101 Kill List

Matt and Mark are back in movie review mode this week with our take on the UK soon-to-be cult film Kill List. Skillfully made by Ben Wheatley, with measured pacing and realistic dialogue, the film is a mash-up domestic drama, hit man thriller, and horror. While echoing the Wicker Man (Podcast #10), the Kill List, whether intended or not, does not tie up its loose ends neatly, which is both evocative and maddening.

Download: 101 Kill List

100 BONUS EPISODE!

It's The Cult of Matt and Mark's 100th Episode, and this week we decided to take topics from our loyal listeners, film related and otherwise. So come join us, knock back a few (we always do), and allow us to waste your time with inadequate answers to very thoughtful questions/topics! Much thanks to friends of the show Aaron C. of Ireland and Tom H. of Australia.

Download: 100 Bonus Episode

099 Killing Zoe

Not a spectacular movie but one of Matt's cult films none-the-less, Killing Zoe has the heavy hand of Quarantino all over it. A churn of graphic violence, drug use, criminality, friendly prostitutes, KZ is a walk on the wild side. Lacking the thematic meat of other films, Matt and Mark get slightly tangential, which is why we're soliciting topics for our 100th podcast! Make sure to email us desired topics at cultfilmreview@gmail.com. Film based or other-wise, we will discuss ALL emails sent in!

Download: 099 Killing Zoe

098 The Big Lebowski

The Mt Everest of cult films, The Big Lebowski may offer too much meat for Matt and Mark to digest properly, but we give it a go regardless. Like Sam Elliott's cowboy, we ramble quite a bit. Matt wastes a great deal of time trying to pinpoint his loathing towards all that the fraudulent Reagan-inspired titular character represents, while Mark thankfully stirs us towards more interesting topics like the fleecing of Walter and The Dude over the funeral home's most modestly priced receptical.

Download: 098 The Big Lebowski

097 A Scanner Darkly

A film tailor made for Philip K Dick fans, where many Hollywood blockbusters have failed (yep, that's my finger and it's pointed at you Stephen Spielberg and John Woo) Richard Linklater delivers the goods.... which may be the reason ASD didn't bring the masses to the megaplex, but whatever. While not necessarily the most coherent of podcasts to date, we try to get to the 'dark' heart of A Scanner Darkly's drug fueled paranoia, with our meager sober minds.

Download: 097 A Scanner Darkly

096 Children of Men

What most action movies strive to achieve but somehow completely fail at, Children of Men, the apocalyptic drama by director Alfonso Cuaron, succeeds. Filmed with such immediacy and consequence, it's hard not to be in the shoes (or flip-flops) of Clive Owen's Theo and ponder the slow whimper-filled twilight of mankind's tenure. So pull yourself up a bottle of Scotch (Matt a 20yr Macallan, Mark a 12yr Glenfiddich) and embrace the sweet oblivion.

Download: 096 Children of Men

095 Trainspotting

No, Matt and Mark did not indulge heroin for this week's podcast, even though our off-kilter and awkward Skype issues might give one the impression of a nascent junk habit. This week we review the British cult 90's classic Trainspotting. Not much of a morality tale, and as the viewer you don't much care, as it offers up a buffet of interesting characters all swirling around the desperate world of heroin use. Solidly directed with solid actors, Danny Boyle made a name for himself with this iconic film, leading to a career that continues to challenge its viewers.

Download: 095 Trainspotting

094 Pink Flamingos

With the invention of the internet and its vast inexhaustible 24/7 geek show, the relevance of Pink Flamingos has long past. Despite its obsolete status, it still does not fail to disgust (there's a little bit of vomit-in-your-mouth for everyone). John Waters somehow managed to carve out a mainstream film career from this cinematic circus freak show, which defies convention. Not really Matt and Mark's cup o' tea, we both struggle to take a little bit away.

Download: 094 Pink Flamingos

093 Akira

Matt and Mark review the Otomo classic Akira this week, taking stock of its 25 years and whether or not its message of creation/destruction is transcendent or buried in the generational zeitgeist of post-war Japan. Released at the height of the cyberpunk wave, its flashy urban grit and ground-breaking animation make for anime spectacle despite Matt and Mark's lament that the use of psychic powers is weak sci-fi sauce, but that's just nitpicking.

