Split Tooth Media: Recent Episodes
Split Tooth Media
Split Tooth Media is an independent publication based in Portland, Oregon, that still believes in long-form journalism and in-depth podcasts about music and film. Home of Jim Hickcox and Jason Michelitch's film criticism series "Cinesthesia," Rob Delany and 'T' Trimble's guide to exploring the world of art cinema with "Arthouse Drive-In," and the head-to-head album showdown series "Split Picks," created by Craig Wright.
Split Tooth Media has done extensive coverage of Michael Glover Smith’s body of work over the years. Our own Bennett Glace has interviewed him three times — once when his film Mercury in Retrograde (2017) streamed as part of the Gene Siskel Film Center’s “Film Center From Your Sofa” series, and again after the release of his feature film Relative (2022). A third interview was conducted to follow a Split Tooth Presents screening of Mercury in Retrograde at Portland’s Movie Madness Miniplex. Since then, Smith has premiered two films here on our site — Paper Planes (2023), a melancholy Christmas story about agoraphobia, and a vulnerable account of a first date entitled Handle With Care (2024). It is easy to write so much about a creator whose output has been as consistent as Smith’s. In 2026, he already has two artistic endeavors of note. The first is Bob Dylan as Filmmaker: No Time To Think, a book by Smith released on March 2. The second is his fifth official feature film, Hekla, which premiered at the 29th annual George Lindsey UNA Film Festival in Alabama on March 6. It was quite the busy week for Michael Glover Smith, but he still made time to chat with me about these two new projects and his career as a whole.With Hekla, Smith crafts his most intimate portrait of a Chicagoan to date. The film’s titular character, a young actress played exuberantly by Elizabeth Stam, spends an entire day moving from one audition to another, rarely getting a moment to breathe. During all of this, she has to deal with relationship issues, headshot appointments, and a live bar performance of Macbeth that night. The character of Hekla first appeared in Smith’s film Relative and Stam was an obvious standout amongst the cast. The decision to revisit this character also marks Smith’s first time making a film without an ensemble cast at the forefront. Typically, a Michael Glover Smith venture features two couples, three couples, or an entire family to keep up with. Here, the filmmaker shows growth in his ability to focus on a sole protagonist, one that Stam herself helped him craft. The film has already garnered some rave reception from those who saw it in Alabama and will continue its festival run this week on March 28 at the Beloit International Film Festival in Wisconsin.Tune in to hear my conversation with Michael Glover Smith. He was an incredible guest on the podcast and had lots of great advice to give to those crazy enough to pursue a career in film. We discuss the importance of collaborating with the same people throughout your career, pushing your stylistic limits as a director, and taking chances in the editing room. Give it a listen.
Aidan Cronin explores the things that confuse him. Like so many artists, he is on the often frustrating but sometimes freeing journey for answers to what very well could be unanswerable questions. Unlike a lot of artists, he doesn’t restrict himself to just one medium. He explores these questions through poetry — as seen in the stanza above and the ones throughout this piece, ripped directly from the 2023 archives of his notes app. He recently began exploring through painting, although most of his acrylic work has yet to be seen by the public. His main vehicle for artistic exploration over the past eight years has been film. As for the things that confuse him? Well, in his own words, Cronin seeks to “examine the cyclical banality of our continued existence.” Listen to our conversation here, and read my full profile on Cronin's work at Split Tooth Media.Make More Movies is a new podcast from Split Tooth Media about independent filmmakers where Aaron Bartuska interviews various DIY filmmakers about what keeps them creating.Be sure to read Aaron's full career overview of Cronin's work: https://www.splittoothmedia.com/aidan-cronin/Hosted and produced by Aaron BartuskaMusic by Will DiNola
Make More Movies is a podcast where Aaron Bartuska asks DIY filmmakers what keeps them creating. This episode is with guest Anthony Leroy. Anthony Leroy turned 30 earlier this year. In a post commemorating this milestone while simultaneously promoting his newest film, the filmmaker said that he had never really felt sure of himself as an artist until the past year. Now that he has found his voice, the decade ahead looks promising. “I’m ready for every challenge, every hiccup and I feel so honoured to be able to make tasty trash,” he wrote on Letterboxd. This particular brand of tasty trash also happens to be consistent. Since December 2023, Leroy has released five short horror films — four of which were shot on video in that same span of time. I came across one of Leroy’s shorts toward the end of last year and was shocked to discover just how productive Leroy had been in a 12-month span: not only had he made an entire SOV trilogy following the same murderous antagonist, he had also released an impressive high-concept horror short that achieved widespread praise and popularity on YouTube. When I checked up on his progress only a week later, he had already announced BUM (2025), an ambitious new found-footage film that would clock in as his longest project to date. The guy showed no signs of slowing down.Read Aaron's written profile of Leroy and his work here: https://www.splittoothmedia.com/anthony-leroy/
It definitely seems like that’s where it’s been programmed. CAMP is fantasy. It’s genre. Is it horror? I don’t know.” She feels the same about Honeycomb (2022), her debut feature and her most widely seen work. The film, a DIY surrealist dreamscape about a group of girls who take to the woods to start their own society, premiered at the 2022 Slamdance Film Festival and was quickly pigeonholed in a similar way. The majority of Fast’s short films also tend to lean toward the macabre, but the complex themes they explore make them hard to classify as run-of-the-mill genre fare. She has embraced the label, but that doesn’t mean she won’t challenge it. “I like stories that are dark in that way. I think I’m just naturally attracted to that. Why? That’s something that I’m asking myself every time I make a movie.”Be sure to read Aaron's full career overview of Fast's work: https://www.splittoothmedia.com/avalon-fast/Hosted and produced by Aaron BartuskaMusic by Will DiNola
Listen to hear the origin story behind Xposure Video, the common threads running through each of J.C. Møller's films, and what it took to track down and release these films.
Frank Henenlotter is no stranger to capturing misfits, oddballs, and mutated figures on film, but he always manages to find the humanity in each of them. His unique avant-gutter exploitation cinema has resulted in memorable characters and brutal moments, but he embraces the deadly and unpredictable sides that his creations offer.Duane and Belial, the once-conjoined twins who shocked Times Square in Basket Case (1982), are back in Basket Case 2 (1990). They find a new home in a mansion of misfits, but the press is after them and closing in. Bad Biology (2008) follows a woman with seven clitori and an insatiable — sometimes murderous — sex drive, and has mutant babies moments after the act; her path collides with a man who has an uncontrollable, brain-controlling, drug-addled penis. This is a genuine weird film for those seeking something they've never seen before — or could even imagine exists.Our host Jim Hickcox is joined by filmmakers and film teachers Steve Collins and film Spencer Parsons.Maybe don't listen to this episode at work...
Split Picks reemerges to sift through two classic SOV horrors from director Gary P. Cohen. A mysterious tape left in a small town video store's dropbox leads to the shop's owner becoming immersed in an underground ring of homemade murder tapes in Gary P. Cohen's Video Violence (1987). The town's love for violence only grows more outlandish in the 1988 sequel, Video Violence 2. The chief killers, Howard and Eli, invade the airwaves with pirate broadcasts that show submitted tapes of gruesome killings from their most loyal viewers.Vincent Albarano and Aaron Bartuska make their Split Picks debuts to talk about all things Cohen and shot-on-video horror. Albarano is the author of Aesthetic Deviations, A Critical View of American Shot-On-Video horror, 1984-1994. Bartuska, a filmmaker (watch The Yardley Boys) and film teacher, recently spoke with Cohen for a career-spanning interview. With host Craig Wright, they spend some time with the hosts of the Howard and Eli Show and their gruesome tape collection.
Rather than bore listeners with the details of their miraculous escape, Bennett and Jim share their end-of-season reflections and rankings of the entire first season of Showtime's Masters of Horror. Created by Mick Garris, Masters of Horror was a two-season series on Showtime that challenged genre legends to create an hour-long horror film. Follow along as Bennett and Jim are forced to spend no more than 20 minutes discussing each episode from the first season of the series or face a room full of poisonous gas.
Split Picks is back to venture into dream worlds and nightmares from one of the modern master of horror's great franchises.Well, Split Picks aimed to record an episode every month this year. But things got busy, OK? So Jim Hickcox is once again in the host throne to field Split Picks' first international call. Terry Chiu (Open Doom Crescendo and Mangoshake director), and Mark Hanson of the Bay Street Video Podcast call in from Canada. Together, Split Picks heads into the Further to talk about the first two Insidious films. When Jim and Terry spoke earlier this year, Terry promised watching Insidious and Insidious 2 back-to-back was the ultimate cinematic experience. The narratives collide in ways that few franchises manage to achieve successfully. So everyone watched them as a pair and have gathered to report back to see if Terry's promises holds up. The creator of the Saw, Conjuring and Insidious franchises, plus Malignant and Dead Silence (and don't forget Aquaman and Furious 7), James Wan has earned his title as the most influential modern director of horror. With Insidious and Insidious 2, Wan follows a family that comes to realize their new house may be haunted. Along the way they encounter mysterious dream worlds, lost souls, and a team of paranormal experts who may help them escape their situation. Throughout, the crew debate Wan's standing in horror by diving deep into how his strengths — and his lesser tendencies — became so influential.
Imprint scared Showtime’s censors enough to pull it from the release schedule. Even our seasoned podcasters have to admit it’s pretty grim.Takashi Miike is back to his old tricks with Imprint. It’s got gore, grotesqueries, and all sorts of torture. Bennett and Jim also found it far more atmospheric than your average Season 1 episode. As with last year’s look at Miike on Split Picks, our hosts admire Miike’s craft while occasionally wincing at some of his more excessive decisions. Imprint has plenty of images that still surprise in 2024 and must’ve been utterly scandalous almost 20 years ago. Not sure you can handle Imprint? Skip watching it and listen to Bennett and Jim’s discussion instead.Created by Mick Garris, Masters of Horror was a two-season series on Showtime that challenged genre legends to create an hour-long horror film. Follow along as Bennett and Jim are forced to spend no more than 20 minutes discussing each episode from the first season of the series or face a room full of poisonous gas.
It’s an undead orgy on this fun yet frivolous episode which sees John McNaughton fill in for George Romero in the director’s chair. The penultimate episode of Season 1 finds 'Masters of Horror' looking more like “Goosebumps for adults” than ever. Its title character finds himself confronting horrible truths about the ways love and lust can endure after death. Bennett and Jim wonder what the Haeckel estate must think of this strange tale, ask which periods Jon Polito could realistically live in, and discuss McNaughton’s classic 'Wild Things.' Created by Mick Garris, Masters of Horror was a two-season series on Showtime that challenged genre legends to create an hour-long horror film. Follow along as Bennett and Jim are forced to spend no more than 20 minutes discussing each episode from the first season of the series or face a room full of poisonous gas.
"Pick Me Up" isn’t just a great episode of TV, it’s an underrated gem that Bennett and Jim both recommend highly to all genre fans. Michael Moriarty delivers a performance for the ages in Larry Cohen’s final directorial effort, the high-concept thrill ride, 'Pick Me Up.' Moriarty is one of two roving killers who menace a bus full of passengers before trailing our final girl (The Waterboy’s Fairuza Balk).One killer’s a trucker who picks up passengers before dispatching them. The other’s a drifter who thumbs rides to make his kills. Come for that can’t-miss premise and stay for the inventive kills and one-of-a-kind acting choices.Created by Mick Garris, Masters of Horror was a two-season series on Showtime that challenged genre legends to create an hour-long horror film. Follow along as Bennett and Jim are forced to spend no more than 20 minutes discussing each episode from the first season of the series or face a room full of poisonous gas.
An unusually sweet episode of Masters of Horror with two eccentric central performances wows your hosts. Don’t let all the goop, slime, and creepy critters fool you, Lucky McKee’s 'Sick Girl' is remarkably tender for an episode of 'Masters of Horror.' Angela Bettis returns from Mckee’s 'May' (2001) in a superficially similar story of an eccentric loner searching for love.Here, she’s an entomologist whose field of study tends to send partners packing. Bettis affects cartoon voices throughout. Some viewers may find her performance grating, but Jim and Bennett agreed it was a series highlight while also cheering the performance of Erin “Misty Mae” Brown. Will your host’s survive this latest ordeal? Who knows!?!
