Cinema Death Cult

Returning guest Joseph Gamble examines Dennis Hopper's notorious disaster "The Last Movie." Well it's a notorious disaster for other people. For me, it's a good movie. The poem at the beginning is "If" by Rudyard Kipling (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if---). I'll probably rewrite this later.

James Griffith returns for a two-hour podcast episode about Beverly Hills Cop, a 106 minute-long movie. While exhuming Eddie Murphy's biggest hit, the conversation sprawled into other Peak Eddie Murphy artifacts like Raw, Delirious, SNL and the masterpiece 48 Hours. This (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ0Qhbm3Xj8) is the Chris Rock movie I mention. It's good! Check it out if you have a minute. I got the name of the Walter Hill prison boxing movie wrong. It's "Undisputed" not Undefeated. The trailer is here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Diy3fuwhxQw). The memo I wrote about the show is below. Beverly Hills Cop Podcast Notes Attendees Adam Bulger, CEO, Cinema Death Cult Industries James Griffith, guest, consultant, spiritual advisor Agenda Axel Foley is the worst movie cop His super-power is deception and disregarding ethical codes of conduct. Makes other cops worse Imagine a newspaper article about plot of this movie The Beverly Hills police are pretty good cops but Axel corrupts them. Eddie Murphy as first black mega-movie star His “blackness” is front and center in the movie For that to happen, he has to play a law and order-upholding cop. Intentionally or not, there’s no romance for him in the film, opening up next point: Is Axel Foley Gay? Axel lies and manipulates everyone but Mikey lies to and manipulates him, like a gender-swapped femme fatale. Movie is ‘80s anti-drug movie made by prolific 80s drug users Notes Fun party movie. Eddie Murphy’s performance is terrific. Great action sequences (car chase in beginning) and filmmaking Amazing ‘80s electro pop/funk soundtrack Judge Reinhold & other guy. The Paul Reiser fakeout (at 8:10, moments before Paul Reiser comes on for the first time, Eddie Murphy walks by an actor that looks strikingly similar to Paul Reiser. Then Paul Reiser leaps into the frame. it's like a jump cut without a cut.) Two of the greatest police chiefs in movie history.

Brendan's back to talk about Daft Punk's movies. Spoiler alert: we talk far more about Daft Punk's music than their movies. Brendan gives his Daft Punk ranking on the show. Mine is: Human After All Discovery, Homework, Tron Legacy, Random Access Memories, Alive (tied for first) Photo by Cameron Venti on Unsplash

Author and noir expert Richie Narvaez (https://www.richienarvaez.com/) joins me to talk the smokiest, most shadow-drenched film ever made,_ Out of the Past. _ The 1947 black and white Robert Mitchum film is considered to be a quintessential noir film. And, as I reveal in the episode, it's an important influence on my podcast. Richie's most recent book is NOIRYORICAN and you can find out how to buy it here (https://downandoutbooks.com/bookstore/narvaez-noiryorican/). UPDATE: The Bogart/Bacall movie Richie mentions in passing is "Dark Passage."

Giant monsters attack! No one is safe! With the release of the new King Kong vs. Godzilla, I invited Jim Knipfel (http://jimknipfel.com/) back on the show to talk about the original monster battle movie. Jim's a longtime Godzilla fan. Or, in his words, obsessive geek. He wrote a great booklength essay on Godzilla called "A Purposeful Grimace" that he told me will soon resurface on his Patreon page, which is here (https://www.patreon.com/jimknipfel) and worth every penny. As you'll see, this episode was fraught with peril and surprises. I was embedded with a crack team of Japanese scientists in the United Nations as a menace of unknown origins tore through--well, I've already said too much. Enjoy.