Download: 093 Akira

092 The Maltese Falcon

Matt and Mark get into the way-back machine and rediscover The Maltese Falcon, the hard-boiled film noir that started it all. So borrowed in pop-culture, to watch the unaltered/unmolested original, the film that started the genre, is an experiment in perception. Matt of course takes issue with old film (as usual), moaning about dialogue and realism, while Mark enjoys the quick-paced action and direction of the one and only John Huston, finding the movie uniquely fresh 70+ years on.

Download: 092 The Maltese Falcon

091 Night of the Living Dead

Q: mommy, daddy, where do zombies come from? A: from vampires of course! It's no accident that the walking dead resemble all the mythical tropes of a vampire, undead-ness, feeding on human flesh, etc... Heavily borrowed from Richard Matheson's novel 'I am Legend', George Romero reinvents the idea giving birth to the rich cornucopia of zombie entertainment today. Matt and Mark discuss this nuance, and others, like the subtext of American racial tension in the late 60's on this week's podcast. 

Download: 091 Night of the Living Dead

090 Muriel's Wedding

A little late this week, Matt and Mark, consumed with the Sisyphean chores of yardwork the prior weekend, managed to finally get the podcast out! We review Muriel's Wedding and Mark discloses his affinity for the melancholia of the ambition-less suburban existence while Matt riffs on the US and Australia's mutual affinity.

Download:  090 Muriel's Wedding

089 Outland

Not really a science fiction film if you hold a snobby attitude towards the genre, but perhaps a nicely wrought 'space opera' more akin to Star Wars than Blade Runner. Matt and Mark review the film Outland starring Sean Connery, a recasting of the 'High Noon' western tale set on the far-flung Jovian moon of Io. A straight forward plot filled with hit-men, corrupted lawmen, and seedy power-brokers, it makes for a very enjoyable film, minus pretense. Absent heavy thought-provoking sci-fi themes, Matt and Mark discuss the minutia.

Download: 089 Outland

088 Over The Top

A movie about arm wrestling? really? It's high concept, Mark and I both agree this odd Stallone vehicle, strangely ridden with ad placement, is that, but what else is it? Matt finds this Hollywood misfire a strange concoction of sap, corniness, and bad acting while Mark manages to find a certain redemption. What's most troubling is how Mike Hawk is handled in the film, stiff but lacking potency, and at the film's climax, a little dry.

Download: 088 Over The Top

087 Annie Hall

Matt and Mark come to the conclusion that reviewing comedies is tough business and Annie Hall is no exception. More meat on its bones than the romantic comedies that came before and after, Annie Hall provides an interesting window into Woody Allen's persona, one both of us (more so Matt) can easily relate to: neurotic, self-deprecating, liberal, and fond of easy intellectual pretentious stereotypes that invite mild ridicule. We try to do it justice, so... you decide.

Download: 087 Annie Hall

086 Alphaville

Famous French director Jean-Luc Godard explores a world if 60's vintage IBM created a dystopic city hellbent on galactic domination! A sci-fi film minus the leotards and lasers, Alphaville is more about theme than flash, which is to its credit. A society devoid of emotion or passion creates a ant-hive like world where its doped numb citizens only live for the now. Mark expresses a budding affection while Matt expresses admiration despite its derivative sci-fi themes.

Download: 086 Alphaville

085 The Graduate

It's not rebellion that defines youth (that's a given) but it's really how one rebels... In the case of Dustin Hoffman's Ben Braddock in The Graduate, his act of rebellion comes in the form of easy sex with the venerable Mrs Robinson played by Anne Bancroft. Juxtaposed to 60's counter-culture, Ben's form of revolt lacks a needed creativity or a new paradigm which was the hallmark of his more adventurous generational peers, which is why he is so unlikable. Matt and Mark discuss a film whose time may have passed but is still relevant in its capturing the 1967 zeitgeist, still making it worthy of discussion. 

Download: 085 The Graduate

084 Master and Commander

And we're back! This week Matt and Mark review the rip-roaring high seas adventure film Master and Commander The Far Side of the World. Doing storytelling justice, MACTFSOFTW teases out just the right tidbits to flesh out full characters, reflecting and contrasting persona to add depth without bruising the script purple with unneeded conversation. Matt discloses his spiteful appetite for minke whale while both Matt and Mark relish in the blood and splinters visceral nature of Napoleanic tall-ship combat, a form of war rarely depicted in an era of the modern shoot 'em up.