The podcast enters a stretch of top-notch episodes with William Malone’s visually distinct and genuinely creepy installment.Throughout the season, the boys have made plenty of jokes at the expense of directors like William Malone. “Really, he’s a master of horror?” Like feardotcom and House on Haunted Hill, The Fair Haired Child proves that William Malone definitely deserves that distinction. With strange flashbacks and an occult mystery plot, the episode has some of the most arresting images and performances of the whole series. Despite some Nu Metal styling and a sometimes exposition-heavy script, this is one episode that could hopefully encourage viewers to give its director’s output a second look.Created by Mick Garris, Masters of Horror was a two-season series on Showtime that challenged genre legends to create an hour-long horror film. Follow along as Bennett and Jim are forced to spend no more than 20 minutes discussing each episode from the first season of the series or face a room full of poisonous gas.
Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em! The boys are lighting up and taking a drag on the latest episode as they discuss John Carpenter’s first contribution to Masters of Horror.If you’ve seen one episode of Masters of Horror, it’s probably this entry from the master himself, John Carpenter. It’s often regarded as the best and the presence of Udo Kier in the cast goes a long way in helping establish its atmosphere. Otherwise, it’s a pretty standard episode of the show.Your hosts discuss the dangers of depicting “art that kills you” and the highs and lows of its masterful director’s career, and the strange angel in Udo Kier's house. Give it a listen, if you dare.Created by Mick Garris, Masters of Horror was a two-season series on Showtime that challenged genre legends to create an hour-long horror film. Follow along as Bennett and Jim are forced to spend no more than 20 minutes discussing each episode from the first season of the series or face a room full of poisonous gas.
One of the most acclaimed Masters of Horror installments, Joe Dante’s political satire takes Jim and Bennett back to the 2004 electionJim and Bennett are reporting for duty on the latest (pod)Casters of Horror to discuss Joe Dante’s acclaimed entry in Masters of Horror’s first season. Slain servicemen rise from the grave in Homecoming to cast their ballots against an unnamed (and poorly imitated) George W. Bush. Your hosts discuss Small Soldiers, their memories of Bush-era America, and much more.Created by Mick Garris, Masters of Horror was a two-season series on Showtime that challenged genre legends to create an hour-long horror film. Follow along as Bennett and Jim are forced to spend no more than 20 minutes discussing each episode from the first season of the series or face a room full of poisonous gas.
John Landis’ horny horror-comedy indulges many of the series’ worst impulses with its tale of a seductive cryptid. Max Landis earned his first screenwriting credit with his father’s entry in Masters of Horror’s first season. It’s an auteurist effort in the worst sense, blending plenty of misogyny into its tonal soup. Bennett offers a hot take for the ages about the genre mashups and the boys weigh the merits of Landis’ careers in both horror and comedy. Put on your hunting vests and check it out. Created by Mick Garris, Masters of Horror was a two-season series on Showtime that challenged genre legends to create an hour-long horror film. Follow along as Bennett and Jim are forced to spend no more than 20 minutes discussing each episode from the first season of the series or face a room full of poisonous gas.
Series maestro Mick Garris tries his hand at writing and directing in this series lowlight. Bennett and Jim don’t break from consensus hereGangs of New York’s Henry Thomas appears in Mick Garris’ high-concept romance as a food scientist with a psychic connection to a mysterious woman. With an abysmal soundtrack and a “you’re probably wondering how I got here” framing device, Chocolate doesn’t offer much to recommend. Jim and Bennett try their best to see the best in Chocolate. If nothing else, they agree that Matt Frewer is having fun. Save yourself half an hour. Skip watching Chocolate and listen to (Pod)Casters of Horror instead. Created by Mick Garris, Masters of Horror was a two-season series on Showtime that challenged genre legends to create an hour-long horror film. Follow along as Bennett and Jim are forced to spend no more than 20 minutes discussing each episode from the first season of the series or face a room full of poisonous gas.
Yowza! Put the kids to bed before you check out the latest (pod)Casters of Horror. Dario Argento keeps it spooky and sexy in his underrated installmentSteven Weber (Dracula: Dead and Loving It) gets in way over his head during Dario Argento’s Jenifer. After saving a young girl's life, he finds she has a unique appetite that puts everyone around her in danger. With queasy sexuality and relentless momentum, the giallo master proves that his mid-aughts are just as interesting as any period in his career. All that’s missing is an appearance from Asia Argento!Listen to the conversation before you check out the episode for yourself.Created by Mick Garris, Masters of Horror was a two-season series on Showtime that challenged genre legends to create an hour-long horror film. Follow along as Bennett and Jim are forced to spend no more than 20 minutes discussing each episode from the first season of the series or face a room full of poisonous gas.
Tobe Hooper has done it again. On the latest (Pod)Casters of Horror, Bennett and Jim argue that Dance of the Dead is a late-career triumph.Masters of Horror doesn’t have the best reputation and perhaps no episode has attracted more derision than Tobe Hooper’s post-apocalyptic Dance of the Dead. Among the most nü-metal pieces of media ever created, Dance of the Dead follows a post-nuclear war town with drugged-up teenagers looking for thrills. Featuring Robert Englund as a twisted night club emcee, it’s the first episode of the series to truly feel like a nightmare that you can’t see on network TV.Unsurprisingly, Bennett and Jim find plenty to love in the episode. They sing the praises of Robert Englund’s go-for-broke performance, the scuzzy mise-en-scene, and Hooper’s total disinterest in narrative. It’s another late-career triumph from one of the best to ever do it. Listen for yourself.
It’s not Stuart Gordon’s best Lovecraft adaptation, but Masters of Horror’s sophomore efforts gives your favorite sophomoric podcasters plenty to discuss.It’s time for a trip to ye olde Rhode Island on the latest (Pod)Casters of Horror as Bennett and Jim discuss the first of Stuart Gordon’s episodes, an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's The Dreams in the Witch House. Walter (Ezra Godden) begins having horrible dreams of a witch and a rat-faced man. Give it a listen to hear Bennett’s thoughts on the difference between hitting yourself in the head versus hitting your head on something and much, much more. Created by Mick Garris, Masters of Horror was a two-season series on Showtime that challenged genre legends to create an hour-long horror film. Follow along as Bennett and Jim are forced to spend no more than 20 minutes discussing each episode from the first season of the series or face a room full of poisonous gas.
Bennett and Jim tackle Don Coscarelli’s series premiere, a trip through familiar genre territoryThe first episode of Masters of Horror reflects the predicament Bennett and Jim find themselves in. Bree Turner stars as a woman who takes an ill-fated trip down the titular pass. She encounters a backwoods murderer whose whole shtick is a touch too familiar. Don Coscarelli directed the first four 'Phantasm' films, 'Bubba Ho-Tep,' and 'John Dies at the End,' among others. With only 20 minutes on the clock, the duo discuss topics that include survivalism, horror comics, and indie rock. Will they find the brevity to power them through to the next episode (Stuart Gordon's Dreams In The Witch House), or will the time constraint prove too challenging to succeed?Find the whole series here: https://www.splittoothmedia.com/podcasters-of-horror/
Bennett Glace and Jim Hickcox are podcasting for their lives this Halloween season by talking through every episode of Season 1 of Showtime’s 'Masters of Horror.' Jim and Bennett made a near-fatal mistake when they took a drive down a winding mountain pass. The pair barely survived an accident and they may soon wish they hadn’t. Jigsaw himself has a challenge for them: record podcast episodes for each episode in 'Masters of Horror' Season 1. The catch? They can’t talk for more than 20 minutes or the room will fill with poison gas. Will the pair make it through all 13 episodes of the series without betraying Jigsaw’s unconscionable constraints of brevity? Created by Mick Garris, Masters of Horror was a two-season series on Showtime that challenged genre legends to create an hour-long horror film. Check out the introduction to (Pod)Casters of Horror and stay tuned for discussions of underrated work from site-favorite filmmakers like Tobe Hooper, Stuart Gordon, and Larry Cohen, and horror icons such as John Carpenter and Dario Argento.
Split Picks finds the holiday spirit with a look at two episodes from the BBC's A Ghost Story For Christmas tradition.No one would actually take something from a grave with an ominous warning written on it and then proceed to put said item in their mouth, right? Split Picks is back to give a definitive answer: no. But as author M.R. James and the BBC would have you believe, there is at least one person who would risk it all in the name of disbelieving superstition. Though ghosts and Christmas time may conjure images of A Christmas Carol, in the 1960s and 1970s, the BBC aired a yearly ghost story, often adapted from James stories at the holidays. With Bennett Glace and special guest, director of Mickey Dogface, Zach Fleming, they discuss the classic A Ghost Story For Christmas entires Whistle And I'll Come To You (1968) and The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1974).In Whistle, a growling professor on holiday finds some souvenirs come with risks. It also proves that horror is sometimes at its most effective when at its simplest and most elemental. In Abbot Thomas, a clergyman and his student seek the hidden treasure from an alchemist who left behind clues about his alleged fortune. Once discovered, the clergyman meets the goopiest entity in the BBC ghost canon.Are the M.R. James original stories superior to their adaptations? Did the series reboot in the 2010s live up to the originals? Will Bennett's streak of saying "Lynchian" in every episode finally come to an end?
Snow Lietta's special creepy Christmas podcast continues with Roberta Findlay's 1988 cult favorite 'Prime Evil.'Catholic satanists? Undercover nuns? A female director in the '80s?! Siblings Jason Michelitch & Snow Lietta discuss Roberta Findlay’s Prime Evil (1988) in this creepy Christmas podcast.
To ring in the holidays, Snow Lietta hosts a special new series on Christmas horror films. Up first is a look at two contemporary films about demon Santas. An old-world Santa emerging from an ancient mountain grave. An Americanized Krampus summoned by lost hope. Who will win in this Christmas monster match-up? Snow Lietta is joined by filmmaker and Cinesthesia host Jim Hickcox to discuss 'Krampus' (2015) and 'Rare Exports' (2010) in this creepy Christmas podcast. Season’s Bleedings!With Adam Scott, Toni Collette, and David Koechner, 'Krampus' follows a young boy (Emjay Anthony) who has lost his faith in Christmas. In doing so, he summons the evil Krampus, his minions, and a blizzard like no other. With an awkward dynamic between in-laws, the family has to find a way to keep Krampus away or suffer his consequences.In 'Rare Exports,' a mining project in Finland uncovers a Christmas miracle — a creature appearing to be the real Santa Claus. But soon, a young farm boy, Pietari (Omni Tommila), and his father (Jorma Tommila) face off against an army of elves aiming to revive Santa to his full-powered glory.
Tripping through the witching hour, stumbling out of the pre-dawn aura, Jim and Jason wandered into the yard at Split Tooth headquarters. Chocolate smeared across their faces, staring into the middle distance, they started talking. And they wouldn't stop. They said something about aging and death, desire and pain. And Cronenberg. They chewed through our landline and they sealed our cell phones inside rotting pumpkins. Please, call animal control. Tell them it's Cinesthesia. They'll know what to do.Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
To close out the series on Japanese Horror, Spit Picks looks at a director known for testing the limits of violence on film.Takashi Miike is best known for three things: He is prolific, versatile, and is no stranger to using extreme gore. With 115 directorial credits listed on his IMDb page (at time of publishing), he has made films in just about every genre imaginable. But from blood-soaked epics like Ichi The Killer and 13 Assassins to a glut of Yakuza films, and even a death-centric musical comedy in The Happiness of the Katakuris, Miike's films are never shy to show off fountains of gore with no sense of shyness. But through them all, Miike always injects his unique style, no matter the genre.With Bennett Glace and Jim Hickcox, Split Picks finishes its special series on Japanese Horror by comparing Miike's masterwork to one of his most extreme depictions of violence — an almost hour-long school shooting. With Audition, Miike follows a widowed man, Shigeharu (Ryo Ishibashi), after his friend suggests they set up a film audition to help him find a new wife. When he meets Asami (Eihi Shiina), they quickly fall in love, but everyone around Shigeharu tells him to notice the red flags, which he gleefully overlooks, until he finds himself in a scenario that ranks among the most infamous torture scenes on film. It's a testament to Audition that, in an era when most successful Asian films were remade by Americans, still no one has remade this tale of revenge.Lesson of the Evil finds a popular and handsome teacher on a path to violence against his own students. With a code of morals that makes sense to only him, he tries to stop his students from cheating on tests and uncovers various scandals in the school. As his background comes into focus, he doubles down on what he learned during his time in the United States and. with the assistance of a talking shotgun, he decides to solve his problems in the worst way possible.The pairing of films provides some fascinating contrasts in tone, and some striking similarities in their overall structure. In this episode, the gang discusses how Audition bends time, if Lesson of the Evil crosses the limits of acceptable violence on film, and how As The Gods Will might be the spiritual sequel to Lesson of the Evil that makes black humor work in a similarly morbid scenario.