Guitarist and total chiller Dave Cinquegrana (https://www.fivegrainguitar.com/) returns to CDC to talk about the 2004 music documentary Dig! Dig! follows the volatile relationship between the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre, two bands that neither David or I like very much. The movie's appeal likes in personalities and conflict, not music. *Show notes: * You can watch Dig! here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvWcfD5cW7k) for free. I mispronounce Antonio Salieri's name but stand by my point. The recent-ish Anton Newcombe jazz 101 video is here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_voU8mhRIrs). The Mr. Show sketch I mention is here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPysJVdO3vM). The video for "Not if you were the Last Junkie on Earth" is here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APrpB-i4d_E).

Hey! Check it out. A movie podcast about Star Wars. Never ever been done before. Trailblazing. I'm joined by artist and professor Jeff Foye (http://www.jefffoye.com/). Jeff's one of my best friends, something that the easy rapport in this episode makes obvious. We planned to do this as a commentary track for the first Star Wars movie. And it kind of is and kind of isn't at the same time. Tagents a'plenty on this one.

Photographer and photography professor Joseph Gamble (https://www.josephgamble.com) joins me in a wide-ranging conversation about the 1962 short film La Jetée and its 1995 Terry Gilliam remake 12 Monkeys. In addition to touching on La Jetée director Chris Marker's 1983 film Sans Soliel and Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, we explore the nature of memory, how humans process images and debate the merit of Brad Pitt's high energy performance in 12 Monkeys. La Jetée is here (https://vimeo.com/309034119). The Hamster Factor doc about 12 Monkeys is here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufyWxk5__YI).

The second and last part of my conversation about Russell Crowe's maritime spectacle. We pick up right where we left off--no intro, no formalities, no handholding. So strap in! Or whatever. The voices are me, Helder Mira (https://twitter.com/heldermira) and Brendan Mahoney.

Returning guest Helder Mira (https://twitter.com/heldermira) and first time guest Brendan Mahoney join me for a podcast about Russell Crowe, maritime adventure, movie theater memories, bird law and vibes.

It's no secret that dudes rock. But lesser known is the fact that the ladies? They rock sometimes two. My first female guest, Brianna Snyder, joins me to talk about Éric Rohmer's The Green Ray and Lina Vertmüller's Seven Beauties. As we discuss, I started doing a Letterboxd. You can keep abreast of my dumb opinions on movies here (https://letterboxd.com/adambulger/).

Jim Knipfel (http://jimknipfel.com/) returns to talk about his newly-launched Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/jimknipfel)and to ponder the wonders of the grimy '80s cult classic C.H.U.D. Well, mostly we talked about C.H.U.D. I'm kind of at a loss for describing the C.H.U.D. conversation. We cover a lot of ground. But trust me, this one's a banger. It's so good that I didn't realize I confused Joe Pesci with Joe Piscopo until three hours after we stopped talking. Oh, the C.H.U.D. filming location site is here (https://nycinfilm.com/2019/10/27/c-h-u-d-1984/).

Alan Kaplan joins me to talk about the organized labor history, psychology and philosophy behind John Cusack's 1997 dark comedy Grosse Pointe Blank.

In my most deranged podcast episode yet, I do a deep dive into the QAnon-related conspiracies and blind item gossip surrounding the 1983 Jim Henson movie The Dark Crystal. The blind item that started the whole weird ball rolling is here (https://www.crazydaysandnights.net/2021/01/blind-items-revealed-5.html). The ADRENOCHROME!! reddit post is here (ttps://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/jdp3uf/adrenochrome_heres_a_clip_from_the_dark_crystal/). The debunking reddit post is here (https://www.reddit.com/r/Qult_Headquarters/comments/fwg5h5/this_is_a_new_one_on_me_apparently_the_dark/). The New York Times Seth story is here (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/style/seth-spirit.html). The fan cut of The Dark Crystal is here (https://www.veoh.com/watch/v70593620BqtdwgNG).

