Village Video Store: Staff Selects

This episode features just me, your host, recapping the 30+ movies I watched in celebration of Junesploitation. I also include a brief review of my experiences at Exhumed Film’s 12-hour movie marathon Ex-Fest, held on June 13th at the Colonial Theater in Phoenxville, PA. Celebrate filth. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...

This episode features improviser, filmmaker, and my road trip buddy Patrick Keene . You can regularly see him performing improv all around New York City with his team Duchovny. Watch his debut film Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill (on the biggest screen possible). Patrick’s selections for his shelf got us talking about meta-textual horror, self-annihilation, New York City weirdos, the social construct...

This episode features actor, writer, and fellow Philadelphian Betsy Kenney. Betsy is TikTok famous for her Philadelphia ASMR series , as well as her excellent podcast Done with Dara Katz . Her film selections got us chatting about depression, father-daughter dynamics, dangerous drag stars, local theater, childhood memories, and little freaks. In addition to subscribing to this substack, please con...

What’s this?! No guest?!?! Yes, it’s just me this episode because I wanted to talk about Junesploitation: a yearly Internet movie challenge where you watch one movie a day each from a specific exploitation sub-genre. I’m fascinated with exploitation film from throughout history so when given the opportunity to explore it, you better believe I’m explorin’. Here’s a link to this year’s Junesploitati...

This episode features actor, writer, and fellow physical media addict, Ben Stanton. Ben is the leader of the Commonwealth Film Club, a group of friends we brought together to watch movies from our extensive physical media collections. He selected five films for his Staff Selects shelf that got us chatting about the power of music, memories on film, toxic lovers, early aughts nostalgia, lady plumbe...

This episode features my improv soulmate, Jess Ross. We have been writing and performing together since 2010 and we both share a devout love of movies. Jess picked out five movies for her Staff Selects that got us talking about thrills, chills, sills, and good gay fun. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or listen to it here through the Substack. Please consider financially subscrib...

This episode of the Village Video Podcast features artist, writer, and actor Kait Thompson, one of my oldest and dearest friends that I’ve made through the Philadelphia improv community. Kait selects five films for her Staff Selects that got us talking about lesbians, sex in film, the joys of music as a teenager, the cost of independent film, the destructive nature of capitalism, reality televisio...

On this episode of The Village Video podcast, I talk with actor and singer Melanie Field. You may have seen her on A League of Her Own, You, Killing It, The Alienist, Florida Girls, and Heathers, just to name a few. She’s one of the stars of the upcoming film Home Delivery which will be in theaters on March 27th. She is also my sister. Melanie and I talk about her Staff Selects, a collection of fi...

Oh look, another clown with a podcast. In an effort to celebrate the video store culture of yesteryear, the plan for this podcast is to bring on friends and have them construct their own “Staff Picks” shelf. A mainstay of the independent video store, Staff Picks were a way for customers to get a recommendation for a movie right when they walk through the door. Each employee’s Staff Picks was an op...