Split Picks looks at an absolute masterwork of horror and a later haunted romance from Kiyoshi Kurosawa.Split Picks continues its special October series on Japanese Horror with a look at two films from Kiyoshi Kurosawa. After a string of seemingly unrelated murders with undeniable similarities, Detective Takabe begins to link the odd details of the killings together. It leads him to Mamiya, a man who claims to have no memory, no idea who he is, or even what he looks like. He speaks almost exclusively in question, and his nonchalance proves to be the entrance to his unique form of hypnosis.In 2016's Daguerrotype, Jean is hired to help Stephane operate a daguerreotype, an obsolete form of photography that requires subjects to remain motionless for hours to capture the image. Jean falls in love with Stephane's daughter, Marie, but their romance raises questions of whether Marie is actually alive.Together, we get a look at what many deem to be Kurosawa's masterpiece, and a later film that features many of the hallmarks of his style. Bennett, Craig, and Lucille also weigh in on if they believe in ghosts, what it means to ask questions, and whether great art truly does equate to immortality.
What happens when a US studio remakes a Japanese film with the original director still behind the camera?After an extended talk about Takashi Shimizu's 2002 breakout film, Ju-On: The Grudge, the Split Picks crew — Bennett Glace, Jim Hickcox, Frankie Vanaria and host Craig Wright — picks up with The Grudge franchise making its way to the US. After the US remake of Ringu (as The Ring) became a global sensation, The Grudge was tapped as the next film up and confirmed that J-horror was ready for primetime.Shimizu was asked to direct the remake, and he said he would do so only if he could bring his ghosts with him in Kayako (Takako Fuji) and Toshio (Yuya Ozeki). But with Sarah Michelle Gellar in the lead role and a brief Bill Pullman appearance as Americans abroad, the film is fundamentally different from the suburban Japanese original. Through the episode they debate whether the remake is stronger than the original Ju-On: The Grudge — or if the trailer is stronger than the film itself. Namely, they talk about how the US remake softens most of the previous version's best scares, and wonder if Americans are truly as unintelligent as studios would like to believe.In 2020 director Nicolas Pesce revived the franchise with The Grudge, a film set in the same universe that is not a direct sequel or remake. It is also an American work produced by Sam Raimi, and it asks what happens if the curse could spread to a different location. The discussion follows what happens when the original creator loses control of a franchise, and whether the films were too slow to evolve their brand of horror.Also in the episode: Jim hypothesizes what it might be like to take his short horror film Slow Creep from a short to an international big-budget adaptation; Bennett swears the 2020 Grudge is the finest offering of the series. Frankie enjoys none of the Grudges. Craig reveals which film put him to sleep. Who tests ramen packaging that way? And how exactly does the WWE predict the state of horror and culture at large? Tune in to find out!
For this year's Split Picks horror series, we look at some of the finest horror films and director's that Japan has to offer.Each year for October Horror, Split Picks takes a virtual field trip to a different country to find some of the best horror films and directors from around the world. In 2021 we started at home and looked at what we determined to be the Mt. Rushmore of American horror with Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, and George A. Romero. Last year we put on our black gloves and fell in with the Italian greats — Dario Argento, Sergio Martino, Lucio Fulci — to talk all things giallo.This year we are talking about Japan and some of their famous ghosts, grudges, and gothic imagery. Obviously, Japan has a huge cultural history with horror films that dates back to the dawn of the medium. We are not covering the history of Japanese horror in this series, and will instead focus on a few signature works from select directors.For this series we are going to be looking at a mix of classic and lesser-heralded films from some of Japan’s greatest horror filmmakers. This is only a quick survey of what Japan has to offer, and we picked three filmmakers for a combination of styles that complement each other, hint at the country’s vast film history, and also how their particular styles of horror compare to the rest of the world. With that in mind, we decided to kick off this series with Takashi Shimizu and his world-famous series 'The Grudge.' In this first episode we will be looking at his first theatrical version of 'Ju-On: The Grudge.' Then we will discuss the 2004 American remake, which he also directed, and contrast it with the 2020 US sequel, also simply called 'The Grudge,' and directed by Nicholas Pesce.Featuring Split Picks regulars Bennett Glace, Jim Hickcox, and Frankie Vanaria, the series begins here and will run through most of the month! Listen to hear all about The Grudge and how it developed from two initial short films into an international sensation.
Ahead of Things We Like’s premiere, director Adi Jahic joins Split Picks to discuss his debut feature and an underseen classic from a beloved character actor.Writer-director Adi Jahic spoke with Split Tooth back in February about his excellent debut film,Things We Like, which he also edited and features him on screen in a crucial second act role. Early in the conversation, Jahic noted that he’s rarely inspired by films in the traditional sense, never watching anything while at work on a project or making conscious homage. He credits Tom Noonan’s What Happened Was..., however, with convincing him to set out on directing a feature-length film of his own. Jahic describes the 1994 Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner as, like the best features, “saying a short film’s worth of things every 10 minutes.” Things We Like premieres next week at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival. In anticipation of the May 17 screening, Jahic joined associate film editor Bennett Glace to discuss how both his film and Noonan’s present viewers with unexpected emotional turns, the benefits of the occasional mishap on set, and more.
What's a classic horror movie without an inferior remake or two? After discussing Bob Clark's immortal Black Christmas (1974), Bennett Glace, Jim Hickcox, and Snow Lietta join Craig to talk through both the 2006 and 2019 remakes/adaptations. Whereas Glen Morgan's 2006 version elevates the story's most gruesome elements to unnecessary extremes, Sophia Takal's 2019 adaptation approaches the source material as a vehicle for a political message intended for a younger audience. Both films were hindered by studio interference but still manage to produce memorable moments.The discussion touches on how sequels and remakes both honor and warp minor details from the source material into something completely different. It also contextualizes the eras of horror in which they were made, with the 2006 version appearing in the midst of the mid-aughts boom of darker remakes, and 2019's being made as a commentary during the unfolding #MeToo Movement. It asks whether the films would have been stronger under their own separate titles, and how stripping away the subtlety that makes the original so strong changes the mood of the films.
Split Picks gets into the yuletide spirit with an episode devoted to Bob Clark's holiday horror classic 'Black Christmas.'One of the finest horror films America has ever produced (and not just in Canada!), Bob Clark's Black Christmas (1974) was his first timeless holiday classic. Released during the same year as Deathdream, his Vietnam-era reimagining of The Monkey's Paw, Black Christmas capped off his early run of horror films before journeying into more family friendly holiday favorites (A Christmas Story, 1983) and raunchy mainstream comedy (Porky's, 1981). The film, set in a sorority house being stalked by a disturbed killer as Christmas break begins, remains as stylistically daring, socially progressive, and chilling as ever.But Clark's film is only the beginning for Split Picks! Craig is joined by Bennett Glace, Jim Hickcox, and Snow Lietta to discuss not only the 1974 original, but 2006's Black Xmas and 2019's Black Christmas. Over the course of this two-part episode, they break down what sets the original apart — not only from its remakes, but from most other horror films in general — and how the later films warp and repurpose the original film's ideas and characters to fit their respective eras. Check back later this week for part two!
Jim and Jason slept for nine months so that they could stay up all night getting born again in a baptism of blood... a Bay of Blood, that is, along with Baron Blood, Blood and Black Lace, and more. That's right, the boys got Bava'd!All month, Split Tooth has brought you podcasts about the greats of Italian horror, and they saved the best for last. Come wander through the kick-lighted mist-world of the originator, Mario Bava — the Godfather of Giallo, the Svengali of Slashers, the Big Kahuna of Bonzo Kill Thrills.From the high gothic terror of Black Sunday to the surreal dread comedy of Lisa and the Devil, the Cinesthesia Boys give you a radically incoherent survey of the master's career that finally dares to ask the question: WHY DOES HE HAVE HIS LOLLIPOP???Come along with us. The door is purple.
Split Picks' Italian horror series wraps up with a classic Martino giallo and a controversial cannibal film.The finale of Split Picks' Italian horror series has arrived, and it closes out with one of our favorite horror directors: Sergio Martino. Martino is another jack-of-all-trades who has worked across genres and in various roles behind the scenes. But his greatest imprint will always be for his stunning work in horror, and his gialli rank among the best of the genre. Jim Hickcox brings his favorite of Martino's gialli, 1971's The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh, starring Edwige Fenech. The classic, twist-filled film offers the perfect opportunity to explore Martino's signature style.Bennett Glace wanted to stray from gialli and chose arguably Martino's most controversial film, 1978'sThe Mountain of the Cannibal God (a.k.a The Slave of the Cannibal God). It stars Ursula Andress (Dr. No) and Stacey Keach as they search for a missing person in a jungle that local lore says is still home to a lost group of cannibals. The Split Picks crew balance the things that make the film worth watching with its undeniably troublesome aspects. They discuss the odd trend of Italian cannibal films, whether Martino's technical proficiency makes Cannibal God feel more cruel than the rougher found footage approach used in other more famous cannibal films, and what it means when a movie breaks all the acceptable barriers of horror.
Split Picks chose to focus on Italian horror directors for this year's October Horror series mainly because of their penchant for convincing practical gore effects. That's where Lucio Fulci comes in. Known as the "Godfather of Gore," Fulci's films relish every drop of blood, pierced eyeball and regurgitated organ. Fulci is best known for his films Zombie, The Beyond, and the Gates of Hell trilogy — City of the Living Dead, The Beyond, The House By The Cemetery. His work extends across decades and genres, but horror is where he crafted his most unforgettable moments.With Frankie Vanaria leading the portion on 1981's The House By The Cemetery and Bennett Glace taking us through the depths of Fulci's mind for 1990's Cat In The Brain, Split Picks looks at two films from the director that operate in different frames of mind. Cemetery follows a family in Massachusetts as they uncover secrets buried in their house. Cat In The Brain stars Fulci as a version of himself in which the awful images from his films have begun to haunt him — but can a career in horror actually make someone a murderer?In addition to the highs and lows of Fulci's style, Bennett, Craig, and Frankie also discuss bad haircuts and dubbing, Cat In The Brain's confusing reputation, and Bennett reveals a years-long prank he pulled on another podcast — and missed the opportunity to monetize.
Following last year's series talking about the American titans of horror — Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, and George A. Romero — Split Picks centers in on another country renowned for its horror films: Italy. First up is Dario Argento, a master of giallo, gore, and guts. Argento has directed some of the most iconic films, scenes and shots in all of horror. His most famous works include Suspiria, Deep Red, Inferno, and Tenebre. With Bennett Glace and Steve Collins, Split Picks wrestles with Argento's 1992 film The Stendhal Syndrome, arguably his last great film and one full of controversy. [Editor's note: This episode discusses graphic sexual assault and violence presented in the film.]In the starring role is Dario's daughter Asia Argento, who plays detective Anna Manni in pursuit of a serial rapist and murderer loose in the city. But she begins to experience Stendhal Syndrome as she interacts with artwork in museums, which draws her in to paintings, all while the suspect she is chasing begins to hunt her.This is the first of a two-part episode, with Pt. 2 about Argento's The Phantom Of The Opera arriving tomorrow.
Following last year's series talking about the American titans of horror — Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, and George A. Romero — Split Picks centers in on another country renowned for its horror films: Italy. Here is the second episode discussing Dario Argento, a master of giallo, gore, and guts. With Bennett Glace and Steve Collins, Split Picks voyages into the caves to talk about Argento's 1998 adaptation of The Phantom Of The Opera with his daughter Asia again in the starring role. Popular opinion says this is the point where Argento's career took a pivot for the worst, but Bennett Glace argues that it stands tall with Argento's best films. Argento has directed some of the most iconic films, scenes and shots in all of horror. His most famous works include Suspiria, Deep Red, Inferno, and Tenebre. His later works are often disregarded as a director past his prime, but almost all of his films have moments worth revisiting. Listen as Split Picks talks about rats, strange romantic chemistry, and what constitutes a bad film.
