378. House / Hausu (1977): Totally Pretentious #20. Childish Terror and the Violation of Cinematic Tradition
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sand-f-378-house/SandF_378_House.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSEvil houses, commercial breaks, and bucking tradition, oh my! Shaun Duke and David Annandale are back at it with a new Totally Pretentious show about Nobuhiko Obayashi’s infamous 1977 horror comedy, House / Hausu. Together, they discuss the film’s road to production, its unique presentation of horror elements, Obayashi’s production relationship with his daughter, and so much more. This film is weird, y’all, but it’s interesting! We hope you enjoy the episode!
373. Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1984) — Torture Cinema #99
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sandf373voyageoftherockaliens/SandF_373_VoyageoftheRockAliens.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSUbiquitous tentacles, wholesome content, and riding his rainbow in the sky! Shaun Duke and Jen Zink break all the rules we arbitrarily set for Torture Cinema to discuss a film so beautiful and so bonkers bananapants that it might have fixed the 80s all on its own if it had only been popular enough! Together, they dig into the wild world of 1984’s Voyage of the Rock Aliens, from its wild musicality to its send off of 80s culture to its utterly wonky narrative and character decisions. This is one for the ages, folks. And it is pure. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Torture Cinema #96: Transylvania 6-5000 (1985)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sandftorturecinema96transylvania65000/SandF–Torture_Cinema_96–Transylvania_6-5000.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSQuestionable journalists, questionable comedy, and questionable geography, oh my! Shaun Duke, Alex Acks, Jen Zink, and Trish Matson wander into an unsuspecting Eastern European town to discuss the 1985 “comedy,” Transylvania 6-5000. With their magic judge hats on, the crew tackles the film’s approach to comedy, the absurdity of its monster-centric premise, twist endings, hairy dudes, and what it’s like to have Patreon supporters who pick movies like this for us to watch (thanks…)! We hope you enjoy the episode!
Torture Cinema #94: Stan Helsing (2009)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sandftorturecinema94stanhelsing/SandF–Torture_Cinema_94–Stan_Helsing.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSDirty mice, invisible plots, and Leslie Nielsen, oh my! Shaun Duke, Alex Acks, and Paul Weimer throw themselves on Freddy’s clawed hand to discuss Stan Helsing, a movie made by drunk people to torture the dead. Together, they discuss the film’s approach to humor, its nonsensical plot, why Leslie Nielsen is in this movie, and all the ways that this film is both offensive and hopelessly lazy. You picked it, so we watched it. Thanks a lot, y’all. We hope you enjoy the episode!
A Book By Its Cover: Head On by John Scalzi
In this light and charming novel, we see a side of author John Scalzi that will surprise his readers — a sense of humor. The writer best known for works like the tragic, grimdark space opera, Old Man O’ War, about an artificially intelligent military starship confronting its own obsolescence, or the biochemistry-driven hard SF thriller Reagent to the Stars, which famously inspired Peter Watts to comment, “I couldn’t finish it. Too intense. And would it kill Scalzi to crack a joke once in a while?” isn’t a name that we usually associate with comedy. But I’m here to tell you, Scalzi can be funny. Who knew?
A Book by its Cover – Chuck Wendig #5: The Raptor and the Wren by Miriam Black
After a few entries, popular series can become quite problematic. The author can stick to what works and hit all the same notes that brought success and breed comfortable familiarity. Scores of fans will eat it up, but it risks the series turning formulaic and dull. The author can try to switch things up, reinvent a groundbreaking core, or diverge the story into new characters and territory. But change too much of what the fans hold dear without winning some new hearts, and it could all come crashing down.
