We near the end of Musical Month Deux with a modern-day biopic that also happens to be parody along with being a damn fine musical with alot of heart: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story . Disc-Connected's Ryan Verrill programs the episode and stops by to talk all about John C. Reilly, the film's music, and what Dewey Cox may be up to in 2024. Starring John C. Reilly as the titular Dewey Cox, the film...

We continue Musical Month Deux with a Julie Andrews-helmed performance musical that has some rather progressive ideas about gender and sexual politics: Victor/Victoria . 80's TV Ladies' Susan Lambert Hatem programs the episode and stops by to talk all about James Garner, 80's sexual politics, and if this could be remade in 2024. Based on the 1933 German film, the musical follows the titular Victor...

We soldier on with Musical Month Deux with yet another adaptation of an Andrew Lloyd Webber joint that, similarly to Cats (2019), doesn't do the source material much justice: Jesus Christ Superstar. Scary Stories We Tell's Emma Mantel l joins another episode in a row to talk about Norman Jewison, the usage of anachronisms, and those hats. Based on the stage play of the same name, the rock opera fi...

We continue Musical Month Deux with a look at one of the most critically and commercially reviled films of the last decade that also happens to be based off the first megamusical: Cats (2019) . Scary Stories We Tell's Emma Mantell kicks off the New Year right by joining the first recorded episode of 2024 to talk about various celebrity-cat hybrids, the lack of buttholes, and why Tom Hooper may nev...

We kick off the New Year with a look at a true Australian musical classic that deserves alot more love than most musicals from the early '80s: Starstruck (1982 ). Noise Junkie's Heather Drain and Kulturecast newbie author Rachel McPadden program the episode and kick off the month with talk about Jo Kennedy, Aussie filmmaking, and the fan theory ending. Directed by Gillian Armstrong, the film follo...

With our quick jaunt into food films over, we end the year with a month programmed by the one and only Heather Drain, starting with an Argentinian horror film that could also be a noir film: Feast of Flesh. Noise Junkie's Heather Drain kicks off the month and joins the episode to talk about the film's masked man, the lighting, and more. Directed by Emilio Vieyra, the film follows the exploits of a...

With Horrortober 9 in the rearview, we take a quick jaunt into food films with an amended month of two classic food films, closing with The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover . Noise Junkie's Heather Drain and Dark Destinations' Father Malone join the episode to talk about the production design, Peter Greenaway, and that finale. Directed by Peter Greenaway, it tells the story of the ruthles...

With Horrortober 9 in the rearview, we take a quick jaunt into food films with an amended month of two classic food films, starting with Babette's Feast . Rankin on Bass's Richard Hatem joins the episode to talk about food, religion, and the end of the writer's strike. Based on the short story by Karen Blixen, the film tells the story of two sisters, Martine and Filipa, who, after devoting their l...

With Horrortober 9 in the rearview, take a break from everything to check out a film that's been in Chris' blind spot: L.A. Confidential . T he World is Wrong's Andras Jones stops by for his first time along with programming the episode all about classic LA, gangsters, and noir filmmaking. Starring Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, and Guy Pearce, the film follows the three LAPD detectives as they must...

With Horrortober 9 in the rearview, we make one last stop in Horrotown for a film almost a decade in the making: Five Night's at Freddy's . Scary Stories We Tell's Emma Mantell and Dustin Rutledge join the episode to talk FNAF lore, the movie's RT score, and where the series goes from here. Josh Hutcherson stars as Mike, a man plagued by memories of his brother who was kidnapped, who gets a job at...

We end Horrortober 9, this year a mixed bag of new and old horror, with a film from 2022 that made tons of waves in the horror world: Barbarian . Scary Stories We Tell's Emma Mantell joins for the first time to talk about a rough movie with even rougher subject material, trigger warning advised for assault. Georgina Campbell plays Tess, a woman renting out an Airbnb for the week only to find that...

We end Horrortober 9, this year a mixed bag of new and old horror, with another film that mashes up two things great on their own into a wild melange of splatter comedy: Hard Rock Zombies . Mondo Heather's Heather Drain programs the episode along with stopping by to talk all about zombies, zombies that rock, and zombie Hitler. Starring E.J. Curse as Jessie, the film follows a group of hard rockers...

We end Horrortober 9, this year a mixed bag of new and old horror, with a film that's not too scary but definitely alot of nostalgic fun: Ernest Scared Stupid . Scary Stories We Tell's Maggie the Odd programs the episode as well as stops by to wax poetically about a man named Worrell. Starring Jim Varney as the titular Ernest, he must content with a troll that was once imprisoned by his ancestors...

We continue Horrortober 9, this year a mixed bag of new and old horror, with a crossover with the Bollywood Cinema Club taking a look at one of the few Indian horror films made stateside: It Lives Inside . Scary Stories We Tell's Dustin Rutledge stops by to talk all about Indian cinema, the film's monster, and its prospects for broadening film horizons. Starring Megan Suri as Sam, she must juggle...