Split Picks wrestles with an all-time great concert film from Neil Young and a comedy with a complicated history. When he's not behind the camera, director Bernard Shakey spends his time as a Canadian-born rock 'n' roll star who goes by the name Neil Young. Split Picks returns to look at two films directed by Shakey, with Breanna McCann stopping by for the first time, and Bennett Glace returning for yet another episode. They discuss all things Neil Young, Crazy Horse, and the passion projects Young directed as his alter-ego.
Rust Never Sleeps (1979) stands tall among the finest concert films ever made. With a stage full of comically oversized props set by Roadeyes, Young begins solo and runs through the highs of his career before Crazy Horse joins him to debut some classic songs. Each shot of the film is near-iconic and its setlist will fulfill any Young fan's requests.
Taking cues from Japanese horror films, The Wizard of Oz, and Jerry Lewis, Human Highway follows a small group of workers at an auto shop and diner who all have dreams of getting out, or at least winning the local talent show at the nuclear power plant. It just so happens to be the last day on Earth. Human Highway flopped when it came out, but a vastly improved director's cut has given it new life.
Listen to the episode to see which film reigns supreme, and why after all this Bennett's biggest question is why didn't Neil Young star in more comedies?
Split Picks is back with two of David Lynch's most diametrically opposed films:Wild At Heart (1990) and Lost Highway (1997). What links these films together is author Barry Gifford, who wrote the source novel for Wild at Heart and co-wrote the Lost Highway screenplay with Lynch.
Cinesthesia's Jim Hickcox steps in to host the show and brings along... his Cinesthesia co-host Jason Michelitch. They’re joined by special guest Rob Christopher, whose film Roy’s World: Barry Gifford’s Chicago (2020) is screening at Portland, Oregon's Hollywood Theatre on Saturday, July 9. Together they parse through Lynchian dream logic, Gifford’s childhood in Chicago, and where Gifford's influence shows throughout later Lynch masterworks like Mulholland Drive (2001).
Find out more about Roy's world at www.roysworldfilm.com.
Hark! Could it be? The long-lost Cinesthesia New Years '21 episode has been located! Jim's and Jason's return finds them belatedly ringing in 2022 (and Book TWO) in spectral fashion.
Just in time for the holidays, Jim and Jason settle down in front the hearth to roast their chestnuts, toast some champagne, and boast with chutzpah. As 2021 comes to a close, Cinesthesia is the only podcast with the cheese to chat about the reason for the season. That's right, we're talking about ghosts. Are they spirits of the dead? Glitches in reality? Quantum entanglement of souls across spacetime? Undigested bits of beef? Blots of mustard? This episode is all gravy, baby. Come sit by the fire and listen, and ring in the future with us. Every day is a new year if you want it to be.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
CINESTHESIA is produced by Iguanodonald Studios and distributed by Split Tooth Media. Music for CINESTHESIA is generously provided by the greatest bands that have ever been, The Coctails, Soft Healer, and Misters Presidents.
To celebrate Split Tooth Media's fourth birthday, Split Picks looks at the evolution of late-career Jim Jarmusch. Robert Delany, a devout Jarmusch fan, brings The Limits of Control (2009) to the Split Picks arena, while Bennett Glace, a skeptic who once rated Down By Law a measly two stars, leads a reevaluation of the star-studded zombie comedy The Dead Don't Die (2017). The conversation centers on how Jarmusch's films have changed through the years and how his peculiarities differentiate his modern films from his classic early works.
So sing happy birthday to Split Tooth and listen up as we talk about the highs and lows of one of America's finest independent filmmakers. Thank you for reading, listening, and following Split Tooth over these first four years!
Clint Eastwood has cut an iconic on-screen figure for longer than almost anyone. The lean, sneering Western star made his name in front of the camera on TV’s Rawhide, and as The Man With No Name for Sergio Leone. His second career as a director, often directing himself, has made Eastwood an icon twice over and seen him helm more bonafide classics than almost anyone.
On the latest episode of Split Picks, Eastwood enthusiasts Bennett Glace and Michael Glover Smith discuss probably the two least-seen of Clint Eastwood’s many directorial triumphs: Bronco Billy (1980) and Honkytonk Man (1982).
Both films star Eastwood as struggling artists and send him out on the road alongside a makeshift family. Bronco Billy’s title character, William McCoy, serves as “head ramrod” for an old-fashioned Wild West Show fallen on hard times. McCoy and the film only ever briefly lose their unflappable sense of optimism as they tour the Western states and play to thinning crowds. Honkytonk Man puts a more pessimistic spin on similar material. Eastwood plays Red Stovall, an alcoholic, tubercular country musician with one last chance to be somebody. He hits the road with his nephew (Eastwood’s son, Kyle) to try out for the Grand Ole Opry before it's too late.
The discussion touches on films from throughout Eastwood’s long career as well as subjects including the Razzies, and, of course, the director’s infamous speech at the Republican National Convention.
What's that on the air? Did you hear the baying moan of something almost human in the distance? Did you catch the scent of woodsmoke and viscera, dancing on the wind? It's time again for all that you most fear to rise up in your path. But hold fast — fear is the mind killer. Or so we heard somewhere. Didn't somebody say that? Was it Shakespeare? Kierkegaard? Dick Van Patten? Well, no matter who said it, we live it, bud. Join the Cinesthesia Boys as they get real messy and gross to no functional purpose whatsoever. Trick or treat, you kings of New England, you absolute brick outhouses!!!
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
CINESTHESIA is produced by Iguanodonald Studios and distributed by Split Tooth Media. Music for CINESTHESIA is generously provided by the greatest bands that have ever been, The Coctails, Soft Healer, and Misters Presidents.
Split Picks concludes its series on the American horror greats with two early films by George A. Romero. Each week in October, Split Picks has dedicated an episode to the four titans of American horror directors — Tobe Hooper; John Carpenter; Wes Craven — and for the final episode, we turn to the Zombie Father Of The Dead, George A. Romero. Bennett Glace returns for his third horror episode and Snow Lietta makes her podcast debut in this matchup of two early Romero films: 1973's Season of the Witch (aka Jack's Wife, or the perplexing Hungry Wives) and his mid-career masterpiece, Martin (1978). We also take a short detour to The Amusement Park, Romero's newly released posthumous film.
Join us as we close out the series and learn a bit about Pennsylvania's finest, what witchcraft in the modern day looks like, and whether Martin truly is a vampire.
Bennett and Jim reenter the Split Picks arena to stand up for two of Craven's oft-forgotten horror films. With Tobe Hooper and John Carpenter in the books, Split Picks shifts to Wes Craven and his three horror epoch-shifting films, his greatest successes and shortcomings as a director, and two films with plots far too complex to explain here. But in their talk of Incubi and a channel-surfing mass murderer who failed to land a franchise, Jim, Bennett, and Craig venture deep into what makes Craven's films unique, influential, and so ripe for studio interference.
This week's matchup pits Deadly Blessing (1981) against Shocker (1989).
In Deadly Blessing, a small religious community tries to keep all outsiders, technology, and the dreaded incubus away from their farmlands. Shocker finds Craven attempting to make a killer so scary that Freddy Krueger would have to be retired. Do either succeed? Listen to Split Picks to find out which film reins supreme.
Split Picks continues its look into the four American titans of horror. After discussing Tobe Hooper last week, John Carpenter takes his turn in the spotlight. Filmmaker Steve Collins and actor John Merriman join Craig to talk about Carpenter in the '90s. Steve brings In The Mouth of Madness (1994); John brings John Carpenter's Vampires (1998).
They talk about Carpenter's attraction to distilled evil on film, how the lovably average working man powers his films, and how his simplistic soundtracks power his films. John, Steve, and Craig pick their ideal spinoff-films from characters introduced in In The Mouth of Madness on their way into the heart of Hobb's End. On Vampires, they break down the pairing of James Woods and Daniel Baldwin as vampire-hunting stars, they contemplate a few of its miscalculations, and how the film is the closest we have to a Carpenter Western film.
Split picks kicks off a special series devoted to four iconic American horror directors by examining two should-be-classic Hooper films.
Bennett Glace and Jim Hickcox help Craig kick off a special new series for October Horror about the four most iconic American horror directors, or Mount Rushgore, if you will. We begin with Tobe Hooper, best known as the director of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and as the director Steven Spielberg replaced on Poltergeist. Jim and Bennett are bringing some of their favorite Hooper films to the Split Picks arena with Lifeforce (1985) and Spontaneous Combustion (1990).
Together they discuss a vampiric melodrama about a naked space lady who wreaks havoc on Earth, and they make the case for Brad Dourif and his explosive performance being among horror's finest. Together, they argue why Tobe Hooper belongs in the pantheon of American horror directors for more than just Texas Chain Saw.
Split Tooth Media's October Horror series returns Monday, Oct. 4. All month we will have essays about some of our favorite horror films all the way from the House of the Devil to the shores of Party Beach.
This year Split Picks will examine the works of four canonical American horror directors — John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, and George A. Romero. Tune in every Friday for new episodes about some should-be-classic films.
Let's get spooky, once again.
Ninety-one-year-old Clint Eastwood gets back on the horse in 'Cry Macho.' Bennett Glace and filmmaker/critic/teacher Michael Glover Smith, director of the upcoming film Relative, couldn’t help but commemorate the occasion with a special episode of Split Picks. They discuss Eastwood’s 39th directorial effort, his hit-and-miss critical reputation, and their own relationships with one of American cinema’s greatest artists.
Actor Joshua Burge joins Craig and Bennett for a talk about Buster Keaton's career and legacy, 'Cops' and 'The Cook.'
Following their recent interview together, Split Toother Bennett Glace and actor/musician Joshua Burge join Craig Wright to discuss a mutual favorite actor and director, Buster Keaton. One of the all-time great comedians, Keaton redefined what it means to construct a visual gag. Here they compare The Cook (1918), an early Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle collaboration, with Cops (1920), a classic Keaton-directed short film.
They contrast Buster's work as Arbuckle's sidekick with his game-changing style in front of and behind the camera, and put his films in conversation with his rival Charlie Chaplin's. They also venture into Buster's life, career, and evolving legacy and, of course, why spaghetti is such a compelling film prop.
In the second Split Picks devoted to Martin Scorsese, Bennett Glace, Robert Delany, and Craig Wright conclude their talk about the director's career with a deep look at his 2016 film Silence. Based on Shusaku Endo's 1966 novel about Catholic missionaries attempting to spread their religion to Japan, Scorsese's third religious epic follows Fathers Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Garupe (Adam Driver) who enter the country to track down their old teacher, Ferreiro (Liam Neeson), who is rumored to have renounced his religion.
Listen to the concluding episode to find out how Silence relates to their prior talk about The King of Comedy, how Scorsese's adaptation stands up to Masahiro Shinoda's adaptation, and hear who Bennett accuses of Scorsese apostasy.
In the first two-part Split Picks, Robert Delany, Bennett Glace, and host Craig Wright take a deep look at two Martin Scorsese films that share little on the surface. The first, The King of Comedy (1982), features a Scorsese/Robert De Niro pairing that follows a wannabe comedian who takes a chance encounter with his hero to the ultimate extreme. The upcoming second episode focuses on Silence (2016), the third religious epic of Scorsese's career. Though 1980s comedians and 17th Century Christian missionaries in Japan share few similarities, Rob, Bennett, and Craig explore the filmmaker's traits that appear across his body of work and link these films with those of his mob epics.
In the Season One finale, Robert and T tackle one of the defining films of the American Independent Film Movement.
It’s that time of the year! Welcome to the Season One finale of Arthouse Drive-In. Robert and T end their first run of episodes by exploring a masterpiece: John Cassavetes' Faces (1968).
Faces follows a married couple on the rocks who seek comfort and excitement in the arms of other lovers, but they are constantly plagued by the complicated nature of their own emotions. Robert and T discuss the emotional turbulence that Cassavetes creates throughout each scene, and how the film helped usher in a new era of narrative art filmmaking in America.