Download: 084 Master and Commander

083 Sideways

An epic podcast by Matt and Mark this go around and perhaps our longest (depending on editing). Viewing the Jack and Miles characters as two side of the same addiction-addled coin (strange-women/alcohol ...respectively), we discuss the chemistry of the unlikely duo. In addition, Matt waxes hypocritically on the snobbishness of wine aficionados while defending his Scotch addiction. Sympathies abound with the struggling novelists plight as well (please by my novel Nova Byzantium, coming out in October via Masque Books).

Download: 083 Sideways

082 The Five Deadly Venoms

Inspiring a whole sub-genre of mystical East Coast hip hop, the 5 deadly venoms is the epitome of classic kung fu pulp. Matt indulges his nostalgia, championing the cheesy sound affects and bad dub, while Mark gives a more adult sub-titled perspective. With an arguably nebulous plot, the premise is solid but that's not really the point. This is a stunt show, similar to professional wrestling, with all the fake blood and melodrama of Hulk Hogan's turn to the "dark side."

Download:  082 The Five Deadly Venoms

081 Red Rock West

Adios Red Rock! This week Matt and Mark review the neo-noir western Red Rock West directed by John Dahl. A fairly straight up review, Matt waxes nostalgic for a Wyoming perhaps more intriguing than ever experienced while Mark gives us a virgin-eyed view of this early 90's classic. All actors are in top form including an non-inebriated/non-crazy Nick Cage and the ever wily Dennis Hopper. So kick up your cowboy boots, grab yourself a bottle of Bud and a shot of Jim Beam, and enjoy...

Download:  081 Red Rock West

080 Chinatown

Chinatown... not so much a place as it is an unknowable reality which Jake Gittes attempts to understand when he follows John Huston's Noah Cross down his amoral rabbit hole. Steeped in classic film noir tropes, Chinatown isn't so much an homage as it is a synthesis of the classics. The water-tight script has been called the "greatest script ever" by film scholars and it's hard to argue otherwise, although Mark manages to point some a few ambiguous inconsistencies. Polanski, familiar with the abyss himself, takes us on a tour.

Download: 080 Chinatown

079 Goonies

In 1985 Steven Spielberg conjured the kids' film Goonies from his bag of money-making tricks and garnered a cult following among the adolescents of the day (Matt and Mark included). Set in the rainy berg of Astoria, Oregon, Goonies is an Indiana Jones for juniors. Mark takes issue with fat kid stereotypes but gives the film cred for its realistic fraternal relationships, while Matt reminisces about the 80's style water parks. But all in all, we still must fault Spielberg for his hallmark emotional manipulation even though he let's adolescent kids crack sex jokes and say "shit", something verboten in today's young adult film market. 

Download: 079 Goonies

078 True Romance

A film that somehow usurps its lead actor and director by its supporting performances and screenwriting, True Romance was quintessential 90's cool. Quentin Tarantino, as writer, is at the heart of this updated Bonnie and Clyde story, where comic book nerds leap from their lowly low-paying clerk status into the realm of mobsters, Hollywood coke kings, and the FBI, all the while sweeping blonde bombshells off their feet. What's not to love!? Mark and Matt both indulge this highway fantasy, while Mark discusses what cosmic alignment must occur for him to entertain the idea of procreation.

Download: 078 True Romance

077 THX 1138

George Lucus's debut feature THX 1138 was one of the first and last Zoetrope films to be produced by Francis Ford Coppola's nascent production company. Before Star Wars and the ILM empire was founded, Lucas cut his chops on true Sci-Fi themes in this dystopic 1984 story revised for the 60's/70's bomb-shelter generation. Matt and Mark digest the themes of the film, embellished by a haunting sound track and stark sterile visuals. Both agree this is rock-solid sci-fi which mainstream film rarely dabbles in and few get right.

