Episode 68: Imogen Sara Smith

Bill speaks to author and film historian Imogen Sara Smith about her various endeavors, from writing books like BUSTER KEATON: THE PERSISTENCE OF COMEDY and IN LONELY PLACES: FILM NOIR BEYOND THE CITY to contributing audio commentaries, booklet essays and on-camera interviews to home video releases from The Criterion Collection, Kino Lorber, Eureka!, Imprint, Flicker Alley, Arrow and Indicator. Topics include: John Bengtson’s SILENT ECHOES, Eddie Muller, writing techniques, The Criterion Channel, Courtney Stephens’ TERRA FEMME, her Phantom Light column for Film Comment, THE WELL, film lists/ranking and stumbling upon old W.C. Fields locations.

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Episode 67: Katie Rife

Bill talks to writer/editor/podcaster/programmer Katie Rife about her many endeavors, from co-founding Everything Is Terrible, inventing puns for Mr. Skin and presenting films at Facets Night School to writing/podcasting for The A.V. Club, programming for The Music Box Theatre and freelancing for outlets like Rolling Stone, Vulture and Roger Ebert.com. Topics include: Mike McPadden, Daily Grindhouse, gatekeepers, Odd Obsession Movies, her book IF YOU LIKE QUENTIN TARANTINO…, William Morris, Film Club, Fantastic Fest 2017, online harassment, Elizabeth Purchell, ironically working for Jerry Springer and getting judged for renting THE WIRE.

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Episode 66: Elena Lazic

Bill speaks to Animus Magazine founder/editor and film critic Elena Lazic. Topics include: Stéphane Delorme, PETRA, having a responsibility to cinema, The Prince Charles Cinema, STRAW DOGS, filmmaker intentionality, Another Gaze, The Relentless Picnic, the Oscars, Cahiers du Cinéma, the solitary nature of writing, TITANE, Reverse Shot, Vincent D'Onofrio and developing critical faculties through disappointment with INSPECTOR GADGET.

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Episode 65: Brad Stevens

Bill speaks to author and film critic Brad Stevens about his film cultural endeavors, from contributing to publications like The Dark Side, Sight & Sound and Video Watchdog to writing books like MONTE HELLMAN: HIS LIFE AND FILMS and ABEL FERRARA: A MORAL VISION. Topics include: Auteurism, Robin Wood, BBC’s “The Great American Picture Show” season, alternate versions of films, Sight & Sound’s Greatest Films of All Time poll, SCHINDLER’S LIST, Nicole Brenez, writing the novel THE HUNT, warming up to the films of Steven Soderbergh, physical media versus streaming and Abel Ferrara.

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Episode 64: Anna Bogutskaya

Bill speaks to film programmer, broadcaster, writer, podcaster and festival director Anna Bogutskaya about her many endeavors in film culture, from co-founding The Final Girls collective and programming for BFI Southbank to serving as director of Underwire Festival, producing podcasts and recording Blu-Ray audio commentaries. Topics include: THE WIZARD OF OZ and tiny philistines, The Hot Fuzztival at the Prince Charles Cinema, TROUBLE EVERY DAY and arthouse horror, Yhara Zayd, Russian dubbing practices, “The B word” programming controversy, The Filmcast and parasocial relationships, the WE ARE THE WEIRDOS touring program and reediting a Pedro Almodóvar movie to discourage internet piracy.

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Episode 63: Kim Newman

Bill speaks to novelist and film critic/historian Kim Newman about some of his many endeavors. Topics include: NIGHTMARE MOVIES, originality in horror, SOMETHING MORE THAN NIGHT, audio commentaries, Carlos Clarens’ ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE HORROR FILM, gatekeepers, toxic fandom, LET’S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH and how a unique series of quirks in the British education system helped to prepare him for a freelance writing career.

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Episode 62: Michael J. Weldon

Bill speaks to author and magazine publisher/editor Michael J. Weldon about his many endeavors, from drumming with Cleveland proto-punk act Mirrors and reviewing movies for Cle, to Psychotronic, his photocopied, hand-written fanzine that lead to books like the influential PSYCHOTRONIC ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FILM, the long-running PSYCHOTRONIC VIDEO magazine, calendars, film festivals and the Psychotronic store he manages today. Other topics include Ghoulardi, Roger Corman, hypnotism, Diane Keaton’s HEAVEN, Club 57, Johnny Ramone, cattle call auditions for GHETTO FREAKS, childhood filmmaking efforts, Alfred Sole, research methods, 42nd Street theatres, THE HYPNOTIC EYE and being killed over and over by Dr. Butcher, M.D.

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Episode 61: Chris Poggiali

Bill talks to writer and film historian Chris Poggiali about his many endeavors in film culture, from co-creating the Temple Of Schlock fanzine and founding the long-running blog of the same name, to contributing to various magazines and video releases, distributing BLACK SAMURAI and working on books with Grady Hendrix, Michael Gingold and Sam Sherman. Topics include: Jack Starrett, the impact of crack on 42nd Street theatres, Steve Puchalski’s SLIMETIME and horror fanzines, The Journal of Interstitial Cinema, William Smith, blogathons, Paul Talbot, lost and endangered films, the link between THE GREEN HORNET and WANDA, bootlegs, THAT’S HOLLYWOOD, screenwriting for William Grefé, identifying PETS with Vinegar Syndrome and how interviews can become derailed by criminal confessions.

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Episode 60: Justin Decloux

Bill speaks to filmmaker, author, podcaster, film programmer and home video label founder Justin Decloux about his many endeavors in film culture, including the Laser Blast Film Society, The Important Cinema Club podcast, the Gold Ninja Video label, the feature films TEDDY BOMB and IMPOSSIBLE HORROR and the book RADIOACTIVE DREAMS: THE CINEMA OF ALBERT PYUN. Topics include: Will Sloan, ARMY OF DARKNESS, the importance of good collaborators, the films of Charles Roxburgh and Matt Farley, RADIOACTIVE DREAMS, Canadian cinema, Fred Olen Ray, Letterboxd, Emily Milling, the Loose Cannons podcast, CRITTERS 4 and playground deception.

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