It's always sad to say goodbye, so instead, Arthouse Drive-In will just say, "See you later." The show will return for Season Two bigger and better than ever. Stay tuned, and thanks for listening!
When Jim Cine and Jason Sthesia aren’t discussing movies, they’re usually exchanging voicemails. They’re now releasing mini episodes from their private vault while on a short hiatus. Sometimes, when it’s been a long day on the farm, the boys are tired and the dogs is worn. They done meant to have a chitter-chatter about the pictures, but it just took too long to get the sheep into Sheepshead Bay and the the old bay into the stable, and everyone feels like they haven’t slept since the blue M&Ms stepped in for the tan ones.
It’s days like these when we throw out all the plans and take a little dip back into the archive. There’s a secret hotline that the boys can call when they want to leave each other messages, and with their permission we can rifle through the thoughts they’ve left there for each other and watch the sausage meat getting ground up to pack into the pig intestines of future installments.
Are we all in a movie right now? Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One follows director William Greaves as he leads a cast and crew through a bewildering Central Park film production. They shoot take after take of the same odd scene, with constant interruptions from pedestrians and police officers, while Greaves' crew record their theories on what exactly is going on with their director. In doing so, William Greaves created a completely original film that cannot be recreated.
Robert and T discuss the trials and tribulations faced by Greaves throughout his career, and work through the one-of-a-kind structure he helped foster in Symbiopsychotaxiplasm. The further our hosts move into Greaves' experimental masterpiece, the more questions they have. Pull into the drive-in to hear all about it!
Robert Delany and Bennett Glace join host Craig Wright to discuss a pair of later Stan Brakhage works that rarely receive the attention of earlier landmarks such as Mothlight (1963) or Window Water Baby Moving (1959). These films, one painted on film exploring the psychic effects of television (Delicacies of Molten Horror Synapse, 1990), the other shot on 16mm and produced shortly before Brakhage underwent surgery for bladder cancer (Commingled Containers, 1996), allow for discussions about how experimental cinema is taught in university settings and how to approach films that essentially challenge their viewers to unlearn everything they know about film viewing. Listen in and find out how these films demonstrate the range of this one-of-a-kind artist.
Recorded on Valentine's Day, this Arthouse Drive-In finds Robert and T exploring their first Iranian film together, Abbas Kiarostami's 1997 masterwork, 'Taste of Cherry.' The film follows the mysterious Mr. Badii (Homayoun Ershadi) as he drives around Tehran searching for someone to help him with a grave task. Taking place almost entirely in Mr. Badii's car, the film unfolds in a fashion unlike anything Robert has shown T up to this point.
Taste of Cherry presents a melancholy experience for viewers, yet our hosts delve deep into Kiarostami's style to show the meticulous care taken in creating the film. Robert discusses the way the film experiments with perspective and T finds parallels between Taste of Cherry and films such as The Shining for their use of long takes to create a foreboding atmosphere that keeps the viewer entranced.
Come along with Robert and T as they bring this masterpiece of Iranian film to your homes, through the convenience of your local Arthouse Drive-In!
This week Robert and T tackle a film that is very close to our co-host's hearts (specifically Robert), Sink or Swim (1990) by iconic director Su Friedrich. It is a masterpiece in autobiographical filmmaking, consisting of 26 vignettes depicting times in Friedrich's childhood. Robert uses his love of experimental film to describe how Friedrich constructs a strange and unconventional relationship between narration and image to convey her message, while T conflates his feelings about the Dark Souls games to why he loves this film.
Robert draws on his experience interviewing Su Friedrich to relay her thoughts on why she makes her films like puzzles. T comes face to face with the trials and tribulations of summing up a non-narrative film. It took Robert five years before he had a cohesive understanding of the film, so don't worry if you find yourself scratching your head at this one.
Just as Sink or Swim reflects Su Friedrich's coming of age story, Robert and T raise this egg of a film into a full grown rooster. Pull up to the Drive-In and hear the next entry in our avant-garde journal.
Spooky season might be over, but we're bringing it back for Orson Welles' interpretation of a Shakespeare classic. In this episode of Arthouse Drive-In focusing on MacBeth (1948) by Orson Welles, Robert and T are joined by their first guest, the one and only Matt Cohen, a horror connoisseur from Robert’s grad school days at NYU. Matt uses his extensive knowledge on all things Orson Welles to offset T’s initial skepticism, while Robert sits on the sidelines eating popcorn.
Robert dives into the history of one of the most famous American artists of all time, and explores how a production on a shoe-string budget managed to create a technical masterpiece. Matt details Welles’ obsession with the classics and describes how he was able to put his distinct signature on an already famous piece of English literature. T describes why Welles comes off as a bit of an arrogant blowhard, but is open to learning more about the man and his style.
If you learned about Shakespeare and MacBeth in school and feel like watching this adaptation would be a waste of time, you’re in for a treat, bucko! Welles went off script while incubating this Shakespearean egg into a free-range, theatre-to-theater, cinematic chicken. Pull up, park your car, and get comfy for this next installment of our avant-garde journey.
Jim read a book and Jason has nothing better to do while he washes dishes, so the Cinesthesia Boys spit out some quick gab on film critic Manny Farber's classic 1962 essay, "White Elephant Art vs. Termite Art." Listen as our heroes dare to actually stay on topic, mostly. If what you love about podcasts is the intellectual rigor and careful preparedness of the hosts, then you are probably not listening to many podcasts. Good for you! You probably listen to music, read books,* engage the important people in your life in substantive conversation and enjoy their presence during meaningful silences! Tell us, tell us what it's like, what it's like to be a god!!!
four pages of a book *all the pages
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
In this episode of Arthouse Drive-In, Robert and T take a rose petal bath in the legendary French classique The Rules of the Game (1939) by Jean Renoir. Yes, the upholstery of the car will never be the same, but it was worth it for T’s budding film studies clout. Listen along as they unravel the complicated web of affairs and show how this almost century old classique still holds its relevance today.
Robert explains the pros and cons of auteur theory and explains how this film was incredibly controversial in France upon its release. T does his best to traverse the societal minefield of the aristocratic affairs that dot the landscape of this film and attempts to present a comprehensive synopsis without spoiling an almost 100-year old movie. And let me tell you, that ain’t as easy as it sounds.
Tag along as they crack open this rather pleasant egg of a movie, only to show the rotten yolk of society within. Some films just don’t pass the test of time, but much like an egg in the freezer, The Rules of the Game remains fresh even now. Learn all about the ensemble movie that Ocean’s 11 wishes it could be from the safety of our cozy drive-in.
When Jim Cine and Jason Sthesia aren’t discussing movies, they’re usually exchanging voicemails. They’re now releasing mini episodes from their private vault while on a short hiatus.
In the fourth Voicemails installment, Jim asks Jason to interpret his dream about Seinfeld and questionable meats. Jason continues his percussion lessons.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space, and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Which came first: 'Aladdin' or the egg? Hint: It was the egg.
In the second episode of Arthouse Drive-In, Rob and T dip their toes into the wonderful world of animation. This week's film is Richard Williams' criminally under-appreciated, and tragically unfinished masterpiece, 'The Thief and The Cobbler.' This film was brought to us through the efforts of Garrett Gilchrist, who lovingly gathered all the existing footage into 'The Thief and the Cobbler: The Recobbled Cut.'
Robert leads us through the over 30 years of production woes that led to the film being incomplete. T describes the sparse story that is very much secondary to the sparkling animation and learns pretty early on that there are some significant similarities to a Disney classic about a genie.
Tag along as they boldly charge headfirst into this film to discuss the more... problematic aspects of the film, but save just enough time to appreciate that silky-smooth animated goodness. Pull up to the Arthouse Drive-In, silence your phones, and get comfy for the latest entry in Rob's and T's avant-garde diary.
New episodes of Arthouse Drive-In will be released every Monday. Next up: Jean Renoir's 'The Rules of the Game' (1939).
SPLIT PICKS returns to examine two films that find the Coen Brothers at their cruelest and their most compassionate
When two writers selected two separate Coen Brothers films to write about within in a matter of days of each other, the coincidence made for the perfect reason to resurrect Split Picks, the first podcast series Split Tooth Media produced.
Looking at two wildly different Coen Brothers films, the dark romantic comedy Intolerable Cruelty (2003) and the fictional folk music biopic Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), host Craig Wright, film scholar Frankie Vanaria, and filmmaker Steve Collins discuss how the Coens work with genre, how they weave film and music together, and whether they are at their strongest in comedies or dramas — or if there's a distinction between the two at all.
Head to www.splittoothmedia.com to read Steve's and Frankie's essays about "Inside Llewyn Davis" and "Intolerable Cruelty."
Join Rob and T as they plunge into the world of arthouse cinema and peel back the layers of the avant-garde onion. In the inaugural episode of Split Tooth Media's newest podcast, Robert Delany guides his geologist cousin, T, into the world of cinema beginning with Chris Marker's dystopian, sci-fi masterpiece, La Jetée (1962). Rob covers the history of the film and Marker's career. T provides a quick summary of the post-WWIII still-image classic and gives his first impressions of art films. Pull up to the Arthouse Drive-In, park your car, and settle in as Rob and T peel back the layers of the avant-garde onion.
New episodes will be released every Monday. Next up: Richard Williams' 'The Thief and the Cobbler: Recobbled Cut.'
Robert, a film scholar, leads his cousin "T," a geologist who didn't know film cameras existed before 1939, into the world of arthouse film. They invite you to join them as they explore classic films and much more in the Arthouse Drive-In. New episodes every Monday on Split Tooth Media, starting Monday, Jan. 25.
When Jim Cine and Jason Sthesia aren't discussing movies, they're usually exchanging voicemails. They're now releasing mini episodes from their private vault.
Sometimes, when it’s been a long day on the farm, the boys are tired and the dogs is worn. They done meant to have a chitter-chatter about the pictures, but it just took too long to get the sheep into Sheepshead Bay and the the old bay into the stable, and everyone feels like they haven’t slept since the blue M&Ms stepped in for the tan ones.
It’s days like these when we throw out all the plans and take a little dip back into the archive. There’s a secret hotline that the boys can call when they want to leave each other messages, and with their permission we can rifle through the thoughts they’ve left there for each other and watch the sausage meat getting ground up to pack into the pig intestines of future installments.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Ringing in the New Year? Save a dance for Cinesthesia.
Baby, baby, let's make romance. You know your old time lover hasn't got a chance. He's stranded in the jungle, just as mad as he can be. So come on, pretty baby, just you and me.
(Meanwhile, back in the jungle:)
It's a year-ender in a four-fender and the Cinesthesia boys are on a bender. Their drug of choice? Mel Gibson's innermost psyche. We're riding out the final moments of 2020 by bathing in the deranged, doom-soaked, blood-hungry Apocalypto (2006). We'll see you on the other side.
Which is more stable — the metaphysics of Jason Voorhees or the regular physics of Jim's motor vehicles?
In a new chapter of the Cinesthesia saga (say that five times fast), Jim and Jason float once again into the periphery of your consciousness, like a speck of dust flirting with your eyelash, or a dim memory of someone else's dream. Having never, not once, not one time, learned anything from their mistakes, the boys indulge in gratuitous grousing about a popular director (his name rhymes with "Rent? In Quarantine? Oh.") and then they explain how to fix his popular, financially successful, critically acclaimed films. Also, Jim tells some stories, the Boys spitball some ideas, and then Jason talks for way too long about Friday the 13th movies.
CINESTHESIA is produced by Iguanodonald Studios and distributed by Split Tooth Media. Music for Cinesthesia is generously provided by the greatest bands that have ever been, The Coctails and Soft Healer.
The voicemails keep coming. When Jim Cine and Jason Sthesia aren’t discussing movies, they’re usually exchanging voicemails. They’re now releasing mini episodes from their private vault while on a short hiatus.
Sometimes, when it’s been a long day on the farm, the boys are tired and the dogs is worn. They done meant to have a chitter-chatter about the pictures, but it just took too long to get the sheep into Sheepshead Bay and the the old bay into the stable, and everyone feels like they haven’t slept since the blue M&Ms stepped in for the tan ones.