Download:  077 THX 1138

076 Sholay

Attempting to expand our listenership to the sub-continent of India, Matt and Mark review the #1 Indian cult film of all time, Sholay! A movie that leverages familiar tropes of western film to create what is called the "masala" Curry Western, director G.P. Sippy provides a bit of something for everybody. Having little exposure to Bollywood film-making, we both feel that if you're going to start somewhere, Sholay is the place. Now throw your arms in the air, like you just don't care!.... uhm... not you Thakur.... yeah, yeah... we know.

Download: 076 Sholay

075 Office Space

Damn, it's good to be a gangster! Matt and Mark review the 1999 cult classic Office Space by Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge. An existential film if there ever was one, Office Space mines the heart of darkness lurking in the quiet desperation of our ubiquitous industrial parks. In lamenting the soullessness of modern corporate life, Judge releases subtle comedic gold. We've all met Lawrences and Lumbergs, but Judge is able to introduce you to these archetypes deftly and without the heavy-handedness typical of more mainstream Hollywood comedies.

Download: 075 Office Space

074 Jaws

Mark's virgin viewing of the high-concept classic Jaws, from sophomore director Steven Spielberg. Mark gets to the heart of his prejudice against Spielberg and tries not to bring his baggage into the review, but we both find it fairly hard to defend the director's later efforts. Despite his reliance on emotional claptrap, Spielberg delivers a terrifying fish story held tight by the superb acting trio of Scheider, Dreyfuss, and Shaw.

Download: 074 Jaws

073 The Virgin Suicides

You miss them until they're gone... such is the paradox of the ephemeral and beautiful teenage girl. This week Matt and Mark try to get to the bottom of a film that admits it has no answers, Sophia Coppala's The Virgin Suicides. An extremely evocative film, it deftly plays with the idealism of youth juxtaposed to the tarnished mediocrity of adulthood, allowing you only brief empathetic glimpses into the life of adolescent girls.

Download: 073 The Virgin Suicides

072 Blazing Saddles

The originator of the first cinematic fart joke, Mel Brooks hits his farcical stride in the 1974 film Blazing Saddles. Exploiting exploitation itself, Brooks manages to charm his audiences with the absurdity of our shameful national history. Both making fun of the Old West and the titular film genre of the 50's and 60's, Brooks uses every gag known to man, making its cheap laughs nearly transcendent. So fix yourself a plate of beans and a pot of coffee and join in on the gastrointestinal hilarity.

Download: 072 Blazing Saddles

071 The Dark Crystal

Another world! ... Another time! This week Matt and Mark review the Jim Henson Frank Oz puppet show masterpiece The Dark Crystal. A marvel of classic special effects, TDC proves to be an evocative film minus its human-free celluloid. Marketed as a children's movie, it challenges youthful sensibility with a touch of Grimm's fairy tales, and in so doing, gives its viewer the benefit of the doubt. So forget James Cameron's heavily borrowed Pandora and settle in to the more imaginative world of The Dark Crystal.

Download: 071 The Dark Crystal

070 Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Matt and Mark delve into the big-boobed world of Russ Meyers this week when we review the 1965 cult classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! We attempt to explore the feminist angle of FPKK by juxtaposing the Varla character with the typical male-dominated action roles. What we get is an interesting hyperbole of exaggerated misogyny that may speak more truth then most men can admit.

Download:  070 Faster Pussycat!

069 Reservoir Dogs

Well, it's about time we got around to reviewing a Quentin Tarantino film ("Quarantino", if you're not into that whole brevity thing, man). A cult film if there ever was one, Matt and Mark discuss the seminal classic Reservoir Dogs. Along with its violence, R'Dogs capitalizes on the subtle yet intriguing nuance of everyday guy conversations, whether its pop-culture musings or humorous anecdotes. Tarantino's dialogue is where he's always been the strongest, which of course is not to sell the film short for its storytelling chops, which QT deftly wields.

Download: 069 Reservoir Dogs

068 The Third Man

This week Matt stupefies Mark, and possibly raises the ire of all those who consider themselves fans of cinema, by shrugging off the film noir classic The Third Man, starring Orson Welles. Yep, Matt must admit he did not enjoy the film, despite its essential place in cinematic history. Mark makes the case which Matt respects, but in the end, film will always be a subjective media. Anyway, we'll let the listener decide. Hate mail welcome!

