Videodrome Cinema

Dripping with magenta and lavender hues, "Mandy" paints a surreal, otherworldly vision of the Pacific Northwest that is inhabited by demonic bikers and maniacal cultists. Nicolas Cage is the questing hero of this rock-and-roll fable, pitting himself against the forces of darkness in the name of his true love Mandy.  This week, along with guest-host Noel Brown, we'll be exploring this visually dazzling horror film that combines classic elements of the hero-fantasy genre with the sludgy sensibilities of doom-metal.

This week, we're taking a look at Ralph Bakshi's biting commentary on racism and the American dream: "Coonskin". Rendered in the surreal, grungy animation that Bakshi is known for, Coonskin takes us an a bizarre, impressionistic trip into 1970's Harlem, in the company of Brother Rabbit and his gang of anthropomorphic animals. This reworking of the Uncle Remus stories drew controversy in it's own time and remains a firey and provocative satire today. Is the film's shock-value justified in the name of transgressive art? Join the conversation on this week's episode!\r\n

Enter the baffling universe of Zardoz, as a scantily-clad Sean Connery attempts to murder a society of immortals at the behest of a flying stone head--the god called Zardoz! Notorious for it's cheesy dialogue and campy visuals, this sci-fi nostalgia nugget from the 70s offers up some laughs along with it's heady (if perhaps overly-convoluted) insights into human nature and technology.\r\n

This episode, we're stepping into the brutal, futuristic world of "Possessor", where hired assassins neurologically hijack your mind to commit murders with your body! Tasya Vos is the best "possessor" in the game, but when it's your job to forever change identities, it's hard to keep your own. Will this next job finally push her over the edge into insanity? Brandon Cronenberg directs this cold and shockingly violent sci-fi thriller.

The year is 1990. David is a loner that takes care of his ailing mother and is looking for a connection from the outside world by way of a video dating service. By chance David comes across a videotape, Rent-A-Pal. The Pal (Andy), played by Wil Wheaton of Star Trek TNG fame, may not be all he seems. As David develops an unhealthy relationship with the 'Pal' on his TV screen his life descends into madness. Join us as we dive into this story of loneliness, sadness, and psychological disintegration.    

Madness is endemic at an isolated castle where a collection of misfit Vietnam soldiers are undergoing a strange, experimental psychiatric play therapy under the guidance of their odd, yet benevolent psychiatrist. This week, we're taking a look at William Peter Blatty's bizarre directorial debut, The Ninth Configuration, a weird tragicomedy that bewilderingly lurches between screwball hijinks and dead-serious soul-searching, offering a frequently confounding, yet always amusing watching experience.

Madness is endemic at an isolated castle where a collection of misfit Vietnam soldiers are undergoing a strange, experimental psychiatric play therapy under the guidance of their odd, yet benevolent psychiatrist. This week, we're taking a look at William Peter Blatty's bizarre directorial debut, The Ninth Configuration, a weird tragicomedy that bewilderingly lurches between screwball hijinks and dead-serious soul-searching, offering a frequently confounding, yet always amusing watching experience.

Battle lines are drawn as a Soviet tank mercilessly razes an Afghani village to the ground, leaving a young Mujahideen fighter and a conflicted Soviet trooper to take revenge on the lumbering steel monstrosity. This week, we're taking a look at the unjustly ignored and almost universally forgotten "The Beast" (aka, The Beast of War). A potent anti-war thriller starting Jason Patrick in his follow-up to "The Lost Boys" and George Dzundza as the brutal Soviet tank commander.

A well-to-do suburban family is thrown into turmoil as they individually and collectively struggle to come to terms with the death of a family member in Robert Redford's "Ordinary People". We're taking a look at this classic Oscar-winning family drama, featuring a dream-team of top-notch actors delivering some of their finest work. "Ordinary People" offers a no-frills look into the pain and secret resentments bubbling beneath the surface of family life and what it takes to overcome those hardships.