It’s days like these when we throw out all the plans and take a little dip back into the archive. There’s a secret hotline that the boys can call when they want to leave each other messages, and with their permission we can rifle through the thoughts they’ve left there for each other and watch the sausage meat getting ground up to pack into the pig intestines of future installments.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Cinesthesia Voicemails No. 1.
Sometimes, when it’s been a long day on the farm, the boys are tired and the dogs is worn. They done meant to have a chitter-chatter about the pictures, but it just took too long to get the sheep into Sheepshead Bay and the the old bay into the stable, and everyone feels like they haven’t slept since the blue m&ms stepped in for the tan ones.
It’s days like these when we throw out all the plans and take a little dip back into the archive. There’s a secret hotline that the boys can call when they want to leave each other messages, and with their permission we can rifle through the thoughts they’ve left there for each other and watch the sausage meat getting ground up to pack into the pig intestines of future installments.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Jim, Jason, and Jason's dad channel the spirit of Halloween to ward off evil brain surgeons and the A-list cast of The Black Sleep. The next chapter of Cinesthesia is still being written in the book of life, but in the meantime join our boys for a quick interlude from the book of death — a bonus quickie devoted entirely to a short, strange spookshow from 1956 called The Black Sleep, with Basil "Bone Wrath" Rathbone, Lon "Rattle Chain" Chaney Jr., Bela "Bela Lugosi" Lugosi, John "Rotted Spleen" Carradine, and Tor "Tore Up" Johnson, and more! It's a Halloween party and you're invited, so put on your best shock frock and glide on into our gothic castle for some tricks and treats, and also some illicit brain surgery, as we explore the netherworld between classic Hollywood horror and drive-in exploitation trash. Featuring Jason's dad, because why not? HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
CINESTHESIA is produced by Iguanodonald Studios and distributed by Split Tooth Media. Music for Cinesthesia is generously provided by the greatest bands that have ever been, The Coctails and Soft Healer.
The Reel Rap boys are howling into the mics this time around as they discuss Mike Nichols’ baffling 'Wolf.' I know what you’re thinking, “Jack Nicholson going wolf-mode?” That’s gotta be good!” Think again, buddy!
Sometimes a movie’s cast, crew, and premise are just too good to be true. That’s definitely the case with 1994’s Wolf. The film not only promises lycanthropic, Tex Avery antics from Jack Nicholson and James Spader, but features a Michelle Pfeiffer performance, an Ennio Morricone score, sets from Academy Award winner Bo Welch, and uncredited rewrites from the one and only Elaine May. Somehow, all these great chefs cook up a pretty dismal pot of bisque. Instead of subjecting yourself to Wolf, listen to Shane and Bennett discuss Jack Nicholson’s lackadaisical run, Rick Baker’s worst stab at creature effects, and the several eras of James Spader’s career.
This special Howl'o'ween episode starts with an age-old question: are threequels always great? No. They are not. But some are! And the Cinesthesia Boys are here to tell you about one. In the bold tradition of Exorcist III, Halloween III, and Godfather III, which are all the very best films from each franchise (don't argue, you look like a fool) we present The Howling III: The Marsupials. Sharpen your fangs, guzzle some blood, and snuggle up in our New Wave natal pouch for a journey through an Ozsploitation legend. Shrimp on the barbie and all that shit! That's not a knife! Mate!!!
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
CINESTHESIA is produced by Iguanodonald Studios and distributed by Split Tooth Media. Music for Cinesthesia is generously provided by the greatest bands that have ever been, The Coctails and Soft Healer. Find Cinesthesia on Twitter and Soundcloud.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is too wonderful for words, a movie that perfectly encapsulates the unique appeal of an “actor-turned-director.”
You probably think of Victor Frankenstein as a mad scientist. Kenneth Branagh is capable of reading more deeply. He recognized that Dr. Frankenstein, while mad, was also always half nude. Come rain, shine, blood, or amniotic fluid, Branagh’s Victor Frankenstein is stripped to the waist and soaked to the gills.
In the first of two creepy, scary October Reel Raps, Bennett and Shane discuss Tom Hulce’s slide into obscurity, the thrills of belligerent academia, and the acceptable level of gothness. They don’t often recommend the movies they discuss, but this one is definitely a must-see.
Reel Rap returns to address the protests going on around the globe and discuss William Greaves’ experimental documentary 'Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One.' One time, during a job interview, Bennett said it was his favorite movie and had to try to explain the “plot.” He didn’t get the job! That’s just one of the wacky anecdotes shared on this week’s Reel Rap.
It’s goodbye for real this time as the boys discuss the controversial animated film that began life as a script by Jacques Tati. American critics generally welcomed Sylvain Chomet’s The Illusionist in 2010. Based on a script by Tati and featuring his likeness, the film earned an Academy Award nomination, several Annie Award nominations and, best of all, a Golden Globe nomination. Purists and members of Tati’s family were decidedly less fond of the film. Jonathan Rosenbaum and Roger Ebert both received emails from one of Tati’s grandchildren calling The Illusionist an affront to his legacy and “a sabotage” of his original script. Tune in to this week’s Reel Rap to hear Shane and Bennett discuss that legacy, wonder aloud about that original script and express mixed feelings about Chomet’s film.
This time it's personal. Jason Thesia digs into Jim Cine's deep dark past to answer the question on the burning tip of everyone's tongue. Wait, do we all have one collective tongue? Is this a Jungian thing? Do we have a Jung Tongue? Weird. Anyway, the burning question: what the hell is up with Jim? Why is he like that? You know what I mean. Don't pretend you haven't asked yourself the same thing. But we're all gonna get to the bottom of it together, in this Special Origin Story Episode of Cinesthesia. The Jim Knight Begins!
Featuring drive-by namechecks of avant-garde filmmakers, 1980s downtown jazz musicians, film scholars Scott MacDonald and Ray Carney, and a brief discussion of whether Jackie Brown is the only good Quentin Tarantino film (spoiler: yes). PLUS, bonus Halloween Hangover content. This one is chock full of nuts!!!!
Jacques Tati's final feature, Parade, gets the classic Reel Rap side-eye on this week’s episode. Shane and Bennett aren’t the only clowns on this week’s Reel Rap. For his final feature, Jacques Tati focuses on a Stockholm circus and dusts off the pantomime routines that made him famous. Listen in to hear the boys discuss the Cirque du Soleil industrial complex, three card monty schemes and that episode of 'King of the Hill' where Bobby joins the rodeo.
Bennett and Shane say goodbye to Monsieur Hulot and discuss Jacques Tati’s penultimate film, 'Trafic.'
Trafic is often considered one of the great director’s “minor” works. While it’s definitely not PlayTime, the Reel Rap boys find a lot to love in his penultimate film. Does the film validate Bennett’s fear of driving? Is Shane a certified gearhead? You’ll have to listen to find out!
Original Reel Rap theme music by John Lettieri.
Yachts rock, stars trek and men mattress in a brand new episode of Cinesthesia.
Setting aside the efficacy of applying spatial logic to an emotional reality, we are nevertheless drawn ineluctably towards an inverse representation of consensus reality, once the experiential model returns the — um... you have a little... yeah, right there... no, the left side. No. Yeah. You got it. No problem. Okay. So, the — Hold on. What was I saying?
The Cinesthesia boys are limber and loose with it tonight. Jim and Jason talk Tom Green, Robert Altman, Paul Thomas Anderson and John Grisham. The four major food groups!
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
CINESTHESIA is produced by Iguanodonald Studios and distributed by Split Tooth Media. Music for Cinesthesia is generously provided by the greatest bands that have ever been, The Coctails and Soft Healer.
Shane and Bennett discusses Jacques Tati’s masterpiece, 'PlayTime,' one of the most ambitious and excellent films ever made.
This week, it’s down to brass tacks as Reel Rap explores a film that’s overwhelming in every sense. 'PlayTime' (1967) may have disappointed contemporary audiences and landed Jacques Tati in director jail, but history has more than vindicated it. The boys try not to drag its fine name through the muck as they discuss shallow cultural experiences, tactile comedy and the value of good ol’ American loudmouths.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
Reel Rap's theme song is composed by John Lettieri.
In 1959, 'Mon Oncle' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. A few days ago, it won Shane and Bennett’s hearts. With their first episode recorded in quarantine, listen in as the head Reelheads discuss neoliberal architecture, unclehood and one of the best comedies they’ve ever seen.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
The Boys are going on the road! Or, at least, Jason is. Or, well, he did. (This was recorded back when we all did things like leave the house.)
Jason is on a late night drive and Jim is his phone-a-friend in the trivia game of life. Together they ponder the important questions, the ones that sit deep inside your bones and echo through your chest cavity when you're trying to sleep: Did Alfred Hitchcock hate life or love death? How well did Dario Argento understand his own films? And perhaps most pertinent of all to the spiritual well-being of the human race: Is it possible to love and respect Nicolas Cage too much? (Spoiler alert: No.)
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
CINESTHESIA is produced by Iguanodonald Studios and distributed by Split Tooth Media. Music for Cinesthesia is generously provided by the greatest bands that have ever been, The Coctails and Soft Healer.
Bennett and Shane discuss Jacques Tati’s debut feature, Jour de Fête, in the latest Reel Rap.
Recorded more than two weeks ago, the latest episode of Reel Rap takes us back to simpler, pre-quarantine times. Bennett opens with perhaps the best joke of his life and it’s all uphill from there! With Jacques Tati’s Jour de Fête (The Big Day) in the hot seat, your hosts discuss the three deadly sins of men’s fashion and, once again, marvel at Tati’s detailed physical comedy.
Legendary French comic Jacques Tati takes the hot seat for Reel Rap's first season on an international actor-turned-director.
In the Season 7 premiere, the Reel Rap boys are sending good vibes your way. Sick of living in a DeLillo novel? Listen to Shane and Bennett discuss legendary French funnyman Jacques Tati and his signature brand of whimsy. This week, they’re slathering on the zinc oxide and pouring up a hot white wine to talk Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday. The film, Tati’s second feature, introduced the director to a wider audience and welcomed his signature character into the world. The boys break down Tati’s intricate gag construction and the hard work that goes into relaxing.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
For Reel Rap Season 7 Shane P. and Bennett G. cross international waters to discuss the film's of one of the most important comedic figures in film history. Who is this illustrious actor-turned-director, you ask? Listen in for the reveal, and to find out what masterpiece Bennett plans to watch on his phone. New episodes begin Friday, March 27.
Featuring music by Dana Boule.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
With their heads still swimming in pumpkin guts, The Boys try to cure their Halloween Hangover by plunging into the films of William "The Exorcist" Blatty. Will Jim and Jason find salvation in his particular and peculiar brand of (very) Catholic pulp-existentialist horror? Find out as The Boys discuss The Ninth Configuration (1980), also known as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane," also known as "The Actual Exorcist II," also known as the funniest movie ever made about the fear of dying alone in outer space after discovering there is no god. TAKE US TO CHURCH!
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
They just can't stop! Jim and Jason could talk about literally anything they want, but their brains are permanently trapped in the world of tricks and treats. This week, The Boys take a scattershot look at the convoluted history of one Michael "Halloween is my middle name" Halloween Myers, the once and future king of slashers, who is also maybe a puppet of Celtic witchcraft and an absentee father? Carve those pumpkins, kids, it's time for a Halloween Hangover.
NEXT EPISODE: More Halloween Hangover!!! Part 2 of [??!?] WHEN WILL THE MADNESS STOP P P PPP
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies* Twitter: @cinesthesiapod
After wrapping up Season 6 on Elaine May and Mike Nichols, Reel Rap moves to Russell Crowe's lone directorial effort. In 'The Water Diviner' Crowe plays a semi-mystic farmer who searches the stereotyped streets of Turkey for his three sons who are missing after the Battle of Gallipoli. In this episode Shane eats banana bread, Bennett demonstrates his Australian accent and shares how The Simpsons and Mary-Kate and Ashley informed Reel Rap's sense of Australian history.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
Ryan McCloskey returns to the Reel Rap studio to talk Charlie Wilson's War, Mike Nichols' 2007 collaboration with Aaron Sorkin. Our hosts pull very few punches on Nichols' final film, pointing out crucial mistakes in casting and how much the film resembles a Ron Howard movie. And, of course, they squeeze in some of Bennett's beloved Oscars talk.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
The Boys have been missing in action — wandering through the submerged depths of spacetime, the dead zones of material consciousness — but they ride the bathyscaphe up through the cracks in reality's sidewalk and surface with brain bubbles full of hot takes on Cyborgs and Spielbergs. Welcome back to Cinesthesia. Get your surfboards ready: This tide is only rising. Coming Feb. 24: HALLOWEEN HANGOVER!