Download:  068 The Third Man

067 Aliens

"We're in some real pretty shit now!" Well, it's good to see that in the far interstellar future of mankind, the institution of the U.S. Marines is spreading its diplomatic subtleties far and wide, perhaps no better embodied by the memorable Pvt. Hudson character played by Bill Paxton in James Cameron's epic sequel Aliens. Matt obsesses over James Cameron's flair for far future gadgetry while Mark muses on the humor of Hudson, literally and figuratively. After 27 years, Aliens is a terrific sci-fi film that's stood the test of time.

Download:  067 Aliens

066 Dersu Uzala

The famous Japanese director Akira Kurawasa released his only non-Japanese language film in 1975, Dersu Uzala, the true life tale of Siberia's version of Jedi Master Yoda. Matt and Mark invite Mark's better half Jean to share in our discussion of the quiet classic. Man v. Nature is always a straight forward theme, but here, we're treated to a nuanced interpersonal relationship between two characters that define the eternal struggle. With vistas of Far East Russia, Dersu is a beautiful snapshot of frontier life that's all but disappeared.

Download: 066 Dersu Uzala

065 American Psycho

Is Christian Bale's Patrick Bateman a metaphor for corporate America, male narcissism, or both? Matt and Mark try to sort it out when we review the darkly satiric American Psycho, released in 2000. Matt rants about the Reagan era, embodied by Patrick Batemen's empathy-free consumerist machismo, while Mark brings up the hypothetical and controversial view that the only problem with serial killers is their choice of victim. And last but not least, R.I.P. Roger Ebert, you will be missed.

Download: 065 American Psycho

064 Wet Hot American Summer

Wet Hot American Summer is farcically neither. A film in a long line of farce comedies, Wet Hot has a lot to live up to. While Matt compares it to titans of the comedy sub-genre (Caddyshack, Strange Brew, Ron Burgandy, etc...) and finds much to criticize, including its lack of a comedic anchorman, no pun intended, Mark indulges and champions it's hit-or-miss weirdness. One of the few films where we disagree, it makes for a much lively discussion than your average junior high sycophantic scene rehashing.

Download: 064 Wet Hot American Summer

063 River's Edge

What if there was a murder and nobody cared? This week Matt and Mark enter the teenage nightmare of River's Edge, starring the always enigmatic Crispin Glover, along with Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye, and an ever-crazy Dennis Hooper. Based after a real life murder, River's Edge dares you to blame the film's psychological phenomena on the usual suspects (drugs, alcohol, societal breakdown, the media, etc...) but in providing no answers, it forces the viewer to ask deeper and more troubling questions about the human animal.

Download: 063 River's Edge 

062 Apocalypse Now

Time to make a friend of horror! This week Matt and Mark attempt to get at the heart of Francis Ford Coppola's Heart of Darkness adaptation, the Vietnam masterpiece Apocalypse Now, starring Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall and a rotund Marlon Brando. Probing the dark corners of Kurtz's psyche, Matt and Mark dwell on the fundamental themes of A.Now, for better or worse, depending... A multi-themed film deserves its due, and perhaps long winded,  Matt and Mark attempt to give this monstrously important film its day in court.

Download: 062 Apocalypse Now

061 Pink Floyd The Wall

Forgoing the Pink Floyd fanboy trivia, Matt and Mark explore the quiet desperation of Bob Geldolf's Pink character in the The Wall. What happens when you write off your fellow man, embrace your cynical side, and dismiss one's need for meaningful personal relationships? Roger Waters explores this idea using music and evocative visuals in this cult "rock opera". If you could only take one music video to to the dark side of the moon, we highly recommend The Wall (take that Axl Rose and your November Rain!).

Download: 061 Pink Floyd The Wall

060 War Games

Shall we play a game? Galaga? or Donkey Kong... maybe Pac Man? In War Games, Matthew Broderick's character David (a fellow Snohomish High alum!) was pining for something more in home gaming, which leads him to the Pentagon's NORAD launch computer WOPR/Joshua. More of a tangential podcast than most, Matt and Mark cover many topics including extinction events, AIs, and Ally Sheedy's strange attraction for the John Lennon-esque professor Falken. War Games gave hope to thousands of shut-in hackers that it's theoretically possible to one day make out with a chick.