James Griffith (https://jamesgriffith.eu/), a philosophy professor and one of my best friends, joins me to discuss Eminem and the movie 8 Mile. It's an hour of two bros bro-ing out on Eminem, Voltaire, Neoliberalism, Malcolm McLaren, George Plimpton and Rocky Balboa. This (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgztAU7p-WM&fbclid=IwAR0QoWUCPXIP4giOTEuIqKQyt9UssiE1ieBKg6bcIkM-JvlhxNDqySzqk6Q) is the Dr. Dre discovers Eminem documentary we discuss at the end. The song I can't remember the name of is "I Won't Back Down" and it's here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvQqlhMDN_A). The episode ends with my "remix" of "My Name is." (https://soundcloud.com/adam-bulger/my-name-is-101420-829-pm) I put remix in quotes because I didn't mix anything. It's me on bass, guitar and drum machine under Eminem's vocals. This (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFcv5Ma8u8k) is one of God's perfect songs. All I know is I'm upstairs and I'm listening to my Will Smith CD. LOL.

Guitarist and total chiller Dave Cinquegrana (https://www.fivegrainguitar.com/) joins me to talk Frank Zappa and the Alex Winter doc Zappa (https://www.thezappamovie.com/). Dave is an accomplished, trained musician. He helps me, a dullard who barely plays guitar and can't read music, piece together some of Zappa's elusive world of music. Oh, the Day in the Life of Frank Zappa doc I mention is here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aFRBbnF-ag). The "Eat That Question" Doc is here (https://vimeo.com/353927839). The long collection of Zappa interviews is here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4KLdBn8NPk). For completists, here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwouobIqB9I)'s an episode of Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa's Man Show-esque TV program.

The audio track is garbage. Sorry but Jim's an old blind guy so it was really a goddamn miracle we recorded anything at all. Janky sound was inevitable. And, as we address almost immediately, perfect for the subject matter: the documentary (https://twitter.com/R_Roddy_Piper/status/383693269068050432) They Live. Anyway. There's a real murderer's row of talent on hand to discuss the rich, insurrectionary art of They Live. Two of my favorite writers and people join me to celebrate and dissect John Carpenter's masterwork: Slackjaw (http://www.electronpress.com/EPexec/Slackjaw.html) columnist Jim Knipfel (http://www.jimknipfel.com/) and investigative journalist Alexander Zaitchik (https://www.zaitchik.com/). When it was released in 1988, They Live was a reaction to Ronald Reagan's America but, as Jim says, "They Live never goes away." We talk about the cultural and historical forces that made _They Live _ inevitable and the diverging ideological interpretations of the movie that have sprung up since. Jim is a force of nature. Alex makes sharp observations. I drop a minor bombshell about "Rowdy" Roddy Piper being a teensy bit reckless about racial slurs in a decades-old interview. Hope his estate doesn't sue. Maybe I can convince them to put on these special sunglasses they'll see things my way. You can read the original Ray Nelson short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning" here (https://pvto.weebly.com/uploads/9/1/5/0/91508780/eight_o%E2%80%99clock_in_the_morning-nelson.pdf). The 1986 comic book that directly inspired Carpenter is online here (https://sapcomics.blogspot.com/2012/01/nada.html). The David Icke interview about _They Live _is here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCMWD71M6UE) Slavoj Žižek's immortal "trash can of ideology" discussion of They Live is here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVwKjGbz60k).

Video producer, pop culture expert and podcaster Helder Mira (https://twitter.com/heldermira) stops by Cinema Death Cult HQ to defend the honor of Tim Burton, a director Adam doesn't like very much. In the second part of a two part episode, Adam and Helder debate the merits of Ed Wood _and _Batman Returns while straying into other, barely related, topics. Check out Helder's podcast, So Pretentious, here (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1393474).

Video producer, pop culture expert and podcaster Helder Mira (https://twitter.com/heldermira) stops by Cinema Death Cult HQ to defend the honor of Tim Burton, a director Adam doesn't like very much. In the first part of a two part episode, Adam and Helder debate the merits of Ed Wood _and _Batman Returns while straying into other, barely related, topics. Check out Helder's podcast, So Pretentious, here (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1393474).

Adam and Colin talk Borat and fatigue with the Trump era.