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
CINESTHESIA is produced by Iguanodonald Studios and distributed by Split Tooth Media. Music for Cinesthesia is generously provided by the greatest bands that have ever been, The Coctails and Soft Healer.
Jason and Jim are back from Hell. Cinesthesia returns with new episodes Monday, Feb. 10. Listen as two confused men struggle to comprehend that they even have a podcast. Come hear what we see.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
CINESTHESIA is produced by Iguanodonald Studios and distributed by Split Tooth Media. Music for Cinesthesia is generously provided by the greatest bands that have ever been, The Coctails and Soft Healer.
Shane and Bennett give three cheers for the red, white and blue on Nichols' underwhelming political late-Nineties comedy. This week's Reel Rap looks back at Mike Nichols’ 1998 feature 'Primary Colors.' Shane and Bennett find little of value in the folksy rendering of the American electoral landscape. Shane shares his Kathy Bates story, Bennett measures the value of John Travolta and they express disappointment that this film, penned by Elaine May, was better received than Ishtar (1987).
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
Jason and Jim are coming back from Hell. Cinesthesia returns with new episodes Monday, Feb. 10. Listen as two confused men struggle to comprehend that they even have a podcast. Come hear what we see.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*.
CINESTHESIA is produced by Iguanodonald Studios and distributed by Split Tooth Media. Music for Cinesthesia is generously provided by the greatest bands that have ever been, The Coctails and Soft Healer.
Reel Rap is taking a break from Elaine May and Mike Nichols to discuss their favorite films of the 2010s, and, most importantly, to point out how great their taste is. Bennett selects 11 inscrutable films that he couldn't shake, films that introduced him to new favorite filmmakers and made him invest in the people's careers who made them. Shane, with his admittedly small sample of films seen last decade, picks the movies that embedded themselves in his head for years and forged a permanent place in his life.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
After an extended stretch through Elaine May's filmography, Reel Rap jumps back to Mike Nichols' films with 1996's The Birdcage. With an Elaine May-written screenplay, the comedy features Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as a gay couple pretending to play straight when Williams' son brings his fiancee's family to meet them. Bennett also talks smoking cigarettes off the ground and ponders if John Travolta is the worst actor in the world.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
"Telling the truth can be dangerous business/ Honest and popular don't go hand-in-hand." Shane and Bennett do a lot of truth-telling in their examination of Elaine May's Ishtar famously misunderstood comedy. They express great admiration for the film and relate heavily to Rogers and Clarke — Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman's bumbling singer/songwriter characters — even trying their hand at crafting their own pop tunes and singing a few Rogers/Clarke standards.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
Reel Rap welcomes you to 2020, the year we are existing in! We have compiled a best of the pre-Split Tooth Cassavetes and Cassavetes series focusing on the disparate films from John Cassavetes and Nick Cassavetes.
We appreciate you listening, laughing with us and supporting us, and we will resume Season 6 on Elaine May and Mike Nichols shortly. Enjoy this look at the highs and lows of our Cassavetes and Cassavetes episodes, and find more past episodes on Soundcloud.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
John Cassavetes and Peter Falk star in May's 1976 film that reflects the chaotic nature of life and teaches about film in a way that no class or textbook could ever convey. Bennett and Shane declare Mikey and Nicky one of the best films ever made and May an unrivaled genius — a far cry from previous Reel Rap films and directors. They also discuss smoking on a train, belt hygiene and drinking out of tiny glasses.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
Elaine May's second film is another relationship comedy that fires on all cylinders. Charles Grodin, Jeannie Berlin and Cybill Shepherd star in Elaine May's second film — an all-time-great comedy — The Heartbreak Kid. In this episode Bennett also reveals the official Reel Rap opinion of Alec Baldwin and they debate the prospect of swallowing chewing gum.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
Reel Rap pivots to Elaine May's filmography in this week's episode. May stars in her 1971 directorial debut, A New Leaf, alongside Walter Matthau in the high-society comedy about a rich man who goes broke and decides the quickest way to rebuild his fortune is marry a rich woman (May) and kill her. Shane and Bennett marvel at May's near-perfect comedic timing on script and screen, the film's ability to bounce between beats and how quickly May and Nichols both became technically advanced directors.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
Everyone's favorite sophomoric philosophers tackle Mike Nichols' best-known, Oscar winning effort with 1967's The Graduate. Along with special guest Ryan McClosky, Shane and Bennett discuss how their appreciation for the film has shifted through the years and how the leads —Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross — and various side characters read differently more than 50 years later.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
Legendary comedy-duo-turned-filmmakers Elaine May and Mike Nichols are the subject of the sixth season of Reel Rap. Shane and Bennett kick things off with Nichol's directorial debut, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Adapted from Edward Albee's hit 1962 play, Nichols' sharp-tongued, star-studded 1966 film lets the booze flow and the insults fly between Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal and Sandy Dennis. Shane and Bennett also share their favorite insults in the film, discuss how cleaning products have evolved and relive the craziest tears they've gone on.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
After a brief break for Split Tooth Media's 31 Days of October Horror series, Shane and Bennett are back in top form to continue talking through Sofia Coppola's filmography. In this episode they discuss the Civil War drama of a wounded Union soldier (Colin Farrell) being taken in by a group of women (including Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning) in a boarding school in what Bennett calls a high-brow horny film. They also talk about the satisfaction of slamming shades shut, the possible Cassavetes housing connection and the incredible performances turned in by the entire cast.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
After taking a short break for Split Tooth Media's 31 Days of October Horror series, Shane and Bennett resume their deep dive into Sofia Coppola's filmography. Episode 4 covers 2010's Somewhere, her subdued follow-up to the critically maligned Marie Antoinette (2006). They also share stories about bad bar experiences and discuss the gossip surrounding Benicio del Toro's elevator cameo.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
Having plumbed the depths of King-based media, having trodden to hell and back, the young bucks of Cinesthesia (with the help of returning guest and referee Frankie Vanaria) break down every single adaptation and relive their entire soul-crushing month in this, their longest and most nutrient-rich episode.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Day 30. The Cinesthesia boys are getting close to the light at the end of the tunnel, but first they have to get through Frank Darabont's The Mist (2007). Jim gives Jason's Secret Window a good ol' fashioned Dark Halfin' (yes, it's late enough in the month where they have started speaking in Kingisms) and guest star Frankie Vanaria immediately regrets agreeing to be on the show.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
If '1408' has a fault it is in being too competently made. This leaves our Cinesthetes with little to latch on to, but they nonetheless discuss the film for the requisite amount of time. John Cusack is a famous author who is in a room, who is tortured by said room. Samuel L. Jackson is able to be his best self — an angry, yelling man.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Open-carrying oars in public, Johnny Depp barking like a dog and the baffling rise of Depp from outsider actor to one of the most famous people on the planet. Cinesthesia gazes through the 'Secret Window' and are unimpressed by what it holds. David Koepp's 2004 adaptation of Stephen King's novella "Secret Window, Secret Garden" is full of great moments but ultimately serves as a turning point in Depp's career trajectory from untouchable to unremarkable.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Ancient daggers, inexplicable dream logic and the scariest sound of all — Shane's impression of a burping crow. Reel Rap stands divided on this 1973 experimental blaxploitation vampire film and reflects on a letter from director Bill Gunn to white critics about how black art is received by mainstream media.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
A useful batch of keywords to accompany your viewing experience of Dreamcatcher:
Shitweasel Grayboy Dumb guy psychics Morgan Freeman's eyebrows Gunphone Portentous farting The worst theatrically released Punisher but it's not his fault Oxycontin Inexplicable Wahlberg
Special guest Mike Daley returns to help Jason and Jim sift through Lawrence Kasden's adaptation of a novel Stephen King wrote in cursive while recovering from a near-fatal car accident in 1999.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Clearly sleep-deprived and falling apart at their basal cortices, Jason and Jim try to harness a wobbling conversation in the direction of 'The Night Flier,' but mostly talk about how much they love Miguel Ferrer. Also they put out a call for knowledge regarding the names of specific pratfalls.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Stephen's attempt to take back his novel from Stanley Kubrick, this miniseries doesn't really work at all because it is a cranky argument instead of a movie, but it is an interesting argument to talk about for a minute. The boys discuss good actors being ill-used and rain down spite upon Mick Garris.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
A crossover episode with Reel Rap host Shane Pfender ends the only way it possibly could — in a podcast feud.
A heavy-set man is cursed to grow forever thinner after he runs over a Gypsy man's daughter. Cinesthesia hosts Jason and Jim trek through Richard Bachman's horny portrayal of cosmic revenge in what Jason calls the King film that comes closest to encapsulating the feeling of reading a trashy paperback. Reel Rap host Shane Pfender guest stars and deems Jason and Jim's eyeballs are unhealthy after 24 days of Stephen King films.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Ted Levine fights his own jacket, Jim auctions off his eyeballs and Jason introduces his son to "spooky skulls." Episode 23 of Hell to the King covers the misunderstood Tobe Hooper production of The Mangler (1995), a movie that guest star Victoria Quamme Rhoden returns to for the first time since the film inspired an early childhood trauma.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
A whole lotta mackerel snappin' goin' on...
Hell to the King vaults across Jason's concentric circles and into the realm where all the rules are thrown out. Logan Taylor guests on this episode about Needful Things, a Stephen King adaptation that plays like a more murderous It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Also, everyone involved swoons over Max von Sydow.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Jim thinks Jason is mad at him for forcing him to watch this miniseries. Cinesthesia has decided 'The Tommyknockers' has precisely 10 good moments in a miniseries that is all too long. Lipstick vaporizers, charming machines and ancient architecture in the woods provide bright spots in a series that struggles to stretch itself to three hours.
Cinesthesia has decided The Tommyknockers has precisely 10 good moments in a miniseries that is all too long. Lipstick vaporizers, charming machines and ancient architecture in the woods provide bright spots in a series that struggles to stretch itself to three hours.
George A. Romero returns to the Stephen King universe after Creepshow to deliver another hidden gem. Between the film being generally good with no major surprises and Jason and Jim's bedraggled brains manifesting in mildness, they paw through this discussion like two well-behaved opossums hoping to get to the other end of a suburb without encountering anything larger than themselves.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Shane and Bennett discuss the third most important event of 2001, Bill Paxton's directorial debut in Frailty. When similar murders to "The God's Hand Killer" begin again, Adam (Matthew McConaughey) recalls his childhood with his father (Bill Paxton) who claimed to be killing demons in order to prevent Judgement Day. But when Adam's brother, Fenton, also begins seeing the demons, new questions arise. Reel Rap dives into this thriller that blends wholesomeness and religious extremism with a dash of humor. Shane also tells the story of how he cut off a toe as a teen.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
Despite Jason's adamant protests, Jim drags the boys to a new kind of hell in The Lawnmower Man (1992), a movie that isn't actually based on a Stephen King story? But this isn't another Devil's Gift scenario — this movie is a gift from a Cyber God. Joining the boys is Jason's father, Jem Michelitch, who was just trying to visit with his grandson, but Jason made him watch this movie instead. Families are overrated! Emotions are for the weak! WE WILL ALL BECOME GODS IN THE NEW REALM OF CYBERSPACE!