We're back this week with a second serving of samurai action as we take a look at "The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi"! A rekindling of the classic Japanese film series, the film tells the story of a blind masseur with almost supernatural hearing (and swordsmanship) as he crosses paths with a rogue's gallery of assassins, gangsters, and ronin each harboring their own secret grudges and hidden agendas. Popular Japanese filmmaker, Beat Takeshi, infuses this story with as much humor and music as it has violence and pathos, delivering a toe-tappingly brutal tragicomedy.

This week on the show, we're taking a look at Ghost Dog: the Way of the Samurai, an East-meets-West culture clash, delivering modern-day samurai action with a hip-hop aesthetic. It's the story of a hitman who lives by the code of Bushido, serving his boss with unwavering loyalty, even as his boss tries to kill him following a botched assassination. Directed by celebrated auteur, Jim Jarmusch, this off-beat thriller/comedy comes packing philosophy and firepower in equal measure.

Kevin Costner finds himself with no way out when his girlfriend is murdered by a rival lover: his boss...the Secretary of Defense! We're looking at "No Way Out" this week, a harrowing tale where our hero is in a race against time to prove his innocence while also unwittingly being given the task to prove his own guilt as a murderous enemy agent! Scandal and political intrigue abound in this spy thriller.

We've hit the nail on the head this week on the podcast, it's Nailgun Massacre! Following the barely coherent adventures of a murderous power tool enthusiast, this movie is notorious for it's bad acting, bad music...bad everything. This bit of trash cinema will have you howling in equal parts laughter and pain.

The Halloween season continues on Videodrome Cinema Podcast this week as we take a look at Kathryn Bigelow's cult classic, Near Dark. When a gang of vampire desperados mosey into town stirring up trouble, our hero Caleb gets more than he bargained for as he gets swept up into their nightly hunts for blood. From the cast that brought you "Aliens", comes this gritty thriller that's part vampire movie and part neo-western.

This week, we look at the classic tale of a giant ape-king who is taken from his jungle home and brought to the big city--that's right, it's The Mighty Peking Man, who else? Joined by a Lady-Tarzan and armed with cheesy dialog and cheesier special effects, the Mighty Peking Man (and his screeching animatronic face) takes us on a hilariously campy journey from a stock-footage jungle to the streets of Hong Kong.

The streets of the old French Quarter run red as a ritualistic murderer preys upon the ladies of the night and offers up their hearts to his evil pagan god. It's "Mardi Gras Massacre" this week on Videodrome Cinema podcast, an obscure Video Nasty that features no Massacre and barely any Mardi Gras. Join us as we explore the musty thrills of this groan-worthy slasher flick.

This week on Videodrome Cinema, we'll be looking at Netflix's controversial new film, "Cuties" -- an unflinchingly frank look into the issue of hypersexualization of young girls and the ways in which this problem is entrenched into society. A cast of talented young actors star in this film as the eponymous Cuties, a pre-teen girl's dance troupe that find themselves faced with both personal and cultural hurdles as they strive to win big at a dance contest.

Lone Star (1996) When the skeleton of his murdered predecessor is found, Sheriff Sam Deeds unearths many other long-buried secrets in his Texas border town.

Oh Mama, we're serving up an extra-sleazy slice of cinema this week: Burial Ground, the Nights of Terror! It's a zombie invasion, done Italian style, as the moldy, maggot-covered dead arise and feast on the brains of our hapless cast of characters (including a young weirdo with an Oedipus Complex). Blood, guts, zombies, and a dash of incest make up this cinematic stew in this week's episode of Videodrome Cinema!

Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K as we rejoin Bill and Ted, a pair of good-natured goofball metal-heads, on their adventures through time. This time around, the duo (with a little help from their slacker daughters) must write the perfect song that will save all of reality. A music-driven comedy featuring a strong nostalgia factor for fans of the original films, but how does it hold up after 20+ years? Find out this week on Videodrome Cinema!