Download: 060 War Games

059 Aguirre The Wrath of God

In 1972, Werner Herzog released the cult masterpiece Aguirre the Wrath of God starring the mad acting genius of Klaus Kinski. Matt struggles to verbalize the proper analogy for this obsessive story of hubris and doom, while Mark points out religion's seemingly absurd (yet obvious) place in the New World's conquest. Regardless, Aguirre is an amazingly shot experiment in gonzo/guerrilla film making that would go on to be heavily borrowed by other directors like Francis Ford Coppola and Terrance Malick.

Download: 059 Aguirre the Wrath of God

058 Being There

Life is just a state of mind! Yes, in a way, and if you have the mind of Chauncey Gardener, played brilliantly by Peter Sellers in the Hal Ashby film Being There, that mind is a little... lacking? Matt and Mark share differing opinions regarding the film, with Matt criticizing the film's dated satire while Mark basks in the 'alien-like' preternatural Chauncey. Regardless, Being There hits the right notes and manages to avoid going the 'full retard', laying the groundwork for cultural feel-good hits Forrest Gump and Rain man.

Download: 058 Being There

057 Ghost in the Shell

Conjuring the 'ghost' of the bygone 90's cyberpunk era, Matt and Mark review Mamoru Oshii's anime classic Ghost in the Shell, released in 1996. Pondering such Sci-Fi topics as the Technological Singularity, we discuss the viability of a world dominating artificial intelligence and how the GITS's Puppet Master may fit such a paradigm. But more importantly, we discuss whether or not anime cyborgs are truly anatomically correct.

Download: 057 Ghost in the Shell

056 Re-Animator (1985)

"But you're just a talking head!" And so are Matt and Mark this week when we discuss Stuart Gordon's 1985 Cult Classic Re-Animator, based loosely on H.P. Lovecraft's short story of the same name. Matt and Mark get into the finer physiological details of 're-animation' and come to the conclusion that freezing your head, despite its promise of immortality, will not even get you close to the body-less monstrosity of the film's Dr. Carl Hill. Sorry Mr. Disney.

Download: 056 Re-Animator (1985)

055 Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Q: What is best in life? A: Watching John Milius's 1982 sword and sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian starring Arnold Schwarzenegger! Matt and Mark attempt to discuss one of the greatest films of its genre. Slightly before J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit there was Robert E. Howard's Conan short stories in Weird Tales, an influential fantasy character that still resonates with audiences today. Managing to get it right, Milius's Conan pays tribute to the venerable character while adding new dimensions to the barbarian king's story. There is only one Conan movie, and this.... is.... it!

Download: 055 Conan the Barbarian (1982)

054 Intacto by Juan Fresnadillo

Is Luck an ephemeral 'thing' that can be swapped and stolen? Matt and Mark try to sort out the nuance of that question this week when we review Juan Fresnadillo's freshmen effort Intacto. Starring the venerable Max Von Sydow as the Luck Master, this visually stimulating film plays with its magic in such a way that may hide its truer reality. Dismissing its magical gimmick, Matt and Mark discuss the film in a practical context, for better or worse.

Download: 054 Intacto by Juan Fresnadillo

053 Showgirls by Paul Verhoeven

"You're going to have to sell it sometime"... and for Elizabeth Berkeley that time was 1995 when Paul Verhoeven released the over-the-top NC-17 rated Showgirls. An exercise in off-color exploitation, Showgirls is viewed by many as not only a camp classic but also satire. What is it satirizing? Perhaps the feel-good "a star is born" tropes of Americana, hard to say, but one thing you can say is that 17 years on, people are still talking about it, which unlike most of Hollywood's endless parade of vapid offerings makes it worthy of at least a little discussion.

Download: 053 Showgirls by Paul Verhoeven

052 The Crying Game by Neil Jordan

A very gender neutral podcast this week as Matt and Mark review Neil Jordan's 1992 much talked about The Crying Game. While set in "The Troubles" of IRA political intrigue, its message about love and attraction is much more basic, yet altogether complex. Mark derides Matt for his soon-to-be antiquated old-timey prejudices and dares him to imagine a manly world where macho men still seek the company of their catamites, much to Matt's obvious discomfort. The Crying Game delves into our facades, with the overt not necessarily being the most malign.

Download: 052 The Crying Game by Neil Jordan