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Jason subjects his father, Jem, to watch a Stephen King film that's barely a movie — that ends up being so much movie — and guest on Hell to the King. Sleepwalkers marks the point where Stephen King films become a gimmick factory and also the first King film to be written exclusively for the silver screen. Cat people, vampire-energy beasts with shape-shifting abilities and a very unclear interpretation of what a sleepwalker can be power the film.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
The TV film is filled with King's favorite things—'50s-style greaser gangs, cool cars and children suffering terrifying deaths. Jason and Jim have thoughts.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
We were happy as we gazed on The Graveyard Shift But Stephen knows we’re Misery-able now
We moved on to the next film and then we watched the film And Stephen knows we’re Misery-able now
In our lives Why do we give valuable time To this podcast that is literally killing us slowly every day a little bit of our brains and souls go there they go goodbye bye brains and soul byeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Week three kicks off with a rat-laden hidden King gem. A textile mill being tormented by an evil foreman, workers meet a bat-rat monster in a musty basement; a rat cannon is fired. Jason and Jim agree that Graveyard Shift is the most fun King viewing experience and a movie that demands a resurgence. Jason also pitches why Kelly Wolf's character should have been made the lead character to take this film from a hidden King gem to a stone-cold classic.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
An email from the desk of Cinesthesia host Jason Michelitch:
"Episode Fourteen is uploading. It's a big rambly one, about the 1990 TV movie IT, but also about my weird theories about epicenters of cultural events and also a lot about the book IT, and I am afraid it is our most boring episode yet but I don't really have time tomorrow to do more aggressive editing on it. So it is as proportionately long and clumsy as the 1990 IT."
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Reel Rap is taking a break from Sofia Coppola films to jump into Split Tooth's 31 Days of October Horror series. Actor Charles Laughton's first and only directorial effort, Night of the Hunter (1955) follows a mysterious preacher with "LOVE" and "HATE" knuckle tattoos, looking for $10,000 hidden in a little girl's doll. Reel Rap puts on their best southern accents to dig into the strange Gothic fantasia and rate the Bible an 8 out of 10. Also in this episode: smelling salts, reviews of weird and peculiar film reviews and an ice cream-serving family named the Spoons.
Jason and Jim start to crack after 13 straight days of episodes. Reincarnated cats, children and brides. Neighbors with good intentions and bad advice. Truck 666 and tonally awkward Ramones theme songs. Cinesthesia visits the original Pet Sematary, created during a writer's strike at the end of the first golden age of Stephen King films.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Cinesthesia tackles the first King adaptation written under his pen name Richard Bachman. Jim finds a new love in this dumb smart movie with a terrible title, unlike Romper Stomper, which is a terrible movie with a great title; he also pitches a movie in a smallternate universe. In The Running Man Arnold Schwarzenegger runs through a death gauntlet reality TV game show in a dystopian America. Packed with atrociously bad action movie lines, the film conveys everything with just visuals and sound effects.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Predictable werewolves and alcoholic uncles fuel Dan Attias' 1985 adaptation of King's Cycle of the Werewolf. A Stephen King calendar turned into a possibly ghost-directed Don Coscarelli film, Gary Busey delightfully stomps around and rides dirt bike wheelchairs and Jason deals with a mysterious carpet cleaner straight out of a King novel. In episode 10 of Hell to the King, Jim and Jason talk about if Silver Bullet's memorable scenes are worth the interminable waits linking them together.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Cujo director Lewis Teague redeems himself with an anthology film told through a storyline-traveling cat. Jim's car headlight catches fire, Jason battles his fear of ledges, practical goblins appear and Stephen King tackles his first feature-length screenplay. The Cinesthesia Boys debate whether this anthology film falls into the good or bad King film category and how King portrays women.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
"Overdriving by a gas station on a maximum evening Whose truck this is I think I know His keys are in his pocket though Who was it drove the goblin green Into the gas attended spleen"
— Jason Michelitch, a poem for Maximum Overdrive
Stephen King directs the most cocaine-fueled King adaptation in existence featuring surprise rocket launchers and homicidal trucks threatening humans in a movie fully scored by AC/DC. Special guest Mike Daley calls in from New Zealand to bring his worst accent and deepest thoughts about King's wildest thriller.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
It's a new week in Hell, and the Cinesthesia Boys are starting it off with an evil toy monkey that is definitely from the Devil, and maybe(?!?) from Stephen King. Also from the Devil? Jason's audio! It's very bad! Tune in to hear a real whoopsie episode about 1984's The Devil's Gift, and learn more than you knew you wanted to know about the rules of death cymbals, how Merlin spends his free time and Jim's feelings about Dolly Parton.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Killer nose-bone punches, the social obligations of being set on fire and Drew Barrymore's telepathic flame abilities. In this episode about Mark Lester's 1984 adaptation of Stephen King's Firestarter, Cinesthesia hosts Jason and Jim welcome their first special guest to Hell to the King — independent filmmaker, compositor and motion designer Amanda Gotera.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Day 4: Jim abandons his thesis that all Stephen King adaptations are great.
Stephen King created his most ubiquitous monster with Cujo, but the film adaptation hardly lives up to its character's legendary name. In this Hell to the King, Cinesthesia hosts Jason Michelitch and Jim Hickcox rip into Lewis Teague's 1983 adaptation that features an increasingly slimy dog played by dudes in St. Bernard suits and mechanical dogs; Jim imagines an alternate universe where Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds' stars a lone bird without agency; Jason reflects on watching the film for the first time as a new father.
Cujo marks the beginning of a stark decline in quality and the turning point where King films became a Hollywood product. Listen to the episode for Jim and Jason's critique.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Confident sedateness and ineluctable forces, young Christopher Walken's strange acting choices and John Carpenter attempts at a studio film. Jason and Jim look at two classic films, a Cronenberg and a Carpenter, in a double header from the hosts of Cinesthesia.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Outlander, we have a special Hell for you today.
Fritz Kiersch directs a rare Stephen King film to take place outside of New England; A child preacher convinces children to murder all of the adults in town; A 30-year old man acts as a child in a clumsily plotted cult classic and the Cinesthesia boys explore the bare-bone truth involved in King lore. Jim and Jason also spend a full fifteen minutes doing everything they can to avoid actually having to talk about The Children of the Corn.
CINESTHESIA is produced by Iguanodonald Studios and distributed by Split Tooth Media. Music for Cinesthesia is generously provided by the greatest bands that have ever been, The Coctails, Soft Healer and Misters Presidents.
Starting Oct. 1 as part of Split Tooth Media's October Horror series, Cinesthesia presents Hell to the King: A 31-part miniseries about Stephen King film adaptations. Come hear what we see.
Floating vampire children at the window, psychic houses, Nosferatu-types and the power of the self. Jason revisits one of the foundational horror films from his childhood; Jim's longstanding belief about 'Salem's Lot' being a film about witches is disproven. After directing 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,' Tobe Hooper tackled one of Stephen King's most famous novels in a 3-hour made for TV movie. The Cinesthesia boys ask the big questions about 'Salem's Lot,' including why does a house attract evil people, why are there no witches and how Tobe Hooper's filmography is regarded today.
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
Day 3 of Hell to the King covers George Romero and Stephen King's collaborative series of hit-or-miss short films in the 'Creepshow' universe
A resurrected request for cake, a comic book come to life, Ed Harris' neck-jerk dancing and Stephen King's first doofy cameo in a series of twisted short stories. Cinesthesia hosts Jim Hickcox and Jason Michelitch take on a slate of short films in 'Creepshow' (1982), 'Creepshow 2' (1987) and 'Tales From the Darkside' (1990).
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
In the first installment of Cinesthesia's 31-day special series about Stephen King film adaptations, Jason and Jim break down Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of 'The Shining' (1980) and Brian De Palma's 'Carrie' (1976).
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*.
Come hear what we see. Hell to the King.
Time travel, mouths covered in plastic, fish-based revenge and another drive-by Cronenberg mention. Join the Cinesthesia Boys, Jim Cine and Jason Sthesia, as they get more talking done about bad movies, ironic appreciation, which Nolan brother is Mama Nolan's favorite and the ideal iteration of Jaws V: Sharks Hold a Grudge. It's another certified classic fresh from the presses (we call our mouths "presses" because we press them against each other, when we kiss!)!!
Join a filmmaker (and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*. Come hear what we see.
CINESTHESIA is produced by Iguanodonald Studios and distributed by Split Tooth Media. Music for Cinesthesia is generously provided by the greatest bands that have ever been, The Coctails, Soft Healer and Misters Presidents.
Reel Rap eats their cake and likes it while talking about Coppola's divisive third film. In this episode they discuss the initial reception to the film's historical inaccuracies, how its style emphasizes the story and Rip Torn's portrayal of a disgusting, decadent monarch.
Also in this week's episode, Bennett contemplates quitting his job, Shane talks like a pirate and they argue the value of fireworks.
Our new series Cinesthesia, hosted by Jim Hickcox and Jason Michelitch, debuts tomorrow. Come hear what we see.
Most best of the 2000s lists include 'Lost in Translation' (2003), often near the top. The film garnered four Oscar nominations and Sofia Coppola took home the award for Best Original Screenplay. Coppola’s definitive style is on full display in this film and Reel Rap examines the interplay between Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson and how their secondary relationships help define their characters.
In this episode Shane and Bennett also discuss superfluous self-care products, the repulsive act of drinking milk and how our relationships to film change over time.
What is a bad movie? When does the fun start? How did David Cronenberg make a room full of nineteen-year-olds cry? Who really killed Abraham Lincoln? Why do birds suddenly appear every time Tippi Hedren is near? The Cinesthesia Boys answer virtually none of these questions, in any way, at all. Who are the Cinesthesia Boys? They're Jim Hickcox and Jason Michelitch! That was an easy one.
Join a filmmaker(and sometimes film teacher) and a film teacher (and sometimes filmmaker) as they venture into the dark heart of their own befuddled relationship to culture, the youth, the internet, friendship, love, hate, time, space and, of course: movies*
CINESTHESIA is produced by Iguanodonald Studios and distributed by Split Tooth Media. Music for Cinesthesia is generously provided by the greatest bands that have ever been, The Coctails and Soft Healer.
In the first episode of Reel Rap Season 5, Shane and Bennett discuss Sofia Coppola's directorial debut film, 1999's 'The Virgin Suicides.' They discuss how Coppola's signature style began to make itself known in everything from the costumes and casting, to the acting and its portrayal of youth.
Also in this episode, they discuss the perennially underrated Kirsten Dunst, taking pride in work and the how film both employs and deconstructs the male gaze.
Coming next week on Reel Rap: Lost In Translation.
Sararosa Davies sits down with University of Oregon Cinema Studies professor Steve Rust and the "Godmother of Oregon Film," Katherine Wilson, to discuss the history of Oregon films, the state's cinematic voice, and Wilson's new book, 'Echoes From the Set.' Wilson earned her nickname for her dedication to and work on many notable Oregon movies including 'Animal House,' 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,' and 'Stand By Me.' She discusses her life and work in her book, but here she and Steve talk about the current Northwest films that are carrying on the state's film legacy, and those that shaped it.
A comedy duo straight out of William Penn’s backyard, Bennett Glace, an adult Disney fan, and Shane Pfender, an ordained minister, have for years lent a critical eye to Hollywood’s most tedious auteurs. They are a comedy duo for film snobs and slobs alike. Exhausted by the current uninspired landscape of film criticism, the two work to find a new language with which to understand and interact with the films they cover on their inimitable podcast, Reel Rap.
This Fall, Reel Rap is jumping out of the “baby pool” to join the Split Tooth Podcast Network in a landmark merger. Reel Rap will begin weekly new episodes that focus on the works of a single director who has changed the way they view the world. Buckle up for their upcoming season on Razzie-winning actress and Oscar-winning screenwriter Sofia Coppola.
In this introductory episode, Split Tooth Media Founder/Editor-in-Chief Craig Wright sits down with Shane and Bennett to discuss how this hilarious and irreverent film podcast began, where it’s headed and why you should not listen to the first 20 episodes. Seriously.
We’d like to extend a warm welcome to the newest member of the Split Tooth Podcast Network, Reel Rap.
In the third episode of Split Picks, Sararosa Davies, Nick Miller and Craig Wright discuss X's 1981 sophomore album, Wild Gift and 1983's More Fun In The New World.
In the third episode of Split Picks, Craig Wright, Sararosa Davies and Nick Miller discuss The White Stripe’s 1999 self-titled primitive garage-blues debut and their post-Elephant sonic exploration, 2005's Get Behind Me Satan.
In Ep. 2 of Split Picks, Sararosa, Nick and Craig discuss Arcade Fire's somber 'Neon Bible' and the sprawling double album 'Reflektor' before deciding which reigns supreme.
In episode 1 of Split Picks, we compare the bratty punk of 'Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash' with the refined intellect of 'Tim.'